Category: Legacy Construction (Page 3 of 6)

Wednesday Night & A Bunch Of Pictures

We’re calling it “Oasis.” Our new Wednesday night assemblies in the worship center here at Legacy got off to a wonderful start last night.

The idea is one I grew up with. Wednesdays are, to borrow a term Don Graves has used for years down in Marble Falls, our spiritual pitstop. It’s a time to recharge our spiritual batteries. Right in the middle of the week is a perfect time for Christians to come together, share a common meal and fellowship with one another, worship, sing, pray, and meditate on God’s Word together. It’s an ideal time for revival and rejuvenation. It’s so easy to be beaten down and worn out by work or school or whatever you’re called to do during your week. And, for some of us, Wednesday evenings together are the only thing that gets us to the next Sunday.

Wednesday is our “Oasis.”

The word oasis is defined in the dictionary as any place or thing offering welcome relief from difficulty or dryness, a fertile place in the desert due to the presence of water. And it’s an idea rich in biblical imagery. Moses and God’s people in the desert and the Lord’s provision for them. Water from a rock. Manna every morning. Jesus’ time in the desert battling Satan and the angels sent from heaven to take care of him. Christ talked about living water. Isaiah preached about streams in the desert. You have all that same imagery in Psalm 78, which we read last night. We want all these images to guide us as we come together as a church family on Wednesdays. We want to spend that time with each other and our Lord reading and reflecting on his Word, singing praise and encouragement, and praying together. Hopefully our Oasis time together will revive us and remind us for the rest of the week of our purpose and commitments and faith in our Christian community.

Darryn gave us a moving rendition last night of Psalm 18. Brad and Jerry took us straight to the throne room of God with their beautifully worded prayers. Aaron led us in songs that spoke wonderfully to the message of the night which was God’s continued protection and provision for his people. And afterward most everybody hung out and visited for what seemed like longer than normal.

Our Wednesday night attendance at Legacy has averaged 331 for the past three months. We had 410 last night. Over 700 participated in Small Groups Church Sunday evening. I pray that the increased attendance is leading us to an increased sense of fellowship and common spirit and purpose and to a continual transformation of our lives into the image of our Savior.

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(As always, click on the pictures to get the full size)

CarleyWallThe stone is all up on the outside of the new Legacy Youth and Benevolence Center and most of the work on that building between now and its completion in March will be on the inside. And last night Jason and Lance took all of the youth group and their families inside the new complex to make their marks before the interior walls begin going up. Students and their families were encouraged to write their names and their favorite passages of Scripture on the studs and beams to signify that our building and everything it stands for is based on our God and his Word.

Brooklyn CornerSpace Gals

There was a lot of energy in that place last night. It was neat with all the kids and their parents “dedicating,” if you will, the new youth center with the Words of God. All the young people also signed a huge sheetrock “thank you” card to all the construction workers.

       ThankYouCard       Samantha

And as I’m heading down the stairs at the end of the event, just as things were winding down, I see this.

MyNameBesmirched

I immediately blamed Mel Williams, who’d already gone home with his family. I remembered walking up the stairs 30 minutes earlier and Mel had been writing on the wall there and didn’t turn to speak to me when I greeted him. I thought that was odd at the time. And I assumed it was because he was publicly besmirching my name.

I’m telling Lance the story this morning. And he starts laughing. And then he confesses. It was Lance. Lance wrote it. I’m walking over to ask the construction workers to sheetrock that area of the youth center first. Sorry, Mel. It wasn’t you. But only because you didn’t think of it first.

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Thanks to Russ Garrison and his generously offered tickets, the family and I went to the Dallas Stars game Monday and helped them end their four game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over Minnesota. The girls were excited to walk through the middle of Victory Plaza and experience all the noise and sensory overload that takes place there. And, once the game began, Whitney and Valerie were into it. Whitney, of course. Valerie just marveled at the skating, specifically how the defensemen are able to skate so gracefully backwards. And she loved the fights and skirmishes. Carley was not so interested. In any of it.

GirlsAtStars ValAtStars CarleyAtStars

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I think Steve Dennis is the one who asked Tony Romo yesterday if he had become Bill Parcells’ biggest nightmare: The Celebrity Quarterback. Romo looked right at Dennis and said, “You’re talking about a celebrity coach.”

