Surrender to

This blog post may end up being a jumbled mess of thoughts on my frailty.

Dang! I am more frail and fragile than I realize, and you are too.

I took my first motorcycle ride in Texas, on a crotch rocket, on the highway. Some of our best friends we’re getting married a couple years ago. My wife was in the bridal party so we got to spend a couple days in that incredibly flat and dusty state – tumble weeds and desperadoes everywhere. I, not knowing anyone but the bride and groom, got to spend a lot of time with Harry Potter and the bride’s dad. Not being the groom meant I could be boys with the father of the bride and boys we became.

In the garage were two motorcycles. There was the hog, the chopper, the throne on wheels. And then there was, at least in my eyes, the go-kart of motorcycles – that one was mine. I had never rode one before so Poppa Bear got me situated, and affirmed that I succeeded at stalling the bike well. Once I got the shift and rev mechanism sequence down we headed off throughout the neighborhood.

We were the dynamic duo. And I felt like I’d been riding for years.

Then we turned the corner, hit an on ramp, and sped onto the highway. *Cue soiled shorts joke here.* What?!? The highway! Does the captain know that I now  feel like I am riding on a graham cracker naked? Yeah, I’m freaked. And now I’m realizing I’m frail.

Kanye West (who may know a little more about frailty these days) dropped a flow about frailty once, rappin, “And I heard ‘em say, nothin’s ever promised tomorrow, today.” This makes we wonder how much I take my todays and tomorrows for granted.

Is tomorrow really a guarantee for any of us?

I attended a funeral this week and a couple months ago I sat in a field with a friend after his close relative died. Both occasions caused me to contemplate and accept the absence of those who were once alive. They’re gone. I’ll be gone one day.

So why do I think I’m invincible, untouchable, able to escape the thing no one has been able to run far enough away from?

I think everyone acknowledges the fact that they’re frail. They indicate this by what they surrender to.  We either surrender to ourselves and try to deny our frailty by efforts to escape or ignore the reality of death. Or we surrender to God’s salvation, a humble response to the fact of our frailty.

A writer from way back in the day named, Thomas a Kempis, reflecting on our frailty and susceptibility to sin wrote, “O how great is the frailty of man, which is ever prone to evil! Today you confess your sins, and tomorrow you commit again the sins you confessed.” But people don’t admit they struggle with sin daily, and in an attempt to flee from our flaws we surrender to ourselves. We don’t want to admit that 100% of people die either. The book of Romans tells us that, “The wages of sin is death.” Is there is a connection between our sin and our frailty.

Can we really make ourselves better?

Is self-help really helping?

The Bible is full of quotes describing life as a mist, vapor, fading like the morning dew. When I surrender to myself I reject those claims because I don’t want to have to face the reality that there will be a day I won’t exist. When people surrender to salvation they’re admitting their incapability to sin less, correct their crookedness, and escape the grave.

One of the most famous prayers of the church goes like this, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This sounds like surrender. And surrender means giving up, giving over, and giving in. And why do we hesitate to surrender in this manner?

Because we can save ourselves.

But what are we saving ourselves from, and what are we saving ourselves for?

Let us pray, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, I’m frail.” Amen.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Switchfoot :: For some reason they’ve been therapeutic this week

:: Fuse Staff :: Youth ministry staff at New Spring Church…top notch kinda peeps

::: Habakkuk 3:2 :: Rocked my world all week

:::: Jay Leno Show :: He’s gonna run that 10 o’clock spot

Without You There’d Be No Me

We celebrated my dad’s 58th birthday today. The day included getting pummeled by dad in golf, breaking a couch (which he ended up repairing), a South Carolina style pork barbeque dinner, and pecan pie with ice cream to top it all off. His actual day takes place on the French Pressed Friday of August 21st (feel free to join the party).

It was a humbling experience becoming less and less like Tiger on the links, and I was humbled even more reflecting on my life and it’s existence in connection with my dad’s. Without him there’d be no me. I think I’ve thought this before, but for some reason, most likely the Columbia heat, it settled in. If there’s no Reiff Lesher, then I wouldn’t be golfing and therefore I wouldn’t be brewing on these things, and therefore this blog, clearly essential to all people across the globe…who cares…what blog?

