The disparity of passion gapped by reminiscing on an entire year can be overwhelming. Elation can seem trumped by what could have been or what could have been avoided, sweet success can be snuffed out by legit moments of failure, and dulcet joy can be combated with intense sorrow.
Yes, reversing the clauses would probably uplift the vibe, but in light of the jolliness that indeed overshadows me, I refuse to stray off my ‘real.’
Lodged and mentally tucked away into the vast scope of life are reminders that tides rise and fall, seasons come and go; some bear fruit, others require growth. And with escalation, the road and distance traveled can motivate the heart and astound the mind, while baffling one’s inner philosopher.
However, some years manifestly etch more permanent marks, whether scar or sign, reminding us how to live better and how to be better.
For me, 2009 was that year, one of two cities - the best of times and the worst of times.
Amidst all the sweat, toil, and tears, I write from a sense of gain, contrary to the host of voices that constantly try to convince me I’ve lost.
Not to sound meandering out in leftfield. I understand the discrepancy between denial crying, “I haven’t lost”, versus spiritual victory declaring, “I’ve gained as a result of having been lost.” Recognizing the bridge between this seemingly perplexing paradox is key.
As compared to January, coming off an “addition by addition” year in 2008, I find myself one year later having accomplished leaps and bounds by “addition by subtraction." In essence, I have reached new lands, not by new knowledge and wisdom alone, but by the unwarranted fragments that have been chiseled away.
In all honesty, the refinement and renewal package has peaked since late October. Although I graduated in May, it has only been a matter of months since the greatest toxins from college have departed and miseries from domineering spells have jettisoned.
Many lessons accumulated on the bandwagon in 2009. I tasted bitter consequences from incomplete obedience, partial faith, apathetic motives, and paralyzing double-mindedness. I betrayed trust, fell into the uncharacteristic with hidden, yet burdensome patterns, and put myself in situations to doubt the Shepherd’s voice. As a result, I hurt myself by a) not yielding to the Master’s call at every juncture which thus proceeded to b) hurt others.
Tears spawn when I consider “what was”, but a dry front ceases them when I ruminate over “what is.”
A new age, a new job, new educations on the horizon, renewals of right friendships and opportunities, and the approach of 2010 – the year of restoration - have all helped sustain me on this ongoing journey to complete regeneration.
And I'm well on my way, having already taken on new wineskin.
Truth is my future is bright, and the forecast never better. I still haven’t figured out how to stop glancing at that rear-view mirror every now and then. (Many times, the past stumbles onto you at vulnerable times). Occasionally I wonder, “Why ignore the past when it’ll find you anyway?”
Then I remember I’m not a victim of the despondent, but a son of God. I’m not obliged to forever suffer at the hand of my iniquities because the price has already been paid, forgiveness and reconciliation established, and sanctification set in motion.
Dwayne Wade commercials suddenly inundate my mind. Taking blows in heat of competitive fire, he rises to confess: “fall down seven, get up eight.”
Perhaps that best describes my pinpoint location. My ‘up’s outweigh my ‘down’s’, my smiles outnumber my frowns, and I’ll never be the same. Never, never, never again.
With that said, 2009 could very well serve as the poster year for never giving up and never surrendering (Holy submission being the exception of course). When you walk through hell, you don’t stop. You keep going. Even when reaping rewards, you keep the course without hesitation.
So as I reflect back, I stand beyond amazed having completed this year’s voyage: the trying trek to the higher pinnacle, and emotional depth left in a valley I'll never see again.
In a year that truly featured the best and worst of times, I’m overjoyed knowing where I stand in light of the many fresh transitions and warm continuations that await.
Blessings to all who have stood with me. I relish the dream of standing with you likewise.
~ Cameron
CamCorder's WeatherBug
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tennessee Version of "White Christmas"
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I never knew
Where the kids raise snowglobes
Cheer winter in robes
Of pure imagination
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every frosted blade I tread
May your days be merry, but smite
The thought of Christmas being white...
I'm dreaming of white Christmas
With every cloudy Christmas morn
Be too much to ask Mr. Snow?
Please fall on Nashville tomorrow!!!
Just like the ones I never knew
Where the kids raise snowglobes
Cheer winter in robes
Of pure imagination
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every frosted blade I tread
May your days be merry, but smite
The thought of Christmas being white...
I'm dreaming of white Christmas
With every cloudy Christmas morn
Be too much to ask Mr. Snow?
