Steve Alessi: Author of Alessi’s Angle, Pastor of Metro Life Church in Miami, Husband of World Renown Worship Leader Mary Alessi and Father of Four. The "Roll" of Influence
The table
was set in very modest decor at "The Mecca" restaurant and I was
looking for a bottle of hand sanitizer as I was seated with a large group of
friends. You know how that works when you're at a place that isn't really clean
or dirty; just old. Well, according to their sign, good 'ole "Mecca"
had been "waking up Dallas" since the turn of the century, which was
odd because there weren't any cars of awake Texans parked outside. It did seem
however that some of the patrons inside might have attended their grand opening
in 1903. We were escorted upstairs to a group dining area in this 100 year old
house-turned-restaurant and I found myself following the leader and picking a
seat. Even as a very UN-finicky eater... I was quite curious to see just how many
unwelcome guests would accompany my scrambled eggs.
Somehow,
according to someone in the group, having breakfast at "The Mecca"
was a must!! Maybe tradition or folklore or someone else's great experience.
I'm thinking it was a sort of breakfast Russian Roulette, where if you made it
out alive you could etch another notch in your belt. "Wait 'til you see
the Cinnamon Rolls" was the talk of the table. Funny, only two or three in
the group of twenty had ever been to "The Mecca", but the entire
party was already convinced that the cinnamon rolls where "to die
for"; not exactly the description I wanted to hear. However, the famous
(or infamous) rolls were already ordered along with a family style breakfast. I
must admit that I was starting to silently admire a place that would serve
cinnamon rolls as an appetizer to any meal so I went along with the group's
decisions.
Each roll
was the size of a monster truck tire; they smelled heavenly and looked even
better as the waitress placed one roll centered to every four people at the
table. They were perfectly baked, delicately glazed and literally wading in a
visible pool of butter. Now, I don't know what your mouth just did during this
description, but if was anything like what my mouth did.... just get a napkin
and strap it to your chest. Suddenly, the surroundings became unimportant, hand
sanitizer became an after-thought and focus hit me like a ton a bricks; it's
one of those moments where you regret being taught how to share.
Immediately,
the voice of reason began to surface into my thoughts. "Do you realize
that you will be ingesting 250 calories every time a utensil-full hits your
palette?" That's without the mandatory butter-dip that will take place
before leaving the plate of course. So, while that voice was arguing with my
more tangible senses, I dug in. Needless to say, we devoured that mountain of
gooeyness in record time, but halfway through that roll is where the idea for
this blog came to mind.
I noticed
that we would all look at each other between each bite, during the very short
pauses of politeness, to see what the other person's next move was going to be.
As my insides were screaming, "Nooooooooo" my desire was making all
the decisions and the only encouragement I needed was someone else going in for
another piece. I even heard, "Alright I'm done" from the some of the
guys as they pushed the plate away; but as long as someone went for another
piece; we all followed. No one was "done"...we cleared our buttery
delight; as well as the leftovers from two other plates that the ladies could
not convince themselves to finish. Before the main course had even hit the
table we had indulged ourselves to complete fullness. We had consumed five
monster truck tire cinnamon rolls and they were GOOOOOD!!! Just not good for
us.
And I
thought, isn't this how life is at times? We know that there's something better
for us; something healthy, around the corner. The main course is on its way; a
plate that will not only fulfill us but nourish us at the same time...yet we
over-indulge on what is harmful. And one of the primary forces behind doing
what we know is not best for us is the pressure of our peers. I remember in my
younger years my mom always saying, "...and because everybody else is
doing it means that you have to do it too?". Funny how the battle against
outside pressure still exists in adulthood.
Have you
ever experienced the dilemma of deciding against the crowd? Have you ever
pursued something unhealthy because your decision making was influenced in some
way? Those cinnamon rolls were absolutely delicious, but they did have consequences and I
can say that I might have stopped had there not been others around to
"inspire" me to continue. In the end, the decision is always ours but
the atmosphere and company we keep has tremendous influence.
