Author: Allan (Page 413 of 492)

Called To Be Free

July 17, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

Human beings are created by God to live in relationships of love. God is love. God’s perfect law for his creatures is summed up by love. Love is what sets us free. It’s what makes us alive. Love is what gives us hope.

But love demands sacrifice and service. It calls for selflessness. It’s characterized by giving. It’s risky. Love is hard.

Strange, huh? Perfect life and perfect freedom is found in love. But love involves giving up freedoms and our lives.

C. S. Lewis, in his book entitled The Four Loves, describes this paradox:

Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.

Our Christ tells us to throw away our lives and we’ll find them. make yourself last and he’ll make you first. Lose everything you have and he’ll save it.

Surrender and obedience to the Father and his perfect law. Only then will we realize our eternal calling to be free.

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There are 58 days left until the Cowboys kick off their 2009 football season. And our Red Ribbon Review is counting down the long summer days by honoring the also-rans, the almost-weres, the second-best players in Cowboys history by jersey number. Today’s #58 is linebacker Dixon Edwards. A starter for Jimmy Johnson’s teams in the ’90s, Edwards was overlooked at times because he played next to Ken Norton and Robert Jones. But Edwards was good. He was taken in the second round of the 1991 draft out of Michigan State and wound up starting in three Super Bowl wins. He racked up 216 solo tackles during his five-year Cowboys career and then bailed for bigger money in Minnesota.

It’s going to be an incredibly busy weekend (maybe I’ll tell you more about it on Monday) so I’m going to give you tomorrow’s #57 today. It’s Bruce Huther. He was a backup linebacker on Landry’s Super Bowl teams in the ’70s. During his five years in Dallas, Huther only started one game. That was in his final season in 1983. But he wound up with playing time in three NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls. Huther was an undrafted free agent out of New Hampshire. A perennial backup and special teams player on some pretty good teams. And the second-best to ever wear #57 for the Cowboys.

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My dad’s birthday is Sunday. To celebrate, go to Whataburger and discuss gas prices and the weather together over a “senior Coke.” Then wrap it up with some bean juice and a straw. Happy Birthday, dad. I love you.

Allan

Pruning Pains

July 16, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener….every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” ~John 15:2

What about this pruning? Trimming back parts of the healthy branch to make sure the greatest energy of the branch goes into making bigger and better fruit? Cutting parts of the branch in an effort to produce more quantity and quality?

Ouch.

If the branches of the vine could speak, they’d tell us, yes, it’s painful. Yeah, it hurts to be cut. But they’d also rejoice because they’re able now to produce more and better fruit as a result of that painful pruning.

I can look back on my life and see how God has pruned me. You can, too. I can feel, I can point to, even now — this past week, today — things God is using to prune me, to trim away distractions, to really focus my life. Let’s not ever forget — and I need to be reminded of this all the time — that God uses painful and unpleasant things to prune us.

“You have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: ‘My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.’ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” ~Hebrews 12:5-7

What’s keeping you from bearing fruit? What is it in your life that’s distracting you or gets in the way of producing righteous fruit? Now, how is the gardener working, today, to prune it away?

Our trials and tough times need to always be appreciated as part of God’s pruning process. Pruning is the gardener’s job. And we need it. We don’t ignore it or curse it. And we shouldn’t be surprised by it. We grow from it.

John Bunyan wrote: “There are those that grow ill and well again like beasts, learning nothing from it.”

Let’s not let that be us. Submit to God’s pruning. And learn and grow. It’s a sure sign that God has accepted you and is actively working to transform you more into the image of his Son.

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We’re into the linebackers now as our countdown to Cowboys season heads into the 50s. There are 59 days left until the Cowboys kick off their historic 50th NFL season. And our Red Ribbon Review honors the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number.

Today’s #59 is the first Vietnamese-American to ever play in the NFL, Aggies linebacker Dat Nguyen. Highly decorated in the Big XII and across the nation — he still holds the A&M record for career tackles at 517 — Nguyen was still considered too small to be an impact player in the pros. So he slipped all the way to the third round where the Cowboys selected him in 1999. Nguyen led the Cowboys in special team tackles that rookie year. And by the middle of his second season, he had become the starter at middle linebacker.

A variety of injuries, mainly a neck injury in 2005, forced his retirement after just seven seasons. But Nguyen wound up with 665 total tackles and seven interceptions for his Cowboys career, including 172 stops in 2001, the second-highest season total in team history. His hustle and determination and huge smile made him a fan favorite. His work ethic and brains have made him a current Cowboys assistant coach. (His involvement in Michael Irvin’s “Fourth and Long” causes me to question his brains. And the advice he’s getting from counselors.)

