The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Category: Valerie (Page 12 of 17)

Just Give It To Lynch!

February 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments

If you were on the one yard line and needed that one yard to score the touchdown that would win the Super Bowl and make you champions of the NFL; if you had fifty seconds on the clock and a timeout in your pocket and three tries to get it in; and if you could choose any running back in the whole league to attempt to run it in for you; what would you do?

You would choose Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch and you would hand the ball off to him three straight times and win the Super Bowl. You would do that. I would do that. All of us would do that. We wouldn’t even blink. Seattle coach Pete Carroll could have made that call in between smacks of gum.

But he didn’t. Because he inexplicably called the pass that was intercepted and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, Brady and Belichick and the Patriots are being heralded as one of the greatest franchises in NFL history. And it’s sickening to me. If Carroll chooses to win the game instead of giving it away, the Patriots today are in a conversation that includes the Bills and the Giants, not the Steelers and 49ers and Cowboys. If Lynch runs it in and wins the game, Brady is not being compared today to the likes of Bradshaw and Montana. He threw two really bad picks yesterday, for crying out loud. If Seattle does what all 70,000 people in the stadium and all 114-million TV viewers knew they should have done, Belichick today would not be classified with the likes of Bill Walsh and Chuck Noll. Man, one play like that — and it’s not fair — can change the whole national conversation and perception of entire franchises forever.

Wild finish for sure. If you were watching, you’ll never forget where you were and who you were with when Wilson threw that goal line pick.

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Last night’s Jericho / Jars of Clay Super Bowl Party at John Todd’s place saw another dynasty in the making take a tremendous fall from grace. Two-time defending champion of our proposition bets contest, Scott Bentley, went down hard to new champion James Vaughan. James squeaked out a dramatic one-point win over Kristi Landon when Tom Brady, in his MVP acceptance speech, mentioned his teammates before he mentioned the Patriots fans. Since Scott won the first two Super Bowl prop contests, the trophy will forever be called the Bentley Trophy in the same way they named the Super Bowl trophy after the guy who won the first two. But today it resides in the office of James Vaughan. For the record, Roger Kysar came in third and Wendy Miller finished dead last. And the upstairs meeting space at Premier Vision is an excellent place to watch a football game.

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When your daughter’s a Senior, almost everything that happens has that “this-is-the-last-time-this-will-ever-happen” feel to it. So it was with the annual Sandie Revue this past weekend. The annual variety show is the largest and most extravagant of the Amarillo High School choirs’ programs. And Valerie not only wound up in the loudest yellow dress at the very front and center of the major numbers, but she and three of her choir mates teamed up to perform a wonderfully moving rendition of “Something in the Water.” The song is about the transformation that occurs at baptism. They ended it with a beautifully blended a cappella verse from “Amazing Grace” that captivated the audience until the very last note. I don’t think it was just the dad holding the cam-corder who had tears in his eyes.

Before and after the water song, Valerie was all smiles and even a few laughs while she sang and danced with her choir mates to a bunch of Motown Classics that all the kids think are cool again. Nice. We love watching our girls do things they really enjoy and that they’re really good at. Watching Valerie sing is one of those great joys for her parents.

Peace,

Allan

An Adult in All 50 States

January 24, 2015 / / 1 Comment

Today, our Little Middle, Valerie Nicole, turns 18, becoming a legal adult now in all fifty states. There are all kinds of interesting things one is allowed to do once turning eighteen. Valerie is now old enough to vote, to buy cigarettes, to play the state lottery, and to adopt a small child. She can rent her own apartment, get credit cards and open bank accounts without a parent, and join this country’s military. Today, Valerie can rent a Port-A-Potty (and put it in Greg’s front yard?), rent a car, and rent a power tool at Home Depot.

So far, none of that has happened yet today. She and three or four of her girlfriends are coming over here for C-A’s homemade pizza, going to a movie, celebrating at the Dessert Bar here in town, and then probably staying up way too late before finally crashing at our place.

Oh, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie.

