favorite holiday thoughts

Yeah, random thoughts today...I've just been thinking lately about my favorite holiday. I have a few friends who declare Christmas their favorite time of the year - but I find that I can't just bring myself to make that same declaration. I dunno. I mean, Christmas is an awesome season, the emphasis upon the mystery of the incarnation (granted most people are not even aware of this massively essential understanding of the Christmas season) is doctrinally essential, but I find my heart and spirit elsewhere.

I think I've always been more fascinated by Easter. Maybe because there is no material motivation to love it (as there is at Christmas with presents and such), though many still do give gifts during Easter. I think also I see Easter as even more important than Christmas. In my various readings for school and personal enrichment, God's acts of creation and redemption seem to rise to the top as crucial examples of God's glory and power. For the Old Testament Hebrews it was the creation of the world and their redemption out of slavery into Egypt (this redemption also included their conquering and settling the land of Israel according to God's promise to Abraham. For the Christian it is still the creation of the world paired with redemption, but this redemption is rooted in what Christ did on the cross.

As we were worshipping in church today I was again reflecting upon the various holidays I could claim to be my favorite. I can't get past the cross. When I think of something to celebrate, I think of the cross and what Christ did for me there. We sung a song today entitled "It is Finished," and I love the lyrics. Let me share them with you:

It is Finished
Hark, the voice of love and mercy sounds aloud from Calvary
See, it rends the rocks asunder, shakes the earth and veils the sky
"It is finished, it is finished," hear the dying Savior cry
"It is finished, it is finished," hear the dying Savior cry

"It is finished," O what pleasure do these charming words afford
Heavenly blessings, without measure, flow to us from Christ the Lord
"It is finished, it is finished," saints the dying words record
"It is finished, it is finished," saints the dying words record

Finished all the types and shadows of the ceremonial law
Finished all that God had promised, death and hell no more shall awe
"It is finished, it is finished," saints from hence your comfort draw
"It is finished, it is finished," saints from hence your comfort draw

Tune your harps anew ye seraphs, join to sing the pleasing theme
Saints on earth and all in heaven, join to praise Immanuel's name
Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to the bleeding lamb!
Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to the bleeding lamb!*


I think I could sing that last line over and over all day long. Yeah, I think its safe to say that Easter is definitely my favorite holiday. Oh, I'll always eagerly celebrate Christmas, but you might catch me in a spare moment with a faraway look in my eyes, thinking of the end for which the incarnation has come.

*Words by Jonathan Evans and Benjamin Francis/Music by Jeff Koonce @2006 Red Mountain Music

King of Glory

Over a year ago, before we left New Life Temple and headed out to Southeastern, Terra and I did "King of Glory" by Third Day. I played it on the guitar and sang it while she signed it. One of my youth taped it and I edited it up...and here it is! (you can find this on my profile on myspace also).

King of Glory

spending a lot of time on myspace...

Yeah, I've been distracting myself from my studies by updating and getting my myspace profile up and running. I've also been blogging a bit on there with random stuff on my myspace blog. Check it out if ya get a chance - it's pretty random. I am also tending to put stuff that pops out at me from my classes there as well. If you want to get a taste of what is going on in my head, check it out frequently.

Don't worry, I'll still be blogging here... Right now I'm looking at the last two weeks of class and praying for it to be over soon. I way over did it this semester....

In other news, Terra and I decorated for Christmas today. I'll try and get a picture or two up soon.

Congradulations Van!

Here's a shout out to my man Van who finally proposed and is set to go down the aisle on May 4th.

Van, you and your bride to be have Terra and my prayers and we're so excited for you!

now on MySpace

yep folks, I finally did it. I'm officially on MySpace. Check me out here.

You'll probably notice that I don't have too many friends on there...so if you're on there, let me know!

Did I mention lately that I'm going to be a dad? That my wife is pregnant with a boy!

Watch out fer them Jones'...

My I introduce you to...

