The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

These are the words that popped up on my screen at just after 4:00 this afternoon. These were the triumphal words chosen by the family and friends of Jenny Bizaillion to communicate to their thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ who have been as united by her illness and struggle for life as they are by the blood of the Lamb that Jenny died today at 3:38pm.

I don’t understand it. I don’t get it at all. I don’t pretend to know why our God allows such a thing as this to happen. Why do horrible things happen to wonderful people? I don’t know. Why do great things happen to lousy people? I don’t know that either. Neither did Habakkuk.

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

As long as I live, I’ll never ever forget the faith and the strength shown by Rick and Beverly and Josh and Jonathan and their families during this very difficult ordeal. I pray that I would show half the faith in a similar circumstance. I also pray that nobody ever has to endure a circumstance like this. I’ll always remember David’s courage and endurance and steadfastness in caring for his sweet wife and their precious daughter. Tirelessly. Loyally. Faithfully. I was sitting quietly with Rick and Beverly Saturday afternoon when David emerged from Jenny’s room to go watch Malaya play in a church league ball game. He had been working with Jenny’s legs and knees, doing everything the doctors and therapists said needed to be done following the Wednesday amputations.

Hug your kids today. Kiss your spouse tonight. Call your parents. Express your love. Show your appreciation. And then get down on your knees and face and thank God for the wonderful people he’s put in your life.

Like the Rosses. And David. And Jenny Biz.

While you’re down there, pray for these families. Pray for our merciful Father to bless them each with his grace and comfort and peace.

“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.
In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’”

Peace,

Allan

We just finished up our “Anchors” series this past Sunday morning with the climactic foundational truth that God wins! This is the one that gives us the most assurance in times of trouble. Our confidence in the face of suffering and trials comes in this final anchor. This is the strong characteristic of our God’s eternal nature that we hang on to as we walk through the dark valleys of this life.

We know that God wins.

At the end of the last book of the Bible we’re given a clear picture of the culmination of God’s eternal plans for his people. Revelation 21 tells us of the new heaven and new earth. The sea that separates heaven and earth has disappeared. We behold the “new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God” to unite with this world and purify it of all its brokenness and imperfection. God and man now dwell with one another forever. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Someday the whole world will be healed as it is drawn into the fullness of God’s glory. Evil will be destroyed and all the potential of creation will explode in eternal beauty. Heaven and earth become brand new. And one. Again.

And the pains of this life will be wiped away forever. Totally forgotten. “The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17)

God created us for eternal life. Eternal communion. Eternal fellowship. Sin and death are alien invaders. Evil and suffering don’t belong. And they will not win.

God wins. God always wins. And it’s always a blow-out. When he brought his people out of Egypt the final score was: God - two million to nothing. God uses a woman with a glass of warm milk and a tent peg to crush the head of Sisera. God uses a scrawny little kid with a lunch basket and a sling shot to crush the head of Goliath. He brings down the walls of the oldest and biggest city in Canaan with a few trumpets. We see it in all the Old Testament stories of salvation and deliverance. We see it in Jesus’ great miracles and in his Resurrection. And we see it in our Lord’s revelation to John. God wins. And — praise God! — by your relationship with him through his Son, so do you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m a bigger TCU fan right now than I’ve ever been. In the face of this BCS travesty, Gary Patterson is showing tremendous restraint and honor in taking the high road with college football. He’s not saying anything. But what happened to his Horned Frogs Sunday is nothing short of a shame for everybody involved. By pairing up TCU and Boise in a rematch from last year, the big BCS powers have guaranteed that neither school will make any noise during the postseason. Outside Tarrant County and Idaho, who really wants to watch the Frogs and Boise State?

The undeniable truth is that TCU could completely wreck the collusion and totally destroy the backroom BCS buddy-system by losing to Florida or Ohio State by single digits (very likely). Heaven forbid they should actually beat the Gators or Buckeyes (possible). But even if they demolish Boise’s Broncos by 75 (bet on it), it won’t even cause a ripple.

