The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Fellowship (Page 11 of 17)

The Joy of One

June 2, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The apostle Paul changed his travel plans in order to spare the Corinthian Christians a great deal of pain. “For if I grieve you,” he writes, “who is left to make me glad?” Paul says he didn’t want to be distressed by the very people who are supposed to make him rejoice (2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4).

Paul really loved these people.

Despite their problems and spiritual immaturity, Paul really had a deep affection for this group. And he didn’t want to hurt them. Not only that, he wanted to do everything he could to please them. He was willing and eager to inconvenience himself for their sake.

He longed to “work with them for their joy” because his own joy was so tightly wound up in theirs. Paul understood that, in the Body of Christ, the joy of one is the joy of the other. Their happiness made Paul happy. Their gladness led directly to Paul’s rejoicing. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

When we were planning a bi-lingual worship assembly a couple of years ago, I was confronted by a well-meaning brother who couldn’t comprehend how singing songs in Spanish would be an encouragement to us Anglos. If our worship time is to be a time of edification, he reasoned, how is singing some of our songs in Spanish going to edify the English speakers? How does that lift me up? My response went this way: Do you think that hearing 900 white brothers and sisters in Christ sing a song of praise and encouragement in their native language will give a lift to the 40 or so Spanish-speakers in our assembly that day? Will it make them feel good? Will it make them feel valued and appreciated? Will they experience acceptance in our efforts to sing in their language? Will they feel joy?

If the answer is ‘yes’ — and it is — then doesn’t that give you great joy, too? Doesn’t it make your heart happy to know that a group of your brothers and sisters is encouraged and gladened by something you did? Does that not edify you at all? Of course it does. In the Body of Christ, the joy of one is the joy of the other.

Yes, we are called to sacrifice for others. Yes, we are commanded to put the needs of others ahead of our own. Absolutely, we are directed by Scripture and the way of our Lord to serve our brothers and sisters. But that never means one of the things we have to sacrifice is our own happiness. Our joy is never compromised just because we’re taking care of somebody else. In Christ, our mature understanding is that our happiness results from making others happy. Our greatest needs are truly met, more deeply met, when we work to meet the needs of others.

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Peja and Terry got their looks in Game One. Dirk got the ball on the blocks. And J. J. penetrated the lane as always. It’s just that the shots didn’t fall. The threes were too strong off the back of the rim. Dirk seemed like he was rushing things. And Barea’s little running teardrops didn’t…well…drop. I hate to think that it was unfamiliarity with the Eastern Conference arena they only visit once a year. I hate to imagine it was a matter of not being comfortable with the Heat’s gym. That just sounds weak.

But that’s really the only hope we have, right?

Hopefully it’s just as simple as the Mavs’ shots didn’t fall. It was an off shooting night. Everybody regains their touch tonight. It has to be that way. Because if it’s something more than that — LeBron’s defense, Chandler’s shaky confidence, Jet choking in another big series, Dirk’s finger, a soft Mavs’ interior, Miami’s fresher and faster legs — Big D is in big trouble.

Peace,

Allan

People People

May 10, 2011 / / 0 Comments

My Jesus is a people person. He absolutely loves a crowd.

Yeah, there were times when our Lord went alone into the desert or climbed a mountain to pray. But it’s much more typical in the Gospels for Jesus to be interacting with people. The eyewitnesses paint a picture of Jesus constantly mixing it up with the multitudes, meeting strangers on the road, hanging out with family and friends. Mostly Jesus is known for eating and drinking with gusto in the homes of sinners and saints, with the prostitutes and the Pharisees, men and women, Gentiles and Jews.

Praying with people. Worshiping with people. Walking with people. Fishing with people. Teaching and debating with people. Laughing and crying with people.

Jesus was a supremely social, communal person. Whatever it was that the Father called the Son to do, he had no interest in doing it by himself. Just a casual glance at Jesus is enough to tell us today that we are fully living as God-created humans, not in our solitude and isolation, but in our relationships and connections with others.