Zing! Perfect!

I’ve grown weary of Parcells getting all the credit for discovering Romo and grooming him into the star he appears to be. I’m tired of Parcells’ oft-repeated and reported Ten Commandments for a Quarterback. And yesterday I saw a sign that maybe Romo is sick of it, too.

Peace,

Allan

Of Cranes and Beams…

BeamsArriveThe 90-foot steel beams rolled in from Sherman at about 10:30 this morning and they were both in place on the north and south sides of our new worship center by 2:00. This first group of pictures below are of the first beam being lifted and then lowered into place by the larger-than-life crane and secured by workers on the north side. As always, click on the photo for the full size:

Beam#1 Beam#1Again Crane&Beam ViewFromNorth NorthSide WelderWelding

These are pictures of the second beam being installed on the south side:

BeamTwo BeamTwoAgain CraneFromSouth

And while the huge crane was a huge hit around here today, our favorite crain is always right here:

JackieCrain

About Last Night…

My family and I had such a great time at last night’s Pancake Supper and Thanksgiving service here at Legacy. There were less than 150 of us here. But everybody came early for the dinner, had a lot of time to just sit around and visit, we had tons of kids all running around the concourse area, it was loud and light and fun, and then we all moved in to the worship center together for a wonderful time of worship to our heavenly Father who makes all of it possible.

All the young families with kids were down front, singing with high energy and gusto. Inspiring. Most of the church doesn’t get to worship with the children, we don’t see them very much, because they’re generally in the back. It was fantastic. The readings from Scripture calling us to be thankful and to live our lives in gratitude for the gifts from our God were, as Jim pointed out, so simple and so clear and so beautiful. The prayers were worded in such a way that we felt taken straight to the throne of our Father. And when we were finished, it still took almost an hour to clear the building out.

Why did last night feel different? Last night just really felt like a family. What was it? Did everybody else feel that way, or is it just me? I loved it. I’d like to capture the dynamic from last night and figure out some way to duplicate it at every Sunday assembly. Is it a small group thing? I don’t think so. I think last night would have felt the same if we’d had 500 there. What was it? Was it that everyone was so relaxed? Was it because I wasn’t preaching? (Don’t answer that.)

I’d love to get your thoughts on this. How can we work, what can we do, to foster that same kind of atmosphere every time we get together?

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**Legacy Construction Update**

At 1:00 yesterday afternoon they began pouring the slab in the new Worship Center. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

CementTruck Slab SlabCrew

Notice in the lower right hand corner where Jackie, Bonny, and Suzanne couldn’t help themselves and actually stuck their hands in the cement. That’s the bathroom area of the building. Hopefully there will actually be a wall there, definitely some tile or linoleum, to cover it up. Crazy gals. It’s the one think Kent wasn’t paying attention to out there. I threatened to take away his hard hat.

Handprints  CloseUp

They were working under huge floodlights when we left at about 8:30 last night. This is what it looks like this morning. They’ve poured from the back foyer area into the actual auditorium up to the point where the slope begins toward the front. They’re scheduled to finish the entire slab by next Tuesday.

DoneForNow FromTheCorner SlickSlab

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Tonia Beard sent me these Thanksgiving cartoons this morning. Enjoy.

HidingTurkey MooTurkey TanningTurkey

Peace,

Allan

Rosemont Stepping Out Big Time!

How about a one thousand member Spanish-speaking congregation in south Fort Worth?

The Rosemont Church of Christ, established in south Fort Worth back in 1952, has donated all of its building, every bit of it, lock, stock, and barrel, and everything inside to Continent of Great Cities to plant a brand new Spanish-speaking congregation. There are over 100,000 Spanish-speaking people within a four-mile radius of that building, which is also right across the street from Rosemont Park. And Continent of Great Cities is raising a spanish-speaking mission team right now to begin work there in January. Their plan is to make the Rosemont plant a pilot program that will be implemented in the cities of our country with the highest Spanish-speaking populations. Los Angeles is the top city. But our DFW area is the second, with over 30% of our population of Hispanic origin.

