Category: Cowboys (Page 50 of 55)

Imago Dei

October 11, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27

What does it mean to be created in the image of God?

The question has been debated since almost the day God breathed life into Adam’s nostrils. And I can’t pretend to have the definitive answer. But chew on this for a while……..

If you take your clues just from Scripture, it’s clear that “image of God” does not mean man has an eternal soul. Or, I should say, the fact that man will live eternally is not the reason he’s said to be created in the “image of God.” The Hebrew term in the verse about God breathing life into Adam, Genesis 2:7, is “nepesh.” And it just means “life.” Period. It has nothing to do with a soul or a spirit. It just means man is able to breathe air. Just like the animals. No difference. In fact, Adam is formed from the dust by the hands of God, exactly like all the birds and animals. It seems that the way Adam is created and the physical or spiritual qualities he possesses have nothing to do with this “image of God.”

What sets man apart from the animals in Genesis is that God has given him dominion over creation and that God has given him a woman to live in community with him. Those two qualities or characteristics make man exactly like God.

God is only described in the Bible by what he does. We’re never told what he looks like or what he’s made of or where he comes from. God is described by what he does, by his activity in and with his creation. He creates. He sustains. He provides. He controls. And he lives in community.

Wrap your brain completely around the doctrine of the Trinity and get back with me. I don’t think it’s possible. But our God lives in community with himself. I can’t explain it. I don’t even understand it. But John makes it clear that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit give life to each other.

And when we participate in that creating, sustaining, providing, controlling, and living in community, we are participating in what it means to be God, to be made in the “image of God.”

Man and woman are brought together by God to live in community with each other, to need each other, to sustain each other, and to create new life together. We can make kids! Generating life through reproduction is the way we participate in creation. And our existence together in community — in fellowship — ministering to one another, sustaining each other, providing for each other, and protecting each other is the obvious way we all participate in the “image of God.” And the more we do those things, the more like God we become.

God is described in Scripture by what he does. And to be “in his image,” we must do the things he does.

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***Legacy Construction Update***

The work is all focused right now on the two story youth and benevolence center off to the west side of our fellowship hall. The steel is being lifted into place by a huge crane. And it seems to be progressing very quickly. The new parking spaces should all be available for us this coming Sunday. Lance Parrish took these latest pics, several of them from the roof of the fellowship hall.

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There’s a reason Terrell Owens isn’t talking to reporters this week. And it has nothing to do with Randy Moss. It has everything to do with his numbers. That’s what he doesn’t want to talk about. He knows the questions this week would revolve around the fact that in the past two games he’s had more drops than catches. He has five catches for 58 yards over the past two games and no touchdowns. In fact, he hasn’t scored a TD since week two. He’s also on pace right now for his worst season since 2000. He trapped a catchable ball on that last drive Monday night. He dropped the potential game-tying two-point conversion. We all saw him yelling in frustration and throwing his helmet around on the sidelines against the Bills. He’s not Tony Romo’s go-to guy. That guy seems to be Jason Witten. And that’s what Owens doesn’t want to talk about.

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Interesting story by Evan Grant about the Rangers’ interest in the developing A-Fraud situation in New York. Not that they’re thinking of bringing him back. Goodness, no! But if Rodriguez opts out of his deal with the Yankees, it would save the Rangers about 21-million dollars over the next three seasons. Again, not that Tom Hicks would spend that money on a proven power hitting free agent or a good starting pitcher. At the same time, if A-Fraud jumps ship in New York, he could easily wind up with the Angels or M’s and playing against Texas 20 times a season.

I’m not worried about that.

But if he leaves NY, won’t that be because he can’t hack it? He can’t handle the pressures of playing with those high expectations in the Big Apple. His playoff numbers the past three years prove it.

And finally, this sobering news. The Rangers are one of only two teams in Major League Baseball history to have never won a playoff series. Tampa Bay is the other.

Great company.

The DevilRays just finished with the worst record in baseball and have placed last in their division nine of the past ten years.

Peace,

Allan

The Watershed Game?

October 9, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

OK. At the end of the game, as Nick Folk’s second 53-yard game winning field goal split the uprights, I was standing up in my living room, two feet away from my TV, laughing.

Laughing.

It was the craziest game I can remember watching. Ever. And regardless of what this game means to the Cowboys from here on out (more on that in a minute), there’s not a person who watched it who will ever forget it.

