Category: 99 Days of Football (Page 4 of 9)

No Fear, No Doubt

July 31, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

I submitted a photo of myself to the Simpsons website that Simpson-izes images.

This is me.

It looks exactly like me. Except for the gray hair.

Thanks, Jennifer Green, for the link.

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We don’t have to look around and conduct surveys or read books or bring in experts to tell us what our mission in Christian ministry is. We’re assured in Ephesians 2 that God prepares in advance those works for us to do. We can’t open our eyes or drive two blocks or turn around without running into a person or a family or a situation that is desperately crying out for the love of God in Jesus. People all around us are dying for reconciliation. They need forgiveness. They need peace. Their lives are empty without the things only God can give them. And because the mission is all around us, because it surrounds us in its enormity, we’re usually intimidated. It’s too big. The mission is obvious but we don’t know where to start. We’re only one person or one church in a sea of lost people and hopeless circumstances. But if we’ll just step out in faith with the God who gives us the ministry, we can be certain his mission will be accomplished. He works through us and in us. He uses us for his will and his Kingdom. He takes us in our unique settings with our unique talents and quirks and abilities and puts us in places and situations in which those gifts can be utilized for Christian ministry.

It’s only by his grace, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3, that we build on the foundations laid before us. It’s not me, Paul continues in that same letter. It’s not us. We are what we are and we do what we do only by the grace of God. And because it’s a God-given mission that we perform with God-given gifts, nothing else should really matter. We should have no misgivings about risking our reputations to reach out with God’s love to strangers. There should be no hesitation in helping others. We’re not afraid to get out of our houses and church buildings to join the Father’s work in progress.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Spiritual Care: “I expect naught from myself, everything from the work of Christ. My service has its objectivity in that expectation and by it I am freed from all anxiety about my insufficiency and failure.”

No fear, no doubt.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Putting our faith in God — not in our programs and planning or in our abilities — is the key to Christian ministry.

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$Teixeira$ Add Mark Teixeira to the LONG list of Texas Rangers who leave Arlington to win championships in another city for another team. There is nobody on that Rangers team who’s wanted to build a winner right here and do great things as a team right here than Teixeira. Nobody.

I don’t blame him. I don’t blame Scott Boras. I blame Tom Hicks. He’s lost another great one. And this one is a team leader who leads with character and work ethic and selflessness. And he wanted to be a Ranger. He wanted to stay. If he could only see some hope of some light at the end of the tunnel some day.

I’ve never rooted for the Braves. But I’m rooting hard for a great guy who’s now playing first base in Atlanta.

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For the past week Whitney has been chewing gum every day and eating popcorn every night because this morning she finally got her braces. They’re purple. For over a year she’s been talking about getting blue and red braces for the Rangers. But she’s so disgusted with the Teixeira trade that she went with purple. To match her room.

She and the rest of the Legacy Youth group just left the building for a full day at Six Flags. The kids here are so kind and friendly to Whitney. They’ve been so accepting of her and welcomed her right into the mix. And Carrie-Anne and I are so grateful for that. It’s an answer to fervent prayer.

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There are 30 more days until football season and today’s #30 is an undrafted quarterback out of South Carolina who played mainly a backup role as a running back with the Dallas Cowboys and then made his mark in the NFL as a Super Bowl coach.

Danny Reeves played for Dallas from 1965-72, actually leading the team in rushing with 757 yards in 1966, the team’s first ever winning season. But he served much more effectively as an assistant coach under Tom Landry for eleven seasons, at one time the front-runner to replace him whenever he decided to step down.

But Reeves couldn’t wait that long. He got the opportunity to coach the Broncos in 1981 and took them to four AFC title games and three Super Bowls, winning NFL Coach of the Year honors three times. He also took the Falcons to a Super Bowl after a four year stint with the Giants. In all, Dan Reeves appeared as a player or a coach in 50 playoff games and nine Super Bowls. He won NFL Coach of the Year five times and he’s the 6th all-time winningest coach in NFL history with 201 victories. And he was Chan Gailey’s little league baseball coach in Americus, Georgia.

