Category: 99 Days of Football (Page 3 of 9)

Backpacks and Quarterbacks

August 13, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

We live in a broken world. And the problems that we see all around us — in our neighborhoods, in our schools, on TV, in our families, at work — can seem so overwhelming. What can I do? What can the Church do? What difference can one person or one congregation really make?

As a body of Christian disciples we must hold fast to the conviction that the answer to all the world’s problems is Jesus Christ.

And if we truly believe that, then the ministries we perform should be done in the name and in the manner of Jesus. Every good work done, every sermon preached, every tear wiped away, every bag of groceries delivered, every backpack dropped off, and every prayer lifted must be completely drenched in the name of Christ. Jesus is the very center of all of creation. His life and death and resurrection are the events around which everything else in history and in the future revolve. Everything that happened before Jesus’ incarnation pointed to his coming. And everything since his resurrection looks back on those history-altering events. We recognize the salvation we have in Jesus. We realize the extent of God’s mercy and grace in redeeming us while we were unworthy sinners. And it’s that awareness that brings us to our knees in humility and gratitude and motivates us to show that same mercy and patience and love to the world. Everything we do and say, everything we have, and everything we are is a direct result of God’s work through Jesus. And our everyday ministry to others is our response. To paraphrase D. A. Carson, if our ministry is based only on positive thinking, managerial skills, or emotional experiences and not with the proclamation of Jesus Christ, it’s focused on the wrong things and ultimately won’t be blessed by our God.

And it’s not enough to perform ministry in Jesus’ name. Our works of love and grace must also be done in the manner of our Savior. We are called to live our lives with Christ, not as a performance for Christ. Jesus was and is motivated by his love for all of humanity and for the fulfillment of God’s perfect will. Sacrificially putting others ahead of ourselves is the manner of Jesus. On that last day, many will say “Lord, Lord” to a God who doesn’t recognize them. Without proper motives, our works are as meaningless as a “noisy gong or clanging cymbal.”

Of course, this goes against our human nature. Jesus’ ministry of preaching and healing ultimately led to his torturous death. The image of the cross and all the cross conjures up in sacrifice and suffering doesn’t appeal to most of us. But it’s that image that should be at the very center of everything we do in his name.

And I come back to the backpacks.

This morning we delivered between 160-175 backpacks to Walker Creek Elementary to be given to the one-quarter of the students there who are economically-disadvantaged. The outpouring from our Legacy Church family of donations of backpacks and school supplies and of those volunteering their time and services to that school has been inspirational. And I praise God for the wonderful ways he’s going to use those backpacks and the relationships we’re developing over there for the good of his children and his Kingdom.

As we adopt Walker Creek and begin to share our lives with theirs, let’s maintain our focus on Christ.

The saving event of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is not just a far-off moment in time or a mechanical fix to some remote technical problem with the world. The Jesus-event is breaking news. It is happening around us and within us, rescuing what was lost and restoring what was broken. The key to peace in the world is reunion with God. And it is towards that end that he is working — even through us.

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“Number 17 in your program, Number 1 in your heart….”

There are 17 more days until football season. And we’re at the point in the countdown that brings us 13 quarterbacks in a row beginning with the all-time greatest football player to ever wear #17, the Danderoo, Dandy Don Meredith. He was a two-time All-America quarterback at SMU, finishing 3rd in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1959 behind Billy Cannon. And when he left the Hilltop, he was the all-time leading passer in college football history with a 61% completion rate.

In that summer before the Dallas Cowboys had even settled on the name “Cowboys,” Tex Schramm engineered a trade with the Chicago Bears that gave them the right to draft Meredith. It was mainly a move to keep the AFL Dallas Texans from drafting the home town hero. And so Dandy Don actually was signed to the Dallas Rangers. But he became the undisputed leader of the Next Year’s Champion-era Cowboys teams from 1960-68.

In his nine years with the team, Meredith racked up over 17,000 yards passing — still good enough for #4 all time in team history — and 135 passing TDs. His 460 yards passing against the 49ers in 1963 still stands as a Cowboys team record as does his 95 yard touchdown pass to Bob Hayes against the Redskins in 1966. He won three division titles with Dallas and took the Cowboys to two heart-breaking losses against the Packers in two NFL Championship Games. He was the NFL MVP in ’66 and represented those early Cowboys in three Pro Bowls.