I was there in the Dome, on the sidelines in St. Louis as a sports talk show host at WHBQ in Memphis, when Dat’s Aggies came from 17 down to beat K-State in double OT for the Big XII Championship. And I was hosting a morning show on KTUB in Wichita Falls by the summer of ’99 when Dat made his Cowboys debut there at training camp at Midwestern State. Super nice guy. And the second-best #59 in Cowboys history.

Peace,

Allan

For The Sake Of His Body

July 15, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

Preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God is going to involve some suffering. Picking up a cross and following Jesus, as our Savior demands, is certainly a call to suffering. It’s a sharing in the sufferings of Christ, a participation in what he endured. It makes us more like him. It shapes us and molds us to be more like him.

Jesus’ afflictions are not complete. They’re not done. They’re not finished. They are “lacking.” The sufferings of the Christ are still being carried out in those of us who follow him.

“I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.”

The Colossians 1:24-29 context in which we find this sentence is all about preaching — proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord. Preachers, I think, are called to die. To die to self, to die to the world, to die to any other way of life, to model in a “the-medium-is-the-message” kind of way what it looks like to live in Christ. To take on the sufferings, to bear the burdens, to carry the weight. And to do it for the sake of the Church.

There’s a teenager in your church who will come alive if you’ll only die for him. There’s an older woman in your congregation who will blossom like never before if you’ll die for her. There’s a sick brother, a depressed sister, a spiritually immature Christian, a stubborn believer, a wounded soul, a damaged disciple who has no hope of living unless someone dies for him or her.

I need to be reminded of this constantly. My role as a proclaimer of the Good News is to preach it and live it the way Christ did. Even with the sufferings. Accepting the sufferings. Embracing the sufferings. Welcoming them as a way of joining my Lord in his mission to redeem the world.

“I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the Church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the Word of God in its fullness — the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” ~Colossians 1:24-29.

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Today’s #60 in our Red Ribbon Review countdown to Cowboys season is a downer. Twelve players have worn #60 in Cowboys history. And it’s a less than stellar group. The noteables among them include the likes of Jackie Burkett, Ben Noll, Lee Roy Caffey, and Dean Hamel. You don’t remember them. You can’t tell me what position they played or when. This is a tough group. Only two of these 12 played for Dallas longer than two seasons. One of them is the second-best #60 ever to play for the Cowboys. And he is defensive lineman Don Smerek.

(I can’t even find a picture of the guy. All I’ve got for you are these career stats. If you find a picture of Smerek please send it to me. Still looking for a picture of our Red Ribbon #69, Ben Fricke, too.)

I do remember him, though. Smerek played 69 games for the Cowboys as a backup defensive lineman from 1981-87. An undrafted free agent out of Nevada-Reno, Smerek finished his career with 14.5 quarterback sacks, six of those in 1983, probably his finest season. Smerek is remembered for his time in Dallas, mainly, for two things.

One, he was shot in the chest one night by a Dallas motorist who claimed the 6′-7″, 260-pound Smerek kicked his car and challenged him to a fight. A Dallas grand jury refused to indict the shooter for attempted murder. They ruled it self-defense.

Two, Smerek was riding shotgun with Randy White when they famously crossed the Cowboys players’ picket line to participate in practice on the first day of the 1987 NFL players strike. Tony Dorsett stood in front of White’s pickup in a tense standoff in front of TV cameras and nearly got run over by an angry “Manster.” Of course, Dorsett actually joined the “scabs” two weeks later, along with Too Tall Jones and Danny White. I’m not sure the Cowboys ever got over what happened during those six weeks. But Smerek and Randy White were the first two to cross. And Smerek is the second-best player to ever wear #60 for the Cowboys.

Peace,

Allan

Always "Yes!"

July 14, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

“In him it has always been ‘Yes.'” ~2 Corinthians 1:19

Terry Rush is tough. Tough for me to read. Tough for me to swallow.

I go to Rush’s blog when I’m down. When I’m feeling the sting of criticism, when I’m feeling hurt by things that are said and done around me, when I’m confused about my role and my mission as a preacher of God’s Word, I turn to Terry. He’s good. But he’s tough.