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We’re packing up the family and heading down to Marble Falls tomorrow morning for a quick little four day getaway before school starts. We’re going to the Dr Pepper Museum in Waco Wednesday (we try to make Waco and Dublin on alternating years), worshiping with our Marble Falls family Wednesday night, going to Schlitterbahn Thursday, and doing something in Austin on Friday.

The impetus for the trip, though, is Valerie’s movie audition Saturday morning.

We recieved a letter from Primrose Productions Casting about six weeks ago telling us that they, in cooperation with the Marble Falls School District and the Texas Film Commission through Governor Perry’s office, had been scouting out new potential child actors at Colt Elementary School. They spent a couple of weeks secretly observing kids in the classroom, at lunch, and on the playground. And they selected Valerie to audition for a role in a major motion picture they’re going to be filming next year in the Austin area. The audition is at 10:30 Saturday morning. We have no idea what kind of role or what kind of movie they’re talking about. But we’ll be there.

Valerie has a tendency to be incredibly outgoing and funny in front of family and friends and then shut down completely in front of strangers. They’re going to put her on camera and just talk to her Saturday and I have no clue how it’s going to go.

I’ll try to keep up with the blog and the countdown while we’re away. I’ll try.

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Legacy Worship Center Construction Update:

Does this look like progress? A dumpster AND a port-a-potty! What else could they possibly need before they start actually digging?

Peace,

Allan

Legacy Adopts Walker Creek Elementary!

July 30, 2007 / Allan / 1 Comment

There are so many things to be excited about at the Legacy Church of Christ. There are so many programs and ministries here that our God is using for the Kingdom — the new Worship Center construction, our new focus on small groups, the upcoming Giveaway Day, all that our young people are doing, the camps and mission trips, VBS. But adopting Walker Creek, claiming that campus for Christ, is exactly the kind of thing this body of disciples is called to do by every paragraph of our Scriptures. If we really believe we are the body of Christ then we must be Jesus Christ to our community. And we can’t fulfill even a fraction of what it means to be the body of Christ inside our church building. If we are to be Jesus, we do that outside, face to face, person to person, in relationship, showing love and compassion in our actions to the people with whom we live in community.

Just like Jesus, we bear the burdens of our world. We bear the infirmities and the iniquities of our community. We turn sorrow into joy in the name of our Savior.

Our community is sick. Its families are fractured. Its neighborhoods are diseased. We live in a broken world. And Christ says we are the light.

In his lectures delivered to the University of Berlin in 1933 Dietrich Bonhoeffer presented the church of Jesus as “a sociological category unique unto itself.”

“Unlike other human organizations, the Church is not a vehicle for some other goal but is, in fact, an end in itself, containing within its own proclamation and witness and work the very gifts it promises. Thus, within the Church’s proclamation and sacramental life, that grace which is eschatologically promised in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes present to the community and to the individual.”

In other words — although I like his so much better — the Church is Jesus to the community. The love and the grace, the compassion and the benevolence we show to others is actually the love and grace, compassion and benevolence of the risen Lord. The Church reaches out with the mercy of God to the community and becomes the healing touch of God to those persons and circumstances.

We’ve been given an opportunity, a good work prepared in advance by God for us to do, to adopt Walker Creek Elementary School. Our plan is to buy backpacks and school supplies for the nearly 200 economically-disadvantaged, mostly Hispanic students there and volunteer to read to them in their ESL classes and eat lunch with them occasionally. By being committed to doing these little things in the lives of these children, we can positively impact them and their families with the love of God and claim that part of our community for Christ.

Jason tells me a bunch of our teenagers went out and purchased several backpacks last night. At the dinner for the Dodds last night several of us began planning how our classes and small groups could expand the extent of the relationship with Walker Creek even further. The idea has already caught fire. Praise God for the opportunities he gives us to serve his people in the Kingdom!

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It was exactly one year ago today, July 30, 2006, that I preached my first sermon at Legacy. I was officially hired a couple of weeks later — the culmination of an amazing process, so strange and so wonderful it could have only been of God. But because of my commitments to school at Austin Grad we couldn’t start here until June. I was able to drive up here and preach at Legacy once a month during that ten month interim. So in a lot of ways, we’ve been a part of the Legacy family for a year now. But in so many other ways, I still feel brand new.