Well, I can now officially introduce you to Zachary Keaton Jones, known as Keaton to all those who may call him friend (or family!). That's right, Terra and I found out we having a boy and I thought I'd let all ya'll out there know! Here's a pic:

Terra and the boy are doing wonderfully - I, on the other hand, have a decent sinus infection. Wonderful, I tell you.

Good 'ole orchestra

Well, school is in full swing and Terra and I are having a baby! Whoopee! Yeah, things are going pretty crazy. But we got to slow down just a little bit this weekend with Labor Day and all. I had today off, so it was great to sleep in for the third time in a row this weekend.

Last night we went out to the Roka Ampitheatra for another presentation by the North Carolina Symphony. It was pretty cool. We enjoyed it with our neighbors (who are also pregnant!). Here's a neat little pic of Jason and I playing chess.
Um, in other news I've kicked off my internship with North Wake and I'm very pumped about that. They've just got a really good system set up and I can't wait to get inside it and see how everything is set up and how they have it structured to work.

Back to School

Well, school has started back. It's a pretty crazy schedule for me, too. I have two three hour classes back to back on Thursday, starting at lunch. They're both good classes - it's just they're back to back. If I weren't taking notes on a laptop I think I'd be sunk. Somehow, just having a comnputer in front of me that I'm using keeps me awake......

In other news, I'm doing an internship this year at North Wake (the church Terra and I have been attending). I'll be doing it under the Worship Pastor there, Daniel Creswell. He's awesome and so is the church, and I can't wait to "get under the hood" of the church to see how they've structured and just how they do things. I think I know...but I can't wait to see it!

And an update on the baby. Terra and I went in for another checkup the other day, and everything came back great. The baby had a heartbeat (we actually got to see it on the ultrasound) and all the blood work was fine. So we're gonna have a baby!!!!! I think I'm still getting used to it.

We're pregnant!

That's right folks! Terra and I are pregnant with our first child! I know, I know - Terra's actually the one doing all the hard labor...sorry, sorry, that's a really bad joke. But yeah, it's great to think about being a dad in about 7 months. Terra is doing pretty good, but she's been really tired lately. Yet when we read up on all that's going on in her tummy her exhaustion made perfect sense.

In other news, school is starting up next week, and in the past months I've about lost my enrollment twice... But I've gotten everything settled with the school (now that they know I've been completely immunized and that my bill will be paid they're a lot nicer...) and Terra and I are about to start our second semester. Fun stuff!

The beach and then chaos...

Well, Terra and I went off to the beach last week - which was a bunch of fun. Here are a couple of pics:

This is from when we got all dressed up for a night out with my parents.





And this is just a picture I took when Terra and I were takin' pics on the beach. Fun times






We had a bunch of fun at the beach, and then when we came back my cell phone died. Which was a major bummer and cost me a bunch of time today running around trying to get it fixed. But in the end, Sprint gave me a new phone - for free! Crazy stuff! I guess you can't argue with that.

So, um if you gave me your phone number, but only saw me load it into my phone, then I may not have it because they weren't able to upload all my info to the new one. You might want to give me a call...

new blog to check out

Hey, I just added another blog to my 'lil list over there on the right. Jason Howell is my neighbor and he's also about to finish up his Master's of Divinity in Advanced Biblical Studies. We have fun talking about our studies and movies and all kind of stuff. I really encourage you to check out his blog - it's devoted to discipleship. Really cool stuff. Oh, here's an action shot of Jason hitting a ball at our last small group fellowship night:

Jet Li and a Mirror Mask

Well I wanted to update my comments on Jet Li's newest movie Fearless. This is supposedly going to be his last martial arts epic - but not his last movie. In fact, it sounds like he's already got another movie in the works. I got most of my information from this article. I can't wait for this movie, and if I understand the sites and information correctly, it should come out on August 4th, about two weeks from now.

