Deep Fry

We deserve the best in life…                                                                              …at least that’s what many want to believe. After all, we live in a “ work hard, reap the reward ” culture, where everything is predicated on self-fulfillment. But whatever happened to the idea we live to become, not to acquire? Whatever happened to the belief we live by what’s been divinely given, not by what we temporarily earn? And what if people gave thanks not only for what they’d been given, but also for what they hadn’t been given? You see, we often think God’s grace is sub...

Dedicated to my wonderful mothers and grandmothers,  Nancy Fry , Peggy Fry (Mimi), Nana Oak &  Jan DeWald Ferguson , all who embody the heart of this piece. Well, it’s that time of year again. Mother’s Day . The one day a year we praise our moms for all the awesome things they do, despite the fact we should be doing this all the time. No doubt, moms are the most underrated people on the planet considering all the work they put in without any expectancy of gratitude.   However...in case you still need the evidence and/or content fodder for your next Mother’s Day card, here are ten reasons why your mom is freakin’ awesome. 1.   She squeezed you into existence. Yeah, yeah, your mom did plenty of post-labor nurturing…and was probably pretty good at it. I get that. But let’s not forget she carried you nine months in her womb…and you didn't even need to pay rent! Her love for you is so strong, she would gladly endure another round of morning sickness, crampi...

Louie Giglio once said: “ Worship is our response both personally and corporately to GOD - for who HE is…and for what HE has done…expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live .” Now, in recent past I would have suggested this as a spot-on portrayal of what worship is. But upon further review, my grade has modified to " incomplete ". No doubt, our lives speak with worship serving as the mouthpiece. After all, everyone is worshipping something, right*? But while Giglio’s explanation captures the circumference of what worship is, it doesn’t provide the fullest definition as to what the heart of worship looks like, particularly our ‘ response ’ to God in worship. Truth is : Worship is more than " our response "…and if we're to grasp the entirety of worship, we have to press beyond topical delineations. But before we continue, we need to set a foundational definition of what worship is… During a recent LEGACYouth Facedown service, we d...

As an amateur "meteorologist", I take pride in being a diehard winter weather enthusiast. After all, it's, by far, the most erratic season, especially for sections of the midsouth. One week could be marked by unseasonably mild air and severe weather episodes, while the next features a freak icestorm or blizzard with record-breaking cold. But for a winter fan who enjoys his fair share of hometown snow, this winter has been one epic disappointment. So in my quest to put words to frustrations, I figured I would look back and briefly analyze a winter desperately needing to be put out of its misery.    Granted, for hundreds of millions, winter 2013-14 will go down as a memorable, overachieving, blockbuster season. But for me, I can honestly say:  I've never been so excited for spring this early in my life .    For most, one would think such a statement would be indicative of a person fed up...

Recently, I was driving down the interstate on a cold midwinter’s day when a new song came on the radio. As I listened to what I expected to be another hollow pop song about compromising romance, the lyrics wasted little time in surprising me: We, we don't have to worry ‘bout nothing Cause we got the fire, and we're burning one hell of a something They, they gonna see us from outer space, outer space Light it up, like we're the stars of the human race, human race When the lights turned down, they don't know what they heard Strike the match, play it loud, giving love to the world We'll be raising our hands, shining up to the sky Cause we got the fire, fire, fire, yeah we got the fire fire fire And we gonna let it burn burn burn burn It soon dawned on me: We’re a culture fascinated by fire. I don’t care if it’s a Katniss Everdeen dress, a piano played by Mauro Ffortissimo or a rain only Adele could love, at the end of the da...

Last week in LEGACYouth, we centered our discussion on how to rightly perceive change in light of the Gospel (i.e. how to change the right way for the right reasons). Question is : How do we actually do this?  Of course, the  "Sunday school" answer is: staying connected to God (see cell phone illustration as part of our Living Más discussion - http://deepfryedmind.blogspot.com/2014/01/deep-fry-cxlvii-living-mas.html ). However, I wouldn't blame you if you rolled your eyes, thinking these four words sound like a broken record. Why? Because such an answer, in light of its accuracy, is supposed to be dug into, not just superficially addressed. Seriously, God is pleased when we pursue the Spirit in us, which inspires us to wonder: " What does this actually look like? How do we stay connected to God consistently through the ups and downs of life? How can we tell we are where we're supposed to be? " While reading and applying...

Have you ever noticed how happy people are during the first few weeks of every New Year? I know I do. Sometimes, I will leave the apartment simply to secure a “thinking spot” at a popular hangout destination where I can not only write but “people-watch” as well. Upon some recent observations, I’ve noted an uptick in smiley faces and jovial camaraderie, which has peaked my wonder into what may be the cause. And after pensive review, I’ve come to realize how this special time of year is likely a big part of the reason. We may not know everything there is to know about hope, but one thing we likely do know is happiness and hope have a fairly proportionate connection. As one is hopeful, he/she is respectively happy. Seriously, have you ever encountered a hopeful person who drooped with depression? Probably not. Why? Because most people who are hopeful about the future are not defeated by their present…maybe they are even in a state of current contentedness. Speaking of the pre...