I AM NOT GREAT

HEAVY AND LIGHT

2010-05-31T07:01:00.002-04:00

i love me some poetry. especially slam poetry. i dont know of too many artists doing it, although i've never really spent much time looking. I did come across this guy and have thoroughly enjoyed his work. hope you do too.

VOTE!

2010-05-29T08:35:00.002-04:00

hey everyone.

a couple of videos that we've produced at church have made it to the finals of a film festival. Winners get some cool stuff that would definitely be nice to get.

head over to www.FairOaksArts.com and vote for us!!

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T15:12:00.002-04:00

my 2 favorite mothers day videos for your viewing pleasure.

The Church

2010-04-19T10:41:00.003-04:00

I've started reading "For This I Was Born: Aligning Your Vision To God's Cause" by Pastor Brian Houston. He is the Senior Pastor of HIllsong Church in Sydney Australia, which is the largest church in Australia with a growing number of more than 21,000 people. So far the book has been a great read. I'm only to the second chapter and this goodness jumped out at me.

"The church is not meant to be commandeered by the agendas of man or to be a place of manipulation, control, or greed. It should also be more than just a nice place for Christians to meet on a Sunday. It is a community of people who love what the Lord loves – his church and people. It should be alive, active, and committed to connecting unbelievers with Jesus."

So simple. So good.

#Vacation

2010-04-07T23:50:00.006-04:00

its my "spring break". i am blessed to have the most amazing job in the world, but this week i'm breaking away from my everyday work schedule and just relaxin/chillin with my hot wife and friggin awesome kiddos. A much needed break. God is good. Thank you Lord for this #vacation.

Six Years Ago.

2010-02-08T23:07:00.005-05:00

Six years ago today, my life was forever changed. I'm not sure he'll ever really know how much i love him.

My good friend...

2010-02-06T13:15:00.002-05:00

My good friend Pastor Christian Gaffney posted a great blog recently. I suggest you go read it. He has something very important to tell you.

Saturday Night Fever....

2010-01-30T20:49:00.003-05:00

Well, here we are again. Saturday night's are an interesting time for me. I always get that same feeling i got when i was a kid on christmas eve night....well, that and the feeling an NFL player gets the night before the Superbowl. I'm excited, nervous, anxious about CHURCH tomorrow!! I absolutely love my church and how i get to play a small role in the great story of Jesus Christ. I can't believe that there will be people who show up at our church tomorrow, not knowing who God is. There will be people who havn't yet experienced His love and mercy. Then there are those who may be struggling with divorce, addiction, money problems, the list goes on. And we get to tell them about Jesus. There are people who will begin their walk with God tomorrow. That blows my mind.

I also get to celebrate. Celebrate the fact that we are redeemed. Thank God for how much He loves us and all that He has done in our lives. I love the people in our church. The people i get to serve with. I LOVE our band.

Hopefully, tonight i'll be able to fall asleep quickly, but just like when i was a kid laying in bed on christmas eve, i cant stop thinking about the incredible experience that awaits me in the morning.

i like to take pictures.

2010-01-25T22:22:00.004-05:00

I've been taking pictures for what feels like my whole life. I took 3 years of photography in high school and have been doing it as a hobby since then. The one thing i've never done is tried to explore options outside of "just for fun". I have done a good amount of Photo taking for my current job, but it's nothing imperative to what i really do.

So i've begun to explore some options. i'm thinking about pursuing a side project. nothing huge. but if you find yourself in need of some engagement pictures, portraits, or lifestyle photos, feel free to contact me. i'd like to get a few shoots (for cheap) under my belt before really officially starting.

it's a new dawn. it's a new day. and i'm feelin good.

2010-01-02T09:51:00.005-05:00

i know. i know. its been forever since my last post. but the new year has gotten me in the spirits of writing again. speaking of the new year, its 2010! dang. 2009 felt like it flew by, the 00's felt like they flew by! it feels like yesterday everyone was freaking out about the whole Y2K scare. So much has happened in the past ten years.

i graduated high school. went to college. got married. moved away from all my friends, family and everything i ever knew to live in VA. had 3 amazing children. went to college again. worked for my church in several different roles. bought a house. sold a house. i've had a lot of growing up to do in the past ten years, but it's all been amazing.

i've seen tons of facebook/twitter comments about how 2009 was the worst year of their lives. all i can think is the total opposite. God has blessed me soooooo much this year. here are just a few highlights from my 2009.

A Baby Boy

in June of this past year we welcomed our latest addition to our family. Tiernan Michael Zizolfo. Red hair and all. He's so awesome i can't even put it in words.

Work

I've been working at Fair Oaks Church since 2004, but this past year i took the position of Arts Director. It's been one of the biggest steps i've taken and it's changed my perspective on a lot of things. It's helped me to grow in a lot of areas of my life and its really been a dream come true. I have my dream job. Truly. i love it.

Church

speaking of church, God has blessed ours immensely this year! For a full "year in review" head to www.FairOaksArts.com

Loss

this year was also this first time i've experienced a loss in the family. My Grandfather past away after a few years with many health challenges. It was sad to see him go, but he had a long and fruitful life. i know i'll see him again someday :-)

the list goes on and on...

there are so many more that i could list. we traveled and vacationed. my boys have grown so much. i've fallen more in love with my wife than ever before. i've fallen more in love with GOD than ever before.

2009 pushed me beyond my limits and i loved it. i believe God has so much more in store for me in 2010 and i can't wait to see what happens.

it's a new dawn. it's a new day. it's a new life for me...and i'm feelin good.

