Filed under: Today's Christians by JCsZealot [No Comments »]

It’s odd that in this day and age – or fitting in this day and age, depending on your perspective – that music is still labeled as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ simply because of how it sounds. I am speaking (writing ), of course, about heavy metal music of Christian influence. Still berated by those who would put God in a box, Christian metal music does exist – thankfully not amidst such travesties as Stryper…don’t even get me started on that Suffice it to say, many people are led to Christ BECAUSE of Christian metal…I was one of them. Old Skool Deliverance (i.e. Deliverance, Weapons of our Warfare, What a Joke etc.) was what led me to Christ; courtesy of a guy who listened to it and shared it with me. These days my IPod runs a muck with bands like Becoming the Archetype, Living Sacrifice, Demon Hunter and…still, Deliverance – though I’m not a huge fan of their ‘new’ stuff. I also listen to bands like August Burns Red – whose music isn’t blatantly molded to Christ (according to them), despite their publicly known alignment…they just ‘play music’…which is okay by me. It’s a far cry from the thugs, tramps and homies who sing about sex, violence and money but point to the heavens when they receive their Grammy. Beyonce is hot, no doubt about that (so was Jezebel ) – but thanking God for her demented music should be enough to lock her in hades, LOL. I have more respect for the ’satanic’ bands than the Rap/R&B world because, at least, the damned won’t thank God for it, meh.

Filed under: Miscellaneous by JCsZealot [No Comments »]

Every day it begins again, the same old things I wish would end
temptations rear their head to say, “you ain’t different today…”

Enticing me to defy as the tether of the old man knots and binds
from thought to sin I fade away, my soul burns from lines so frayed

The old noose tightens, snared I become, indulging self serving wisdom
the world laughs at my calamity, but my Christ drops a tear for me

He sees my struggle and simply waits, knowing well beyond that state
through the furnace, tested and failed, until I reach for hands once nailed

Try to sever the tightened lead, gripping hands strain and bleed
my soul screams in empty pain, for a respite from my sinful shame

Well into the ebb and flow of things which I should already know
my own efforts fall dead in vain, a broken man to knees again

I’ve been in this place before, where my own will do I abhor
weeping pangs of flesh so weak, in that realm I hear Him speak

He chides me slightly in Him abide, with hands once nailed held out wide
for my savior, like times before, broken flesh left on the floor

Toward His grace I trudge through mire, seeking my soul’s true desire
I fall into Him, battered and torn, but through His grace I’ve been reborn

~JCsZealot

Filed under: Simplifying Faith by JCsZealot [2 Comments »]

There are many symbols which portray one’s faith in God, though none more poignant or popular than the cross or a crucifix. Many associate the crucifix with Catholicism while the cross is usually representative of simple Christianity. A cross is usually just that; two pieces of material crossed on the perpendicular, similar to a lower case “t” and representative of what Christ hung upon. Historically, of course, some scholars don’t think it actually looked like that – nevertheless, it’s the popular rendition. A crucifix is the same thing, with one exception – a crucifix has an image of Christ hanging upon it as He was upon His death. If you’ve read anything by me before, then you’ll know that I am pretty headstrong about my faith – as I think we all should be, to a point. Ready to defend our faith, ready to confess Christ in any situation is key to our faith and understanding, right? Well what about the difference between a cross and a crucifix? Is there a difference?

I absolutely, positively know there is a difference between the two, and I challenge you to contemplate it, if only for a moment. The cross, in any form – for the purposes of this train of thought – is a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, is it not? But was the end (more…)

Filed under: Today's Christians by JCsZealot [1 Comment »]

My life, as of late, can be equated to NASCAR, though I won’t attempt to say I have any love for the sport–or any understanding of anyone else’s love for it either, hehe. Suffice it to say, if you’re anything like me, then the metaphor will serve its purpose. The goal of the NASCAR driver is to win the race in one piece. They know where the finish line is and what they need to do to get there. Along the way, they must adjust their speed, avoid obstacles, take a pit stop here and there and – of course – pay attention to the rest of the field. This is so amazingly similar to the Christian walk that I am tempted to believe that Jesus Christ is a NASCAR fan…then again, there’s a lot of things which can be compared similarly, this I just chose.

I know the end game, I know what my goal is for the kingdom. While its true that many a Christian may never understand God’s plan for them, or their true purpose or calling, we all know what awaits us and what we need to do to get there. Along the way, we need to (more…)

Filed under: Today's Christians by JCsZealot [2 Comments »]

I don’t think it’s a secret, for anyone who tried to truly live a Christian life, that attempting such a feat is very difficult. In many lives, it’s the first time accountability has been an issue, with all of the things one “used to do” coming to light as unacceptable. I’ll have to admit, the idea of it being easy or hard to accomplish (or, make the effort toward) is something I never considered beforehand. However, it has been a creeping hand on my shoulder since I chose Christ. In fact, I am willing to bet that most who’ve known the truth, but then have fallen away, are victims of the same thing, to a point. The realization of the difficulty doesn’t come until the walk is attempted. Sure, we can speak of perseverance and not quitting, but because we hold so much personal possession over our “own life”, those helps won’t do much good once the decision to quit has been made. I will submit; to quit in that manner is worse for the end than someone who has never believed. This is because of the blatant denial which must overpower the belief, a denial which (more…)