Then I started to let the thoughts fester and flame (I lost my ball somewhere around the pond). Without dad there’d be no son. Which means there’d be no learning to play basketball or ride a bike. There’d be no discovery of Don Pepino’s homemade pizza. There’d be no passion for people or for God.

Without dad there’d be nothing.

This is such a powerful reality. It actually gives my dad total power over me. Bill Cosby, one of my dad’s favorite comedians, said it best, “I brought you into the world and I can take you out.” So, when I dared defy my dad, which I did with regularity, he had absolute rights to simply proclaim that, there’d be no me without him; and my only option was to obey because I put forth zero effort in my origination.

Dad chose to use his innate fatherhood rights, not to oppress and obliterate, but to raise, teach, and love his kids. Without you there’d be no me was viewed as a responsibility instead of a right. Without you there’d be no me has actually required my dad to invest intentionally and seriously in me, because the truth of the matter is, one day there will be no he. Will I carry on his love and legacy or will I crush it?

Without you there’d be no horrible golf games, that’s for sure. There’d be no Lego sets, rides on the Vortex, or catching waves at the beach. There’d be no example on how to be a husband and dad. There’d be no marrying Abbey. And there’d be no grandson. There’d be no participation in Jesus’ movement of love, truth, and forgiveness. There’d be no life, and for that privilege alone I’m grateful. Happy Birthday Daddio!

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Glenn Reiff Lesher :: Love ya dad!

:: Drops Like Stars :: Rob Bell

::: The Prodigal God :: Tim Keller

:::: Tubing on the lake :: Speed, Air, Water

The Figment of Emotional Stability

I put too much confidence in my emotions.

I make decisions, daily, based on how I’m feeling at a particular moment. I’ll choose ‘avoid it’ over ‘should do it’ simply because I don’t FEEL like it. ‘Should’ should dominate and drive my decision, but when feelings take the wheel I’m feeling good checking out the scenery.

This happens all the time when I watch movies. After seeing Marley and Me I left feeling really bad about how I treat our dog Zeke. I told Abbey that I was going to treat him better. But after about the 2nd time (yeah pathetic) he wiped his slobbery mouth on my clean shorts, my feeling bad turned to feeling mad and I was done with the ‘being nice’ bit

When I’m following my emotions, responses and reactions will vary from one situation to the next. Living life and making choices off feeling like it or not affects my relationship with Abbey, Allen, the students I pastor, emptying the dishwasher, getting out of bed, kicking the dog, reading, watching TV. But ultimately it can really influence my relationship with God.

I will join rank with all those who get upset with God when difficult things happen to us, our friends, or to the world at large. A lot of the time it doesn’t make sense and ‘why?’ seems to be the only proper response. Our emotions will always get jumbled in the mess as well. It’s times like these that I begin to believe that my emotions are telling me the truth about what’s real about life, the future, relationships, as well as God. When my emotions tell me ‘it doesn’t feel good for things like this to happen’ I, and most people, allow feelings to influence the validity of God’s faithfulness. If God is faithful my emotions remind me that He’s faithful at messing up my life.

In Psalm 77 the writer details his frustrations and doubts about God’s presence, involvement, and work among His people. He questions whether or not God has forgotten and deserted His people, “Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?” Ever feel like that?

At one point, as in a moment of clarity and boldness, the writer determines to reflect not on what God isn’t doing now, but on what God has done in the past – remembering His great works, miracles, and presence, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD.” Remembering His faithfulness. It’s as if he resolves to rely on God’s faithfulness over his emotions. As God has been faithful in the past He will be faithful in the future.

Emotion is a wonderful thing. The emotions experienced as Steve Smith scores a touchdown are exciting. Graduating school is full of emotions that display our feelings of joy and sadness. Finding a wrinkled 5 dollar in my ski jacket causes unbelievable emotion inside of me. Emotions can even lead to a deeper connection with God. But when we trust our emotions over the faithfulness of God we are allowing the uncertain to define the constance of God’s character.

Give Psalm 77 a read this week and place yourself in the midst of the issues the writer contemplates. Try praying about this as well. What would your prayer be if motivated by the reality that God is Faithful?

