Category: Cowboys (Page 48 of 53)

Let the Turmoil Begin!

October 15, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

I thought it would take much more than a single blowout loss to the dynastic Patriots. I was hopeful throughout the entire Bills game last Monday night that, two losses in a row — against Buffalo and New England — would really show us what this Cowboys team is made of. It would be at that point we’d recognize that a brand new head coach, two brand new offensive and defensive coordinators, and a quarterback starting a season for the first time in his career can’t be any good. Not to be mention T.O.’s presence in that locker room. The fingerpointing would begin, the doubt would start to creep in. Questions.

And then, maybe, possibly, they’d lose to Minnesota and go into the bye week on a three game losing streak. Writers and reporters have to make up stories during the bye week. And all those stories would focus on what’s wrong with this lousy team.

Bingo. Turmoil.

But that Bills win nipped all that. A single blowout loss to the Patriots means nothing. It’s out of conference. It’s to a Super Bowl caliber team that whips everybody. No big deal. It’s just one loss. They’re still 5-1 and in the driver’s seat.

But I’m reading and hearing some of the stuff coming out of the Cowboys locker room last night and I think they might be already cracking at the seams. They may be even more fragile than we thought they were.

Terrence Newman was asked about the coverage on Kyle Brady’s TD catch that completely turned Roy Williams around in the end zone. Newman’s response was, “We had some guys doing some things that weren’t that smart.”

Tony Romo blasted Kyle Kozier on the field and on the sidelines for his holding penalty that negated a first down run on 4th and 1. That’s all well and good. As the quarterback, that’s Romo’s job. But Romo tells reporters last night the game was lost on that one play. The game was over when Kozier held.

Nice.

Romo also made it a point to say repeatedly last night that the Cowboys offense was playing under a lot of pressure because their defense couldn’t stop New England. He compared it to the way it felt playing quarterback at the end of last season when they couldn’t stop anybody and the Cowboys had to score tons of points or lose.

Nice.

When Wade Phillips was asked about the decision to kick the field goal on 4th and goal from the five, down 14 points with ten minutes to go, he said, “If we had a play that could score, I would think we’d have run it on 3rd down.” When told of Phillips’ comments, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said he did have a play in mind, but he wasn’t asked.

Beautiful.

One loss. And already the back biting and finger pointing.

The Cowboys have played two games this year against playoff-caliber offenses. And they’ve been ripped apart by both of them. Eli Manning threw for 312 yards and four TDs in the opener. Brady yesterday threw for 388 yards and five scores. And both of those games were at Texas Stadium. After Minnesota’s Tarvaris Jackson next week, they face Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Brett Favre, Jon Kitna, and McNabb again. It’s not too late to make a quarterback trade for your fantasy league.

48 points is the most the Patriots have scored in a game in 23 years. The Patriots scored six offensive touchdowns. The Cowboys scored two. The Cowboys haven’t scored a first quarter touchdown since the middle of last December. How are you going to get down 14-0 to the Patriots and expect to win? You can’t play catchup all game long with New England. The Cowboys offense never got on the field. New England went 11-17 on third downs. After the game, Roy Williams, the most overrated player maybe in Cowboys history, berrated reporters, “Just because we couldn’t stop them on third down doesn’t mean we’re a bad defense!”

Isn’t that the very definition of a bad defense?

One more quote. Terrell Owens made a big show by saying he wouldn’t talk with reporters, specifically about Randy Moss, until after the game. The two times reporters asked a question of Owens about Moss his reponse was simply, “Next question.”

Nice.

Let the turmoil begin.

Go Vikes,

Allan

No One Leads Alone

October 12, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

God’s call is never misunderstood. It’s not vague or ambiguous. The question in Scripture and in our own lives is never in discerning God’s call. It’s clear.

He tells Abram, “Go!” He tells Moses, “Speak!” God tells Joshua, “Lead!” He tells Gideon, “Fight!” He tells Samuel, “Serve!” God tells Isaiah, “Prophesy!” He tells Jeremiah, “Preach!”

