The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

“The mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’” ~Isaiah 2:2-3

“There before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb…And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” ~Revelation 7:9-10

You know my dream is to ultimately see our church body at Legacy accurately reflect the uniting force of the Gospel. My vision is that all our Spanish-speaking members and all our deaf members come together to worship our Lord in the same assembly on Sundays. Full integration. Not segregation. The birth, life, teachings, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus breaks down all the barriers between us. It destroys the things that separate us. In Christ there are no divisions, no walls. We’re one. We’re equal. We’re all in the same family. And the family should model that.

So, how do we do this? Is it impossible? Do we keep our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters out in the fellowship hall or tucked away in an upstairs classroom? Or do we sacrifice and bend and give and do whatever it takes to bring them fully into the family?

One of the cover stories in the July Christian Chronicle, “Are Churches Reaching New Americans?” chronicles the efforts of several churches to unite their English and Spanish speaking members into one united body. The trick, it seems, is to realize that language is not a barrier. It’s not easy. It presents challenges. But it’s not impossible.

Daniel Rodriguez, a professor of religion and Hispanic studies at Pepperdine, puts his finger on the fallacy of the language issue. “The fastest growing churches have realized that language is not a barrier. They have recognized how to reach the grandmother who speaks only Spanish and her grandchildren who speak English.”

The Inland Valley Church of Christ in California has about 120 members, 50 of whom speak primarily Spanish. But most everything they do in their assemblies is in English. They provide headsets and live translation. The lyrics to the songs appear on the screens in both languages. One of the Inland Valley ministers, Tom Allen, says, “As we interact, we come to care for each other. When people love each other, they’ll accommodate.”

Wow. That’s the key, right? Instead of focusing on the little differences among us, zeroing in on the huge eternal things we have in common through the blood of Christ Jesus.

I know at the North Davis Church in Arlington, our Lord’s Supper time was bilingual. A prayer and/or Scripture reading in English and in Spanish. Both. Every time. Worshiping together around the common table. Yes.

The foreign-born population in the U.S. is reaching 15-percent. More than one million legal immigrants earn U.S. citizenship every year. Most Hispanic people in Texas my age or younger, and virtually all people the age of my children and younger, speak both English and Spanish. Language is not the barrier.

Is it custom? Is it culture? Is it fear? What is it? I hate to think our schools and our government buildings and our restaurants and our soccer teams and our Wal-Marts and our media can integrate and bring people together better than our Gospel.

Peace,

Allan

If this is what it means to have a daughter in high school, I’m not ready. This is the scene that greeted us when we woke up this morning. I have my suspicions as to the culprits. And even though I can’t write on this blog what they say about paybacks, it doesn’t make it any less true.

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“…I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” ~Ephesians 4:1

“…conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” ~Philippians 1:27

As a response to God’s grace and in imitation of Jesus, we deny our own selfish ambitions and place the interests of others ahead of our own. Jesus emptied himself for our sakes and he became the obedient servant for the Father’s glory. That’s the gospel. And that’s how we live the gospel. The glory of God and the priority of others. Love God and love your neighbor. Jesus says that’s the whole deal. Paul says in Ephesians 4 this is what leads to maturity. This is what leads to “unity in the faith.” Without this mindset, without this focus, we’re still babies.

I’ve tried applying these gospel principles to our Christian assemblies over the past three weeks as we’ve moved together into our new worship center here at Legacy. What this mature mindset means is that, in our assemblies, there’s very little, if anything, that could ever happen that could ever divide us. Our diversity and our differences wouldn’t just be tolerated, they’d be embraced and appreciated, even celebrated.

Whether a person kneels or stands or prostrates himself on the ground in prayer, or adopts the one prayer posture not authorized in Scripture: sitting on one’s rear end…

Whether a person claps his hands or raises his hands or does with his hands the one thing not authorized in Scripture: sits on them…

Whether a person talks and/or sings during the Lord’s Supper or meditates quietly to himself…

Whether a person sings classic hymns that were written 300 years ago or contemporary praise songs that were written three months ago…

Whether a person wears a suit and a tie or shorts and flip-flops…

We are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord and in his death, burial, and resurrection that saves us. We share a common Savior and a common destination. And when we finally and fully grasp that, we will imitate our Lord by making ourselves the least important person in the room.

