The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Legacy Church Family (Page 9 of 37)

Forward To What's Next

August 23, 2010 / / 2 Comments

Forward to what’s next!I don’t know the product or the brand name. I can’t recall much of anything about this particular TV commercial I’ve seen several times now. But I love the way this ad attempts to recast our vision of what it means to go back to school. It’s not “back to school” this commercial tells us. It’s “forward to what’s next!”

I love that.

Everything’s new on the first day of school. New classes. New people. New teachers. New campus. New lunch menu. New clothes. New books. New subjects. New everything. The potential is limitless. Anything’s possible!

It’s not “back to” anything. It’s “forward to” everything!

It’s not back to Small Groups; it’s forward to what God has planned for us with this particular group of people. It’s not back to church again on Sunday; it’s forward to what new and wonderful thing God is going to reveal to us this week. It’s not back to another elders meeting; it’s forward to the next Kingdom task God is calling us to. It’s not back to writing another sermon; it’s forward to what our Lord is equipping me to say for him next. It’s not back to work for you; it’s forward to the next great opportunity God is giving you to serve his people with grace and love.

It’s not “back to” anything; it’s “forward to” everything!

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Whitney starts her Junior year at Richland High School today. Her first period Ready, Set, Teach! class was at the new Birdville Tech Center. It’s a great day to be a Rebel!    Valerie begins her last year at North Ridge Middle School. She tells me 8th graders dominate!    Carley begins her last year as a scholar at Green Valley Elementary. 5th Grade. She bolted out of the car this morning in front of her school like she couldn’t wait.

Last night’s Back to School Bash here at Legacy was fantastic. Where else can you get 19-people from six-years-old to 43-years-old playing a game of KnockOut? Three bounce houses in one gym? How many hot dogs?

Riley at Legacy’s Back to School BashI love the emphasis we place on our kids here. Our children are a vital part of our congregation. They are valuable pieces of our puzzle. They’re important. I love it that they scream and yell and throw balls and spill popcorn and have Kool-Aid mustaches and fall down. And I love it that they want to hold hands. And sing “Blue Skies and Rainbows.” And sit by their friends. And listen to Bible stories. And ask questions about Jesus.

I love it when we have whole events built around and for our kids. Seems very Christ-like to me.

Peace,

Allan

God Bless His Preachers

August 22, 2010 / / 0 Comments

“The thread of our speech comes alive through the very joy we take in what we are speaking about.” ~Augustine

Some of my early Sunday morning alone time with God is spent thanking him for his preachers. As I prepare to do again what so many have done before, what so many are doing even as I’m praying, what so many more will do long after I’m gone, I praise our Father for their courage and boldness and commitment to our God and his Kingdom.

I ask our Lord to bless all the preachers I know with wisdom and fire. I ask him to speak through them to his people all over the world. I thank God for the preachers in the past who have taught me and shaped me: Burt, Jim, Willis, Rick, Doug. I thank him for the ones I listen to today who mold my theology and challenge my thinking: Terry, Buddy, Don, Patrick. I thank him for some of my best friends who are preachers: Jason, Jim, Charlie. I thank him for the preachers right here in Tarrant County who share with me their wisdom and friendship and encouragement: Eric, Rick, Jim, Larry, Grady, Robert. I thank him for those who are preaching in other lands, who’ve given up everything to answer our Lord’s call: David, Corey, Salvador.

And today I ask God to bless my great friend Jason as he preaches with our church family at Legacy.  May he deliver to our brothers and sisters at Legacy this morning just half the encouragement and wisdom he regularly delivers to me.

Peace,

Allan

Faith Builders 2010

August 12, 2010 / / 2 Comments

Crazy energy. Non-stop noise. Constant. Loud. Interactive. Responsive. Hilarious. Meaningful. Life-changing. Momentous.

Drew celebrating something. Always.Jason and Jennifer and I triple-teamed 25 of our 6th and 7th graders (18 boys, 7 girls) over the past three days in our annual Faith Builders Day Camp here at Legacy. It’s an idea I got from Jim Gardner when we worked together in Marble Falls. It’s designed to engage our youngsters in the fundamentals of our faith in God through Christ Jesus. Faith Builders 2010

The first day’s theme was “Sin: The Problem.” On Tuesday we studied “Jesus: The Solution.” And we wrapped it up yesterday with “Faith: The Response.”

The young people studied hard for almost three hours each morning. And then after lunch we enjoyed off-site activities like bowling, laser tag, swimming, and the movies. But then it was back home in the evenings for 30-minutes of homework with mom and dad.

A progressive pool party on Tuesday saw us visit three pools at three different houses in three hours.  104-degrees, two clouds, and only four sunburns!  “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” ~Psalm 119:103

Buried with Christ…The conversations were happening. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? Why did Jesus have to die? When were the dinosaurs created? What happens if I sin again after I’m baptized? Why does God let bad things happen? Bibles were being read. Light bulbs were going off. God is reaching out to his children. And the faith is being passed on from generation to generation. “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” ~Psalm 34:8

Thank you so much to our church office staff and other parents and volunteers who helped write and apply the name tags and Bible stickers, chaperon our children to the afternoon events, stuff the folders, and stick on the Band-Aids. It couldn’t have happened without you.

And congratulations to Emma Gambill who was baptized into Christ last night here at Legacy. Emma, you now participate in the resurrection of Jesus. Death has nothing on you now. And neither does sin.

Peace,

Allan

Unconditional

August 5, 2010 / / 1 Comment

Who’s this Chucker?I’m afraid I’ve become a “chucker.” I keep blaming my horrible performances during our Thursday basketball games on jet lag. But we returned from Ukraine seven weeks ago. Am I a “chucker?”

