What To Do…

I’m sitting here in the basement of my parent’s home. Finished basement. Nice carpet. Wood-burning stove. Blue couch. Gray sleeping bag. Small lamp. I’m not tired yet.

Yet.

So I thought I’d share some thoughts of mine with you…well, more like desires…maybe not even desires…here are some things I would like to do in my lifetime. I don’t want to call it a “bucket-list,” necessarily, because I’ll be just as content having not done many of these things at the end of my life as I will if I get a chance to check them off. I consider this my “Things-I-Would-Love-To-Do-List.” I figured…”Hey, if someone’s reading this, it probably means they want to know what my thoughts are, or at least get to know me in some way a little better.” So here’s a little something to enlighten you about myself. Keep in mind, these are a few things on the list. Enjoy.

Part of Zach’s Things-I-Would-Love-To-Do-List
(in no particular order, rhyme or reason):

• Record my own EP or full album
• Write and record a duet with Caroline
• Drive the autobahn
• Stay in Italy
• Road trip to the west coast and back
• Drive a snowmobile, or as Alaskans might call it, a “snow-machine”
• Sleep in an igloo
• Climb part of Mt. Kilimanjaro
• Adopt internationally
• Learn the ways of the barista
• Tour “Old City” Jerusalem
• Earn a masters degree in something
• Etcetera

Any of these things strike a note with you? You probably never think to yourself, “I’d really like to record a duet with Caroline Prior,” but I do! And if you do…well, it’s probably the case that you and I need to have a little talk. Oh, and I was thinking maybe I could knock out multiple things on the list at once… for instance, I may just learn the ways of the barista in an igloo at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Who knows what life will throw at me! In the meantime, I’m going to Nashville with Caroline for a day and a half. We’re going to check out the city, and I have an interview at Quad Studios there for an internship! If you wouldn’t mind praying for that, it’s coming up here on the 7th. I’m pretty psyched about that one, as well as another interview this upcoming Monday at 91.3, The Summit. It would be great to get plans for this summer ironed out!

I appreciate you.

Also, you very well might enjoy this cover of “Don’t You Worry Child” by Anthem Lights.

Have a wonderful day.
-Zach

Happy Valentines Day & “Test of Time”

I reckon this is an appropriate day to re-post this song!
Happy Valentines Day to the most incredible woman I know, Caroline Prior,
and Happy valentines Day to the world!
Love, Zach.

Investing Energy

One thing I’ve learned about life this year is that you learn the most about leadership in the midst of leading. A lesson well taught by my friend and boss, Robert. He also taught me how to make a good sandwich…but I’ll get into that later. Part of being in a position of leadership on campus, especially if you’re on resident life staff, is having to tell people what to do and what not to do. I’m going to go ahead at this point and confirm that I do see the value and importance in this.

And now I’m going to move on.

There’s something that I’ve recently been re-made aware of. That is the amount of energy we put into complaining, being critical, and even being discouraging—saying things that are ultimately not going to uplift the people around us—even if we end up doing it by mistake. And by we, I mean I. Me. Myself. Don’t get me wrong…sometimes things happen, things are said, or you fall into some circumstance…and it sucks. But it already takes energy and faith to get through whatever’s going on in your life…so why waste any energy to complain, rant, or tell people to “ssstop it!”? Why not use those efforts to do something good? Why not chose to be of some encouragement to someone who may be having a really tough time, or hey, here’s a thought—act in maturity and handle your situation like an adult? And not like the drama-crazed “adults” you see on TV…but like the men and women that God created and desires each of us to be?