He’s in the College Football Hall of Fame and the Cowboys Ring of Honor. And he needled Howard Cosell and sang “Turn Out the Lights” during the never-to-be-experienced-again glory days of Monday Night Football.

Catching up from the weekend, #18 is Elisha Archibald Manning III. Archie Manning wore #18 at Ole Miss where his 56 career touchdowns and 31 TD passes in 1969 are still school records. He racked up an amazing 540 yards passing and rushing in a game against Alabama in ’69. He finished in the top four in voting for the Heisman in ’69 and ’70. And he’s still heralded as the greatest athlete in Ole Miss history. The speed limit signs outside and throughout the entire Ole Miss campus in Oxford post the legal limit at 18-miles-per-hour in his honor.

As the Saints number one pick in 1971, the number two pick overall, he suffered 337 sacks and 156 interceptions in eleven seasons. And as awful as those teams were, Manning still was named the NFL MVP in ’78. He finished up his career with the Oilers and Vikings. And now he spends his free time making more money filming one commercial with his sons Payton and Eli than he made in a full season in the NFL.

Charlie Joiner gets an honorable mention at #18. But the nod goes to Manning.

#19 is a non-debatable no-brainer: the great Johnny Unitas. “The Golden Arm” won just 12 games in four years at Louisville and was cut by the Steelers just weeks after they drafted him in the ninth round in 1955. He wasn’t smart enough, they said. The Colts picked him up as a free agent and the rest is history.

In his first start as a Colt he suffered a fumbled snap and an interception. But he went on to collect two NFL Championships and one Super Bowl victory, to appear in ten Pro Bowls and win the MVP award in three of them, and be named the NFL MVP three times. When he left the league after a one-year stint with the Chargers in 1973 he held 22 NFL records and had thrown at least one touchdown pass in 47 straight games.

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Here’s that passage from Steven L. Carter’s book Integrity that I used in yesterday’s sermon on Christian leadership from 1 Thessalonians 2. Several of you have asked for it as a great summary of what integrity looks like in daily life.

“Integrity requires three steps: 1) discerning what is right and what is wrong; 2) acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost; and 3) saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong. The first criterion captures the idea of integrity as requiring a degree of moral refectiveness. The second brings in the ideal of an integral person as steadfast, which includes the sense of keeping commitments. The third reminds us that a person of integrity is unashamed of doing the right.”

Peace,

Allan

Lives Worthy of God

August 10, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

As the Texas sun begins to crest over the majestic Legacy Mountains…..

Legacy Worship Center Construction Update!

A brand new eight foot chain link fence around the entire west half of the church campus, more heavy equipment being brought in, and much more digging. If they can finish the building as quickly as they put up the fence, they ought to be done in about three weeks.

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I think the Cowboys went 4-0 in the 1989 preseason. I think the Colts have gone 1-8 in the past two preseasons. I think Jerry Wayne’s blue suit was hideous at best. I fiddled with the color and contrast on my TV for 15 minutes before I figured out he was wearing those colors on purpose. I think Buck and Aikman make a very good football announcing team. I think Marion Barber runs like he’s angry, which I like. I also think I’d like to see him cut his hair. I think Romo’s in for a long season. I think Leonard Davis is huge. I think pre-season football only makes me wish it were real. I think if there’s anything more lame than pre-season football, it’s a locally produced 30-minute preseason football pre-game show. I think Wade Phillips has the personality of a cardboard box. He makes Chan Gailey look like Jimmy Johnson in the fire and personality department. I think we’re still 20 days away from any football that really counts.

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Today’s #20 in the countdown to football season is The Tyler Rose, Earl Campbell. Nobody ran harder or stronger or tougher. Nobody broke more tackles or carried more men across goal lines with him than Campbell. Nobody’s tear-away jersey ever tore away more often than Campbell’s.

A two-time All-America running back at the University of Texas, Campbell won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 with 1,744 yards rushing — he ran for more than a hundred yards ten times that season. He racked up 4,443 yards rushing during his Longhorns career and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Campbell was the #1 overall pick of the Houston Oilers and won NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 1978. He was the NFL rushing champ in 1980 and the NFL MVP that season with 1,934 yards rushing — four games that year with over 200 yards. He finished up his career with the Saints in ’84 and ’85.

In total, Earl Campbell played nine years in the NFL, ran for 9,407 yards, made it to five Pro Bowls, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

I’ll give honorable mention to Mel Renfro and Barry Sanders. But Earl Campbell is the greatest to ever wear the #20.