Planning and conducting and participating in our assemblies is not about finding and conforming to specific regulations found in the New Testament. It’s all about doing what we do in ways that are worthy of the gospel, in ways that proclaim and embody the good news of our Lord and his Kingdom.

John Mark Hicks has written another excellent book about the Christian sacraments. This one, A Gathered People: Revisioning the Assembly as Transforming Encounter, is about our time together in our assemblies. This excerpt is from the final chapter,  ”Contemporary Gatherings: Assembling Worthy of the Gospel.”

“As long as we are regulated by the gospel, we should value diversity as it reaches people beyond the limits of our own settings. But this demands maturity. The gospel calls us to put the interests of others ahead of our own. But this demands mature discipleship. Can we tolerate different tastes and styles even when we do not like them? Can we vary our styles out of respect for what touches the heart of another even if it does not touch ours? Can we appreciate what a particular style does for one even though it is not as meaningful to us? Can we practice what is uncomfortable for us for the sake of the other?

The gospel demands that we do because Jesus himself endured great discomfort—to put it mildly—for our sakes. As disciples of Jesus, we must follow him into that kind of discomfort, even suffering. To say that we must ’suffer through’ a particular song for the sake of another trivializes the cross of Christ but to deny that song to others simply on the basis of our own comfort and tradition is to reject the cross of Christ for narcissism.”

Wow. The Father certainly poured a whole lot into our laps with these assemblies. It’s almost like he wants us to practice getting along together.

God’s gift of unity means we belong to each other. We are part of each other. Living worthy of the calling, making every effort requires an eagerness to think about one another, to serve one another, to love one another, to build up one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to submit to one another, and encourage one another.

Even in our assemblies.

Especially in our assemblies.

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School Bells! School Bells! I got to sing the Stanglin’s traditional first day of school song to wake up not three but four girls this morning. Four girls at four different campuses (help me, is it campi?) now. Huge backpacks. Sack lunches. Combination lockers. P.E. New friends. New teachers. And now Carrie-Anne’s right in the middle of it, too. I’m pulling taxi duty two days a week now. I’ve always been the one to haul the kids to school in the mornings. But Carrie-Anne’s always picked them up. Until now. On Mondays and Wednesdays it’s me. This afternoon it took me 65-minutes to leave the church building and make it home with all three. I’m hoping that’s just first day traffic. C-A has her first math, history, and art appreciation classes today. It’s going to be an interesting year. We’ve begun yet another little leg of our journey together.

Peace,

Allan

“…live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” ~Ephesians 4:1-3

The Gospel of salvation from God in Christ Jesus unites us. It seeks to save all people and it brings together all people. People from different backgrounds and different cultures, with different mindsets and different gifts and different views and different styles are all called together in Christ. A quick glance at Romans 12 tells us clearly that God creates our differences. In fact, it’s our differences that make the Body of Christ, his Church, what it is. It wouldn’t be very functional as a body if we were all the same.

And this diversity among us should not only be tolerated, it should be embraced and appreciated—even celebrated.

This divinely-ordained diversity is expressed in many ways by our different styles and preferences in corporate worship. Whether we kneel, stand, or protrate ourselves on the floor to pray (or whether we prefer the ONLY prayer posture not mentioned in Scripture: sitting on our rear-ends in padded pews); whether we go to the front to eat the bread and drink the cup or stay in our seats; whether we sing new songs or old ones; whether we dress formally or informally; these are all matters of cultural and traditional diversity. And if our assemblies are truly regulated by the Gospel, that diversity will be valued by God’s people.

The Gospel calls us to, by imitating Jesus, put the interests of others above our own. Even in our assemblies. Maybe especially in our assemblies. That takes maturity. Spiritual maturity. But if we’re living a life worthy of the calling….

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David and Olivia Nelson are our missionaries to the Ukraine. They’ll be leaving October 13 for a six-year commitment to taking the Gospel of Jesus to Eastern Europe. Here’s a link to their blog: http://www.daveandliv.blogspot.com/

Cory and Emily Mullins are our missionaries to Australia. They’re leaving in November for a similar six-year commitment to spreading the Kingdom of our Father to the ends of the earth. You can read their blog here: http://www.mullinsmission.blogspot.com/

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It’s the last weekend before school starts for everybody Monday. We’re going to pray for all our school kids during our assembly here at Legacy Sunday morning. Then our Small Group is going to join our Legacy teens and parents in going to all the different school campuses here locally and praying on those sites Sunday afternoon. There’s a big back-to-school bash in the church gym later Sunday. And then I guess we go home and start bagging up and labeling school supplies.