And those same feelings of humility and complete inadequacy in the pulpit and in my work as the preacher at this place won’t go away.

I believe with all my heart that it’s our God who is using me. He inspires me through the week in my study and my prayer and then speaks through me on Sundays. He takes his message and places it right into the hearts of the people here, in exactly the place where and when and how they need it. I’m totally baffled by the way it works. None of it is me. All of it is Him. And a week doesn’t go by that several people talk to me about how the message reached them and touched them, the exactly perfect words were said at exactly the perfect time. The word of grace they needed at just that moment was delivered, perfectly tailored to specifically comfort and encourage them. None of it is me. All of it is Him. And it blows me away.

People I don’t know that well, people I’ve barely met, will talk to me about their innermost fears and anxieties, their sins and their struggles with faith and hope. And we’ll cry together and we’ll pray together. And I don’t even know these people yet. As they’re talking to me, I can’t help thinking, “Why are they telling me these things? What am I supposed to do? They’re telling me things and confiding in me things they wouldn’t tell their dearest friend. Why?”

It’s because I’m the preacher. I represent God and the Word of God to these people. I represent a deeper relationship to our God to the church. I’m expected to give them spiritual direction and comfort and hope straight from the Lord.

And when I’m finished with those conversations, I feel so small and insignificant. I feel like I haven’t helped at all. I feel like I haven’t said a thing they couldn’t have heard from almost anyone else. I feel so humble. Everytime it happens, I look at my own life. I look at my own sin and selfishness and inclinations to evil. I look at all the things I don’t understand about God and his ways and his will. And he still uses me. And that completely blows me away.

I find myself every day praying the prayer of Terry Rush up in Tulsa: “God, please keep doing that thing you do.”

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31 days until football season and two more running backs in the countdown. #31 is the great Jim Taylor of those Titletown Packers in the ’60s. As Green Bay’s top pick out of LSU in 1958, Taylor ran for over a thousand yards in five straight seasons, he led the NFL in rushing in 1962 and was the league’s player of the year that season. He was a ferocious runner and a powerful blocker and a member of that original “run to daylight” backfield with the Packers.

Yesterday’s #32 is not O. J. Simpson, Franco Harris, or Marcus Allen, although they all three deserve honorable mention for their college and pro careers. Walt Garrison’s a personal favorite at #32 but probably doesn’t fit in the same category as the greatest ever. The best ever #32 is Jim Brown. As an All-America out of Syracuse, he was built like a lineman and punshished defenders when he ran over them. He was the Browns’ top draft pick in 1957 and led the NFL in rushing eight times, winning the league’s MVP award twice. His career lasted only nine seasons. But he racked up 58 100-yard games and a combined 15,459 yards from scrimmage. He still holds 20 NFL records. His career rushing average is 5.2 yards per carry. His career receiving average is 9.5 yards per catch. And he’s appeared in 39 movies.

I don’t care much for his politics or his demeanor. But Jim Brown was the best to ever wear #32.

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Happy Birthday, Rhonda! I love you. Thank you for not letting go.

Peace,

Allan

COWABUNGA!

July 27, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

<<<This Friday post contains information regarding this coming Sunday’s sermon; updates on the Medina Children’s Home fundraiser, Legacy worship center construction, and the Four Horsemen; two of the greatest running backs in the history of football; and an homage to The Simpsons>>>

“The Simpsons is one of the most subtle pieces of propaganda around in the cause of sense, humility, and virtue.” ~ Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Anglican church

“The Simpsons is a situation comedy about modern life that includes a significant spiritual dimension; because of that, it more accurately reflects the faith lives of Americans than any other show in the medium.” ~Mark I. Pinsky, Christianity Today

“It is not the be-all and end-all of theology on TV, but the most consistent and intelligent treatment of religion on TV is on The Simpsons.” ~David Landry, New Testament professor, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN

“There is more spiritual wisdom in one episode of The Simpsons than there is in an entire season of Touched By An Angel.” ~ The Door

“70-percent of The Simpsons episodes contain at least one religious reference. Ten percent of the show’s plots are constructed entirely around religious themes.” ~ John Heeren, California State University

