Where's my miracle?

It's interesting how the older we get the less we are amazed by things. Remember what it is like to have that child like belief? I'm one of the biggest jokesters I know. After my first year of teaching I had my students believing that I was once a back up dancer for Justin Timberlake, I turned down an NBA contract to teach them and that I can sing better than Justin Bieber before he went downhill (not sure why I disclosed that last one). Anyway, what I realized is that we all at one point had that child like faith that we believed the little things and more importantly, we believed the bigger things. We had so much faith in our parents, our circumstances and humanity. Somewhere along the way life experiences teach us the cruel reality of life. At this point in life we begin to challenge everything we either once knew or have experienced.

One question I get asked all the time is why don't miracles happen anymore? In fact this is one of the questions that I wrestled with for a long time before coming to my faith. Where is the God that parted the Red Sea? Why doesn't he just drop loaves of bread from the sky and feed all the children in Africa? How can God watch people suffer, why doesn't he do something miraculous to leave us in awe so we all believe instantly. I bet if you saw God hold the sun stand still like he did for Joshua in the Bible for an extra 24 hours it would be hard not to believe in his existence. If only Jesus was still here to walk on water, raise someone from the dead or heal someone from leprosy, it would be so much easier to convince people of his loving power. When it comes to God we seem to think at times that he is a Genie don't we? God I ask for this, now show me something good. Hear my heart on this, God is a loving and abundant God, he wants to bless us but he also knows what we can handle and when we can handle it. His timing is perfect and his grace is always sufficient. So the real question we always want to know is where is my miracle?

The truth is, we are surrounded by miracles everyday! Maybe you are just missing it. Stay with me now. Have you ever had a day when you are just going through the motions? I urge you to find the miracles during those times, they are right under your nose. We have a tendency to take our eye off the bigger picture and become focused on other things. Miracles today may not be parting of the seas but it is something only God can do. I have witnessed many miracles in my life, let me share one with you.

Last January I went to Haiti for a week to help my missionary friends prepare their orphanage. I was there the day the orphans arrived. We were warned about their conditions, that many of them are or were  malnourished, abused or neglected. I will never forget that first night. I was in my room getting ready for bed when I heard Joanne, one of the missionaries, yell my name. I ran out into the living room as she told me "Zach you need to hold this child." as she handed him to me, I noticed his chest pounded extremely fast, I asked what was wrong to which she responded "He has an irregular heart beat, a fever of 104 and the doctor said to not even bring him to the hospital because he is not going to live through the night." Mind you this child appeared to be about the size of a 9 month baby when in reality he was 4 years old. With a racing heart beat, fever, scabs and sores all over his body, I held his limp body in my arms. Was this real life? Was I really about to hold a child as he died in my arms? I didn't sign up for this.

I did the only thing you can do when things are out of your control, I prayed. I sat down, cradled him in my arms and put my hand on his chest "God, please let this child live, just another day, give him a fresh start in this loving home." I prayed over that child for two hours, I posted a message on Facebook asking for others to go before God and pray for this child's life. In my heart I thought this child was going to be another angel in heaven soon but I continued praying for God to have mercy on his life. Within an hour his fever broke, his heart rate returned to normal and he stopped sweating. The power of prayer is beyond our imagination. I went to bed that night physically, spiritually and emotionally exhausted, just hoping that he would survive the night some how.

I woke up early the next morning and said another prayer before leaving my room. I walked out to see the baby not in his crib, my heart began to race, my eyes began to swell up with tears and then I heard my name once again, I was asked to come to the kitchen "not again" I thought. As I walked into the kitchen there he was, sitting up right, eating a bowl of cereal. Even as I write this I get goose bumps because I realize I forget how much God can move in our lives. His miracles are all around us. One minute you may feel completely helpless  and the next you see God move. He does the imaginable. It may not be a moment the entire world can see but it doesn't take much for me to convince you that there are things that happen in life that we just cannot explain. I know the truths of that equation, a baby was dying in my arms with no chance of survival and in less than eight hours he had more energy then a 10 year old after trick or treat night.

The truth is there are miracles all around us. I look forward to posting more miracles that I have seen God show me but in the mean time I want to hear about some of the miracles that you have witnessed lately. If you feel comfortable enough to share them with me please email them to me at Zachary.tyler.white@gmail.com I will keep the confidential but I always love hearing stories about God doing miraculous things in your life. Like I said I will be posting many more miracles I have witnessed and I pray you are sharing yours with others! Please share or send to friends and family so they can be reminded how God shows us his power through miracles everyday! God Bless!!

The Lies of Alcohol

It’s Friday, someone you know is getting drunk tonight based on one of the lies I am about to mention below. Please read what God has placed on my heart and share this with your friends and family, hopefully they read these words and something connects to their spirit.

One year, nine months and seven days ago, I made the decision to give up drinking alcohol. This was not a decision I made up on my own, God had led me to this decision. For the past year I have noticed changes in my life and those around me. As I thank God for putting that decision on my heart I can’t help but feel that he wants me to share what alcohol can do to our lives. Below I will be telling you what I have observed about this crucial decision in my life to give up alcohol. If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this post it’s that God loves you, He wants what is best for you and I hope you see how all these lies are blocking you from Gods best for you.

The Lies of Alcohol

The worst part about being told a lie is sometimes you do not want to believe it. You may even know it’s being told to you but you accept it as unchangeable. The first lie of alcohol I want to talk about is dependency.