“Who cares? They beat Boise! Big deal!”

The uglier truth is that if Colt McCoy had waited just one more second before launching that ball out of bounds or if that ball off the Longhorns’ kicker had not straightened out and nudged through the left upright, TCU still wouldn’t have been slotted against Alabama in Pasadena. The BCS would have given us a back-to-back Tide vs. Florida rematch first. Without even blinking.

It’s not fair. TCU is as high as they can possibly go in college football under this current system. Duke and Connecticut can win basketball titles. Fresno State and Rice can win baseball championships. Because every other sport at every other level in the history of the world has a real playoff to determine its best team. A good team with a good coach that really comes together to do something good by out-playing and out-coaching the others has a fair postseason shot at everybody else in every other sport. But not college football. It doesn’t matter what TCU does or how badly they beat everybody who will play them, they are as high as they can go. Because they won’t be given the opportunity to beat anybody else.

The entire rest of the world, every football fan and TV executive in the country, would much rather watch TCU and Florida or TCU and Ohio State. Everybody except Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel. And the commissioners of the Big XII, SEC, Pac-10, Big 10, and Big East Conferences.

It’s not right.

Go Frogs.

Allan

My kids run to me all the time. They run to me when I get home from work in the afternoons. They scream from upstairs and from the living room, from the dining room table and the computer room. Wherever they are they yell, “Daddy!” And they usually come running. Wow. I love that.

They run to me when they want to go to Sonic to get a Dr Pepper float. When they want to play, they come to me. When they want to spend the night at a friend’s house, they run to me. When they’ve learned a new trick or made a good grade, when they have a difficult question or a problem at school, my daughters come to me.

But when they get hurt…..

…they go to their mother.

When they skin their knee, they go to their mother. When they’re sick, they go to their mother. When they have a fight with a friend, when they don’t make the team, when they smash a finger in a kitchen drawer, they run to mom.

Because they know how I am. “Suck it up, girl! Let’s go! What? Are you crying? Come on! I’ve had bigger scratches on my eyelid! Walk it off! Rub some dirt on it! What’s the matter with you?”

When children are hurt they go to their mother. Physical pain. Emotional pain. When it’s deep and it’s real, they go to mom. Because mother will meet you with a Band-Aid. Mother has a hug. Mother wipes away all the tears. Mother will just hold you and kiss you and carry you. Mother always knows exactly what you need. A mother’s love is warmer. It’s more sensitive. It’s more in tune. When you’re really hurting, you need your mother.

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you.” ~Isaiah 66:13

Have you ever pictured God as a mother? God does.

When God’s people are at their lowest — the temple’s destroyed, the holy city is in ruins, they’re scattered in exile, they’re experiencing deep separation, pain, loneliness, and despair; when the only memories they have are bad and the only future they have is bleak — God says, “I will hold you and comfort you. Just like a mom. I have borne you and I will love you forever. Just like a mom.”

In Isaiah 49, God’s people say, “The Lord has forsaken me. The Lord has forgotten me.” And God replies, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!”

And that’s reason for joy.

“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion
on his afflicted ones.” ~Isaiah 49:13

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An emailed comment from a loyal reader regarding last week’s picture of the 24 elders from Revelation 4-5 casting their crowns down at the heavenly throne: “Great comments, awful picture. Old white guys as elders? Really?”

OK, that’s fair. You got me. I’ll forever stand on the biblical picture of elders being old(er) and guys. There’s no debating that. Ever. But you’re absolutely right on the absurdity of all 24 elders being white. That doesn’t hardly capture the revelation of Christ as these elders representing ”every tribe and language and people and nation.” Not at all.

Sorry. Good catch.

If anyone can email me a picture or a link to a picture which represents the elders around the throne as from every color and language and nation, please do.  