For the first time this fall, we’ll have three girls at three different campuses (campi?). Whitney starts high school at Richland. Valerie’s beginning middle school at North Ridge. And Carley’s still at Green Valley Elementary. I’m sorry, make that FOUR girls at four different locations. Carrie-Anne’s going back to school, too. When we got married she lacked a semester and a half in getting her degree. We just assumed we’d get that done pretty quickly. Here, almost 19 years later, she’s going to do it. A semester at Tarrant County College. And then another semester at Texas Women’s University in Denton. She’s up there right now today meeting with her counselor. She’s very excited. And I’m very proud of her. So Monday it’s four backpacks and four sets of school supplies and four sack lunches. And I get to sing “School Bells” Monday morning to four of my girls, not just three.

Peace,

Allan

“Our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens.” ~Ezra 9:6

“We have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.” ~Daniel 9:5

“On that day they fasted and there they confessed, ‘We have sinned against the Lord.’” ~1 Samuel 7:6

This past Sunday, in our brand new sparkling beautiful immaculate impressive worship center, seven people put on their Lord Jesus in baptism. They were born again. They were created all over again to walk in newness of life with our God. Five families, 14 people total, placed their membership with the Legacy Church of Christ. They, too, were beginning again. Rededication. Recommitment. Re-focus. There were many of us in this new building who are feeling a strong sense of re-birth. Starting over. Like New Year’s Day, we sit around and eat black-eyed peas and promise to do things differently from this point forward. Like buying a new car and lecturing the kids about food and drinks and Taco Bueno cinnamon chips. Starting over.

Ebenezer. 1 Samuel 7.

Our new building can certainly serve—no, it WILL serve—as an Ebenezer for the Legacy church family. By God’s help we have come this far. We are where we are because of our God’s power, because of his grace. He’s brought us to this point. Just like Kent and the McDowells and the Holts always point back to the Cox’s garage in 1959, from here on out we’re going to point back to August 2008 and say, “That’s where things started again. That’s where the transition really kicked in. Remember that?”

(Jim McDoniel said Sunday the reason we can’t write “Ebenezer” real big on the outside of the new building is that Russ or Cordelia would have a stroke. The real reason is that the City of North Richland Hills would require 19 permits and a special election.)

In our Holy Scriptures we see that everytime God’s people are at a real turning point, everytime they start over, everytime they seek God anew, everytime they’re asking God for a deepening of the covenant relationship, it begins with a time of corporate confession. An intentional time of corporate, congregational confession and repentance before God. A public acknowledgement of sins committed, not by individuals, by the entire body of God’s people. 1 Samuel 7. Ezra 9. Daniel 9. Corporate sin. Corporate confession.

We did this last night in Oasis. In the brand new worship center, we listed together, out loud, the sins of the Legacy Church of Christ. I just asked the group in there to start naming them. And they did.

Pride.
Apathy to God’s mission to save the lost.
Prejudice.
Racism.
Materialism.
The desire to be a big church.
Tolerance of sin in the body.
Apathy toward social justice.
Self-reliance.
Selfishness. A Me-Church attitude.
Trying to be like everybody else.

There were still a dozen hands raised when I cut it off.

And we prayed. One of our elders, David Watson, lifted everyone of those Legacy church sins to our Father in prayer. All of them. He confessed them—our past and present sins—on behalf of the whole church. Then we sang together “Just As I Am” and “I Am Mine No More.” and then another of our elders, Gordon Lowry, prayed a prayer of repentance for the church. Turning wholly away from the sins and turning fully toward God as the only source of our forgiveness and strength and renewal. And then we closed with another of our elders, Bill Baker, thanking God for his forgiveness and for his love and for redeeming us, even in our sins.

Wow.

What a night. Paul says it’s God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. Not confessing, not repenting, shows contempt for God’s kindness and tolerance and patience. Those are the very things that lead us to confess and repent.