DEPENDENCY

It’s five o’clock on Friday and your weekend is about to begin. You’re excited to meet up with your friends and grab a drink at Happy Hour. Finally it is your time to RELAX. The first thing you look forward to on your time off is a drink.  I speak from experience when I say this type of mentality is dependency. Anytime you believe that you need alcohol to relax that means you are DEPENDING upon alcohol to relax, that my friend is called dependency. You can argue this up and down but look at the bottom line, you are depending upon a substance to help relax your body, mind and spirit. Anytime you are putting your hope in alcohol to relax you, you are not depending upon God. Now I am not against alcohol or enjoying the taste but God does not want you to be dependent upon anything but Him. Anytime you do, you are replacing God with an idol, something that cannot fill that God shaped hole. God tells us the only thing that can give us peace is his presence, in this instance I am referring to prayer. Use prayer as your relaxation tool, God knows your heart and the week you have had, do not tell yourself alcohol is the answer because that is a lie, it is a temporary relief. I remember the first time I went on vacation after giving up alcohol, I was on the beach for five minutes before I was craving a beer. Those cravings tormented me, besides I was on vacation and it was my time to relax. The truth is if I could not find relaxation by simply being away from my responsibilities back home and my everyday duties then I had a problem, a dependency issue.

SOCIALIZE

Another lie which is by far the most over looked in our society is the need to drink to socialize. The thought that you have to have a drink to blend in, I hear all the time “it’s what you do in your 20s and 30s.” This is by far the biggest lie in my generation because of the added peer pressure, you do not want to be the odd ball out. This is one I have fought and wrestled with, honestly it was the one lie that I struggled with the most. People begin to question why you’re not drinking, as if you need a reason not to drink. I hope you hear my heart on this next statement because I am not condemning anyone but fear the lies you have been told. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DRINK TO SOCIALIZE. We are social by nature. If you are depending on alcohol to “be yourself” or because it allows you to be more fun, social or outgoing, you are depending upon alcohol to build your self-esteem, and this is a lie. You are who God created you to be without alcohol, if you do not like who you are sober then you need to find comfort in who you are before you add alcohol. I pray if you are reading this that you are beginning to hear how these lies may play a part in your life, a close friend, relative or spouse who may have a drinking issue. You often see people get into relationships and stop going out as much, the lie that you have to go out and be social in bars or other public places to meet that special someone is a lie. My advice for you is to follow your passions, the things you treasure the most and you will find that person there. This may be at church, volunteering, work, sporting event, family reunion (just kidding) but you get my point. Do not let being single be a reason to go out every weekend. I do realize people meet at bars all the time, this is not a bad thing, just be careful that alcohol isn’t the foundation of that relationship.

FUN

This may be one of Satan’s biggest ploys to get you to drink, that everything is more fun and exciting when alcohol is involved. He convinces us if you just had that perfect martini or blue moon to go with this event that it would one up the current feelings you are having, this is a lie. I promise you my fun level has not gone down by cutting out alcohol, I just remember everything now. You do not need alcohol to attend concerts, sporting events or dance your feet off at weddings, I can attest to that.

HURT

Alcohol is known for numbing your senses, one way it numbs you is by numbing your heart. You become detached from feelings of emotion. The worst part about this kind of hurt is you pretend it does not affect anyone and you begin to go on the defense. Your actions, your words and your thoughts are not as pure when under the influence of alcohol. I am convinced that over consumption of alcohol only brings out the worst of people and that no good comes from drinking. Now you may have read that last statement and said “Zach I do not abuse alcohol, I have a drink or two.” You can get a buzz off drinking one or two. A buzz is not healthy to the mind or heart either. I have a friend who enjoys alcohol but he gets upset with himself if he starts to feel a bit tipsy because he knows that it can go down quickly. When I was at Ohio University we had an alcohol responsibility campaign called “Stop at the Buzz”. At the time I thought it was dumb but now I see why they say to stop at the buzz, it’s because they know that is a pivotal moment in drinking. You are either on your way to being drunk or slowing down toward sobriety. You cannot maintain a buzz. If you believe you can maintain a buzz, then ask yourself if you could get a DUI while just having a buzz, the answer is you can and if caught, you will. I do not say this make people feel guilty but too many people in our society are casual with their drinking. DUI’s ruin lives, be responsible if you do decide to have a drink is all I’m saying, have a plan, a ride.

BODY

One lie I do not need to convince anyone of is that alcohol damages the body. God says that our body is a temple. The negative effects of alcohol are headaches, nauseous, vomiting, being light headed, loss of memory, diarrhea, liver problems, impaired vision and more. If you consume alcohol to the point where it gets to a buzz then the truth is you will experience one of the listed side effects. I have never once regretted not drinking but I have regretted many times when I have drank. There is no worse feeling than waking up with a headache or the feeling of laziness. For those that know me they know I am a very productive person. When I would wake up after a night of drinking, even if it was just a few my productivity plummeted. You may not realize it but this causes a lot of stress. If you are not able to get done the errands, tasks or projects around the house that you had hoped to get done it begins adding stress. Stress has a negative effect on your body, alcohol lies and tells you that you will get something done eventually, but that never happens. The biggest influence I have noticed on my body from not drinking would be my physical appearance. If you struggle with your weight, energy, mental attitude, you may want to ask yourself if alcohol plays a part in that. When I gave up drinking, my energy level went up, it was easier to maintain a healthy body or stay in shape. My emotions became more stable, I thank God for this every day.  Mentally you are sharper, you begin thinking more clearly. Alcohol is a depressant, if they had this word on a beer label no one would want to drink it.

