The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

“I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” ~2 Corinthians 11:28-29

Scripture puts before us, unashamedly and unapologetically, the great challenge of living together in community. The Gospel message of salvation from Christ Jesus is a message that breaks down all the barriers between God and man and between man and man. It’s a holy reconciliation that draws all people to God and to one another. It’s a common experience in a common Savior around a common table that unites us to God and to one another.

And we live it together in relationships. We live into it together in community.

Paul claims to identify so closely with his brothers and sisters in Christ that he hurts with them when they hurt. It really bothers him. When a brother is led away into sin, it tears him up inside. He can’t stand it. And he’s compelled to do something about it, not because he cares about himself or the reflection it may have on him as a teacher, but because he loves these people so very much. He lives and dies daily with and for his church family. He rejoices with those who rejoice and mourns with those who mourn. He’s truly invested in these people. Paul’s committed to them so much that their individual ups and downs impact him physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

It’s real.

How bothered are you to hear that a sister in Christ has been taken to the emergency room? Bothered enough to call? Bothered enough to visit? How upset are you to learn that a brother in Christ has lost his job? Upset enough to send a card? Upset enough to send a check? How concerned are you to find out a member of your church has left the Lord and is living in rejection of God’s grace? Concerned enough to take him to lunch? Concerned enough to talk to him all night on his back porch?

These kinds of relationships with and feelings for one another are not built during the Sunday morning worship hour. Those kinds of things — the “for real” things between us — occur on Sunday nights at IHOP and in our living rooms and kitchens. It happens in the Legacy quilting room on Monday mornings and in hospital rooms on Thursday nights. Relationships are built during Tuesday Bible studies and at the movies on Friday. Christian community happens at the Senior banquet in May and the campouts and retreats in July and the football games in the fall.

It takes time. It takes energy. It takes a dedication to something bigger and more important than self. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it’s not necessarily fun. But all the time, living in deep Christian relationship with one another is the divine will of our God.

Peace,

Allan

We say all the right things in church and we sing all the right songs about God’s amazing grace and mercy. We preach and teach God’s compassion and great commitment to salvation. But I think we still have a hard time coming to grips with the reality of it all. The truth is that God’s grace really is amazing! It’s outrageous! It’s absurd! God’s grace is ridiculous! It’s unfounded! It’s unfair! It’s downright scandalous!

“How can I give you up? How can I hand you over? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger… For I am God, and not man — the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.” ~Hosea 11:8-9

“Who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” ~Micah 7:18-19

Holy Scripture tells us that because of God’s determined persistence to save the lost, his merciful deliverance is available to all who will repent and call on the name of the Lord. He pours his outrageous grace on everybody! Not just Texans. Not just Americans. Not just people in the Church of Christ. God’s grace is not just for people who don’t have a criminal history. It’s not just for people with a high school education. It’s not only for people who’ve been relatively good for most of their lives. God’s outrageous, sin-forgiving, peace-bringing, grace-overflowing, eternal-life-pouring salvation is offered to every man and woman on this planet!

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” ~2 Peter 3:9

“Christ died for sins once for all.” ~1 Peter 3:18

“One died for all… He died for all… God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.” ~2 Corinthians 5:14-19

His grace is outrageous because it’s poured out freely on murderous Ninevites and rebellious prophets alike. It’s out-of-control grace because God gives just as much to my sainted grandmother in Kilgore as he does to a sex offender in Dallas. It’s impossible-to-comprehend-grace because he extends the same amount to the person who baptized you as he does to a terrorist in Afghanistan.

Crazy, huh?

Our merciful Father calls us to join him in his concern for all people. He calls us to be mediators of that ridiculous love and forgiveness.

Crazy, huh?

Peace,

Allan

“We are to God the aroma of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 2:15

I know there are people in our congregation at Legacy who regularly listen to preachers who are a thousand times better than me. Through the internet, seminars and workshops, DVDs, podcasts, and a variety of other ways, our members hear preachers better than me all the time.  Actually, forget all that. There are at least a dozen preachers within our own congregation who are better than me! Smarter. Wiser. More eloquent. Better speakers. Better exegetes. I see them every Sunday. And I think, good gravy, why did they hire me? Why would anyone here listen to me?