We are people people.

We need God, yes. And we so desperately need one another. You can’t do this faith solo.

Peace,

Allan

Snowplow on Mid-Cities!

February 4, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Four days of sub-23-degree temperatures. Glacier-esque (to describe just how slowly it’s eroding; there’s no melting going on here) ice still on all of the roads. We haven’t had a lick of precipitation since Tuesday, but the schools have been closed for four days. Rolling blackouts that had us in the dark for about 30-minutes twice yesterday. Lows in the lower teens, highs in the upper teens all week. Church services and Bible studies canceled. Meetings postponed. And this morning we wake up to a fresh three-inches of snow on the ground. And it’s still coming down!

Coming into work this morning, driving very slowly on Mid-Cities Boulevard, when I attempt to turn left on Martin to go in the back way (I’ve tried the front entrance off Mid-Cities twice this week; I’m oh-for-two — that’s steeper than it looks). And here it comes just over the hill. Something, I daresay, has never been seen in this zip code. Ever.

A snowplow. (Is that one word, or two? I honestly have no idea.) A snow plow on Mid-Cities! I could have turned in front of it. I had plenty of time. But I just didn’t want to. I wanted it to go by me. I wanted to watch it. I wanted to see it up close. I was mesmerized. I couldn’t take my eyes off this thing. Here it came, in the far left lane, right at me, a mountain of snow and ice being shoved to the shoulder in front of it.

I rolled my window down to get a good look at the driver as he passed. Had they imported a guy from Pittsburgh or Green Bay? I’m sure nobody around here has ever driven one of these things. At the very least this operator has to be from Pampa or Amarillo. No, it was actually an employee of the City of North Richland Hills, wearing his official green city-issued coat. I smiled — almost laughed, actually — and shook my head in wonderment and even a bit of amusement as he went by. Our eyes met for a brief moment.

He was not smiling.

I love it.

No apologies. I really do enjoy this. It’s wild. It’s unprecedented. It’s extreme. It’s new. It gets everybody excited. It makes everybody hyper. It really heightens the senses when you’re driving around on / in it. And it breaks up the monotony.

But, seriously, tonight we’ve gotta get out of the house. We’ve watched movies together, we’ve cooked together, we’ve stayed up late and slept in together. We’ve played Uno, Phase 10, Apples to Apples, Skip-Bo, and even a few made up games. And we’ve all got a bit of cabin fever. It’s not gotten to the Jack Nicholson – Shelly Duval point in The Shining yet. Not yet. But we’re definitely going to go do something else tonight.

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So our Small Group is getting together Sunday evening to watch the Super Bowl. Michael sent an email to all of us a couple of days ago claiming that one cannot attend a Super Bowl party and not have a rooting interest. He wanted to know which team we were each pulling for. Here was my reply:

If the Steelers were playing the devil himself and an army of demons from hell, I’d root for the devil. I would have to. Cheering for the Steelers to win a Super Bowl is evil incarnate. In fact, if anyone at our Small Group party is pulling for Pittsburgh, I believe it will cease to be a Christian gathering. I’ve lost 15-pounds already this week because I vomit everytime the TV shows the Steelers logo painted in the end zone at Cowboys Stadium.

On the other hand, how can any of us legitimately root for the Packers? If it weren’t for Jerry Kramer and Bart Starr the Super Bowl hardware would be called the Landry Trophy instead of the Lombardi.

Sunday is truly about finding the lesser of two evils. I’m firmly convinced that’s Green Bay.

I’ve reconciled all of this by choosing not to pull for either of these two hated franchises. I’m merely rooting for the Steelers to lose. It’s the only way. My brain and my heart have found peace with that.

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My favorite quote from Super Bowl week came a couple of days ago from Troy Aikman.

When asked about the awful weather in DFW, Aikman blamed Roger Staubach. “He’s the one with the direct line to God; at least that’s what I’ve been told all these years.”

