The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Page 325 of 493

Beyond the Laws

November 8, 2012 / / 0 Comments

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” ~Romans 12:2

Renewing the mind is, by definition, an internal process. Those of us who are baptized followers of Christ understand that God’s Holy Spirit lives inside us, shaping us into the image of our Creator. And that includes the changing of our very minds, the transformation of the very ways we think.

In God’s great wisdom, he has determined that this is a much better way to go about things than following laws. We know that laws cannot conceivably cover all the issues and circumstances we face in life. No matter how detailed the laws are — God’s laid down a few and we’ve come up with plenty ourselves! — they will always fail to cover some situation.

Living like Christ is not about conforming to commands. That kind of theology leads to duplicitous living. Some disciples are “Christian” in their behavior regarding laws they’ve been taught but thoroughly worldly when it comes to those things not specifically covered in Scripture. A Christian may not abort her baby because she’s been taught not to do that. But she may harbor racist attitudes or fudge on her taxes without batting an eye.

If renewing the mind is as important as Paul says, then the goal of the Church should be forming Christian minds in our people. We should be teaching and preaching beyond what is right and wrong and work as much — if not more — on shaping a worldview that puts Christ and our Christian transformations at the center.

“Inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” ~2 Corinthians 4:16

Peace,

Allan

Dance With Who Brung Ya

November 7, 2012 / / 2 Comments

 

Darrell Royal, co-inventor of the Wishbone offense and two-time national championship coach of the Texas Longhorns, has died at age 88. During his 20 years as UT’s head football coach, Royal racked up a record of 167-47-5, including eleven Southwest Conference titles, ten Cotton Bowl wins, and undefeated national championship seasons in 1963 and 1969. I was ten years old when Royal stepped away from the sidelines to leave college football to the Barry Switzers of the world. So most of what I know about him I’ve only heard second and third hand or read in books or seen on TV. I did enjoy the great privilege of meeting Royal at a hospital fundraiser in Burnet back in 1993. I had my picture made with the winningest coach in Longhorns history and he autographed my invitation. A good friend, Larry Pate, framed the 3″x4″ card for me and it hangs on my office wall today.

Royal is remembered for his hard-nosed running attack and his disciplined defense. But he also gained a lot of attention with his folksy quotes and quips. Some of my favorites:

“Three things can happen when you throw the football, and two of ’em are bad.” ~on his unwillingness to install a sophisticated passing game at UT

“You dance with who brung ya.” ~on his refusal to give up on the Wishbone after a couple of tough losses in 1965

“Only angry people win football games.” ~on recruiting

“No, he’s not very fast, but maybe Elizabeth Taylor can’t sing.” ~while defending a backup running back against a reporter’s criticism

Click here for a link to a whole bunch of other Darrell Royal quotes. Click here for the Sports Illustrated article on Royal’s life before, during, and after UT. In honor of the coach, order something off the menu today that sounds like “triple option.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might also be interested to know that the Houston Astros are going with a new logo and uniform design to mark their move to the American League. The new designs borrow quite liberally from the old historic ones — maybe only a die-hard fan could pick out the differences. But I like it. The orange star and the capitol “H” has always been cool. Someday, maybe during Spring Training in March, I’ll rant and rave about Houston moving to the AL West. It’s a travesty. It’s very nearly the abomination that leads to desolation. In the meantime, click here to watch a pretty cool video that highlights the Astros’ uni look from the old Colt .45 days of Larry Dierker, through the rainbow era of Ryan and Cruz, and the blue pinstripes of Bagwell and Biggio, to this brand new look worn by a bunch of players you and I have never heard of.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carrie-Anne and the girls and I made the short drive to Tulia Friday to eat Mexican food with our favorite Ukranian missionaries, David and Olivia and Caleb Nelson. David and Liv are on furlough from their seven year commitment in Kharkov, spending several weeks with the Martins in Lubbock where Liv is about to give birth to their second child. The little boy (Luke? Lucas? Lucious?) is due in a week and Olivia needed some chili rellenos. We had such a great visit with this wonderful family. It was such a joy to get caught up on all the Christians and all the seekers C-A and I met during our two week trip to Kharkov in 2010. Re-living Victoria’s baptism into Christ, remembering Alexander, getting caught up with Valery and Andrei; it was such a blessing. We laughed together and we prayed. We marveled at their victories and sympathized with their struggles. We giggled at the mention of fish-flavored potato chips and gagged at the memory of a tall frosty glass of Kafir. I taught Caleb how to flip Froot Loops from the handle of a teaspoon. And we vowed to play a few marathon Phase 10 games together here in Amarillo before they head to Fort Worth after the baby is born.