I go to these workshops and seminars and get to enjoy some of the greatest preaching and teaching in our tradition. Important preachers. Book-writers and highly-paid speakers. These guys criss-cross the nation speaking to huge crowds who hang on their every words. And I think, wow, how do you get to be so important? How does one become a really great preacher?

I sit down in any room or at any table with any other preachers and I instantly feel wholly inadequate. Intimidated even. I don’t know anything. They know everything. I think about my failures. They don’t have any. My successes seem so small compared to theirs. My best ideas and sermons seem so trite and old compared to theirs. And I think, man, I’m not sure I even know how to do this.

I have a need to feel important. And that’s a sin.

Un-Christ-like. Un-Christ-like. Un-Christ-like.

The good news for me is that I am very, very important to God. Whether I realize it or acknowledge it or not, God says I’m important to him. I don’t need other people to validate me or the work I’m doing for the Kingdom. I am validated by my merciful Father who says I’m the very aroma of his holy and perfect Son.

And that’s good news for you, too. You don’t need to feel important. You certainly ARE important to our God. And so is the work you’re doing for the Kingdom. It’s all very important to him.

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In light of current events, isn’t Toyota’s current logo and ad campaign ironic?

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Good to see the Dallas Cowboys going into full off-season mode so early. Usually the first Cowboys player arrest happens sometime in the days and weeks following the Super Bowl. Not this year.

Peace,

Allan

“Just as you excel in everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us — see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” ~ 2 Corinthians 8:7

Consistent and sacrificial giving is an act of Christian gratitude. It reveals a true grasp of the magnitude of God’s salvation gifts to us through Christ.

Our giving is also an act of Christian faith. It declares that God is the giver of all things. And it declares a confidence that our gracious Father will always keep his promises to provide for his children. It’s an act of dependence on him. To withhold our money or to give it grudgingly or with hesitation reflects an insecurity that denies the very thing the Church teaches.

I also believe that real giving serves to sanctify us — to shape us and mold us more into the image of Jesus — which is the whole point of our “being saved.” When we give away our money, we’re becoming like Christ as we act in our context the same way our Lord acted in his. We give up our physical resources for others because of our spiritual riches in God. When we give, we’re considering the needs of others more important than our own. That’s what it means to attain to the “whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

And this kind of giving applies equally to all baptized disciples of Jesus. It’s not the size of the weekly gift; it’s the size of the heart to give. It’s not the amount of the money; it’s the amount of the willingness and eagerness to give it. Regardless of economic status or income or employment or unemployment, these principles are for all of us. No exceptions.

The focus at Legacy is spiritual growth and maturity and discipline. Christian accountability to God and one another. Christian responsibility. Salvation and transformation. Becoming more like Christ. And the expectation for all our members is to consistently and sacrificially give of their incomes.  

Excelling in giving has nothing to do with personal resources. Or even a job. It’s all about experiencing and participating in God’s mercy and grace.

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So, have the Cowboys mowed through the Eagles twice because the Eagles just aren’t very good? Or are the Cowboys really, really, really as good as they’ve looked?

It’s not that Philly’s bad. My word, they were averaging over 26-points per game. And the Cowboys, in two straight games, made them look older and slower and less athletic. Dallas just looks super fast, super young, super athletic. They look long and strong and quick. They’re making all their tackles. They’re finishing drives. They’re making field goals when they don’t finish drives. No turnovers; they’re forcing teams to go a full 80-yards. Felix Jones is healthy. Romo’s making smart throws. I think I even saw Bobby Carpenter make a play Saturday night. The Cowboys are playing with a focus that we haven’t seen in years. They celebrate with each other and for each other in ways that haven’t been experienced in a decade-and-a-half. Winning breeds confidence. And they’re playing with a boatload of it right now. They really seem to be on a mission. They’re focused. They don’t act like they’re finished yet. I saw Wade pump his fist Saturday night and mouth the words as Kool and the Gang blared “Celebrate good times, come on!” over the speakers at Jerry Wayne’s World. But they don’t seem as if they’ve accomplished yet what they’re going to.

