Each year for the Cue of the Year competition, I built a cue on a hero or ruler. This year I decided to build a cue on the King of all Kings, Jesus Christ. I went about designing the cue to capture what Jesus as the "King of Kings" is.

The forearm is dedicated to Christ's birth. At the top are stars, one brighter than the others, like the star that the wise men followed to find the Savior. From the stars are beams (points) made from abalone. These signify Jesus as the Light on a world filled with darkness. All of this is set in Mediterranean Olive Wood, native to the region in which Jesus lived.

The birth theme is also reflected in the handle. The center of the cue is dedicated to Jesus's death and resurrection. There are three crosses, remembering the Jesus was crucified among criminals. The crosses are made from spaulted maple (wood that is itself dead and decaying). These are inset in black ebony, again representing darkness. Crowns of thorns (in ivory) are inlayed into the top and bottom of this section reminding us of Christ's suffering. However, the crosses are surrounded by scrolled angel wing shell signifying light and life from darkness and death. Above and below the section containing the crosses is scroll work in white (holly) and purple (purple heart). The white is for Christ's purity and the purple for royalty. When Jesus was crucified, a plaque hung above the cross stating, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews," in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. There are three joint protectors custom made to the cue. Each carries the inscription from the cross in one of three languages.

Special thanks to my wife Sharon, good friends Bill Evans and Kevin Koscal who each had a part in making this cue.