Zack Jones

I grew up with a solid Christian foundation, raised single-handedly by my mother. I had one sister and one brother and we were very poor. My mom worked two or three jobs to support our family and, as I grew older, I could see how it took a toll on her. We attended a Baptist Church on a regular basis: Wednesday night service and Thursday were for home fellowship, and all day on Sundays. As a youngster, I did not like going to church, because I thought it was boring.

One thing I did know is that from a young age I developed a real dislike for my father, because he had abandoned us with no support. So I grew up channeling all my goals in a negative direction. I hoped that one day I would be big and strong so I could beat up my dad. As I grew older, basketball became my God. I put everything into it, so that some day I would be rich enough to take care of my mom. I wanted to buy her a house and allow her to live life as I felt she deserved. I became very successful in basketball and won many awards from Jr. High and High school. I received a scholarship to attend college and I was on my way to making my dreams come true. There were many successes in college and I remember calling home to tell my mom of my accomplishments. She would always say how proud she was of me, but would also ask how I was doing and had I found a church to attend. Mom could always see through all that talk, and knew that I was falling away from the Lord. I was nowhere near having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. What I didn’t know at that time was that mom had rededicated her life to the Lord and was fervently praying for my brother, my sister, and me. College went as planned and I would continue to call home to mom with news of my accomplishments. She would always say “Zachary that’s great, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket”. Out of respect I would always agree, but I continued to do what I was doing. In those days I felt like everything that was happening to me, happened because I made it happen. It was during this time that I fell face first in my “basket of eggs”. I was cut from two NBA teams and even got cut from a team overseas. UMMM! I was cut in two different continents. I felt lost and did not know which direction to turn. (I couldn’t even see very well, either, because of all the “eggs” in my face!) Hopes and dreams were dashed. I had even thought of…Let me stop there, because it was just a short thought.

It was at that point, my lowest, when the Lord took over my life. He moved two very important Christians into my life. I had known these guys in the past through basketball and they had already played professionally in the NBA. I noticed something different about them because in past times I had known them as party animals. They didn’t seem anything like that now. I would even ask them if they wanted to hang out like the old days, but they would always say “no”. They would say there were more important things in life then that. During that summer we worked out together getting in shape and sharpening our skills. We all wanted to get another shot at playing in the NBA. During this time, I was working out and driving from San Diego to L.A where the summer pro league was located. My friends used those four hours of driving back and forth to take turns sharing the gospel with me. I didn’t understand at first what they were trying to say, because I always felt like I was good person. I never robbed or killed anyone, so I thought I was a “shoe-in” to go to heaven. However, that was the blindfold, which satan used to cover my eyes from the truth that we each need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in order to close that gap between sinful man and the Lord our God. So on the weekly trips back and forth to L.A my boys would be sharing the gospel with me. I would still keep in touch with my mom. I remember calling her this one time during that summer and telling her about what my friends had been telling me about the Lord, and to my surprise she said “Praise the Lord, that’s what I’ve been praying for”. She said that I should be working with young people, and as usual, out of respect I said, “Yes ma’am”. But I would think to myself that all I wanted to do was to get another shot at playing in the NBA. After that conversation with my mom, a couple of weeks went by. Then suddenly the blindfold fell off my eyes and I could see the light of what my friends were sharing with me, that I needed to personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So on July 8th, 1984 at about 2:30 in the afternoon, I dedicated my life to the Lord. There were no thunderstorms or drums playing in the background, but there was a peaceful feeling. It was like being in a place that I was supposed to be in, but had been gone for a while and now had returned. I had to call mom and give her the good news. She was more excited then ever. Even though I had bought her a home and helped her live the life style that I thought she deserved, she was never as excited about those things as she was about me dedicating my life to the Lord. She new what this meant: that more than anything else I could have given her, this was the gift of eternal life and no matter what happened from then on out, we would be together with the Lord forever. Even with the opportunity to play in the NBA and to play overseas, the most gratifying experience in my basketball career was when I had the opportunity to play and travel with Athlete’s in Action. I played with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing the Gospel around the world while using basketball as a platform to share the love of Jesus Christ. God has a sense of humor. I think back at all the times I had spoken with my mom and how the Lord had already shared with her, and she was just delivering messages from Him. The funniest thing of all is that I became really involved in young people’s lives as coach of High School and College men’s basketball teams. I even served as a Principal at Horizon High School, which could not have been a better position to work with young people and their families.

I now think about that poor, inner city kid who once used negative energy to achieve his goals. The Lord’s love has allowed me to reconcile my feelings with my dad and our relationship has now been strengthened. I am now being used through the power of God to minister in the lives of young people on a daily basis…I can only say “PRAISE GOD!!” And thanks to Him for my Mom, the messenger. AMEN!!

GOD IS GOOD!