Tony Romo throws five interceptions and fumbles three times. And still wins the game. Four of his five picks were thrown right to the Bills defender without a Cowboys receiver in sight. Two of them were returned for Buffalo scores. Late in the fourth quarter, right after Terrence Newman had given Dallas some hope with his own interception deep in Bills territory, Romo responded by throwing his fifth pick, this one in the end zone. At that point, as I was visiting with a friend over the phone, our conversation turned to what this was doing to Romo long-term. Should a coach take him out of the game because every pass he makes is a disastrous one? What lasting damage is he doing to his own psyche and confidence and to the relationship he has with his 52 teammates? Should they pull him or keep giving him the chance to win it?

And as funny as I think it is when the Cowboys lose, I hated seeing Romo play the goat. He seems like such a great kid and he’s a genuine joy to watch. I hated that he was the one obviously giving the game away. But then Terrell Owens started dropping more balls. Roy Williams started missing more tackles. And it was clear that there was plenty of blame to go around. I can enjoy a Cowboys loss a lot more when T.O. is the one who drops the two-point conversion.

And look at how this thing was setting up to really implode. This loss to the Bills could have triggered the avalanche of despair that would drive Dallas straight to that 8-8 finish I’m hoping for. Owens was stomping on the sidelines in the fourth quarter. He was ripping his helmet off and cursing when he thought he was open and Romo didn’t get him the ball. They lose that game last night, go on to lose to the Patriots Sunday, and suddenly they’re 4-2 with a two-game losing streak and the finger-pointing begins. Doubt creeps in and sets up a tent. The bye week forces the media to create stories about the team, and they’d all be negative. The tough part of the division schedule is coming up and all the positivity is gone. Maybe they really were just playing lousy teams at the beginning. Maybe they’re not as good as everyone thought. Maybe Romo really is playing over his head. Maybe Phillips doesn’t know what he’s doing. Maybe.

But the Cowboys score 9 points in the final 20-seconds and win the game. When’s the last time you saw an onsides kick actually work? Hasn’t it been years?!? Do you realize that if Buffalo’s offense could have scored more than just three points they would have won? The Cowboys first lead of the game came with 0:00 on the clock.

And now this horrible nightmare of a game for everybody involved could turn into the very thing that propels this team to greatness over the next four or five years. Who can’t they beat? What can’t they do? Somebody joked with Jerry Wayne afterwards that he should have sent his contract proposal to Romo’s agent during the third quarter. And Jerry said, “he just went UP in value in my opinion.”

Of course he did!

The Cowboys gain more positive energy and confident vibe from last night’s miracle than they would have if they’d drummed the Bills by 17 like they were supposed to.

And what about the Bills and their fans? They live in that awful city (sorry, Bob Matuszak) with that horrible weather with all those factories and plants. The Bills and their hatred for all Dallas sports teams are all they have. And for 59:40 they completely control that football game. How do you get six takeaways in the NFL and lose? Come on. You gotta feel for those poor folks today.

And, (last thing on the game unless somebody else wants make an observation) the NFL probably won’t have to wait until this coming spring to change the rule on allowing a head coach to call a timeout a split-second before the ball is snapped on a game-winning field goal attempt. Just wait. Pretty soon some coach is going to pull that stunt and the opponent’s kicker is going to slice a 43-yarder into the benches. And then he’ll split the uprights on the second try and win the game.

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I can’t allow the Yankees to go away without another observation on A-Fraud. He’s #1 in the American League this season in RBIs, homeruns, and runs scored. Yet he goes 4-15 in the four game playoff series with the Indians with six strikeouts and a total of one RBI. I don’t have time this morning to look up his performance in the four games with runners in scoring position or how many runners he left on base against Cleveland. Somebody else look that up for us and let us know.

But it’s typical.

He’s a very good baseball player. I think anyone who uses the word “great” in reference to Rodriguez hasn’t done his homework.

Peace,

Allan

Concerning Baseball and Church

October 3, 2007 / Allan / 2 Comments

I’m excited for the start of the Major League Baseball Division Series that begin today. And I have a couple of personal rooting interests. My good friend, Scott Franzke, is the play-by-play voice on the Philadelphia Phillies Radio Network and I’d really like to see them do well. Scott and I worked together at KRLD and TSN and the Rangers Radio Network for three years. And I appreciated so much his dedication to excellence and professionalism in the job he did for us there. When the Rangers canned Vince Cotroneo, another great guy, before the ’05 season, they passed on Scott for Victor Rojas. Bad call. Scott went on to the Phils where he and his wife Lori are doing great. Scott has an extremely laid back personality. He was also negative and cynical, in an understated hilarious sort of way. There was nobody who made me laugh harder at work than Scott. And nobody who worked harder at what he did. And he deserves every bit of the honor and prestige and excitement that’s coming his way as the Phillies begin the playoffs today at 2:00 agaisnt the Amazing Rockies.

