The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Legacy Church Family (Page 6 of 37)

Styrofoam Helmets & Roadkill Sheep

June 15, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I love summer time at Legacy. Summers at Legacy just seem to be less formal, more relaxed, really fun. That’s not to say the pace is slower. No, no, no. It’s faster, much faster. Maybe even a bit hectic. But it’s really, really fun.

Wednesday night sno-cones. Brand new youth interns to initiate. Mission trips and summer camps. Messy games day. All the college kids back home, roaming the church halls, showing up for morning prayers and Bible studies, crashing our backyard pool, toilet papering our house. Sunday night cookouts and kites. Extra visitors. Faith Builders. Even in the middle of all the vacations and travel and trips, it just seems like summer is when our whole church family is really together. And it’s a lot of fun.

And, of all the special things and times we enjoy during our Legacy summers, VBS is my favorite.

I love Vacation Bible School because I get to see our church family at its best. During VBS, we give of ourselves to little kids. We do things we don’t normally do, for the sake of little kids. We sacrifice. We bend. We stretch. We get down in the floor and pick up washers, we burn our hands on Shrinky Dink ovens, we cut out sheep and sew rock pouches, we build sets and learn songs, we run up and down stairs and make one million trips to the workroom. For the sake of little kids.

I love Vacation Bible School because I get to watch people like Eric Gambill and Charles Barkley (real name) break out of their shells. I’ve never heard more than six words out of either of these guys. But I’m inspired when I watch them sing and dance and act as David and King Saul. For the sake of little kids. And those outgoing people with all the personality and talents? People like Kristen Sharp and Christy Roof, Vic Akers and Bill Crawford? It’s a blast watching them take it to that next level. Over the top! And where else can you see Doug Deere in eight-inch platform shoes, with an accent that sounds like a cross between Foghorn Leghorn and Mr. T, hamming it up as Goliath, and then tearfully pouring his heart out to the church when it’s all over, reminding us that our God is bigger and stronger than anything that might stand against us.

David Watson dressed one of our fifth graders, Elizabeth, as Goliath during our story time last night. He decked her out in a styrofoam ice-chest helmet, bubble wrap armor, a dashboard sun screen for a shield and an industrial sized leaf blower as a sword. Yes, he connects to our kids. Mike and Judy St.Clair and Jennifer Skelton wielded the hot glue guns to help our kids make little flat sheep out of recycled water bottles. They looked like road kill. In a funny way. Daryn Pope played David & Goliath Jeopardy with the kids, carefully making sure all four teams ended up with the same amount of points. And just as carefully making sure we all talked about the strength of our God and David’s great faith.

I love VBS because for four full days we all do things we don’t normally do. For the sake of the little kids. I love VBS because I keep thinking that one of these days it’s going to click that we need to always be doing things we don’t normally do for the sake of others. We need to be willing, even eager, to bend and stretch and run. We need to want to move and grow and serve for the sake of others. We’re quick to sing the songs and do all the hand motions, to throw out our backs moving stage pieces, to get our shirts messy with glitter and paint, and to walk the same little boy to the bathroom three times. For the sake of little kids. But sometimes for the sake of others we won’t budge an inch or move a muscle or give in on a single point or bow to a little request. I keep thinking that if we practice stepping outside our comfort zones for the sake of little kids, we’ll be more able to step outside our comfort zones for the sake of all our other brothers and sisters in Christ.

Peace,

Allan

Warrior Dash Pictures

April 19, 2011 / / 0 Comments

That’s not a clever title, I know. But that’s really all this post is: a bunch of pictures from our Saturday running of the Warrior Dash up in Roanoke. We had a blast. We enjoyed  a great sense of accomplishment. Other than scraped knees and sore legs, nobody got hurt. And we’ve got lots and lots of hilarious stories. I highly recommend Warrior Dash.

(A few months ago, things got weird with my blog. Some of the format changed and a lot of the ways I write and edit and insert pictures and articles changed. I haven’t been happy with it. I’m not at all comfortable with it. But I have no idea how to change any of it. This post looks horrible. And I don’t know how to fix it. I didn’t use to have any of these problems. Please bear with me. After today, I’m determined to get this fixed.)

