Autobiographical

Toast for a Younger Brother

by Ben Zornes · Jun 3, 2023

Sam

Today you’ve become toxic. After all, you’re a Scotch-German mutt. If Granny Zornes’ legends are true, your Cherokee blood raises questions of complicity in oppressive colonization. You put marriage before career. You’re a man; and you know it. You married a woman; and you like it. You plan to have enough kids to thwart the most dogmatic climate activist’s CO2 reduction efforts. If all that weren’t enough, you believe that terrifying Pauline doctrine that salvation is by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone.

The Christ-less world screeches for you to be ashamed of all this. God, however, calls you to rejoice in these blessings. You’re now summoned to the duty of dying that this beloved daughter of God Almighty might flourish in sanctified femininity. You’re to have the swagger of a man who fears God alone. You must stand, when everybody flakes. Sprint into danger, when everyone else turns tail. Use your old parkour moxie for raising children who traumatize globalist bureaucrats.

Face this world with dauntless, Gospel aggression, but face your bride with jolly & gentle gravitas. May you & this good thing the Lord has favored you with be blessed with these covenant mercies: “[…] thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee (Deut. 28:9b-11).”

Grandma Christie’s Hamball Recipe

by Ben Zornes · Nov 21, 2022

I’d like to wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. While this holiday has distinctively American roots reaching back to the founding of our nation, it is a celebration of Christian virtue and faith as well. We know that every harvest is a blessing from God, and as such we must render thanks to Him. Further, we know that the Great Commission has sent us into this world, to every corner of it, to harvest souls into the Kingdom of Christ. While charlatans endeavor to retell the founding myth of America we must keep the truth alive.

God has been gracious to us. The Protestant, postmillennial hope which spurred most of the early settlers is still in the DNA of our nation. It is worth noting that even those who immigrated here from other places in the world came because of the Protestant hope which was established here. The hope of liberty, freedom, and the blessing of covenant prosperity has ignited the imagination of many to immigrate here. But it must never be forgotten, that all those principles must be rooted in the Gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, like Mather once said, prosperity will devour it’s mother, faithfulness.

As a small gift to you all, my faithful readers, when my Grandma Christie passed away in 2020 we found a stained copy of her recipe for ham-balls. I’ve never made them, but I’m going to attempt them this week, on my smoker. Wish me luck. They were always delicious, and if you try them, you’ll be whisked back to Cheyenne, WY and praise my Grandma’s culinary magic. My cousins and I used to see who could eat the most. I think my Cousin Aaron won by devouring 19 of these bad boys. All that to say, “Happy Thanksgiving” from my family to yours.

A Recipe From My Grandma Christie

by Ben Zornes · Nov 23, 2020

My Grandma Christie passed away earlier this year, and as we went through her things, one thing we kept an eye out for were the many delicious recipes she had spoiled us with over the years.

Grandma, me, and my cousin.
Searching for Goldbug.

She loved making a feast for the family every Thanksgiving, and one dish that came to have a life of its own, forming into a sort of “olympic event”, were her candied ham-balls. My cousins would regularly have a competition to see who could eat the most. I think my cousin Nick holds the record at like 27 or some ridiculous number, with my cousin Aaron coming close second at 25. I could have it backward…but I remember tapping out at 12.

So, if you’re looking for a special side dish, I wanted to share this delicious dish from my Grandma Christie, complete with the grease-stained recipe card.

RIP Willis Christie – The Power of Joy

by Ben Zornes · Apr 30, 2020

Aside from my father, the man who shaped me most was my Grandpa Christie. Tonight, my mom held a phone up to my Grandpa’s ear so I could say a final goodbye in his waning moments. A few moments later Mom messaged to say he’d passed.

I wanted to share a few reflections on his life and lessons I gleaned from his example. When we would visit, you’d have to get up quite early to say goodbye to Grandpa before he got on his motor-bike (or into yellow delivery van) and headed off to his daily toil. I saw a hardworking man, and he set the example of diligent labor to provide.

Grandpa always had a poignant question to stump you with, or make you think. He’d point at a cloud and ask, “Do you know how far away that cloud is from us?” When I’d answer with the blank stare of a teenage musician, he’d say, “Well how can we figure it out?” And then we’d talk about angles, geometry, and come away with at least our critical thinking skills sharpened. But Grandpa always had a question for you. This taught me an important lesson: God gave you a brain and expected you to use it.

Grandpa always had a soft spot for good, ol’ fashioned Scottish humor. In other words, a loud belch would make him laugh with William Wallace-like thunder; and he would beam with pride over his grandchild’s effervescent display of burping skills, giving a coveted two thumbs up.

He would hand out Christmas gifts faster than we could unwrap them. Then he’d paingstainkinly assemble them for us to play with. He would gladly play whatever game we kids would propose, including racing us in a 100m dash, kickball in the park, or aluminum foil baseball in Grandma’s kitchen.

Grandpa Christie faithfully passed on the biblical virtues of hard-work, seeking wisdom, self-sacrifice, and cheerfulness. But when I think back on his life and legacy, I am exceedingly grateful for one thing in particular.

He taught me to be joyful.

He insisted on cheerfulness. He fostered it in his love of laughter, and his playful competitiveness. There wasn’t a thanksgiving meal where he didn’t find a way to be ridiculous; leaving his kids and grandkids and great-grand-kids laughing raucously, while leaving his beloved Mildred shaking her head with, “Oh, Will!”