MONEY

Every time I watch television I cannot go five minutes without seeing an advertisement for alcohol, “you can be the life of the party” or “live it up with up with a Budweiser this weekend”. The lie is that alcohol is an investment of fun, this is a lie. If you are relying on alcohol to have fun, that means you are being dependent on alcohol to enjoy life, we in the counseling field call that dependency. Are you starting to see the trend? My point with all this is not to bash alcohol but to tell you the truth of how alcohol lies to us. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, alcohol does not add anything special to your life. If this post sounds a bit harsh it’s because I have to be over the top with my words because I speak with conviction. These are all lies that I believed for many years and I see it every time I go out to bars to minister to people. Alcohol is an investment in their fun, that it adds something to their lives, the truth is that is a lie. They are trying to fill a God shapes hole with a substance. Now I believe you can go drink, go to bars and have a drink but remember to stop before the buzz. Do not expect alcohol to add anything, drink to enjoy the taste, not to get drunk.

ALCOHOL

This next line may shock some of you who actually finished reading this long post but drinking alcohol is not a sin. Jesus drank alcohol, yet never sinned or did anything wrong. In fact his first miracle was turning water into wine. God created it for us to enjoy. GOD INVENTED ALCOHOL, therefore he wants us to enjoy it. He also wants us to use it properly, unfortunately we live in a culture of abundance. We abuse, over use and exceed a lot of our blessings in life. Alcohol is meant for pleasure and enjoyment but please do not listen to the lies I have listed above. You do not need alcohol to have fun, relax, and enjoy life. If you think alcohol adds to your life, you are being dependent upon the influence alcohol has on you. I say this with a strong conviction, as someone who once listened to all the lies listed above. What I realized is that I could not have a close relationship with God because I was putting too much influence on alcohol and not enough in God. Now you may not be the one being affected by the influence of alcohol but someone you know may be, please share this post with them.

Closing Thoughts

My heart is that people will read this and something will speak to them. I have been a drunk, a social drinker and now a sober minded person. I can tell you in all honesty, I have never regretted giving up alcohol. If you question if you are listening to any of these lies I would challenge you to do the same thing God challenged me with, GIVE UP ALCOHOL FOR ONE MONTH STRAIGHT. This means no short cuts, no cheating, and no tastings, give it up. Start today, not next week after that big event, now! Your friends may not like it or agree with it so you cannot always depend on them to support you in this.  If you struggle during that month, journal about it, talk about it with an accountability partner, if you need someone to talk to please email me and I will encourage and support you. My email is Zachary.Tyler.White@gmail.com My hope is that people will begin to hear truth and stop listening to lies. That month for many of you will be one of the biggest turning points in your life. If you try the month and you fail, that is okay, try again. Keep trying until you can go that full month. If you want to know my secret, I go one day at a time. I count the days I’ve been sober, not the months or years. Pray every day, ask God for the strength. I put my hope in Jesus and the words he spoke to me that night. I wear a bracelet with the verse Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Jesus Christ, who gives me strength.” I’ve tried going a month on my own and it was impossible, but with God all things are posisble. I pray He does the same for you! I love you and I am praying for all who read this!! Thanks for reading.

O Happy Day!!!

 

Today is one of the happiest days of my life. God has been faithful throughout the entirety of my life but today he leaves me speechless. My heart is overwhelmed with joy to the point where I can only make sense of it by writing this post.

Today my oldest brother is getting baptized with his wife Tara. He is a 34 year old man, he has always stood by my side and we have constantly pushed and challenged one another to be a better men. A few years ago we were faced with a difficult situation, I gave up drinking for my faith in Jesus. God spoke to me one night and asked me to give it up and it change my life. I would love to say that Josh agreed with this from the beginning but he did not. In fact it challenged our relationship even more. We became distant, my heart became distrot but God promised me that this was part of his plan. It didn't make sense to me at the time, besides why would God want me and my family to be further a part? After time Josh watched as my faith grew stronger. At the same time I began seeing God work on his heart. He began going to church weekly. He began asking questions and wrestling with God on the tough issues. One night Josh and I were having dinner after looking at a few real estate properties to which he hesitantly said "Zach I was at church the other day and something happened, I was asked to give my life to Christ and it was hard but something inside of me said it was time. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior." My heart sank, my eyes became watery and I realized Gods plan is always better than mine.

We talked about Jesus, our struggles and our testimonies for the next few hours. As with most radical changes I still didn't believe it. I prayed to let my heart soften and be there for my brother. Soon his passion would over ride any doubts I had about his commitment to God, he began waking up and studying his Bible every morning, sending me verses of encouragement and asking me questions about the Bible. Today my oldest brother makes a public display of his inward commitment to his faith. He will be baptized in front of thousands of people at Vineyard Church, Columbus. A church that has enabled him to connect to a pastor and grow deeper in his faith. I can't help but be thankful for my pastor, Matthew Johnson, and my church. My deepest desire is for the people I love to go to a church where they feel loved, connected and unjudged. Lancaster Community Church has done that for me. They have provided me with the love and encouragement I needed to start my walk with Jesus. Even when I stumbled and asked questions they help provide answers and lead me closer to God. Church is not a place of condemnation, it is a place of freedom. A place where we can walk in with our baggage, shame and guilt and set it before God with others who can help us understand it. My prayer is that everyone reading this can find a church where they find this to be true. If you do not feel this way at church, please go somewhere else, go where you are being fed. Do not go to church because you feel compelled to go there or because your family went there. Go where you can grow closer with God, it may be somewhere different and that's okay.