This week's blog was written by Armando Gomez.
This week's blog was written by Armando Gomez.
Quicksand of Success
I
couldn't understand why the little guy was able to push me around the football
field like he did. All I knew was that he was making me look real bad in front
of the other guys and coaches! I guess I wasn't the athlete I thought I was.
Here I am just starting High School and trying to make the Junior Varsity
football team at Coral Park when I quickly discovered that I wasn't the
"little moose" my neighborhood friends told me I was. These other
guys my age were a little tougher than my two sisters and my buddies on the
block, and this football program was a lot more difficult to play than the
touch football we used to play in the street.
Though I
was a pretty strong, little stocky (and cocky I might add) guy, my coaches were
all up in my face because I couldn't block the opposing lineman. Finally, after
getting chewed out for the umpteenth time, one of my coaches came over and said
to me: "Alessi, you're not low enough. Get yourself low and drive through
the guy." Next play, the problem was solved and a great lesson was learned
that has stayed with me since. Success comes in life when we get and keep
ourselves low. I'm referring, of course, to humility.
Borrowing
from Pastor David Arnold of Gulf Coast Worship Center and his Morning Muse, he
writes an article entitled “Head Weight”:
There is a story of the mighty Roman general, Titus, who
conquered Palestine after waging a long and fierce campaign against the Jewish
people. The Jews displayed tremendous courage, and sacrificed greatly in their
defense of their homeland. Titus boasted that he was stronger than the God of
Israel. “If it were
otherwise,” he said, “I
would have never been victorious over the people of Israel.”
Then a voice was heard to say, “Titus, you fool!
You are a slave to vanity! Do you really believe that you are mightier than
God? Why, you will be destroyed by the smallest creature by God.”
Soon afterwards, an insect of microscopic size entered his nostril. It could
not be removed. Infection followed simple irritation, and eventually it
destroyed him.
In India, there is a word for those who are conceited and
proud. They say they have “head weight.”
Paul speaks of those who become “puffed up with
pride” (1 Timothy 3:6). This is all
one word in the Greek. It comes from typhos, “smoke,”
and so literally means “wrap in smoke,”
or “besmoked”
pride that covers him like a fog. It also means “delude,”
which leads to being “filled with
insane arrogance.”
A gourd wound itself around a lofty palm, and in a few
weeks climbed to its very top. “How old are you?”
asked the newcomer. “About a hundred
years.” “About
a hundred years and no taller! Look, I have grown as tall as you in a few days,
that took you years.” “I
know very well,” replied the
palm. “Every summer of my life a gourd
has climbed up around me as proud as you are, and as short-lived as you will
be!”
He ends
with a great quote that serves as a reminder to get and stay low in life. “Conceit is the quicksand of success.”
The Flattery in Imitation
I have lived
in the same home for almost my entire life. When I was about 6-8 months old,
Hurricane Andrew hit Miami, and out of that we were able to move into the house
that we still live in to this day.
Our house has
had a lot of work done over the years, from remodeling to different colors of
paint. One year, I don’t exactly remember when, but we decided to add on to the
house. My sister Gaby had been born, and now we needed more space. So my
parents decided to add another two bedrooms to our house. We busted out one of
the big windows that we had at the time, and put a big white sheet over it
leading to the outside. One day, my sisters and I went out to play and saw two sky scraping mountains of dirt in our backyard. This pile probably wasn’t as big
as I remember, but I was only 8 so cut me some slack.
While my
sisters were there, we would run up the dirt and imagine ourselves climbing Mt.
Everest or sliding down an avalanche. I distinctly remember imagining myself as
a pirate, Captain Hook to be precise and chasing after my sisters up and down
this pile of dirt. We imitated every possible character we knew from Ace
Venture to Mr. Incredible. But when my sisters finally went inside and no one
else was around, I had a specific character that I would always imitate.