   

This is the Legacy group that ran together in the 10:00 am wave Saturday morning. There were others of us that ran at 1:30 that afternoon and 6:00 that evening. But this was our little band of warriors. Ready for the challenge!

    

            

After wading through waist-deep water, climbing cargo net walls, leaping cars and trucks, scaling stacks of hay bales, and jumping over fire, we made it to the final obstacle: a giant pit of slimy mud. We had to get low in order to clear the barbed wire that ran over the mud. Naturally, this is where the crowds of spectators were gathered and where most of the best pictures were taken.

        

   

    

The most deflating, demoralizing part of the day was crossing the finish line, getting my medal of spectacular achievement, and seeing Hudson up on the banks, already showered and clean and dry and not a hair out of place. What a punk! Next year, Hudson. I’m keeping up with you next year.

    

I think the Warrior Dash is primarily targeted to a college-aged demographic that drinks more than just Diet Dr Pepper. But we had an absolute blast together. Carl Ball took some great pictures and some video and put together a funny little film we watched together at a BBQ place Saturday night. In just a five-hour time span the stories had been embellished and the details of the day exaggerated so that they were barely recognizable. Carrie-Anne’s going to run it with us next year. Carley’s chomping at the bit to turn 14 so she can enter. And I think our Legacy numbers may double or triple. Thanks to Greg Hardman for turning us on to Warrior Dash. Greg, if you find one in the fall, we’re in!

Peace,

Allan

Just Like Us

March 31, 2011 / / 3 Comments

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans four that Abraham never wavered in his faith regarding the promise of a son and countless descendents. He never wavered. Yet, I seem to recall a situation or two with laughter. And Hagar. And Ishmael. Never wavered?

Scripture makes it clear that King David was a man after God’s own heart. Really? What about Bathsheba? Didn’t David go out of his way to premeditate and plan to break six or seven of the ten commandments in one weekend? Didn’t he lie and cheat and steal with his band of strong men in the wilderness? A man after God’s own heart?

We tell our little kids the story of Samson. We use flannelgraph and puppets and color sheets to tell them all about this hero of the faith. But when’s the last time you really read his whole story? You don’t tell the kids about the women and the sex and the lying and the breaking of his holy vows and his selfish pride and lust for violence and revenge.

Why not?

Because that’s the bad stuff.

Exactly.

The heroes in the Bible are more like us than we think. In a lot of ways, they are exactly like you. And me. A mixture of good and evil. A mess of noble intentions and horrible choices. A fluid cocktail of loyalty and rebellion. A patchwork of ultimate highs and miserable lows.

Our God has always chosen to do his greatest work through people exactly like you. And me. People just like the ones in your church. “Elijah was a man just like us…” Yeah, he was. So was Peter and Jacob and John and Joshua and Mary and Ruth.

Just like us.

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For Legacy members only!!!

It’s crazy — absolutely crazy — that Carrie-Anne and I are the only ones from our congregation who make the trip north of the border to the Tulsa Workshop. Crazy! Next year, if I must, I’m planning our Legacy church trip to Tulsa. I’ll handle the hotel reservations, plan the caravan, and pick out all the restaurants. You’ll be encouraged, uplifted, inspired, equipped, empowered, enlightened, and educated. You’ll sing at the top of your lungs, you’ll ‘amen’ some of the greatest preachers in the faith, and you’ll be transformed. You’ll grow. God will change you.

And you will thank me.

Hold me to it.

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Check out this blog post from a theology professor at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology. The man’s name is Ted Campbell. He’s a Methodist — a “heart-core Methodist, — who recently attended a Sunday worship assembly at Preston Road Church of Christ in Dallas. And in his review of the experience , Campbell concludes that “the Churches of Christ were right after all.” It’s a good read from an outsider’s perspective. And I only mean “outsider” as not an official member of our little stream of the Christian faith. Click here to read his article.