I wake up today with a happy heart, one that jumps for joy, knowing that my brother Josh and Tara are faithful believers in Christ and that we will spend eternity together in heaven. When asked if Josh has been baptized before he responds "yes but I was a child, now I am being baptized as a follower of Jesus." The difference is huge. Josh has always been a "Christian" but now he believes that Jesus is Lord. That he can and will overcome anything life throws at him. He has a heart for God and I am so thankful to have him in my life. With certain friends and family we can only communicate to certain levels. I have friends that will never understand my struggles because they do not understand my faith. When you are walking with God you can bare your shame to one another, your struggles and you can lift each other up. My brother Josh has done that for me and today I stand in awe as God has shown his faithfulness. I am proud of my brother, I always have been but today I witness something truly amazing. I witness that his character has changed, that when he rises from the water he will start a new beginning. That all his sins, shame, guilt and anxiety from the past will be washed away for all to see. That he is committed to his faith and that nothing of this world can take that from him.

I could not help but have the lyrics of "O Happy Day" by Jesus Culture on my heart this morning as I thought about my brothers baptism. I have listed them below:

The greatest day in history, death is beaten
You have rescued me
Sing it out, Jesus is alive
The empty cross, the empty grave
Life eternal, You have won the day
Shout it all, Jesus is alive
He's alive

[Chorus:]
Oh happy day, happy day
You washed my sin away
Oh happy day, happy day
I'll never be the same
Forever I am changed

When I stand, in that place
Free at last, meeting face to face
I am Yours, Jesus You are mine
Endless joy and perfect peace
Earthly pain finally will cease
Celebrate Jesus is alive
He's alive

 Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious way
That You have saved me
Oh what a glorious day
What a glorious name
Jesus!

If you are praying for people in your life who are not saved I encourage you to keep praying. Continue to ask God to pursue those who have not received Gods grace and his word as truth. Pray for their salvation! You never know the role you are playing in their lives and God does not want you to lose hope, continue to pray for their hearts.Thank you for reading and be blessed!!

FEAR

 Fear can cripple a person. I’ve seen fear turn an optimistic person into a pessimist. I’ve seen fear move a person from a place of joy to a place of suffering. I have witnessed people turn down big life opportunities because of the fear of failure. Fear has kept people from leaving bad relationships and from starting new ones. Fear is the voice in the back of your head that holds you back from something that would be life changing. So what is fear? Where does it come from? I think first we must acknowledge a few things about fear. Pastor Andy Stanley  of North Point Church spoke in a message once that “Fear is a constant companion”. You will never live without fear in your life. You can overcome fear one day and be challenged again the next. Some of us may not even recognize the fear in our lives that hold us back from bigger and better opportunities. Since fear is a constant companion, it will either motivate you to do one of two things. It will either motivate you to overcome or submit. You will either shy away from opportunity or you will push forward.

Fear has always been my biggest challenge. I remember being 12 years old on vacation at Myrtle Beach with my family and going for a casual stroll around the city. We came across a theme park and my oldest brother saw a bungee jump tower. He immediately asked my mom if he could do it, Josh was fearless, he walked straight up and jumped off. My mom then asked if I wanted to do it, I was determined to follow in my brother’s footsteps so I said why not. I walked up the 120 foot tower. I got strapped in and looked down, my knees trembled, my heart began to pound and everything in my body told me not to jump. The more I thought about jumping the more I became crippled, my mind changed. What once seemed like a fun idea now seemed like a jump to my death.  A crowd began to gather around the bottom, everyone was seeing my every move and it was nerve racking. Ultimately I chickened out, I walked back down and my brother got to jump a second time. The rest of that trip all I could think about was the opportunity I missed out on to do something great but worse than that I thought how I was controlled by something negative. I felt powerless. Where did that come from?

Today fear looks at each of us differently. It’s an addiction or eating habit that we know is damaging our bodies or relationships but we don’t want to quit. It’s a friend asking us to donate for a 5k but money is tight or perhaps it’s a job opportunity that would cause us to move. Regardless of what it is we are controlled by our thoughts during those experiences. When I decided to follow what Jesus taught in the Bible I feared a lot of things. I feared of losing many of my friends, I feared that I would change and be a different person, that people would judge me more.  All of these thoughts were trying to pull me away from a calling ,and ultimately pulling me away from God. I think a lot of these fears keep people from pursuing faith in Jesus. They fear a rapid change. If I give my life to God that means no more fun, no more swearing, no more drinking, no more partying, no more sex before marriage. NO MORE FUN. People look at the Bible and fear it and I think they need to recognize what they are fearing and where that fear comes from. You are not fearing God, as Jesus talks about in the Bible, you are fearing the Love of God. You are fearing all he has in store for you. Your fear is driven by an enemy deeper than your inner self. Your fear is driven by the ultimate deceiver, a being that finds sheer joy out of tormenting you and keeping your hopes small. Fear comes from Satan. Think about it, the moments you feel closest to God you have no fear at all because perfect love casts out all fear. 1^st John 4:18 says “^“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” If God is love than not even Satan himself can stop that love from pursuing us.

Fear has controlled me in the past and it still controls me at times today. I am about to share a story with you about how fear can stop us from loving others the way God intended. I do not tell you this story to boast about myself but only to reveal how if you do not listen you may miss out on what God may have in store for you.