I wonder, though, about the Vikings inside that dome up there. Brett Favre and that whole franchise have a lot of demons to exorcise against the Cowboys. Playoff demons. Last-second heart-breaking demons. Herschel Walker trade demons. Hail Mary demons. 99-yard-run on Monday Night Football demons. The Vikings were the last team to lose to Dallas in a playoff game. At Texas Stadium in December 1996. There’s a whole lot of pent-up frustration there. Serenity now - insanity later. Minnesota went undefeated at home this year. They’ve won their past five home games by more than 17 points. The past three times the Cowboys have flown into the Metrodome they’ve left as losers.

It’ll be loud up there Sunday. Really loud. Crazy people dressed up in fur wraps and viking horns. Hostile. Minnesota will feed off that for a while. It’ll be crazy. I imagine that Vikings front four will be rabid on those first two or three Cowboys drives. I assume Favre will take a couple of deep shots early to get a lead to drive the crowd to absolute delirium. I can see Flozell Adams picking up seven false start penalties — in the first quarter alone. I can also see Favre having no open receivers and forcing balls into double and triple coverage. I can see him throwing two or three picks. I can also imagine Romo getting blindsided by Jared Allen and coughing up the ball a couple of times. Has Roy Williams ever played in this kind of NFL playoff atmosphere or pressure? Isn’t the over-under on Williams’ catches at “one?” Won’t they double Miles Austin all day?

It’s going to come down to Adrian Peterson versus Felix Jones. With all the talk of Favre and Romo, it’s going to come down to the two running games. Minnesota has held nine opponents this year to under a hundred yards rushing. Running on Philly at home is one thing. Running against the Vikings at their place is another.

Vikings 27, Cowboys 20.

Peace,

Allan

“I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” ~John 10:27

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” ~John 10:10

 ”For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life.” ~John 17:2

Eternal life comes from Christ Jesus. It’s a gift that’s represented in every facet of Jesus’ obedient revelation of the Father. Salvation is introduced in his birth, his ministry and teachings pave the way for it, and his death and resurrection ensures our participation in it.

Jesus’ gift of eternal life isn’t just a model or a standard of ethics and morals for us to follow. And it’s not just memorizing and/or practicing his teachings. Joining eternal life in Christ is becoming involved in him and his Body. It’s a close connection. It’s a deeply personal relationship.

We are not just people who follow Jesus. We are swept up and integrated into God’s mighty work of reconciling the world and redeeming creation. Salvation doesn’t just satisfy a legal requirement. Salvation frees us to participate in the eternal life of God.

It’s more than just a moment in time. It’s more than his crucifixion. It’s more than your baptism. Much more. It’s bigger and deeper. It’s infinitely more about our nature and character in relationship with God than it is about our legal standing. What Christ has done is abolish all the obstacles and empower us to be God’s children and live eternal life with him in abundance.

It’s a gift.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Peace,

Allan

“You are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.” ~1 Corinthians 1:30

All the doctrine of the Bible is made personal is Jesus. God’s wisdom is Jesus. Our righteousness is Jesus. Our holiness is Jesus. Our redemption is Jesus. Our resurrection is made personal and real in Jesus. Everything we need, and indeed have, for salvation and a right relationship with God is in Jesus.

When you’re down two scores in the fourth quarter you need a Pro Bowl quarterback, not a good playbook. When you’re being sued you need a good lawyer, not a comprehensive law encyclopedia. When you’re sick you need a good doctor, not a user-friendly medical website. And when you’re facing your greatest enemies — sin, death, Satan — you need the Savior of the World!

God’s wisdom and righteousness and holiness and redemption are gifts to you from him. They are benefits, yes. But they’re more than that. They are actually aspects of a relationship with Jesus. It is him in you. For all of us who were baptized into Christ have clothed ourselves with Christ.

When you belong to Christ Jesus you have all you’ll ever need in life and death, in time and space, and for eternity.

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A look back at Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address which he began writing in August 1809, 200 years ago this week inspires the reader to carefully and prayerfully consider our Lord’s call to Christian unity. Scripture’s picture of unity. Our God’s will for unity.

The opening lines — one sentence with tons of commas — goes like this:

“That it is the grand design, and native tendency, of our holy religion, to reconcile and unite men to God, and to each other, in truth and love, to the glory of God, and their own present and eternal good, will not, we presume, be denied, by any of the genuine subjects of christianity.”

