Zachary S. Low’s blog

I have a gorgeous girlfriend. That's all...

So I'm sitting in one of my American Lit classes, doing what I do best, not paying very good attention, and I'm thinking about all the stuff on my mind lately.  I'm in a deep financial hole, I'm stressed with school and work, I'm going crazy pretty much...but last night I realized i have so much to be thankful for and so much GOOD in life, that I can't afford to be stressed or unhappy...it's a waste of time.  So, sitting here, this song comes to mind, which I'm sure many of you have heard..."God Is Bigger" from Veggie Tales...it's awesome let me tell ya.  Anyways,  while this isn't exactly one of my "deeper" posts, I just want to encourage you, that no matter what you're dealing with or going through, God is bigger.  Have a great weekend everyone.  God Bless.

Zachary S. Low

What would you do if you knew how to save a life?  Would you? Hopefully you answer yes to this question.  Just think on this for a second...

You're a doctor.  You work in a hospital.  You have all the training you need, you've studied for years, you've went to medical school,  and you've learned a countless number of procedures.  One of your patients is doing just fine one minute, and the next he or she flat lines.  Because of your years of experience, your instincts kick in.  You know how to save this person's life.  So what is your responsibility?  Take action!

This is the same in the spiritual world.  As believers, we're like doctors.  We've studied God's Word.  We believe in the Almighty Creator of the universe.  This world is our hospital.  Just look around...people are dying, physically AND spiritually, ALL over the place.  It's our job, our RESPONSIBILITY to take action.  You know how to save lives.  What are you going to do?  Are you going to just say a little prayer, and hope that person "comes to life"?  Or are you going to, if it's necessary, stay up all night and help make a difference.  You may not be the person who actually helps someone realize THE TRUTH, but you may be step 1 or step 3 or step 7 of who knows how many steps it takes for that person to get it.

It's your responsibility.  Like Rachel said this morning, TAKE IT! That's all.  I love you guys, have a great weekend.  God Bless.

Zachary S. Low

This morning Chantel handed me a piece of paper.  It had a Bible reference and some words of revelation.  Now, when Chantel has to something to say, pretty much no matter what it is, I'm going to listen.  When she has something that she knows God has laid on her heart, a genuine revelation from the Holy Spirit, and she shares it, I'm eating it up for sure.  So when she gave me this piece of paper, and I read it, my heart jumped, and I smiled so big.  She told me that my words have meaning, that i have "deep wells", that I'm going to be helping others break through and break down and uproot.  I wasn't QUITE sure what she meant by it, but I liked it already.  Then I read the verse:

Jeremiah 1:9-10 - "Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'Now, I have put my words in your mouth.  See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.'"

I was just like wow!  I've been praying for a LONG time now that God would literally put HIS words in MY mouth, that He would give me things to say, and that people would listen.  Now, I'm pretty sure if I'm speaking the words of the Almighty God, that people are going to listen, whether they want to or not.  Through these prayers, I've just felt God calling, preparing me, to bring me into something greater someday, something of position to where I CAN impact people.

So, when I read this verse, which I happen to be reading it out loud with Angie, I was just in shock.  So was she, haha.  This verse aligned with what had been prophesied over her a while ago, and it was just yet ANOTHER way that God is lining things up and showing us how when we're in HIS will, things don't just fit in a good manner, they fit PERFECTLY.

So anyways, God is SO great.  There is so much of my future that has been laid out for me by Him, so I don't have to do much except work hard and follow through with what He's wanting me to do.  So, thank you Jesus for being so nice to me and blessing me with amazing friends and family and countless blessings.  Thanks Chantel, for drawing close to God and hearing His voice.  Through your sincere getting closer to our God, He's blessed you with many things, and through those blessings, you've blessed everyone around you.  I love you guys.  Have a great week.  God bless.

Zachary S. Low

I don't know if you guys have ever heard the song "Madly" by Charlie Hall, but it's a great one.  The verses are simple, it just repeats "I'm madly in love with you."  Then the chorus says, "Let what we do in here fill the streets out there, let us dance for you, let us dance for you."  I love this, because it's saying we should take what we do in the church, the singing, the praising and worshiping God almighty, the preaching, the fellowship, and do that in the streets...THE STREETS! So what are we waiting for? Some of us aren't...some are hesitant...but let's do it people!

Another thing that God has made applicable to probably only me personally, that I want you guys to know.  I don't know how many people read this, how many people take it to heart, how many people even care, but I want to be transparent so everyone knows.  I'm going to be a teacher.  I'm going to be a writer.  English is my area of study, but I truly believe God has plans for me to speak and write on spiritual matters as well.  I woke up last night, and God was telling me "Titus."  I had NO clue what that meant.  So today in my quiet time I decided to read the short book of Titus.  In it I received a new life verse to add to my small collection.