Also watched an interesting movie my best friend Brian lent me. It's called Mirrormask. My wife asked me if you needed to be high to appreciate it - yeah, it was a little weird. But I found it really interesting. More artistic than anything else, the special effects were phenomenal and, according to Brian, dead on as far as the artwork in the book the movie was based on. If you're someone who enjoys stuff that's a little out there, you might enjoy this. If you like your movies to be realistic...um...don't watch this movie, because you'll just complain.

LoTR music and a Pirates movie

Well, Terra and I had a really fun weekend. Through CarQuest I was able to acquire tickets to see the Raleigh Symphony perform music from the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The music was awesome, though it was a little hot and humid to be outside...overall, though, it was awesome to hear the music performed live. Here are a few pics:

Yeah, just a couple people showed up...

We happened to sit directly in the line of fire for a couple of lights - as you can see right here.


And this blurred picture is the symphony getting ready to perform the second two movements during the intermission.

So that was lots of fun last night, and this afternoon we went to see Pirate's of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It was a lot of fun, though it lacked the novelty of the first one. I guess the first one was such that nothing like it had never been seen before, and so that one had a special "aura" or "tone" about it. But I would definitely say that this new Pirate's movie was a lot of fun, and if you enjoyed the first one, you'll definitely like this one (and the reverse would be true as well). It was a bit darker and more violent than the first, and it left you hanging at the end. And if you stayed until the end you got to see a little fun, but stupid, clip.

Also, we got to see some neat previews, one of which got me really ecited: Jet Li's Fearless. during the preview it was touted as Jet Li's "last epic film" - I just hope that means Jet Li will be doing some more less than epic films...but I have a feeling that it means he won't be doing any more movies. Which would be sad, because I love Jet Li films. Oh well, I guess I knew that sometime he'd get too old to be doing the martial arts stuff.

Here's to Jet Li and some of his great movies.

These are my favorites:
Hero
Fist of Legend
Once Upon a Time in China
Kiss of the Dragon

A fun book

Well, I just finished another thinking blog. This one was an outflow of some thoughts I've been gathering in my mind as I've been reading John Piper's Don't Wast Your Life. I highly recomend the book. It centers around the concept that the glorification of the crucified Christ should be the purpose behind our lives, and that anything less is a tragedy.

In other news...I just finished reading a really fun book entitled The Excaliber Alternative, by David Weber. I've been enjoying quite a few of his books lately. He specializes in Military Sci-Fi. I just really enjoyed this book because it had a great "What if..." concept, and I really enjoyed how he explored the potential of the "What if..." I won't go into any details, because I'd hate to spoil the treat for anyone out there who'd like to check it out.

For those of you who were wondering what our new couch looked like, here ya go:


Terra likes to call it "Rosa". I guess that means I should refer to it as a "she" and a "her". So I will say that she is a very comfortable couch.

New thinking post...

Hey just wanted to drop a note and say that I've finally started back on my Thinking Blog - check it out sometime! This one came as I've been reading through C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, as well as Ted Dekker's The Showdown. Both of which I highly recommend.

If ya hadn't noticed the time on this post, I've gotta head off to work...

Independence Day!

July 4th is here - yay! I guess...I mean, you would leave it to American's to celebrate their independence by blowing up probably millions of pounds of explosives. Makes you kinda wonder about our priorities as a nation....

Well, Terra and I are throwing a little cookout for some friends tonight - she's been cooking up really awesome smelling stuff all day, and I've been psychologically preparing myself for the flames because I'll be grill-master tonight. Fun stuff, I tell ya!

Hope everyone out there is having a great 4th! In the words of a friend, "If you choose to blow things up, please keep your appendages away from the TNT."

Now, guess who gets the illustrious job of cleaning the bathroom...

new couch!

Hey hey hey - Terra found an awesome deal on a new red couch! That's right, red! It's micro-fiber, so you can spill stuff on it and the spill will just wipe right off. Cool, huh? And at the moment we're watching a Twilight Zone episode on while relaxing on it. The couch is very comfortable, but the twilight episode is a little psycho...about a little doll...not that sweet, it's more like possessed or something. This'll be interesting.