“As satires go, The Simpsons is not overly harsh; indeed, most Christians would find much truth in it. If this is a show with attractive Christian characters, where good always triumphs and evil always fails, where the family virtues are always affirmed in the end, why are Christians put off by it? If you’re a mature Christian and you get all the jokes, you should watch it.” ~ Gerry Bowler, professor of philosophy, Canadian Nazarene College, Calgary

“The Simpsons proves it is possible to produce a profitable, respected program that credits religion as a part of the American lived experience. In an industry where spirituality is either absent or merely glossed over for a cheap, dispensable laugh, this cartoon proves religion can be featured as a theme without isolating the audience.” ~ Jim Trammell, professor of journalism, University of Georgia

“It doesn’t compare just with other television programs, but with the very best of American humor. Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and The Simpsons can happily occupy the same stratosphere of respect in the annals of American humor.” ~ Robert Thompson, founding director of Center for Study of Popular Television, Syracuse University

“The Simpsons is smarter, sharper, and more allusive than any other show on television.” ~ Kurt Anderson, New Yorker Magazine

“One shouldn’t think The Simpsons is a sociological tome on the best in American religious life. But, on the other hand, it does provide a pretty good picture of our religious thinking and behavior without the sometimes heavy jargon of social scientists.” ~ Tony Campolo, professor of sociology, Eastern College, St. David’s, PA

“I see in The Simpsons goodness galore — intelligence, hilarious writing, insight, telling social criticism and commentary, and plenty of helpful hints for spiritually challenged people like me.” ~ Robert L. Short, author of The Gospel According to Peanuts

“Bristling with humor and laced with keen observations, The Simpsons explores, seemingly with every episode, our fabric of faith and spirituality.” ~ William Romanowski, author of Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture

“No home should be Simpsons-less.” ~ Dr. Keith Stanglin, professor of Bible, Harding University

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When the church leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to investigate the Greeks there who were “turning to the Lord,” Acts 11:23 tells us that, when Barnabas arrived, he “saw the evidence of the grace of God.” What in the world did he see? What was the visible proof that God was working in and among those Gentiles in Antioch?

That’s what we’re going to consider together at Legacy Sunday morning. The Scriptures are clear, I think, about what Barnabas saw. And those lessons and examples are valuable to us in the church today. But there’s another rabbit trail tangeant in there I want to explore in this space today.

Earlier in that same chapter of Acts, the church leaders in Jerusalem got in Peter’s face and criticized him for eating with Gentiles. Now these leaders hear that Greeks are claiming Jesus as Lord and worshiping God in the third largest city in the Roman Empire. And they send Barnabas to check it out. What was the attitude of the church leaders? Were they excited about the new converts in Antioch or where they suspicious? Were they glad about the news that Greeks were repenting and becoming disciples or were they skeptical? What were they looking for? What did they expect Barnabas to find? It’s all speculation, of course. But based on the background, it’s obvious their feelings were at least mixed.

When Barnabas arrived in Antioch I’m certain he found them worshiping differently than what he was used to in Jerusalem. I’m sure they acted differently, dressed differently, maybe kneeling for prayers instead of standing, probably singing songs Barnabas had never heard. He must have seen many weaknesses and excesses of religious enthusiasm that would have shocked most of the church leaders in Jerusalem.

But Barnabas just looks and listens. He sees and hears. And he experiences the grace of God among these Greeks. And that has everything to do with Barnabas’ spiritual mindset and godly vision. It’s his attitude that allows him to be glad and encouraged by the new Church in Antioch.

Two Christians can look at the exact same thing and come up with two very different conclusions based solely on their own bias and prejudice. The very news that fills a generous spirit with joy fills a sectarian with jealousy. Gentiles are receiving the Word of God! Fantastic! How could anyone think otherwise? But to the sectarian, any change is appalling if it threatens to break down the fences of the sect and force him to widen the extent of his fellowship.

This Acts 11 incident was a watershed moment, a crossroads in history, especially for us Gentile Christians. The report and advice from Barnabas was going to be taken very seriously by the church in Jerusalem. Praise God that Barnabas was a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.”