I am very proud of you, sweetie. There are right at four months left in your last year of high school and, just like everything else, it’s going to happen before I’m quite ready for it or can take it all in. I’m so proud of the friend you are to others, the way you have grabbed this teaching / AmeriCorps thing and just excelled at it, the way you pushed through the auditions to make it to Sandie Revue, and the responsible ways you handle everything from the truck to your grades to your relationships to your walk with our God.

Thinking about how little time we’ve really got left to enjoy you on a daily basis around here gets all up in my feels. So, I’ll save the real mush for graduation. I hope you have a terrific time tonight and a wonderful birthday.

Keep swaggin’!

I love you,

Dad

Brought to Jesus

September 19, 2014 / / 0 Comments

You probably are aware that high school seniors today don’t just take the year book photo alone. Oh, no. That’s not nearly enough. They have to go out to exotic locations with their own commissioned photographer and half a dozen changes of clothes and take a hundred different portraits to capture the singular beauty and unique personality of each candidate for graduation.

Hannah McNeill is our family photographer. And she has done a remarkable job with our “Little Middle.” Of course, it would be tough to mess up pictures of Valerie. But Hannah is just the best at what she does with our kids. You can check out a bunch of Hannah’s work by clicking here. But her most important work lately can be seen in these thumbnails.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“People brought to him all who were ill with various diseases…” ~Matthew 4:24

“Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat.” ~Matthew 9:2

“A man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus.” ~Matthew 9:32

“They brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute.” ~Matthew 12:22

“Then little children were brought to Jesus…” ~Matthew 19:13

These people Jesus healed and saved, these people who felt the compassionate touch of the Father through the Holy Son were brought to Jesus. They were brought to him by somebody else.

It’s not “build it and they will come.” Praise the Lord, sometimes that actually works. But that’s not the deal. It’s really “if you bring them they will see.”

We go get them and bring them to Jesus. As his followers, as his loyal subjects, that’s our mission. It’s our charge as his disciples. We don’t sit around and wait for people to come to Jesus. We go out and get them and bring them into his presence.

You know, you can do that just by inviting people to church.

Now, let me be clear. I’m not talking about bringing people to church just so we can count them. Inviting people to church is not about filling up your worship center. It’s about inviting people to a place where they can encounter Jesus. Our Christian assemblies are still the widest on-ramp into your community of faith. A worship service is still the main entry point, the biggest front door, to someone encountering a group of people who represent and embody our Lord and Savior. What better place to see Jesus? What better venue for experiencing his love and acceptance, his mercy and grace, his peace and joy?

I’ve seen and heard in three different places this year that if you invite anywhere from five to seven people to your church, one of them will say “yes” and come. One out of every six (or so) people you invite to worship with your church on Sunday will say “yes” and do it. The question is: Is anybody inviting anybody?!?

There are so many people in our community — countless numbers; you’ll interact with several of them over the next 24 hours — who have never experienced anything like the merciful love and saving grace of Jesus. And it’s because nobody’s ever brought them into the presence of Jesus. You can do that, you know, just by inviting them to your worship assembly this Sunday.

Peace,

Allan

Two Little Sandies

August 25, 2014 / / 0 Comments

For the first time in 15 years, the first day of school came and I did not drive one or more of my daughters to their campus. I was down to just one kid last year; Carley and I made the drive together to Bonham Middle School every day. But this morning, she got into Valerie’s truck and the two took off for Amarillo High without me.

Of course, I woke them up with my traditional rendition of “School Bells,” sung at the top of my lungs in an overly-annoying tone. I took all the normal first day of school pictures before they left. And I said to them in the garage what I have said to them every school day since they started Kindergarten: “Work hard, learn a lot, be sweet.” But as they walked to the truck, I heard Valerie say to Carley, “He’s following us.”

Yeah, Valerie’s a senior and Carley’s a freshman. Valerie’s already had her senior pictures made and Carley starts Drivers Ed this afternoon for the permit she’ll get in about two weeks.