We’re promised by our God over and over again in Scripture that if we confess and repent, if we admit our sins, if we turn from our former ways and destroy completely the things in our lives that contribute to our sins, if we have a complete change in attitude and determine with all our hearts to turn fully to our Lord, he promises to restore us and forgive us and cleanse us and reconcile us to a perfect relationship with him. And he promises a renewed sense of unity and peace among us.

May we from this point forward turn away from our sins and turn fully to God. And may our Father bring to us his boundless mercies and limitless grace.

Peace,

Allan

Preseason Poll August 20, 2008

1. Georgia (304 total, 8 1st place) “must play LSU, Auburn, and ‘Bama in SEC West” ~A.G.
2. USC (300, 5)
3. Ohio State (265, 2) “Buckeyes will run the table after losing to USC” ~A.G.
4. Oklahoma (255) “Overrated, as usual” ~M.D.
5. LSU (234, 2) “Only if little Matt decides he wants to be a real QB. I’m not sold yet.” ~J.G.
6. Florida (232)
7. Missouri (205)
8. Texas (192) “Go, Colt!” ~J.G.
9. West Virginia (172) “Weak schedule” ~A.G.
10. Auburn (163)
11. Kansas (135) “Jayhawks were a fluke last year. They’ll be a fluke this year, too.” ~M.D.
12. Clemson (141)
13. Wisconsin (134)
13. Virginia Tech (134)
15. Tennessee (94) “Yawn…SEC” ~J.R.
15. Texas Tech (94) “Needs more respect…and a defense” ~M.H.
17. Arizona State (62) “Keep feeding Trinity H.S. ‘05 State Champion running back Dimitri Nance!” ~J.R.
18. BYU (48) “Lucky to be in the MWC” ~M.D.
19. Illinois (29)
20. Oregon (22) “Those crazy Nike unis getting some love” ~M.H.

Also receiving votes: UT-Arlington  (20) “If we make them the #1 team in the country, they’ll have to give them a football team” ~T.S.; Michigan (19); Penn State (12) “In honor of Joe Paterno’s 120th year of coaching” ~D.B.; South Florida (9); UCLA (11) M.R. voted for them twice; Boston College (10); Cincinnati (6); Alabama (4).

Click on the green “KK&C Top 20″ tab in the upper right hand corner of this page to see the complete poll and pictures and bios and links to all 20 of our pollsters. I haven’t figured out how to record comments on that page. So any of your observations will have to be made here by clicking the regular “comments” line. The first regular season poll will be released Tuesday September 2.

Peace,

Allan

David Hunter’s wife, Denise, died Sunday. The funeral is Thursday morning in Robinson. Our Father tells us through his prophet Isaiah, “I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (46:4). May our God carry David and his two children through this dark, dark valley. May he grant them his peace and comfort. And may he use his people—us—to reach out to them with his love and mercies.

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Further reflections on this past Sunday at Legacy — There was so much anticipation, so much build up, so much expectation going in to that first assembly in the new building, it wouldn’t have mattered what happened in there, most everybody was going to come out feeling great. Everything was going to be positive. Everything was going to be fabulous. It would have been impossible to mess it up, even if we had been trying. Everybody’s expectations were that it was going to be great. Everybody had already decided it was going to be wonderful, months before it ever happened.

And it was. It was wonderful. Microphones were off when they should have been on and they were left on when they should have been off. Communion servers missed rows. The baptistry water was freezing cold. The PowerPoint slides weren’t all up at the times they should have been. I was so totally disoriented, I’m not sure what I said or how I said it. Yet, it was fantastic. It was amazing. And I can’t help but think a ton of that has to do with our mindsets going in. It was going to be wonderful no matter what happened. We had already made up our minds.

Bingo.

Can’t we all, everyone of us, go into this coming Sunday, and the next Sunday, and the Sunday after that, and even the Sundays to come next month and next year and five years from now with the exact same level of anticipation and enthusiasm? Shouldn’t we? Next Sunday there will be more visitors to meet. Next Sunday there will be more Legacy members to greet. Next Sunday our God is going to work in and through our assembly to bless us and shape us into the image of his Son. So why wouldn’t we go into next Sunday the same way we went into this one? No matter what happens during the service, I’m convinced even before it begins that it’s going to be wonderful and I’m going to be blessed by gathering in the presence of God and one another. Why wouldn’t that be the attitude every single week?

