The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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25 Kids, 2 Church Vans, and 16 Sticky Frogs

August 9, 2012 / / 1 Comment

FaithBuilders is just about my favorite thing to do. For three days this week I attempted to corral and teach 25 of our 6th and 7th graders here at Central the basics of our Christian faith. It’s loud, it’s hectic, it’s invigorating, and exhausting. I always forget until I’m right in the middle of it how much energy this age group has. There’s no “pause” button on these kids. No volume control knob. There’s certainly no “stop” switch. It’s constant movement and noise. And it’s really cool.

On the first day we talked about how we are made in the image of God. We discussed words and concepts like glory and honor, righteousness and relationship, perfection and peace. And then we discussed how sin has totally messed all that up. We’ve all fallen short of that glory of God and, therefore, are eternally separated from our holy Creator. Wow, that’s a real problem, right? Of course, talking about Adam and Eve, the serpent, and original sin leads to all kinds of interesting discussions with eleven-and-twelve-year-olds. What if Eve had never sinned, would we need Jesus? Was it an apple or an orange? Could all the animals in the Garden of Eden talk, or just the snake? We contemplated Adam and Eve’s last names and whether or not they had belly buttons. The origin and ultimate demise of the dinosaurs also came up. So did the question of what God really looks like. But we spent a good deal of our time considering together the sobering truth that, on our own, we are wholly incapable of getting back into a right relationship with God.

On the second day we looked at Jesus as the solution to the problem of sin. How do we know he’s really the Messiah, the Promised One? What do the prophesies, the miracles, the eyewitness accounts of his resurrection prove to us? And how do his death and resurrection atone for our sins? Naturally, we also discussed whether all the cool stuff Jesus did was because he was God or because he was a man fully in tune with his God. We talked about why forgiveness of sin requires so much blood. And the topic of whether babies are born with sin. Whoa. Pretty heavy.

Yesterday, we wrapped things up by talking about faith. What does faith look like? Why are we baptized into Christ? What does it mean to really be a disciple of Jesus? Is it even possible to live like him? What is the Son of God really calling us to do?

It was hard core study in the mornings and then lunch and fun in the afternoons. Robin and Becky and Mean Jean made the meals. Matt and Ethan drove our church vans. On Monday, it was the WT Activities Center for swimming and sliding in their little water park, bowling, volley ball, and racquetball. Well, not really racquetball. Some courts had three or four kids, some had as many as seven or eight at a time. I think it was more like dodgeball with racquets. Britton may have blacked out after being struck in the temple. Maybe. But nobody got hurt.

Tuesday’s activity was a trip to the UA Theater to see “Brave.” “Wee naked bobby” and “Feast your eyes!” became the popular exclamations on the way home. Then yesterday we had a progressive pool party that began at the Williams’ home and ended in the Vaughans’ back yard. I’ve heard Skillet’s “Monster” song enough now to last me three lifetimes. And if I ever hear Luke and McKaden kareoke “Call Me Maybe” again — EVER!! — it’ll be too soon.

By the way, I totally underestimated the power of the sticky frog. When purchasing a bunch of cheap little daily homework prizes for the kids, I completely undervalued the sticky frog. I bought eight of them initially. And they were taken by the first eight kids. I brought eight more the next day and you would have thought I had walked in with Super Bowl tickets. It was incredible! I knew a few of the boys would want these sticky, slimy, little sling toys. But I had no idea the girls would go bananas for them, too. They proved to be a little distracting during some of our lessons. A couple of boys got nailed in the throat by frog slingers and at least one girl suffered a fall off a chair while attempting to retrieve her frog from the ceiling. But, man, I had no idea. Sticky frogs. Who knew?

My favorite part of FaithBuilders is when, at 4:00, they go home. No, not because I’m rid of the kids. I love these boys and girls. They are hungry and thirsty for God. They want to be taught. They ask all the right questions. They’re exploring and experimenting and reflecting. They’re so expressive and uninhibited. I learn from these kids. Every time Adley spoke to me I felt like I was talking to an angel, like I should be taking notes and putting them in my sermons. I’m re-energized by them. Playing “DORK” with a bunch of hyper twelve-year-old boys is good for the body  and the soul. And I’m not grateful for 4:00 because now I can get some peace and quiet. I figure my time with these children is just beginning. I figure the relationships we’re forging now are only going to get closer and tighter and, probably, even messier in the future. I cherish my hours with these guys and gals. Hopefully they’re seeing their preacher as a real guy who can relate to them and the things they feel. I know any time I can spend with a kid is valuable. They’re picky with their time and their attention. I’m grateful for all of it. No, my favorite part of FaithBuilders is 4:00 each afternoon because I know the kids are going home to study with their parents. They’re taking their folders and Bibles and homework assignments, sitting down with their moms and dads and grandparents, and discussing together our Christian faith. It’s being passed on around kitchen tables and living room sofas. Bibles are read and Scriptures are searched. Stories are shared and truth is explored. At home. You and I both know that’s the best part.