Two beautiful little Sandies.

Sigh.

Valerie: Legal Adult

January 24, 2014 / / 1 Comment

I looked at Carrie-Anne and said, “Valerie’s legally an adult today.”

Carrie-Anne replied, “What does that mean?”

Yeah, what does that mean? Valerie, our precious “Little Middle” daughter, turns seventeen today, the legal age of adulthood here in the Great Republic of Texas. What does that mean?

It means we have two adult children now. It means I’m getting older and older and older. It means I’m noticing more and more now that time is short. Whoa, time is short.

It means Valerie is driving my twelve-year-old Ford Ranger, outfitted now with a pink zebra striped steering wheel cover. It means she’s spending her afternoons teaching pre-Kindergardeners at our local elementary schools as part of her IPET program at Amarillo High. It means she’s got just one more year until graduation. It means she’s not here at the house as much as she used to be — she’s out with B.J. or out with girlfriends or out doing fun stuff with church friends. It means she’s out, out, out a lot. It means she can wear her mom’s clothes. It means she’s climbing up mountains on Trek, skiing down mountains on vacation, flying down zip lines at camp, and serving less fortunate people in foreign countries in the name of Jesus. And she doesn’t need me there to help her.

It means she doesn’t sleep with stuffed animals anymore. She doesn’t watch the Disney channel. She doesn’t get Barbie pajamas for Christmas anymore and she doesn’t beg and beg and beg for anymore hamsters. She has stopped collecting Beanie Babies. Chuck E. Cheese is no longer her favorite restaurant. And she doesn’t giggle anymore when I mess up her hair.

It also means I can see more clearly than ever her Lord being formed in her. I can see more and more often Jesus’ sacrificial and servant heart reflected in her selfless acts of compassion and concern for others. I see his joy in the hearty laughter she shares with her friends. I see his peace when she handles teenage drama and issues with a more even keel. And I see his grace in the way she ministers to all those little kids.

Our “Little Middle” isn’t little anymore. Yeah, she still sings at the top of her lungs in the shower, regardless of what time it might be. She still doesn’t know how to clean up her room or hang up her clothes. She still wrinkles up her nose and refuses to eat almost anything other than grilled cheese or pizza. She still spends hours decorating her fingernails and toenails with bright colors and intricate designs. She still draws and colors and colors and draws on anything that’s not nailed down. And she still melts and says, “Awww…” when she sees a puppy.

Happy Birthday, Valerie. I’m so proud of you and of what our God is shaping in you. You are a beautiful, talented, funny, super-smart, wonderful daughter of God. Thank you for still wanting me to take you out to lunch. I love you.

Dad

Around the Table: Part 3

September 22, 2013 / / 2 Comments

Good morning, Lon.

Alert all the local and regional safety agencies. Sound the alarm and post the warnings. The state of Texas has granted Valerie a driver license. On Friday morning, our Little Middle parallel parked like a champ and then aced the driving test, nailing it with a 96. So, consider carefully this advice: be extra cautious around the southwest part of town and, in the early evenings. between here and Canyon.

Congratulations, Valerie. Now, can you run to the store and get some bread and more Diet Dr Pepper?

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After two weeks of intense Old Testament study concerning the covenant between God and man, the history and nature of covenant meals, the fellowship sacrifices and meals, the presence of God at those meals, and the great joy commanded and experienced around those tables, our Wednesday night Bible class in Sneed Hall has crossed the threshold into the New Testament and the ministry meals of our Lord Jesus. It’s a class on the Lord’s Supper, yet I think most everyone is surprised at how much we explored before we ever got to the Gospels. Well, we had to.

God comes to us in the person of Jesus as a fulfillment of the covenant: “I will make my dwelling place with you; you will be my people and I will be your God.” Emmanuel means “God with us.” And that’s just what/who Jesus is: God with us. God in Christ comes here to dwell among us (“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” John 1:14). He came to earth to reveal himself to us in Jesus (“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9). And God put on our flesh and came to this planet in order to eat and drink with us, to commune with us, around a table.