Peace,

Allan

Why doesn’t the roadrunner ever die? I’ve watched the coyote chase him all over the desert, I’ve seen him ALMOST caught by the coyote a million times, I’ve seen him in countless situations that look impossible to escape, but I’ve never seen him die. He always lives. Why?

It’s not because the coyote is inept. He’s a genius. It says so right on his business card.

The roadrunner never dies because the roadrunner has an agreement with the writer.

The writer has already determined that the roadrunner will never die. Regardless of how many trips the coyote makes to the ACME dry goods store, no matter how many rocket launchers and catapults and gallons of invisible paint are purchased, despite the coyote’s hours and hours of planning and scheming, the writer has decided the roadrunner will always win and the coyote will always lose.

Jesus says in John 8:51, “I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.”

See, our Savior holds the power of life and death in his hands. He is the Creator of life. He is the master over death. He’s defeated death in his Resurrection. Death has nothing on our Lord. He obliterated death and reversed death’s effects. And he promises us that if we believe his claims and keep his word, we will never die.

If we truly believe it, our lives will show it. Our attitudes will reflect it. The ways we deal with people and events and circumstances will prove it. The way we handle financial crises and health issues and death and disease will testify to our life in Christ. God’s Son personifies life and victory and resurrection as powerful realities for his children. Death is not the bottom line for us. Death is not the final word. Christ Jesus is the ultimate power with the ultimate authority. And he always writes the last chapter.

It’s good to have an arrangement with the writer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Hollingsworth, one of our newer members here at Legacy, is seeing sermon illustrations in her back yard. Our focus this past Sunday on the holy stumps and the holy seed and the salvation shoot prompted Mary to email me yesterday with a couple of pictures and this message:

“Last year a tornado in Bedford broke two of our huge oak trees in half, leaving only stumps. We thought they were toast and gone forever, which broke our hearts because we’re tree huggers to the core. I’m happy to say that we were wrong. Both stumps are now growing like crazy. ‘A new branch will grow from a stump of a tree.’ It’s still happening! And even though I know the Root of Jesse has already come, he does promise to come again. Perhaps these new branches are good reminders for us to keep growing, in spite of tough times, and be ready when he appears again.”

Thank you, Mary, for the pictures and the reminders.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are 66 days left until the Cowboys kick off their 50th NFL football season in Tampa Bay against the Bucs. And to get us there, we’re counting it down with the Red Ribbon Review. We’re honoring the runners-up, the almost-weres, the also rans, the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number.

Today’s #66 is versatile offensive lineman Kevin Gogan. A bargain as an eighth round pick (206th overall) in 1987, Gogan toughed it out through those last two horrible Tom Landry seasons and the transitional phase into the Jerry Wayne Era, resulting in two Super Bowl rings and a huge fat contract with the Oakland Raiders. Gogan spent seven years in Dallas, but he got all his Pro Bowls and national recognition with the 49ers. At one point late in his career, Sports Illustrated put Gogan on the cover of an issue dedicated to dirty players in the NFL. Again, in a 49ers uniform. Still, he beats out Burton Lawless and Jesse Baker. He’s the second-best ever.

Beep-Beep,

Allan

Our younger children sing a fun song — one of those with hand motions and everything — about the enormity of our God.

“My God is so big!”

That about sums it up. Simple words. Broad concept. But, what else could we possibly say? Those who’ve actually seen God and then tried to describe him didn’t do much better.

Isaiah saw God and says, “…the train (literally ‘hem’) of his robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1). If just the hem of his garment fills the whole temple, how big is that throne? Better yet, how big is the One who sits on that throne? In other words, human words fail to describe the greatness of our God. They can rise no higher than the hem of his robe.

It reminds me of the leaders of Israel returning from a communion meal with God on the mountain. They had just shared food and drink with God. And they tell the people, “Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself” (Exodus 24:10). See how our words stop at the pavement.

God is completely outside our categories. To try to describe him in human terms is always to fail. It’s futile. That’s why it was necessary for God to translate himself into our terms by coming to the world as one of us in Christ Jesus.