Bum Phillips ran him too much and too hard. He carried those old Oilers teams that were “knocking on the door” during the late ’70s and early ’80s. And he’s paying for it now. Campbell can barely get around. He can’t stand up for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

But he makes a mean sausage.

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There was a minor outcry last night that I hadn’t even mentioned LaDanian Tomlinson with yesterday’s #21. OK. Here’s the mention. Give him a little more time before I can put him in the same class with Jim Thorpe. But he is extremely talented and he does seem like a nice kid. I had the privilege of calling a couple of his games on the radio back in the day when he and the Waco University Trojans were running around and over and through Marble Falls. And I know a young man who just went through LT’s football camp last month and said he couldn’t have been a nicer, more engaging person.

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“…encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God.” 1 Thess 2:12

Paul, Silas, and Timothy were courageous Christian leaders for the new church in Thessalonica. They led with integrity and love for their brothers and sisters. And the goal of their work in that fellowship of believers was that they would live their lives worthy of God.

The greek word translated “live lives” or “live a life” is actually peripateo, which literally means “to walk,” which implies that living your life in a way that’s worthy of God means being worthy in every step, every action, every word, and everything you do in the course of your every day. Every part of our lives should reflect the character of our God and bring honor to him. That means both attitudes and behavior. Throughout all of Holy Scripture what happens in a religious context is never separated from what happens in a worldly context. The very concept of having two ways to talk or two ways to act or two ways of thinking based on when one is at church or with church people and when one is somewhere else doesn’t even exist in the Bible. Living a life worthy of God is a 24-hour, around the clock commitment.

It’s important to note that when Paul tells the Thessalonian Christians to live their lives worthy of God, he doesn’t direct them to some list of commandments or some directory of prescribed behaviors. He points them to the character of God. Internal motivation, not simply external actions, is of critical importance.

And keep in mind, Paul doesn’t see any of this activity as earning points with God or generating his favor. He writes to “live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.” Our lives are clearly a response to God who, on his own initiative, continually calls us into his presence and under his rule. The life Paul urges us to live is one of thanksgiving, a life that acknowledges and accepts with gratitude what God through Jesus has already done for us.

May our Lord bless us as we continue to be shaped by the words and teachings of Paul and the Holy Spirit in 1 Thessalonians.

Peace,

Allan

Is A Popular God…? Part Three

August 9, 2007 / Allan / 10 Comments

I appreciate so much the thoughts and the comments I’ve received regarding the blog this week, especially as it pertains to our current discussion on worship.

If you haven’t been to the comments page the past couple of days you can check them out here and here. One particularly revealing comment came from our brother Jason sometime last night:

I agree that we’ve got to be real in our worship in both style and substance but I think we have to be aware that the things that we are used to don’t create pseudo Church like barriers to seekers that don’t make sense to the rank and file (let alone seekers). What I mean is Church favorite hymns that reference things that don’t mean much in our current day vocabulary like Ebeneezer, Canaan, and Zion. These words from old hymns might be part of the lyrics of the beloved favorites, but they don’t hold much for the seekers or the rank and file members (like me). I’d rather have newer songs with relevant lyrics that mean more in today’s language. Just my 2 cents. Not trying to start a riot.

It’s not a riot. It’s just the back and forth of an emotional conversation about worship.

And I don’t want to throw Jason under the bus. I know his heart is pure and his love for our Lord is real. And he knows I know that. But his comments reflect a broad current of thought today in God’s church. And I think it needs to be addressed.

Those words to which he refers are not just part of the lyrics of the beloved favorites. The words “Canaan” and “Zion” and the images those words evoke are the very words and images handed to us by God and his prophets. Those words serve to evoke the very promises of our God—promises of eternal life with him, promises of protection and provision, promises of leaving this place to be with him and each other in a much better place. Our faith and our beliefs and our practices all hinge on words like “Canaan” and “Zion.” They come straight out of our Bible. And they’re not obscure words in a couple of hidden passages. They’re foundational, basic words that are consistently found throughout our Scriptures, from Genesis through Revelation. They’ve been used by God and his people in our articulation of and passing on of the faith for thousands of years. The words and ideas they convey were used by Moses and the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, and all Christians since.