“I confer on you a Kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom.” ~Luke 22:29-30

“Many will come from the east and the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven.” ~Matthew 8:11

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet…” ~Matthew 22:2

You don’t have to read too far in the Gospels and you don’t have to pay too close attention to see that meals, eating and drinking with people, are the focal point of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus eats with his disciples and with his enemies, with the “righteous” and the “sinners,” with crowds of Jews and crowds of Gentiles, with tax collectors and prostitutes, with Mary and Martha and teachers of the Law. Jesus ate and drank with everybody. He was eating and drinking all the time, so much so that he was accused on several occasions of being a drunkard and a glutton.

And in all these Jesus stories, the meals are critically important. They reveal great truths about what God is doing through Jesus in the world. The meals teach lessons about what it means to live as citizens in God’s Kingdom. They express forgiveness and healing, they celebrate restoration and fellowship.

Jesus is eating with Levi and the other tax collectors, showing us in visible ways that the invitation to enjoy fellowship with God is open to all. He’s criticized for his choice in dinner companions and answers by proclaiming that “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners!” (Luke 5:31) You get the same thing with Zacchaeus. “The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Jesus forgives the sins of the prostitute at the dinner at the Pharisee’s house in Luke 7. He teaches on hypocrisy and taking care of the poor during the meal with the Pharisees and teachers in Luke 11. At the supper with the Pharisee in Luke 14, our Lord declares again that he’s here to eat with everybody: “Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame!” (Luke 14:21)

Aside from the last dinner with his disciples and the post-resurrection meals, the most important meals during Jesus’ ministry came at the feeding of the multitudes. All four Gospels go to great lengths to report on the miraculous feedings of the five thousand Jews and the four thousand Gentiles. The imagery is unmistakably Messianic. Here’s this great prophet of God providing food for God’s people in the desert. They eat until they are full. Baskets of leftovers are collected. This fulfills Moses. This fulfills prophesy. This is the Anointed One, the Christ!

The early church made a pretty big deal about the feeding of the multitudes. The first churches ate their communion meals in the context of these feedings and the truths those stories revealed. It’s why the earliest communion art we have contains images of fish with the bread and the wine. The connections were made not just by the common themes and the prophesies, but by the deliberate wording the New Testament writers used to relate these important meals. They tied the church’s meals to the last supper, the post-resurrection dinners, and the feedings of the crowds with the four-fold liturgy of “take, bless, break, and give.”

In every account of these miraculous feedings, Jesus is said to “take” the bread, “bless” it, “break” it, and then “give” it to the disciples. Look it up; it’s in every passage (Luke 9:16, Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Mark 8:6, Matthew 15:36). The same language is even used for the fish in John 6:11. Interestingly, the exact same formula is used in the Last Supper accounts. Jesus takes, breaks, blesses, and gives (Luke 22:19, Mark 14:22, Matthew 26:26). The same four words are used in the same order in the stories of Jesus’ post-resurrection meals, too, tying together all the meals Jesus ate during his ministry to the meals the church was sharing together at the time the stories were recorded. Everything that was going on in those meals — the teachings, the revealed truths, the fellowship and thanksgiving, the invitation and celebration, the anticipation of the final heavenly feast — is also going on today in our church’s meals.

They are all Kingdom meals. The feedings of the crowds, the last dinner, the post-resurrection suppers — they are all Kingdom meals, eaten in community, in the presence of the Lord, with great joy. They each anticipate the fullness of the Messianic banquet in the new heaven and new earth. They’re each characterized by joyful celebration and an abundance of food. To eat with Jesus (God) is to experience and celebrate redemption and acceptance. All the meals proclaim that the Day of great joy for all the people has dawned.

With this understanding, how in the world would the first Christians eat the “Lord’s Supper” in a quiet, somber, individualistic way? How would they imitate or recreate the Lord’s meal with little crumbs of cracker and tiny sips of juice?

Of course, they didn’t.  But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves a bit.

Peace,

Allan

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