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

And the song’s pretty good, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are 69 days left until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their 2009 season against the Bucs in Tampa Bay. And we’re counting down those long summer days with the Red Ribbon Review, a look at the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number. We’ve got to catch up today on what we missed over the holiday weekend. While you were in the pool and grilling out and watching fireworks with friends and family I was considering…

…the second-best player to ever wear silver-and-blue number 71: Willie Townes. An original member of the front four of the famous Doomsday Defense of the late 60s, Townes played only 2-1/2 seasons in Dallas. But they were meaningful. Townes anchored the left tackle position from 1967-68, helping the Cowboys advance to two straight NFL Championship Game losses to the Packers. Heart-breaking losses, yes. But he was a critical part of those “Next Year’s Champions” teams. It was his hit on Bart Starr in the Ice Bowl that forced the fumble George Andrie ran back for a score. Backup offensive lineman Andy Frederick deserves honorable mention for his reserve role on the Super Bowl teams of the late 70s. But Townes gets our second-place nod today. He only played 32 games in his super-short NFL career. But it was foundation-type stuff.

Our Also-Ran at #70 is a guy who made a successful NFL career out of deep-snapping for punts and kicks, the very likeable Dale Hellestrae. Drafted by the Bills out of SMU, Hellestrae came to Dallas in 1990 and stayed for 11 years. He snapped in 176 games, 21 of them in the postseason. And he collected three Super Bowl rings along the way. He was a novelty, for sure. But he revolutionized the deep-snapper position. You can probably only name one deep-snapper in NFL history. And only one who ever had his own radio show. Helle’s the guy!

At today’s #69, I give you backup center Ben Fricke. Fricke came out of Houston and played in Dallas for three seasons, 1999-2001. He only appeared in 16 games for the Cowboys. And I can’t find a picture of the guy to save my life. Here’s a link to his stats. Go ahead and click it. It won’t take long.

Peace,

Allan

When faced with the prospect of preaching to people who refuse to respond in a nation that refuses to change, Isaiah asks the Lord, “How long?” (Isaiah 6:11). Daniel asks the same question toward the end of the 70-years of exile, “Lord, how long?” (Daniel 8:13). The souls under the altar in John’s end time vision repeat the same question, “How long, Sovereign Lord?” (Revelation 6:10)

Surrounded by the problems of this world, confronted daily by the mystery of evil, a powerless spectator as sin and Satan and death and violence and disease seemingly have their way, we’re left to ask the same question.

“How long?”

I don’t know. Nobody knows.

However, you can be certain of this: the darkness of whatever present circumstance you’re enduring cannot adequately hide the glimmer of hope in the promises of our all-powerful and all-loving God.

Our Father is compassionate and gracious. slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. He will turn our mourning into dancing. He will remove our sackcloth and clothe us with joy. He will shine light into darkness. And he will bring life out of death.

Trust him. Seriously. It’s what he does.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are 72 hot summer days left until the Cowboys kick off their 2009 season. And in our countdown of the second-best players in Cowboys history by jersey number, today we honor offensive lineman Tony Liscio.

Liscio came out of Tulsa in 1963 and played eight full seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, mainly as a backup offensive tackle behind Ralph Neely and Forrest Gregg. In fact, 1966 was the only season Liscio started all 14 games. The Cowboys lost the NFL title in the Ice Bowl in Green Bay the following season and came up three-points shy in Super Bowl V in 1970. It was during the off-season between ‘70 and ‘71 that the Cowboys traded Liscio to San Diego for Lance Alworth, the move that  brought “Bambi” to Dallas for his final two years.

But Liscio never played a down for the Chargers. He strained both hamstrings in stretching drills at the San Diego training camp and they shipped him to Miami.  But his back was killing him, he was limping and in constant pain, so he just retired.

Until halfway through the ‘71 season.

