The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

I felt like I was in the final scene of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The conference room at the back of our worship center was packed — jam-packed — with more people than it was ever intended to hold. As I pressed and pushed and excuse-me’d my way to the center of the room, untold dozens of men and women kept pushing money into my hands. Twenties and tens. Lots of twenties and tens. Several dozen checks. A couple of hundred dollar bills. People gave me phone numbers and email addresses. And lots of money. Smiling people. Loud people. Happy people. Giving cheerfully. Offering themselves sacrificially. Some of these people I know very well. Others, I’m not sure I’ve ever met. I can still see their wide open faces. But there’s no way I can remember them all. I didn’t know what to say. Almost 36-hours later, I’m still not sure what to say. I just stood there. Speechless. Yes, without speech. I kept waiting for someone to break out in “Auld Lang Syne.” (Is that how you spell it? Probably not.) Surely another Clarence somewhere was getting his wings!

It was too much. Almost chaotic. People were cramming themselves around the room. Others were pressed against the glass, unable to squeeze in. A line three and four across stretched out into the halls from both doors. I fully expected the ceiling tiles to be ripped apart and more people to be lowered down on mats and ropes. We had to move everybody back out into the worship center.

A Legacy family is in crisis. Major crisis. And we gave it to God by giving it to his Church. We spilled it all before the whole Body of Christ. No holds barred. Raw honesty. Brutal truth. All the pain. All the sin. All the darkness. Here it is, we said. Now, let’s help this family.

And we did. And we are. And I still can’t believe it.

Why am I so surprised? God is faithful. He’s always promised to take care of us if we’ll just depend on him. And he’s never broken one of those promises. Never. So why am I so shocked that he moved our church to such great depths of Christian love yesterday? Why was I so blown away?

Because it’s so rare?

Maybe.

Why is it so rare?

Because we don’t always depend on God the way he wants us to?

Maybe.

I really believe the key is to totally and completely and wholly rely on God instead of ourselves. And we never do that. Except when we get in a “hopeless situation.” Except when we find ourselves in the middle of a cyclone of horrible news and dreadful circumstances. Except when we hold meeting after meeting after meeting and discover we’ve got nothing. Nothing. No answers. No wisdom. No suggestions. No solutions. Nothing.

And we wind up with no choice but to give it all to God. In all humility and brokenness and helplessness, we give it to God.

And then he does that thing he always does. He rescues. He saves. He delivers. Just like always. And I imagine our heavenly Father looks at our surprise and says, “Now you know that I am the Lord.”

Praise God. He alone is God. There is no other. Praise God.

Allan

Have you ever taken that middle part of 1 Corinthians 13 in which Paul describes love in both positive and negative terms and substituted your own name for “love?” You know, “Allan is patient, Allan is kind, Allan does not envy, he does not boast…” Sure you have.

But if I’m called as a child of God to reflect the glory of our God — and I am! — that means I must reflect his steadfast love, too. His abounding love. His overflowing chesed. Faithful love. Loyal love. Love without limits. Not some abstract love or love concept. Not a friendly feeling. A genuine love proven by its actions.

And that’s not just me. That’s you, too.

“To God be glory in the Church…” ~Ephesians 3:21

So, I’ve made some modifications to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 in a church context. In a “one another” context. It’s one thing to say, “Allan is patient.” It’s another thing entirely to put that in a specific setting or circumstance.

Allan is patient with his brothers and sisters at Legacy.

Allan is kind to the people who don’t like him or approve of him.

Allan does not envy others’ spiritual gifts.

Allan does not boast in the gifts he has.

Allan is not proud of anything he accomplishes, recognizing that all things come from God and we’re all doing this thing together.

Allan is not rude to anyone at Legacy. No matter what.

Allan seeks the good of others; he looks out for others’ interests instead of his own.

It’s impossible for anyone at Legacy to make Allan angry.

When Allan is wronged by someone at church, he forgets about it immediately.

Allan gives other people the benefit of the doubt.

Allan always protects people at Legacy.

Allan always trusts people at Legacy.

Allan always remains positive.

Allan will never ever give up and quit. Never. Not on the people. Not on the church. Not on the community. Never.

As a man of God, I am called to look like God. To act like God. To increasingly grow to think like our God. To be God-like, holy, sanctified, in the way I live my life and interact with you. I’m called, I’m ordained by God, to reflect his eternal glory, to reflect his steadfast love as it’s revealed to us in his Word and by his actions with his people in history.