Please fall on Nashville tomorrow!!!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Holiday Playlist 2009
Tops 10 Christmas Songs of 2009
1) Joy to the World - Whitney Houston & The Georgia Mass Choir
2) White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3) It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Mark Balwin
4) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Mel Tormè
5) Somewhere in My Memory - John Williams
6) Candy Cane Christmas - Darius Rucker
7) Oiche Chiùin (Chorale) - Enya
8) Ice Fairies - Michael Colone
9) River - Sarah McLachlan
10) Here With Us - Joy Williams
1) Joy to the World - Whitney Houston & The Georgia Mass Choir
2) White Christmas - Bing Crosby
3) It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Mark Balwin
4) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Mel Tormè
5) Somewhere in My Memory - John Williams
6) Candy Cane Christmas - Darius Rucker
7) Oiche Chiùin (Chorale) - Enya
8) Ice Fairies - Michael Colone
9) River - Sarah McLachlan
10) Here With Us - Joy Williams
Monday, December 21, 2009
Christmas Special: My Favorite Things...
Here by popular demand...a presentation of Cameron Fry's favorite things...
To the tune of Sound of Music's "My Favorite Things"
Da, da (x4)
Overcast skies on a cold day in winter
Full moons that shine runs to the Weather Center
Snow showers squalled in a north wind that sings
These are a few of my favorite things...
Roadtrips to D.C., Atlanta, Chicago
Mission excursions to Spain, France, Morocco
NBA Press Pass, BF tones that ring
These are a few of my favorite things...
When the boss strikes
When the heat beats
When I'm very brokkkeeee...
I think about polar bears sledding down hills
And then I go buy...A COKE!!!
Ohhh...
Teaching and preaching 'bout Paul the apostle
Powdered sugar that confetti my waffle
Candlelit windows, feasts made for three kings
These are a few of my favorite things...
LGB trains 'flecting Christmas light displays
Feelings I have when my work ends on Fryday's
U2/Muse concerts, comedic penguins (pen-gweens)
These are a few of my favorittteee thinggggsss...
When the stress smites
When the pain creeps
When I'm feeling down
I think about 'ploring every tomorrow
Thank God, I am nottt...a cloowwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!
Lyrics by: Cameron Fry
Monday, December 14, 2009
Deep Fry XXVIII: Trading Blindness for Kindness
Today my mind hit a peculiar cerebral pocket - one I normally give little focus to.
Today's opening pitch... The fruits of the Spirit.
Yes, most of us can recite them from memory or have the general jist at least; however, one fruit has defiantly distinguished itself in my mind, given a) its history of being sharply undermined and b) possessing an importance seldom (and partially) communicated.
So without much further ado.
Kindness.
A deep fruit we'd rather keep superficial and somewhat cursory. First off, we tend to give gravity to kindness as virtue, as compared to fruit or gift. Typically we'd rather associate kindness to hospitality and chivalry, while imprudently shaking kindness free of its deserving value.
Let's bring out our Scriptural contestants.
I Corinthians 13:4-5 - "Love suffers long (is patient) and is kind...love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it own, is not provoked, thinks no evil..." (NKJV)
Paul's love talk introduction to the Corinthians here seeks to designate love as the main entrèe to Christ-centered living within God's presence. And the fruits' role, as a whole(1), exist primarily to manifest this divine, covenant-bound love within such Christian living (or koinonia). We can see through a popular Paul passage, the close relationship between love and kindness. Though the tie is manageable to understand, it can be far more difficult in terms of application in most faith circles.
Peter emphasized the kindness-love affiliation in II Peter 1:7, 9 - "...add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly KINDness, and to brotherly KINDness love...for he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was clansed from his old sins." (NKJV)
Ahhh, how beautiful! (Air kiss (2)) Our two dominant New Testament voices (3) early in their respective letters capitalizing on the chance to express the entwined link between kindness and love.
Again, if we merely slap the friendship label on kindness, we have hindered a key relational definition. If we love, we are demonstrating kindness. If we portray kindness, love should be evident, not absent. But tragically, kindness is often belittled to mere facade, essentially removing depth from the fruit's bloom. Goodbye virtuous command. Enter hapless shallowness.
The combination of personal experience and time has shed light on a weakness prevalent in my generation: though many have acquired kindness, it has remained conditional. As a result, the love that follows suit is conditional at best.
How unfortunate it is that kindness is something we save for those we simply 'click' with best. How sad it is we rather trade genuine kindness for satisfactory blindness, where the chief character - the loveless artist - avoids mental pursuits of how a simple shun can greatly affect another's heart.
Perhaps the 'kindness fail' isn't intentional, but it still happens. And if the church is going to wake up and smell the coffee, I say we absolutely cannot justify iniquity with the "unintentional' precursor.
Diving into my final passage on the matter, I call Jeremiah 2:2:
"...Thus says the Lord: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land now sown." (NKJV)
What does the Word say about kindness?
It is active. It pursues. It is courageous. It is fearless. And it's imperative to exercise and cultivate at a young age.
Also, it's worthy to note that the Hebrew definition points towards loyalty and faithfulness (a.k.a. Love's enduring backbone).