Sunday, we looked at how our Christian assemblies transcend time and space. We’re not in this room, we’re not in the worship center. When we’re together, we’re at Mt. Zion, gathered around the throne of our God with all the saints for all time, those who’ve gone before and those who are coming after. We’re in the future. We see the future. We experience the future when we’re together like this. It really is heaven on earth. The singing really is that good.

On Sunday, we joined the future. When we assemble together, we see the future, we experience the future. And we’re strengthened to live in the present because we’ve experienced the future. And we live and act in the present as if the future’s already come. Because for us, it has.

We don’t have to wait for the sweet by and by to experience the transforming presence of God. In the hallowed here and now we enter his throne room together along with all the saints of every age.

May God’s people assemble in our new building in spirit and truth for generations to come. And may our understanding of our assemblies always be shaped by the realities of the eternal Kingdom of our God.

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I was so disoriented Sunday. I never knew whether I was coming or going. The whole thing was so strange. Nothing normal about any of it. And it was much more than just being in a new building. I’ve certainly preached before in strange new settings. What made it weird was that it was all the people I know and love, but nobody was where they belonged. I’ve become very used to looking in certain places and seeing certain people. I know where to look to find the people who are always paying attention and nodding encouragement to me. And I know where to find the people who are just nodding. I know where my good friends are and where the people are I don’t know that well. I know where each of our elders can be found. I know where Carrie-Anne and the girls are. For 14 months now I’ve been accustomed to knowing where everybody is. Until Sunday. Nobody was where they were supposed to be. Everybody was with different people. In different places. This was my church family. But it was like the room had been turned upside down. Very strange. I never got my bearings. I hope it’s a little different this next Sunday.

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I’m humbled by all this. I’ve thought it many times before, it was running through my head all day Saturday, and the thought was overwhelming me Sunday morning: what in the world am I doing here? This church has really messed up by ordaining me as their preacher. They have no clue how far in over my head I am. If they only knew how terrified I am by all this. I don’t belong here. It’s too big. It’s too important. I’m too weak. I’m too small. This doesn’t fit. I’ll be exposed any day now for the fraud I really am. And those thoughts drive me to the floor on my knees. God, if you don’t show up, I’m not showing up. Ever. I can’t do this. You have to do this. It’s all on you, Lord; every bit of it.

And he’s there every time. Every single time. He’s never missed. And it never ceases to blow me away.

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Here it is! Here’s the official logo for The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys Top 20 College Football Poll. We received a grand total of 6 votes. One vote for David Watson’s “Football Pole” design. Of course, that vote shouldn’t really count because the one casting that vote didn’t even get the joke. Brittany Bankhead-Kendall’s entry received no votes. Sorry, girl. I’m not sure why. I appreciate your effort, though, because it seemed to really get the ball rolling. The other five votes went to Scott Beard’s inspirational design. Scott’s imaginative scheme combines the rich imagery of a football player preparing mentally for the physical battle that faces him in the heart of the trenches—where, as we know, all football games are won or lost—with bold lines and striking attention to detail that paint a complete portrait of the paradox of the game: artistic brutality; violent ballet; a symphony of collisions with all the drama of a month’s worth of soap opera Fridays. So, here it is.

Congratulations to Scott Beard!

The KK&C Top 20 Preseason Poll will be released first thing tomorrow morning.

Peace,

Allan

I’m wholly incapable of adequately describing what happened yesterday here at Legacy—this day that this church family has been looking forward to for eight years. Brand new worship center. Brand new assembly time. One single morning assembly instead of two. Huge fellowship meal. Energy. Excitement. Enthusiasm. Anticipation. It kept building and building. And we kept planning and planning. Committee meetings. Sub-committee meetings. Informal, out in the parking lot, late night meetings. New bulletin format. New maps. New parking directions. New Small Groups handouts. New signs. A/V training. Practice runs. Ushers. Greeters. A communion table! Printing and folding and copying. Sweeping and dusting and painting. Planting and trimming and moving. Who’s leading what prayers? Who’s reading the Scriptures? Who’s presiding over the table? What songs will we sing? How many? What order? Is that your microphone or mine? Who’s closing the service? Call to worship. Benediction. Planning. Planning. Planning.

And then our Almighty God showed up and trumped everything. Everything.