And I usually think I’m doing pretty well. In fact, I generally think I’m very good. When I compare myself to other people I run into or even other Christians, I know I’m a very mature disciple.

But when I actually read Scripture, like 1 Corinthians 13, and compare myself against the standard that God has set, I see very clearly how wrong I am. And how far I need to go.

How about you?

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” ~1 John 4:11

Peace,

Allan

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God…” ~Exodus 34:6

I’m haunted by these words of atheist-author Sam Harris in the preface to his most recent work, Letter to a Christian Nation:

“Since the publication of my first book, The End of Faith, thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ’s love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism or rejection. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondants always cite chapter and verse.”

Have you ever considered that maybe the Christian emails you forward or the Christian petitions you sign or the Christian bumper stickers on your car actually violate the character of our God? Have you ever wondered if the Church itself is fueling the fires of atheism by the ways we interact or don’t interact with our community? Have you ever thought about the ways your words and actions at work or at the grocery store or on the airplane or in your neighborhood might turn people away from God?

What if the ways we defend God and stand up for Christian values and promote Christianity are giving the world a distorted view of the Creator and Savior we claim to follow?

Our God is a compassionate God. He’s compassionate. That’s who he is. And if the world knew about our God’s eternal compassion, they would fall in love with him. But how will they comprehend our God’s compassion if they don’t experience it in God’s redeemed people? How will they know the great compassion of our God if God’s Church is not reflecting it?

Peace,

Allan

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” ~Colossians 1:27

“To him be glory in the Church.” ~Ephesians 3:21

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” ~1 Corinthians 10:31

God reveals his glory to us in the soul-stirring words of Exodus 34. God tells us very clearly that his glory has nothing to do with the way he looks. It’s not about his power or his rule. It’s about his character. It’s who God is. God’s self-revealing statements in Exodus 34 are the “I AM” defined.

Compassionate. Gracious. Slow to anger. Abounding in love. Faithful. Forgiving.

If the world really understood these things about our God they would beat down our doors to get to know him better. They’d be lined up around the block. We couldn’t keep them out. But how will they comprehend our God’s eternal qualities if they don’t see those characteristics reflected in God’s redeemed people? How will they know the character of our God, how will they see his glory, unless his Church shows it?

Why do people think God is grumpy and always on the hunt to judge and punish somebody? Do they see that in us? Have they seen that in you? Why do they think our God is distant, out of reach, untouchable, and unable to meet their deepest needs? What would make them think that? Have they experienced that in you? Why do some people believe God can’t forgive them, that he remembers their past sins? Have they noticed that in me or in my church?

As God’s children, we are called to reflect his glory. To live it. To reveal it. Embody it.

A lot of people say we are the hands and feet of Jesus. A real understanding of what it means for us to reflect his glory tells us the Church is actually the very heart of God. The glory of God.

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I just completed all my registration forms for the 29th annual Sermon Seminar at Austin Graduate School of Theology late next month. It’s always an intense 48-hours of exegesis and outlines and sermon prep at the feet of the best scholars/preachers practicing today. I’ve been blessed in the past to work under Ben Witherington, Tony Ash, Rick Marrs, Eddie Sharp, Glenn Pemberton, Tom Olbricht, James Thompson, and Harold Shank, to name just a brief few. I’ve been inspired and encouraged and convicted during these serious sessions.

But this next one is shaping up to potentially be the best I’ve ever attended.

My great friend Jim Martin is presenting 2 Corinthians. And he’s the perfect guy to do it. Jim is a compassionate comforter. He’s sensitive to people and their deepest needs. He embodies the message of 2 Corinthians with his every breath. The legendary Rubel Shelly is presenting the Sermon on the Mount. Jim Reynolds is discussing the Old Testament Story. And Paul Watson is back to show us how he preaches Ezekiel. I love Ezekiel because he is such a crazy, over-the-top prophet. Ezekiel’s prophesy illustrations were exotic and unforgettable. And Paul Watson really knows how to make the biblical text come alive. I was moved by his presentations of Jonah and Ruth and Daniel in 2006. Those sessions helped shape our Missions Month this year at Legacy. And I know he’s going to make Ezekiel pop for us this year in Austin.

Everett Ferguson, the world’s foremost authority on early church history, is presenting a special session on “Baptism in the Early Church: What I Learned and What Surprised Me“ and Wendel Willis is hosting a Q&A session on “Lord’s Supper Theology and Practice.”

