Deep Fry

As 2016 comes to a close, Lyssah & I sit down and reflect on the year that was… When you think back on 2016, what immediately comes to mind? CF : There are two answers to this question: The first and most obvious is Caeden. His arrival into the world was by far the greatest moment of the year. The second and not as obvious is the word, ‘ horizon ’, as in there’s much change on the horizon. In short, I believe the events of 2016 were foundation-laying for the season to come. LF : The first thing I think about is Caeden being born. That moment set the stage for 2016 as a whole given the year of laboring it's been. In previous years, certain things came easy. This year everything has had a learning curve. Everything from pushing through the pain and discomfort of labor to pushing through my work when I really wanted to be home with Caeden, pushing through and learning new skills that have enabled me to be start my own side business, pushing through church/bivocational...

I don’t know about you, but this time of year can be complicated. On one hand, you have Thanksgiving with its communal/perspective perks; on the other, you have those pesky holiday blues that just won’t go away. Granted, abiding in the splendor of selfless tradition with friends and family is a wholesome recipe. But perhaps you’re like me in the sense you’re physically and emotionally exhausted w ondering how you could be even the slightest bit down in the midst of an amazing year. If you can relate, let’s cut into this conundrum, shall we? For most of us, it’s fair to say Thanksgiving has horizontal value in the sense we look around and find reason to express gratitude. After all, we only need a breath and a pulse to be thankful, right? At the same time, I can’t help but wonder if thanksgiving if really thanksgiving if it has a slopeless trajectory. Yes, we can most certainly be grateful for what is tangible, be it the mash potatoes and gravy, a dominating performance by Ezekiel E...

LEGACYouth Message Notes : Wednesday, November 9 This morning, as I was considering what the Lord would have me share tonight, the first thing he told me was, ‘ Why is it more people are desperate for change than they are for me? ’ In other words, why are so many people more desperate for what I can give than they are what I am yesterday, today, and tomorrow? The more I thought about it, the more I realized the problem is not a lack of desperation in our hearts (after all, we were hardwired with this from the beginning); rather, it’s the misplacement of desperation that is the real hindrance. For most, when we misplace something valuable, we're like woman with the lost coin ( Luke 15:8-10 ) in the sense we tear up the house until we find what we’re looking for. Unfortunately, when it comes to desperation, we’re far too content in it being there or not. Is it just me or do you find this ironic? The idea we’re not desperate to be desperate…the notion that w...

Well, folks. We’re two weeks past the autumnal equinox…and I think we all know what that means… …break out the fall décor, have yourself a very merry pumpkin-space latte , and check Cameron’s blog for yet another preliminary winter weather forecast. Now, I’m not gonna lie: my forecast last year held up on snow, but not so much on temps, granted my overall pattern prediction was correct. If you recall, we absolutely torched in December with + ~13.0 ° positive temp anomalies (obliterating my December 2015 predictions) before a major pattern flip set the stage for Nashville’s most epic snowstorm in 13 years . By season end’s, most middle Tennessee locations had experienced a top 10 warmest winter, yet with more snow than the previous three winters combined . Case and point: for Nashville, the winter of 2015-16 finished a full 7.0 ° warmer than 2014-15 mean temperature-wise, but with 5.2” more snow. I mean…you talk about defying some serious odds. I don’t...

Sunday Messages Notes - September 4, 2016 Well, guys,  tomorrow is the  first Monday of September and you know what that means... Labor...Day!   A time when white clothes go out, sales come  in , summer holidays are over, and classes begin (at least for our west coast friends ;)  For most,  it’s a   welcome day off of work or school , ahead of what is likely to be a busier month than the last. Yet , w hile we recognize Labor Day as an annual holiday courtesy of the   labor  movement,   dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers, for many it's still a mystery why we celebrate it. Let's see if we figure anything out from these clips... So based on these clips (and a little side research), we celebrate Labor Day to honor those who strove for fair compensation, safe working conditions, a valued labor force protected from exploitation...and the weekend. But perhaps you're stil...

So last night...I'm playin' some ' Communist Church ' with LEGACYouth at our summer lock[in] event when one of our students notices this guy laying flat outside the main entrance. At first, I'm thinkin' maybe we should let him be, but after a group huddle, it becomes clear we need to reach out instead. Given we had ~30 youth downstairs, I decide to split them up into three groups: the bigger group would remain downstairs in the Youth Room, another would be upstairs in the main lobby praying/on standby, and the smallest group (four of my youth leaders) would join me in going out to talk/share some pizza with the man. Upon approaching him, we note a portable radio plugged into an outdoor outlet blastin' some bluegrass, some beer, and some cigarettes. As for the guy himself...let's just say he was high as a kite and super inebriated...his first words upon seeing us: " Lord, thank you that you have sent your angels ." Now, ...

So last month, I had the privilege of co-leading a team of LEGACYouth down to YWAM Pachuca and Real del Monte on our #LoveMexico missions trip (i.e. the third stage of #oneepicsummer ). Like #LoveAkron , the experience was a huge hit, granted in this case, we had a larger team returning for its sophomore campaign. However, after reconvening with the youth during Facedown last week, we couldn’t help but wonder, ‘ what now?’ After all, having taken an aerial view of the past two months, no question we’ve ‘leveled up’. We’re more tightly bonded, we’ve stepped further outside our comfort zone, we’ve ministered life to the broken, we’ve led people to Jesus…I could go on. But as I mentioned last month , I’m not one to tempt any spirit of false accomplishment. ‘Cause truth is : what credit can we possibly claim? I mean….whatever good we do, we do it for Jesus…because of Jesus, right? Thus, what better way to start walking this talk than with a #LoveMexico reflection post featuring ...