My other personal rooting interest is with the Arizona Diamondbacks where Chad McDonald is the Assistant Director of Scouting. Chad’s wife, Julie, is the Children’s Minister at the North Davis Church of Christ in Arlington where Carrie-Anne and I were when we made the decision to go into the ministry. At the time, Chad was an area scout for the Angels. And when our small group got together at a park for a cookout, it seemed like Chad was always on the other side of the park working out some pro prospect from an area high school. He taught Whitney’s Sunday morning Bible School class at North Davis and was always giving her a hard time about her Rangers. But his sweet note to her on Angels stationery upon our departure for Marble Falls is still one of her prized possessions. Chad took the job with Arizona shortly after we left. And I’m rooting for the DBacks hard against the Cubs tonight.

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One quick thought on the Cowboys and their 4-0 start: do you realize that if they go 6-6 the rest of the way, they’ll wind up 10-6 and in the playoffs? If they go 7-5 in their last 12 games, they’ll be 11-5 and probably have home field advantage in the postseason. I’m blown away. Almost depressed.

There’s still hope for a monumental collapse. But I certainly can’t imagine any kind of 4-8 finish that would knock them out of the picture. I would also never openly wish for any kind of injury to occur to any of them. Although, I’m beginning to think that this team can overcome almost anything that could happen. I think Romo might be the only player that, were he to miss more than a couple of weeks, would adversely impact the Cowboys.

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With the bustle of activity around here that is Give Away Day, my mind is continually on our role, as individuals and as a church, in joining God in redeeming creation back to him. Some of our creation theology impacts this. And I want to write more about that tomorrow. In the meantime, check out this offering from Paul Hanson’s article, “The Identity and Purpose of the Church.”

“The Church is not some curious or pitiable relic of the past seeking to justify itself either by appeal to an archaic golden age or by attempts to appear more progressive and radical than the latest protest movement, but is an agent of reconciliation and healing basing its identity on its sense of being present where God is present in the world, and for the same purpose.”

Peace,

Allan

Controlled Chaos

October 1, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

The hallways, the classrooms, the concourse, the lecture hall, the fellowship hall, the kitchen, every single square foot of space here at Legacy is being transformed for Give Away Day October 13. About a hundred of us stayed after yesterday morning’s assembly to unload the trailers and set up the racks and shelves and tables and chairs. Hundreds of boxes of clothes and linens and towels and toys and shoes and coats — new and used — are being sorted this week. And I’m fully aware of the vision, the faith, and the guts it takes as a congregation to pull this off.

It’s big. It’s almost overwhelming. And I’m so grateful for those who had the vision and faith and guts 21 years ago when this all started, and the ones who keep the vision alive with their own faith and guts year in and year out. Give Away Day is part of our Gospel story at Legacy. It is one of the biggest ways we, as a church family, join God in his work of reconciling creation back to him by reaching out in love and compassion to his people.

In last night’s assembly we shared our Give Away Day stories. Charley Potter told us how it all began with the Pipeline church helping that first lady with coats for her kids. Kenzie Brewer, one of our teens, talked about the impact Give Away Day has had on her and how her views of what we do have matured and grown as she’s grown up around the event. And then David Byrnes capped it all with a touching story about his dad and that Nike jacket he “gave” to a person who needed it at Give Away Day.

I think telling the stories behind our traditions is important. That appeal to a common memory connects us to those who went before us, those on whose shoulders we’re standing today. Keeping and repeating our traditions reminds us that it’s so much bigger than “me,” that our God was working in his world and in this church long before I got here and he’ll be working in his world and in this church long after I leave.

It was barely more than controlled chaos yesterday. But it was shared by little kids, teenagers, young adults, singles, marrieds, whole families, newly retired, widows, and the elderly. We’re all in it together. And it’s beautiful.

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I’m looking. You know I’m looking for ways to explain away the Cowboys 4-0 start.

Good grief, the pitiful Rams were missing eight starters yesterday due to injury or suspension before the game even began. And before it was over three more had gone down. That doesn’t even consider Marc Bulger who started the afternoon with two broken ribs and maybe woke up this morning with a couple more. That also doesn’t factor in the St. Louis kicker who missed a chip shot that would have given his team the lead in the first half. The Rams haven’t scored an offensive touchdown now in 30 consecutive possessions!