In the middle of November, the Cowboys were desperate for help at left tackle. Ralph Neely had broken his leg in a motorcycle accident. Don Talbert had broken his foot. And Forrest Gregg was too old to carry the load. So Tom Landry called Liscio on Monday November 15. He was at the Cowboys practice on Wednesday. His right leg was heavily taped from his ankle to his hip. Both shoulders were aching. His right knee hurt. But he was the starter against the Redskins that Sunday, a 13-0 win over Washington that gave Dallas the division championship.

(By the way, Liscio was wearing #64 during this “comeback” because Talbert had been given #72 after the trade.)

Liscio didn’t allow a single sack during his eight starts in the last half of that season and post-season of 1971. In fact, the Cowboys never lost another game that year, running the table to go on to capture their first NFL championship, routing the Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. Lance Alworth actually scored the first points in that Super Bowl, a quick toss to the left side. Liscio’s side. Cool.

Happy Fourth,

Allan

“If even a tenth — a remnant — survive,
it will be invaded again and burned.
But as a terebinth or oak tree leaves a stump when it is cut down,
so Israel’s stump will be a holy seed.”
~Isaiah 6:13

God calls Isaiah to preach to people who will hear but never understand, to a nation that will see but never perceive. Their hearts will be calloused, their ears will be dull, their eyes will be closed. And this ministry of failure is to continue until all of Israel is wiped clean. Isaiah is called to a faithful proclamation of God’s Word — non-negotiable repentance and commitment to the Lord and his ways — until the enemies haul everything away and there’s nothing left but stumps.

A desolate land of stumps.

Barren. Lonely. Empty. Devastated. Hopeless. Forgotten. Desolate. Ravaged. Destroyed.

How do you feel when the doctor diagnoses cancer and gives you or your loved one just a short time to live? What does it do to you to learn that you’re now unemployed? When your spouse says, “I want a divorce”? When your children leave our Lord and his Church? When physical pain dominates your existence? When loneliness pushes in on you? When your faithfulness to the Lord seems to only result in bad news? How do you feel when your own life — to you and to everyone who sees you — resembles a stump in a vast field of stumps?

Barren. Hopeless. Forgotten.

Please remember the stump is holy. Keep in mind that there’s seed in the stump. Holy seed. Our loving and powerful God is working right now to produce something beautiful from the ugly stump. His plan is to bring salvation from the stump.

The same God who brings order out of chaos in the opening lines of Scripture, who raises a mighty nation from a 90-year-old barren womb, who lifts the ruler of Egypt from the bottom of a well, and delivers his people to the Promised Land through a desert is the God who brought the Savior of the World from the stump of Israel. The holy shoot from the holy stump of Jesse!

Stay strong. Be faithful. You may not see it. But the stump is holy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

73 days now until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their 2009 season. And we’re counting down the days with what we’re calling the Red Ribbon Review, a look at the also-rans when it comes to the best ever Cowboys. The second-best Cowboys player to ever wear jersey number 73 is big, huge, massive, large, offensive lineman Larry Allen.

Allen played 12 seasons in Dallas during the Jimmy Johnson-induced “big is beautiful” era of offensive linemen. According to his bio, Allen stands 6′3″ and weighs 325. It was more like 345. Or 375. It appeared to fluctuate wildly. But he wasn’t just big. He was super strong. Allen bench-pressed an even 700 pounds during the 2001 training camp in Wichita Falls, an NFL record that still stands. At the time the team was boasting that Allen had only 11% body fat, translating to 300 pounds of pure muscle and bone.

An eleven-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro, Allen started in 170 games for the Cowboys between 1994 and 2005, a dominant force on some pretty bad teams during the Gailey and Campo stints. Allen certainly benefitted from Emmitt Smith’s skills and stats. He also got a lot of mileage out of John Madden’s hyperbolic descriptions of Allen’s size, his blocking, and his value to the team. Still, when the Cowboys cut him going into the 2006 season, he was the last remaining player to have participated in a Cowboys post-season win.

