MikeZook.com

Bear Down!

As most of you know, I am from Seattle, Washington and I was born and raised on the Seahawks, Mariners, Sonics and Starbucks coffee in my bottle.  But since moving to Chicago I have developed new friends that like this other NFC Champion team here called the Chicago Bears.  So this post is for you friends here in Chi-Town.......ENJOY!!

Pokemon

My son has been asking me to play his Pokemon trading card game with him for a while now.  I have to admit that table that I really wasn’t excited about it.  But it’s important to him, so I wanted to show interest and spend time with him doing something that he wanted to do. 

Well, in the card game you have these "battles" with the cards and the objective is to try and cause the other Pokemon to faint by exerting your power (or points) from your cards over the other player’s cards.  Then you can take them somewhere and revive them later I guess.  Anyway, as my 9 year old son tried to explain how to play this game, I felt REALLY, REALLY DUMB!  I DIDN’T GET IT!! This Game is Complicated! I was amazed at all of the rules, exceptions to the rules, energy cards, who has what power and who doesn’t, when to be in "attack mode - block mode - defensive mode."  I was lost and confused.

As I watched my son teaching me how to play this game a thought occurred to me.  How can he remember all of this STUFF in order to play this game yet I can't get him to remember to make his bed, clean his room, brush his teeth, stay seated at dinner, hang his towel up, or put his clothes in the laundry basket???  Go Figure.

By the way what happened to the games “Sorry,” “Chutes and Ladders,” “Candy Land” and the very complicated game of “Monopoly?!?!”

I guess they went out with the Atari 2600.......

Do You Respond?

Today I read a post on Joni Ruhs blog titled "How To Be Good Christian." I love her emphasis on God loving us first and responding out of that love. I think as a Christian, the temptation is to view God through our love for him first, the problem with that is it will always fall short. Why? Because the focus is on our efforts, it centers around how much we love God, not how much He loves us. Like all eager, goal-oriented, self-indulging, motivated kids in our Father’s kingdom, I need reminders daily to do die to my own drive, my own goals and simply allow God’s love to live through me and not worry about what I need to "accomplish."

Have you ever thought about such things?

Apple Ad - Sabotage

<><>

I'm think of getting an iMac. My 6 year old Gateway PC is running a little slow and lethargic lately.... This is one of apple's latest ads for the Mac computer and one of my favorite. Funny Stuff!!

Surrender

I love this song "Surrender" from Kasey Chambers new album Carnival.  It's a good reminder for me today to surrender my addiction of myself over to the will of Christ .  What is your response to this song?

"Surrender"

It's not that I don't care - I know it's here somewhere
But it's more than I can bare to take - I lie awake at night
I never win the fight - It's an addiction I can't shake
It's overbearing me - Growing, flowing, showing

[Chorus]
I surrender, forever - I fold, I played the losing card
I'm under, It's over - I give it up it's all too hard

It's not that I'm unsure - I've heard it all before
But I cant help wanting more to keep - You just don't understand
The way I really am - It's all I ever can be
But underneath it all - I'm breaking, waking, shaking

And now I face it all - I'm falling, crawling, stalling

Devin Riding Motocross

Devin riding motocross at Fox Valley Off-Road in Illinois.

Who Do You Love More?

I have been thinking about my post Your Perspective??  For some reason it has been weighing on my mind.  So here is my answer to my question....

Maybe it’s because I am an immoral being trying to walk with a moral God.  Maybe it’s because my world, my nature, my natural inclination is to love the world. Maybe it’s because we only follow what we love and in order to follow God I have to give up what I love….me.  I mean, I did love myself long before I loved God.  And even when I got to the place that I could actually say that I love God, and accept the truth of His ransomed love, did I really mean it?  Was it out of a response of His love to me?  Was it authentic?  I don’t think we can love God out of our nature, because it is fallen.  Our father Adam set that course.  I think the only way we can love God is out of a response to his love to us.  But in order to do this you have to have a deep belief that God is who he said he is and he did what he said he did and we are who he says we are.  I like what Don Miller says about deep belief in his book, Blue Like Jazz:

“The trouble with deep beliefs is that it costs something.  And there is something inside me, some selfish beast of a subtle thing that doesn’t like the truth at all because it carries responsibility, and if I actually believe these things I have to do something about them.”

Maybe that’s it.  Maybe that’s why I find it so difficult to give up the world and follow God.  Because the way of the world is to love me, and like I said, I love me!

I guess the good news is that is doesn’t stop there.  That it only begins.  I believe this is where we need to be on-foot, in battle, everyday against Satan who wants us to believe in meaningless things for meaningless reasons. Dieing to ourselves and living in Christ is not easy, again because we love ourselves and we love our lives.  But this is what Jesus asks us to do, and in return He promises to give us a new life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).  Did you catch that?  More abundantly!  Jesus is promising us a new life that is better than the one we are trying to build ourselves.  Now you have to be careful here, because our nature has a tendency to frame this promise with H.W.P. (Health, Wealth and Prosperity) theology within the environment of what we know…our world.  We have to give up what we “think” this new life is that Christ wants to give us and simply trust him to give it to us.

So all I have to do each day is give up my first love – me, and then, live in my true love – Christ,  Then maybe I would not find it so hard to respond to Christ.  And maybe I will find it easier to give up the world and rather unthinkable to give up God.

Mark!!!

Check it out!  My good friend, college roommate, groomsman, workout partner and fellow life journeyman Mark Dotson is a full blown councelor and has his own website. 

If you live in Washington State, up by Bellingham, near the Canadian border and need some counseling, or at least someone to have a cup of coffee with and discuss life, Call Mark!!

I'm so proud of you brother!  You are truly living in your glory as God designed you.

Do You See what I See?

Who knows, who's Nose this is?

Seahawks

There are several things that are difficult in my life.  One is living in Chicago and being a Seahawk's Fan!!  I like the Bears.  After living here for almost 2 years, they are quickly becoming my second favorite team in the NFL.  If I can only keep the quarterback's name straight, is it Griesman or Grosse???

Anyways, 2 days until Seattle is tested to see if they have what it takes to get back to the Super Bowl.  In my opinion this will be only the 3rd most challenging game they have had all year.  Let's hope they can stay healthy.....I believe if, WHEN they make it pass the Cowboys this Saturday, they will be here in CHI-Town next week to take on the Bears.  At least Seattle only has to play slightly better than the last time they were here, or at least as good as the Packers did on New Year's Eve.  Ouch!!