Our Father showed us in powerful ways yesterday that he is still forgiving sins, he’s still saving souls, and he’s still robbing hell. He’s still reconciling people and redeeming all of creation back to himself. And yesterday we wound up right in the big fat middle of it. Seven of God’s children were baptized into the sin-forgiving and life-saving blood of Jesus yesterday. Five families announced their intentions of joining Legacy’s branch of God’s Kingdom here on earth. 1,349 of us lifted our voices and our hearts together in song to our Creator. We prayed together. We recited the Holy Scriptures together. We ate fried chicken together. We were perfectly united in spirit and in purpose. And when 3:45 pm rolled around, after the last cookie had been eaten and the last table cloth wadded up and thrown in the trash, it was almost like nobody wanted to leave.

I’ll have much more to write about tomorrow. I’m still in a bit of a fog as to what exactly happened yesterday. I’m still unclear as to some of the details. But it was good. It was all very, very good.

Peace,

Allan

“When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present…” ~1 Corinthians

“I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord.
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.” ~Psalm 40:9-10

“Praise the Lord in the great congregation;
praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.” ~Psalm 68:26

“On the day which is called Sunday we have a common assembly of all who live in the cities or in the outlying districts, and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the Prophets are read, as long as there is time. Then, when the reader has finished, the president of the assembly verbally admonishes and invites all to imitate such examples of virtue. Then we all stand up together and offer up our prayers, and, as we said before, after we finish our prayers, bread and wine and water are presented. He who presides likewise offers up prayers and thanksgivings, to the best of his ability, and the people express their approval by saying ‘Amen.’ The Eucharistic elements are distributed and consumed by those present, and to those who are absent they are sent through the deacons. The wealthy, if they wish, contribute whatever they desire, and the collection is placed in the custody of the president. With it he helps the orphans and widows, those who are needy because of sickness or any other reason, and the captives and strangers in our midst; in short, he takes care of all those in need. Sunday, indeed, is the day on which we hold our common assembly because it is the day on which God, transforming the darkness and matter, created the world; and our Savior Jesus Christ arose from the dead on the same day.” ~Justin Martyr, 155 C.E.

“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.” ~Psalm 29:2, 11 

“We come together for a meeting and a congregation, in order to beseige God with prayers…We assemble for the consideration of the Holy Scriptures, to see if the circumstances of the present times demand that we look ahead or reflect. Certainly, we nourish our faith with holy conversation, we uplift our hope, we strengthen our trust, intensifying our discipline at the same time by the inculcation of moral precepts. At the same occasion, there are words of encouragement, of correction, of holy censure.” ~Tertullian, 197 C.E.

“The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness, too, in the assembly of the holy ones.” ~Psalm 89:5

“Here, indeed, we have no earthly holy place, framed and adorned by human hands; no inner temple veiled in mysterious sanctity; no golden emblems of the regalia of heaven; no blinding light of glory beaming forth from between the cherubims; but we have the assembly of the saints; the congregation of the Lord; the body of Christ animated by his Spirit; the ordinances of divine service revealing, publishing, commemorating the love of God to men; the holy privilege of drawing near to God in concert with those who have obtained like precious faith with us; the unveiled spiritual glories of the reign of heaven; the light of life; the joys of love divine.” ~Robert Richardson, 1847

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” ~Hebrews 10:19-25

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to songbooks…

It’s a little bit after 10:30 Friday night. I just sat back down in my study after spending almost an hour in the worship center listening to my church family read from God’s Holy Scriptures. Carrie-Anne and the girls and I read together from noon to 12:30 today from the middle parts of 2 Chronicles. I read the account of Jehoram in chapter 21. Carrie-Anne followed with chapter 22’s story of Ahaziah. Then Whitney, Valerie, and Carley in order. Whitney gave a stirring rendition of the execution of Athaliah, Valerie’s going to have nightmares tonight about the pronunciation of Jehoiada, and Carley got totally beaten down by almost everything in chapter 25. You can tell by the picture. The look on Carley’s face, especially on the big screen in the upper right hand corner, and her posture are saying, “What am I doing here? How much longer?” Even Siller, whose family was up next, is showing his concern. What a terrific experience, though, reading the Word of God together as a family, filling the new building with Scripture. I’ll never forget it. And I hope the girls won’t either.