A few months ago I began looking at buying a house. As the search became more real I began thinking of every little thing I could sell to add to my savings account. I put my old netbook on craigslist and hoped it would sell. It sat on there for a month before I received a random text asking if it was still available. I told them I still had it and to call me that evening. That person called me that evening and asked if I would be willing to meet them in north Columbus. The area he was describing was rather sketchy but I agreed. The moment I hung up the phone I felt God tell me I was going to give it all away. I was not sure if he was referring to the laptop or the money I was going to receive but I fought with him tooth and nail, “Come on God, you know I need this.” As I began the 30 minute drive north I felt more and more conviction to give it away and like many of the people reading this I began thinking of all the things I could do with $100. I pulled into the parking lot of the Giant Eagle and parked near the back by the gas station. I immediately locked my doors the moment I put the car in park. It was about 10pm at night and there was poor lighting in the lot. A girl in ragged jeans and a tank top began riding a bike towards me “Please God don’t let her stop” I prayed as I began questioning her intentions. She pulled right up to my car before circling around it and going on her way, “whew” I thought. Less than ten seconds later I heard a tap on my window. I rolled down my driver’s side window “may I help you”, a guy in his mid 30’s answered “I hope so, do you have a minute” I told him I was meeting someone but would come talk to him when I was done. The man said okay then pointed to his mini van parked behind me. I rolled up the window and asked God to protect me as I was beginning to feel unsafe.

Finally the guy showed up and bought my laptop, everything worked out great but I did not feel led to give it to him or tell him to keep it. I quickly took the $100 and got in my car. I sat for a moment and thought about driving off before hearing God speak to my heart “Go help”, I didn’t want to get out of my car, I feared what would happen. I may get held up, I may be asked to give money to some druggy walking around trying to score his next hit. I turned on my car to drive away and the lyrics on the radio spoke right to my heart “Were you Jesus to the least of us?” I shut it off immediately.  I paused, prayed and got out of my car. I began walking to a large minivan where I saw the guy enter the passenger side door. I tapped on the window and he rolled the car down. A woman sitting the driver’s seat turned away as I saw tears running down her face. I asked what he needed help with, “Buddy, I’m sorry to do this but I have no other options. I need help.” I asked what he needed help with, at that moment a cute little four year old girl popped her head up with a big smile. I heard another boy shout from the back of the car.

Me being nosey, I stuck my head in the car window “those are some great kids you have”. He introduced me to all six of his children, none of them were older than 8 years old im guessing. The little boy yelled my name “Zach” I smiled, “what’s your name buddy?” My name is “Jack Junior” I laughed, that’s a great name Jack. The woman began to cry hysterically, “this is so embarrassing” she admitted. I asked her what was wrong. She went on to tell me how they drove out from Kansas to see her father in the hospital and now they were left homeless with no money and her husband’s job wasn’t coming through. Jack and Helen were the parents’ names. Jack spoke up “I came over to ask you if you could help spare some money to help put our children and us in a hotel for a night and get some food. They haven’t eaten in a few days and were all exhausted.” My heart sank. The look on those children’s faces wasn’t one of desperation, it was of innocence. The parents looked as though all their luck had run out and they were failing as parents. I asked them to step out of the van so I could pray for them.

I asked the couple if they believe in God, they told me they do, “we read our Bible every night.” I smiled “then you will believe me when I say that God told me to come here tonight to provide for you. I have a $100 in my pocket that God wanted me to give to you. I have to tell you that Jesus hears your prayers.” The woman began to tear up again as she gave me a hug “thank you, this is just so embarrassing” I stopped her. “Helen we all need help at some time in our lives. God is faithful and wants you to know he is with you.” I prayed a blessing of love and encouragement to my new brothers and sisters in Christ, gave them the $100 and told them that God ordained our meeting that evening.

Again, I do not tell you this story to brag about a good deed or to point out how Christians should act. I tell this story out of humility. I almost let fear get the best of me. I praise God in all my actions because I know it is not I who would do things like this, its God’s working inside me. I almost put the car in drive and left the parking lot that night. If I would have done that I would have missed out on what God had planned, what he wanted me to do. The truth is there is a lot of things I could have used that money for but I would have been taking away my trust from the ultimate provider and even worse I would have been out of Gods will. Satan did not want me to help that family, he wanted me to leave them hopeless and starving. He wanted those children to suffer and sleep another night in a cold van. I shamefully admit that I feared getting out of my car, even when God told me I would be okay and that He was with me. I can’t express the joy that filled my heart as I left that parking lot knowing I was the answer to someone’s prayer. That I got to play a part in changing someone’s life even if it is something as small as providing a place to stay, some food, a prayer and most importantly the love of Jesus.

Fear will either push you to do great things or it will hold you back. Fear will keep people from pursing faith that will liberate them from their anxiety, doubts and purpose that God has for you. Even a man of faith can be consumed by fear. You will fear a lot of things in life but do not fear Jesus. Do not fear what He wants to do with your life and let him change your heart. I will end this post by sharing that I went back to Myrtle Beach three years later with my family, once again I starred at the bungee jump tower only this time I did not let fear win. I jumped, I survived and fear did not win. I learned a valuable lesson that day, fear will either motivate you to do courageous things or hold you back from the opportunities of life. So what is fear keeping you from doing? Will you overcome it or be crippled by it? My prayer is that this post somehow brings you closer to God and that you begin to learn how to control you fear through prayer!

 

If you found this message please share or “Like” it on Facebook and help spread a message that will help people understand Fear. Thank you for reading and God Bless You!!!

Faith Like Crazy!!

I sometimes think I am crazy. To be honest, when I first began my walk with Christ nothing made sense and I more or less thought the spiritual high I was experiencing was temporary. As the days turned into weeks and weeks to months I realized that it wasn’t anything that I was doing to feel great but the feeling of God working inside me. Like a glass vase, God began cleaning out all the clutter to cleanse me. Fear overtook my mind as I worried more about what people would think, I constantly felt like everyone around me was judging me, I realize now where that fear came from, Satan. God used this time to allow me to pour into him more, I continued reading his Word and in return He would reveal more and more truth to me. 