I would say the words “salvation” and “repentance” and “sanctification” and “reconciliation” are just as biblical and just as foundational. But I imagine, to most “seekers” and most “rank and file members” today, they are just as irrelevant and make just as little sense as “Canaan” and “Zion.” That is not a reflection on the songs we sing as much as it is a sad commentary on the state of our teaching in the Church, the level of private Bible study and careful theological reflection in our personal lives and in our homes, and maybe our lack of an overall vision that, as disciples of Christ, we do not live in this world. God’s Church lives in another dimension. But if our songs or sermons or prayers reflect that other dimension too much, we balk.

But we can’t discard those words and images. We explore them and teach them and learn them and embrace them and live them and we grow in the faith together through them. The chemistry teacher doesn’t change or throw out the vocabulary because his students don’t understand it. He teaches it. And his students learn to use it, and even love it, so they can communicate with each other and with those who’ve gone before, with those who’ve studied and taught and experimented and learned chemistry hundreds of years ago.

Let’s teach the lasting words of our faith. Let’s don’t throw them away.

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The Cowboys pre-season begins tonight at Texas Stadium against the Colts. I’m sure that Aaron and Jennifer Green have had their Payton Manning jerseys washed and ironed and laid out for a couple of days now. And I suppose it’ll be good for the Cowboys fans to watch their starters for six or seven plays.

I’m not ready yet to give my prediction on the Cowboys season. Give me a couple of weeks.

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Speaking of the football season, there are 21 days left until the games actually mean something. And the best player to ever wear the #21 is the great pioneer of American football, the one and only Jim Thorpe. An All-America halfback at Carlisle from 1907-1912, Thorpe won an Olympic gold medal in the decathalon in the 1912 games. But it was as a member of the original Canton Bulldogs in Ohio and the very first president of the American Professional Football Association in 1920 that we honor him today. He wowed fans with his speed and toughness and ability to dominate both sides of the ball in the very earliest stages of the development of the game. He played for the Bulldogs, the Cleveland Indians, the Oorang Indians, the Rock Island Independents, the New York Giants, and the Chicago Cardinals. He’s in the College Football Hall of Fame. And he’s a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Thorpe wore #21 for the Giants and Cardinals. Barry Sanders wore #21 at OSU and receives honorable mention. I suppose Deion Sanders deserve mention, although I’m not sure how honorable. But Jim Thorpe is the greatest ever #21.

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I shouldn’t be, but I am continually surprised at all the ways our sports teams keep finding to sell corporate sponsorships and advertising for actual in-game events. At the Rangers game Tuesday night, it was a little disturbing to hear the legendary voice of Chuck Morgan announce the Samsung Call to the Bullpen during a Rangers pitching change and the Jiffy Lube Pitching Change when the A’s made a similar adjustment. It’s not just a first down anymore, it’s a Radio Shack First Down. Doesn’t this, in some ways less subtle than others, work to undermine the dignity of the teams and the games?

Jerry Wayne’s computer-edited dancing in the Cowboys lockerroom during the Papa John’s Pizza commercial nauseates me. It proclaims without shame — even with pride — that I’m more than willing to do anything anybody asks me to do anywhere anytime if they’ll give me money. Never mind the dignity of the game or the teams or the people who’ve gone before us and from whose sacrifice and vision we benefit. Give me your money and I’ll sell off anything. And Jerry Wayne started all this.

I was amused and horrified at the same time when, a couple of weeks ago, I was watching a Mike Doocey interview with Jerry Wayne on Channel 4. Doocey asked Jones if there were even a remote chance that the new football stadium wouldn’t be named in exchange for dollars. Is there any way that you might name it simply Cowboys Stadium or Tom Landry Stadium? Jerry just smiled and told Dooce, “The Cowboys are America’s Team. And part of being America’s Team is the relationship and the connection we have with America’s corporations.”

And he said it with a straight face.

And, good for him, trying to mask his laughter, Doocey followed up with, “Are you saying that it’s your relationship with America’s corporations and their advertising dollars that make the Cowboys America’s Team?”

And Jerry Wayne replied, “I’m saying it’s the money from America’s corporations that pay for our players that America cheers for.”

I’m sure Tom Landry rolled over in his grave. But maybe Tex Schramm smiled.

Peace,

Allan

Is A Popular God Really God At All?

August 7, 2007 / Allan / 8 Comments

What if the decisions we make regarding our worship practices and our worship services were made mainly with the visitors in mind? What if we shaped our services so that “seekers” would feel welcome and unoffended? What if we planned the order of worship, the presentation of the Lord’s Supper, which songs we sing and which ones we dump, and carefully watched the clock with mainly the visitors in mind?