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My friend Dan Bouchelle, the director of Missions Resource Network, has written a great post today on his blog Confessions of a Former Preacher. (He used to be one of us.) Dan pens some great insights into the burden of the church a preacher carries. But I especially like his observations on the relationship between preaching and community and worship and community. It’s good stuff. Click here to read it.

Peace,

Allan

Obliterating the Roadblocks to Christian Growth

January 21, 2011 / / 0 Comments

As you can imagine, I have a stack of articles and papers in my study here that I intend to write about in this space. As you also know, that stack tends to pile up and grow as other things press in on me and immediate concerns crowd into my blog posts. Near the bottom of this pile is something from the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of ACU Today. It’s a list of bullet points from a 1993 speech made by then university president Dr. Royse Money.

At the beginning of the speech, Money declares, “I come to you tonight with a heavy burden on my heart for the Church. As we seek to be the Church that belongs to Jesus Christ, I see hindrances along our way that impede our progress. I want to be honest with you tonight and discuss some issues and problems and challenges we face in our fellowship (Church of Christ) that are not easy or pleasant to discuss. But we must.”

This month at Legacy we’re talking about what’s NEXT. What’s NEXT in your walk with Jesus? What’s NEXT for our congregation? What is God calling you to NEXT? Where is Christ leading us NEXT? We’re looking at Peter’s “add to your faith…” We’re considering Paul’s call to “attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” and “straining toward what is ahead,” and “pressing on.”

Legacy’s elders and ministers are gearing up for our annual retreat together tonight and tomorrow at Camp Carter on the other side of Fort Worth. In the midst of our prayers and planning and reflections heading into this weekend, Money’s bullet points are worth considering. For Legacy. For your church. For your congregation’s leaders. For you as a child of God and a disciple of his Christ.

~We must realize that unity does not mean uniformity of belief.
~We must determine the essentials of faith apart from traditions, customs, comfort and personal preference.
~We must realize in dealing with those who differ with us, both within our fellowship and beyond, that tolerance and a certain level of fellowship is not the same as total endorsement of another’s views.
~We must learn to handle diversity in a charitable way.
~We must mark those who cause division among us.
~We must rediscover that in our allegiance to Christ, the bride wears the name of the Groom.
~We must realize that the enemy is Satan and not each other.
~We must determine what the real issues are regarding the role of women in the Church.
~We must decide on the way Scripture should be interpreted.
~We must realize the powerful dynamics of change.
~We must rededicate ourselves to search relentlessly for truth as it’s revealed in the Scriptures.

To Money’s excellent observations and clarion call for action, I would add a couple of my own:

~We must shift our focus from pastoring the saved inside our walls to saving the lost outside our walls.
~We must be motivated by Christ’s love instead of by a driving desire to be right.
~We must relax and stop taking ourselves so seriously as we realize we live under and in the grace of God.

We ignore these things at our own peril. Just talking about them and feeling like we’ve done something isn’t enough. Action must be taken. Hearts must soften. Lives must change. Leaders must lead. Pro-active instead of reactive. Just holding our own isn’t cutting it. Christ’s compelling love wasn’t given freely to us so we can huddle up and play church and avoid doing anything wrong. His sacrifice on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s powerful work at the garden tomb is a call to action. Holy action. Christian leadership. The Kingdom of God is “forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it!”

May our merciful Father bless us with wisdom and vision. May he graciously overcome our staggering incapabilities to lead his people forward in his eternal Kingdom.

Peace,

Allan

A Table in the Desert

January 19, 2011 / / 0 Comments

“Can God spread a table in the desert?” ~Psalm 78:19

The psalmist asks if God can really provide a feast for his people out in the middle of the remote wilderness. Is it possible? Can provide nourishment and life where there is none?

The answer gushes from a rock. Streams flow abundantly. Water in the desert. Thirst-quenching life in the midst of certain death.