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There are 34 more days left until football season begins. And today’s #34 in the countdown is Walter Payton. Out of little bitty Jackson State, “Sweetness” finished 4th in the Heisman voting in 1974 after a college career that saw him gain over 3,500 yards and score 66 touchdowns. He spent 13 seasons in Chicago after the Bears made him their number one pick and retired following the 1987 season as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 16,726 yards. Payton was named the NFL’s Player of the Year twice, he went to nine Pro Bowls, and ran for over a hundred yards 77 times. He rushed for 275 yards in a single game against the Vikings in 1977. He was a more exciting runner and had more moves than Barry Sanders. And he was as tough as a Larry Csonka. Even with his “Roos” headband and shoes, Payton was certainly the essence of class and cool in the ’70s and ’80s. Herschel Walker gets an honorable mention for what he did at Georgia. But Payton is hands-down without debate the best to ever wear #34.

Tomorrow’s #33 is another great running back, one I’d put in the top ten all-time in both college and the pros. Tony Dorsett won the Heisman Trophy at Pittsburgh while helping the Panthers win the National Championship in 1976. He racked up 202 yards rushing, a Sugar Bowl record, against Georgia in the title game. And when he left school, he was college football’s all-time leading rusher. Dorsett was a four-time All-America and the first ever player to rush for a thousand yards in all four seasons.

The Dallas Cowboys stole Dorsett from the expansion Seattle Seahawks in exchange for three early picks in 1977. And in his 11 years in Dallas, the Cowboys rode him to five NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in ’77 and he’s still the NFL’s fifth all-time leading rusher with 12,739 yards. And his 99-yard run against the Vikings on a Monday night in 1983 is a record that can only be tied.

Someday when I have more time and space I’ll rehash my chasing Dorsett down in a Sears parking lot for his autograph. I was ten. He refused. I cried. He signed.

And when I had him as a guest on my talk show in the end zone at St. Edward’s University in 1994 following the news conference announcing his induction into the Cowboys Ring of Honor I retold the story. He claimed, nearly 20 years and a Hall of Fame career later, to remember it.

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I just found out this week that the big dinner at the Fairmont in Dallas last month with Avery Johnson raised $368,000 for Medina Children’s Home! Thank you so much to everyone who attended, everyone who bought something at the auction, and everyone who’s given of their time and money to support that wonderful work. Jeff Powers, a dear friend in Mesquite, was the evening’s official photographer and his pics are posted on this site. The pictures of me praying are on pages 2 & 3. Yes, my eyes are closed.

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There are tons of stakes now out on the west lawn at the Legacy Church campus. They must be getting close. Hurry.

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The Four Horsemen ride again this afternoon. Every fourth Friday. My time with Jason, Kevin, and Dan always leaves me uplifted, recharged, and amazed at how our God is so active in our lives. They encourage me so much. And I’m thankful to our Lord for putting them in my path.

Have a great weekend,

Allan

Hope Springs Eternal in San Antonio

July 26, 2007 / Allan / 1 Comment

I’m nauseated by the pictures and stories coming out of San Antonio and Dallas Cowboys training camp. Forget Terrell Owens purposefully showing up in a Barry Bonds San Francisco Giants jersey when Bonds right now stands for everything that’s wrong with professional sports in this country. To intentionally align himself with Bonds at this moment in time says a whole lot about Terrell Owens. But not much more than we already knew. It also says a great deal about Jerry Wayne, who spent five million more dollars over the spring to make sure Owens was going to be a leader on this squad. This is the same Jerry who passed on Brady Quinn at #22 when Quinn was ranked as high as #5 on their Valley Ranch draft board. And as much as I love Tony Romo, this so very much reminds me of the Cowboys passing on Dan Marino because they’d already committed to Danny White and Steve Pelluer.

Even aside from those two things, where does all the optimism come from? Has a football team ever gone into a season with a brand new coach, a brand new defensive coordinator, and a brand new offensive coordinator who’s never called plays and done anything? It’s so crazy to me to hear people talking about the division and the conference being up for grabs and “somebody’s gotta win it so why not the Cowboys!”

