Category: Golf Course Road Church (Page 1 of 24)

In Christ Alone

Last night was our annual GCR night at the Midland RockHounds game. More than 280 of us enjoyed the perfect weather, all-you-can-eat dinner and snacks, and a tightly-played pitchers duel. Cory and our worship team sang the national anthem, Bob Judkins threw out the first pitch, and Cullen Landry shattered all the stadium’s speakers with his exuberant “Play Ball!” A dozen of our kids participated in the between-innings promotional events, including our own Doug Cochran who won a 50-dollar HEB gift card for rolling around the dirt in front of the first base dugout in a giant tortilla. We celebrated Rex Henderson’s 70th birthday, ate one or two too many hotdogs, and marveled at how the RockHounds P.A. guy sounds exactly like our VBS mascot, Davy Wavy.

 

 

The highlight of the whole evening for me was getting to hold  Griffin McGraw for about an inning. This little guy was only born last Thursday–less than a week ago!–and I got to hold him while he took in his very first baseball game! I think he understands the bases and foul balls and the concept of three outs. But his eyes glazed over when I tried to explain balks and the infield fly rule.

Several people asked if I was practicing for our two grandsons who are going to be born in the next couple of weeks. If “practicing” means handing the baby back to his mom the moment the diaper gets warm, then yes.

 

 

 

 

You can click on these thumbnails to get the full size pictures. Thanks to Joey Gennusa and the RockHounds for another terrific night at the ballpark!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve been clear this week in this space in my conviction that it is wrong to say your kind of church is God’s true church and demand that others belong to your kind of church to find the truth. It’s wrong to criticize other churches because they do things differently. That is sectarian denominationalism and it’s a perversion of the Gospel of Jesus. We cannot ever try to make people join a specific group in order to be acceptable to God.

However, don’t hear me say that I think all churches are alike. Because they’re not. Not all churches are the same; I want to be just as clear about that.

Some churches are more biblical than others. Some are more orthodox in their beliefs and practice than others. Some churches are more lively and healthy, some churches are more on God’s mission than others. Some churches are better than others. But nobody can make those judgments by looking at the name on the sign out front.

Now, I’m biased, but I believe the Golf Course Road Church of Christ is a pretty great church. We mostly uphold most of the historical Church of Christ understandings and traditions. We teach and practice believer’s baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sin, we eat and drink the communion meal every Lord’s Day, we believe and practice the priesthood of all believers–pretty standard Church of Christ stuff. At Golf Course Road, those things are deeply held Gospel convictions. But our shepherds and ministers, our church leadership, is committed to this: if any of our CofC traditions ever come into conflict with the Gospel, the Gospel is going to win every time. We’re going to go with the Gospel all the way. Every time. We’re doing our very best, by God’s grace, to always act “in line with the truth of the Gospel” (Galatians 2:14).

At GCR, we know that some of the best ways we we’re formed and some of the more significant ways we minister are in partnership with Christians from other denominations. Our “4 Midland” worship services and service projects are so important. What an undeniable testimony to the saving and uniting power of the Gospel! Our elders and ministers eat dinner and pray with the elders and ministers from those other churches. Our unity and fellowship with them allows us to both experience and express just how big God’s Church really is. It drives us to our knees in gratitude to God for the greatness of his salvation activity throughout our city in hundreds of different ways.

We know that GCR is just one small way God is drawing people to himself. We know the Churches of Christ are just a tiny part of God’s enormous salvation plans.

We believe that God’s power saves us and his grace calls us to teach and practice our Christian understandings, to stick to our Gospel convictions, but to operate under a big tent, where all baptized believers who confess Jesus as Lord are equal brothers and sisters in Christ around our Father’s table.

So, what about our distinctives? What about our identities? Where do we get our sense of who we are?

Well, not in our groups. Not in our distinctive cultures and customs. Our identity is found where our salvation is found: in Christ alone.

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ~Galatians 2:20

To be crucified with Christ means all your other identities are irrelevant. Race, language, color, zip code, tax bracket, nationality, church tribe–forget all that! You are not defined by the law or by any customs or traditions or circumstances that divide people. We belong to Jesus, and his life is at work in us and through us. And since the main thing about Jesus is his loving faithfulness, may the main thing about us, the main thing that defines us, is our own loving faithfulness for him and for all who confess Jesus as Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whataburger has brought back its awesome Pico Burger, hopefully for much longer than a limited time. Finally! I indulged this tasty delight for lunch today while reading my newly-arrived Texas Monthly barbecue edition. On the way out, I picked up the first of what’s going to be 16 different collectors cups, celebrating the 75th anniversary of this iconic Texas establishment. That’s a pretty good lunch break.

