The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Golf Course Road Church (Page 1 of 29)

The Space for Love to Grow

August 31, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I spent parts of three days with Val and Dave and the twins this past weekend and it was beyond a blast. Sammy is still content to crawl around on the floor while Elliott walks laps all over the house. But Sam’s got a new dance move, an impressive shoulder-shimmy he does on command, that is stealing Elliott’s thunder right now. They’re both big enough now to ride on my shoulders while we walk around downtown Tulsa, which is really cool. And they both love to wrestle with me on the couch, they love getting slammed into throw pillows and smashed into couch cushions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday at GCR we preached the second sermon in our “Marriage Matters” series: “The Essence of Marriage.” Here’s the video that introduced the sermon, featuring our very own Brat Pack of GCR’s celebrity brides and grooms. The music bed at the very beginning is super loud, but after those first ten seconds, you’ll need to really crank up the volume.

The essence of marriage is the wedding vow, the eternal promise, the legal oath—the thing that makes our marriages covenant relationships and not consumer relationships. And that’s the thing that creates the space for love to truly grow.

When you’re dating or “living together,” you have to constantly be “on.” You have to prove every day that you’re worth it. You have to always impress and entice. You have to prove that the chemistry’s there. Again. You have to prove that the relationship is fun and fulfilling. Again. Or it might be over. When you’re dating or “living together” you’re still in a consumer relationship. You’re having to constantly promote and market yourself.

The legal bond of marriage, however, creates a safe space of security and unconditional love and acceptance so we can relax and open up and finally reveal our true selves.

When the vows are made, we can be vulnerable, we don’t have to pretend anymore. We don’t have to keep selling ourselves. We can lay our defenses down and be completely naked, physically and in every other way.

If love between a husband and wife is going to be everything God wants it to be, you have to have that vow. It’s the only way true love can really grow.

I’m not going anywhere. Relax. It’s you and me. Forever. I promise.

That’s the way Jesus loves you. “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” I’m not going anywhere. Relax. It’s you and me. Forever. I promise.

The wedding vow guarantees that we’re safe together. We can be ourselves with each other and neither one of us has to worry about whether we’re loved and accepted. We are! We got married! We signed government documents! We made vows to each other and to God in front of his holy witnesses!

We can be our true selves with each other and grow together honestly and authentically. The vows give us that space.

Peace,
Allan

The Video

August 24, 2026 / / 0 Comments

What a great start yesterday to our “Marriage Matters” series at GCR! We had great attendance, an uplifting song service, an inspiring time together around our Lord’s table, a beautiful moment of prayer for our marriages by one of our shepherds, and a brilliantly crafted and executed sermon.

But all anybody wants to talk about is the video!

Yes, the video. From Eddie’s speeding ticket to the Kincaides’ cabin and Bill’s toilet seat, the video featuring our own married couples was quite the hit. Our thanks to Bill & Deannie, Rob & Linda, Eddie & Carol, Herman & Patti, Chuck & Bonnie, and Alan & Dianne for their (mostly) willing participation. And our plea for their forgiveness for the five other videos that are in the works.

In case you missed it yesterday or in case you want to be mesmerized all over again by Chuck’s facial expressions, here it is:

The series continues this coming Sunday with “The Essence of Marriage.” And, yes, another video.

Peace,
Allan

Under the Influence

August 18, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I’m posting an inspiring quote today from Mother Teresa. But first:

I just made good on my annual Silver Boot Series wager with Myles, a bet that I lose every single year, For the sixth straight season and the ninth time in ten years, his Astros took the Lone Star series over my Rangers by winning nine of the 13 games, including that demoralizing sweep a couple of weeks ago. The Whataburger burgers and shakes were on me. Again.

Texas begins a three game set against Washington tonight, three games under .500 and two back of Houston in the putrid AL West. If the winner of this division winds up with a .500 record and it’s NOT the Rangers, they should certainly blow up the whole team. At that point, we would need no further evidence that this version of our baseball team is not working.

And this:

Valerie sent us this picture over the weekend of Elliott and Sammy making their own breakfast. Or something. Somehow one of them pulled the bread off the counter and had it pretty much all over the kitchen floor before they were caught. Sam looks like he’s frozen, not knowing yet whether what they’ve done is good or bad, but certainly feeling the tension. Elliott looks like he’s extremely proud of himself and the whole scene.