The past two years I have questioned if my faith is genuine, is it really me who desires this change or is me just wanting a better imagine. Thoughts began to creep into my mind that maybe I should go back to my old self just to prove that I can get back to this spiritual high. This past month I have been tempted to get drunk more than I have been the past year and a half. Satan has pushed me to think that if I fall from Grace I could show Gods overwhelming love and forgiveness through my mistakes. That if I start dating the way I used to I could get the woman of my dreams faster, that I must compromise my convictions in order to find happiness. To be completely honest, I desired all of these things. I wanted parts of the old me back, yet I didn’t fall into temptation. I was left powerless, even driving by bars being tempted to stop. I remembered God’s promise “I will give you everything your heart desires if you follow my commands.”

 For you that do not know my testimony God spoke to me on December 25^th, 2011 to give up alcohol and since then I haven’t touched a drop. Since this moment he has blessed me with an amazing job where I teach and inspired at-risk children every day. He has given me a ministry with my childhood best friends where I help lead young adults to Christ. He has surrounded me with more love and support while disconnecting me from some of the people who were filling my head with negativity. God had blessed my finances to the point where I have not worried about money for over a year. Even after He has kept up all his He has promised me I still have the temptation to turn my back on him. I thank God every day for my repentant heart because I know I am powerless without Jesus.

So what allowed me to keep pressing on in my moments of weakness, when I had the thoughts that a sip of beer was not the end of the world? I thought back to what my life was like before I gave up alcohol. I struggled to find peace, happiness and consistency. I remember I had finally had the faith I have always wanted, the assurance that God is with me everywhere I go. Most importantly I remembered that I had to fight for my faith. You must fight for your relationship with Jesus. God promises to never leave or forsake us but that does not mean we don’t have to put in any work to improve that relationship. Going to church and reading our Bible’s do not bring us closer to Christ. Practicing what Jesus taught us, brings us closer. Too many Christians are concerned about doing more good than bad in their life, they do not understand the principals of grace. God has already forgiven us, once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are forever heaven bound. He does not want us to continue walking in ignorance but rather lean and turn to him more through prayer and devotion.

FAITH LIKE CRAZY

When I used to work in a nursing home I would go visit a resident who was bed ridden. She could not walk anymore but this woman had a smile that would light up a dark room. As I sat by her bed comforting her as she embraced the fact that her life was nearing the end, she asked how my life was going. I told her I was struggling with some changes in my life and that another resident named Lorraine was encouraging me with words from the Bible. I will forever remember her response as it still plays a part in my walk today, she said “I wish I had her faith”. I couldn’t help but feel sad for this poor woman. Here she was, a Christian, lying on her death bed, wishing she had more faith. Here I am, a young twenty something with the world in front of me and plagued with self-doubt. I remember her words whenever I step foot into a parking lot to do bar ministry.  I remembered those words when I questioned why I left my safe home in Columbus to travel to one of the most dangerous places in the world, Haiti, during my 2 week vacation but I remembered that God had sent me, I had my faith. I live a rather fearless life but deep down I am scared of every choice I make, I just remember those words echoing in my head “I wish I had her faith.”

The only way to improve your faith is by walking where you cannot see and letting God lead you. I have to remind myself daily to fight for my relationship with God because the truth is there is an evil in this world who will stop at nothing to disrupt that relationship. A force that wants you to feel hung over, who wants you to experience fear, doubt and emptiness. A fear that wants you to be unhappy with your current job, how much money you make or the miniscule ways your loved ones do not measure up to your expectations. The fear that tells me that life can get better with another drink, having a girlfriend and hoarding my money in fear that God will not provide. Lately I have been fighting whether I have been to quiet. I began praying this week for God to give me strength and insight on how to bring him into conversations even though I may look or feel like that “crazy Christian”. But the words “I wish I had her faith” echo in my head.

When I become overwhelmed with these thoughts I fight back with Satan, I begin to tell him the truth “look at all the churches in the world, look at all the believers, do you see all the crosses tattooed on people, do you see all the prayer request on Facebook, do you listen to the sermons at weddings and funerals. God is all around me, Christ is alive everywhere I go.” I am not crazy if anything the world needs more faith. We need more Christians stepping out of their comfort zone to represent Jesus publicly. Do not downplay your faith because one day you will reflect back and you will wish you had faith like crazy. If you are reading this and you are on the fence with your faith ask yourself this, do you believe God created this world or do you believe you are here by accident, ask yourself if you find security in those thoughts? I guarantee you do not and there is a God shaped hole that you cannot substitute with profound thoughts and logic. Quit trying to disprove God and begin asking him to give you the answers, you will be amazed that there is a God who is trying to communicate with you but like a telephone you have to answer in order to hear who is on the other line. Open your heart in prayer. Do I still think I am crazy? Absolutely!! But I also remember the words of that dying woman “I wish I had her faith” and I remember that I have to fight for my relationship with God and if I feel crazy it just means that Satan wants to silence me from telling the world about Jesus and a God who loves them unconditionally.  

Thank you for reading and please “share” on Facebook to help spread this message. You can also subscribe now by adding your email on the right side. Do not be silent with your faith, have faith like crazy! Thanks and God Bless!!

 

Mr. White

One of life’s key components is reflection. At this very moment I am enjoying a nice 10 day Spring break from school. When I do return to school I will be teaching for four days before leaving on an 8 day free trip to London, Paris and Barcelona with some students. I cannot help but sit back and ask how and why I am so blessed. I have never really shared my story on how I became a teacher but now I feel like God wants me to share this message so that others can find comfort in the path He has for them.

