A Lunch Break Soda

I usually don't drink pop because of football. They say its not good for you but how can something that tastes so good be so bad? Anyways we have a week long break from lifting and running so naturally I said where's the pop at. Not just any pop though. Root beer. That's my stuff, nothing better then a good root beer. For lunch break I decided to run over to the Dariy Queen since it was nice and close. I ordered a shrimp basket with a root beer of course. If there's one thing about root beer I could do without its all the bubbles, they make your glass look full then when they settle your glass is only half full. The same can be said for new Christians if we aren't careful. When you first invite Christ into your life you have this new and exciting energy to want to tell everyone! In fact it's so contagious that your energy or "bubbles" multiples by the second to the point where you almost over flow with Christ's love! But as people begin to talk about you and crack jokes you realize that "bubbles" aren't the cool thing so you fade back down to just half a cup of root beer. The secret to keeping a full cup of root beer is not to stop when the bubbles hit the top, the secret is to shift the glass and to keep going. It's funny that all the other "sodas" or people try to tell you that bubbles aren't exciting or good because without bubbles the soda is flat and loses its taste. Without Christ our lives are flat and loses its taste.

Matthew 13:3-9 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. ⁴ As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. ⁸ Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! ⁹ Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Morning Glory

One of the best things for me waking up early when nobody is up is the intimate time that I spend with God. I always try to find the best view and from there turn all of my thoughts to him. There's something so special about a silence in the morning, sure there's something special about a 10 hour sleep also but I think God created the morning to be a relaxing time, a time where you can really sit back and watch his beauty blossom before your very eyes. When I look out of this window I don't see a empty school, I see Gods hands at work. Psalms 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd, I have all that I need."  

The Radical Jihadist In Me

The reason that this blog is being posted so late is not because I got so busy and didn't have time to write it, it's because the ideas behind this blog have me torn. I called friends to run the idea past them, I researched, I prayed, and I straight up looked for a new topic to write about. When I first started this blog I made a commitment to God to let this be his blog, not mine and I strongly feel like this is the topic I need to be writing on today. Just know that I really struggled with this today.

Radical Jihadist, otherwise known as terrorists. This is my topic of discussion for today. May I add you did read the title right, there is a "radical jihadist" in me, but before you call homeland security let me explain.

"According to Islamic law, Jihad is warfare to spread the religion and is obligatory for all Muslims everywhere until such time as “there is no more Fitna [resistance to Islam] and the religion will all be for Allah alone.” (Q 8:39) Jihad against the infidel (kuffar) is of two types: offensive and defensive. The offensive kind, called “Fard Kifaya,” is conducted under the leadership of the Caliph and is for the purpose of defending the borders of Islam and sending out the armies of Islam at least once a year to terrorize the enemies of Allah. Offensive Jihad is a collective duty and when enough Muslim fighters respond to the call of the Caliph, the remainder of the Muslim population is relieved of this duty.

Defensive jihad is a compulsory duty upon all Muslims primarily when the kuffar enter Muslim lands. It is considered so critical to repulse the invader that Ibn Taymia even asserted it took precedence over making the hajj. This defensive jihad duty is called “Fard ‘Ayn” and means that there is a personal obligation for all Muslims in the land which has been attacked to join the fight. The scholars agree that children may march forth without permission of their parents, wives without permission of husbands, and slaves without permission of their masters. If the Muslims of the land attacked by the kuffar cannot expel the enemy for whatever reason, then the Fard ‘Ayn obligation expands outward to include other Muslims nearby and then at increasing distances from the center of the invasion. Eventually, Fard ‘Ayn can become obligatory across the entire world until the kuffar is expelled from Muslim land." (www.clarionproject.org) 