Peace,

Allan

On Sao Paulo

July 30, 2012 / / 1 Comment

I’ve been meaning for a while to post a few pictures from our recent mission trip to Brazil. We actually got home on Friday the 20th, went straight to Blue Sky for lunch and then had Ruby Tequila’s for dinner (we had to replenish.) But, hold on, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Carley and Carrie-Anne and I actually joined our Central youth group at the Itaquera church in Sao Paulo early on Thursday morning. Whitney and Valerie seemed really glad to see us after six days — as glad as they could muster at 7:00 am, I guess. Of course, they already had everything figured out: the language, the food, the church building, the games, and the schedule. So we leaned heavily on them for the first few hours.

Most of that Thursday was spent doorknocking the immediate neighborhoods surrounding the church building, inviting people to Gary’s leadership seminar and the VBS. Lots of kids. Lots of kites. Soccer (futbol!) in the streets. And poverty. Wow, the poverty. God, help me. I forget all the time that I really am in the top five percent of the wealthiest people in the world. I must disappoint him constantly. That night we all split up and went to small groups in the Itaquera members’ homes where we studied from Revelation and ate more snacks and sweets. C-A and I were blessed to spend the evening at Carmen’s home where her kind hospitality blew us out of the water. Fabio, an Adam Sandler look-alike with a personality to match, was there with his wife and children. And it was at Carmen’s house where I shared a Bible with Marcel and his sister, Marianna.

The VBS was Saturday. Carrie-Anne and I planned the entire six hours around the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with the five loaves and two fish. The theme was service to others and the fact that God uses our gifts, regardless of the size, to do great things. So we told the story in a couple of ways, weaved baskets made of yarn, went fishing behind a makeshift puppet stage, ate goldfish and Swedish Fish gummies for snacks, decorated the sidewalks around the church building with colorful chalk depictions of the day’s stories, and sang and sang and sang. We had right at 25 kids, give or take a couple here and there (there was some coming and going involved). And I believe we were all made a little more aware of the grace of our God who somehow makes our meager and shallow offerings worthy of his eternal glory.

I preached for the Itaquera congregation on Sunday. It was a halting sermon marked by fitful starts and stops while Sidney interpreted for the patient brothers and sisters in the pews. I tried to paint a portrait with my words of the mystery and majesty of the Kingdom of God as it had been represented in Sao Paulo all week. Here we were, all in one room, all around the common table, worshiping our one Father. Brown people and white people. Portuguese and English. Young and old. Rich and poor. Corinthians football fans and Santos football fans. Painting together, worshiping together, cleaning, praying, teaching children, eating, singing, shopping together. One people. A family. God’s Holy Spirit is the only one who can do this. This doesn’t happen anywhere in the world. Complete equality. Perfect love. Genuine family. People from different continents with seemingly nothing in common brought together by our God and bonded forever by the redeeming blood of the Christ. That is God’s salvation! We had experienced it all week together. So marvelous. So wonderful. So spectacular. So magnificent. Anticipated by God’s people for so long. To quote the apostle Peter, “Even angels long to look.”

It was a decent sermon. But nothing at all like the illustration that followed. All the Texans and Brazilians on the stage together, singing “Jesus Is Lord” and “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” Whoa. Powerful. We thought we would really impress them with our singing that one verse in Portuguese. But I was almost driven to my knees in amazement and gratitude and humility when they started singing “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” to us in English. Wow. What a blessing.

The huge church potluck was a feast of food and fellowship, capped by Corbin outjumping Trey and Barrett and out-muscle-ing Blake for the Brazilian soccer jersey. The underdog won it and we were all delighted by his enthusiastic victory strut.

I didn’t learn anything on this trip that I didn’t already know in my brain. But what I actually experienced in my heart, what I felt in my soul, served as an unforgettable reminder that what I know in my brain really, really, really matters. Surrounded by my Brazilian brothers and sisters in Christ, listening to them sing “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” I was reminded that God’s name is praised in Portuguese every day. Every day, our God’s name is praised in Chinese and Spanish and German and English. His name is praised every day on every continent, in every city, in every corner of this world. His name is praised by people of every nation and language and tribe and tongue. You know why? Because he is Lord. He is God. Because he reigns and all the earth is filled with his glory. To belong to God is to belong to something so much bigger and everlasting than most of us can wrap our brains around. We need experiences like our trip to Brazil to remind us how large and eternal is the Kingdom of our God.

What a blessing to be his children.

Peace,

Allan

Passing the Baton

July 26, 2012 / / 0 Comments

“What we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us, we will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation.” ~Psalm 78:3-4

The apostle Paul calls life in Christ a race. He tells us to run the race to win. And I believe it’s critical that we understand this race that we’re running is a relay. There’s not a single one of us running this race alone. Someone passed the baton to us. And we are now passing that baton to others. We are today standing on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before and, at the same time, paving the way for those coming after. It’s a relay. And something really special happens as the baton is passed.