Here’s the quote:

“Put yourself completely under the influence of Jesus, so that he may think his thoughts in your mind, do his work through your hands, for you will be all-powerful with him to strengthen you.” ~ from A Gift for God, by Mother Teresa

Peace,
Allan

Always Working

August 17, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I began yesterday’s sermon by talking about the beautiful sunrises and sunsets in Midland. With the land as flat as it is out here in West Texas, and not very many tall buildings, and no trees, the sky is just so big and the sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. Every day. The sunrise is inspiring. The morning clouds. The colors. The sunset is breathtaking. So huge. The power and the beauty. Every day.

I’m not sure I had seen sunrises and sunsets until we moved to Amarillo 15 years ago. It’s not because they don’t have them in Dallas–they do. Every day. But I don’t think I ever really saw one. There are too many tall buildings and trees in the way. The landscape, the hills, the houses and high-rises–all the clutter kept me from seeing what was always there every single day.

But in Amarillo and, now, even more so, in Midland, with most of the clutter removed, I can clearly see what’s always been there. And I can pay better attention to it. And marvel at it. And be thankful.

The point I eventually made is that our God is always at work. Always. Every day. He never stops forgiving and comforting and redeeming and restoring and encouraging and saving. He never stops. Always. Every day. We believe that when God’s Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the grave, he was given power and authority over all things. And this divine power and authority has already defeated sin and death and Satan and all the destructive forces of evil in the universe. So, that means there is nothing–nothing!–nothing wrong, nothing dark, nothing broken, nothing bad, nothing evil in your life that hasn’t already been defeated by our Lord. The almighty Creator and Savior of the world is at work in your life right now. He is. You know he is doing something holy and good and redemptive in your life.

But maybe you don’t see it.

Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Maybe there are too many buildings and trees in the way. Maybe the ups and downs of the terrain are blocking your view. Can you identify the clutter in your life that’s keeping you from realizing the power and the beauty of God’s work in your life?

As soon as the sermon was over, before the benediction, Triston emailed me the gorgeous picture at the top of this post of a sunset from his front porch. And then Herman and Patti sent this one from their driveway. Wow. I wish I’d had those when I put the PowerPoint together on Friday. Thank you for these amazing pictures.

Every morning, the beautiful West Texas sunrise reminds me that the earth is still turning and the God who created it is still in charge. In the evening, the gorgeous West Texas sunset reminds me that God is still working, always working. He is working for what’s best for you and for me right now and for all eternity. He is working in my life and in the lives of all the people I love. He is at work in and through all the people in our church, all the people and circumstances in our city, and all the people and situations around the world. Our God is constantly redeeming and restoring and healing and saving.

Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Peace,
Allan

Working for Christ

August 5, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Once again, our GCR Church hosted all the new Midland School District employees this week for their two-day orientation. Almost 400 new teachers, bus drivers, counselors, coaches, nurses, and aides spent all day yesterday and today getting the lowdown on how to do their jobs the Midland ISD way. And it was a tremendous success. Again.

 

 

 

 

 

I am so thankful for the more than 30 GCR members who showed up both mornings to greet all the new school district employees, to serve coffee and tea, to point folks to the registration tables, to direct them to the restrooms, and to usher them to the Worship Center, the gym, and Room 301. It’s so much fun when our church recognizes that our building is a ministry hub seven days a week. I have to guess at least half of these 400 new teachers have just moved to Midland from out of town–they’re brand new here–and now they’ve all been inside our building and have had a good experience with some of our best and nicest people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know what God will do with that. I remember Jimmy Morgette walking through our doors two years ago as the new choir director at Bowie, and now he and Logan have made GCR their home. And our whole church is better for it. God is at work both in us and through us when we host the MISD new employee orientation. May his name be praised.

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“Obey your earthly masters in everything and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for people, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” ~Colossians 3:22-24

Disclaimer: The relationships between employers and employees in our democratic society today is so different from what it was with masters and slaves during the first century when Paul penned his letter to the church in Colosse, it’s hard to make even one correlation. We certainly can’t do a one-to-one comparison in which slaves equal employees and masters equal employers. That is not the point of this post. The point is the mutual submission the Bible commands, which is definitely applicable in all our workplaces. 