And look at the quarterbacks the Cowboys have faced in their last three games: Bulger, Rex Grossman (who’s been since benched), and Trent Green (who’s about to be benched). The Giants, Dolphins, Bears, and Rams are a combined 3-13! What do we really know about this Cowboys team? How do we know if they’re any good?

And I keep coming back to this one fact, all last night and all day today. I have nothing to say in argument against this one fact.

It’s tough to get wins in the NFL.

You can pit the best team in the league against the worst team in the league and never really know how it’s going to turn out. Most NFL games are working with a Vegas spread of six-points or less. They’re all close. And they all come down to just a couple of plays here and there. The great teams lose games they’re supposed to win. And the bad teams always win a couple they’re supposed to lose.

And that’s what impresses me about what the Cowboys have done in their first four games. They’re not just winning. They’re killing. They’re making it look easy. And there’s nothing about the NFL that’s easy. They’re winning by an average of 19.8 points per game. They scored three touchdowns in eleven plays at one point in the third quarter yesterday. And there are some NFL teams that couldn’t do that if they were playing against folding chairs and orange cones.

I’ve got nothing today. Nothing. Nothing but admiration for Romo and Crayton and Witten and Ware and Reeves and James and Davis.

To win is one thing. It’s an entirely different thing to make it look so easy.

Peace,

Allan

Inappropriate Use of a Football Team

September 20, 2007 / Allan / 4 Comments

Terrell Owens got fined $7,500 by the NFL this week for what they’re calling “inappropriate use of a football.”

Jason Reeves knows a little about that.

When will the league fine Jerry Wayne for inappropriate use of a football team?

I’m afraid if Julius Jones gets hurt today in practice, the Cowboys will call O. J. Simpson. He should be out of jail any day now. Hey, if this Romo thing doesn’t work out, Michael Vick will be ready to go for 2009. You can inagurate the new stadium with a new quarterback. Why not?

The Cowboys’ signing of defensive lineman Tank Johnson is unexplainable and inexcuseable. In the past 18 months — which represents most of Johnson’s NFL career with Chicago — Johnson’s been arrested four times on gun charges and probation violation stemming from the gun charges. In a raid on Johnson’s suburban Chicago home, police found caged pit bulls and seized three rifles, a semi-automatic weapon, three handguns, and over 500 rounds of ammunition. In a scuffle with police in which officers used mace to help subdue him, Johnson is reported to have told one of the men, “You’re not the only one with a glock! If it weren’t for your gun and your badge, I’d kick your ___!” He was pulled over recently at 3:30 am on suspicion of drunken driving.

Nice.

Welcome to the Cowboys. Where character counts and integrity matters. Unless we’re really in a bind and you can really play ball.

Jerry Wayne made a pretty big deal about taking Johnson off their draft board in 2004 because of his character issues coming out of college. He openly bragged about it. We’re not going to bring in that kind of element. But as soon as Jason Ferguson goes down, Tank Johnson’s character is suddenly not a factor anymore.

It reminds me of the year I first started rooting against the Cowboys. Summer of ’96. Lots of player arrests. Lots of off-field issues. And Jerry Wayne threw down the gauntlet. No more tolerance. You break team rules, you’re gone. Kendall Watkins, a third-string tight end, was spotted at a Dallas bar Jerry had declared off limits. And he was canned the next day. Big headlines. News conference. Jerry bragging. Zero tolerance.

Less than two weeks later Michael Irvin’s busted in his drug and hit-man scandal. It’s all on tape! But Jerry says, “Michael’s family. Look at all he’s done for this organization. He’s family. He needs us to help him. We’re doing what’s best for him now. He doesn’t need us to throw him out. That’s not right. He needs us to love him and get through this together.”

And Jerry, yesterday, says he signed Tank Johnson because he believes in second chances.

It would be nice if Jerry would just say they signed Johnson this week because he can help give them some inside info on the Bears, Sunday night’s opponent. That would be sleazy. It would be underhanded. Skirting the rules. Flaunting the system. Breaking written and unwritten NFL policies.

And it would be much more palatable than what they’re actually doing.

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It’s great to be back in the office / study today here at Legacy. I missed everybody and felt strangely disconnected from things while we were in Abilene.

But what a great experience we had at the ACU Lectureships! I’ll have to talk more about all that tomorrow. Lots of observations and opinions I’ll share that, I’m sure, will spark plenty of theological reflection and discussion.

