Archive for March, 2008

Or more accurately Budapest, but I like to drop the Buda or sometimes the pest and call it “The Pest” or “Big Buda”. Anyway, this week I am going to a 4 day conference to learn more about an evangelism strategy (and/or method, and/or a way of living of sorts) called, “Story of the Soul.” I’m excited to learn more about it and see how it plays out. To give you the gist of it, it is a way to help believers, and non-believers alike, see God showing up all over pop-culture, and thus helping people see God through the language of our day. I’m pretty stoked to go, learn, interact and etc over this and see how we might be able to see this play out here in Prague. Another bonus, is getting to hang out with some great staff peeps and former staff peeps that will be leading and participating in the conference! Here is a quick video run down of S.O.T.S..

So my love language is touch. What can I say? It’s true. Well my director and great friend, Billy, doesn’t have the same love language as me. So when we were having a Crusade long-term staff social this past Friday and we had to hold hands from a game I was very happy! Billy not so much, but it was fun! Here is a pic that my fellow-staff friend, Erin, snapped. A picture does say a thousand words!

Notice the interlocking fingers! Seriously though, it is said that we each need a Paul (someone pouring into us), Barnabas (a peer of sorts, who encourages us), and Timothy (someone that we pour into) to us and Billy has been and will continue to be a Paul and Barnabas of sorts to me for some time. This is true man love as we see expressed throughout the Bible! Here’s to redeeming man love!

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:12-15

I’m also lobbying for a little Romans 16:16, 1 Corinthians 16:20, 2 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:26 action, but my staff team isn’t going for it.

All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.

Oh well, small steps right… Blessings to you this Sunday!

Okay, so we all know I don’t live in America. I try to keep up with American news and pop-culture, to a degree, since in some ways it is in the driver seat of the world’s news and pop-culture (how I wish this weren’t true). With that said, I have been reading things about Ben Stein’s Expelled: The Movie on friends blogs and I was clueless until today, on my day off where I could sit and surf a bit. The trailer in itself is stimulating and though provoking:

I really want to see this! I have no idea when it will come out over here in Europe, and since I have no idea when I will be back in the States I’ll have to wait. (My life seems to be a constant lesson on patience! Even with these little things, and especially with the big things!) I’m deeply intrigued by this trailer and how it might, or might not, shake things up back in America (or for that matter it may have already shook things up and I’m clueless), but also on this side of the pond. This could be one of those few times where us as Americans driving the world’s news and pop-culture could make a positive, thought provoking dent on the world. This film would be great hear in Prague to dialog over, because there is absolutely NO possibility in the minds of most Czechs that the origin of this world and universe is by random chance. Communism definitely had its hands in shoving this down the throats of all those that lived behind the curtain. So with that being said, I’m intrigued and Mr. Ben Stein please get this released over here ASAP!

The third installment of The Prague Lions: Paper Lion story is now up. It’s entitled, Hits and Misses from Third String. If you don’t know what I am talking about see past blog entries by clicking HERE and HERE. Blessings…

This week I received a box from my father with a variety of items I purchased and had sent home. My father is great at getting me the things that I get sent back home, Thanks Dad! But anyway, I had bought some resources from a Christian organization for use here in Prague. I was looking forward to seeing the products, as I have used similar resources in the past with satisfaction. (NOTE: I am purposely keeping the resources and the organization/company anonymous.) When I had opened the box and removed some football stuff, workout stuff, mail and etc. I grabbed what I was looking forward to use and upon checking it out disappointment and discouragement filled my heart a bit.

“Why?”, you ask.

The reason why is simple – conveying information for the sake of conveying information. All too often, I see Christians (including me at times) fall subject to this epidemic of mediocrity.

So I want to issues a challenge of sorts,

Dear Bride of Christ (the Church), including pastors, lay leaders, Christian organizations, Christian artists, Christian thinkers, and Christians at large please, please don’t fall to this epidemic of mediocrity and miss the point. Our God is the greatest Creator of all time! He is more amazing, more creative, more awe-inspiring than Masaccio, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Titian, Tintoretto, Bellini, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Ghiberti, Giotto, and Raphael all put together. He is the Creator God. He is the one who fashions us as a potter fashions a pot. He is the brilliance beyond any artistic brilliance we see, because after all each and every human being, whether believer or not, is still created in the image of the Creator and thus have an amazing potential to create beauty! Please dear Christian, have a big view of God that inspires you to go beyond mediocrity! Beyond merely conveying information! Don’t settle. Use your God-given potential and ability to rise above the mundane! I can’t imagine what would stir in the hearts of sincere skeptics if we rose above this epidemic! I think we would be following in the steps of the Master Artist Jesus!