The whole thing is a call to unity. Reconciliation. The kind of reconciliation Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 5. Reconciliation between God and man. Between man and man. The kind of reconciliation that drives God’s eternal plans. The very ministry he’s given those of us who’ve professed our faith in him and put his Holy Son on in baptism. Campbell’s words in this document are bold. Aggressive. And they ring with beautiful and undeniable truth. The Declaration and Address, the charter document of our Churches of Christ, calls for a swift end to all divisions among those who claim to be followers of Jesus.

“Has the Captain of Salvation sounded a desist from pursuing, or proclaimed a truce with, this deadly enemy that is sheathing its sword in the very bowels of the church, rending and mangling his mystical body into pieces. Has he said to his servants, let it alone? If not, where is the warrant for a cessation of endeavors to have it removed?”

Campbell claims that tearing down the walls and uniting again with our brothers and sisters in Christ is a “matter of universal right, a duty belonging to every citizen of Zion, to seek her good.” And while the work will be difficult and the opposition will come mainly from within the church establishment, Campbell says it is God’s will. It is the Church’s will. It is the will of those who’ve gone before us. And our efforts will be divinely rewarded.

“…both the mighty and the many are with us. The Lord himself, and all that are truly his people, are declaredly on our side. The prayers of all the churches, nay, the prayers of Christ himself, John 17:20-23, and of all that have ascended to his heavenly kingdom, are with us.”

I thank God for the Campbells and the Stones and other giants of the faith who latched onto God’s holy will as revealed to us in Scripture and. would. not. let. it. go. They lived to obey God rather than man. They swore to use only the Bible as their guide. And they vowed that, despite the opposition, they would remain loyal to their King and his Kingdom. We owe them a tremendous debt of gratitude. We owe them the effort to carry on the difficult work they started 200 years ago.

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24 days until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their historic 50th NFL football season. 24 days from now they’ll be battling the Bucs down in Tampa. And we’re counting down the days with the Red Ribbon Review, a look at the second-best players in Cowboys history, according to jersey number. (This countdown becomes much more important with every Rangers loss. If they lose tonight, I’m blaming it on Lewin’s “1999-ish” comments on Tuesday.)

The second-best ever #24 in Cowboys history is a Super Bowl MVP, cornerback Larry Brown. The Cowboys stole him with a 12th round pick in 1991 and got a starting right corner for five straight seasons, three of them Super Bowl championship seasons. Brown is best known for picking off two Neil O’Donnell passes in the second half of Super Bowl XXX which led directly to the points the Cowboys needed to win their third title in four years. Yes, the balls hit Brown right in the chest. Yes, it looked like one of them would have to be surgically removed after the game, O’Donnell threw them right at him so hard. But a lot of people forget what a great ‘95 season Brown had leading up to that game.

The former TCU star collected six picks that season, racked up 124 return yards, and ran two of them back for TDs. All of this just a few months following the tragic death of his young son. It was a great story that year. But most people have already forgotten.

Brown used his three rings and his MVP trophy to cash a huge paycheck in Oakland with the Raiders. That only lasted two years. He came back to Dallas in ‘98 and played just parts of four games for the Cowboys before hanging it up for good. He finished his Cowboys career with 13 total picks and 279 total tackles. He played in 13 playoff games, four NFC Championship Games, and three Super Bowls as a Cowboy. And he’s the second-best #24 in Cowboys history.

Peace,

Allan

“In him it has always been ‘Yes.’” ~2 Corinthians 1:19

Terry Rush is tough. Tough for me to read. Tough for me to swallow.

I go to Rush’s blog when I’m down. When I’m feeling the sting of criticism, when I’m feeling hurt by things that are said and done around me, when I’m confused about my role and my mission as a preacher of God’s Word, I turn to Terry. He’s good. But he’s tough.

Terry’s actually second in line. The first thing I do when I find myself feeling attacked or wronged or mistreated is to find a quiet spot somewhere in this church building and cry out to God. And I wrestle with our Father. What am I doing here? Why did you put me here? What do you want me to do? I pray the words of Habakkuk, “Why do you just stand there and watch?” Do something!

