I’ve been blessed to have owned and operated two successful businesses and sold them both to large corporations. I worked for the company that purchased my first business for six years and managed their North America operations. After my dad passed away in 1992, my siblings and I stepped in and ran our family business until our mom could take over. My sister and dad had started a software company, and I helped her develop and market the software. In 1999, I started a server farm to host the software. I’ve been married 58 years to the only love of my life, and my beautiful daughters both have PhDs. One teaches clinical anatomy to teachers and administrators in great colleges. Our oldest is in heaven doing projects we can't even imagine.

I’m not here to talk about my amazing business skills, my supposed insight into how women think, or even how to raise kids who turn out independent and fun to be around. Honestly, I’m not sure I have much to offer on those topics anyway. Instead, I’ll draw on a few life experiences to share what I actually want to write about.

Zhugs is a blend of the seventh letter in the Hebrew alphabet, Zayin (ז), and the English word “hugs.” Zayin means weapon and the Zayin is even shaped like a sword, with the top being the hilt and rest being the blade. It symbolizes power. The Talmud teaches that if we study the Torah, help the poor, and bring pleasure to God, He will protect and sustain us with His power. The number seven represents the seventh direction, inward. Jesus is the greatest example of the Zayin. He was violently hung on a cross (a Zayin) to redeem us. The Zayin creates a paradox – a weapon of war that is the symbol of peace. 

When I was in 2nd grade, I started serving mass (helping the priest) and I considered it a great honor. It would have been in the mid-1950s, so the priest faced the altar with his back to the people and everything was still in Latin. I considered it a tremendous honor to be a server. I remember kneeling right next to the priest on the altar, when he bowed down and softly spoke the words, “Hoc est corpus meum.” This is my body. That is the first time that I heard the words spoken! They hit me like a ton of bricks. Jesus loved me so much that He gave us His body and died for my sins! It was at that moment that I dedicated my life to serving Him and wanting to bring Him pleasure in everything I did.  

In case you think that I was a child saint, I should also share what happened the following week. The girl who sat in front of me in class had long red hair that she wore in two thick braided ponytails. She enjoyed leaning back and sweeping the papers off my desk with them. My mom was an excellent seamstress and had an extremely sharp pair of scissors. The mind of a 2nd grade boy does not fully appreciate the consequences of his actions and you have already figured out what happened. 

As I grabbed one of the offending brooms, I remember everything turning into slow motion and how the sharp blades cut through the area between the braids and her head like a butter knife through warm butter. I was holding the long ponytail in my hand when the severity of what I had done snapped the world back in motion. It was either that or Sister Ellen’s hand on the back of my head. 

The consequences were severe. I really liked my teacher. The yardstick she used on my behind wasn’t nearly as painful as the fact that I disappointed her. The girl’s dad was my mom’s gynecologist.  Since my mom had eight children of which I was the oldest, they were well acquainted. The girl never spoke to me again. I don’t remember being spanked by my dad. I probably was, but the shame I felt hurt much more than anything else that could have happened. The crime was premeditated and I deserved any punishment that was given.

In the 65+ years that have passed since that time, I’m sorry to admit that it wasn’t the last time I did something that I’m not proud of. Zhugs is a compilation of both the good and the bad. It is about spiritual weapons sharpened with God’s mercy and His justice. I hope you will join me on the journey.

I believe that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

I also believe that if we try to use our own devices against spiritual entities, we could be embarrassed and even hurt badly. “But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” 

For over fifty years, I’ve been in business—handling payroll, making sales, navigating compliance and taxes, and managing issues with employees, customers, and vendors. I’ve also been a dad and a grandpa. One of my grandsons has worked for me six times and, at the moment, isn’t speaking to me. I’ve led multiple Bible studies and prayer groups, and yes, I once attended seminary but didn’t make it through. That had something to do with a cake and a pretty girl, but that’s a story for another time.

We will talk about spiritual weapons. How to use them. When to use them. Why to use them. . . and some stuff that you need to know about them and how they are powered. It will be an exciting journey.