When you’re at work, someone is either over you or you are over somebody else. Most of the time, it’s both. There’s a leadership structure, a chain of command. There are power and control dynamics in every workplace. So, the biblical principles apply: Don’t just work hard when they’re looking, but work hard to honor the Lord. Whatever you do, do it as working for the Lord.

I love how the cosmic realities of a new life in Christ, being raised with Christ and being a new person, all under the Lordship of Jesus totally transforms the workplace. No matter what your job is–“whatever you do”–you are working for the Lord. No matter what you do for a living, submitting to Christ as Lord of your life turns your job into his holy calling.

Your job is not just a necessary evil to make money. It’s not like you just work to pay the bills and your service to Christ is somewhere else, like what you do through the church. You were created to do everyday work for the Lord. When God created Adam and Eve, he put them in the garden to work it. When you are raised with Christ, you are living a new life in his glory, and you work your job in that same glory. God uses what you do, whatever you do, to benefit others. The Bible wants you to see your work this way and to view everybody’s jobs this way–as work that is commissioned by the Lord and used by him to bring glory to God.

Martin Luther wrote:

“When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to give us this day our daily bread. And he does give us our daily bread. He does it by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread, the person who prepared our meal.”

Today, we could say the truck driver who hauled the produce, the factory workers in the food processing plants, the warehouse workers, the wholesale distributors, the stock boys in the grocery store, and the teenager at the checkout counter. You’ve also got bankers and investors and advertisers and agricultural scientists and mechanical engineers, and they’re all playing important roles in your getting your morning bagel. Or the bag of donut holes. It depends on if we’re talking about you or me.

God could give us what we need every day by his own direct provision. He’s done it before. Several times. It would be cool for pot roast and green beans to just fall from the sky, or for ravens to show up on my front porch with cheeseburgers and fries and spicy ketchup. But the Lord has chosen to work through human beings. And we’ve all got different capacities and different talents and different jobs, but we’re serving each other. And our Lord.

Scripture is calling you to re-think your job. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” What you do every day, and the way you choose to do it, blesses people and glorifies God. It’s much bigger and much more important than just the task in front of you. Or whether or not your boss is watching.

Peace,
Allan

A Social Event

July 28, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I had a fabulous lunch at Mulberry Cafe today with our two amazing GCR youth interns, Matthew and Olivia, two almost-seniors at Lubbock Christian University and two incredibly on-fire servants of our Lord. We talked about their whirlwind summer with our teenagers, horror movies, preaching, weddings, restaurants, the differences between Lubbock and Midland and Amarillo, and Van Halen and Rush and someone named Olivia Dean. I am envious of Matthew’s deep, resonant, bass voice and impressed with Olivia’s ability to just not care about something I’m screaming about. These are two rock-star interns and I hate to see them go back to school next week.

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While preparing for this Sunday’s sermon from Colossians 3, I came across these words from David Garland in the NIV Application Commentary about the social aspect of our salvation from God in Christ. Belonging to Christ means belonging to all those who are also in Christ. Nobody is saved alone.

“Paul gave his life to proclaiming a Gospel that broke down the walls of ancient prejudices. We should not fool ourselves into thinking that we are better than others or more favored by God than others, or that God will skip over us in the judgment because we belong to a chosen people. Our birth, race, gender, language, and social class are not barriers to God’s love, and they should not be allowed to become barriers in the loving fellowship of God’s people. The happenstance of our being born into this world does not cease to exist, but those circumstances should not define what it ultimately means to be human or put any limits on God’s love.”

And this quote from Markus Barth, from a book he wrote in 1968 called “Jews and Gentiles: The Social Character of Justification in Paul.”

“Justification in Christ is not an individual miracle happening to this person or that person, which each person may seek or possess for himself. Rather, justification by grace is a joining together of this and that person, of the near and the far, of the good and the bad, of the high and the low, liberal and fundamentalist. It is a social event. No one is joined to Christ except together with a neighbor.”

I’m reminded again of one of my favorite sentences in the Scriptures, Romans 12:5.

“In Christ, we, who are many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Peace,
Allan

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