Anyone else out there gotten any new furniture lately?

Silly cat...

Okay, random picture, I know. But I figured that since I was going to be starting back up my blogging (after taking a break to finish the semester), this would be the way to start back!

This crazy cat had climbed above my parents bird feeder. I wonder what he was after...?

The funniest part was, the silly cat was afraid to jump down, so it just sat there and cried for a little bit. That's how I got this picture.

Oh, and don't worry - it did get down eventually.

Easter with the folks

Terra and I want to throw out a big "Happy Easter" to everyone out there! We came up to Collinsville to spend the time with our folks - it's been a nice break from school. We also got to spend time with my sister and brother-in-law, which was cool as well.

We're looking at a decent amount of school work this week, even though we're actually off the entire week for Easter Break from the Seminary! Isn't that awesome!

So we hope everyone out there had a great easter!

One project down...

Well, I just finished all the work on one project (okay, so I have a little touching up to do, but that doesn't count...). I'm pretty pumped. We called this project "Scriptures and Issues", and basicly it was a list of 10 issues related to Marriage and the Family (that is the class!), and we had to find 5 verses addressing each topic/issue and then at least six quotes (two from early church fathers, two from reformation era writers, and two modern authors) for each issue. It's been pretty crazy! The worst part was the teacher said that we couldn't use Calvin, Luther, or Augustine (among a few others), which are the easiest to find (which might explain why he chose to exclude those).

Anyways, that's done, and now I get to focus all my research energies into researching and writingPmy paper for Christian Ethics. I've decided to do it on Capital Punishment. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to let me know!

finally done!

Well, I finally finished my exams today! Not sure what I think about 'em yet, but I'm interested to see the results. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but between exams, work, and schoolwork (yes, on top of exams), I've been a little overwhelmed. That and I've also been trying to get stuff resolved with the house we've been trying to sell...Well, let's just say it's been insane here. And my sinus infection hasn't helped any.

But, heh heh, I went to the doctor and he gave me some sort of nasal steriod (which cost me a LOT more than I wanted to pay...), which hopefully means that I'll be getting better soon. I'm hoping it doesn't mean that I'll get really big nostrils or something......(smirk and wink).

In other news, Terra and I are going to begin heading up a children's music program at North Wake this Sunday evening. We're pretty excited about it. It's called Doxa. Keep us in your prayers as we begin to minister to and lead these kids in worship and teach them about music!

A Date!!!!

Terra and I went on a date tonight (since we didn't have class because of Spring Break). We went to the Twisted Fork. It was really cool - and it had a really neat, contemporary color scheme and architecture inside. And the food was really good as well! Oh, and one other thing...a 12 oz burger is a lot of beef!

And a random fact: I found out today that when you apply to be a firefighter, they check your driving record - and if it's not good, then they'll turn ya down! Interesting...

Ah, Saturday...

Man, it was nice to be able to sleep in today. Terra and I were helping out with a youth conference hosted by a group called Deeper Devotion (check 'em out on the web at www.deeperdevotion.com). Terra and I led worship last night and this morning for them, and Terra led a small group. It was really cool! It felt great to lead worship again - I really haven't been able to in a few months, so that was awesome! I had asked off from work, and it was just nice to not work on a Saturday, because I've worked every Saturday for the last month.

Next week is spring break - I can't believe it's already here! It seems like I just started classes, but I've got midterms in like two more weeks. This year is just flying by! Crazy stuff, I tell ya...

Whoa!

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile folks! Things have just gotten so busy with school and stuff. You wouldn't believe how much stuff I have to read. Not that I mind - because I love reading. But this is just a lot of stuff! And Terra and I have started research for our respective papers and stuff. It's while we're working on these that we realize that we really are working on our Master's, because the work is so much more demanding.

I'm trying to decide on a subject for my Ethics research paper, and I thought I'd ask all ya'll out there for an opinion. I'm teetering between Euthanasia and Capital Punishment. Let me know if you'd like me to do either, and if you have an opinion, let me know that as well!