Titus 2:7b-8 - "In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us." (NIV)

This is my prayer concerning my teaching.  That everything that comes from my mouth will be indisputable and that my heart will be transparent and NO ONE can say anything bad about my teaching.  So if you think I'm teaching you, if you want to hear something from me or ask me questions, please do.  I'm dying to teach, even now.  I hope I'm impacting at least someone.  I love you guys.  Have a great week.  God bless.

Zachary S. Low

And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
                                                                   A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Scene I, ll. 234-236

One thing that really irritates me, especially in society today, is the idea of love at first sight.  A young teenage girl sees a cute boy and announces dramatically, "I'm in love."  I find it humorous that Shakespeare makes this statement though one of his characters in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" that love is not just the physical image, it goes deeper, yet "Romeo and Juliet" is a story about two very young people who supposedly "fall in love" in a matter of days.

Romantic love is like a seed.  A mutual attraction between two people (one man and one woman) must be planted and cultivated.  It takes work.  It's not so easy as to wake up in the morning, make yourself pretty, then out to find love.  It goes back to the saying, "Anything worth having never came easy."  You fight and work for the things that are worth having.

Anyways, my point is this: Guard your heart and ESPECIALLY don't take the words "I love you" idly.  All words have meaning, and words of such power can do a lot to a person, whether it be good or bad.  With that said, I love you guys, have a great day!  God Bless.

Zachary S. Low

Angie and Me

I'm a huge fan of lyrics when it comes to music.  To a lot of people, if it sounds good, it's good music.  I, however, being a writer, beg to differ.  I'm a musician as well, so I identify with both parts of a song.  BUT, you can take an ordinary, average song and turn it into something that can move your inner being to a whole different level by adding some meaningful, sincere, deep, full of life lyrics.  That being said, I love to just go look up my favorite bands and go through their lyrics.  So I'm doing that, right, and I'm reading lyrics by Angels and Airwaves, simply because I think Tom Delonge is a lyrical genius.  He captures thoughts and feelings by painting pictures with words that Van Gogh himself might struggle to paint.

So I'm reading some lyrics from their first album, and I come across the very first song I ever heard by them, "The Adventure."  There a lot of expressions and one-liners that I love in this song.  So, I started reading it a little deeper and it's not just a few lines that I love in this song, it's the whole thing and how they're all put together.  So, I'm going to post the whole song.  Feel free to read it, or if you want, just skip down to the bottom and I'll talk about what really speaks to me.

The Adventure
By: Angels and Airwaves

I wanna have the same last dream again,
the one where I wake up and I'm alive.
Just as the four walls close me within,
my eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.
I'm the first to know,
my dearest friends,
even if your hope has burned with time,
anything that's dead shall be re-grown,
and your vicious pain, your warning sign,
you will be fine.

Hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.

Any type of love - it will be shown,
like every single tree reach for the sky.
If you're gonna fall,
I'll let you know,
that I will pick you up
like you for I,
I felt this thing,
I can't replace.
Where everyone was working for this goal.
Where all the children left without a trace,
only to come back, as pure as gold,
To recite this all.

Hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.
Tonight,
hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.
Tonight,
hey, oh, here I am,
and here we go, life's waiting to begin.

I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me
I cannot live, I can't breathe
unless you do this with me

Hey, oh, here I am (do this with me),
and here we go, life's waiting to begin (do this with me).
Hey, oh, here I am (do this with me).
And here we go, life's waiting to begin,
life's waiting to begin

I love the first line of this song.  "I wanna have the same last dream again, the one where I wake up and I'm alive."  To me, if I'm the one singing this, it means that I'm living a life that is dead, maybe a life without purpose, and I've lost all point of living...I've lost my DREAM.  This was the main thing that I wanted to talk about in this blog.  Losing your dream...it's so easy to do.  You can get so caught up in the preparation and what not of trying to get to your dream that you lose your actual vision and and lose the essential foundation that was once your actual dream.  Don't get caught up in the legalism and qualifications that require you to get your dream.

Next, I love the chorus.  "Hey, oh, here I am, and here we go, life's waiting to begin."  To me, this means you're afraid to take the next step.  Life's waiting to begin, so what are you waiting for?  This can be looked at in many aspects.  God's there.  He's ready.  He's waiting for you.  All you have to do is grab His hand, jump into His arms, and let REAL life begin.  This can be looked at in other areas, but you'll have to ask me about that if you really wanna know :-).

Anyways, I say all this to say, lately I've felt like I've been on the outside looking in, as if I can't even effect my OWN life...Don't be apathetic and, as someone I love very dearly has said to me, don't let life happen to you...you should be happening to life.  God Bless.

Zachary S. Low

...but all this stuff keeps getting in the way"

Do you ever feel like you know where you are, you know where you want to get, and you're trying so hard to get there, but no matter what you do, you feel like you're getting nowhere?