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Please be in prayer today for our oldest daughter, Whitney. Following a series of tests two weeks ago, doctors just told us yesterday morning that one of her optic nerves is swollen and they’re calling us in at 4:00 this afternoon for further tests. Her eyesight has been deteriorating in rapid and noticeable fashion over the past couple of months. She’s wearing bifocals now. And this swollen nerve issue may be the reason. We’re hoping this is something that can be fixed with little or no problem. She’s nervous and so are we. Your prayers on her behalf are very much appreciated.

Peace,

Allan

Ode To The Bear

September 10, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

It was eight years ago today, September 10, 1999, that God blessed our family with Carley Renae. In Wichita Falls. Our only child not born in Austin. The only one we knew was coming the day she came. An alarm clock woke us up at 7:00 that morning to drive to the hospital, not water breaking and painful contractions at 3am like with the other two. But the delivery took just as long. It wasn’t until after dinner that Friday evening, after we ran Granny and Grandpa and Gram and Gran-Gran and Pop-Pop and Aunt Pam out of the room that Carley made her first appearance. She just needed a little privacy. We thought maybe she was shy.

We were wrong.

There’s not a shy bone in Carley’s body. Never has been.

Carley’s been given plenty of nicknames in her eight years—that’s just part of being in our family, I think. Carl. Carley Sue. Gnarley (which Jimmy Mitchell took to the next level when he started calling her Gnarles Barkley). Little Bit.

But Carley has always been and will always be The Bear.

It began early in her life. She wouldn’t just cry when she needed something. She screamed. When she was wet. When she was hungry. When she wanted something. Anything. She would scream in a way the other two never screamed. Like she was furious. Carrie-Anne was the first one to call her a bear. And it stuck. It was her attitude and her angry screaming as a baby that started it.

But as it turns out, Carley is our most sensitive child. She cries at the drop of a hat, as often in reaction to the pain of others as for her own pain. And she is our most affectionate. She loves to hug and cuddle and play. She’s always grabbing our hands or jumping on our backs. She went from angry bear to cuddle bear in a hurry.

But we just call her Carley Bear.

Carley is a sweet, funny, outgoing, loud, compassionate little girl. She keeps us constantly entertained with her singing and dancing. She says exactly what’s on her mind, which also keeps us very entertained. She is a beautiful gift from our God. And she fills our lives with joy.

Happy Birthday, little girl. We love you.

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More questions than answers, I think, from last night’s Cowboys game. Understand, I do tend to see only the negatives with this team. In fact, I’m sure I’m actually looking for them. But aside from Jason Witten’s amazing performance, don’t a lot of things from last night’s win over the Giants concern you?

How long will Romo be able to keep throwing those wobbly side-arm balls in the NFL?

How long until Marion Barber does something in the heat of battle so incredibly dumb that he gets suspended for four games?

Yes, the Cowboys D is good against the run. But with that secondary, who needs to run? The Cowboys DBs made Eli to Plaxico look like Montana to Rice. Anthony Henry and Jacques Reeves are WAY overmatched. And, I’m sorry, Roy Williams is probably one of the top three or four most overrated players in the entire NFL. I would take Everson Walls right now over anybody else the Cowboys have—single kidney and yellow T-shirt and everything.

What is that extra little plastic strap around the back side of Wade Phillips’ headset?

The Giants lost their starting quarterback and their starting running back in a one-score game. We all realize that, right?

How many games can the Cowboys win, giving up 35 points on defense? And don’t say it’s OK if Dallas scores more. Dallas won’t.

And, as much as I hate saying this, Jerry Wayne’s new Pepsi commercial with Romo and Phillips is actually very funny. Jerry is running a very close second to Payton Manning for most completely over-exposed NFL personality. But that new Pepsi spot is pretty good.

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Finally (you Legacy brothers and sisters will appreciate my use of “finally” here), a word on change from C. Eric Lincoln, especially in light of our on-going conversations regarding small groups:

“A society or a community that is religiously alert will invariably react to whatever may be perceived as a religious innovation because whatever is new is perceived as an implied threat or contradiction to what has already been settled by history and confirmed by tradition. The ‘innovators’ seldom see their new doctrine or practice as innovation but are quite likely to find its justification, or indeed its roots or requirements, in precisely the ‘Old-time Religion’ to which all parties appeal as jus canonicum.”

We find our unity, our common ground, in whatever discussion we’re having, in the blood of Jesus Christ and his claim of Lordship over every segment of our lives. Our commonality is found in the Holy Word of God and in his mission for his Church. We can all agree on that.

Peace,

Allan

Category: Cowboys (Page 50 of 55)

Imago Dei

The Watershed Game?

Concerning Baseball and Church

Controlled Chaos

Inappropriate Use of a Football Team

Ode To The Bear

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