We would assume that our visitors — seekers, unchurched, whatever — would like things to be upbeat and simple. Silent prayer and expressions of confession and / or lament would be out the window. We would only sing up tempo songs that have been written in the last 20 years, preferably ones our culture hears on their radios. To appeal to our visitors, we would spend much less time on sin and judgment and holy living and much more time on personal growth and self-realization.

In an article by Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. in Perspectives in 1993, the author speaks of the movement in our churches to bring in celebrity speakers such as Tommy Lasorda to speak during worship about how “the great Dodger in the sky” has helped him win games and lose weight.

“And on it goes, in various combinations of novelty, some of them mild and some very aggressive indeed. At the most advanced level of popular worship, imagine a High Five for Jesus replacing the Apostles’ Creed, and imagine praise time beginning when somebody shouts, “Gimme a G! Gimme an O!…”

That was written in May, 1993. And today, just 14 years later, our kids are led during worship to shout “Gimme a J! You got yo’ J, you got yo’ J, you got yo’ J! Gimme an E! You got yo’ E…..” to spell out the name of our Lord and Savior who suffered and died for my rebellion and sins.

And I cringe.

Here’s the question: what if some of this stuff does not reflect the Christian faith or worship very well? What’s the point of doing it? Why bother with it?

Again, from Plantinga: “What if by offering popularized religion as an appetizer for unbelievers we should accidentally spoil their appetite for the real thing? Suppose your ten-year-old does not like your heart-healthy dinner menu, so you arrange a seeker meal for him in which you offer some non-threatening Pringles. You do this in order to set up his taste buds for baked potatoes. I wonder how often that would work.

Suppose a seeker came away from a service of the kind I’ve been describing and said to herself, Now I understand what the Christian faith is all about: it’s not about lament, or repentance, or humbling oneself before God. It’s got nothing to do with a lot of boring doctrines. It’s not about the hard, disciplined work of mortifying our old nature and learning to make God’s purposes our own. It’s not about the inevitable failures in this project, and the terrible grace of Jesus Christ that comes so that we may begin again. Not at all! I had it all wrong! The Christian faith is mainly about celebration and fun and personal growth and five ways to boost my self-esteem!

How do you prevent that conclusion? Or, to put the question very generally: How likely is it that a popular God is really God? How likely is it that a user-friendly God will rebuke sin? Or save people with transcendent and unexpected force? Or have to suffer to do it? Or call us to suffering and discipline as well as to joy and freedom?”

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Legacy Worship Center Construction Update

Dirt has moved and is being moved with teriffic force and accuracy!

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There are 23 days left until football season officially begins with the first real college football games. Real games that matter. Not preseason scrimmages.

And the greatest football player to ever wear #23 is Lance Alworth. Nicknamed “Bambi” because of his effortless glide and elegant grace in the open field and his elusive escapability in a crowd, Alworth wore the #23 as an All-America wideout / halfback / punter for the Arkansas Razorbacks. (Shout out to Gardner!) He spent nine years of his pro career as a seven-time All-AFL star for the San Diego Chargers, leading that league in receving three times and, at one point, catching passes in 96 straight games.

Alworth finished his football with the Dallas Cowboys, scoring the very first touchdown in Super Bowl VI. Born in Houston, he was the very first AFL player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He did wear his Razorback #23 for his first two seasons in San Diego, as you can see from this 1963 football card. And, I’m not sure why he switched. The AFL, to my knowledge, never had the strict number rules the NFL has now. His #19 throwback powder-blue Chargers jersey, the one he wore for seven seasons, is a top three seller every year. But Lance Alworth is the greatest player to ever wear #23.

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Taking the girls to the Rangers game tonight. Hopefully they won’t be down 6-0 before we get to our seats.

Peace,

Allan

Practice Playing Second Fiddle

August 6, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

“Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” Romans 12:3

There are certain passages of Scripture that I think should be read regularly in our public Christian assemblies because of the forming effect they have on us. Passages that speak to the loving and gracious nature of our God, his will for his people, and our mission as disciples of Christ serve to shape our mindset and our way of living with each other and in our world. The Word of God should mold us into the image of Jesus. And reading it together, especially passages that speak to these specific things, would go a long way in redirecting our focus from the little matters to the more important aspects of our lives of faith.