Peace,

Allan

March Gladness

March 29, 2011 / / 0 Comments

“My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” ~ Philippians 4:19-20

We are still riding the incredible wave of Spirit energy and enthusiasm generated by our God’s kind and gracious actions with his people at Legacy on Sunday. It was our annual Missions Sunday. We had prayerfully set a pretty lofty goal of collecting $250,702 to fund our entire local and foreign missions budget for 2011. And on Sunday, our Lord blew that number right out of the water. And he blew us all away with many powerful reminders of his great love and faithfulness.

Our God came through big time on Sunday: $273,327!! And the money is still coming in!! Give him all the glory and praise!!

But that doesn’t even begin to tell half the story of our Sunday with God and his people at Legacy.

Our assembly time began with our kids. All our precious kids, from two-years-old through sixth grade, inspired us with their dramatic offerings and bold proclamations of what God is doing through them. The congregation burst out with audible gasps as each class announced their total offerings. $64! $298! $101. The second grade brought in more than $900! And they gave with such joy. God showed us through our children what cheerful giving looks like.

David and Olivia Nelson shared the Word with us from the middle of their evening assembly in Kharkov, Ukraine. As we listened to the words from Acts 2:42-47, the camera panned around the Nelsons’ living room to show us that they were packed to the gills. Standing room only. In fact, the Father’s provision is forcing them to begin planning for a second congregation due to the sheer numbers of people who are coming to study the Bible. God showed us through David and Olivia what faithfulness to his mission call looks like.

Then, my great friend Manuel Calderon captivated us with stories about what our God is doing in the Hispanic communities of the Rosemont area of South Fort Worth. Melissa brought tears to the eyes of everyone who heard her stirring testimony to God’s transforming power that has changed her from a lost and lonely lesbian to a saved sister in the Lord’s Kingdom. Then, Irvin moved us with his undeniable witness to the Spirit’s work that has rescued him from a life of alcohol and drug abuse and gang violence to one of eternal salvation and peace in Christ Jesus. God showed us through these two disciples what “new creation” really looks like.

All of this is further proof to our church family that our God is alive and working with his people. It’s further testimony to our God’s faithfulness to his children. It’s lasting evidence that his Holy Spirit is convicting and transforming the world.

We are at our best on Missions Sunday. We are thinking about others instead of ourselves. We are sacrificing and giving of ourselves and our resources for the higher causes of Christ. We arrive at the building with great expectations and we are unified in our communion and worship. And blessings just seem to pile on top of blessings.

Our Father is keeping his covenant promises to Legacy and to all of his creation. May he be glorified and may his Son be exalted for ever and ever. Amen.

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Allright, all you facebook fanatics who keep telling me to get an account, watch this video. It’s an Onion parody that presents facebook as a CIA enterprise meant to collect and compile information on everybody in the world. One of the funniest lines in the video is about the government’s disappointment with Twitter, another of their attempts at spying on the public: “400 billion tweets, and not one useful bit of data has ever been transmitted.”

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Finally, March Gladness of a different strain. I have reclaimed my crown as the college basketball king at Stanglin Manor. It wasn’t pretty. Nobody in the house picked a single Final Four team. So, the final results are in and, for the first time in four years, I’m back on top. I finished with 58 points by correctly selecting five of the Elite Eight, barely edging Carley who finished with 57. Whitney came in third place with 53 points, followed by Carrie-Anne’s 52 and Valerie’s 31. This means I get to pick where we dine when we break our Missions Month fast from eating out. I can smell and taste those buffalo chicken strips at Cheddar’s right now.

Go VCU. Whatever.

Peace,

Allan

A Little Child Will Lead Them

March 18, 2011 / / 1 Comment

“…and a little child will lead them.” ~Isaiah 11:6

Maddie Thompson purchased the ingredients to bake oatmeal-raisin cookies. Kendra Morgan bought colorful pipe cleaners to make exotic rings and bracelets. Mason Mallory stocked up on hair gel in order to spike Legacy’s lids.

Our little kids here at church have taken the lesson of Jesus’ talents parable in Matthew 25 and they’re running with it!

As part of our Missions Month kickoff at Legacy two weeks ago our elementary aged children were each given a five dollar bill with instructions to put the money to work. They were told to multiply their money, just like the servants in Jesus’ story, and then to present the totals as their offering on Missions Sunday.