In the history of organized professional football has a team ever opened up its training camp with a no-pads no-contact practice? I understand Wade Phillips is going out of his way to prove to his players that he’s no Bill Parcells. I understand that he’s relaxing every single aspect of player life in the lockerroom, on the field, during meetings, and even away from the team to show everyone he’s a player’s coach and not a strict disciplinarian. And I completely understand the players all agreeing to a man that they were tired of Parcells’ dictatorship and relieved to be a playing for a coach who “understands today’s player.” But I also recall vividly that four years ago, to a man, the entire organization was thrilled to be rid of the Dave Campo player’s coach model in exchange for Parcells’ rules. Don’t all the beat writers and reporters remember the same thing? Why do I keep hearing and reading that the players are completely buying into the Phillips system and that’s the most important thing? Remember the first Monday night game of the Parcells era, week two in New York against the Giants? The Cowboys blew a 17 point lead and wound up taking it to overtime on a fluke special teams play and a long pass at the buzzer and then winning with a field goal? No team has ever “bought into” a coach more than that team did in the early part of that year. That’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is good players and good coaches and team discipline and consistency over at least a couple of seasons.

And if you look at the most successful NFL coaches over the past 10 years, they are hard-nosed disciplinarians. Rules guys. Dungy. Cowher. Belichick. Fisher. Gruden. Shanahan. Holmgren. They always have been. Shula. Landry. Gibbs. Lombardi. Even Bill Parcells.

The scenes and stories coming out of the Alamodome are complete repeats of the Campo era scenes and stories. The loud music, the mascots and cheerleaders disrupting practice, mostly just once a day walkthroughs, a reduced number of two-a-day full-contact scrimmages, corporate displays and booths actually on the practice field, and Jerry Wayne and his ever-present publicity machine in the huddles and in front of every camera.

Playoffs?

Right.

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Elijah was taken up to heaven last night in an elaborately decorated fiery chariot with the aid of a Tommy-Lift. And thus ends another wonderful VBS at Legacy. Terri and Shellie and Kipi did a terrific job and are to be commended for organizing and executing a wonderful way to teach our children the stories of God’s people and God’s faithfulness to his people. I’m so looking forward already to next year. Someone’s mentioned that if we do Daniel next year there would be plenty of eager volunteers to throw me and Jason and Lance into the fiery furnace. I’m not sure how to take that. Enjoy some pics from the last night.

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There are 35 more days until football season officially begins. And the best ever #35 is a Yale man. Calvin Hill was the Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick out of the Ivy League school in 1969 and went on to become that season’s NFL Rookie of the Year. He was the first ever Cowboy to rush for a thousand yards and is still the team’s #4 all time leading ground gainer. He led the team in rushing four times, in receiving twice, and he’s still #8 on the squad’s all-time all-purpose yards list with 6,368. He scored 24 points on four TDs in a game against the Bills in ’71, which is still a team record.

Calvin Hill finished up his career with the Redskins and Browns. He’s also the father of the NBA’s Grant Hill, which, if you keep up with basketball, you know speaks to Calvin’s integrity as a great dad who raised a fantastic son.

Calvin currently works with the Cowboys, and has for a little over a decade, as the team’s player development guy. He counsels them and works with them on dealing with life in the NFL, trying to keep them out of trouble off the field and helping shape them into productive members of society. Tough job. But the Cowboys’ players have gotten into considerably less trouble with Calvin on the job.

And when the Cowboys are gearing up to play the Redskins, Giants, or Eagles and you get Calvin at just the right moment, off by himself, and in a talking mood, he’ll go for days on how things used to be in the bitter NFC East. He’ll talk forever about the genuine hatred between the teams and the things that were done and said on the field during those games in the early ’70s. He’s a super great guy. And one of the few positive elements you can point to right now with the Cowboys as an organization.

Peace,

Allan

Ears Thou Hast Dug

July 25, 2007 / Allan / 4 Comments

Thank you so much to John West and Lance Parrish! I’m finally back on my own computer (a new one. Drats!) in my own office! I’ve been unable to do with pictures what I’ve wanted to for the past week. But today’s the day. We’re back up and running with lots of catching up to do.

