"The Lord has given me a well-trained tongue
that I may speak to the weary a word that will rouse them."
-Isaiah 50:4
Nothing but you, O Lord
My name is Zak Jester and I am the Director of Youth Ministry and Confirmation at a parish near Cleveland, Ohio. I have my Bachelor's Degree in Theology and Religious Studies from John Carroll University and have been a professional lay minister for the last twelve years. I married my high school sweetheart, Sarah, in 2015 and we have two amazing sons together. I love to talk about the weird and wonderful parts of our Catholic faith: how to die well, the heroic craziness of the saints, and whether or not we can baptize extra-terrestrials (or sentient dolphins, or veggie tales characters). I love ministering to God's people, because I love the Lord and His Church, and I have grown deeper and deeper in that relationship since I first felt God's call way back in the 5th grade.
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I resonate strongly with Thomas Aquinas' reflection about God: all my work is as straw; I want nothing but you, Lord. I love the work that I do, the teens and young adults I am privileged to minister to, the fellow Christians I get to share my life with. But all of it is nothing compared to the Love of God that I receive and experience. That is why my coat of arms bear that inscription: Non Nisi Te - Nothing But You.
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