Now understand that this is the very basics of radical jihadism, the point I am trying to make here is not that what they are doing is right, but the reasons why they are doing it is. These people have no doubt what so ever that their religion is right. That is what they have always believed and that is what they are proud to believe. Being that they are 100% sure of their faith they live it out to the fullest with no regrets. Do I think they are right in what they are doing? Absolutely not, what gives them the right to take another life, however their religion tells them that to take a life for their God is a holy act for them. So my question to you is why are we so afraid to live our faiths out radically? The whole world is against them for doing it, in fact we spend billions of dollars yearly to prevent them from living it out and yet they are even more eager to do so! Mark 16:15 says "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." If we want to be radical Christians the consequences shouldn't delay us. Radical Jihadists face an almost sure death yet they don't let up. I want to live out my faith recklessly like they do. 

An Unlikely Bible Study

Last night was my first so to speak college bible study. It wasn't your prototypical meeting to say the least, sure we met on a Wednesday night and we sang and talked and had a short devo but it was deeper then that. It is was outside on a porch almost a last minute get together so to speak but it was perfect to us. We sang and told stories and the world passed us by before our very eyes. People were dressed all different ways and everyone had a story as to why they were the way they were. As we sang I noticed how everyone had their own ways of worshiping, all right in their own way but yet still very different. There were those who simply seemed to study the pages, those who closed their eyes and tapped their foot, some through their arms up in the air and waved them like they just didn't care, then there was some that sat there quietly praising in their own unique way. It dawned on me............my burger/hot dog story was being put into play. In this devo I want to focus on the leadership side of things. I like to think of 5 leadership types when to comes to the gospel.

1. The Jesus Cheerleader - Now lets be honest here, we have all looked at people like this and said what the heck. These are your vocal leaders, the ones who stand up and dance and throw their arms in the air. I think at times we all have a little Jesus Cheerleader in us.

2. The Pitt Viper - This is the guy who relentlessly waits for an unbeliever to step into his territory so he can strike at them. Their number one goal is to strike once and to get their fangs into the person in order to convert them. The quick kill.

3. The Ivy League Bible Scholar - This one goes without saying, but this is the smartest guy you'll ever meet when it comes to biblical trivia. He is ready for every atheist, mormon, universalist, and muslim. He is the guy that you would call on 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.'

4. The Courageous David - These are your rock solid leaders who lead by example not necessarily by words. Boy are they strong internally, they may not be the first to share their faith but if the challenge presents itself it's game on for them.

5. The Hybrid - This is the person who incorporates the traits above into one well oiled machine, he recognizes that different people react to different ways of sharing the gospel. Sometimes this guy is the one leading the chants, sometimes he sits back and lets it unfold. He is ready to strike like a viper and has the knowledge of the ivy leaguer, this is the guy that makes people ask "What's different about him?" This leader is the key to the success of spreading the gospel to all nations.

Christ created all of us different for a reason. He doesn't want a cheerleader all the time, he doesn't always need a smarty pants to be present, but God does need the hybrid christian, the one that is open minded enough to see all view points and react differently to every situation. Regardless of what type of leader you are Christ calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and with this I say to you; neighbors come in all shapes and sizes  and we are truly looking to reach all of our neighbors then this "hybrid" is in each and everyone of us. It's up to you to put it to use.

Loving Sacrifice

I am a mentor in this program called Zoe. I absolutely love it, it is a group of 7th and 8th graders who get together on most Tuesdays and Fridays to rehearse. They sing multiple songs, have dancing movements to go along with them, and they also have skits to tie all of it back together. Then after all of their hard work comes together the group goes on tour for 3 days to spread the word! This group went to Minnesota. What makes this group so incredibly awesome is that it is a Christian group! As mentors our jobs included keeping them under control, help them learn the music and moves, lead bible studies and devos, but most importantly just to be there for them. In other words we were glorified babysitters in some cases! Every year in Zoe there is a skit that the mentors do for the kids. Sure we do funny skits and skits to tell them where we are going, but this skit isn't meant to be funny..........it's meant to reach the heart. In past years they have preformed the "Everything Skit by Lifehouse" that skit is so awesome but it is so common anymore so we decided to shake things up a bit. A brilliant girl named McKenzie Martinez wrote a skit to the song "Let it Burn by Red," she says it best in her description "I wrote this skit to really strengthen the fact that Jesus DID die on the cross for us. We hear that "Jesus died for our sins" all the time, thousands of times, and I want this skit to be used to make people realize that He is not a legend or a story but He is our savior and with out Him the devil would have won. Through Jesus we are freed." 

