The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Page 146 of 492

Gearing Up

August 9, 2020 / / 0 Comments

More than forty Amarillo pastors and preachers and our spouses came together Friday night to continue gearing up for the “Uniting as One” racial renewal worship service on August 30. We prayed and planned together over Delvin’s beef tips and apple pie, we laughed together as we made new friends and renewed old acquaintances, and we were inspired by James Tudman’s and Howie Batson’s calls to action from Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan and the biblical demand to love all our neighbors all the time. If not us, who? If not here, where? If not right now, when?

Most of us kept our distance and wore our masks for most of the time. Those of us who kept them on for the group picture are the true Christians.

The “4Amarillo” churches hosted the event at Polk Street United Methodist Church. Carrie-Anne and I were so blessed to be seated with Manny DeLosSantos of Power Church and his wife, Rachel, and to hear all the incredible things our God is doing in and through them to his glory. And we’re more excited than we were before for how our Lord is bringing all of his children together in our city — Black, White, Hispanic, Latino, everybody!

If you are anywhere in the Texas panhandle region, make your plans now to be at the downtown Amarillo Hodgetown ballpark at 6pm Sunday night August 30 as we proclaim to the world that what unites us in Christ Jesus is bigger and more important than anything that could possibly divide us.

Peace,

Allan

Equality

August 1, 2020 / / 1 Comment

I have plenty of hot and spicy tea to spill today after the Mavericks blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead and lost in overtime to the Rockets in last night’s NBA restart in Orlando. With Luka and KP, Dallas is poised to contend for multiple championships over the next ten years. The team is young and talented, the bench is deep and versatile, Carlisle obviously knows how to coach, and this version of the Mavs is so stinkin’ fun to watch. They’re going to be in the mix to hoist the O’Brien trophy every year for the foreseeable future. Just not this year.

There’s very little interior defense. There’s a tendency to stand around and watch the two superstars. They still haven’t learned how to hold a lead. And they melt down on basics and fundamentals at the worst times. They still need another season or so of experience and seasoning before they’re going to win this thing.

Dallas mostly controlled last night’s game with double-digit leads throughout the second half. They had a seven point lead with 45-seconds to play. But a simple box out and rebound on a missed free throw with three seconds remaining in regulation wasn’t executed and the resulting tip-in tied the game and the Mavs were out of gas. Houston went on an 8-1 run in those 45-seconds and then ran away with it in the extra period.

Last night’s disappointing come-from-ahead loss likely means the Mavericks will face the top-seeded Lakers or the second-seeded Clippers in the first round of the playoffs instead of the Jazz or OKC. Dallas went from moving up in the standings to staying put. And it’s going to prove to be disastrous.

But wasn’t it fun?

Luka’s routine triple-double. KP’s silky smooth dominance. Hardeway’s leadership. Curry’s tenacity. And where did Trey Burke come from?!?

And the “Equality” jerseys. What a great touch. When every other NBA player is customizing his own jersey and coming up with his own personal racial justice slogan, the Mavericks decided to all wear the same word. What a powerful statement and what a positive move for individualism taking a back seat to team unity.

I feel so good about this Dallas Mavericks team.

Next year.

Peace,

Allan

A Faith Issue

July 30, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Some have attempted to make the wearing of masks a matter of faith. My brother-in-law has recently made me aware of the following passage from Matthew 25 in the KJV (Kingsley Janky Version).

Matthew 25

The Masked and the Unmasked

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a Walmart greeter separates the masked from the unmasked. 33 He will put the masked on his right and the unmasked on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was shopping and you followed the arrows in the store aisles, I was standing in line and you maintained six feet of space, I was a stranger and you took a wide berth as we passed by each other in a common area, 36 I needed hand sanitizer and you gave me a squirt, I was out of toilet paper and you shared a roll when there was not a square to spare, I was in public and you gave me an elbow bump rather than a handshake or a hug.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we do these things you have described?”

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those not wearing masks, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For you ignored all of the instructions from the CDC.

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the mask wearers to eternal life.”

Double Knot

July 27, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Our middle daughter is already on her second marriage.
Valerie has been married twice but never widowed or divorced.
It took two weddings in the middle of this global pandemic to successfully tie her knot with David. And Friday’s wedding was a spectacular event.

Carrie-Anne and I are both grateful and humbled by the numbers of long-time friends who traveled great distances to be with our family on this special night. Dan and Jennifer and Meredith made the drive up from Marble Falls and Mike brought LeeAnn (and those Virdell granddaughters!) to make those awesome cakes. David and Shanna and Delaney, John and Suzanne, and Lance from the Legacy Church. Jason and Tiersa, Chris and Liz, Kevin and Anita, and Brian and Terry from our days together in Mesquite. All the familiar faces from our Central church family. And our family and relatives from Austin and Dallas and East Texas and Oklahoma City.  All these good people who have poured themselves into our lives for so many years. What a blessing from God to be together for this special weekend.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this celebration of David and Valerie. Thank you for your love and your friendship. Thank you for all the times we’ve prayed together, eaten together, laughed and cried together, and moved boxes out of each other’s attics. Thank you for what you mean to our daughters and our family. We are so blessed by our God because of you.

Peace,

Allan

Both Now and Forevermore

July 16, 2020 / / 1 Comment

The most serious mistake you can make on the path of discipleship to Jesus is to think God has given up on you. When you get sick, when you feel anxiety, when conflicts come, or when loneliness or grief set in, it can feel like God has left you. God has gotten bored looking after you and he’s shifted his attention to a more faithful Christian and you’re going to have to take care of yourself. God is tired of your up-and-down faith and now you’re on your own.

If that’s what you think, you’re wrong. If you believe God is tired of you or he’s already given you too many last chances and he’s given up on you and you don’t have his love or protection anymore, you’re wrong.

“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” ~Psalm 121:8

God’s love and care for you, and his presence with you, does not wax and wane according to your ups and downs. I know it’s hard to believe the Maker of Heaven and Earth gives a rip about your mundane everyday life and all your feelings and all your problems. But he does.

Nobody gets out of this life without experiencing some pain. While we’re on this journey, we’re walking the same ground everybody else is walking on. We’re breathing the same air. We’re drinking the same water, shopping the same stores, paying the same gas prices, fearing the same dangers, subject to the same pressures, and dying and being buried in the same dirt as everybody else.

The difference is that each step we take, each breath we breathe, we know we’re protected by God. We know we’re accompanied by God.

Peace,

Allan

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