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: One Prayer :: http://2009.oneprayer.com/the-messages

:: Basketball + GymNasty :

::: Hey Mambo! :: Thinking about quitting my job to toss pizza for a living ::

:::: Jay Leno’s Farewell to Late Night :: That was emotional! (Check it out at Hulu.com)

What I’ve Learned From You, Learn From Me

My little guy turned 1 on Monday. We made pancakes, went out to McDonalds for ice cream, and he got sick. Even infants hate getting sick on their birthdays. He’s been sick since but I still got a hot fudge sundae out of the misery.

I’m writing this blog as a dad 369 days old. I could drop all the cliches about the first year of fatherhood but I’ll sum it up in a couple ways: if you’re feeding a kid and they look like their about to sneeze don’t put food in their mouth; it is slightly embarrassing to catch yourself singing kidtoons in public; and I’m really not the center of the universe like I regularly think I am. All that to say…I’ve learned a lot.

One of the most important things I’ve been learning is that the habits and decisions I make now, concerning parenting and my relationship with my son, are going to greatly determine what our relationship will be like in the future. For instance I have a hard time leaving work at the time I told Abbey I would. It’s habits like this and others that have been challenged by Allen’s life so far.

I have this insecurity that if I do just a little more work or put in more time it will earn me points and pump up my reputation. The reality is that doing this hasn’t contributed anything to my job status but it does disturb things a home a little bit. The main issue here is that my behavior communicates that I value work over family. I’m realizing that if this becomes an ingrained part of my life I know I what feels difficult now will be nearly impossible to correct 15 years from now.

This has many aspects of it. I feel important when I get phone calls, Facebook messages, and texts. What happens is that my eyes always dart to the phone to see if anyone has done something to make me feel important. The result of this is that I become fully present to my inanimate, lifeless, loveless phone. When I’m fully present to my phone I’m not fully present to my family – I’m distracted, I don’t listen, and I miss stuff like Allen’s smile, glee over turning pages in a book, and bustin a move to some music on the ipod.

So Allen, though you probably won’t read this till your obsession with Thomas the Tank Engine ends, I want you to learn from me what I’ve learned from you. Always keep your family before you’re job. Even if you go in to ministry, you will influence others you care for when you love God and your family most.

For all those reading who are not my son learn from me what I’ve learned from Allen. Slow down, hang up, turn off, or disconnect so you can connect with those who really matter, who really love you, and who will be there when your battery dies, you get fired, or you don’t have any “bars” there. Take a day a week to turn off your phone, cancel all meetings with those other than you family, and spend that quality and quantity time with those who are quality and given a whole lot of quantity to your life.

Tomorrow I’ll be 370 days old as a dad and I won’t have this figured out, but I’ll work on figuring it out now so maybe by the time Al is a teenager I won’t have to work as hard trying to make up for lost time at home having worked overtime in the office. What habit needs to be broken by God’s grace or some family time that will be close to impossible to break in the future?

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Allen :: He already loves books, music, and basketball – Happy Birthday Bubba

:: Bocce Ball :: It’s horse shoes for those who don’t have horses

::: Desiring God Online ::http://www.desiringgod.org/

:::: Soda Shop :: Park Road Shopping Center (Get a vanilla coke!)

“Don’t Stop Believin’”

Abbey and I took our little guy, Allen (aka Lil’ Bubba), to the zoo last weekend. We started the day off fresh, french press to go, packed up and made our way to the Cola zoo.

The trip down was filled with songs, stories, and words like, “ba” (ball), “ba” (bottle), and “da” (dad of course). Once we got to the zoo our journey had only begun. We plotted our course (orangutans, lions, and hyenas first). We took pictures shot videos, pointed a lot and poorly impersonated every animal we saw.

As our journey zig-zagged us through bird cages, the sea lion pool, and flamingo island we really enjoyed being at the zoo together. As we entered “beast territory” (yeah I have no idea why the lions were stuck over with the monkeys either) our experience went to a whole other level. This depicts it perfectly!