In March of 2011 I checked myself into a hospital. I had a sharp pain that had brought me to my knees and I couldn’t bare the pain anymore, I needed help. The doctor carefully examined my symptoms before asking me to lift up my shirt. He examined a red rash on my stomach before lowering his brow “Zach, I am afraid to tell you that you have shingles.” My response was one of shock “Doctor, I work at a nursing home, only old people get shingles.” He smiled and said “Well you can get it at any age and it usually comes on by stress, have you been stressing out about anything lately?” I paused and looked at him “Well I have been applying for jobs lately and it has taken a toll on my physical health but I work out 5 days a week and eat healthy.” He calmly replied “Zach, whatever you’re doing you need to stop, take a break from applying and focus on reducing stress.” I thought about it for a moment before thinking 'easy for you to say doc' but the truth was he was right. I had applied to over 230 jobs in the past seven months, I had only received about five interviews to which I did not get any of the jobs. My mind was geared toward finding a new job, I remember thinking " it shouldn’t be this difficult, and I have two bachelors and a master ’s degree." I remember praying on the way home from the hospital, I was angry with God. Why wouldn’t he just give me my dream job?

Fast forward one year later, I had given my life to Christ in every area, I still worked at the nursing home and even picked up a part time job at the OSU Psychiatric Hospital. I was working 6 to 7 days a week and anywhere from 48-60 hours a week. My dream was to work for OSU but God had other plans. That day after the hospital I vowed to focus on God and see where he led me. I remember being frustrated one day and I began applying for jobs for an hour when I finally heard God speak to my heart “Are you done yet?” He wanted me to trust him but it was hard because I desperately wanted to move onto something new. At this time in my life I had been asked to join a leadership team at church. After our second meeting one of the team leaders walked up and handed me a business card and said “If you are ever interested in teaching let me know.” I responded by telling him I do not have a teaching degree, he smiled and said “I am the principal at a charter school so you won’t need one.” My head began to spin, I’ve never thought about teaching. My mom has been telling me since I was in high school that I should be a teacher but like all teenagers I never paid attention to my mom.

I emailed David the next day to see what kind of job this would be. He invited me to come in and check out the school and meet some of the kids. When I walked into the school I was overwhelmed by the loudness. The children were very outgoing and were asking me questions about anything from what’s my name to if I was married? As I tutored, I began questioning whether I could handle this position. I spent months in prayer about it and visited the school a few times. The more I talked to David about the job the more anxious I became. I questioned whether I could handle teaching with very little experience, especially at a poverty stricken, predominately black, at-risk middle school. The hardest age group in the most difficult environment. At this point of the story I must admit I had my heart on entering ministry soon, I was on fire for God and I thought for sure he would want me to be surrounded by fellow believers drawing people closer to God. It wasn’t until I went to my last interview that my mind changed. I received a text from a friend telling me that this school may be my ministry, that those children need the love and encouragement of Christ. My eyes opened and as I walked through the hallway of the school I began praying for the students. David shared his heart on the position, that I would teach Social Studies but also that this school needs a counselor with education and experience. I remember the superintendent asking me during the interview if I could handle kids being disrespectful. I responded by telling her that the previous night at the psych hospital I had a 15 year old boy call me a mother F’er and throw a chair at me, she laughed and felt at peace about the question.

Throughout the interview process and next couple of months David encouraged me to pray about the job but he felt strongly that God wanted me at his school. He felt so strong about this that he risked putting his reputation on the line to bring in a teacher with no middle school teaching experience. On top of that he asked the superintendent to take what would be his next annual raise and add that to my contract salary so that I would not worry about money. I do not know many people who would make the same sacrifice and I can say I am truly blessed to be mentored by a man of God like David.  At the next leadership team meeting David announced to the whole group that I have been hired and the position of Social Studies teacher is mine if I wanted it. I told him I need a week to pray about it and at the end of the week I felt like God wanted me to trust him that this is where he wanted me. After I prayed about it I remember reflecting back on my yearly goals, ones that I set before I was approached by David. Under career goals I listed the things I wanted to accomplish with a new job, I have listed them below.

1) Help people on a daily basis
2) I can learn, be challenged and match my values
3) Improve public speaking, inspire and teach

That last one gets me every time. God knew my heart, he knew where he wanted me. Even when I thought I had to apply for the jobs He wanted me in, He would quickly ask me “are you done yet?” Meaning are you done pursing what you think I have in store for your life or are you willing to sit back and give me the steering wheel to lead your life. I cannot help but reflect on all the other areas of my life where I have struggle to give God the reigns. I struggle to let go of my finances but once I did he blessed me. I struggled to let go of my career, thinking I had to have control of it but once I gave it over to God he blessed me. I still struggle with being single but I have given that over to God and after a year of devoting my life to focusing on God, HE WILL BLESS ME. We serve a loving and powerful God. He will get you to where He wants you to be, it may not be where you have planned but trust me when I say his ways are best. By following Jesus and trusting his ways, I now have a job where I get to teach, inspire and encourage kids who have little or no hope. My new job has allowed me to go to some pretty cool places like: the presidential inauguration in Washington D.C, an immigration ceremony in a federal court house and now I am preparing a trip to Europe.

God has orchestrated my job in even bigger ways than the obvious. This past year I began a young adult ministry, I felt unqualified but God assured me he would lead me. I spoke to my pastor about my insecurities to which he said “Zach you just explained to me that you are a new teacher, you teach four lessons a day, five days a week, God has you practicing every day.” He was right. At the beginning of the year we ordered new text books and I was blown away when I saw the outline of the chapters. I just finished up a chapter on the Israelites and got to quote scripture (from the text book) and answer questions about God from my students. The book even has a chapter on Christianity which I’m sure we will be going over.