So, at our Small Group, Kendra unveiled a black velvet display of her amazing jewelry ($1 each piece). Maddie was taking cookie orders before and after Bible class Wednesday night ($1 for 3 cookies, $2 to have them dipped in chocolate). And by the time I made my way from the worship center down to the gym after class, every man between the ages of 25 and 45 had his hair standing straight up, spiked to the max ($2).

Our kids are washing cars and hosting garage sales, making buttons and bookmarks and coasters; babysitting, cooking, creating. They’re multiplying those five dollar bills by, in some cases, over two thousand percent! And they’re giving one hundred percent of the money to Legacy’s missions efforts at the end of the month.

Here’s where you and I come in:

Perhaps one of the most important things you can do over the next two weeks is hand one of these kids a buck for a cookie or a bracelet. You will be partnering with our Father in increasing the faith of our children. You’ll be showing them that God always provides, that God always honors our efforts to serve him, that God always gives the increase and multiplies our works done in his name. You’ll be communicating to them that they are a valuable part of what this church family is all about. The kids will think you’re really cool. You might be sowing the seeds of a really special relationship.

Our children are on fire right now for joining God in his mission of redeeming the world. They’re experiencing what it’s like to engage in something that’s bigger than themselves, to really give of themselves for a greater cause. And it thrills me. It’s one of the neatest things I’ve experienced here at Legacy. They’re leading us. They’re showing us what it looks like to be enthusiastic for our Lord. They’re showing us what it feels like to depend on God to bless our heart-felt efforts and then experience those blessings in outrageous measure. They’re proving to us that if we had the faith of a child, our God would work through us to blow that measly little $250,702 goal out of the water!

Let’s encourage them. Let’s fan those gifts into flame. Let’s all bring one dollar bills to church Sunday, ready to pass our faith on to our kids.

The hair gel is temporary; it washes out. The dollar you give and the encouragement you share may very well last forever.

Peace,

Allan

Swallowed Up In Victory

January 4, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I have stared at this blank computer screen for almost 15 minutes. I have written and deleted and re-written and re-deleted the opening lines half a dozen times. It’s not that I have writer’s block. It’s not that I don’t know what to say. It’s that I want to write about Richard Dutton and Bob Robertson. And I’ve got way too much to say.

I’m overwhelmed.

Our family of God here at Legacy is hurting today. It was a tough weekend. And a glorious one.

It’s going to be a tough next couple of days, a tough week. And it’ll be glorious.

Richard Dutton, a long time Legacy member-deacon-songleader-teacher, passed away Friday. Bob Roberston, a long-time Legacy member-elder-teacher passed away less than 24 hours later. They both died surrounded by their families, wrapped in the loving arms of our God, and forgiven by the blood of our Savior.

I want my words about these two great men of faith to do justice to their lives of sacrificial service to our God and his Kingdom. And I find that my words are neither big enough nor beautiful enough.

I want my words about Richard and Bob to adequately express what they have meant to me and my preaching ministry here at Legacy. I want to tell you about the encouragement, about the cards and emails, about the pats on the back, about the prayers. And I find that I don’t have enough space to even start to describe how these two men have lifted me up.

I want my words about these dear brothers to comfort you if you’re grieving their deaths, to inspire you, to encourage you, to give you great hope. And I find that my words are wholly lacking when stacked next to the actual lives of these two Christian disciples.

Both Richard and Bob gave everything they had to the Lord. They submitted fully to him. Every action, every thought, every word was subject to Christ. They bowed to Jesus hourly. They reflected the glory of our God continuously. Their faith in him was unshakeable. Their trust in him, immoveable. And nothing would keep them from serving and loving and exhorting and praying and teaching and sacrificing in his great name.

It was my honor to know these two men. And I thank God for allowing me the privilege to pray and study and worship with them, to serve with them, to be friends with them.

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory!’ …Thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” ~1 Corinthians 15:54-57

I imagine that when Richard and Bob breathed their last breaths in this time and space dimension, our Father nudged the angels in glory and said, “See? Now THAT’S what I’m talking about!”

Thank you, God, for Richard and Bob. Lord, come quickly.

Allan

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