So as a final charge, I encourage you to not sleep on kindness. Robe it on when you love. And remember its depth in relation to attitude, especially when out of comfort zones. If we are called to love well, shatter the mold and trade blindness for kindness.
Footnotes:
(1) - Yay, for unplanned rhyme schemes! :D
(2) - Not sure how to appropriately describe this, but Steve Wilson did this often in his classes for all you CPA alum...the open-hand kiss display when he harped on anything he considered to be "beautiful"...
(3) - Taking John out of the mix, I refer to Paul and Peter
Today's opening pitch... The fruits of the Spirit.
Yes, most of us can recite them from memory or have the general jist at least; however, one fruit has defiantly distinguished itself in my mind, given a) its history of being sharply undermined and b) possessing an importance seldom (and partially) communicated.
So without much further ado.
Kindness.
A deep fruit we'd rather keep superficial and somewhat cursory. First off, we tend to give gravity to kindness as virtue, as compared to fruit or gift. Typically we'd rather associate kindness to hospitality and chivalry, while imprudently shaking kindness free of its deserving value.
Let's bring out our Scriptural contestants.
I Corinthians 13:4-5 - "Love suffers long (is patient) and is kind...love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it own, is not provoked, thinks no evil..." (NKJV)
Paul's love talk introduction to the Corinthians here seeks to designate love as the main entrèe to Christ-centered living within God's presence. And the fruits' role, as a whole(1), exist primarily to manifest this divine, covenant-bound love within such Christian living (or koinonia). We can see through a popular Paul passage, the close relationship between love and kindness. Though the tie is manageable to understand, it can be far more difficult in terms of application in most faith circles.
Peter emphasized the kindness-love affiliation in II Peter 1:7, 9 - "...add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly KINDness, and to brotherly KINDness love...for he who lacks these things is short-sighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was clansed from his old sins." (NKJV)
Ahhh, how beautiful! (Air kiss (2)) Our two dominant New Testament voices (3) early in their respective letters capitalizing on the chance to express the entwined link between kindness and love.
Again, if we merely slap the friendship label on kindness, we have hindered a key relational definition. If we love, we are demonstrating kindness. If we portray kindness, love should be evident, not absent. But tragically, kindness is often belittled to mere facade, essentially removing depth from the fruit's bloom. Goodbye virtuous command. Enter hapless shallowness.
The combination of personal experience and time has shed light on a weakness prevalent in my generation: though many have acquired kindness, it has remained conditional. As a result, the love that follows suit is conditional at best.
How unfortunate it is that kindness is something we save for those we simply 'click' with best. How sad it is we rather trade genuine kindness for satisfactory blindness, where the chief character - the loveless artist - avoids mental pursuits of how a simple shun can greatly affect another's heart.
Perhaps the 'kindness fail' isn't intentional, but it still happens. And if the church is going to wake up and smell the coffee, I say we absolutely cannot justify iniquity with the "unintentional' precursor.
Diving into my final passage on the matter, I call Jeremiah 2:2:
"...Thus says the Lord: I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after me in the wilderness, in a land now sown." (NKJV)
What does the Word say about kindness?
It is active. It pursues. It is courageous. It is fearless. And it's imperative to exercise and cultivate at a young age.
Also, it's worthy to note that the Hebrew definition points towards loyalty and faithfulness (a.k.a. Love's enduring backbone).
So as a final charge, I encourage you to not sleep on kindness. Robe it on when you love. And remember its depth in relation to attitude, especially when out of comfort zones. If we are called to love well, shatter the mold and trade blindness for kindness.
Footnotes:
(1) - Yay, for unplanned rhyme schemes! :D
(2) - Not sure how to appropriately describe this, but Steve Wilson did this often in his classes for all you CPA alum...the open-hand kiss display when he harped on anything he considered to be "beautiful"...
(3) - Taking John out of the mix, I refer to Paul and Peter
Friday, December 11, 2009
Fry Family Newsletter 2009
12.11.09
Co-written by Cameron and Steve Fry
Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
Nancy joins me in offering warmest Christmas prayers for you. With each passing year, friends and family seem to grow dearer to us. Because rich friendships are what last. And though we don’t see many of you very soften (and some we haven’t seen for years), we still treasure you in our hearts.
2009 was a milestone for our family in many ways. Our two older kids graduated university and we began building out our new worship center at The Gate, the church we planted almost three years ago. This has been a great breakthrough for us, and will double our present meeting space size. Of course, any time a pastor launches a building program it seems to multiply the work! Still, God has given us an incredible team here at The Gate, and it has been a joy to watch this dream materialize.