Peace,

Allan

Cory Was Not Arrested

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Dextor Clinkscale…

Our GCR Worship Minister, Cory Legg, was definitely not arrested at LAX as we were leaving the Pepperdine Bible Lectures on Friday. It was a case of misplaced luggage: it was Cory’s luggage and he misplaced it. The cop was only helping Cory relocate his bag. Yes, I showed this picture to our entire church family at the beginning of yesterday’s sermon. And, no, I did not explain it. Not at all. I just said we were delayed a bit at LAX while Cory was temporarily detained by LAPD. Cory wasn’t at church–he was taking a much-deserved vacation day–so it raised a lot of questions. I think he spent most of his vacation day answering emails and texts. He was still receiving messages from concerned members today at lunch. The real story is that they found his carry-on–someone had turned it in–and everything was fine. The other truth is that I’m holding onto this awesome picture and this isn’t the last time GCR is going to see it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Breno and Gabriela Escobar had never heard of tater tots! Somehow, some way, our dear friends from Brazil–grown and married adults!–had never heard of tater tots until the topic came up at lunch yesterday after church. Breno is the professor of practical ministry at the Ser Cris training school in Campo Grande. He and his wife are in West Texas this week to attend a graduation of some friends at ACU, to attend his own graduation for his Masters of Biblical Studies in Lubbock, and to meet some more of us at their partner church at Golf Course Road. This is their first ever trip to the states. So, today our ministry team treated them to lunch at Michael’s Charcoal Grill here in Midland. And their first ever experience with tater tots. A travesty made right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here’s the May update photo of our two grandsons. And their mom. These two boys together weigh a combined six pounds now and they’re both reportedly kicking Valerie in the ribs all the time. I don’t know how she’s going to make it to July. We’re all heading to Tulsa Friday for David’s graduation from law school at Tulsa University and the baby shower they’re throwing for Val at the Jenks Church. Lots of family, special dinners, catching up, and talking about twin babies! I can’t wait to see everybody!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mikko Magic. The Dallas Stars new superstar forward is scoring and assisting on almost every goal his team scores and breaking or extending his own NHL Stanley Cup playoff records almost every time he touches the puck.  Mikko Rantanen is on an historic streak–back-to-back hat tricks, gutsy put-backs, laser-precise passes–and remarkably making us forget about Luka. The Stars have an enormous opportunity to take control of this second round series at home tomorrow against Winnipeg. If the Jets don’t double-team Mikko every time he’s on the ice, the loss is on them.

Peace,

Allan

Harbor 2025

First full day at the Pepperdine Bible Lectures in Malibu with J.E., Cory, and Jason Reeves. Here’s how it went down:

A fabulous breakfast with an ocean view from the balcony/patio at Pepperdine’s Waves Cafeteria.

Chris Seidman on the line in Jesus’ prayer, “…on earth as it is in heaven.”

David Ayres on mustard seed churches and “holy insignificance.”

Hanging out and catching up with really good people like Josh Ross, Josh Kasinger, Karl and Kayley Ihfe, Doug Page, Jon Mullican, Carson Reed, and Dan Bouchelle.

Josh Ross on “Protecting Your Joy.”

Mike Cope on “The Greatest Threat to Unity in Churches of Christ:” Agreement that we should have unity in essentials and liberty in opinions, but disagreements over distinguishing which issues belong to which category and who gets to decide. Hmmm… maybe we join the rest of the great stream of Christianity and use something tried and true and ancient like the Apostles’ Creed to tell us what hills to die on and what issues to chill out on.

Dinner with J.E., Cory, and Jason at Malibu Seafood on the Pacific Coast Highway. The way the sun is situated in this picture makes J.E. look like an illustration from The Old Man and the Sea.

Worship with United Voice Worship, featuring Jerome Williams from Free Indeed, an emotional flashback to the very beginnings of hearing and discerning my call from our God to leave radio and preach.

Leaving the keynote session just a tad early to hoof it back up to my dorm room to watch the Stars 3-2 win over the Jets in the first game of the second round!

That’s a pretty good day.

Peace,

Allan

MRN Honors GCR

Mission Resource Network honored the Golf Course Road Church of Christ last Friday with what they call the Antioch Award for Congregational Excellence in World Missions. The award recognizes the millions of dollars GCR has budgeted and spent on missions through the years, the money our church members give directly to missionaries and missions efforts outside the church budget, and our congregation’s overall commitment to missions, a culture of global awareness and compassion shaped by decades of Gospel-centered discipleship.