Twitter. You’ve heard of twitter, right? The social network where people post all of their personal, half-conscious thoughts as they’re falling to sleep at night? The network where it’s become largely acceptable for people to say whatever they want without being held accountable or taking responsibility for their words? I recently had a discussion with my girlfriend, Caroline, about the many utilities that Twitter has. I don’t “tweet” as much as I used to… The main reason is that a while back, I decided that I wanted to have a positive presence on the Internet. I wanted and still want the things that I say to be either encouraging & uplifting, or to challenge people and make them think. For a while, Twitter was where I would go to complain about whatever small misfortunes were happening in my otherwise wonderful life. It’s so easy to get caught up in yourself and lead yourself to believe that the rest of the world wants to hear about your “first world problems” in 140 characters or less. I know now that I don’t want to be one of those people.

Here’s the thing though—not only is it easy to post thoughts that drag the general public down, but it’s also extremely easy to consume it, let it bring you down and then react inappropriately to it… in which case you’re dispensing just as much effort wrongly reacting to a thought as the original person did when they posted it. This obviously carries over into face-to-face interactions as well. How much energy do we use telling others what they shouldn’t be doing? How much of that energy could be used instead to positively encourage them toward righteous living, and to live in such a way that sets a good example for them to follow? I think if we wasted less time and effort on being so critical of people and telling them what they’re doing wrong, and spent more time focusing on encouraging them through prayer and true Christian fellowship, that the world could be a much better place. Even if this kind of living and interaction started in the smallest of Christian circles. It has to start somewhere.

Point being: if we spent as much time and energy encouraging people as we do either intentionally or unintentionally discouraging people… think about the positive influence we could have on the lives around us. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t be calling out brothers and sisters when they’re not acting in accordance with their faith… but when you do, make sure it’s clearly being done out of love. That’s the only time your response is going to have any kind of positive splash. “…if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

And when you decide to complain about your “first world problems,” do it in love…
No. No complaining.

These are my thoughts from tonight. Though they might not be the best ordered, even a disorganized thought is better shared than lost. Next time you think about complaining, or criticizing someone… try encouraging them first. And if you still have to ask them to change the way they do something, at least present it to them in the form of a sandwich [compliment, work on this, compliment]. #leadershiplesson

Live in love…and try to be an encouragement to everyone—especially online if you do choose to share your thoughts with the whole world…and especially if you claim Christianity.
I write this largely for my own benefit—that it will be even more chiseled into my mind—but I hope that you can benefit from these thoughts as well… because we need more positive and encouraging Christians. Period.

Leave me a comment; I’d love to hear your thoughts!

New Music: “Let You Out”

Here’s a fresh one… hope you like it!

Real Motivators

Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself: “What is life…what am I living for?” Are the things that I’m doing going to matter in the long run? Is how I am investing my time going to have a lasting benefit on either those around me or myself? At the end of the day, am I going to feel accomplished with a sense of fulfillment in what I have done, or will I have that sickening feeling that I’ve just wasted another twenty-four hours of the already short time I’ve been given on this earth?

Given, a lot of the answers to these questions depend on my outlook on life in addition to what I am actually doing, but they are good questions for me to ponder. One thing that I’m glad I don’t have to worry about is that sense of fulfillment I hear that everyone is always longing for. I’ve found mine in God, and the way that he continues to bless my life and show me his hand steadily at work in my heart is at times unbelievable…but that’s just it, isn’t it? God greatly desires for us to recognize and joyfully receive his blessings into our lives…and I’m realizing that so many times those blessings have gone un-noticed in my life. I have him to thank for his love and salvation—the truth behind it keeps me going each day; it’s the reason I can step back from the craziness of life and say, “It is because of this moment that I am free and that I can choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).

So who will I choose to live for today? My efforts and actions speak loudest as to whom I aim to please and what motivates me most.  Am I motivated to do “good” by my respect for my parents and fear of letting them down? Does my public image, or what my friends expect of me dictate my actions? Do I try to live up to my own expectations of myself? Unfortunately, yes. There are many times that I let these things motivate me, though I know in my heart that they should not take the highest priority in my life.  I’ve been placed here…this place…this time…with these people to worship my Creator. I’m here to love him through my actions; to serve and obey him with all that I am. To uphold his law in my life out of a righteous fear for who he is, knowing that he has given me everything…everything that is in my life. That nothing I have ever experienced, done, or received has slipped by him unnoticed, rather, it was all planned and crafted by him.  Out of my love and obedience for him, am I able to effectively love and serve those around me—I want all of my relationships to be a reflection of the relationship I have with God. He is my main motivator, and it is through his eyes that I want to make decisions in my life—filtering both the things that I do and what I believe through the context of his Word.

