Deep Fry

In two short weeks, I will be a married man - husband to the woman dreams can never capture. And as I prepare a place for her, I am filled with rapturous rhapsody, yet overcome with exotic emotion. For I cannot, for the life in me, locate any expressive means to convey the firework of fervor within. And as I live out the final 378 hours as a supremely conquered bachelor, I am discovering indefinable peace amidst such a vulnerable uprising.
Still, the whispers of “Mrs. Fry” crescendo in my ears. From sidewalk to greenway, I tread the earth in a cloud of butterflies. To say I’m nervous would be a huge understatement. But how can I not be in the wake of fulfilled companionship? Of two individuals becoming one flesh? A divine romance starting out on a journey for the ages? It’s all part of what cannot be entirely fathomed this side of heaven. Yes, perfect love drives out fear, but it sure cannot drive out the flame of desire, cure impatience and stabilize an eager heart.
My prayers now eye…

- In recent days, I've been contemplating what real praise and rejoicing looks like, based on biblical analysis and sermonistic inspirations. After refining my interpretations, here are five take-aways for thought:

1) The power of praise and the power of rejoicing are profound components to worship. While praise is accomplished in the present by aligning it to both past and future, rejoicing invests entirely into the future through the sacrifice of the present (circumstantial expectations and entitlements).

"O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure." ~ Isaiah 25:1 (ESV)

2) If illumination is to be sustained, we must see the reason to worship as essential to human existence. For praise, in purest form, surpasses all modifiers and qualifiers in a given verbal arsenal. So until we drill down on its comprehensive significance, worship will abate into a “legalistic loyalty”*, …

February 23, 2013: The past 27 hours, I’ve been aspersed amidst a sea of youth, meditating on the meaning of “Relentless Pursuit”. And though my contemplations are still settling, what I can say with utmost confidence is the pulse of this year’s Acquire the Fire is beating with these youth in a profound way. As luminous spheres of light encounter raised hands, God is breathing life like fire upon the altar of expectancy – as an infectious flame uniting desperation among an emerging Jesus culture. Truly God is molding slogan not only into an immediate battlecry, but also as a tangible, long-term reality. How magnificent it is to be surrounded by inspirational prayer, desperate to see spiritual highs offset by real transformation.

When I consider the intersection between the emerging generation and the church, I wonder why theology and discipleship are inadvertently misplaced on the backburner of ministerial priorities, and if somehow, this has any connection to young minds believing God…