Posts Tagged ‘ministry’

Have you seen, or read, the article about OUR ministry here in Prague and Czech?!?! I have heard some really, really good feedback from the article and I must thank my friends and coworkers with AIA back in Ohio, especially Tommy Young, for such a great article. It was such a HUGE blessing to have this story run and get out the word about things here in Prague! My question for you is, “Did you read the article?” If you have read the article please click “comment” below and let us know what you thought about it! IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE ARTICLE CLICK HERE!

Recently, a friend, and ministry partner, sent me a quick email to encourage me, that OUR ministry here in Prague is even encouraging those back all over the United States. Here’s what he wrote me,

A friend at work said something about giving 100% today and I said I always do, so he said I had to give 101% today and that reminded me of your 111% motto. I told him about that and about why you use it to inspire and about the culture’s apathy, etc. Well, he said that he had just read an article about a coach in an eastern block country and it turns out, it was the article about the Lions in Sports Spectrum. So he had already read about the 111% and had already known a little about Zach. Nice!

I love it, “he had just read an article about a coach in an eastern block country” and it just happened to be me! Crazy and very humbling. I love what God has called YOU and myself to here in Prague, Czech and Europe! Thank you for being part of it!

By the way, Lukas loved being in the magazine too! Thanks for being part of his life!

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So things are about to get CRAZY come this Monday! For the second time I will be flying three of my Czech guys over for the Second Czech Take Over America Tour! Each time it gets a little bit better! I’m so excited for Tomáš, Lukáš and Honza to get here Monday at 2:55 pm. “Why?” you ask. Well you can look at the map (I’m not overly excited about driving all that time, but I am excited to get tons of relationship time with my guys in the car.) and the schedule below to see why I’m amped for this trip. Is that not amazing? This time it is more geared towards helping these guys become better coaches as well as show them America, expose them to faith and more. While we are at each of these schools we will sit down with coaches for a few hours and get better at what we do – coach. It will be a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for them, and myself! I can’t wait to be in the midst of this all. Please pray that God would show up in many ways throughout the duration of our trip. By the way, America, ARE YOU READY FOR THE CZECH TAKEOVER?

Coaches Trip Schedule
January 30 – Monday – TRAVEL
January 31 – Tuesday – Elmhurst/Chicago
February 1 – Wednesday – Chicago
February 2 – Thursday – MSU/UM
February 3 – Friday – MSU/UM
February 4 – Saturday – Super Bowl Breakfast & AIA Dinner – Indianapolis
February 5 - Sunday am – AIA Chapel – Indianapolis
- Sunday pm – Super Bowl – Taylor, Upland, IN
February 6 – Monday – Taylor, Upland, IN
February 7 – Tuesday – Villanova
February 8 – Wednesday – Rutgers/NY
February 9 – Thursday – Rutgers/NY
February 10 – Friday – Rutgers/NY
February 11 – Saturday – AIA Northeast Winter Retreat
February 12 – Sunday – AIA Northeast Winter Retreat
February 13 – Monday – TRAVEL
February 14 – Tuesday – TRAVEL

I just wanted to wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings from Prague! While Czechs, don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, as it’s an American or Canadian holiday, that doesn’t stop us from sharing some “Thanksgiving Love” with out Czech friends! I recently uploaded a few pictures from our Thanksgiving party at the Sports University we work at here, click here to see all of them.

Here’s Micah and I getting our “pilgrim” and “indian” on! I know the first Thanksgiving was far more peaceful than this picture, but Micah and I like to have fun!

We had a “Thanksgiving Tree” at the party (by the way, the tree is my art work! ), where people wrote on leaves what they are thankful, it was moving to see what everyone was thankful for! I’m thankful for many things, but one of those things I’m thankful for are the wonderful ministry partners that long to see Czechs turn to God in thankfulness! Thank you for being you and supporting what God is doing here! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

What are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving of 2011?

