Worship
Pastor Zaki L. Zaki
“ Your inbox will be full the day you leave. Trust the work to be done by someone else.” That advice was a sure reminder for me that ministry and life continue whether I was here to accomplish it or not. The work of ministry never end
Worship
Pastor Zaki L. Zaki
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; (Psalm 84:10) I sang that song for years. It was one of my favorites. “Better is one day in your courts…than a thousand elsewhere…” I didn’t know it was a hymn of praise for
Worship
Pastor Zaki L. Zaki
It was a dark and stormy night... I have one of those wooden decorative signs on the shelf in my home office—maybe you’ve seen it while on a Zoom call with me. The sign says, “Storms don’t last forever.” It can often feel like the stor
Worship
Pastor Zaki L. Zaki
Ministry was going great! They were gaining momentum. Jesus moved from town to town—preaching and driving out demons! Jesus was truly initiating something new. No one had ever witnessed such miracles and experienced such authority. Even t
Worship
Pastor Zaki L. Zaki
Now what? Easter Sunday captivated and confounded us with the power of God’s truth. We are all amazed at the biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection and how it impacted the disciples then… and how it continues to impact us even now. Th

Brussels

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Courageous Followers Wanted

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On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Luke 24:1 NIV

My heart aches for the people of Brussels, Belgium. I pray for the people who desperately searched hospitals and social media outlets hoping for any signs of life from beloved family and friends only to find out their person was included in casualty reports from the airport or subway. CNN reported witnesses to the carnage Tuesday in Brussels endured scenes of panic, smoke and horrific injuries. Travelers, commuters, European Union officials and baggage handlers alike were caught up in the deadly terrorist attacks. All of them going through their normal routines of everyday life.

Not long afterward, family, friends, colleagues, and strangers created a memorial to honor the lives of the victims. They brought small tokens of remembrance to identify with the loss. Belgians displayed a banner of solidarity that read "I am Brussels" in French and Flemish on the steps of the old stock exchange building in Brussels following bomb attacks. People from around the world will venture to the crime scenes searching for internal answers to deeply personal questions.

So I pray.

I pray for courageous followers of Jesus to move toward the carnage and make their way to the battlefield once again. I pray for God to blanket Brussels with forgiveness, love and mercy this Easter weekend. I pray the whole world is a witness to the glory of His resurrection. I pray for Europe and the world to have the tenacity to hope and believe God in the midst of their intense feelings of loss, grief and pain. I pray the great veil of darkness that shrouds Europe to be ripped to shreds and for a time of unprecedented revelation of God's magnificent beauty to be restored once again. I pray for people to accept what God has already done and prepare themselves for what He can do in their personal lives today. I pray for a holy confidence to rise along with the sun on Easter morning and a blessed assurance of faith in Christ to blaze in the hearts and minds of anyone who dares to believe God could do something miraculous in the dark embrace of fear, pain, suffering and death.  

I believe we can be the Easter People Christ called us to be and like those two men in dazzling clothes ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; he has risen!" Happy Easter! (Luke 24:5b-6a NIV)