Satisfied with my own righteousness, and right-ness, then I go to Terry’s blog. He knows preachers. He understands preachers. He’s been doing it for 40 years. He knows and understands elders and deacons and youth ministers and worship leaders and church and church pratices and traditions and church politics and church members and church dynamics. He gets it. So I go to Rush for encouragement. He’s the world’s best Christian encourager. He paints beautiful word pictures that remind how big our God is and how wonderful his Kingdom. He reminds that God is in charge and we’re not.

And when he specifically addresses preachers and other church leaders, he doesn’t pull any punches. He understands himself and us too well. His words sting and rebuke. And challenge. He tells me to grow up. He tells me to put my head down and get back to work. He reminds me that everything that goes right is a “Yes” and everything that goes wrong is a “Yes” because God is working it all out. When things aren’t going my way, Rush reminds me that, in God’s wisdom and timing, it’s really all actually going perfectly my way. I’m just too short-sighted and self-serving to see it right now. During tough times, Terry reminds me that “we chalk it up to his marvelous mystery, accept it by sheer faith, and keep smiling.”

And then I run back to the quiet place and change my prayers. I take the focus off of me and put it back where it belongs, solely on our God. See, that’s what Terry’s words do for me. They force me to re-orient my view and my focus. He causes me to see where the criticisms of me are right. And that’s tough. It’s hard. At that point, I pray new prayers. I confess to our Lord that I’m being pouty and moody and touchy and paranoid and overly-sensitive and high-maintenance. I ask for and receive his blessed forgiveness. And I vow again to put my head down and get back to work, back to my calling. God’s in charge of the details. I should let him work those out.

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There are 61 days left until the Cowboys kick off their 2009 football season. And today’s #61 in the Red Ribbon Review is offensive lineman Blaine Nye. A fifth-round pick out of Stanford in 1968, Nye played nine seasons in Dallas and was a major part of that transition from “Next Year’s Champions” to Super Bowl kings. At right guard, he made it to the Pro Bowl twice and played in 15 playoff games, including three Super Bowls. But my favorite thing about Nye is his humor and insight.

Two of the most famous quotes in Dallas Cowboys history were uttered by Nye.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1974, Clint Longley came off the bench for an injured Roger Staubach and threw a late 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson to beat the Redskins. Longley had never thrown an NFL pass before that day. When asked to comment on Longley’s performance, Nye dryly declared it was a “triumph of an uncluttered mind.” I find myself using that line a lot.

The other one’s even better. Nye once summed up everything that is the NFL and big-time sports when he said, ”It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s who gets the blame.”

Along with Larry Cole and Pat Toomay, Nye was a charter member of the Cowboys Zero Club, an unofficial group of players who vowed to never do anything to seek publicity. Club membership never grew beyond those three because those wanting to join the club were automatically disqualified for expressing an interest. They treatened to kick Cole out one week after he returned an interception for a touchdown in a nationally televised game against Washington.

Nye suddenly and surprisingly quit the Cowboys following his second Pro Bowl year in ‘76. He and Tex Schramm got crossways on contract talks and Nye just walked away. He owns a successful consulting business today in California. And he is the second-best Cowboys player to ever wear #61.

Peace,

Allan

In 2 Samuel 19, the king is coming back to Jerusalem to re-establish his sovereign rule over God’s people. He had voluntarily left his throne in order to save his people. He had been mocked and ridiculed, cursed and humiliated on his way out of town. But now he’s coming back. And he’s coming back to set things right.

And Ziba and Shemei are scared.

They’ve spent their lives cursing the king, using the king’s blessings to fatten their own purses, taking advantage of the king’s kindness, deceiving the king. Coming to the king and the king’s people with false motives, impure hearts, seeking personal gain at the expense of the kingdom. Hypocrites. Shemei openly curses the king. Ziba claims allegiance to the king, but lies to him. That’s even worse. The apostle John says we do the exact same thing when we say we love God but we don’t love our brother. When we confess Christ as Lord but live lives that deny him. Those sins are deserving of death. Eternal death.

But look at the mercy of the king. Be amazed at the grace and the love and the compassion of the king. Shemei and Ziba bow down to the ground, they confess their sins before the king — sins that deserve under the law to be punished by death — and the king forgives them. He promises on oath they will not die. And he stops his men from even discussing the possibility.