God is using the Nelsons in a very difficult place. He’s working through them to spread the great news of salvation in Christ Jesus. He’s empowering their whole team by his Holy Spirit to advance the eternal Kingdom. We feel so very blessed to be their friends.

God bless his Kingdom outposts in Ukraine. God bless David and Olivia Nelson and their precious children. May our Father’s will be done in their lives and in Kharkov just as it is in heaven.

Peace,

Allan

Every Day is Election Day

November 6, 2012 / / 2 Comments

I keep hearing that the office up for public election today is for the “leader of the free world” and the “most powerful man in the world.” Funny, I don’t see the title “Christ” or the name “Jesus” on the ballot.

Certainly, the office of President of the United States carries a lot of power as it relates to the kingdoms of this world. Today’s winner will wield much political influence in this world. Today’s democratically elected man will run the largest and most deadly military machine in the history of the world. He will oversee a complex economic system that informs and shapes the rest of the kingdoms of this planet.

But when/if you pull a lever or punch a chad today at the public school or the neighborhood library, you will not be voting for the “most powerful man in the world.” That title alone belongs to our risen and sovereign King Jesus.

And we vote for him every single day.

Every day, every decision you make is a vote for or against our Lord. Your decision to respond with forgiveness to someone who harms you instead of retaliation is a vote for the Messiah. Your decision to serve someone with love instead of ignoring them in apathy is a vote for the Anointed One. Your decision to delete the mean-spirited email instead of forwarding it to others is a vote for the way of the Savior. When you reach out instead of withdraw, when you give instead of take, when you show mercy instead of judgment, you are casting a vote for our King Jesus.

Jesus has shown us that self-giving love and sacrificial service are the only ways to truly save this fallen world. As disciples of his, every moment of every day is an opportunity to either endorse Jesus and his politics or reject him and his ways as unrealistic. For followers of the Christ, every day is Election Day.

Peace,

Allan

Church As State

November 5, 2012 / / 0 Comments

“Our citizenship is in heaven.” ~Philippians 3:20

The apostle Paul intentionally uses political language, the very Greek words from which we get our English words “politics” and “politicians,” to drive home a very important point to the little church in Philippi.

Our home is in heaven. Heaven is our homeland. And while we’re here on earth, we are a colony — a commonwealth — of heavenly citizens.

To confess that Jesus is Lord is to say Caesar is not. To claim citizenship in heaven is to declare our allegiance first and foremost to God’s Kingdom, not the Empire. The Kingdom to which we belong transcends all national borders. The Kingdom respects no geographical boundaries or distinctions of powers. As colonists living under the rule of our Christ, our top priorities rise high above any national thought, national pride, or national agenda. The Gospel of Jesus levels all of us into an eternal and international community of those who follow the Savior. And it’s his Kingdom that deserves — demands! — our undying allegiance.

If citizens of heaven do choose to engage in the politics of the United States or any other earthly country, we approach it, above all, from the standpoint of our relationship with God. Scripture tells us that Christians survive in a hostile environment not by legal proceedings against persecutors but by endurance; not by imposing a lifestyle on others through law but by living holy lives that compel others to watch us; not by destroying others with sound bites and emails but by respecting them even as we witness to the eternal truths of the Gospel.

Peace,

Allan

What “Sent” People Do

October 31, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Today is Halloween and I’m wearing a Tony Romo jersey in the office. He’s the scariest quarterback in the NFL; I think it’s appropriate. If I’d had the time, I would have completed the outfit with eye black, a Cowboys cap on backwards, super dark glasses, and a seeing-eye dog.

Today is Wednesday. It’s a church night. What to do?

Well, I don’t know what your church is doing tonight, but here at Central we’re cancelling all of our Bible classes. We’re not doing anything here at the building. The doors are going to be locked and the lights will be out. But we’re not just canceling church; we’re taking church to the streets in order to better engage our community with the Gospel of Christ. Many people in our neighborhoods will be out in our streets and walking our sidewalks tonight. They’ll be walking right in front of our houses, in a lot of cases, even walking up to our doors to ring the bell. Most of the people in our neighborhoods who aren’t trick-or-treating are at least anticipating that their doorbells will be rung. They bought candy and set it by the door. They’re turning on their porch lights and getting ready. Most everybody in our city tonight will be in a receiving mood, expecting to interact with people in their neighborhoods, preparing to meet new people, to learn new things.