Oh, also, Terra and I are helping with a small youth conference this weekend - I'll be doing most of the worship (with Terra helping) and Terra is going to help lead one of the girls small groups. We're really excited about this opportunity for ministry - so remember us, and more importantly the youth we'll be ministering to, in your prayers, if you can!

The Warehouse

Well, if you ever wondered what it looked like where I work, here's a pretty grainy picture so you can see! I took it with my phone, but it's not that exciting anyways...

So yeah, I load trucks here all afternoon long...

Whoopee.

Busy, busy, busy...

Well, sorry I haven't posted in over a week - I've just been really busy between work and my studies. I'm actually, right now, spending most of my time doing reading for classes - but I'm going to start working on papers this weekend.

The biggest thing I've got going on right now is a need to sell a home! So if you're in Roanoke and you know anyone who needs to buy a home - let 'em know about mine! And/or if you or anyone you know is moving to Roanoke, let 'em know about my house!

Oh, and everyone out there...I just got an email from a friend about something crazy going down at Lee University (where I went to college). Apparently some Christian Homosexual Group (if that's not an oxymoron...) has targeted a bunch of schools they want to raze...sorry..."raise" awareness in. Lee is aparently 3rd on the list. I've got plenty of friends still in Cleveland, and even a few still at school - and this sounds likes it's gonna be crazy. Apparently the group is going to make this thing a real media frenzy, so Lee could end up looking bad (because, obviously, they're not that into homosexuality). They want to show Christ's love to these people, and the falculty and staff are trying to prepare the student body on how to correctly react to what is going to be going on. Keep 'em in your prayers!

My Sore Back!!!

Well, I started at CarQuest yesterday. I'm very pumped to have a job - but I gotta admit, that's about all it is, a job. Ain't much that glamorous about loading trucks full of car parts. Whoopee, I tell ya. But I do think that I'm going to get pretty ripped because of it...I mean, car parts aren't all small and light, ya know! I think about 70% of the stuff I lifted was in the rang of 30-50 lbs. That's not light! I've got a few muscles in my lower back that haven't been sore in years that are screaming at me. But hey, I'm getting a paycheck!

Oh yeah, and yesterday I got there at 8:30am and didn't leave until almost 7:00pm. My day won't normally be that long. I go in today around 2pm and work until we're done, which will probably be around 7:00pm.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me to get this job - your prayers have been answered! Heh, heh - now all we gotta do is find something for Terra. And sell our house!!!!! That's the biggee at the moment. Once we get that house outta our hair, we should be pretty good to go.

All well, that's life at the moment, job and school. Next week I plan on posting some on my Thinking Blog (I'm going to start doing some research, I think), so you might want to keep an eye on it.

No More Hunting (for me, at least!)

Well, I just wanted to thank everyone out there who's been praying for me to find a job...I finally got a call back from CarQuest, and I go in at 8am to start tomorrow! So thanks! We're still not sure exactly what's happening with Terra's job - there are a few opportunities out there for her (several she applied to that looked and sounded great), but we're just not hearing back from them about the jobs. So keep her in your prayers, and thanks for praying for me!

In school news, I've started my classes, and man do they have a lot of reading! You might want to keep checking my Thinking Blog, because I'll probably hash out some ideas and stuff on there from classes.

Stupid Hunt

Okay folks, the continuing saga of Terra and my respective hunting for jobs must come to an end...but unfortunately, it won't be this weekend. We do want to thank everyone out there for your prayers. Terra is meeting with a lady on Monday (I believe) who might have a job for her, and it seems like the job will pay pretty good, so keep that in your prayers. I did the drug test for the CarQuest job I applied to, so things look pretty good there (they usually don't do a drug test unless they want to hire you, I understand), but I haven't heard back from them. What I'm finding is that CarQuest seems to take it's own sweet time in the hiring process.

