Memorial Day/ Prince Caspian

Greetings everyone! I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day yesterday. I did. I got to see my brother Colby and sister-in-law Cheryl at parent’s house. We all had lunch and went to see Prince Caspian at the movie theater. Great movie! Has anyone who is reading this seen the movie? If so, what do you think about it? I really liked that movie. Missed a few things. I guess the British accent ran together too much. The movie obviously had a lot of Christian themes in it. Really good movie! Highly recommend this film.

This summer I am very excited to have the opportunity to go to Camp Hunt in upstate New York. There is a family at my home church who has been highly involved with this camp since they lived in New York. I get to go and help them teach a series of classes on the life of Christ. I read The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey and currently reading Jesus, The Greatest Life Of All by Charles Swindoll. Lord willing I’ll be there for a week. Lord willing when I get back there will be 2 or 3 weeks before Sunset starts. I’m really excited about this opportunity to go to this camp. I hope to get to meet some church leaders in New York and perhaps move up to that area to work with a church in that area.

In fact, that brings up something else. I have thought about, prayed about moving to the Northeast or Northwest after Sunset so much that I forgot that wherever you are is a mission field. Every where you are where people need Jesus is a mission field. No matter if it’s Plano, TX; or New York City; or Los Angles; or elsewhere. Someone dear to me asked me if they would ever see me again. That brook me. I would love to come back to the Dallas area to work with a church. I am more than willing to work a full time job or 2 or 3 part time job to support myself so the church isn’t burdened with paying me. For more on this please see dwhitset.wordpress.com

I certainly don’t want to be a preacher any more. I would much rather be in Outreach and Involvement (evangelizing people- teaching them about Jesus- and assimilating them into the life of the church is so important in the life of the church); or Spiritual Development and Education (teaching people about Jesus’ life and teachings and how we can utilize His life in our own lives); Young Adults and Young Marrieds and Young Families (I am single and never married, so that could be hard if not impossible).

What do you think? Advice? Comments? Thank you all! God bless! Peace.

Read Full Post »

Thomas The Disciple

Greetings one and all! Before I start this post, I want to pass a word of thanks to my brother in law Jake for helping switch my blog from blogspot to wordpress. Thank you buddy!

I wrote a blog about a Bible hero of mine (Timothy) back in July 2007 and intended to write more for some time now. Well, now is the time. Thomas, one Jesus’ twelve disciples, is certainly a hero. I think he gets a lot of flack now a days for his doubting when Jesus is raised to life in John 20. More on that later.

In the Gospels of Matthew (10:3); Mark (3:18); and Luke (6:15) Jesus lists Thomas as one of His disciples.  The first mention of him in John’s Gospel is in chapter 11. Jesus’ friend Lazarus has passed away. Then He tells them He is going to him. And Thomas said “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him” (v. 11). The NIV footnote on this verse says, “… We usually remember Thomas for his doubting, but he was also capable of devotion and courage, as here”.

Skip ahead to John chapter 20. Here, Jesus has already been betrayed, killed, and resurrected. He has appeared to His own mother and a couple of other women; and to ten of His disciples. Thomas wasn’t there, and when the ten told him about what they had seen, it must of been way too much for him to handle. Verse 25 states, “So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We’ve seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe’” (emphasis added). And the next verse through verse 29 tells what happened after that.

“After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you’. Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing!’ Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God’! Jesus said to him, ‘ Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who didn’t see, and yet believed’.”

This story reminds me of the state of some Americans these days. There are some who just can’t seem to feel God is real or that He loves them. Some might believe that Jesus was a real man in history, but don’t know if He’s the Son of God. Some don’t believe in God or Jesus at all. There are various beliefs out there. But this story shows that if someone out there is honestly and truly looking for proof that God and Jesus are real and that They truly do love them and are there for them, I believe God will give them what they want. That is if they are honestly looking for answers. And there in lies the key. How many people are honestly and truly looking?

Thomas was honest about his doubts. He didn’t hide them. The things he was hearing about Jesus being a live must have flown over his head. It was hard to accept. No doubt he saw Jesus die right before his very two eyes. How could it be that He was a live now? Too much. Way too much.

But then. But then he saw Him again with his own two eyes. This time He was a live! He invited him to look at the evidence that he wanted. You want to touch My nail scars and side scar Thomas? Go ahead. You want evidence Thomas? Here it is. Look at it. Feel it.

I don’t know if he actually touched and felt Jesus’ scars or not, but he was certainly convinced 100% just like everyone of the other diciples that the Man they followed was a live and well again!

Thomas wanted evidence and he got what he wanted. I can only hope and pray that everyone who is looking for God is honestly and truly looking for evidence for the affirmative and they will know it when they see it.

Comments? Please let me know what you think about any of this. Thank you all! God bless! Peace.

Read Full Post »

Madelyn’s Birthday Party/ Uncle Zeebo

Greetings one and all! On Saturday we celebrated my niece Madelyn’s first birthday party. Lots of fun! We all met at my brother in law’s parents’ house. The party was a huge success! Lots of good food. Good cake and ice cream. Madelyn enjoyed her birthday presents. A good time had by all!
Happy birthday Madelyn!
———————————-
Of course all of you know my name is Zack. My mother calls me Zeebo sometimes. That has become a nickname of sorts. My brother in law has an older sister who is married and has three children of her own. The oldest is called Zack as well. So I have decided to have Madelyn call me Uncle Zeebo to avoid confusing her.
And now my youngest sister Katie is pregnant, I have decided to go with Uncle Zeebo with all of my nieces and nephews that come along the way.
That is the story behind “Uncle Zeebo”. I love being an uncle!
Peace and God bless!

Read Full Post »

Answer/ Madelyn’s Birthday

Greetings one and all.
Now for the moment everyone’s been waiting for: the answer to last week’s riddle. What do May flowers bring? Pilgrams!
———————————————
My niece Madelyn Grace Chism turns One year old tomorrow May 14. Can’t believe how time has been flying by in one year’s time. It only runs faster from here on. My brother-in-law has a really awesome tribute to her on his blog risefromyourslumber.wordpress.com. He has a really awesome song posted on it by Steven Curtis Chapman (one of my personal favorite Christian song writers/ singers). It’s really touching and you’ll be crying your eyes out by the end of it, so get a hanker chif before you listen to it.
Happy first birthday sweet Madelyn! Your Uncle Zeebo (I’ll write a post about the “Uncle Zeebo” thing some time later) loves you!
Peace!

Read Full Post »

April showers and May flowers

Greetings one and all. I know we are six days into May already, but this is really funny.
April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring? Think about it. The answer is obvious. Even if you rack your brain trying to figure it out, when you hear the correct answer you’ll say “oh yeah, that’s so obvious”. The answer coming next week.
God bless!

Read Full Post »