Now the skit starts out with Jesus and his children together, he is making them things and showing them the universe and they are so in love with one another. Then sin comes into play and demons rip them out of the arms of Christ. Satan has won. One by one they give into their sin until they have had enough and begin to look for Christ again. He is calling out to them trying to reach them but their sin won't allow them to get to him. They struggle with their demons, they fight with their demons, they break free of their demons only to meet Satan who knocks them right back down again. One by one they have no choice but to give into their demons. Satan has won, he throws his hands up in the air and stares down Jesus with a smirk. Then the unthinkable happens. God of all the universe takes the blame for us. He lays his life down for us. Death has lost and love has won. 

 As you watch this video think about the sacrifices you have made in your life for your loved ones..................now think about the one that Jesus made for you.









Christ died to save you from whatever demons you are facing today. It doesn't matter where you have been or where you are. It only matters where you are headed. He made the path for you, now walk in it. "because of all the love you've shown I will give my life away" - Jeremy Camp

God wants all of you not just bits and pieces.

Isolation

Isolation can be a scary word. What good comes from it? After all Genesis 2:8 says "Man shall not be alone, I will make a suitable helper for him." You see at times I feel very alone up here at school. I'm surrounded be guys who love football so much that their lives revolve around it. Now don't jump the gun here, I love football but I can't even begin to compare it with my love for Christ. I love him infinitely more then I could ever love this game. It says in Luke 10:27 to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind." I write this blog because of this verse, I dont write it just so I feel like I have something to do, I write it because I want to show everyone much I love my God. But why would God put me in a place where I feel so alone at times? A place where I feel like I have no one to relate to? For that answer I called my Mom, don't tell I said this but she is kinda smart at times! We talked about how God opened the doors to Sioux Falls for a reason, a reason much greater then I could understand, but the main point we hit on was that when someone loves God so much it makes Satan so sick that he can't bare to watch so he slowly starts to pick at the seems of that person's life. Jesus warned us about this though when he said "count the cost." I've gotta tell you guys, I didn't want to come back to this place. All the kids are really nice and the workouts suck but I can handle them, sometimes I just feel as if I'm wasting my life away here, that I could be used better somewhere else. And maybe I can be used somewhere else for a greater purpose, but then again maybe I was meant to be here and Satan is whispering these thoughts into my mind. I think at times like these in our lives we NEED to turn to Jesus, 1 Peter 3:18 "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." So when trials and tribulation comes our way maybe our goal shouldn't be to find a way out or a way to defeat them, maybe our goal should be to embrace the trials and to grow that much closer to God.

Reflection Monday

It's 5:15 in the morning and I see this picture. Stops me dead in my tracks. This isn't going to be my average post of a funny story or some kind of weird connection that barely makes sense, this is going to be about reflection. I want all of you not just to look at the picture, but to study it:

Nailed: We killed Jesus with our imperfections and faults

Dead: He died to save our less than worthy lives 

Risen: He created hope for every nation

Think about the price payed just to make a way for our selfish ways. God wants this intimate relationship with you, one that makes him say "wow this was so worth all of the pain."

A Sunday Haircut

Now many of you may think you know where this post is heading but I say to you reconsider. The first thing that comes to anyones mind when hair is mentioned in a biblical aspect is Luke 12:7 "Indeed the very hairs on your head are all numbered.." Which is instantly what came to mind when I was thinking of how to relate this post to you guys. Instead I want to go off of the beaten path with this "hair post." For us guys it is very easy to take care of our hair, so we'll look at you ladies for an example. According to beauty.com there is ten essentials that every girl must have when it comes to taking care of their hair.