Okay, I going to get off my soapbox, known as the blog world, now. I just have been fired up all week about this and to be honest, saddened as well. A dear Creative Christian friend, Mike Gorter, sent me an email some time ago with some great thoughts in this very same vein over at the Mosaic Alliance, here are the links; Observe 1: Secrets of the Heart; Observe 2: The Conversation; Observe 3: Our Dad vs. our Dad’s; Observe 4: Beyond Words; and Observe 5: Everybody’s Doing It. My favorite entries and sections came from 4 & 5, here is one great section from Observe 4:

I have that approach with the art I create for Mosaic, minus the interest rates. There’s an aspect of spiritual art where we feel we have to understand and explain everything or else no one will get it. Most fliers I see, especially for churches, are plastered with INFO, INFO, INFO, INFO. The film industry for years, however, has been getting people’s attention and drawing them into the beauty of their films with some of the most intriguing and eye-opening posters where the words and information are the smallest things on the page.

How about you? What do you think? Do you agree or disagree? Do have any other links we could add to this list? Or books for that matter? Sound off…

Last weekend I was doing some surfing, trying to get some things done for work and I stumbled across a Philip Yancey article entitled God at Large from Christianity Today back in 2001. It might be old but it hit home as I read it. The subtitle of the article is a telling tale in itself, “A look around the globe reveals a God as big as we want him to be,” (I don’t know if I like this subtitle, but I don’t want to waist time on it.) but what got me was the term “divorced” that Yancey used in reference of the Czech Republic, but largely Denmark, in this article. In the article Yancey is attempting to communicate how God is moving across the Globe and doing that he uses descriptors like, “honeymoon”, “mature marriage”, and “divorced”. Here is what he had to say about Czech and Denmark:

Other nations have settled into a “divorced” phase. I also visited Denmark last year, a nation which vies with the Czech Republic as having the lowest rate of church attendance. Church steeples pierce the gray skies, but only tourists bother to go inside. No one could tell me a single place where I might find anything related to Denmark’s most famous Christian, Søren Kierkegaard. In the national museum, a placard explained that the cross, formerly the religious symbol of Denmark, is now regarded as a cultural relic.

Yancey could not be any more correct. When the protestant elite lost the Battle of White Mountain, on November 8, 1620, the spiritual climate was forever changed here. See Czech, at least Bohemia, considered themselves protestant and the Habsburg dynasty was a Catholic dynasty that forced catholicism upon the Czechs. I’ve read that the population of Bohemia (western Czech) was cut in about half in 30 years after the lose at White Mountain. With this said, I think this could be where the “divorce” that Yancey spoke of happened between the Czech people and God, or religion for that matter. They viewed themselves as a Christian country, and what not and God left them hanging, in their minds. (Us Americans need to beware of the warnings throughout history when countries viewed themselves one way and things didn’t happen how they thought God should allow them to. God is God and his ways are higher even in defeat. Look at the crucifixion! Lose but God still won!)

I have hope though. Jesus can heal anything. Just as I have heard stories about divorced couples getting back together after Jesus transformed their hearts, I pray for the same would be true between this country and Jesus. It reminds me of Hosea 2:14-23, and causes me to pray this for this country:

14 “Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
15 And there I will give her her vineyards
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.

16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord,
I will answer the heavens,
and they shall answer the earth,
22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and they shall answer Jezreel,
23 and I will sow her for myself in the land.
And I will have mercy on No Mercy,
and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’;
and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

Yes Lord.

Last Saturday, I had the chance, neigh the opportunity, to baby-sit the Crossan children (my director and his wife’s kids) and I had a fun time. I have to be honest with you, since I grew up the son of a mid-wife I have a bent for children. I love them. Not to many together at one time, but you give me about 2-3 together and I love it! I long to be a dad. Someday, Lord-willing, that will come (Someday, Mom! Not anytime soon!), but until then I will practice with other’s kids! Really, it is great because I get to see how friends are parenting and I get to where the parenting hat here and there as I baby-sit. Okay, I don’t know why I went there…

So the Crossan’s have a set routine, and the kids know every detail of it and how it needs to be done – 1) Each child gets a book of their choice, 2) They get 2-4 Bible stories, depending on the Bible they are reading, 3) They pray, and 4) There are songs sung. I managed through the first three with little to no problem, although I did realize they were probably getting a bit more than usual out of me, because I can be a softy. Oh well. But I was thrown when they asked me to sing. “Why?” Well, I’m not up-to-date on my kids songs. So I went with the safe bet, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” No problem, handled it like a champ. Until, Levi looks at me and says, “Sing it another way!” Another way? What does this mean? How do I sing it another way? Like another genre? What? These are the questions that went through my mind quick. My palms began to sweat, I got a little nervous and I had no idea what to sing. Then it came out, the “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” Remix! That’s right, I rapped “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” complete with hand motions and all.

It was priceless to see their faces. Abigail and Levi, I’m sure have never seen Billy break out into a rap (although, I think I would pay to see Billy rap anything!). What made it even better was the next night when Abigail asked Billy to sing it like Mr. Zach! Booyah! Love it! Love you Crossans!