More than Dan
Marino, Spiderman, or Captain Hook, I would love to imitate my dad. I would
walk around the pile of dirt as if I was walking along the stage at Metro Life
Worship Center, as it was called at the time. I would make a few opening
comments, very similar to my dad’s opening comments every single week. I would
start off by saying, “Welcome to Metro Life Worship Center. If you don’t know
me, I’m Steve Alessi, the Pastor here at Metro along with my wife Mary.” I
would quote the very illustration my dad had used that Sunday, and sometimes my
little 8 year old spirit would do it’s best to come up with it’s own revelation.
So at the end
of the day, I wanted to be Pastor Steve Alessi. Every chance I got, I would
imitate my dad as much as I could. And little did I know that 12 years later I
would be doing the very same thing, not just in my imagination but in reality.
Charles Caleb
Cotton said, “Imitation is the finest form of flattery.” And on Father’s Day, I
can find no better way to honor my father then to continue imitating him in
every area of my life. I am who I am today because of my dad and I owe him the
world. Even when I was just an 8 year old kid, I knew my dad was the exact kind
of man that I wanted to be. And now as a 20 year old, I can still say with the
utmost certainty; I want to be Pastor Steve Alessi.
I can testify
that Pastor Steve Alessi is the same man in and out of the pulpit. Today I
honor my father, my Pastor and my best friend, not just by writing a blog, but
by imitating him. And today I continue to honor him by carrying on his legacy. Happy
Father’s Day from one very lucky son.
Grade A Graduates
My niece, Angela Giarratana, who is not so little anymore, is one of the graduates this 2012 graduating class has produced. Looking at the pictures text'd over by my parents, she radiates a peace that I haven't seen in her when we would gather for the holidays and family vacations. She's actually smiling and her eyes are free from the "gotta do's" of school that always awaited her back home in California. Now she get's a short reprieve before she hits it again in the bigger, more challenging environment of UCLA. But all that can wait until August. For now, she's accomplished one of the greatest crowning achievements of her young life and she deserves to be celebrated.
I think we have this one right in life when it comes to graduating from High School. The lesson is this; when you do the work and put in the sacrifice then you'll be recognized for your labors and promoted to your next challenge. It's the equivalent of the playoff series in sports, as special recognition is given to those athletes who win. Trying is honorable, but winning and completing the journey you set out on is commended. Sure, there are many more games to be played next season, but for right now it's time to enjoy your success.
When I sat in a restaurant recently I was very impressed by the young server who seemed to understand this valuable lesson of work and reward. It was rather obvious this job was not his career choice and just side work to get him by financially to cover some bills and that his real job was in the College classroom at a local campus preparing himself for his future. Yet the same heart that he put into his future was also being displayed as he served my meal, giving great attention to see to it I was taken care of. There was no problem dropping a healthy tip to this young man because he seemed to value putting in the hard work that would someday lead to being promoted.
It's young men and women like this that show me our future looks so bright. Sure, we'll always have the free-loaders that want to jump on the bandwagon of progress and demand their place just because they put in the time and tried really hard. But when it comes to advancement and promotion one must do more than just show up and try hard. This kind of success requires pulling the all-nighter to be ready for that test and pass. Miami Heat President & General Manager, Pat Riley says it likes this. "Being ready isn't enough; you have to be prepared for a promotion."
By the looks of things in my little corner of the world, I'm seeing more and more of these young adults appear on the stage of life and this year some are graduating from High Schools and Universities across America, and thus deserve to be honored. One of those bright minds is the beautiful, hard-working, Princeton Graduate, Cristina Martinez. I've known this young lady since the day she was born and watched her competitive nature push her to succeed in and out of the classroom throughout her life. Today she stands with the elite of our day. So, to all those who have successfully completed your requirements for graduation, it's time for you to take your bow and enjoy your moment in the sun. You have earned the right to be promoted and that has made so many that love you proud.
Is there a graduate you would like to honor today? Take a minute to share this blog with them and post a congratulatory comment below.
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