Deep Fry

Well, folks. We’re one week 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 busted badly due, in part, to a screaming Pacific jet and lingering 2015-16 Super El Niño  side effects. If you recall, outside of a few days in January and March, we absolutely blowtorched from December 23 through the end of March with top 5 positive temp anomalies for the stretch. Just look at how nasty these CF6's look... While it’s hard to imagine a worse winter this season, given the nature of winters since 2011, it’s only fair to wonder what to expect in the months ahead, specifically between Thanksgiving and the start of spring 2018. Thus, as I always do this wonderful time of year, I present you my preliminary teleconnection grades for the winter ahead....

Written November 4, 2016 I remember the summer of '95 like it was yesterday. A doughy little lad of 9 years, fresh off a mission trip to Seoul and a series of doctor’s appointments in which I was literally told to stop eating seconds, I was all about two things:  1 )  Jim Cantore / John Hope  on  The Weather Channel  ( very active hurricane season …look it up) and  2 ) Chicago Cubs baseball. Like most mid ‘90’s southside converts, I couldn’t get enough of the legendary  Harry Caray , his underrated partner in ‘prime’,  Steve Stone , the pre-steroid Sammy Sosa, the consistency of Mark Grace, the defensive reliability of Brian McRae, the sage shortstop play of Shawon Dunston, home runs hit to Waveland Avenue, and the goosebumps every time I heard, ‘ This is America’s #1 sports station, WGN-TV…Chicagooo… ’  To put in perspective, an afternoon of Cubs baseball, for me, was the equivalent of going to Six Flags during a s...

This summer, as some of you know, we've been talking about fullness through the lens of unity; however, I believe not only should we be capturing this in the question, ‘ Lord, How do you want to fill me ’, we need to be asking, ‘ Lord, are you able to fill me? Am I allowing you to fill me? If not, what needs to be activated…what needs to be stirred up in me before you can fill me?’   You see…before we have a container that can receive what God wants to fill us with, we need to have a container that can hold what God wants to fill us with. And after processing this conviction, I submit God wants to do some patch-work in our hearts this summer where our faith is activated to the next level. But Cam, ‘ How do I activate my faith? ’ By trusting God. By not only by saying "I believe", but “I do” and “I will”. God wants us to trust him like Peter did when God asked him to walk on the water. Have enough faith to know he won't let you drown....

When I say ‘set the table’, what immediately comes to mind? Dinner? Chore? Family? ‘Power off’? I know for me I’m reminded of one my favorite scenes in one of my favorite movies: the classic “Food!” chant in Twister when the chasers try to convince Jo to swing by her Aunt Meg’s for some sustenance.      However we approach the phrase, chances are we’re thinking about one of life’s most basic essentials being satisfied. After all, we can’t live without consuming nourishment. Yet, while physically, cravings are interspersed, continually coming and going, when we talk about spiritual nourishment, we’re talking about a completely different kind of filling. You see, often times, we talk about spiritual hunger and fullness in exclusive terms (i.e. gotta get hungry, then I gotta get filled, and then I gotta get full, stay full, etc.) But when we dive into the Word, we find that’s not how it works. ‘Cause as we inevitably find, there’...

It was the epitome of fall in a season of rise; hence, why I can still remember the date. October 29, 2011. T he day my dream of a youth worship team went under construction. Like most hopeful endeavors, despite early buzz, not all was smooth sailing. For the first few years, the revolving door would churn out several talented youth and youth leaders. Each time, a setback to momentum. Each time, a temptation to wonder why. Yet, amidst the turnover, the guest acoustic appearances, and solo keyboard sets, the dream carried on. By 2014, the tide was turning. New faces in familiar places. The hope of persistence shining over the horizon. Still, it wasn’t until October 26, 2016, almost five years to the day of first practice, that the right blend of talent and teaming would intersect and set the stage for the Gate's first youth worship band. Flash-forward to two days ago and for the first time I’m playing keys during service (s...

Context : In this chapter of Jeremiah, we find impending disaster for Jerusalem. Need proof? Check out the opening line: “ Flee for safety, O people of Benjamin from the midst of Jerusalem !” Not exactly the most calming intro in the world, right? Later we read more specifically the war and destruction coming against Jerusalem and the peace she once possessed.  However, in the middle of the chapter, we also find a familiar theme unfolding in God giving his people an opportunity to repent…to consider his ways (v. 16-20 ).  Let’s read… Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV) - This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 (ESV) - Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your sou...