…being made in Prague! Here’s another video for you all!

Micah, our newest STINTer (intern), wanted to share a few words with my ministry partners and my future ministry partners about what WE do in Prague!

Micah was on a 4 week summer project in 2009, so it’s fun to hear him talk about the change between then and now within our team! It get’s me fired up! Things are happening! WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Thank you Micah! Thank you to tall those ministry partners that partner with me to make this possible! Be a Revolution!

If you want to join my team of ministry partners click here or on the SUPPORT link in the toolbar. You can always go directly to Cru’s online giving site by clicking HERE!

THANK YOU MUCH FOR ALL YOU DO!

Today I’m speaking at Emmanuel Baptist Church and I thought it would be cool to share the words of my friend, and father to one of my players, Dan Hron about OUR influence in Prague! Thank you to each ministry partner who partners with me to make this influence and, Lord-willing, life change possible! For those of you that might be watching this and want to join my team of ministry partners, learn how by clicking HERE. BE A REVOLUTION!

Hey gang! Here’s the schedule of where I will be, when I will be there and so on… Will I see you? (click on the addresses for maps)

• July 30th, 2pm-5pm – Xenia – Tim Hortons, 38 North Orange St.

• August 4th, 4pm-7pm – Oshkosh – Starbucks, 240 W Murdock St.

• Aug. 6th, 2pm-5pm – Appleton – Starbucks, 4339 W Wisconsin Ave.

• August 7th, 3pm-5pm – Oshkosh – Open House at Smiths (email me for details)

• Aug. 10th, 4pm-7pm – Lake Geneva – Caribou, 883 Main St.

• Aug. 13th, 2pm-5pm – Delavan – Starbucks – 1741 E. Geneva St. Unit A

Beyond that here is the run down of the churches I’ll be at again.

• July 31st, Xenia – Emmanuel Baptist Church

• August 7th, Oshkosh – RiverVally Church

• August 14th, Elkhorn – Southern Lakes Evangelical Free Church

I do hope to see many of you and share about what God is doing here in Czech! If any of you are interested and/or able to host a support dessert I still have dates I could fill up. Thanks for all you do to make a difference in Prague, Czech and Europe!

zhtv 29 interviews from Zach Harrod on Vimeo.

Finally, after more than a year I have a new episode of zhtv up! Miracles of miracles! Enjoy this, the 29th, episode of zhtv. You will get a deeper glimpse of ministry, life and football here, even if the interviews are in Czech. Thanks for all you, my ministry partner, do to make a difference with me here in Prague, Czech & Europe! Be a revolution!

That’s right lives do get changed in Prague! Believe it or not! Our Dutch colleges (I love the Dutch!) came during March and shot some footage (with cameras I wish I had) for a couple of documentaries and promotion for their summer projects as well. Here is the latest one! It’s a great video, even if you don’t understand Dutch, because some of the interviews are in English! There is one interview you NEED to hear, Jarda. If you don’t want to watch the whole video (you’ll regret not watching it all) just start at 6:40.

As Jarda said in the video, it was AIA staff and STINTers (interns) that God used to impact his life! I love his story. I love his heart for his countrymen! I agree with Jarda that, “It’s quite difficult to change it [the unbelief and atheism of Czech], but we would like to try!” I will keep trying! Thanks for joining me in the adventure!

BTW you can watch the video with English, just use the cc-button in the YouTube-player.

A couple of months ago, we had our Area Staff Conference for all of Campus Crusade in Eastern Europe and Russia in Slovenia. It was encouraging to escape the gray winter of Prague for warmer temps and also a change of scenery (see pics), but it was more encouraging to see friends and also receive some encouragement from these same friends!

Over the last 16 months I have been though a roller coaster of heartbreak, failings, and more. Honestly, it’s felt like more than I can handle. Thankfully, God is big and has kept me standing and moving forward through it all, but in the midst of all of this I’ve learned that I need to preach the Gospel to myself. While, in Slovenia, I was once again challenged to preach to myself as I move through life and ministry in a hard place.