Nancy was able to turn the children’s ministry over to another of our team members in October, after leading that from the beginning. She did a wonderful job laying foundations, but was glad that she could ‘tie the bow’ on that season and begin pastoring the whole body here at The Gate. I continue to be amazed at the shepherd’s heart the Lord had given her.
Cameron graduated from Lee University last May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, and a double minor in communications-journalism and religion. He is now serving as our Jr. High pastor at the Gate, providing leadership and mentoring to our middle schoolers. He has recently enrolled in Southeastern University's Master's in Ministerial Leadership program, and will pursue his teaching certification though Trevecca University next fall. He also begins a new job as an account clerk for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in January. So needless to say, Cameron is going to have a busy 2010!
Kelsey also graduated this year from Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She spent the summer working with the elderly in a Cleveland nursing home before moving back to Nashville in August. One of the highlights of her year was accompanying me on a missions trip to France and Switzerland, participating in a couple of pastoral conferences, and ministering to young adults. She had a promotion to be a supervisor with her job at the cell-phone company Cricket.
Caleigh, now a sophomore at Franklin Classical School, continues to cultivate her musical giftings and has tackled piano again. She has a strong gift in music. Now 16, Caleigh will soon be driving! That will indeed be a milestone for her. She is tackling some arduous thesis topics at school, relishes her time with friends, attends concerts of her favorite artists, and is growing in her faith.
One of the joys I have had this past year is working with my dad on his new book, which will be released after the first of the year. Entitled, Finding Freedom, it communicates one of my father’s foundational teachings, the Spirit-controlled life.
Finally, Nancy and I continue to find joy working with so many of our Messenger Fellowship associates. This past fall, I was able to minister at four different Messenger conferences and events from Geneva to Redlands, CA.
This Christmas, we do pray for you that in a world of increasing uncertainty you would find a new certainty in Christ… and that the hope that springs from the knowledge of His matchless power would lift you to new places of faith and fruitfulness. He who became flesh and endured suffering for us, will surely tend our hearts in these days, and give us the inner resilience to meet any challenge with a joy unspeakable!
Merry Christmas to you and your family,
The Fry Clan
Co-written by Cameron and Steve Fry
Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
Nancy joins me in offering warmest Christmas prayers for you. With each passing year, friends and family seem to grow dearer to us. Because rich friendships are what last. And though we don’t see many of you very soften (and some we haven’t seen for years), we still treasure you in our hearts.
2009 was a milestone for our family in many ways. Our two older kids graduated university and we began building out our new worship center at The Gate, the church we planted almost three years ago. This has been a great breakthrough for us, and will double our present meeting space size. Of course, any time a pastor launches a building program it seems to multiply the work! Still, God has given us an incredible team here at The Gate, and it has been a joy to watch this dream materialize.
Nancy was able to turn the children’s ministry over to another of our team members in October, after leading that from the beginning. She did a wonderful job laying foundations, but was glad that she could ‘tie the bow’ on that season and begin pastoring the whole body here at The Gate. I continue to be amazed at the shepherd’s heart the Lord had given her.
Cameron graduated from Lee University last May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, and a double minor in communications-journalism and religion. He is now serving as our Jr. High pastor at the Gate, providing leadership and mentoring to our middle schoolers. He has recently enrolled in Southeastern University's Master's in Ministerial Leadership program, and will pursue his teaching certification though Trevecca University next fall. He also begins a new job as an account clerk for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development in January. So needless to say, Cameron is going to have a busy 2010!
Kelsey also graduated this year from Lee University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. She spent the summer working with the elderly in a Cleveland nursing home before moving back to Nashville in August. One of the highlights of her year was accompanying me on a missions trip to France and Switzerland, participating in a couple of pastoral conferences, and ministering to young adults. She had a promotion to be a supervisor with her job at the cell-phone company Cricket.
Caleigh, now a sophomore at Franklin Classical School, continues to cultivate her musical giftings and has tackled piano again. She has a strong gift in music. Now 16, Caleigh will soon be driving! That will indeed be a milestone for her. She is tackling some arduous thesis topics at school, relishes her time with friends, attends concerts of her favorite artists, and is growing in her faith.
One of the joys I have had this past year is working with my dad on his new book, which will be released after the first of the year. Entitled, Finding Freedom, it communicates one of my father’s foundational teachings, the Spirit-controlled life.
Finally, Nancy and I continue to find joy working with so many of our Messenger Fellowship associates. This past fall, I was able to minister at four different Messenger conferences and events from Geneva to Redlands, CA.
This Christmas, we do pray for you that in a world of increasing uncertainty you would find a new certainty in Christ… and that the hope that springs from the knowledge of His matchless power would lift you to new places of faith and fruitfulness. He who became flesh and endured suffering for us, will surely tend our hearts in these days, and give us the inner resilience to meet any challenge with a joy unspeakable!
Merry Christmas to you and your family,
The Fry Clan
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