• A Beautiful Spring Day

    The long
    Cold winter
    Is finally over
    The sky
    Is ocean blue
    It’s very sunny
    And comfortably warm
    A cool breeze
    Blows across
    My face
    I feel rejuvenated
    And thankful to God
    For His
    Many blessings
    Bees buzz around
    On trees I spot
    Tiny green buds
    It’s a time
    For renewal
    Soon it will be
    Easter
    We shall celebrate
    Christ’s death for us
    And His glorious
    Resurrection

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • The Final Crusade

    I fought in lands
    Near and far
    My body has
    Many a scar

    I wielded
    My sharp blade
    Against many foes
    Their lives did fade

    I led an army
    Of one million men
    We were determined
    To defeat every Saracen

    We rode our steeds
    For many days
    The sun blazed
    Its rays

    I also carried
    A long spear
    I used it on the enemy
    To cause them to fear

    I yelled, “Deus Vult.”
    And charged ahead
    I saw many
    Saracens dead

    Nations Islam had conquered
    Were now set free
    The Middle East
    Returned to Christianity

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • The End Times Briefly Considered

    The last trumpet
    Shall sound you see
    Christ will return
    In the sky imminently

    The rapture of the Church
    Is our blessed hope
    We have no need
    For a cardinal or pope

    The dead in Christ
    Shall be the first to rise
    Billions of them
    Shall fill the skies

    This marks the end
    Of the dispensation of grace
    Humanity shall suffer
    In this new Kingdom phase

    We shall go to Heaven
    For the Lamb’s Marriage Supper
    On earth, for seven years
    God’s wrath shall thunder

    Next, Christ will return
    With the Church dressed in white
    Out of His mouth shall come a sword
    Satan and the wicked, He shall smite

    Christ shall reign in a new Temple
    In Jerusalem precisely
    For a thousand years
    Then comes the new reality

    A New Heaven and a New Earth
    God shall create
    We’ll spend eternity with Christ
    There will be no sin or hate

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • Feeling Down

    Another dreary winter day
    I don’t have much to say

    The weather is abysmal
    I feel rather dismal

    There has been no sun all day
    Spring must get here without delay

    Vi and I have been down in the dumps
    Major depression isn’t for chumps

    We get seasonal affective disorder
    Every winter, it seems we get it sooner

    The lack of sunlight is most vexing
    I hope that the sun will soon be shining

    We would love to dance, laugh, and play
    It can be, with God’s help, just as I say

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • God With Us

    Immanuel
    God with us
    Christ
    The Second Person
    Of the Trinity
    Condescended
    To incarnate
    As a human being
    He has two natures
    Fully God
    And fully man
    He was tempted
    But Christ
    Did not sin
    He came to earth
    As an infant
    On a cold
    December morning
    To the Virgin Mary
    His mother
    At Calvary
    He died for
    Our sins
    The two
    Greatest events
    In all
    Of history
    Was the birth
    And resurrection
    Of Christ
    A perfect
    Penal
    Sbstitutionary
    Atonement
    We received
    Christ’s perfect
    Righteousness
    And our sins
    Were imputed to Him
    This is not
    A case of nominalism
    Through justification
    And sanctification
    We are changed
    Ontologically
    We become holy
    And live by
    The Spirit
    Jesus is the living
    Word of God
    What He speaks
    Becomes reality
    Scripture proclaims
    That we are
    New creations
    In Christ

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • My Life With Mental Illness

    I’m feeling blue
    Activity I eschew

    My depression is so bad
    It makes me mad

    I lay in bed all day
    It fills me with dismay

    I can’t even concentrate
    There’s not much I can tolerate

    The voices in my head
    Fill me with dread

    I hope to be well
    Mentally I fell

    In this deep malaise
    My mind is in a daze

    I have vivid hallucinations
    It’s my mind’s faulty machinations

    Sometimes I’m delusional
    My mental states are quite unusual

    My anxiety can be very high
    I don’t know why

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • The Pure Gospel

    Because of Christ’s sacrifice
    The Elect no longer fear their graves
    It is Christ alone
    Who saves

    Sin has lost
    It’s dominion
    Once and for all
    For those graced with redemption

    At Calvary, Christ died
    For our manifold sins
    In Him we have the victory
    It’s mankind who wins

    Christ was spotless
    In Him was no sin at all
    The Elect will be regenerated
    Through the effectual call

    On the cross at Calvary
    Christ suffered immense pain
    He bore every sin of mankind
    His hardship was our gain

    Through Christ’s precious blood
    We are no longer totally depraved
    We receive His perfect righteousness
    And we are totally saved

    The natural man must be born again
    He must repent sincerely
    And believe the Gospel of Christ
    He alone makes atonement you see

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • John MacArthur Asserts that Mental Illnesses Do Not Exist: A Response

    Listening, reading, and watching sermons on John MacArthur’s website, Grace to You, as well as teaching from R.C. Sproul’s Ligonier website, were instrumental in my becoming Reformed!