1. A Good Brush

2. The Right Shampoo For Your Hair Type

3. Conditioner

4. A Wide Tooth Comb

5. Shine Serum

6. Dry Shampoo OR Talcum Powder

7. A Blower dryer

8. Volumnizing Mousse or Spray OR Straightening Balm

9. Rollers OR Straightening Irons

10. Hairsprays

As Christians we often use the same tools on our lives, God gives us tools in order to keep our "Hair Styles" or Christian walks up to date. Some of those tools include:

1. A Bible

2. Prayer

3. Music

4. Church

5. Family

6. Friends

7. Spiritual Leaders

8. Books

9. Sermons

10. Blogs :)

All of these things were intended for our use to grow in Christ, but just like with the hair products if they aren't used in the right way they can really cause some split ends to come into our lives and when those dead spots hit where do we go? We go to get a haircut to weed them out. The same reigns true for our Christian walks. When we don't use the products wisely they cause harm to us so we turn to Christ to cut out the split ends.

An Empty Lot

Sitting in an empty tent with nothing to do really makes you take in all of your surroundings. I see grass, I see trees, I see a few people strolling by, but above all I see an almost empty parking lot across from me. It amazes me how yesterday it was packed full with cars, people, and tailgates. Infact the parking lot was so sought after that people were paying money to get inside of it. Then there's today where I don't think you could pay people to park there. Why is that? Is it because there was a drastic change in the appearance of the lot? Or maybe because there's no game today. You see when there is a game everyone wants to be there, it is the place to be, they pay to be there. Church is like our game. When it's church day everyone is gunho about being there and sometimes we put money into the offering plate, kinda like paying to be in the lot, but as soon as Monday hits and there's no "game" the lot is untouchable. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not big on religion but I am big on having a relationship with Christ. So I'm not saying that if you aren't going to the "lot" or church everyday that your a bad person, what I am trying to say is how come when we go to church or minds are on Christ and so often when we leave we push him to the side till the next "gameday"?

Motives

I love writing this blog. And thanks to all of you guys I just cracked a 1000 views! I could not be more excited, not only that but recently my blog has been viewed by several people over seas also! This is very exciting for me! The question I have to step back and ask myself is "Why am I writing this blog?" Of late I have found myself constantly on my phone checking to see how many people viewed it today, to see how many new followers I gained today. The realization I made was that God could care less if I was a good writer or even what I have to say on it, God cares about my motives for writing the blog. So the page views are nice and I would be exstatic of this thing went viral but none of it would matter if my motives are wrong. Matthew 28:19 says "therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirt." This is one of my very favorite verses and it is my prayer that this verse would be my only motive in writing this blog.

A Quick Thank You

Working a week of 14 or 15 hours a day can be more then exhausting, not to mention I drove back to Sioux Falls late last night to get a couple workouts in. My day started at 5:10 this morning, was at the field by 5:30, running started at 6. Forty-five minutes of sprints is not fun. I'm getting ready to go lift right now till about nine, quick run home to shower and be at Lowes to work by 10. I'll work till about 5:30, I'll run home and eat then go to practice at 6:30. Next it's off to a film study session. Lastly I'm off to bed. Right about now it may seem like I'm complaining an awful lot, but instead I would like to use this post to thank God, thank him for every single day when I wake up, thank him for every deep breath I take, thank him for every step I take, and thank him for the ability to write this post. I have barely scratched the surface with everything I have to be thankful for. God spoils me in so many ways. "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" Psalms 107:1 I would like us all as much as possible today to really clear our minds of all the distractions and focus on all the things we have to be thankful for, God has blessed us so abundantly, so give him your thanks. 