Is it any wonder that the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth calls David a man after his own heart?

You know the King is coming. And if you have sin in your life, you should be greatly concerned. But if you bow down to the King, if you confess to the King, if you submit fully to the King…the King forgives. And when the King returns, you meet him with joy and gladness, not fear.

The great news for us is that the King WANTS to forgive. He wants full reconciliation. He’s not willing that any should die. He wants desperately to welcome every man and woman he’s ever created into his eternal Kingdom. God sent his Son to “reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Through Jesus, God is “reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.”

God wants you. And he’ll go to whatever lengths necessary to get you.

He died to save you.

And he’s coming back.

He promises us in John 14 he’s coming back. The angels told the apostles in Acts 1 he’s coming back. The closing words of our holy Scriptures assure us the King’s coming: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

Are you ready?

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March Madness — The Legacy basketball team (”Team Dyniewski” or, my favorite, “TohuBohu”) made its debut last night in the North Richland Hills recreation center with an impressive 52-49 win over a bunch of guys with real uniforms. Josh Dyniewski and Aaron Green provided the muscle, combining to score at least 40 of our points inside the paint, while the rest of us just tried to stay out of the way.

Several keys to the impressive victory:

1) the decision to play a 2-3 zone defense. The decision was made as the teams were facing off on the court for the opening tip. Nice. Nevermind the fact we had never played anything but a man-to-man defense in our twice-weekly pickup games here at Legacy. Nevermind the fact that we had never even discussed the possibility of playing a zone before. It worked. Mostly.

2) Josh’s six-straight made free throws in the final 90-seconds. Sealed the deal. Clutch.

3) Aaron’s sending two of our opponents to the hospital with leg injuries. OK, I’m exaggerating a bit. But Green was a monster down there.

4) Trey Thornton using all five of his fouls. Coker will be proud.

5) Going with the Carolina blue Champion dri-soft jerseys. Did I mention they were numberless? That’s a problem in this league. So we had to don the city’s junior-high pinis over our shirts. Elastic down. Not flattering. They actually serve to accentuate middle-age girth. I wanted to wear mine upside down. They wouldn’t let me. We looked like a bunch of rejects who’d been bussed in from somewhere far, far away. But apparently they worked like a charm. We didn’t turn in Josh’s pini after the game. We’re going to have it framed and hung up on the wall at the Rufe Snow Chick-Fil-A. Nobody can ever wear #9 again.

1-0, baby! We might have to discuss the construction of a huge Legacy trophy case at Thursday’s elders meeting.

Peace,

Allan

We talked last Sunday about sacrificial giving, Christ-like giving, when it comes to Legacy Missions Sunday on March 29. We also encouraged our church to give above and beyond what they’ve already planned and purposed in their hearts to give to the Lord every Sunday. Please don’t split up your regular weekly offering and put a portion of that towards missions. A lot of people did that last year and, frankly, it’s gotten us in a little bit of trouble. What we’re asking is that we add to what we’re already giving. Don’t split up the pie. Bake a brand new pie. Be sacrificial. Be creative. Give something up.

I told the church about my family’s plans to do what we did last year: give up going out to eat for the entire month of March and give all that money to missions on the 29th. No eating out. None. Not as a family, not individually. The whole month of March. You won’t see us at Dickie’s on Sunday afternoons, we won’t be at Rosa’s on Tuesday nights, we won’t find us at Pizza Garden on Saturdays. And I won’t go to Whataburger for lunches on Mondays and Thursdays. And every dime we would normally spend on eating out this month goes to Missions Sunday.

Last year we were shocked at how it all added up. We wound up putting aside and giving almost twice what we anticipated.

Of course, it killed the kids. They thought it was torture. “Why are we doing this?” “Why can’t we go out?”

What a great teaching opportunity. What great learning experiences, around the dinner table, together as a family, participating together in some family sacrifice (especially if I’m cooking) for a cause much bigger and greater than us.