One such passage is the very familiar “living sacrifice” section of Romans 12. I’ve read Romans 12 out loud six times already today, once at our regular Monday morning staff meeting. It’s always had tremendous power to properly shape my perspective. In times of discouragment, or in times when I’m thinking too highly of myself, Romans 12 has always spoken to me, turning me towards the big-picture view of life in Christ and my place in it.

Let me share with you Eugene Peterson’s translation of Romans 12:4-21 from The Message:

“We are like the various parts of the human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

If you preach, just preach God’s message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.

Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. ‘I’ll do the judging,’ says God. ‘I’ll take care of it.’

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, give him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.”

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Legacy Worship Center Construction Update:

Dirt is moving!

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We had a fantastic time on our mini-family-vacation to Marble Falls. It was so great to worship with our dear friends at the Marble Falls Church Wednesday evening and to share, in some small insignificant way, the heartache of dealing with the flood of late June. We heard so many stories and saw so many amazing pictures. And the evidence of those horrible days is still all around: flood debris still clinging to power lines some 20-feet above the roads, washed out roads and bridges, creek beds that are permanantly now four times wider and deeper than they were before the rains. We wish nothing but all of God’s richest blessings for the good people of that great town, especially the Jamars as they rebuild their house, the Youngs and the Montgomerys as they continue to clean up, the Burdetts and the Longs as they recover from huge business losses, and the other dozen or so families of Christians down there.

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On the way to Marble Falls on Wednesday we made our bi-annual trip to the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco.

We did a little antique shopping in Salado

We stayed with our great friends Mike & Lee Ann Clark and saw nothing of Jennifer or Ashley, not enough of Logan, and too much of the cats!

We spent all day Thursday at Schlitterbahn and nearly froze our Schlitterbuns!

Friday we took in the Texas History Museum in Austin.

And then Saturday it was movie audition day for Valerie. We waited for almost two hours before they finally called her in. And she was only in there for about 60-seconds! All they did was take a couple of pictures and ask her one or two very general questions about her family and her summer on camera. There were at least 20-25 boys being auditioned from school districts all over central Texas. But Valerie was the only girl in the building. We were told later that they were looking at 300 or so boys, but only four girls. We have no idea what kind of movie this is, what the parts or the roles are, or what they have in mind for Valerie. They only told us it would be six months to a year before we’d be contacted. It’s not quite “don’t call us, we’ll call you,” but almost.

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There are only 24 days left until the REAL football season begins—none of this preseason mess. And today’s number 24 is Johnny “Lam” Jones from Lampasas High School. Johnny Lam wore #26 at the University of Texas where, as a Longhorn, he was a two-time All-America running back and flanker who scored eight touchdowns of 45 yards or longer. He wore #80 as the very first ever professional football player to sign a million dollar contract when the Jets traded two number one picks to the 49ers in order to select him second overall in 1980. But he wore #24 as a Lampasas Badger—the “Lam” stands for his hometown of Lampasas—where he wowed all of Central Texas on the football field and on the track. He won state championships, Southwest Conference championships, national championships, and an Olympic gold medal. And when he played for the Jets, from 1980-86, he was the fastest player in the NFL. I don’t have a picture of Lam Jones in his #24 Lampasas jersey. If you can find one, please pass it along.

#25 is Raiders great Fred Biletnikoff. He was an All-America reciever at Florida State before being taken second overall by Oakland in 1965. He was durable and tough. He had deceptive speed and amazing hands. He was the NFL receptions leader in 1971, made all conference four times, and went to four Pro Bowls. While he was a Raider, Oakland played in nine conference title games and two Super Bowls. He was the MVP of Super Bowl XI. And the Fred Biletnikoff Award goes to the best receiver in college football every year.

Herb Adderley is my all-time greatest #26. Drafted as a running back by Vince Lombardi and the Packers out of Michigan State, Adderley made the switch to cornerback late in his rookie season and had a Hall of Fame career with Green Bay and the Cowboys: 48 picks, 1,046 return yards, five NFL championships, four Super Bowls, and five Pro Bowls.

The greatest to ever wear #27 is Oilers and Redskins safety Ken Houston. Out of Prarie View A&M, Houston was a ninth-round pick of the Oilers in 1967 and then traded to Washington six years later for five players. He had speed, quickness, and size, punishing runners and receivers with huge blows on every tackle. He finished his career with 49 interceptions and nine TDs, made ten Pro Bowls, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986.