The Burger That Didn't Fit

I work for this company that sells sporting merchandise at major sports events, such as Final Four, Super Bowl, Bowl Games and CWS or College World Series. Right now I'm in Omaha working the CWS and it is awesome! It also is crazy though because we usually work like 14 hour days, being that our days are soooo long they provide us lunch and diner. Yesterday afternoon was salad day and let me start off by saying how much I hate salad I mean come on get me some meat! If I wanted to eat leaves in a bowl there are plenty of trees around to make it happen. So naturally I said heck no to salad I'll go get something myself. As it turns out there was a hotdog stand not to far away and I thought "perfect ill go get a couple dogs," I walked up to the stand and they had BURGERS, I LOVE a good burger so I ordered two. Now right about now you are probably wondering why I am telling you all of this and some of you probably already hit the x in the corner but hang with me. When they brought my burgers out, they were in a hotdog bun and they were shaped like a hot dog, WHAT?!?! At first I was skeptical, then I was scared, finally I was hungry so I bravely took my first bite.........BEST BURGER EVER. The point I am trying to is that there is no mold for a so to speak "good Christian" we come in all shapes and all sizes, but it seems like sometimes the world is telling is that if we are a burger we have to be round and on a bun. It says that God molded us like a potter molds a clay pot. Now correct me if I'm wrong here, but the only time I've seen clay pots talk is in the movie Hercules, so why are we the pots so quick to tell each other that our rim is cracked or that our handle is deformed? Why are we so quick as burgers to tell Jesus that we don't have enough seasoning or that maybe that he misshaped us. And why are we as humans so quick to point out each others faults and imperfections. God is not some factory that spits out the same product over and over again, God is a artist who is always looking to form a new and different result every time. When we get caught up judging the way or "food" looks we just might miss out on the best tasting "burger" in the world. 

Why Dancing Like An Idiot?

The title is a little bit out there I know, but I promise it does have a reason behind it! When I first decided to start a blog the first step was finding a fitting name for it and it seemed like every single name I wanted to use was taken! So after about an hour of messing with different combos, anything from 'The Rugged Road' to 'Being Obsessed' and everything in between I decided to play some music and of course 'I Can Only Imagine' by MercyMe came on and I was thinking great if I could only imagine a freakin name right now! "Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still" were the next words I heard and it hit me, will I really care what I look like when I am worshiping Christ face to face? Then it full out smacked me, do I really care how I look worshiping Christ when we're not face to face? When I am with this God of mine nothing else in the world matters. All I want to do is dance like an idiot for him and I hope you do too. 

I would love feedback from you guys, also leave comments or email me (zanezentic@gmail.com) about future blogs or past blogs or even what you would like to be addressed in my blogs!

My First Encounter With A Mormon

Read the title again, that's right I had an encounter with a Mormon last night. What kinds of thoughts just filled your head? The word Mormon seems so scary, but why is that? Is it because they cause harm? Or is it because it's the unknown that scares us. It's the unknown that scares me. Now before you start forming your own opinions about this topic I would like to remind you that it's the unknown that scares us. 

His name is Colin Nicol, Graduated from LSU and lives down there now. Quite possibly the biggest baseball/LSU fan I have ever met. He found two tickets to the LSU UCLA baseball game and sent one my way. It's funny that if I never would have made a crack at him about Alabama football we never would have met! It really is true what they say about the southern hospitality, he made sure I had LSU gear to wear and if that wasn't enough he made sure we both had snacks and drinks. Just an all around guy. At first we were complete strangers who wouldn't have thought about the other a slight bit, but as the game went on we talked about baseball and football, our pasts and even politics!  We shared laughs, we shared stories, we shared L-S-U chants at the top of our lungs, but most of all we shared our religions. 