Praise God for the vision of the Rosemont leaders and the folks at Continent of Great Cities. What a wonderful concept: reaching out as missionaries to the people in our own neighborhoods!

We live in a mission field. You know that. And I’m glad to see others recognizing that and doing something about it. Something big. May our Lord bless their efforts. May he give us his vision so we can see things and people and situations the way he sees them. May we rejoice in the things that bring God joy. May we mourn in the things that grieve God. And may many, many of his children be reconciled to him through the love and care of the Christians in the Rosemont area.

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***Legacy Construction Update***

It’s been a while since I posted pictures. (Click on each picture for the full size.) And there’s been a whole lot of activity lately. The exciting thing this week has been the installation of the steel support columns in the new worship center. And look at the size of these steel trusses. They’re all over the place.

NewSteel  SteelColumns Crane&Steel

The Youth & Benevolence Center is also coming along quite rapidly. Most of the exterior walls are up and the inside work is progressing quickly.

YellowWalls Youth&Benevolence Inside

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“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”   ~Romans 13:8-10

Peace,

Allan

THE Call to Discipleship

As disciples of the Christ, what we want to know — what we need to know — is not what this or that man wants us to do or what this or that church wants us to do. What we want and need to know is what Jesus wants of us. When we assemble as followers of Jesus and listen to a sermon, we want to hear the Word of Christ; his Word, not man’s.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in the introduction to his The Cost of Discipleship:

“The real trouble is that the pure Word of Jesus has been overlaid with so much human ballast — burdensome rules and regulations, false hopes and consolations — that it has become extremely difficult to make a genuine decision for Christ. Of course it is our aim to preach Christ and Christ alone, but when all is said and done, it is not the fault of our critics that they find our preaching so hard to understand, so overburdened with ideas and expressions which are hopelessly out of touch.”

I’m teaching a Wednesday night class, beginning this evening, on the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew in Matthew 5-7. It’s so rich and it’s so deep. It’s so broad and huge and meaningful and life-changing. And it’s so simple. And it’s so demanding.  And it’s straight from the mouth of our Lord and Savior.

And it’s not some list of unattainable high ideals that are neat to talk about and hope for but ultimately impossible to achieve while we live in this world. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus’ call to discipleship to him. The Sermon on the Mount, when internalized and taken for what it is, the teachings of our King, transforms us into his image.

Again from Bonhoeffer:

“When the Bible speaks of following Jesus, it is proclaiming a discipleship which will liberate mankind from all man-made dogmas, from every burden and oppression, from every anxiety and torture which afflicts the conscience. If they follow Jesus, men escape from the hard yoke of their own laws, and submit to the kindly yoke of Jesus Christ. But does this mean that we ignore the seriousness of his commands? Far from it. We can only achieve perfect liberty and enjoy fellowship with Jesus when his command, his call to absolute discipleship, is appreciated in its entirety.

The command of Jesus is hard — unutterably hard — for those who try to resist it. But for those who willingly submit, the yoke is easy and the burden is light.”

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                          ***Legacy Construction Update***

Welding  Welder  WorkScene

Sparks are flying! Here are some pictures of all the welders and welding today at the Youth and Benevolence Center here at Legacy.

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At 12:30 today our oldest daughter, Whitney, will see a neuro-opthamologist in Dallas regarding her swollen optic nerves. They’ve promised three or four hours of tests. And then, who knows what?

I know Lance and Keith and Tonia and the entire Legacy Junior High Youth Group lifted her up in prayer at last night’s Bible study. Our brothers and sisters here at Legacy are also praying. I know so many of our dear friends in Marble Falls are lifting her up to our Father. And all of our family and friends from Austin to Fresno and everywhere in between are doing the same. Thank you. Thank you for all the prayers and cards and kind thoughts. It means a lot to Whitney and it means the world to us.

Cynthia, thank you for the comment you left this morning. And for the passage of Scripture that speaks so perfectly to us today. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” Psalm 68:19.

Peace,

Allan

Imago Dei

“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***

BigCrane  ConstructionUpdate FromTheRoof LancePics MoreSteelShots CraneInTheSky

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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OwensNoteThere’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 AFraudthey’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

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