Terry’s actually second in line. The first thing I do when I find myself feeling attacked or wronged or mistreated is to find a quiet spot somewhere in this church building and cry out to God. And I wrestle with our Father. What am I doing here? Why did you put me here? What do you want me to do? I pray the words of Habakkuk, “Why do you just stand there and watch?” Do something!

Satisfied with my own righteousness, and right-ness, then I go to Terry’s blog. He knows preachers. He understands preachers. He’s been doing it for 40 years. He knows and understands elders and deacons and youth ministers and worship leaders and church and church pratices and traditions and church politics and church members and church dynamics. He gets it. So I go to Rush for encouragement. He’s the world’s best Christian encourager. He paints beautiful word pictures that remind how big our God is and how wonderful his Kingdom. He reminds that God is in charge and we’re not.

And when he specifically addresses preachers and other church leaders, he doesn’t pull any punches. He understands himself and us too well. His words sting and rebuke. And challenge. He tells me to grow up. He tells me to put my head down and get back to work. He reminds me that everything that goes right is a “Yes” and everything that goes wrong is a “Yes” because God is working it all out. When things aren’t going my way, Rush reminds me that, in God’s wisdom and timing, it’s really all actually going perfectly my way. I’m just too short-sighted and self-serving to see it right now. During tough times, Terry reminds me that “we chalk it up to his marvelous mystery, accept it by sheer faith, and keep smiling.”

And then I run back to the quiet place and change my prayers. I take the focus off of me and put it back where it belongs, solely on our God. See, that’s what Terry’s words do for me. They force me to re-orient my view and my focus. He causes me to see where the criticisms of me are right. And that’s tough. It’s hard. At that point, I pray new prayers. I confess to our Lord that I’m being pouty and moody and touchy and paranoid and overly-sensitive and high-maintenance. I ask for and receive his blessed forgiveness. And I vow again to put my head down and get back to work, back to my calling. God’s in charge of the details. I should let him work those out.

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There are 61 days left until the Cowboys kick off their 2009 football season. And today’s #61 in the Red Ribbon Review is offensive lineman Blaine Nye. A fifth-round pick out of Stanford in 1968, Nye played nine seasons in Dallas and was a major part of that transition from “Next Year’s Champions” to Super Bowl kings. At right guard, he made it to the Pro Bowl twice and played in 15 playoff games, including three Super Bowls. But my favorite thing about Nye is his humor and insight.

Two of the most famous quotes in Dallas Cowboys history were uttered by Nye.

On Thanksgiving Day in 1974, Clint Longley came off the bench for an injured Roger Staubach and threw a late 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson to beat the Redskins. Longley had never thrown an NFL pass before that day. When asked to comment on Longley’s performance, Nye dryly declared it was a “triumph of an uncluttered mind.” I find myself using that line a lot.

The other one’s even better. Nye once summed up everything that is the NFL and big-time sports when he said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s who gets the blame.”

Along with Larry Cole and Pat Toomay, Nye was a charter member of the Cowboys Zero Club, an unofficial group of players who vowed to never do anything to seek publicity. Club membership never grew beyond those three because those wanting to join the club were automatically disqualified for expressing an interest. They treatened to kick Cole out one week after he returned an interception for a touchdown in a nationally televised game against Washington.

Nye suddenly and surprisingly quit the Cowboys following his second Pro Bowl year in ’76. He and Tex Schramm got crossways on contract talks and Nye just walked away. He owns a successful consulting business today in California. And he is the second-best Cowboys player to ever wear #61.

Peace,

Allan

Royal Humility

July 13, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

We praise Solomon for the wisdom he showed in asking God for wisdom. The Lord came to the young king in a dream and told him to ask for anything he wanted God to give him. Solomon famously requested a discerning heart to govern the Lord’s people and wisely distinguish between right and wrong. And the Lord was pleased with his request.

No doubt, it’s an impressive request. Solomon did not ask for wealth or health. He did not wish death for his enemies. God recognized that those are the things most kings would desire. Those are the things that drive kings. It’s what motivates them. Instead, Solomon asked for heavenly wisdom and guidance.

That godly request came from a truly humble heart. I’m moved by what Solomon said to God leading up to his request.

“I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties” (1 Kings 3:7).

What humility. What an expression of complete dependence on God. Solomon did not rely on his schooling or his heritage or his position or his power. His special training and status for his important position meant nothing in the face of what God had appointed him to do. And Solomon recognized that. We would do well to imitate not just the request but the attitude that produced it.

Scripture tells us God was pleased with Solomon’s request. I believe God was pleased because the request showed him Solomon’s humility and dependence.