The psalmist sees the water. And he follows up with, “But can he also give us food? Can he supply meat for his people?” (Psalm 78:20)

And the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth opens up the skies to rain down manna and quail. The grain from heaven, the “bread of angels.” He “rained meat down on them.” They ate “till they had more than enough.”

“He sent them all the food they could eat” (Psalm 78:25).

Yes, our God can spread a table in the desert. He can open up a 24-hour-all-you-can-eat smorgasbord right in the middle of your desert. Right in the middle of your driest condition. Right in the darkest part of your worst night. Down in the depths of your deepest valley. He can shine light into your scariest situation. He can bring life from your dead-as-a-doornail, going-through-the-motions rut. Absolutely. Yes, he can.

My God prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. And I eat with God in complete communion and perfect peace. Protected. Provided for. Saved.

My God is sufficient. He is able. And he covers me with his tent and promises I will hunger and thirst no more.

Peace,

Allan

Glory In The Church

December 29, 2010 / / 3 Comments

“To him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Amen!” ~Ephesians 3:21

We spent all of 2010 here at Legacy camped out in God’s self-description in Exodus 34:5-7. Moses tells God, “I want to see your face. Show me your glory.” And God responds by telling Moses, “I’ll show you my glory. I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you.” And God reveals himself to his servant. He declares his name, his eternal qualities, his divine characteristics to Moses. We learn in Exodus 34 that God is compassionate. Gracious. Patient. Loving. Faithful. Forgiving. Holy.

Scripture tells us we are to reflect that same glory of God. As we are being transformed into the likeness of Christ, we are to increasingly reflect that glory of God, with the same glory that comes from the Father. We are to be compassionate. Gracious. Patient. Loving. Faithful. Forgiving. Holy.

On the last Sunday of 2010, I wanted us to consider what it means, what it looks like, to reflect the glory of God in his Church. What does it mean for God’s Church, this family at Legacy, to embody these eternal qualities of our Father? In preparation for this final Sunday, I asked our congregation about four weeks ago to send me their photos. I wanted them to send me pictures of God’s glory. How do you see the compassion of God? How is his faithfulness communicated to you? Where do you experience God’s great love?

I received 146 pictures from more than 70 of our members. Pictures of sunsets and babies, mountains and baptisms, grandmas and Give Away Day. And we shared the pictures with one another during communion.

 

Koinonia. Communion. Sharing. Partnership. Community.

What better place than at our Lord’s Table to share these testimonies to our God’s great grace and love? As we ate the bread and drank the cup, we rejoiced together in God’s great salvation as manifest in pictures of God using Legacy to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and lift up the fallen. Pictures of the empty tomb followed pictures of our quilting ladies. Pictures of Jesus as the Great Shepherd were mixed in with pictures of our families reading the Bible together. Images of missionaries and sunflowers, vast oceans and VBS chaos, congregations in Vietnam and Ukraine and our own small groups singing at local nursing homes. Pictures of Al & Marie Grant, whose 70-year marriage reflects the uncompromising love God has for his people. A picture of Quincy, who is a constant witness to the glory of our God. A picture of DeAnn’s new back door, installed by her brothers and sisters at Legacy. DeAnn sent the photo to me, explaining that it daily reminds her of “the love that has been shown to me and my girls over the last few months. Not only have they repaired our home, but in doing so have begun to repair our hearts. That is God’s glory! I am blessed!”

                                  

Sunday at Legacy we combined the table imperatives of “recognize the body” and “do this in remembrance of me” in a powerful way. We saw Christ in each other on Sunday. We gave honor to what God is doing for and among his people. We explored what it means to be a “body.” And we recognized our God in Christ as the gracious force behind those faithful blessings.

Our table time should be the most important time of our Sunday gatherings. It should get the most attention. It should serve as the climax of our assemblies.

Sunday at Legacy, it was.

Peace,

Allan

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