What are you giving up? One lady told me immediately after the service Sunday she’s going to paint her own toenails this month and give the money to missions. What are you giving up? How are you going to sacrifice to give to missions? I’d love to share a few of these from the pulpit Sunday. Why don’t you hit the comments link at the top and tell us what you’re doing, individually or as a family, to contribute to Legacy’s missions efforts. Your plans may strike a creative spark in someone else who’s reading this. Your idea may inspire someone else to participate in a similar way. Let me know what you’re doing in the comments.

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Sunday night I read a short passage from an old Charles Spurgeon sermon to illustrate some points about God’s sufficient grace. (Quoting Spurgeon makes any sermon a whole lot better.) A couple of you have asked that I re-print it here. So here it is. This is from a Spurgeon sermon on 2 Corinthians 12:9 he delivered on April 2, 1876. The title of the sermon is Strengthening Words from the Savior’s Lips.

“God’s sufficiency is declared without any limiting words, and therefore I understand the passage to mean that the grace of our Lord Jesus is sufficient to uphold thee, sufficient to strengthen thee, sufficient to comfort thee, sufficient to make thy trouble useful to thee, sufficient to enable thee to triumph over it, sufficient to bring thee out of it, sufficient to bring thee out of ten thousand like it, sufficient to bring thee home to heaven. Whatever would be good for thee, Christ’s grace is sufficient to bestow; whatever would harm thee, his grace is sufficient to avert; whatever thou desirest, his grace is sufficient to give thee if it be good for thee; whatever thou wouldst avoid, his grace can shield thee from it if so his wisdom shall dictate…Now let me press upon you the pleasing duty of taking home the promise personally at this moment, for no believer in this house need be under any fear, since for him also, at this very instant, the grace of our Lord Jesus is sufficient.”

Peace,

Allan

“My grace is sufficient for you.” ~2 Corinthians 12:9

What kept the apostle Paul going? Seriously.

The Holy Spirit would tell him to go preach in this town or in that city and they’d beat him half dead. They’d stone him and throw him in prison. God would tell Paul to get in a boat and it would wreck. The Lord would send Paul on a mission to establish a church and a year later that church and its leaders would turn on him. It was constant with Paul. One thing after another. Paul never had any relief.

And I know he must have thought about quitting.

As the flesh on his back was shredded by lash #37.

As his energy and strength waned on day 12 without any food or water, hanging on to a wrecked-out ship in the middle of the Adriatic Sea.

As his heart was ripped out by the biting criticisms and harsh condemnations coming from his own brothers and sisters he had just recently baptized.

As his body wasted away in a dark and damp dungeon under the downtown streets of Rome.

What kept him going?

Paul was not able to endure, he was not able to fight the good fight and finish the race, because he somehow was able to muster up the strength and the courage and the energy to run one more lap. Paul hit the wall and ran through it over and over again. But he never claims one time to have done it by his own power. Paul’s ability to persevere is a divinely granted gift from from God. The power to endure, the power to persevere, the power to run through the wall, “this all surpassing power is from God, not from us.”

My grace is sufficient for you. My strength is enough for you. My power is plenty for you.

It’s easy to believe in grace for the past and the future. Past grace is what saved me from my sins. Past grace is what redeemed me and brought me into God’s Kingdom. Future grace is what’s going to get me to heaven. Future grace will lead me home. Or at least, this is how we view it most of the time.

True faith is resting in God’s grace to provide us with the strength we need to endure every immediate need; God’s grace to provide us with the power to persevere through all our present circumstances. That’s faith. Right now, at this very moment, and in every moment you’re going to have between now and the end of your race, God’s grace is sufficient for you.

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Never ask a man where he’s from. If he’s from Texas, he’ll tell you. If he’s not, there’s no sense in embarrassing him.

173 years ago today, 48 delegates from the 48 territories of Texas gathered for a convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos to sign a Declaration of Independence. Santa Anna’s Mexican army had more than 180 Texans trapped in the Alamo. But with the signing of this document,  Texas was on its way to becoming “a free, Sovereign, and independent Republic, fully invested with all the rights and attributes which properly belong to independent nations.”

Happy Texas Independence Day! God bless the Republic!

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Happy Birthday, also, to my little brother, Keith. In your honor, bro, I’m listening to an Enrico Palazzo album and eating a bowl of split-plea soup.

Peace,

Allan