A friend of mine challenged me to preach three things to myself on a regular basis:

1. God is sovereign.
2. God is good, in the midst of it all. Even when it seems dark and that God isn’t in the midst of it all, preach to myself that God knows and He is still good. This sounds “Sunday schoolish,” but I do forget often that God is good. Thus the need to preach it to myself again and again.
3. God is my advocate, He is for me in all of life and in all of these events (think 1 John 1). Again maybe “Sunday schoolish,” but I can see a pattern in my life where I forget that God is for me, He is my advocate, even when the “wicked” prosper (Jeremiah 12:1 and Psalm 73, GOD IS STILL MY ADVOCATE!)

So how about you? What truths of God and the Gospel do you have to preach yourself? Use the comments and let’s start a discussion on this, I’m interested in hearing if this hits home with others and what you might add to the conversation!

Be a Revolution and Preach the Revolutionary Love of Jesus to yourself….!

Hello world, my name is Zach and I do have a blog! Recently, I picked up my phone and my father was on the other end of the line, he asked, “What’s up with your website?” As I have said before, when life seems to be getting the most of me, my blog is the first thing to go. I apologize profusely for this and as I wrap up the year that was 2010, I’m trying to think through how I can write more and keep this blog more updated in 2011. So here is a quick entry to end the year right on my blog and hopefully set the tone for 2011 (will it really be 2011?!?!? Crazy!)

So what had been keeping me busy this fall? These guys and everything going on around them! (By the way, F.A.M.I.LY. stands for Forget About Me I Love You. We disovered this from Rutgers University. I love what it teaches. To put my team and teammates before myself!)

My fall was full of x’s and o’s, practices, game plans, conversations, games and lots of time with my team of 50+ guys (including coaches)! I loved it and more over I love these young men. I’m so blessed to be able to to be their coach and then some (or I least attempt to by more than a coach) to them. This season got off to a different start for us as we had our training camp outside of Prague, which included a leadership program we call “Srdce Lva” (“Heart of Lion”). In our leadership program, we discuss and ponder our team values – Tradition, Courage, Hardwork and Faithfulness/Loyalty. Beyond covering our team values, we talk about being a champion on and off the field, making a positive difference in our teammate’s lives and on our greater society and more! One of the greatest things about my fall, was that these young men bought into the plan and the program.

Them buying in carried us through our season and into the Championship game, which we won 34-23 over our cross-town rivals, the Prague Panthers. It was a hard fought game on both sides, but when it was said and done, our guys held on and we came out as Back-to-Back Champs! Here are a couple of vids. The first one, is our entrance to the field, which I happened to borrow from The Ohio State. It’s called “the Hive” and it represents that no one can divide us and we are a team to the very end. I hope this becomes a tradition amongst the Lions for years to come in some form, because I believe it is one of the greatest values we can teach the kids, that no matter what it is better to forgive and fight for unity than to divide! That’s character! The second video is our Championship Game highlight video!

I also said that we try to teach, and live out, that we want to be Champions off the field. I think I can, humbly, say that has happened this fall. Parents thanked me for an improvement in their sons grades (we did grade checks) and over all approach to life. How cool is that?! I received some of the most heart felt text messages and emails from parents and players! It’s worth it! They are worth it! In stressing being champions off the field, we also try to do good things for others. Recently, a few of us visited one of Prague’s main hospitals to bring some Christmas cheer, joy, gifts and motivation to children who are battling through cancer! Here is a short video from our visit.

If you are wondering what the Dominate shirts and bracelets are visit my friend’s, Phil, facebook page Cancer Kicker to find more information about how Phil is dominating Cancer! You can also join the domiNATION there!

There you have it, finally a new post and a new update! Thanks for all two of you that continue to stop by! Have a Revolutionary Christmas!