Are you kidding me? I can’t wait.

If you’re a preacher, you should make the Austin Grad Sermon Seminar an annual event on your calendar. You’ll be better for being there. And so will your church.

Peace,

Allan

“For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.” ~Exodus 17:16

God’s people are battling the enemy in the valley. Up on the mountain, Moses is lifting his hands in prayer. He’s interceding for the people. He’s taking them to God.

And his arms get tired. His hands drop. He can’t go on. It’s too much.

True intercession is a demanding activity. Paul describes it in Colossians 4 as wrestling. True intercession will wear you out. It’ll cost you.

And that’s why we do it together. As Aaron and Hur joined Moses and physically held his arms high, we help each other by praying together. We strengthen each other. We raise each other up as we pray. We give and receive mutual encouragement. We declare together our trust in God to deliver.

And he does.

The Legacy 24 Hours of Prayer begins one week from today. It’s one of my top two or three most anticipated and favorite events of the year. The men of this church family are meeting in one-hour shifts from 8:00 next Friday morning through 8:00 next Saturday morning, around the clock, to raise close to two-thousand prayer requests to our God.

Together.

Nothing builds community and relationship and trust like spending an hour together in a foxhole, battling Satan in open and honest prayer. You can learn more about your Christian brother and his heart and his mind and his soul in one hour of prayer than you can in one year of going to football games or taking hunting trips together. Wrestling together. Supporting one another. Bearing one another’s burdens and giving them to our gracious God together.

The Rock here at Legacy becomes our mountain of prayer one week from today.

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Two more days until the Dallas Cowboys kick off their 50th season in the NFL. And today’s #2 in our Red Ribbon Review of the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number is backup quarterback Anthony Wright. A free-agent out of South Carolina, Wright actually started five games for the Cowboys in his two seasons here, 2000-2001. He went 1-4 as a starter, his lone win coming against the Redskins at Texas Stadium by a score of 9-7. Wright completed 46.4% of his passes as a Cowboy, throwing five TDs and eight picks. He finished with a QB rating of 50.8 and as the second-best #2 in Cowboys history.

Catching up on the countdown from the past couple of days: #3 is kicker Billy Cundiff, a 2002 graduate of Drake University who never missed a field goal of less than 30 yards as a Cowboy. He played in Dallas from 2002-05, missing only one PAT in those four seasons (100/101) and hitting 73.2% of his field goals.

The second-best #4 in Cowboys history is punter Toby Gowin. A Mean Green Eagle from North Texas, he punted for Dallas for three seasons, from 1997-99, and was then released as a free agent. He bounced around the league for a couple of years and then re-signed with Dallas in 2003 on an unheard of five-year-contract. It lasted one year. Gowin punted a total of four seasons for the Cowboys: 64 games, a 41.7 yards per punt average, and a long punt of 72 yards in 1997. The most interesting thing about Gowin’s Cowboys career is his rushing average: 33 yards per carry. On one carry in ‘98.

Peace,

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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms…With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” ~Ephesians 6:12-18

“To clasp the hands in prayer is to begin an uprising against the powers of the world.” ~Karl Barth

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works; prayer is the greater work.” ~Oswald Chambers

There’s a battle taking place. There’s fighting. We’re in the middle of a war. We’ve received nearly a thousand prayer requests this week in anticipation of our 24 Hours of Prayer Friday and Saturday here at Legacy. I’ve been blessed to read every single one of them as I compile them and organize them for this massive prayer event. And I can testify to the war.

There’s cancer. Illness. Divorce. Estranged children. Addiction. Bitterness. Depression. Broken families. Lost jobs. Disease. Violence. Death. Fear. Concern. Pain. Uncertainty. Sadness.

And it’s nothing but Satan. Our Adversary is working overtime to destroy us. His influence is all over these prayer requests. He’s trying to kill us. It’s not the cancer or the financial woes or the family issues. It’s our Enemy. And he fights dirty. And he’s bent on destruction.

And we battle him together by the power of God. Together we don God’s armor so we can stand against the Evil One. We stand firm, together, in truth and righteousness and peace and faith and salvation and the Word. All those things protect us from the flaming arrows of Satan, from the evil he would do in our lives and in our world to discourage us, to drive us apart, to drive us away. The armor protects us. And above all this, on top of all this, we pray. We pray. We lift our hands and our hearts to the One who promises to destroy the Enemy.