Twinkle, Twinkle Poopie Butt

2009-07-21T20:50:00.000-04:00

Tiernan Michael Zizolfo

2009-07-02T15:25:00.002-04:00

So if you havnt heard...we had a baby!!

On June 13 at 4:13 a.m. we welcomed Tiernan Michael Zizolfo into the world. (Red hair and all!!)

Tiernan is our third boy and we couldn't be more excited to welcome him to our family. Tiernan spent his first few days on earth in the NICU at Fair Oaks Hospital due to a small infection and some jaundice, but after a few days and much prayer we were able to bring him home.

He is only a few weeks old now, but is doing well. Here are some pix and a short video from the hospital. Enjoy!

Happy Mothers Day

2009-05-10T19:41:00.001-04:00

You knew it was comin....

read your bible!

2009-04-25T10:16:00.002-04:00

man. i am sooo bad at this! I really do LOVE to read the bible, but i find myself slacking in that area all the time.

Reading through Deuteronomy this morning i came across this passage and it made me laugh. I dont have anything profound to say about the text and im not gonna try and interpret and greek on it or anything. It just made me laugh.

From Chapter 25 - emphasis mine:
5-6 When brothers are living together and one of them dies without having had a son, the widow of the dead brother shall not marry a stranger from outside the family; her husband's brother is to come to her and marry her and do the brother-in-law's duty by her. The first son that she bears shall be named after her dead husband so his name won't die out in Israel.

7-10 But if the brother doesn't want to marry his sister-in-law, she is to go to the leaders at the city gate and say, "My brother-in-law refuses to keep his brother's name alive in Israel; he won't agree to do the brother-in-law's duty by me." Then the leaders will call for the brother and confront him. If he stands there defiant and says, "I don't want her," his sister-in-law is to pull his sandal off his foot, spit in his face, and say, "This is what happens to the man who refuses to build up the family of his brother—his name in Israel will be Family-No-Sandal."

haha. Family-No-Sandal .....awesome.

Florida Pix Day 2

2009-04-15T09:27:00.002-04:00

Florida Pix Day 1

2009-04-13T18:46:00.002-04:00

I'm not letting Down

2009-04-09T21:29:00.002-04:00

PLEASE READ THIS

God is going to do some incredible things this weekend.
Pray. Bring someone to church with you.

www.LoudOnPurpose.com

haha. awesome.

2009-04-02T19:59:00.001-04:00

Playground Vinny Time

2009-03-30T15:41:00.004-04:00

Psalm 22

2009-03-19T21:39:00.001-04:00

New Post.

2009-03-07T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hot off the press.

make you check out this post by Debby too.

you need to watch this.

2009-02-28T10:39:00.001-05:00

no seriously. watch it....now.

Delicious - Coffee and Conversation from Fellowship Church on Vimeo.

vitty O's

2009-02-23T17:26:00.003-05:00

We played FRREBIRD in church this past week. It was fun.

and this is...well....just for fun :-)

our band rocks your socks....

2009-02-18T22:55:00.004-05:00

Tonights rehearsal was amazing. I love our church and our band! They are sooo talented.

Tonight we practiced.....

Taylor Swift

Michael Jackson

Lynyrd Skynyrd

...yea, you're gonna want to be at CHURCH this weekend!

FIVE

2009-02-09T20:07:00.002-05:00

its official. i have a five year old.

Sunday Meanderings

2009-02-01T16:25:00.004-05:00

- We had 3 services at Fair Oaks this weekend and they were awesome!

- Seeing people receive Christ never gets old! - It's why we do what we do!

- I'm rooting for the Steelers, but i'll be happy for Kurt Warner if he wins.

- I LOVE having 3 services at church! Come to a Saturday Night Service if you cant make it on a sunday.

- Vinny has finally figured out he can climb out of his crib. Time to step it up to the big boy bed!

- Jason Mraz is really, really good...and i'm jealous.

- I love football, but i love Jesus and The Church more. Watch our webcast here and my blog post here to see why.

- Love the new song we introduced at church today. Hope you did too.

- Heading to the in-laws to watch some fooootball. What are you doing for the big game?

New Post.

2009-01-31T08:37:00.000-05:00

Hot off the press at www.fairoaksarts.com

breakfast of champions....

2009-01-29T07:36:00.002-05:00

ok. well. this wasn't really my breakfast, but i did eat it for dinner last night.....it was gooooood.

I AM SECOND....

2009-01-28T08:50:00.002-05:00

I am Second is a movement where significance in life is a shared value among people of all kinds. Actors. Athletes. Musicians. Business leaders. Your next-door neighbor. People just like you. Their authentic stories on iamsecond.com provide insight into dealing with typical struggles of everyday living. You'll meet people who overcame destructive lifestyles. Plus you'll discover those who've tried to go it alone and have failed, yet still found a life full of hope, peace and fulfillment.

www.iamsecond.com

Welcome.

2009-01-27T09:56:00.000-05:00

I AM NOT GREAT is the blog of Mike Zizolfo. I strive to be a faithful husband, a loving father and a servant of all. I am married to the love of my life. We have 2.5 kids and they're all crazy energetic boys. I have the privilege of working at Fair Oaks Church in Fairfax, VA. I get to do crazy things like edit videos all day and lead worship at our 3 services. I am constantly being stretched more than i could have ever imagined and God is teaching/beating me into the man i am to become and i love it.

Its simple. I'm nothing special. I am not great...but i serve a God who is.