I have some big decisions rising up in my life. College is soon coming to an end, with only three semesters left. How will I maximize the time that I have left in college? How will I use the love that I have through Christ to enrich and grow the relationships that I have?  What are the most effective ways for me to love and serve my family, my girlfriend, my close friends, and all the others whom I come into contact with on a daily basis?

How can I make a lasting impression that looks more like Christ than it does Zach?

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”  –Psalm 37:4-6

This concludes my thought.

New Semester & New Blessings

If you follow me on any of my other social networking sites, then you’ve probably figured out that the past month and a half or so has been pretty busy and full of new experiences! God has been using a lot of different things, and some pretty great people to teach me more about him and his character, as well as more about my own character and tendencies. Some of the things I’m learning are mind-blowing. Try to top that term…”mind-blowing.” Gotta love it.

I’m sorry I haven’t been more present here on my own blog to share my thoughts, and little tidbits about my life with those of you who take the time to visit once and a while. And while I would like to be able to say that I’m going to try to be more involved in the blogging world, things are only getting busier. However, if there ever comes a time that you go on a “Zach-withdrawl” (God forbid), I’d be more than happy to go to coffee with you and catch up in person! The past month and a half has been one of the most exciting times of my life; I have so many things to be excited about…

First things first: on October 3rd, I began a wonderful relationship with a beautiful woman named Caroline! (If you’d like to hear that whole story, coffee me.) Since then, God has been using our relationship to both challenge and bless me in so many different ways. I’ve never in my life learned so much about myself, God, or another person in such a short period of time! She’s an amazing encouragement to me, and I wouldn’t trade the moments we’ve had for anything. Something I’ve come to realize is that every moment that we experience in our lives, God gives us for a reason. Every conversation we have effects us and others in some way and gives us opportunity to learn, grow, and to minister to those around us.  I know that God has ultimately used my past for good, and continues to use the things that happen in my life for good. Coming back from that tangent, Caroline is amazing girl, and I can’t wait to introduce you to her sometime! There is so much more I can say, but for the sake of brevity I’ll leave it with this:  I’m very blessed, and she makes me very happy. :)

Secondly, it’s been a real pleasure serving on the Residence Life Staff this semester so far as an RA in Lawlor. I get to love and serve 15 other guys, and experience growing friendships and great relationships between the guys in the dorm. We just started a study on the gospel of John in our unit meeting last week; we’ll get to continue it chapter by chapter in the weeks to come! I’m really looking forward to the things we’ll find as we take a closer look at what Christ was really saying throughout the duration of his ministry. We’re trying to dig in deeper than the surface—it’s amazing what you find in the word when you look deeper than the surface.

Thirdly, I’ve been able to do some songwriting lately. It’s been good to be back in the creative swing of things—there’s a certain feeling of accomplishment when you can get words from your heart to fit well with music that came from your head. At some point I’d like to get back into recording some of these for those who would be interested in giving them a listen, but dorm-style living doesn’t offer a lot of quiet time to accomplish that.

Lastly, I’ve been trying to do a better job at starting each day in the Word instead of ending them that way—I really enjoy doing life this way, because it puts the rest of the day into perspective. These days, I really need that right perspective! “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” -Psalm 13:5-6. I’m going to do my best to share more with you all on a more regular basis, but like I said before—things are only getting busier! :) So take care, and until next time, stay classy blogosphere.

New Music: Test of Time (a Soft-Sung Sample)

This is the song I’m currently working on. I’ll do the actual recording and master when I can get in the right environment. Let me know what you think!