Yes, there is a battle taking place. And that battle is won when we pray.

Between 60-70 men are committed to praying continuously, non-stop, up here in our worship center, from 8:00 Friday morning through 8:00 Saturday morning, 24 hours, over the requests of our church family and our community. We’re taking the war to Satan this weekend. We’re storming the gates of Hell with prayer and the power of our mighty God. We’ll be on the front lines of the cosmic battle in that worship center. We’ll emerge Saturday bloodied and bruised. Intercession isn’t easy. It’s costly. It’s hard. Paul likens it to wrestling in Colossians 4. But we’ll emerge victorious through the strength of our crucified and resurrected Lord.

We could still use another 25-30 volunteers to pray during one of these hours. We need a few more troops. Call the Legacy church office to sign up. You don’t even have to sign up. Just show up. I thank you in advance. You also still have time to submit a prayer request by clicking here.

“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, “For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord.” ~Exodus 17:12-16

“You will be for me a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” ~Exodus 19:6

Our behavior, not just the “belief system” we adhere to, is the most visible means by which we distinguish ourselves from those who have not been raised with Christ and united with him in his death, burial, and resurrection. We should never forget that what is required of us, because we are saved by grace, is a high moral standard of thought and action that for those outside the Kingdom of God is incomprehensible.

Our obedience to God reflects the fact that our citizenship is in heaven. It shows others that he is training us to transcend the present world even though we still occupy its space. It is what is expected of us, because God is forming us into creatures that this world can’t fully grasp.

We demonstrate by our words and actions, in no uncertain terms, that we are of a different pedigree, a holy race. It is, to the rest of the world, the clearest proof of the existence of God—not a logical exegetical argument, not forceful rhetoric, but pure, humble, godly lives lived in the shadow of the cross and in the brilliant glow of the resurrection.

Peter quotes Exodus 19:6 and follows it up with these words, “Live such good lives among the pagans that…they may see your good deeds and glorify God” (1 Peter 2:12).

We’re not called to be God’s people so we can belong to him privately or exclusively. He has a grand goal in mind when he creates us to be his kings and priests. He calls us to live public lives of sacrifice and service to others in his name. And when we do, we show the world that the Gospel works. It’s not just words or a great idea. It changes us from the inside out and makes us into creatures whose behavior is beyond explanation.

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Finally, the Finale!

Legacy VBS 2008 is over. And those of us in the musical get our evenings back for the first time in a little over a month. My greatest fear going into last night’s final scenes would be that, after accidentally breaking or tearing or ripping something in the previous three nights, I wouldn’t be able to break the styrofoam Ten Commandments or the styrofoam golden calf when I was supposed to. But it all came off beautifully. And the kids were all very impressed by the fury of Moses’ righteous indignation.

Can I get theological with the musical?

I can’t help but see our God at work here.

Somehow we were able to take 75 different cast members and set designers and technical operators with 75 different skills and abilities and dreams and visions and come together under one mission. Somehow we were able to unite behind one purpose. Together we fought through missed lines and muted mics and unlearned lyrics (my bad, sorry!) and sporadic rehearsal attendance. Together we smoothed out the rough edges. Together we sacrificed and served and built up and encouraged. We helped each other change costumes and sets and switch out microphones. We worked with each other on scripts and blocking and music.

The people with beautiful voices sang like angels. The funny people made everybody laugh. The focused people kept us on track. The creative people designed a parting of the seas and built a huge mountain. The technical people kept the whole thing lit up and loud. The nurturing people kept us all edified.

And we didn’t kill each other.

I was there every night for over a month and I can’t recall ever hearing one cross word. Not one. Yes, there were moments of exasperation and exhaustion and frustration. But not once did I hear one person say one bad thing about another person. Not once did anybody raise a voice toward anybody else. Not one accusatory finger was wagged. Not one motive was judged. Not one person was ridiculed or rebuked.

It doesn’t seem possible. You couldn’t have gathered a more diverse group than our 75—widely and wildly different ages, backgrounds, experience, personalities, expectations, talents, and tempers. How did it come together so smoothly?

Do I really need to explain?

One purpose. We were way too focused on the mission to gripe or complain or grumble or worry about ourselves. Way too busy. Way too under the gun with the urgency of the task, way too determined to accomplish the purpose. There was a job to do, a big-picture job to do, and we had to do it. And that meant working together as a team, putting the show ahead of the individual personalities or scenes or numbers.