Mormonism was very unknown to me at the time and there are still many parts I am trying to understand, you see there are so many parts of Mormonism that line up with Christianity yet there are so many parts that don't. So as he explained the basics to me I listened with my mind, not my heart. I would ask questions to further understand and even at times ask questions to challenge what he was saying. We talked about the past, the present, and my favorite, the future. It was ironic how he talked about how God led him here tonight for a reason and with a big grin on my face I said "I think he did too."  I asked him what would happen to me when I die if he was right and he explained how my heart was good and How I was very kind and so of course I would have a second chance to accept. Then we played the scenario what if I was right and he was wrong, instantaneously Luke 6:37 came to mind, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven." You see the point I am trying to make here is that I don't know where his heart is at, I don't know what kind of relationship he has with Christ. All I know is that some of the things he was saying would not match up completely with scripture, but how do you tell someone that is so sure about their faith that they are wrong. I'm pretty sure he's trying to figure out that same question right now with me! Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, that means even if our views don't line up, that means even if it is a little scary at first. "Go and make disciples of all nations," not just the easy ones, or the ones aren't sure on their faith. It says ALL nations for a reason. 

A Special Dad

What makes a Dad special? Is it the things he provides for you? Is it the way he holds you when you cry? The way he makes you laugh? Dads are so special in many ways. For me personally my Dad is my role model. He's the reason why started playing football, infact I stayed close to home so he could watch me play. You see my Pops played football in college and professionally for a year, and his Dad played college football also so to carry on the Zentic tradition means a whole lot to me. Another thing about my Dad is that he is the hardest worker I have ever met. It may have taken me a while but eventually that rubbed off on me too, maybe not so much when mowing the yard! If you know my Dad you would know that he is not the most emotional person in the world, but what you may not know is that my Dad would do anything for his family! One of my favorite feelings in the whole world is when my Dad says he's proud of me. I love you so much Pops.

Love,

Zane

A Sticky Mess

Question number one, what do you do when you have writers block? For me I go to Village Inn for a late night grub! I ordered the V.I.B which is where you pick four items, mine of course included bacon, hash browns, two eggs over easy, and pancakes. I always save my pancakes last for dessert. Now regardless of what most people will tell you, there IS an art to eating a pancake. First put the butter on the cakes, then drown it in syrup, lastly you indulge. As I began to scarf them down I noticed that most of the syrup was running off the edge and taking the butter with it! Luckily there was a few strong points of butter that held its ground, you see as followers of Christ the same holds true for us. You see we establish ourselves (the butter) on Christ (the pancake) and we begin to form this bond that seems unbreakable. Then as sin (syrup) begins to enter our lives things begin to get a little messy! Sometimes it feels as if we are drowning in an ocean of sin or "syrup" and as we begin to see our brothers, the butter, being washed off the edge our grip on the pancake begins to loosen. Psalm 27:1 says "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" This verse is so perfect! It is saying God is the only thing good about me and since he is with me not even the stickiest of syrups can take God out of my life and even when my grip begins to slip I can breath a sigh of relief knowing that God will pull me right back into place. Jesus said "count the cost," guys this is not going to be easy, in fact on our own the odds are a infinity to zero, just like my lotto chances, but when we let this guy they call Jesus take over our entire life and not just part of it, you will stay on that pancake every single time.  

A New Hope

Last night I was challenged on the topic of Judaism. For once in my life I wasn't sure what to say because my most recent blog had played into their hands. In my last post of "The Not So Old Old-Testament" I wrote about how the Old Testament displayed many qualities that we strive for today, I talked about love and passion, and sacrifice and kindness, and above all I talked about a creator. As I began to dive into this topic and call on friends for help we discovered that the main difference between Christianity and Judaism that we believe that Christ is the messiah while they do not. You see we as Christians view the the New Testament as a summary of how to live our lives, while the Jewish Community view the Old Testament as a summary of how to live their lives. But which one is right? I mean the Old Testament did come first, but the New Testament is most recent.