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There are 62 days left until the Cowboys kick off their historic 50th NFL season. And we’re counting down the days with the Red Ribbon Review. We’re looking at the second-best players in Cowboys history according to jersey number. Anybody can put together a list of the top players. What’s the fun in that? Those are a dime-a-dozen. It takes a blog like this one to dig deep and give you something you can’t find anywhere else.

Getting caught up from the weekend, our second-best ever #64 is offensive lineman Jim Ray Smith. The Baylor alum had played seven outstanding years for Paul Brown in Cleveland, earning five Pro Bowl berths and three first team All Pro selections. He retired and moved to a real estate career in Dallas following the 1962 season and had begun work that summer of ’63 when Tom Landry called him and asked him to suit up for the Cowboys. Smith had topped out at $18,750 annual in Cleveland. The Cowboys were offering $25,000, which would make Smith the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league. And he went for it.

Two seasons later Smith was definitely done. During his short stint in Dallas, Smith suffered through two concussions, two knee operations, two broken hands, and a cracked vertebra in his neck. He couldn’t stay healthy. But he was the second-best #64 the Cowboys ever had.

#63 in the countdown is another offensive lineman from another era, Glen Titensor, who played seven seasons in Dallas from 1981-1988. A third round pick out of BYU, Titensor became a starter at guard in 1984 and stayed there through Tom Landry’s final season in ’88. He played in a total of 92 games for the Cowboys, including two NFC Championship games in ’81 and ’82. Today Titensor owns the Timbercreek Golf Center up in Lewisville.

Today’s #62 is (cringe) Brian Baldinger. I know. Sorry. He really is the second-best #62 in Cowboys history as mainly a backup on the offensive line for 5 seasons between 1982 – 1987. Baldinger, of the Flying Baldinger Brothers — Rich and Gary also played in the NFL — is famous really for only two things. One, he’s been an NFL analyst for Fox and the NFL Network now for years. And, two, he got his pinky finger really, really, really messed up in somebody’s facemask and never had it fixed. If you’re not too squeamish, you can click on that pic and blow it up a little bit and check it out. It’s pretty twisted. Much worse than Staubach’s ever was.

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Losing three of four to the M’s in Seattle is not the way to go into the All-Star break. But if someone had told me that the Rangers would hit the halfway point at nine games over .500 and only one-and-a-half games back of the Angels I would have taken it. Whitney’s happy. I’m happy. Valerie and Carley couldn’t care less. Carrie-Anne keeps reminding me that Texas is always close at the break. Drats and double drats. She’s right.

Peace,

Allan

The Anointed

July 10, 2009 / Allan / 0 Comments

In 1 Samuel 24, in the cave at En Gedi, David’s men see King Saul, their ruthless enemy, in a humiliating and vulnerable position. Most translations say Saul went in to relieve himself. The New King James Version says Saul went into the cave to “attend to his needs.” Whatever the terminology, Saul is completely helpless. He’s right in front of them. And he thinks he’s all alone. David’s men see their enemy. And they’re ready to kill him.

By contrast, David sees the magnificent — flawed, yes — and wonderful king anointed by God. He sees the Lord’s chosen ruler. And he didn’t kill him. He submitted to him. David turns this crude scene in this dark cave in the wilderness into an act of homage to his Lord. He made it a sacred moment.

David’s motivation has nothing to do with his own pride or safety or reputation. David is motivated purely by a genuine devotion to his God, his Rock. The idea of taking Saul’s life is unthinkable. Not because of Saul. But because of God.

I see the flawed, anointed one of God in his Church. I see it in church leaders. Flawed, but anointed by God, standing for God, representing God. And our treatment of the Church and church leaders ought to reflect that understanding.

All of us brothers and sisters in Christ are anointed by God in the waters of baptism. We’re together standing for God, representing God, working with God. And our honorable treatment of one another ought to reflect that understanding.

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65 days until the Cowboys begin their 2009 football season. And the second-best player to ever wear #65 in Cowboys history is offensive lineman Kurt Petersen. As a 4th round draft pick out of Missouri, Petersen was a six-year starter at right guard, blocking for Danny White and Tony Dorsett from 1980-85. He helped lead Dallas to three straight NFC Championship Games, all losses.

You’ve probably never heard of him. That’s OK. He’s never heard of you.

Peace,

Allan

Author: Allan (Page 413 of 492)

Called To Be Free

Pruning Pains

For The Sake Of His Body

Always "Yes!"

Royal Humility

The Anointed

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