I’m not getting as much work done the past two days because I can’t help but walk over into the new worship center to listen in on the readings. I started my morning listening to Bill Crawford and Jim McDoniel take us from 2 Kings into 1 Chronicles. What a relief to watch even Jim struggle with impossible names. He even chuckled at himself once or twice. I’ve been privileged today to listen to older ladies who’ve been here forever and young men who’ve been here less than a year. Senior citizens and little kids. People who are involved in almost every program in this church. And others who don’t seem to be involved in much of anything, but who obviously share a deep love for our Father’s Word. It’s so moving to listen to Bonnie Bell read from Psalm 38: “I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart.” Realizing her physical condition, knowing the real pain she lives with every minute of every day, it’s heart-breaking watching her read this. And then she reads from Psalm 42: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” And I know she does. Every day. Wow.

As emotionally stirring as it is to participate with Bonnie as she reads from the Psalms, it’s funny to watch Russell Mihills read from Proverbs 16: “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.”

We’re into Ecclesiastes right now. Our Singles group here at Legacy is reading together from 10:00 to midnight. Then they’re going to IHOP. To start planning their next foreign missions trip. I told Jesse and Pam as I left, it seems like every month I hear about that group doing something or I see them doing something that inspires me. They inspire the whole church. They embody the Gospel as they serve each other and our whole church family.

Sometimes there are a dozen or so people in the new worship center listening to the reading. Sometimes the place is completely empty except for the one person at the microphone. Some sit at the back. Some sit at the front. Some seem to be praying silently. Some seem to be soaking in every single syllable. Some are just there out of curiosity. But all are greeted with smiles and hugs and pats on the back. This Legacy Bible Reading is truly a spectacular event. I encourage you to check it out. I’d suggest setting aside 30 minutes sometime between now and Sunday morning. Make sure you listen to at least three different people read in their 15-minute shifts. Do it right when you wake up. Stop by while you’re shopping or running errands. I promise you’ll be glad you did.

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There are over 960 people signed up and already PAID up for the fellowship lunch after our worship assembly Sunday! 960! Are you kidding me? That doesn’t include those who forgot to register. That doesn’t include our visitors who are welcome to stay and eat with us as our guests. And it feels like everybody’s bringing visitors. Good gravy, we may have over 1,500 people in our new worship center Sunday. We may have to put chairs in the aisles and in the foyer. We may have people sitting on the stage. It may be a couple of weeks before anybody gets “their pew.” We may have to go to two services THIS Sunday!

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I can almost hear the sounds of dribbling basketballs and squeaking sneakers in the Legacy gym.

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There will be at least eight baptisms here Sunday. At least eight. Manuel is baptizing a Spanish-speaking father and son he’s been studying with for a couple of months. A charter member grandfather is baptizing his grandson. Three more dads are baptizing their children. A great friend is baptizing another great friend. And it looks like I’m honored to baptize one of our little guys, too. Three of these eight are directly related to the Faith Builders Day Camp we taught this week. Although all three of those young people have been talking to their parents about this decision for several months now. We stopped the Legacy Bible Reading late last night long enough for Jerry Karels to baptize his son, Carter, in front of all our Bible readers and the Legacy Youth Group who had just returned from Summer Youth Series. What a powerful and amazing God we serve! He is still today, right now, forgiving sins and saving souls and robbing hell. And we’re right in the big middle of it. Awesome. We only have two sets of waders in the baptistry. Help.

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We’re going to invite all the families and friends of the ones being baptized to gather on the stage area around the baptistry to witness the new birth up close. That stage is way big enough to accomodate probably 100 people. The baptizee’s Small Group. Relatives. Bible School teachers. Friends. Anybody who wants to participate, we’ll ask to join us on the stage. And then the whole church family—all 1,500 of us—will recite Colossians 3:1-4 to each new Christian as he/she comes up out of the water: “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory.” Won’t that be great? A congregational blessing. A real family affair. We’re also going to start putting the video of every single baptism on our church website. And John’s working on a way to, not only watch the videos, but write a note of encouragement to each new brother and sister.