Lets start it off with a little Jewish background info so we are all on the same page, Traditional Judaism firmly believes that death is not the end of human existence. However, because Judaism is primarily focused on life here and now rather than on the afterlife, Judaism does not have a strong opinion about the afterlife, and so that leaves a great deal of room for personal opinion. It is possible for an Orthodox Jew to believe that the souls of the righteous dead go to a place similar to the Christian heaven, or that they are reincarnated through many lifetimes, or that they simply wait until the coming of the messiah, when they will be resurrected. Likewise, Orthodox Jews can believe that the souls of the wicked are tormented by demons of their own creation, or that wicked souls are simply destroyed at death, ceasing to exist. (this info was gathered from Jewfaq.org) The Old T (testament) is a character guide to the Jewish, it teaches wrong from right. There are so so so sooooooooo many examples of how to love you neighbor in the Old T and thats why I say AMEN to this. I think we could all learn a lesson or two from the Jewish Religion, but to me the Old T is so much more than a character guide, it is 39 books of hope, hope for a people without a solution.

In Genesis 22:17-18 God promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Through his offspring, all nations on earth would be blessed, because he obeyed God. So the promise was made, and in Joshua 21:43-45 God delivered; “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” God fulfills his promises big or small just as he did with the Israelites.

In Isaiah 9:6 God made another promise; For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. And just like in Genesis God made this promise to all mankind and in Matthew 1:16 God fulfilled it. "and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ." 

You see God is so so so so so so so so sooooooooooo much more Holy then we are, in fact we can't even describe ourselves by using this trait since it ceases to exist in you and me. Unfortunately God is so holy that he can only be around holy people in heaven, and I know that would not include me. This creates a big problem for us because it separates us from God, but like it said in Isaiah, God sent hope to all nations. Jesus Christ is that hope, he is the bridge that connects us back to God again. I know there is a lot of debate between Christians and The Jewish, but it all boils down to one thing. Faith. Proverbs 3:5-6 states; Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. God is saying trust my word, all of it, and I will never let you fall.

The Not So Old Old-Testament

The title seems a little bit strange huh? I would agree, you see right now I am trying to read the bible in 90 days and it is awesome, but I've been making these weird connections. Like most people I always kind of wondered why the Old-Testament was in the same book as the New, I mean that's what Jesus was for right? to wipe out all of the boring stuff (Leviticus), so as I sat here reading Deuteronomy I began to wonder why God included the Old-Testament in the Bible. Naturally my first thought was something like "so that we are thankful that Jesus came so we wouldn't waste so many animals," but then I read Deuteronomy 8:5 which states "Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." As that verse began to soak in I came to the realization that maybe just maybe the Old-Testament still reigns true today in may ways. Sure we don't live by the standard of "an eye for an eye" anymore except for in Call of Duty and Mario-Cart, and maybe we don't get lost in a desert for 40 years, which probably never would have happened if Siri was around, but many of the values are still there. "love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul"-Deu. 11:13;  "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."-Joshua 1:9 The Old-Testament talks about love and passion. It talks a lot about sacrifice and kindness. Caring for the poor was still just as important as it is today, and above all it talks about this idea of this creator, someone so mighty that he breathed life into dust, I don't know about you but if you were to give me a pile of dust all I would make is a mess. But this creator instead turned it into a more than perfect version of you and me. The lessons that I have picked up so far from the "Old" Testament don't seem so old to me, we practice them everyday without even knowing it.

Who am I

My name is Zane Zentic, I'm a nineteen year old from the University of Sioux Falls. I play football, I'm a business major, I'm a theology and youth ministry major, but above all I am completely and utterly in love with my God Jesus Christ. This blog I hope will be different from your average blog. You see I have this incredible passion for this guy they call Jesus and I hope to share it with you. As we take this crazy journey together we will share many life experiences and encounter many new people, but above all we will grow together spiritually. When Jesus said "make disciples of ALL nations" I believe he meant it.