Peace,

Allan

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
                     ~Isaiah 6:3

 The word ‘holy’ is one of our most important words. It defines our God. It defines us. It defines our relationships — to God, to one another, and to all of creation. But, for some reason, ‘holy’ in our culture means boring. ‘Holy’ means quiet and weak. ‘Holy’ means a patsy, not really alive. ‘Holy’ in our culture means “Shhhhhhhh…..” Or “Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.”

Eugene Peterson, in his great work, The Jesus Way, writes:

Holiness has been reduced to blandness, the specialty of sectarian groups who reduce life to behaviors and cliches that can be certified as safe: goodness in a straitjacket, truth drained of mystery, beauty emasculated into ceramic knickknacks. Whenever I run up against this, I remember Ellen Glasgow’s wonderful line in her autobiography. Of her father, a Presbyterian elder full of rectitude and rigid with duty, she wrote, “He was entirely unselfish, and in his long life never committed a single pleasure.”

True holiness — biblical holiness — though, is in wild and furious opposition to boredom and blandness. Holiness is huge. Holiness is alive. It’s big and it’s powerful. And holiness makes us huge. It makes us alive and big and powerful. It’s what allows our God to use us in big and powerful ways, to give life through us, extravagantly, more than we can ever ask or imagine.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”
                  ~Revelation 4:8

Whatever else we get out of Revelation, we know that as followers of Christ we are in on something huge. Something big. Something spectacular and eternal. As children of God we are in on the salvation of God, the glory of the Lamb, and the power of the Spirit.

Holy. Holy. Holy.

That’s the reality! This is where we live! Forever!

No matter what Rome does to the temple. No matter what the Emperor does to the city. No matter what the world or the ruler of the kingdom of the air does to me or to my family, God’s holiness and God’s glory remain the singular force that defines who we are as his people.

Because God is still creating and blessing and sending and saving.

Holiness is not some emotional devotional experience we try to cultivate in order to feel more spiritual. Holiness is a command. And it doesn’t take us out of the world. It brings us into a partnership with God to join him in what he’s doing in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

76 more days until the Cowboys kick off their 2009 season. And the second-best Cowboys player to ever wear #76 is offensive lineman Flozell “The Hotel” Adams. The Cowboys’ second-round pick in 1998 out of Michigan State, Adams is huge, physically, at 6′ 7″ and 340 pounds. In his eleven NFL seasons in Dallas, he’s earned five Pro Bowl berths, and racked up exactly zero playoff wins. Jerry Wayne signed Adams to a six-year, $43 million contract in February 2008. That’s one dollar per false start penalty in Adams’ career.

Peace,

Allan

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!” ~ Isaiah 6:3

As God’s people, we are not defined by the times in which we live. The government does not have control over how we live our lives. Technology does not define our existence. Postmodernism does not determine how we think. News and entertainment do not account for who we are.

Just like Isaiah, we are plunged into the holy. We are given a holy vision. We see the Lord reigning in holiness, we hear the holy songs of the holy angels, filling the holy air with holy words: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Hurst is full of his glory. Bedford is full of his glory. Richland High School is full of his glory. Your living room is full of his glory. The post office is full of his glory. The Wal-Mart is full of his glory. The Northeast Mall is full of his glory. Your workplace is full of his glory. The intersection of Highway-183 and Precinct Line Road is full of his glory. The whole earth is full of his glory.

Everywhere you walk is holy ground. Everywhere you go is a sacred place. Everybody you meet is a holy opportunity. Everything you do is a sacred activity. Everything you involve yourself in is ruled and governed by a holy God and made sacred for his holy purposes.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.” ~ Romans 12:1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are 79 more days until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their 2009 season. And we’re counting down the days with what we’re calling the Red Ribbon Review. We’re recognizing, by jersey number, the second-best players in franchise history. I know you’ve been worried about #79 since this time yesterday. Well, it’s not Jacob Rogers or Rob Petitti. It’s not Char-ron Dorsey. Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg actually finishes third because he only played that one 1971 season in Dallas.