This year has been nothing short of a blessing, those blessings came with challenges though. I promised God that any free time he gave me I would seek what he wanted me to do. He gave me a job where I have a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas, One week for Spring Break and the entire Summer. God has already blessed me with two mission trips to Haiti and in the past seven months and I know he has more in store for me. I get better at teaching every day and in turn I am getting better at teaching God’s word through the young adult ministry I lead called My Generation. I will end by sharing a quick dialogue between a student and I this past week.

Student: Mr. White you are not like every teacher here.

Me: Oh yeah, how am I different?

Student: You don’t swear and you’re always so positive, we are not used to that.

Me: You know why I am this way right? (Student shakes head up and down) I put my trust and faith in God and He gives me the strength to be this way.

Student: I know you do but it is hard, especially when you don’t want to look weak in front of your friends.

Me: Let me ask you this, would you rather let down your friends or let down God?

Student: I would rather let down my friends.

Me: Ask yourself every time you feel like reacting, would God approve of how I am going about this? And you cannot worry about your friends and what they think. It takes more strength to do what is right even it does mean being made fun of or ridiculed by friends. Believe it or not but Mr. White gets made fun of but I take pleasure in it because Jesus was also ridiculed for his faith.

Student: I want to do that, thank you Mr. White (gives me a hug and walks away smiling)

 

 

If you are going through a phase of uncertainty I want to encourage you to seek God. Read what the Word has to say and through this process God will give you peace in leading you to the next step. Please share this message if you feel like it can encourage others by clicking "Like" or "share" on the Facebook tab or the tweet button at the bottom. If you have any questions, comments or testimonies please email me at MyGenerationMinistry@gmail.com Thanks for reading and God Bless!!

Be Still...

Be Still....

When I first heard the words “be still” I was a six year old playing in my grand fathers front yard. There was a mean goose named Gus who was a menace among all the other geese. He would chase us around and try to scare me and my two older brothers away from his territory. One time Gus cornered me by a tree, I froze in fear and the only thing I could hear was my dad yelling from afar “be still”. Sometimes our best move is to be still, but sometimes it’s also Gods will for our lives.

A few months ago I went to Haiti for a week long mission trip. I raised funds through private donations and went there to purchase things for orphans. I had big plans for my trip, I was going to change lives and turn around orphanages. God had a different plan.  The day I arrived, the missionary I was staying with told me he and his family had just moved into their own orphanage that day. As we pulled in I saw nothing but a bare house and a lot of workers busy preparing to turn this house into a home. The first day was pretty relaxing, we put together a few beds and I played some basketball with the local kids. The next day was rather slow, we went around buying some food and clothes and then I spent the rest of the day scrubbing down cribs, “God where is the excitement, where is the thrill?” That night I continued to pray for Gods purpose in my trip, I wanted him to show me why I was there. As I prayed the words “be still” echoed in my heart. The next day we continued to clean the house and buy more things for the orphanage with the money I had raised. In the middle of sweeping the floor I felt God tell me “be still”, it finally dawned on me that I was there to do his will, not my own. I was there to serve and my presence was needed.

That evening I helped the missionary couple, Doug and Joanne, who run the orphanage, put together a benefits package, employee contract and job requirements form, be still. After an hour or so we completed the documents, Joanne gave me a huge hug “I have been stressing out about this for months and you did it in an hour”.  I continued every day to ask God what I could do to serve him, before I knew it the missionaries were getting stressed out and I found myself taking time to sit down and talk with them, to encourage them, support them and remind them how God is so proud of the work they are doing, be still. It’s funny how a little command like be still, can make you do more work for God than we recognize, however we are here to do his will, not our own. In my mind I was being lazy and not much help but to the missionaries and God I was being a servant and a very useful one at that. Before I left for this trip I asked God to reveal what all He wanted me to do, thinking I had to plan everything out ahead of time, but sometimes we need to sit back, let God do the work and be still.

This past week I did something out of character. I canceled all my plans and made new ones. I had a weekend filled with ministry work and events but I began to feel like God wanted me to take make a change of plans. I felt bad but I told the friends I had plans with that I was leaving town. I was going on a ski trip with my oldest brother Josh, his wife Tara, my nephew Keagan and some other friends. I don't know why God would want me to do something other than ministry work but I know deep down I needed this time away. Our culture convinces us that the busier you are, the better you are doing, the happier you will be, this is not always true.

As I rode up the ski lift at Seven Spring resort in Pennsylvania, I began to pray "God why did you bring me here." A gust of wind picked up and I began to focus on the snow blowing off the tall pine trees, the snow began whirling around in the sky only to fall on a lonely skier tumbling down the side of the mountain. God does have a sense of humor. He knew I was stressing myself out, the things I once was passionate about became a chore, He recognized this and knew I needed to be still. As I got to the top of the mountain I looked down and became captivated by the beauty surrounding me, I had become so focused on doing doing doing, that I forgot to be still and enjoy the creation of our God.

If you ever go a day without noticing the beauty that surrounds you, the sunsets, the birds chirping and even if you choose to ignore the splendid beauty of how well orchestrated our world has been put together, I would encourage you to be still. God will sometimes do things to allow us to be still, for me it wasn't a time of illness, it was a time of vacation, one which I would have normally passed up to attend my obligations but God got my attention. He knew I needed time with family and friends, to sit back and stare in amazement at his creation. He knew I needed to be still and in doing so he restored my soul.

 

“Be still and know that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10