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David Hunter left me a phone message at about 5:00 this afternoon. The news for his wife, Denise, is worse than it was this morning (see previous post). It’s not good. Four times in a two-minute message, David said, “It’s not good.” She’s on a ventilator. She’s still unconscious. Not responsive. Hardly any blood getting to her brain at all. And David just asked that we keep praying. And I’m asking, too. I saw Randy and Jamie at the Bible reading earlier this evening. They asked how Denise was and told me they were praying for her. I forget people read this blog. I never forget how kind my Christian brothers and sisters are.

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A couple of more pictures from the cross-raising ceremony yesterday morning.

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We’re surrounded by all this “newness.” New building. New carpet. New pews. New paint. New smells. New feel. What a perfect time to re”new” our dedication to Christ and to his mission as well as our commitments to his Church and to each other. Our Father is overwhelming us with “more than all we ask or imagine.” May our hearts overflow with gratitude and may our lives reflect his glory.

Peace,

Allan

I’ve got more pictures, more personal reflection, and even a challenge or two I want to throw out there to you before this day is over. But, first, I want to share with you this thing that’s killing me right now….

Amid all the excitement and energy and enthusiasm of this week, all the hustle and bustle, all the ceremonies and dedications, all the special bulletins and articles, all the planning, all the people, all the anticipation, I’m devastated by news I received early this morning. David Hunter, the preacher at the Robinson Church of Christ just south of Waco, is walking through a dark, dark valley right now.

David is in our group of ten preachers who meet once a month down in Waco at the Crestview church. Around here I refer to our group as the “Waco Alliance.” We spend that day every month praying together, studying the Word together, and sharing with each other the ups and downs of life as congregational preachers. David’s one of these guys with a sly, dry sense of humor. Almost every single thing out of his mouth is funny. You just have to be paying close attention to get it. Always upbeat. Always positive. He’s preached longer than any of us in the room. And he’s seen more and experienced more than any of us. And he never has a negative word to say. About anything. We all share the normal frustrations that come with being preachers. People. Attitudes. Roadblocks. Politics. And every time we come to David, he tells us he doesn’t have anything bad or negative going on his life. No struggles. No confusion. No problems. Of course, he makes the occasional joke about an elders’ meeting—that’s a requirement. But he always seems almost embarrassed to admit to us that his life is great, everybody’s healthy, everybody’s good, everything’s wonderful, and God is blessing him abundantly. He has a beautiful wife. Outstanding son at Pepperdine. Wonderful daughter beginning her freshman year at ACU. Perfect.

I’ve always believed his attitude comes from his time in the Word and in the Church. He sees the big picture, maybe, better than anybody else in the room. He’s able to step back and survey the landscape and see our God forgiving sins and saving souls and robbing hell. Instead of the mess that sometimes clouds my vision, all he sees is God healing people and restoring people and using people to redeem the world. I’ve come away from every meeting of the Waco Alliance wishing David were closer than two hours away. 

His wife, Denise, suffered a major stroke late Wednesday night. She’s 48. She’s thin. She’s in great shape. She runs two miles a day. There’s no history of this anywhere in her family. But she’s in trouble. The news yesterday was bad. Lots of brain issues. Parts of the left side of her brain are dead. Other parts have experienced damage. Significant swelling everywhere. She’s still unconscious and unresponsive. The neurologist told David yesterday Denise would have “significant impairment for the rest of her life.” Last night David acknowledged to us that, regardless of the outcome, there was a long, long road ahead. He was optimistic that most of the swelling would go down this weekend and most of her brain would resume its normal activity.

It got a lot worse overnight. David was in the middle of an email this morning, trying to update all of us at once, and the email abruptly ended this way: “…I have to stop for now. Just got a call from the neurologist…it’s not good. She’s taken a turn for the worse, her swelling increased during the night and they are putting her on a ventilator.” 

I just got off the phone with Jim Martin, the preacher at the Crestview church who put our little group together. It’s not good. David’s asking that we pray. I’ve been praying for David and Denise and their kids since yesterday. Please join me in lifting this great family up to our loving Father.

In our Oasis class here Wednesday night we talked about how, in the middle of all the excitement and optimism and enthusiasm of our new building and all the activities that go with it, we are still surrounded by people who are hurting. People who are in a very, very dark place. People maybe right next to us. My friend David is there. Please pray for them.

“Hear my prayer, O Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
In the day of my trouble I will call to you,
for you will answer me. ~Psalm 86:6-7