This line is from the song "Let's Go Back" by Everyday Sunday.  I'm not QUITE sure what the song is about, but to me it does a lot of looking back to the good times and moving past current problems.  If you haven't heard this said, you definitely should:  "You can not get where you are going unless you know where you've been."  I have NO clue who first said this, but it's true.  Sometimes we get so stuck on where we're going or where we're supposed to be that we forget about what we're doing NOW and what we've already been through.

I don't know about you guys, but I love rehashing old memories.  One of my favorite things to talk about with friends is old things we've done or crazy times from back in the day.  One of my favorite things to do at the dinner table is to hear my parents tell stories about when my siblings and I were younger.  One of my favorite things to talk about with my wonderful girlfriend is past events in our relationship: when we first met, our reactions, our thoughts, the following weeks, things that have led up to where we are now.  Remembering who you were and what you've been through and what all it is that defines who you are today is necessary to successfully moving forward to a positive future.

So I write all this to say, when you're stressed or worried about where you're headed or what your future should entail, just sit back, relax, enjoy the now, and have some fun talking about the way-back-whens.  Who knows...maybe that story that everyone said "One day you'll look back at this and laugh" will actually make you laugh...God Bless!

Zachary S. Low

By a show of hands, who likes to sing in the shower?  If you're actually raising your hand right now, you probably rock faces off...

Anyways, the title of this post is from the song "Take Me With You" by Secondhand Serenade.  The one and only member of Secondhand Serenade, John Vesely, is a totally acoustic-emo boy who writes and sings songs for his wife, playing guitar and piano, and then the crowd gets the "Secondhand Serenade."  "Take Me With You" is a total love song, as pretty much all of his songs are, but I totally love it..it reminds me of someone :-)

I love this line, because yes, in fact, I do like to sing in the shower.  I love to sing period actually.  However, I don't think I'm all that talented haha.  For the longest time I wanted to be able to write music to go with some of the lyrics, yet I never was able to.  Well, lately I guess you could say I've hit a sudden wave of inspiration, and it has been a lot easier.  I've always wanted to have at least a decent voice, because I love to sing so much.  So, I've been praying for a while that if God would grant me the talent to at least have a DECENT singing voice, then I'd give that talent totally back to Him, whether it be playing worship music, writing my own songs, or whatever, God is getting all the glory for whatever the outcome of this situation is.

Anywho, that's a piece of what has been on my heart lately.  Take it easy, have a great week, and don't look forward to tomorrow, because you might miss out on something AWESOME today.  Love you guys, God bless.

Zachary S. Low

I want to be a writer.  It's not just a desire, like "Hey, I want those shoes," or, "Man, that cheeseburger sounds good."  This is a calling.  This is something I want to do, and something I want to do well, better than anyone else, like no one else, for no one else, but for my own satisfaction, and most importantly, to glorify my Creator, my Father, my Best Friend.

It's important to know your calling.  I think it's necessary to be moving closer and closer to your goals in life on a daily basis, whether it be preparing for them or getting out and doing something about it.

Sometimes I get lazy and I'm not doing much to prepare myself and work on my goal as wanting to be a writer, but lately I've been trying to push hard towards my goal.

I love to read, but i have a terrible habit of just forgetting I want to read, and I waste time doing other things. But lately, I've been trying to read.  By reading the books of my favorite authors, and reading books that are considered classics, I can expand my vocabulary, my knowledge on who knows what, and even pick up different methods of writing.

I write as often as inspiration hits me, which is often.  I have NO clue what I want to write about or what are I want to write.  Lately I've been working on a song I wrote for the earthly love of my life :-).  I've ALWAYS wanted to write songs.  I've rarely struggled with inspiration for lyrics, it's always been putting music to it that I've had problems with, but lately I've been pushing through those struggles and coming up with some good stuff, and I KNOW it has to be God inspiring me, because I'm just not that good.

I journal, too.  I journal my quiet times every time I have my quiet time.  I have another journal that I use to write songs and poems in and other literary type things that come to me.  I also have a blog, this vox, which I don't use near as often as I'd like to, which is in part due to my lack of internet at my house.

Anyways, I say all this to point out it's important to be moving towards what you think God has called you to do.  I picked the title of this blog for a couple reasons: 1. It's from one of my new favorite songs, called Sirens by Angels and Airwaves and 2. Sometimes I struggle SO bad to say or write the things I mean.  But a lot of times, when I can't think of a word to say or write, I sit down, grab my pen and paper, or even my laptop, and I just start writing.  Oddly enough, God does something in me and good stuff comes out.

So when you feel like you have no clue what you can be doing to prepare or you feel like no matter what you say or do you're just going to fail, let me offer some advice...just sit down, relax, and DO IT.  Whatever it is you want to do...just do it.  If it's what you're supposed to be doing and what God wants you to do, what's the worst that can happen?  He's going to give you ideas, He's going to help you out, He's going to work out.

Anyways, that's all I've got for now,  I love you guys! God bless.

Zachary S. Low