And none of it’s easy. None of it’s appealing. And they balk at first. They throw up excuses and reasons for not answering the call. And every single time God tells them, “Hey! It’s not about you. It’s about me.”

“If I call you to do something,” God says, “I’m the one who’s going to do it. Not you. Don’t be afraid. I’m with you. We’re in it together. I’m God. Trust me.

The question in God’s call on our lives and in the life of his Church is never “Can you hear me now?” It’s always, “Can you trust me now?”

Sunday morning at Legacy we’re looking for 100 men and their families to sign up as Small Groups Church co-leaders. We’re establishing 50 Small Groups to meet weekly on Sunday evenings beginning in January. Each group is to have two co-leaders — no one leads alone — and so we need 100. Building up to those sign-ups, we’re going to explore God’s call to Moses here at Legacy Sunday morning.

But let me point out this today. If you’re a member at Legacy, think about this in terms of your place here in the body and your role in the opportunities the Lord is setting before us, specifically as it relates to our clear mission as the church to Apply the Word, Connect as a Family, and Evangelize our Community. If you’re reading this from somewhere else, chew on this in terms of whatever it is God is calling you to do right there wherever you are.

The task Moses was given to confront Pharaoh was not to be undertaken alone. Rather, he and the elders were to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 3:18). At the same time, God provided Aaron as a helper to carry out God’s plan. Both Aaron’s role and that of the elders emphasize the role of the group in carrying out God’s will. Moses doesn’t do any of it by himself. He works for the group by working with the group.

Moses’ problem is that he looked at God’s call on his life only in terms of what he, Moses, could accomplish. Instead of viewing the call in terms of God’s power and will to accomplish the task, Moses saw only his own gifts or talents, or lack thereof.

Consider the call of God to serve the body of Christians and the community in the name of Jesus. And if we reflect on God rather than ourselves, we’ll approach that call with a peace that passes all understanding.

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We’re less than 24 hours away from Legacy’s 21st annual Give Away Day. And it looks like everything’s just about ready. The concourse is crammed with rows upon rows of racks loaded with clothes, sorted and sized for whoever needs them. It looks like we have more blue jeans than ever before, most of them brand new! We’ve had dozens of volunteers up here for the better part of two weeks sorting through all these things. But it’s still beyond me how it all comes together.

Every one of our downstairs classrooms is a designated “shopping” area. Some for shoes—again, most of them brand new—some for dishes and household appliances, and the others for more clothes.

We’ll have over 2,000 folks from our community in here tomorrow morning before 7:00. Everything’s given away free of charge. Everyone’s welcome. No questions asked. So many people will be touched by the love of Jesus. The stories we’ll be telling and re-telling for the next few weeks will be heart-warming. And I’m certain, just like last year and all the previous years, we’ll be impacted for the good much better than the ones we serve.

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As always, I’m not cheering for the Cowboys Sunday. But, at the same time, I can’t root for Bill Belichick and the Pats. It’s a combination of never wanting to root for the overwhelming favorite and current dynasty and some of that wanting to see history thing at work. It’s like rooting for the opposing pitcher in the 9th inning when he has a no-hitter working against your team. It probably would be really cool to see the Cowboys do something NOBODY expects them to do.

But I’m not rooting for them. I just want to see a good game. Part of me thinks the Pats will win 45-10. But I’ve been wrong on most things so far this season.

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Our dear sister in Christ, Sue Godwin, passed away at her home yesterday afternoon, surrounded by her family and great friends. What an inspiring picture of Christian perseverance and character. What a truly wonderful model of faith in her Lord. The times I visited her and prayed with her, she always told me she was ready to go, but scared. She knew exactly where she was going, but she was worried about getting there. In the name of Jesus the Christ, we again commit the care of her body and soul to our God. The One who calls us is faithful. And he will do it.

Peace,

Allan

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

Category: Cowboys (Page 48 of 53)

Let the Turmoil Begin!

No One Leads Alone

Imago Dei

The Watershed Game?

Concerning Baseball and Church

Controlled Chaos

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