Joy triumphs through difficulty. Joy has foundations deep in the holiness of God. Joy is found only in the presence of God Almighty. Grandpa knew this, and sought to give joy to his family, his friends, his customers, and the strangers he always seemed able to strike up a conversation with. His legacy is saturated with joy.

But this joy had roots deeper than the maple tree in his backyard, the one that formed the obstacle course to thousands of croquet games. This joy went beyond financial stability, difficult patches in his marriage or child-rearing, or through the difficult decision to finally retire in his late 80s. His joy was found in Jesus.

I know this because he told me.

One year around Christmas-time, he took me with him to pick up an inordinate amount of KFC which Grandma had ordered for whichever family gathering it was. As we drove back he asked, “If Jesus were to walk in the front door, what would you do?” I don’t quite recall my answer, but I clearly recall his. He said, “I think I would likely just go up and say, ‘Hello, how are you doing, come in and sit down.'” And then he continued, “But I think the best thing to do would be what that one carol says: ‘Fall on your knees.'”

Here was a man who knew that Christ was worthy of worship. From that eternal well of saving grace, Grandpa Christie dispensed the joy he found to everyone who crossed his path, every time they crossed it. That life of holy joy is now done. But now Grandpa’s joy is deeper than it has ever been. Grandpaâ€™s laugh is now louder than it ever was. His wisdom reaches further than ever before; because now he is in the presence of the Resurrected Christ, who will one day raise the dead.

Grandpa’s jolly wisdom was always a true delight to be around. But the joy we found in Willis Christie is but a shadow glory. It is but a morsel of the joy which God intends for those who trust Christ. Grandpa’s joy wasn’t found in himself, it overflowed from the glory of Christ crucified, risen, and ascended. Grandpa is now enjoying that full glory. As the old hymn puts it:

Soon shall close thy earthly mission
Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days
Hope shall change to glad fruition
Faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

The Meek & Mighty Wisdom of Helen Cox

by Ben Zornes · Jan 11, 2019

Many years ago, my older sister invited me to go with her to visit a retirement home in Lancaster, PA. She worked with O.M.F. (which was founded by the great missionary Hudson Taylor). This particular retirement home was supported by OMF for their missionaries who needed some place to spend their final years, after they were no longer physically able to continue on their various mission fields.

I joined her on this trip and we spent a week listening to the stories of this humble saints. We joined them for their prayer meetings, and sang hymns with them. It was truly a precious time, and incredibly impacting. Perhaps one of the most impacting moments of my life took place in the small apartment of a woman named Helen Cox. She was a sweet lady, with a weakened voice, and a warm smile.

We asked her about her life story. She showed pictures from her time in Thailand and other areas of Asia; she showed one picture of her husband with some folks he had led to the Lord, as they burned their idols. I then asked her, what she would say if given a five minute slot on the national nightly news.

She thought for a moment and then said, “Go out and serve the Lord, it’s worth it. It’s all worth it.” There is great wisdom in those simple words. Here was a woman who had given up the comforts of American life, the affluence she might have had, in order to take the Gospel to foreign shores full of idolatry. In the winter of her life she could still say, “It’s all worth it.”

For my honeymoon, I took my new wife to Lancaster, so that she could meet these faithful saints who had quite deeply influenced and impacted me. Helen remembered me, and she and the other retired missionaries added our new little family to their length prayer list. They met almost daily to pray for various people and ministries. One of them said, “We may not be able to be on the mission field, but we can still do battle on our knees.” And battle they did. Because Christ’s glory is worth it.

Helen has passed into glory this week. She was 97. Now, more than ever before, she would say to us that living to worship and serve Christ is worth it, it’s all worth it. There are a million clamoring voices which would convince us to spend our youth, strength, and money on ourselves and for our own glory. All that will turn to rubbish in the end. If you live for earth, it will all turn to ashen dust and regret in the end. If you live for Christ, He is your eternal reward not only in this life but in the one to come.

Rest in peace, dear Helen.

Three Decades in Review

by Ben Zornes · May 31, 2017

Astonished at how quickly 30 years pass, truly it is a vapor.

Remorseful over time, talent and energy wasted on frivolities.

Grateful for the patient love of many families & friends.

Repentant for three decades of sin against so great a Savior.

Humbled to be called elect, chosen, redeemed, and calledÂ out of darkness into His marvelous light.

Understanding that Solomon was right, there really is nothing new under the sun.

Joyful for many underserved blessings.

Fortunate to have had it so much better than I deserve.

Hopeful to labor with all my remaining might for the glory of Christ.

Eager to see my children grow and leave them a godly legacy as they raise their own families.

Exceedingly glad to grow old with a lovely girl from South Africa.

HappyÂ that God has filled this world with things like chocolate, bacon, lemonade, sharp cheddar cheese and Dr. Pepper.

Speechless that I’ve beenÂ given the opportunities I have.

Thankful for the many people I’ve met & befriended on the many adventures near and far.

Gung-ho for however many more years God gives, may they be spent for Him.

AppreciativeÂ of those who’ve supported myÂ ministry, music, writing, and other ventures.

Most of all, aching for the Lord Jesus to be exalted in all the earth.