Easter is here and I am celebrating in the midst of a full weekend of football, and etc. but I’ve also enjoyed a 5 day weekend off from school and learning Czech that I am on the end of. However, there are some traditions that others are anticipating as Easter, or Velikonoce (Roughly translated as big or great, or big, night, which is in reference to Jesus’ big night of the resurrection. Interesting, in the midst of arguably one of the most atheistic countries in the world.), approaches. Some seem somewhat traditional to myself, as a American, and some will forever puzzle me a little. I need to remember the Crusade adage I’ve heard again and again being overseas, “It’s not work, it’s just different!” That might be up to debate a little bit, but here we go…

I’m only going to hit on the tradition I find most interesting (if you desire to read more, click HERE), and/or slightly confusing for me. It is called the pomlazka. Which is pretty much the opposite of an “ugly stick”! Have I got your attention yet? The pomlazka is braided whip of sorts that Czech men use to “tap” the women on the rear on the Monday morning after Easter Sunday. I have been told, and/or read, that this is why Czech women are so beautiful, because the pomlazka is said to bring beauty and fertility. (I find the fertility one interesting, because the birth rate is way low here, but that doesn’t mean a lack of fertility.) Yes you read that right and NO I’m not making this up. Here is a bit more about it from myczechrepublic.com:

The origin of the pomlazka tradition (pomlazka meaning both the whip and the tradition itself) dates back to pagan times. Its original purpose and symbolic meaning is to chase away illness and bad spirits and to bring health and youth for the rest of the year to everyone who is whipped with the young pussywillow twigs. Boys would whip girls lightly on the legs and possibly douse them with water, which had a similar symbolic meaning. An Easter carol, usually asking for an egg or two, would be recited by the boy while whipping. The girl would then reward the boy with a painted egg or candy and tie a ribbon around his pomlazka. As the boys progressed through the village, their bags filled up with eggs and their pomlázkas were adorned with more and more colorful ribbons.

So tomorrow, women beware as clans of men looking for chocolate, painted eggs or alcohol will be roaming the streets of the Czech Republic with their pomlazkas in hand. It is interesting living here and seeing how many of their traditions date back before the arrival of Christianity and definitely have a hint of paganism to them. It just confirms the Czech ability to endure what ever “outside” force or entity arrives on Czech soil with a resilience that is amazing. Even when that “outside force” is a positive thing – i.e. Christianity. Anyway…

With that being said, I do wish you a beautiful Easter, or Resurrection Day, or Velikonoce! Praise God that in the midst of pain, darkness, confusion, ugliness, hate, sacrifice, and more that He brought the most beautiful thing and event of all time – The Resurrection of His Son, Jesus the Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, who sold out for His Bride the Church and then beat down death! Praise God, HE IS ALIVE!

Need I say more?

It seems to get rougher, and rougher for us Americans, who get paid in dollars, to live over here. Each day it is a new record low! Here is the wonderful rate today – 15.88! The scary thing is, we don’t see relief in sight! I don’t bring up polictics much here at zACHhARROD.com, but can someone in the government hook a brother up and do something to give us some relief from the horrible dollar!?

“I should know this by now…” These have been words that have gone through my mind as of late. It would seem that God is teaching me things I thought I had learned, I still need to learn. See being on staff with Athletes in Action I have learned and taught how to worship the Lord through sport and moreover how to redeem sport, to a degree. AIA does this through what is known as The Principles. The mantra of The Principles is “WHERE GOD, LIFE AND SPORT UNITE || Transforming sport as an opportunity to worship GOD”. What is beautiful about The Principles is that when an athlete grasps them, their life and game is transformed. It might translate to success on the field, it might not, but either way they are transformed. Well, I have been banged around in the last 7 years since I first learned The Principles and it would seem I need them to bang me around a bit more, or I need God to use them to bang me around a bit more. (There is a great resource I highly recommend called Game Day Glory which is The Principles in a study form. Click HERE and buy a bunch!)

Where do I begin with the run down of events that led to this current “banging” I’m taking now? I guess it started two Saturdays ago with football testing. I ran the slowest 40 yd. dash I’ve ran since high school probably (I do have some good excuses, but I will not make them here;-)), which was a bit embarrassing and then days later as I was presumably trying to make amends with some personal training during the week and I felt my left hammy tightening up. Well, the next night at the running I’ve been leading it tightened up even more and now I’m regulated to rehab and just coaching (do pray for a quick and full recovery, if the Lord does indeed desire that).

It has been in the midst of this that I have once again been challenged by something I know well, but I obviously don’t KNOW it. So I printed off a chart comparing sport as an idol to sport as an opportunity to worship and it is currently chilling next to my computer and has been read, reread, journaled about and prayed about as of late. Here is a sampling of a few that hit home with me as of late:

Great stuff, right? This goes for much more than just sports. Think how you could apply what you read above to your life. It doesn’t have to be just sports. You could replace sport with your job, your children, your ministry, your accomplishments and etc. It is true what Calvin said about the human heart, “The heart is an idol factory.” We are prone to turn good things into idols of some sorts.

This current lesson has come from many angles as of late. Including my earthly-father, echoing what God the father, has spoke into my heart, “What and for who are you trying to prove something for with all of this?” My dad asked that in response to my hamstring situation. I’m thankful that my dad asked me that, because, as I said, he was echoing words and a question that I had already been wrestling with. So here I am once again upon my knees looking to God the Father, to mold and shape me more into the image of His Son through the Holy Spirit as long to honor God in my playing, competing, coaching and more. Well, I have to get to work on prayer letter. Peace to you.