Hey everybody, this is Zach. I’d like to welcome you to this little slice of cyberspace called Zach’s Place, an internet-based ministry of The Shelter at Calvary, where I live with my wife (Kaitlyn), and my two kids – Timmy (who is 3) and my infant daughter Anna.
To help you get to know me a little bit better and understand why I wanted to start this blog, let me tell you a little bit about my journey in becoming a Christian. For me it started my sophomore year in college when a girl I asked out on a date (the future Mrs. Zach) turned me down because I wasn’t a Christian. In an effort to prove her wrong and to get her to see the mistake she was making in not going out with me, I set out on my quest to disprove Christianity.
But, as they say, “a funny thing happened on the way to the opera,” and I found myself facing the conclusion that maybe there was a God, and maybe the Bible was His means of communicating who He is to mankind. As a result, instead of disproving Christianity, I found myself committing my life to Jesus during my senior year in college.
Over the years, the thing that I’ve found most rewarding about this experience is that it forced me to think through my pre-conceptions, and discover the truth of who God is on my own terms. I believe that this process has provided both a strong foundation for my faith, as well as a better understanding of, and respect for, alternative points of view.
This has become my primary motivation in starting this little blog called Zach’s Place, a place where everyone is free to express their views on Christianity and read the perspectives of others as well. I believe that it is only through this type of discussion that we can address the crucial issues of faith and at least cause us to either re-think or re-affirm our own beliefs.
With that in mind, let me give you a little background on how Zach’s Place will function. Each week I’ll present a thought on Christianity in general, or a topic discussed at The Shelter, and give you my own thoughts on it. I invite you to then post your comments as well – either for or against – with the hope that it will spur discussion and thinking for all of us. I won’t try to evaluate what’s right or what’s wrong, but let everybody share their own comments and let us all try to figure out what makes sense and what doesn’t for ourselves. As a Christian, my hope is that such discussion will lead us all closer to Christ, but at the very least, I’m hoping that we’ll all at least think through our beliefs and maybe understand our motivations behind them a little bit better.
In the course of this discussion, I’m only asking that we follow a couple of simple rules. The first is that we respect each others’ beliefs. While we may express disagreement with these beliefs, let’s please refrain from any personal attacks against the person(s) with these views. The second is that we refrain from using any vulgarity or profanity and keep our discussion “above-board” so that people can read it without be offended.
Within that framework, let me throw out my first topic of discussion. At the kick-off event for The Shelter, Tyler Bianco shared a message about sexuality and sexual purity from a Biblical perspective. Tyler’s premise is that sex is great (A-men!) within the context of how God intended it to be. Specifically, he stated that sex is something that God has ordained between a husband and a wife for three primary purposes: (1) to bear children, (2) to promote “one-ness” between a husband and wife, and (3) as a means of expressing sacrificial love to one another.
Frankly, I believe that Tyler hit the nail on the head and was right on with his message. But, I’m also keenly aware that society has many differing beliefs on sex and sexuality, so I’d like to throw this topic open to all of you. What do you think? Do you agree with Tyler (and me)? Do you have other thoughts on this hot topic?
Within the framework of respect for each others’ beliefs and refraining from vulgar or crude remarks, let me know what you think. Next week, we’ll follow up on some of these thoughts, and maybe dig a little bit deeper about why we believe what we believe about sex, and about life in general.
Talk to you again soon,
Zach