If his vocab contained more than “ba” you know he would be saying, “Mommmm, Dadddddd, look at this! This monkey, is it a monkey?, is huge!! Can we buy a gorilla? Oooo! Oooo! I want to be a gorilla when I grow up! Wow! Deactivate this force field holding me back…”

As we watched our Lil’ Bubba take it all in our experience became more significant and memorable. If Abbey and I had journeyed through the park by ourselves we would have had a good time, but we wouldn’t have seen Allen’s eyes widen, jaw drop, and drool hit the floor. We would have glanced and moved on…been there done that, right?

Who have  you journeyed with? Isn’t life better experienced with someone or a community of people? From the zoo, movies, the park, life changes, difficult circumstances, to faith.

Have you invited anyone to journey with you as you discover the love, truth, and forgiveness of God through Jesus? When you’re part of someone trusting Jesus with their life for the first time there’s nothing like it! Journeying with others who follow Jesus’ life and teachings – serving, caring, and sacrificing – is powerful. As people are impacted we too are never left the same.

As we left the zoo, picked up our diet coke and iced coffee, to journey back to Ctown Abbey and I both felt like we grew as husband and wife, Da and Ma, and individuals. We were able to take in the zoo from a new angle.

Have you joined the journey Jesus invites everyone in to?

Have you invited others to join the journey?

Inviting and taking part in someone’s journey may impact you as much as it impacts them.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: My Sweet :: Been taking care of Lil’ Bubba while he’s fought an ear infection and fever all week.

:: Paper Route :: New album, Absence, is real nice! #mce_temp_url#

::: Red Iron Design :: Get Branded, G$ will make it happen. #mce_temp_url#

:::: Join the Rescue :: #mce_temp_url#

The Comfort Zone

You know the phrase, “let’s think outside the box,” (or for all my Taco Bell compadres, “think outside the bun”)? The phrase kinda drives me crazy. It’s the catch phrase used when you want to be creative.  Using this phrase so frequently means we’ve lost the understanding of the  word “creative.”

Creative means original, imaginative, different, unexpected, artistic, yada yada yada (my Seinfeld quote of the post). Thinking creatively means “thinking outside the box!!” Now that’s unboxafiable!!

A new phrase I’ve had running through my head this past week, that has a minor connection with “thinking outside the box (TOTB),” is “live outside your comfort zone.” If you’re tired of TOTB than this new phrase may be just as annoying, but for those willing to press through brew on this with me for a minute…

When I live in my comfort zone things are easy, safe, and predictable. When I move out of my comfort zone into the “unknown” all those previous adjectives get shattered. Can you think of a time when living outside your comfort surprised or benefitted you? A date? A new job? A best friend? A chest of solid gold (metal-detector man always lives outside the comfort zone)? What about our faith? Does life change, transformation, and influence take place in your comfort zone or outside of it?

I’m about 95% certain that becoming more like Jesus (more loving, truthful, and forgiving) and sharing His love, truth, and forgiveness with others only occurs outside of my comfort zone. It’s not easy transforming through Jesus or caring people to Him but I believe our life and the lives of others are better when we choose to move outside our comfort zone into the realm of the uncertain, unfamiliar, and intimidating. When it comes to your faith where is outside your comfort zone? Go there, things will never be the same.

Brew on This: Think outside your comfort zone. Pray outside your comfort zone. Live outside your comfort zone. Trust God!

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: www.TOMSshoes.com/oneday :: Many across the nation went without shoes to make a silent statement that people all over the world go shoeless everyday and we can do something about it.

:: Lecrae :: Legit Christian Hip-Hop that I can’t stop listening to! Download “Don’t Waste Your Life”

::: iTunes Weekly Rewind :: Great podcast for those who want to keep up with music but don’t have time to.

:::: Allen’s Lineman Wave :: Every morning when I leave Allen, crawling toward the door, will intermittently stop, tripod it, and wave goodbye. He’ll do it about 3 times before he gets to the door. And the thought ran through my mind when I left, “What if he did that when’s he’s a lineman for his high school football team? He’d wave, confuse the heck out of the defense and then rip the quaterback’s face off.” Allen’s awesome!

Enjoy the Brew!

Grace+Peace

TLesh