Remember a couple of weeks ago in a blog about Scripture I wrote about the practice of reading the Bible out loud. For a couple of years now I’ve been doing all of my Bible reading — my sermon and class prep, my morning devotional readings, all of it — out loud. And it’s completely changed the way I “hear” God and God’s people speaking to me. I hear the passion. I hear the conviction. I hear the joy. I hear the promises in a way I never did reading silently to myself.

Psalm 40:6 refers to “ears thou hast dug for me” in speaking to God about what he desires. The RSV translates it “thou hast given me an open ear;” it’s “my ears you have pierced” in the NIV; and the KJV version says “mine ears thou hast opened.” But the Hebrew phrase is literally “ears thou (God) hast dug for me.” Look it up. You probably have it in a footnote. David sees God swinging a pickaxe, digging ears in our granite blockheads so that we can hear, really hear, what he speaks to us. The primary organ for receiving God’s revelation is not the eye that sees but the ear that hears. Again, look it up.

Reading Scripture out loud intentionally focuses on the living Word — listening and responding to the voices of that great cloud of witnesses telling their stories, singing their songs, preaching their sermons, praying their prayers, asking their questions, and following their Lord.

I asked you to try it for two weeks. Read your Bible out loud. And then get back with me. Share with us how it’s changed your listening to God. Several of you said you would. Today’s the day. How’s it going? Give us some feedback on this. Just click the “comment” box at the top of the page and start writing.

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Today’s the last day for VBS at Legacy and we’re expecting our biggest crowd of the week. What a fantastic past three nights! Over 500 kids, teens, adults, teachers, and helpers each night. And what a blessing it’s been to me and my family. Last night was especially wonderful. The special effects of the fire and the rain with the projection and the screen behind and in front of the huge mountain set was fabulous. In fact, one of the great climaxes of the show last night was when God finally made it rain. The flashing lightning. The roaring thunder. And all the ladies and teens moving up and down the aisles throughout the auditorium, hiding behind giant rainclouds, and squirting water from concealed water guns up into the air. The misting effect on the crowd while watching Elijah get drenched on the stage was really a special touch.

But I got touched harder than everyone else.

When I first got “hit” I turned to Carrie-Anne and said, “Oh, that’s cool. It’s raining.” But then I quickly noticed I was getting repeatedly drilled in the left side of the head. Four or five times, right in the ear. I turned that way and saw two ladies with water guns, hiding behind their cloud, crouched down in a gunslinger pose, and just absolutely nailing me. And laughing. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything. And I couldn’t look directly at them because I was getting shot in the eyes. While the rest of the audience was getting misted once, I got two whole waterguns completely emptied in my head. I think I’ve got swimmer’s ear. I’m probably going to need an antibiotic. Regina and Teresa. You’ll get yours.

I found it interesting that we had to use Brock Paulk, the youth minister at the Heritage Church, to be our voice of God during the show. It’s interesting that with all the people at Legacy, Kipi apparantly looked around and said, “There’s no God here.” Is it bad that we had to outsource God? Brock’s a nice guy and all, but his God voice sounded like a weird mix between Santa Claus and Big Tex.

It was also interesting that as the angel in the Mount Horeb scene with Elijah, Shanna’s halo broke.

No further comment on that.

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There are 36 days left until football season. And 36 in the countdown is another of the best college football players ever. Steve Owens was a two-time All-America running back with the great Oklahoma Sooners teams of the late ’60s. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1969 and finished his college career as the #2 all-time rusher and the #1 TD scorer (56) in college football history. He made All Big-8 three times. He was the Big-8 Player of the Year twice. And at one point he ran for over a hundred yards in 17 straight games.

Owens went on to play for the Detroit Lions, becoming the first back in that team’s storied history to rush for a thousand yards. His NFL career was cut short by a knee injury after just five seasons, his lone Pro Bowl year coming in 1971.

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Finally — and this may be the best news of the day — the construction trailer has arrived and is parked and set up on the west side of the Legacy Church grounds. We’re finally underway with the building of our 1,500 seat worship center that’s been in the works for over five years. Suzanne has told us repeatedly for weeks and months now that when the trailer arrived she’d do a happy dance out on the church lawn.

And she did.