The second-best player to ever wear #79 for the Cowboys is offensive lineman Erik Williams. “Big E” was a third round pick in 1991 out of little Central State in Ohio, coming into the league the same year as another fairly significant “E,” Emmitt Smith. Williams earned himself four Pro Bowls and two 1st team All-Pro selections blocking on that left side for the NFL’s greatest running back ever. And how many times did we hear in the ’90s that Williams was so critical to the Cowboys’ success because he “protected Troy Aikman’s backside?”

Erik Williams played ten seasons in Dallas, making 13 playoff starts and helping the Cowboys win three Super Bowl titles. He’s also mainly responsible for the NFL’s hands-to-the-face penalty. Reggie White received more than his share of those head slaps. That league rule and a horrible auto accident in ‘94 slowed Williams’ down tremendously. I’m not sure if his close friendship with Michael Irvin and his involvement in those high profile incidents weren’t also a factor in his limited productivity in his final three or four seasons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a great night last night at the Colonial in Fort Worth for Austin Graduate School of Theology! The “Continuing the Dream” banquet (if you’d like to give, click on the AGST link or give me a shout) gave me a chance to spend some time with Stan Reid, although not nearly enough. And it gave me another opportunity to tell the story of how my two years at Austin Grad completely changed my life.

You know, I was humbled from the first moment I walked into that place in September 2005. I was overwhelmed by how much I didn’t know. And not just Peterson’s Greek. I learned more about our God and his Word and his plan for redeeming the world in those two years than I had in my first 39 years combined. Austin Grad showed me the Scriptures and the Church and the Christian faith and God’s activity in his world like I had never seen it before.

And it changed me.

I began to interpret my faith in light of those who had lived it before me. I was thinking through and reflecting on my own faith. I was becoming much more aware of God’s hand — his continual provision — in my life, in the life of his Church, and for all of creation, from the beginning of time to right now and through eternity. I gained a new perspective. I saw the big picture much more clearly. I began to think theologically. And I see that now as the only way to really pass on the Christian faith.

I’m forever grateful to Austin Grad for the education, the knowledge, the examples, the wisdom, the mentors, the humility, and the training I need to best serve my Lord and the people in his Kingdom. It’s rich. And it’s deep. It’s meaningful and important. And it’s being taught there by sensitive, caring, compassionate, brilliant Christian men.

Today I’m struggling and wrestling and growing and teaching and loving and sharing with all the members of this beautiful congregation of disciples at Legacy. And I pray God will use us to turn this community upside down for him. I pray God will completely use me up in fulfilling his mission. And I will keep studying and interpreting and growing and preaching. I will keep preaching. It’s the highest honor I can pay to those who’ve lived the faith before me. And to my God.

Thank you, Austin Grad. I’m forever grateful.

Peace,

Allan

Ever seen a burning bush?

If you ever did, how would you respond?

How about the clear, unambiguous call of God to his Church — to us! — to apply the holy words of Scripture to our lives, to be transformed more and more into the image of Christ, to connect with each other and to minister to one another and to serve each other like family, and to take the good news of God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness into our neighborhoods and communities?

That’s a huge burning bush! That’s an Aggie bonfire towering in front of us, crackling with possibilities and blazing with the fire of God’s call!

The spiritual leaders of the Legacy church body, the elders and ministers, are all firmly convinced that the proper response to this eternal inferno of God’s commission is best made in weekly Small Groups Church.

Last year’s first cycle of SGC began with 692 men, women, and children and ended last month with 778. And we certainly anticipate bigger things in this next cycle that starts in April. With an average of 21 people in each of our 37 groups, there’s no room to grow. We need every former Co-Leader and at least 30 others to sign up this Sunday. If you already have your co-leading partner, please sign up. If you want to Co-Lead but you’ve not yet secured a partner, sign up anyway. There’s time to find your buddy. We need 100 total Co-Leaders to lead 50 groups when we start up again in April.