    MacArthur and Sproul have both passed away. Sadly, I must speak out against willful ignorance on the part of MacArthur. In a few months before his death, he taught that all mental illnesses were “not real”. His reasoning was that since they aren’t specifically mentioned in Scripture, they are not real illnesses affecting the human body. This is a very unbiblical and dangerous position to take. I think of the teenage girl struggling with major depression and having thoughts of suicide. If she were in MacArthur’s church, she would be told her issues were merely sins that she needed to confess, and through the act of the will, she could, in effect, wish away her symptoms. I could not sit in MacArthur’s church and be silent as he dismisses my severe mental illnesses and insists they are not real. Thanks to this type of retrograde thinking, the stigma surrounding mental health is further reinforced.

    MacArthur’s thinking on this topic is more in line with a Medieval mileu than our modern knowledge regarding mental illnesses.

    Mental illness is a disease of the body. Would someone like MacArthur claim that diabetes didn’t exist, and that all people with this illness should throw away their insulin and seek a theological solution to their problem? We are to put on the mind of Christ, that is an ongoing process and transformation. We still sin and need sincere repentance. However, I must reject the affirmation that ongoing sin causes our mental health issues. Some issues that affect the mind, such as mild anxiety and episodic depression, can benefit from prayer, devotional reading, Bible study, and talking with a pastor or elders.

    In my case, I am fighting schizophrenia, major depression, a severe anxiety disorder, and PTSD.

    These are real mental illnesses. Approaches such as nouthetic counseling can have limited success, but in many cases, such as mine, they are not sufficient to deal with the myriad issues raised by severe mental illnesses. This type of counseling affirms that all mental maladies can be cured through Bible study, prayer, and talking with a pastor or elder. Modern science indicates that problems with neurotransmitters in the brain account for severe mental illnesses. I believe that framing the issue between secular treatment and biblical treatment is a false dichotomy.

    We have greatly advanced in our understanding of mental illnesses since Scripture was written. Scripture, I believe, is sufficient for addressing sin. However, it is a false presupposition to say that every mental illness, no matter how severe, can be solved with biblical counseling.

    Without my psychiatric medication, I wouldn’t be able to function and would be locked up in a mental institution.

    MacArthur never said that cancer is not real, and that we can address symptoms purely through biblical knowledge. Yet when it comes to a physical disease of the brain, He asserts that this disease doesn’t exist.

    This topic will sadly tarnish MacArthur’s legacy.

    You can read more about this controversy here.

  • Malaise Days

    I’m in a deep malaise
    It’s gone on for days

    I wish to be free
    From this mental misery

    I have no motivation
    It’s a sad situation

    I have no energy at all
    It’s because of the Fall

    I want to run and play
    Instead, I’m full of dismay

    I shed many a tear
    My mind is in a state of fear

    It’s difficult to concentrate
    Even though my mind is first-rate

    I have thoughts that race
    My mind can’t keep pace

    I will not despair
    I know that Jesus does care

    Soon, my depression will be no more
    I will have happiness galore

    by Zachary Uram
    (C) 2026

  • Thank You, Daddy

    Today I listened to “Thank You” by singer Ray Boltz.
    I was crying like a baby. Especially because it
    reminded me of how I came to be a believer in Christ.

    It was Christmas night at midnight. My sisters and I
    sat at the dining room table with Daddy.
    We had a birthday cake for Jesus.
    We each ate a piece. And sang “Happy Birthday.”

    Earlier that week, Daddy shared the Gospel with me.
    I had heard it before. But this time was different,
    I felt the full weight of my sins; I felt wretched.
    I repented of all my sins. And believed the Gospel.
    I was so happy and content. I knew my salvation was
    secure in Christ. I was 7 years old.

    At Calvary, Jesus paid the price for all my sins.
    He declared, “It is finished!” Every sin I would ever
    commit was instantly forgiven. That Christmas
    I was born again. One of God’s children.

    Thank you, Daddy, for teaching me about Jesus
    and sharing the Gospel. I know you are experiencing
    joy and happiness that transcends our understanding.
    You are now worshipping our Lord face to face.