To me, theologically speaking, the musical represents the beauty of God’s Church. People from all walks and all personalities united as one people by the blood of Christ Jesus; working as a team, as one Body, helping each other, encouraging each other, sacrificing for each other, serving each other, to work toward the common purpose.

Kipi, thank you for your hard work and patience. Thank you for your commitment to the children and the families of Legacy and North Tarrant County. And everybody on the cast and crew of Moses: Bound for Holy Ground, thank you for showing everybody in unmistakable ways what it looks like to be the people of God.

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Jesse and/or Mason have posted tons of pictures—350, I think—of their recent mission trip to Honduras. Click here to check ‘em out.

Peace,

Allan

I’ve got Moses on the brain. Everybody who’s doing anything with Legacy VBS this week has had Moses on the brain for a while now.

The stories of Moses are familiar to all of God’s people. We know about the basket in the river and the burning bush and the plagues and the passover and the crossing of the sea. We know all about that. But I wonder sometimes if we truly understand that the story of Moses and the Israelites—or, more accurately, the story of the Lord’s deliverance of Moses and the Israelites—is our story.

This is us.

This one foundational primary act of salvation in our Scriptures very powerfully shapes us and informs us and motivates us to this day. This story, forever linked with our God and his actions to deliver his people inspires and foreshadows all of our God’s acts of salvation. All of them.

Our God saves us and rescues us and redeems us and delivers us and provides for us over and over again in a million different ways. But this first grand watershed event is the pattern. This points to them all. This is the paradigm.

Our God is the God who brought us out of Egypt. Our Lord is the Lord who destroyed Pharaoh and his army. Our God brought us through the sea. Our Lord delivered us from slavery.

We find exodus and sea-crossing language on almost every other page in our Scriptures, from the crossing of the Jordan River through Revelation. Almost half the Psalms. Most of the Prophets. Deliverance from Babylonian exile, freedom from Assyrian captivity, and salvation from sins and the world are all described and predicted and imagined and manifested in terms of slavery and liberation and water and promised land.

This is our story.

We’re all on the other side of the sea. Egypt is behind us. The Promised Land is before us. Our enemies are dead, scattered on the shore, unable to do us any further harm. And our God is present with us, leading us out of one world and into another, from one existence to another. The crossing of the sea isn’t a pep talk. It’s an understanding that God is your God because he acted in your life to deliver you. And when you pass through the waters of salvation, your identity and your loyalties and your worldview radically changes as you live in service to and complete dependence on the Sovereign Monarch who lovingly provides that salvation.

That’s our story.

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One night down, three to go.

Moses: Bound for Holy Ground kicked off last night to a packed house here at Legacy. And the first evening went off almost without a hitch. From Taylor and Lance’s specatular open to our corny rendition of The Ballad of Jethro and Moses sung to the tune of the Beverly Hillbillies; from a real live baby Moses to the artificially “pumped up” shepherds; from the moving prayers of Jochebed and Miriam to the dramatic killing of an Egyptian taskmaster; from costume and set changes to ad-libbed lines and unexpected audience reactions; it was a night to remember.

Carrie-Anne’s been totally typecast as Moses’ wife, Zipporah. Jethro really did ask Moses, “If it’s convenient for you, would you please stand for the closing song?” The preacher really did kill a youth minister, and not just in his dreams. Doug Deere did enjoy his makeup a little too much. John West is under-utilized. No, Jerry Karels, I didn’t read the fine print on my preaching agreement. Kipi really did tell the cast backstage, “More cheeks and lips!”

Over 700 saw the show and stayed for a wonderful church dinner, maybe the final ever Legacy church dinner eaten in the hallways and not in the Fellowship Hall. I’ll have much more to write about all of this in the next couple of days. I’m trying desperately not to hyper-ventilate as the clock ticks on tonight’s finale, “One Day More.” But I’m moved by the gifts and the talents of this church family. I’m inspired by the beautiful voices all around me, the creative writing and directing, the know-how and ingenuity of those building the sets and props, and the spirit of unity and teamwork that’s all around us. It’s a tremendous sacrifice for every single person involved in our VBS. And we dedicate every bit of it to our Lord in the name of our crucified and resurrected Savior, Jesus the Christ. May he bless our efforts and may he use the gifts he’s given us to bless and encourage everyone who walks through these doors over the next few days.

As always, click on the pics for the full size. Night Two at 7:00 this evening.

Peace,

Allan