Cornell Green, the great Dallas Cowboys defensive back from the trailblazing 1960s and the championship ’70s, died yesterday at 86. Gil Brandt took a flyer on Green, a star basketball player at Utah State who had only played one year of high school football, offering him a $1000 signing bonus in the summer of 1962 to try out for Dallas. And he went on to dominate the NFL, never missing a game in 13 years, helping the Cowboys get to two Super Bowls and winning one, and picking up multiple Pro Bowl and All Pro honors along the way. He belongs in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, for sure, and maybe even the Pro Football Hall of Fame–several people are making those cases today. Dallas Morning News writer Kevin Sherrington is pointing out that if Green hadn’t been so good, Brandt likely wouldn’t have been given the leash to sign future non-football-players like Bob Hayes, Pete Gent, and Toni Fritsch. And Carl Lewis. I added that one. RIP to Cornell Green, the greatest #34 in Cowboys history.

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Jadyn, Jim, and I joined almost a hundred preachers and congregational ministers in Waco earlier this week for a one-day ReMission Conference at the Crestview Church of Christ. I’ll have more to write about this gathering tomorrow and in the coming days, but let me share this with you. This is especially for the preachers. Jeff Brooks, the longtime preacher at Lake Cities CofC, read this to us at the end of the night Sunday. He says it was written by Mike Cope and delivered to a group of preachers in 1993, and he’s held onto it all these years. After hearing it, I know why. If you are a preacher, I pray this encourages your soul. If you know a preacher, I hope it gives you some insight.

I Work for the Lord
I love it when some of my brothers and sisters at church express their appreciation for my ministry. A note of encouragement in the mail is worth more than a year’s salary. An arm around the shoulder with an affirming nod by an elder is a rescuing arm. A smile from the pew when I make eye contact is a vaccination that protects me from the despair and discouragement that so easily seep into my life. I love my brothers and sisters. But I work for the Lord.

It hurts when some can only find fault, when they question my motives, when they belittle my attempts to lead, when they gossip about me behind my back. That kind of treatment is a third-degree burn. But I work for the Lord.

Sometimes my conscience is clear: I feel like my motives are noble; I know that my preparation has been thorough; I remember that I have ministered not only to the people but with the people. A clear conscience is a vacation that can be enjoyed any week! But I work for the Lord.

At other times my conscience isn’t so clear. It’s a bit murky. I know that my motives are mixed, that my mind wants to be fully devoted to the Lord while my life lags behind by about half a lap. I feel a deep sense of inadequacy. I think the people deserve better. Someone more genuine. But I work for the Lord.

So while judgments about me swirl all around, I must remember that only one judgment counts. And while every day my feelings soar or sink based upon the evaluations of people, I must remember that there is a Great Day coming. Ultimately, it is the only day that counts.

Because I work for the Lord.

Peace,
Allan