That’s the challenge. That’s the call. To you.

Now, what’s your objection?

“Nobody will follow me.” Abraham’s servant said that, and the Lord’s angel told him, God will make it happen (Genesis 24:6-7).

“I’ve tried it before and failed.” Moses said that, and the Lord said, it’s not about you, it’s about God (Exodus 3:12-4:17).

“It’s too hard for me.” Isaiah threw that excuse out there and he was promptly told, God sees and controls the big picture (Isaiah 6:11-13).

Jeremiah said, “But I’m not a good leader.” The Lord told Jeremiah, God is with you and will provide for you (Jeremiah 1:8).

Ezekiel was brutally honest and said, “I don’t want to go.” The answer came back over and over again, with God, there’s nothing to fear (Ezekiel 2:6).

“I’m too old.” That was Zechariah. The angel replied, God will give you signs and proof of his presence (Luke 1:19-20).

Mary said, “I’ve never done this before.” She was told, nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37).

Paul said, “I’ve got a rotten past.” Christ told him, God is empowering you for his mission (Acts 22:21).

Ananias offered, “It’s too risky, it’s too dangerous for me,” only to be told, God is taking care of the details (Acts 9:15).

See, the deal is that we usually view God’s call and God’s will and God’s plan for me as all about me. This task is too big for me. It’s beneath me. I might make someone mad. I’m too busy. I’m not gifted. I’m not qualified. I don’t know how. I’ve never done that before.

And God says, you’re right. But it has nothing to do with you. It has nothing to do with whether or not you think you can handle it. God says, ”I AM.” I am qualified. I am powerful. I am the God who’s doing this, not you. I just want you to jump into it. I just need you to trust me. Believe in me. Allow me to do this with you and through you for my purposes and my Kingdom.

The call is right in front of you. How do you respond? With every reason and excuse as to why you can’t or shouldn’t act? With reasons and excuses as to why you can’t go to Egypt? Or by throwing yourself completely into his mission, wholeheartedly, in total faith and trust, no reservations, brakes off, full steam ahead, no looking back? By hurling yourself into the project, confident in our Lord who promises to deliver?

Small Groups Church is messy. You put a thousand people in each other’s homes and in each other’s lives, it’s messy. It’s difficult. It’s a real challenge. It’s full of suprises. It’s full of hospital visits and funerals, soccer games and car pools, different dynamics and diverse discussions, some extra dusting and vacuuming.

And lots and lots of wonderful stories.

I beg you to jump into the middle of it — or at the front of it — as a Co-Leader at Legacy. Jump head first, all the way. And allow our Father to do amazing things with you and through you for his people within this church family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We just got home a little while ago from Scottish Rite in Dallas. They took Whitney’s cast off. (Shew-wee!) Dr. Herring grabbed a pair of pliers and pulled the four-inch pin out of her heel. (Yech!) And then he pronounced her perfectly well and the reconstructive surgery a smashing success. She’ll be weaning herself off the walker as she regains strength and flexibility over the next couple of weeks. Praise God for her healing! Thank you so much for your prayers, your cards, your calls, your visits, all the wonderful ways you’ve encouraged and blessed our oldest daughter over the past two months. God has showered us with his love through you, our dear friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last thing: I’ll never forget — ever — a telephone conversation I had with my sister, Rhonda, back on Super Bowl Sunday 1994. It was about 2:00. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but in the middle of the conversation, I told her I was skipping church to go to a Super Bowl party at a friend’s house.

She was genuinely surprised. “You’re skipping church to watch the Super Bowl?”

“Well, yeah.”

“You’re kidding.”

I said, “Rhonda, come on! You know me!”

And she said, “I thought I did.”

That was the last time I ever skipped church to watch a TV show. I urge you to make the same switch in your lifestyle and in the message you send your kids and your friends starting this weekend. Please don’t skip church this Sunday night to watch a TV show.

Peace,

Allan