Peace,

Allan

Raining on our Drought

July 24, 2007 / Allan / 1 Comment

It wasn’t quite as dramatic as opening night when the thunderstorm broke out just as Elisha, the narrarator, was telling us how dry it was during the 3-1/2 year drought in Israel. But we did get another pretty heavy thunderstorm last night that ended just as VBS was beginning. One of my favorite ad-libbed lines from last night’s presentation of “Elijah: On Fire for the Lord” came from one of the Ba’al prophets who prayed, “Please let it rain like it’s doing in Texas!” And of course, the best well-rehearsed line was delivered by our own Suzanne West, whose cameo and single line every year has become a much-anticipated event. “Excuse me, sir. Who is this God you speak of?” She nailed it.

VBS is really a spectacular production here at Legacy. Elaborately decorated classrooms featuring everything from sumo wrestlers to running brooks and Israelite houses and a giant candy Mount Carmel. And tons of kids and young families, naturally. But a whole mess of our older members jump right into the middle of this thing, too. That’s one of the really, really impressive things about the Legacy family. They really do act like a family. (They. I guess I need to start saying “we.”) I see such pride and joy on the faces of our older members listening to our kids sing and scream and jump up and down with Jerry Karels. They’re helping with refreshments and registration. They’re aiding our many, many visitors as soon as they walk in the door. It’s just a terrific, church-wide experience. And I’m truly grateful for that.

Why do we love so much seeing our kids having a great time? Why do we enjoy so much watching them learn about Elijah and God’s great love and power? Why do our hearts thrill listening to them sing? Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.” He tells us we must become like little children if we’re to enter the Kingdom.” Is it any wonder? Our kids are so enthusiastic, their faith so simple and strong, their love and forgiveness of each other so quick and deep, their joy in their Lord and his creation so genuine, their trust so real.

Let’s pay close attention to our young children here for the next couple of nights. Watch them. Listen to them. Let’s notice in them the qualities that our Lord finds so appealing. And then let’s try to be just like them.

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Jesse Villareal is getting his list together for the trip to Marble Falls next week. If you’d like to go with him and the Singles Group to help the Marble Falls Church clean out and clean up from last month’s floods, please get in touch with him soon or email me at astanglin@legacychurchofchrist.org. They’re leaving Thursday afternoon, August 2. They’ll work with the church down there in members’ homes and in other areas of the city—the lowest income areas of the town, probably—all day Friday and Saturday. And then they’ll come home Sunday afternoon after worshiping with the Marble Falls family that morning.

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Although the Cowboys report to San Antonio this afternoon for training camp and their first practice is tomorrow, there are still 37 days until football season. 37 days until the games count. No more scrimmages. No more pre-season. No more practices. The games count in 37 days. Don’t be distracted. Don’t lose focus.

#37 in the countdown is probably the best football player ever in the history of the Southwest Conference. The great SMU running back, Doak Walker, is the only three-time All-America selection in the history of the SWC. He led the Mustangs to conference titles in 1947 and 1948 when SMU went a combined 18-1-3. And those were his teams. He did everything. And everybody wanted to see him play. He ran, passed, kicked, returned kicks, and played defense so well that SMU was forced to move out of its small on-campus Ownby Stadium to play its games in the massive Cotton Bowl at Fair Park. Thus, the Cotton Bowl became “The House That Doak Built.” And it still is.

Walker became the first junior to ever win the Heisman Trophy when he took it in 1948. And he’s still the only Mustang to ever win the award as the best player in college football.

As a pro with the Detroit Lions, Walker won two NFL Championships, made four Pro Bowls, and finished with an unbelievable career rushing average of 4.9 yards per carry. For a career!

He made the cover of 47 magazines during his playing days and really was a national phenomenon. He’s still in the top five of several all-time SMU categories including rushing, passing, scoring, interceptions, punting, punt return, and kick return. And the award for the best running back in college football every year has been named after him since 1990. Doak Walker went to Highland Park High School in Dallas with Bobby Layne. And he’s the best player to ever wear #37.

Peace,

Allan

Category: 99 Days of Football (Page 4 of 9)

No Fear, No Doubt

Legacy Adopts Walker Creek Elementary!

COWABUNGA!

Hope Springs Eternal in San Antonio

Ears Thou Hast Dug

Raining on our Drought

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