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I’m still not sure how to put into words what Legacy — my church family — is doing this week in the name of Christ. Ministering to a mother in jail and taking care of her three children is a beautiful thing. The ones in our church who are opening up their homes and their hearts are showing maybe the greatest acts of loving kindness these kids have ever experienced. By helping this family the way we are, we are actually BEING church, not just DOING church. We’re proclaiming to one another and to the world that Legacy really is the Family Place. We really are brothers and sisters. It’s not just a slogan on our letterhead or mere words on the sides of our vans. It means something.

We have given this situation to our God and to his Church. We’ve admitted to our Father that we don’t have any answers or wisdom or experience in cases like this. But we do know we are called to love one another like brothers and sisters, we’re called to sacrifice and serve one another like our risen Lord. And we’re committed to doing that and trusting God to take care of us.

When people place membership at Legacy, we tell them right there in the Sunday assembly, in front of God and everybody, that we’re going to love them and take care of them. We promise to defend them and protect them. We never say, “…as long as it doesn’t open us up to liability.” We never put conditions on our Christian love like, “…as long as it doesn’t involve any risk.” We don’t tell people they’re welcome to be members at Legacy as long as they can take care of themselves.

Yes, we might get burned. We might get burned badly. Praise God! That makes us more like Christ! And we are to rejoice when we suffer for his holy Name.

Or, we might not get burned at all. God may think our faith in him to provide and protect while we step outside our boxes to do the right thing is really neat. And eternally worthwhile.

I’m so glad I belong to this church family at Legacy. And I know three kids today who are saying the exact same thing.

Peace,

Allan

Know That I Am The Lord

August 2, 2010 / / 2 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

Because it’s so rare?

Maybe.

Why is it so rare?

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

Maybe.

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

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

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

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

Allan

Hump Day Diversions

July 14, 2010 / / 1 Comment

Rangers 4-1/2 up at the breakIt figures, huh? The year the Rangers go to the World Series they’re not going to have home field advantage.

New Ranger Cliff Lee. One inning of work in last night’s All-Star Game. Three up, three down. Six total pitches. One strikeout. I’m just sayin’…

The second half begins tomorrow night in Boston. Now we really start paying attention. Kipi, are you with me?

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George SteinbrennerA quality I find most attractive in people is the willingness — even the joy — to laugh at oneself. George Steinbrenner was, by all accounts, an impossibly difficult man to work with and/or for. A narcissistic ego-maniac, for sure. Impulsive. Explosive. Irrational. Driven. Evil. There are plenty of words out there to describe him. But it’s hard to hate a man who seems to take such pleasure in laughing at himself and in watching others poke fun at him.

Steinbrenner’s old Miller Lite commercial with Billy Martin is hilarious. He reportedly took great delight in SteinbrennerLarry David’s numerous parodies on Seinfeld (asking Costanza if it’s pronounced “Feb-U-ary” or “Feb-RU-ary” and calling Babe Ruth a “fat old man with little girl legs”; did you know he wasn’t really a Sultan?”). But the funniest thing to me is Steinbrenner himself playing a convenience store owner on Saturday Night Live. His character spent the entire skit trying to persuade his store manager that firing people all the time is a horrible way to run a business. “How can your employees perform at their best when you’re constantly looking over their shoulders?” It’s a great skit. A classic. And I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve looked everywhere today. Help! Somebody please find that old SNL skit and pass along the link.

You know, we should all learn to laugh at ourselves. We should all relax and be able to poke fun at our own idiosyncrasies and shortcomings. God’s Church would be a better place, more people would be encouraged, and more good for the Kingdom would be done if we’d stop taking ourselves so seriously all the time.

Please find that SNL clip!!!

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Cavs Owner Dan GilbertDan Gilbert reminds me of George Steinbrenner. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ owner released an open letter to all Cavs fans on the team’s website Thursday evening in the aftermath of LeBron James’ defection to Miami. I certainly don’t condone the attitude or the name-calling in this letter. But you absolutely have to read it! If you’ve already read it, read it again (The Cavs pulled the letter off their team website sometime last night. Click here dangilbertletter.doc to read it today). It’s fascinating. It’s incredible. Team owners don’t say things like this. Not in public. Not even Jerry Wayne. Nobody does this. I’ve read it four times and I still don’t believe it.

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Empty Tomb Logo at Sickest Kids show 

One of our shepherds here at Legacy, Russ Garrison, sent me this photo of his son, Kent. The band is Forever the Sickest Kids (yeah, I have no idea). Kent’s on keyboards and vocals. They’re signed to Universal Motown Records, they’ve got a #34 single with “Whoa-Oh,” they’ve been on Conan O’Brien, played halftime at the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day game last year, and done a couple of world tours. This picture was taken at the Meadowlands during a show last month. Check out the Empty Tomb sticker in the foreground there. Cool.

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David Byrnes recently sent me an email with a whole bunch of “look-alikes.” A couple of them were striking, such as this coupling of Yassar Arafat and Ringo Starr.

Yassar Arafat & Ringo Starr

A few of them were really funny, like Dalai Lama and Happy Llama.

Dalai Lama & Happy Llama

But the reason David forwarded the email to me is because he knows my love of all things Van Halen and Simpsons. And this pairing of Eddie Van Halen and the crazy cat lady from The Simpsons was too much for him to resist.

Eddie Van Halen & Simpsons Crazy Cat Lady

It’s a very, very unfortunate picture of Edward. Taken at a really bad time in his life. Shame on you, David. Double shame.

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Finally, this, forwarded to me from an unnamed Legacy shepherd:

Forwarded from David Watson

Peace,

Allan

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