Finally, the greatest football player to ever wear #28 is Abilene Christian and Philadelphia Eagle star Wilbert Montgomery. He didn’t want to go to Jackson State where he’d have to play behind his cousin, Walter Payton. So he wound up in Abilene where he scored a 56 yard touchdown on his first ever carry and a 39 yard touchdown on his first ever catch. He took the ACU Wildcats to the NAIA National Championship in 1973, scoring 37 touchdowns that freshman year, and finished his college career with a national record 70 TDs.

As #31 with the Philadelphia Eagles he ran over the Cowboys in the 1980 NFC Championship Game for 194 yards. Montgomery went 42 yards for a score on the second play of that game, setting the tone for what was a long, frigid afternoon in Philly for the Danny-White led Cowboys. Following his eight years with the Eagles, he finished up with two seasons in Detroit. Montgomery’s in the College Football Hall of Fame (check out his ‘do!) and the forty-second leading rusher in NFL history. The great Darryl Green deserves honorable mention, but Wilbert Montgomery’s the best football player to ever wear #28. Thanks to Kipi and Paul and Gary for helping me hunt down the pictures.

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I’ll close today with the words of a dear friend of mine, Charlie Johansson:

“Never doubt yourself because you are called and gifted by God. He will use the good times to encourage you and the bad times to humble you. Both are needed.”

Peace,

Allan

10-2-4

August 1, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

I’m beginning a six or seven week sermon series from 1 Thessalonians this Sunday with the intention of looking at that church that met at Jason’s house in Thessalonica that Paul said was so great. I want us to look at that church for the next month and a half and see why Paul said they were THE model church. And then I’m praying that, naturally, we can imitate that wonderful group of believers and do what they did and live like they lived.

If you’re a member of our Legacy church family, I challenge you to read all five chapters of 1 Thessalonians — out loud, of course! — sometime between now and Sunday. And notice how often Paul says something along the lines of, “You’re doing exactly what we’ve taught you to do. Keep it up!”

In my extensive reading for a Christian Ethics course last year (no, that is not an oxymoron) I came across the writings of John Chrysostom. One particular passage from 388 AD, concerning the ways the Church of Jesus Christ overcomes the world, fits our upcoming series perfectly:

“Let this, I say, be our way of overpowering them, and of conducting our warfare against them; before all words, astound them with our way of life. For this is the main battle, this is the unanswerable argument, the argument from actions. For though we give ten thousand precepts of philosophy in words, if we do not exhibit a life better than theirs, the gain is nothing. For it is not what is said that draws their attention, but their enquiry is, what we do. Let us win them therefore by our life.”

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There are 29 days left until football season. And today’s all-time #29 is one-half of the famed Pony Express and one of the most underrated running backs in football history. Eric Dickerson was not a TV analyst. But he could tote the pigskin. Dickerson was born in Sealey, Texas and went to SMU (for who knows how much money) to team up with Craig James — who is a pretty good analyst — to form the Express during the Ponies’ glory days of the glamorous ’80s. Dickerson was a unanimous All-America selection in ’82 and finished his college career as SMU’s all-time leading rusher and the all-time leading rusher in Southwest Conference history with 4,450 yards. His 28 100-yard games is also still a school record.

Dickerson was the Rams’ #1 pick, #2 overall, in ’83 and racked up over 1,800 yards rushing in three of his first four seasons. He ran for 2,105 yards in ’84. He bounced around from the Rams to the Colts to the Raiders and then finally to the Falcons. But when he retired in ’93, he was the NFL’s second all-time leading rusher behind Walter Payton.

He was so big and tall (6’3″, 220 lbs) and ran so smoothly and effortlessly that most casual observers, including reporters and writers who should have known better, believed he wasn’t giving it his best — that he wasn’t trying hard enough. There just wasn’t a whole lot of wasted motion with Dickerson. He made it look so easy. Too easy, in fact.

He wore #19 with the Hilltoppers at SMU. But he’s my all-time #29.

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Off to the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco and then on down to Marble Falls for three days. Have a great day!

Allan

Category: 99 Days of Football (Page 3 of 9)

Backpacks and Quarterbacks

Lives Worthy of God

Is A Popular God…? Part Three

Is A Popular God Really God At All?

Practice Playing Second Fiddle

10-2-4

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