I was privileged to accept the award on behalf of our church at the MRN dinner in Dallas Friday, along with Dale and Rita Brown and Eric and April West. The award itself is a giant clock. So, of course, my opening line was something like, “Our elders at GCR have been on me for almost four years to put a big clock in our sanctuary. Thanks, Dan.”

I also just had an absolute blast hanging out with so many people I know and love. All my worlds were colliding as I ran into some of the finest people from the Legacy Church in N. Richland Hills and the Central Church in Amarillo. I can’t tell you how delighted I was to catch up with Mark and Leslie Speck and Matt and Sara Richardson, some of our first and best friends from Central. Plus, just so many wonderful followers of Jesus from so many churches and para-church organizations I’ve had the joy of knowing over the years. The banquet ended before 9pm, but I was still in the ballroom talking and laughing with old friends until after 10p.

Thank you to my good friend, Dan Bouchelle, the president of MRN and my predecessor at Central, for a truly great night. I thank the Lord for the privilege of being the preacher at a great church like Golf Course Road. And I praise him for reminding me of how many good people he’s put directly in my path over the years to love me, teach me, and encourage me in following our Lord Jesus.

Peace,

Allan

Buried and Raised with Christ

“You have been given fullness in Christ… having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” ~Colossians 2:10-12

You are not baptized by yourself. Baptism is not a private deal. When you’re baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, you are baptized into his community. You become a part of God’s redeemed people. Baptism is not just unity with Christ, it is also very much unity in Christ.

“You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” ~Galatians 3:26-28

That’s why we do baptisms on Sundays when the whole church is together. That’s why we cram as many people as we can up on the stage and we all stand as close as we can to the water, so you know this is not just about me and God. This is not just about me and my close relatives or me and my best friends. I am being joined by God into this community. God through Christ is now making me a part of this worldwide, universal, eternal community of the saved in Christ.

This past Sunday was our second Baptism Sunday at GCR. We gave our church several weeks to think about baptism. To pray about it. To talk to others about it. To listen to God about it. I taught two Sunday morning classes–they were more like conversations–about baptism with people of all ages and backgrounds and covered lots of baptism topics. If you have never been baptized or if someone you know has never been baptized, we’re going to spend these few weeks preparing for it and then we’re going to baptize a bunch of people on the 27th.

And, by God’s grace, we did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight brand new Christians put on our crucified and risen Lord Jesus in baptism Sunday. We knew about six of them last week, we learned about one of them Saturday afternoon, and one guy didn’t decide to be baptized until after the second or third baptism. Kristin baptized Bianca, a sweet girl who’s been taught and transformed in Kristin’s GCR children’s ministry. Brandon baptized Charlotte, a long-time member of their small group. Shane and Blossom baptized their son, Donny. Doug baptized his daughter, Ella. Cory and Hannah baptized their children, Margo and Solomon. And I had the tremendous honor of baptizing Kayla, who’s been coming to GCR for two years now at the invitation of a nearly life-long friend, and Nina, Ruben and Angie’s niece, who’s been wrestling with God and her own faith for over three years. We were laughing and crying and praising God together as a united community of faith around the waters of baptism. And each time a new Christian came up out of that water, we charged them and blessed them in unison with the opening lines from Colossians 3:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, you also will appear with him in glory!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a glorious day. Those of us who’ve been baptized for a long time remembered our own baptisms with thanksgiving and renewed our commitments to Christ and to one another all over again. And we thanked God for the privilege of participating in these eight baptisms together as a church family. We ate and drank the communion meal together and prayed over these new disciples, still literally wet behind the ears, dripping with God’s forgiveness and grace, and filled to overflowing with his Holy Spirit.

May our God bless these brand new Christians with his love and grace. May they look back often on their baptism at GCR and remember what God has created in them. And may they walk with him, together with us, faithful to the end.

Peace,

Allan

Zion is Here!

Congratulations to Jadyn and Isaiah and big sister Shiloh on the birth Friday morning of little Zion Lee! He is beautiful and perfect and tiny and precious and he squeaks in a wonderfully delightful way. And he has amazing parents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jadyn and Zion were released from the hospital yesterday afternoon and they are both doing really well–no complications, no problems, no worries. We join the whole Martinez family in thanking God for his protection and provision. And we ask him to bless this sweet baby with good health, with joy and comfort and peace, and to reflect our Lord’s glory all the days of his life.

Jadyn did not show up for work today. She missed our weekly staff meeting and our monthly staff lunch. How long did we give her for maternity leave?

Peace,

Allan

« Older posts