But classes started Thursday, and that was interesting. I'm taking Christian Ethics, Old Testament II, and Marriage and the Family. I'll actually be writing a research paper for Christian Ethics, and I'll probably post that somewhere on my website when I get it done - but don't expect to find if anytime soon, it's not due until the middle of may.

Also, keep Rick Evans and his children in your prayers (their whole family really), because Rick's mom died yesterday. We love you Rick and we're praying for you! Athleen was a wonderful woman - she was an incredible encouragement to me while I was there, a blessing all around. We'll miss ya, but we know you're in a better place.

And here's a quick shout out to all the kids at New Life Temple - we miss ya and we love ya! Thanks for keeping in touch!

Concluding the hunt

Well, I think the job hunt is just about over. I think I'm going to end up either tossing around car parts at a local CarQuest distribution wharehouse or mixing up coffee and lattes at a nearby Starbucks. Terra and I are praying for the Starbucks one to work out - they have benefits (which will save us almost as much as I'll earn!).

I don't know if any of you read the comments on my last post, but Lauren wrote that her mom was in the hospital with something going on with her sight - so I want to encourage everyone out there to pray for her.

If you can, toss up a prayer for Terra and I as we finish up our job searches. Terra hasn't heard back from anyone yet (I think they're crazy to not hire her right away! ;-). I've been to a couple of interviews, and I'm just waiting to hear back from 'em.

The Hunt Continues....

Well, sorry I haven't been on here much lately...it's just, well, not much is happening.... Terra and I still haven't found jobs, so keep praying with us that we'll find 'em soon enough (Lord willing, this week!). But I did finally hash out some more thoughts for my Thinking Blog, so you might want to check it out...

In other news, looks like Terra and I might have found a church. We're still gonna visit a few more, but we've both pretty much agreed that this is where we're gonna go. It's called North Wake. It's a really young congregation, with a very contemporary perspective and style. What we love the most about it is the emphasis on Study, Service, and Worship (they're basically the core values of the church in a nutshell). I don't like going on about how much we like it, when I know some of you reading this are from New Life Temple, and we really do miss everyone from there - but Wake Forest is where God has called us to be, and we're just excited that we've been able to find a church where we really feel like God has a purpose for us and where we can really meet God every week.

Well, that's about it for now - hope everyone out there is doing well! Drop me a line if ya get a chance!

My very own store!

Well, my wife and I are still in the hunt for a job, but in the mean time we decided to start selling stuff online. "Online?!" you say...yes, online. We've opened up an eBay store called "Zach's Shack", and you can find it online at www.stores.ebay.com/Zachs-shack. Check it out if ya feel like it! You might note the records we have on there - I got a bunch of old LPs when my grandparents moved out of their place, and I'm selling 'em to raise money for school and stuff. I don't necessarily endorse the music of the artists I'm selling. We may try and put some of my wife's purses on there eventually (did you know she made purses?). You'll never know what we're going to put on there next!

Job Hunting...

Man, you know, job hunting stinks! Especially when you NEED a job. Terra and I are having bunches of fun applying at different places, for different types of positions. The bad part is that most of these places were on vacation over Christmas, and so they have a bit of catching up to do now, and they're pretty slow about getting back with you. I have had fun applying online - that's been neat, just sitting at home and filling out forms over the internet. But it's kinda rough when you spend an hour or more filling out these online applications, and then after you send it in you get an email saying something along the lines of, "Don't call us, we'll call you." So you just spend a lot of time sitting around waiting for your phone to ring.

But yesterday was encouraging, I finally got a call back on a job. But at the end of the conversation I found out that the person I was talking to was just calling to confirm some information before she passed it along to the Hiring Manager. So I gotta wait for my name to process through another pile of applicants, and pray that some guy who's never met me will find my application more appealing than the others competing for his attention.

I guess that's where trusting God comes in. ;-)

Yeah, we're doing quite a bit of praying about this job thing - not only that we get jobs, but that we'll be able to enjoy them as well.