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.

This is my mom. I love her. Today is her birthday. I’m thankful for her. I’m certainly my mother’s son! Thanks for being you mom!

I like following musicians that might not be widely known and some years ago I started listening to Justin McRoberts and I have followed his music since I first heard him. I’m not sure if he is widely known, or not, but he should be! Today I was on iTunes and I noticed his new alblum Deconstruction just released. Good stuff. I really enjoy it. You should check it out. But after I listened to it, his other albums I own started playing in my iTunes player as I worked, and I found myself singing them out loud. Much to the chagrin of my roommate, Ernie. One of the songs, Holy Ground nearly brought me to tears as I listened and sang it out loud. I thought I would share it with you! Here are the lyrics!

To see with the eyes of a lover
To see in the way a lover sees see with my heart
To see with the eyes of a lover
To see in the way a lover sees
Deeper than even the loved can see

Now it’s not just bushes burning, the street’s on fire
My heart is learning

Every footstep falls on holy ground
Every house a church where hope is found

To touch with the hands of the artist
To feel in the way the artist feels
The shape of the piece before it’s revealed

Every day a chance to make it right
Every morning victory over night
Every kiss a kiss that breaks a spell

Every wound that bleeds, every aching need every bush is burning
Every broken smile, every midnight mile every bush is burning
Every lie believed, every truth received, every bush is burning
Every single moment that we share, every bush is burning.

Oh how these words hit home in my heart. I guess this song could kind of be an anthem for me and my life. May every step we take fall upon holy ground as we take Christ with us where ever we go. May your home, may my home, be turned into a church that loves and reaches out to a broken and hurting world. May we see with the eyes of the One who loves more than we could ever begin to imagine! Blessing to you this Sunday…

Many of you that know me personally, have heard me talk about Czech culture, and/or have read this blog for some time know how hard the soil is here in the Czech Republic. Meaning that the spiritual soil, and/or the hearts, of Czechs are extremely hard and dry. In other words, if you want to see “big numbers” and etc. don’t come here! We have likened it to trying to plant and maintain a garden on an asphalt parking lot. Not an easy task, right? You may be wondering, “Then why are you there Zach?” I would respond with one of our team’s verses that gives us hope and drives us Acts 26:28-29:

And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” [italics added]

Paul says to Agrippa, “short or long” and we realize some places you can go to and see fruit falling off the trees and see people responding to the Gospel in “short” but other places, like Czech, it takes much longer. But it is worth it! It is worth it! Because I believe what Jesus said to Paul of Corinth is true of Prague and Czech:

“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” Acts 18:9-10 [again, italics added]

Jesus has many in this city and in this country and I really feel it is only a matter of time. I come back to these two sections of Acts frequently for encouragement and refreshment and direction and vision! Which is utterly important with whatever God has called each of us to!

Well, the past week these verses have been revisited in my mind, heart and prayers. “Why?” you ask. Because I had a conversation recently that has made me think a lot about contending and contextualizing within the Czech culture. Let me explain, what I mean by contend and contextualize.

Contend – Jude 3 – “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you(B) to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
This means there are things about Christianity, the Bible, God and Jesus that we must contend for at all costs. There are many things that could be said we must contend for but a few majors that come to my mind immediately are; 1) The divinity of Jesus, 2) The resurrection, 3) The validity and relevance of the Bible to every age and every culture, 4) The Trinity, and 5) Salvation by Grace through Faith alone. I’m sure you, or I, could add to the list, but those are a few that came to my mind right away. We must contend for truth amongst cultures, because “right thinking” leads to “right living”! But we need to be careful because we need to contextualize as well. Ed Stetzer puts it well:

Preaching against culture is like preaching against someone’s house—it is just where they live. The house has good in it and bad in it. Overall, culture can be a mess—but (to mix metaphors) it is the water in which we swim and the lens through which we see the world. And the gospel needs to come, inhabit, and change that and every culture (or house). [for whole article click HERE]

This brings us to contextualizing the Gospel within a particular culture.

Contextualize – 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 – “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that(C) by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
Now most Christians have no problem with the first one (contending), but they do have a problem with the second (contextualizing). I have caught flak for this in the past because people could not understand what I was doing. Why would I use examples from pop culture, instead of just preaching “The Word” to people? There are a couple of reasons; 1) It’s biblical, see verse above but SEE Paul’s example of using pagan poets, and 2) The people I’m trying to reach don’t speak “Bible” they speak “Pop Culture” of some kind, so I can see how God is using and communicating to them in their language and through it bring them to the “Bible Language”. I would love to write more, but to read more on it click HERE for a great article or pretty much read anything about it over at theresurgence.com. I say this in brief because I want to get what led to this post.

So I recently had a conversation with a young man here in Prague that has led me to wrestling with contending and contextualizing. The thoughts in my mind have gone a bit like this, “Okay God how do I do this? What does this look like? How can I contextualize this truth for him to hear it? What would you have me say? Help please!” This was on the heels of one of the best convos I’ve had since I’ve been back. This young man said some encouraging things about the Bible, Jesus, and desiring to follow Jesus BUT he still has reservations. I was so excited to see him be real with me, and it was an eye opening convo for me.

“Why?” Well because it gives me some insight into working here. It would seem his biggest hesitation is that he is Czech, that he lives here, and how the majority of his culture views Christians – which isn’t positive, to say the least. So I have been thinking and praying about this. What does he need to see and hear? Because he does need to see and hear! Not one or the other, but both! What would God have me say to him to encourage him to stand out in the midst of a culture who thinks Christians are “nut jobs”? What actions must I take to help him see this? Because to him it is okay for me to stand out in the midst of it all because I’m an American and to him “Americans are supposed to be Christians”. How do I help him see that God will help him stand out in the midst of this all if he merely trust Jesus with everything? The questions are many and right now the answers are few! But I trust that God through His Spirit is moving to bring change. On a quick side note, this has also made me think a ton about this very issue in general here and how it will change the way I communicate and live to help Czechs see an alternative.

There you have what is going on in my mind and heart. I pray that it moves you in your context as well. Please pray for this young man and that we would have more sincere Czechs like him and that God would move them along! May God move in us to bring His Revolution in Word and Deed!