Deep Fry

I’m just goin’ cut to the chase… I don’t give a flying fart 1 about “ Fifty Shades of Grey ”. There I said it. Hope I didn’t offend 2 … In all seriousness… there’s a lot of talk goin’ on about the erotic romance novel and drama porn film. But I suppose this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, talking about purity and pornography should be encouraged in a time where sexual compromise is at an all-time high. Granted, it’s heartbreaking to come back to these issues only to find more people wearing blinders 3 covering their sensitivity to graphic eroticism and relational abuse. But I mean…think about it. Just because culture glorifies the fetish doesn’t mean my opinion belief in awe-fully 4 , amazing sex, as God intended, is invalid. Sure, I may be “old school” in the eyes of some, but at the end of the day, for something to be good, it also has to be right, just, pure, and honorable ( Philippians 4:8 ). And I’m sorry, but I’m not going to naiv...

There's something strangely romantic about the rain in Seattle. Something sweet and dear amidst the mist. I don't know if it's the emerald ambiance or the abundance of alpines. All I know is when I touchdown in Seattle, I'm usually  home. But after a four-year hiatus between my most recent visits, I've, no doubt had to revisit a chilling reality... ...one we all face at some point or another... ...and that is: times change. Relationships grow. While some estrange, others slow. 'Cause as the charm of childhood fades, as the innocence of youth dims, you begin to realize: you can't always pick up where you left off. And sometimes, the life you used to know isn't meant to be known anymore. So you press on… high on hope, yet down on the fact it still hurts… …lost somewhere between what was and what is, wondering why a hard reboot can’t reset life to the good ole’ days…and why a clean slate can’t woo a splintered ...

I don't know about you, but whenever I hear the word, " consecration ", I tend to let it wash over me. Not like I have anything against the word; I suppose I just grew up not finding it to be very relatable. Something about altars, memorials...ehhh. I'll be honest. I never gave it much thought when I was younger. But as I've found in recent years, consecration packs a pretty powerful punch!* 'Cause when we talk about consecration, what we're actually talking about is dedication...a celebration, if you will, of our  sanctification...and the privilege we have in  coming clean. But before you get all Hillary Duff on me, " selah " on this quick-hitter from Joshua 3:5 : “ Consecrate yourselves, for [this year] the Lord will do amazing things among you .” Whoa! That's pretty awesome stuff, isn't it? Knowing we can make an action a lifestyle...and in doing so, experience restoration and transformation through Christ. Le...

When we backtrack to Mary’s encounter with Gabriel ( Luke 1:28-38 ), we find a fascinating dialogue between the two. After Gabriel’s incarnational announcement to Mary, note her response in v. 34: "How will this be…?" Man...you talk about radical faith! I mean…Mary could have easily said, “Why me” or “ How can this be ”. But what does she do? She puts the emphasis on “will” over “can”…and I’m telling you, friends…the ramifications of what may appear to be a subtle variance is HUGE! For her response revealed a strong, anchored faith rooted in a God whom she trusted. Thus, by confessing, “How will this be” , she was essentially saying: “ I know this will happen. I just want to know how it will happen. ‘Cause all I know is what God says, goes …and I want to go with it !” So I believe this year needs to start and center on this heartcry (i.e. God is telling us: “ I have great things in store for you in 2015 .” We need to response: “ How will this be ?” --...

When you think back on 2014, what immediately comes to mind? LF : I really think 2014 was marked by clearing hurdles. The theme of mountains and valleys was huge. There were highs and lows, but the amazing thing is that every low was immediately followed by an awesome high. Overall, it was a good year with its fair share of challenges. CF :   I agree. To me, it was a “back to the drawing board” kind of year. Plenty of fine-tuning. If I had to sum the year up in two words, I’d go with “ successfully conquered ”. What were some of the highlights/defining moments? LF : The first thing that comes to mind is getting published on ‘ Darling ’ magazine's website. It was a poem I wrote for my mom for Mother's Day and it was exciting to share that. Also, seeing the youth engage in worship and leading by example, especially during November’s Wednesday Worship Experience, was amazing. Oh, and our one-year anniversary trip to Chicago...  CF : Yeah, our travels to Chicag...

I’ve always loved Christmas lights . The sparkle. The illumination. The flair of color.  The whole works. In fact, when I was a toddler, rumor has it I would break down crying if a light burnt out or if a bulb broke (Clearly, I wasn’t aware of a magical, little thing called a spare). Regardless of infant emotions, point is : it didn’t take long for a fascination to spark. And as I grew older, I made it a tradition to put up the outdoor Christmas lines every Black Friday, while the rest of the family focused on internal décor. So as I recently returned to my big box of lights and started decking the brush, I couldn’t help but wonder how Christmas lights are actually fitting reminders as to why we celebrate the season as passionately as we do. For before Christ could come to be the light of the world, there had to be a willing vessel with the faith to contain it . Pretty crazy, eh? To think at any point in history, a teenage girl would accept o...

Thought it would be fitting to post a brief weather update on the day of my 10th prime birthday... I'm going to be honest: the weather outside doesn't feel anything like December...which is rather anticlimactic and depressing; however, we did have the 7th coldest November on record here in Nashville, so a reverse/seesaw pattern isn't too surprising.   Around this time every year, I get asked if we'll see a 'white Christmas'. The last two times it's happened here in Nashville w as 2010 and 1993...and climatologically speaking, we see one in Nashville every 14-15 years. Thus, I wouldn't invest in the idea of one this year, especially if you buy into the law of averages.  However, the main reason I doubt it will happen this year is  due to the current positive AO/NAO, which is bottling up the colder air in Canada and causing the northern snowpack to diminish. If you check out the first map (valid on 12/14), you'll see a classic ridging setup ...