It seems like a really bad time for God’s people to be holed up by themselves in a building somewhere.

We’ve been asking our people at Central to not just skip church tonight, but to be creative in taking advantage of the mood this evening to interact with their neighbors. We’re urging our people to be intentional about engaging others with the love and grace of Jesus. Pray about it. Make a plan. Get others involved. Think outside your normal Halloween routines. Don’t just trick-or-treat with the kids. Don’t just hand out candy from your front door for three hours. Be creative and bless the people around you on purpose.

I spent about two hours last night stringing up orange and purple Halloween lights in our trees and along the front of our house. We’ve replaced the front porch light and the lamp post light in the front yard with creepy black bulbs. We’ll have funny Halloween music blasting from a CD player in the bushes. Carrie-Anne has already purchased ten gallons of hot apple cider and we’ve got 250 little styrofoam cups. We’ve moving all the backyard furniture, including our big fire pit, into the front. And we’re going to set up a little warming station at the corner of Oakhurst and Roxton.

I have no idea how this is going to work. I don’t know what will come of it. I’m hoping that after two or three years of this, we’ll come to be known as the house where people in our neighborhood can warm up by a fire and drink some cider while they’re trick-or-treating. I’m hoping we’ll meet a lot of people who will see our kind and gracious God in the ways we interact with them. I don’t know where this will lead. But our family will pray about it tonight during a rushed and early dinner, anticipating that our God certainly knows what to do with this. In faith, we’re giving this to him. And we trust that he will use our little neighborhood warming station for his purposes and to his eternal glory and praise.

Peace,

Allan

Ain’t Skeered

October 30, 2012 / / 3 Comments

This billboard went up last week on the Canyon E-Way just north of 45th Street in Amarillo:

 

It’s an unabiguous, unapologetic scare tactic. The clear intent of this message, and ones like it that bombard us through every broadcast, internet, and print medium available, is to scare citizens into shifting the power to or keeping the power with one particular political party. Local TV stations use scare tactics to get us to tune in to their newscasts. You’ve seen the teasers during your prime time network shows: “Something in your kitchen is putting your family at great risk. We’ll have the full story tonight at 10:00!” Lots of businesses and professional services use scare tactics in their advertising. Apparently, it works. But it’s certainly the number one default mode of operation for political candidates and campaigns: scare the voters into doing what we want them to do; motivate the public by fear to act in our best interests.

You’ve seen and heard the ads. “If you vote for my opponent, our economic system will completely fail. If you vote for my opponent, you’ll be voting for more war. If I’m not elected, you can bet on more lost jobs, higher interest rates, and increased poverty. If you vote for my opponent, anarchy is right around the corner. So get out and vote for me for city council!”

Isn’t it good to know that we Christians are immune to the scare tactics? Isn’t it comforting to know that we serve an almighty and loving King and that we belong to an eternal Kingdom that can never fall? Isn’t it a wonderful truth that we aren’t afraid of anything?

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.” ~Romans 8:15

One week from tonight, there may be a brand new “leader of the free world.” Or, perhaps, the “leader of the free world” will be the same guy it’s been for the past four years. I have no idea who’s going to win and you don’t, either. I don’t know how in the world either candidate can accomplish anything that’s going to make that big a difference economically or morally or medically. I don’t know how either party can solve the United States’ epidemic problems with crime and violence and ignorance and poverty and divorce and abortion and addiction and war. I don’t know how either side can fix much of anything.

But I do know this. I do know one thing. We are children of YHWH, the almighty and eternal God. We serve a God who raises up and tears down nations to use them for his glory. We serve a God who brings earthly rulers to power and uses them for his purposes. We serve a compassionate and merciful God who reigns sovereign today over the entire universe he created. And as his people, we do not place our trust in political parties. As his children, we do not seek our security in partisan candidates. We trust in the name of the Lord our God!

Though the earth explodes and the heavens crumble, we trust in the Lord our God. Our God is “the great King over all the earth.”

“God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
The kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.”
~Psalm 47

Peace,

Allan

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