Notice the boys in this picture who are receiving the baton. See how they are looking back at the runners who’ve gone before. They’re stretching back with open arms, open hands, to receive the baton. They’re measuring their steps so they match up with those who are passing the baton to them, trying to match their stride.

Now look at the one passing the baton. Notice how she is running her fastest right here at the exchange. She’s giving it all she’s got. Her part of the race is almost over. She’s near the end of her leg. But look at how she’s running harder and faster now and working harder now than she was at the beginning. Look at how she’s stretching and straining and lunging to pass this baton on to the one who will run after her. Notice how she’s concentrating on the task.

Now, see how for a time these two are actually running together. For just a brief moment, right at the point of the exchange, the two are running perfectly together. Step by step. Stride for stride. In perfect rhythm. One finishing her assignment, one just getting started. Running together. Cooperating together. Sprinting together. Enduring, persevering, working together. Side by side.

I love that image. I think it’s divinely-ordained. And I believe this is where God’s Church needs to dwell. We need to live in that really cool moment of exchange.

You older Christians, we need you to be actively involved in raising our kids. We need you. We need your wisdom. We need your experience. We need your advice. We need your examples of someone who’s seen it all and endured it all and kept the faith. Our children need to see it in you. They need older people to look up to. You’re running the race, you’ve been running it a long time. But you’re not done. Now’s the time to pass the baton. It’s time to understand you’re not running your race alone. We need you to run faster, to work harder, to reach out to us and pass the baton.

You younger Christians, we need you to be fully engaged with those who are running ahead of you. Look to them. Make eye contact with them. Measure your steps to match theirs. Reach back to them. And be in a spirit to accept from them. Strain with everything you’ve got to accept their love. Their concern. Concentrate on receiving their stories. On accepting their faith.

As we exchange the baton, as the older people stretch and the younger people reach back, as the Christian faith is being passed along in our Christ-centered relationships with one another, we’ll discover that we really are running side by side, step by step.

“He commanded our forefathers to teach their children, so the next generation would know, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.” ~Psalm 78:5-7

Peace,

Allan

What´s Sung On The Bus…

July 14, 2012 / / 1 Comment

…stays on the bus.

Grace and peace from Sao Paulo, Brazil. No time this morning to post any pictures, although, even if I had the time, I´m not sure I would know how to do it. I´m typing on a computer in the lobbey of the Blue Tree Hotel, waiting for a few of my Central brothers and sisters to make it downstairs for breakfast before we head out for a pretty big Saturday.

Gary´s leadership seminar started off with a bang last night. Today is the main day for that. We´re expecting about a hundred folks for his lessons and Carrie-Anne and I are looking for about 50 kids to teach and entertain during a sorta-kinda VBS.

We have cleaned and spruced up much of the church building here, we´ve painted one of the classrooms, doorknocked the immediate area for our children´s programs and our worship time on Sunday, we´ve worshiped and shared together with the local Christians here in their homes, and we´ve learned the local language. OK, we´re learning the words and phrases we really, really need; trying hard not to speak Spanish; and everyone´s being really kind and gracious to us. Last night we actually went to a local English school to help people who are learning it as a second language. I´ll tell your right now, watching Larry Borger teach English to a 75-year-old Brazilian man who´s never even met an American was worth a million bucks!

We´re going to get up front tomorrow morning during our worship time together and sing Jesus Is Lord in Portuguese. We´re praying that it blesses the church family here that has been so kind and generous to us. After a few practices on the bus last night, we´re not so sure it´s going to bless anybody. Maybe we´ll just let Blake do it solo.

Graca y Pas,

Allan

Gone Pecan!

July 11, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Carrie-Anne, Carley, and I are headed to Cheddar’s this afternoon for our last American meal for ten days (I lost; I wanted Blue Sky) before settling in for an almost twelve hour flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil. We’re excited to see Whitney and Valerie and the rest of our Central church youth group. We’re ready to hear the stories and get caught up on what God is doing there with and through our great friends. And we’re very much anticipating the rest of what the Spirit of our Father has in store.

I do know that trips like this, especially all five of us together, will shape us as a family more into the image of our risen Lord. We’re going to see up close what our God is doing outside of our American Church of Christ box. We’re going to experience the Kingdom of God more fully than we ever have before. We’re going to sing and worship, study and pray, laugh and cry with brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t speak our language. And we’re going to come, as a family, to a far greater understanding of the magnificent scope of his redeeming work in this world.

We’re also going to realize that it’s possible to survive for ten days without Dr Pepper. I hope.

The blogging will be sporadic at best for the next week and a half. Pray for the hearts of the people in Brazil — those brothers and sisters we’re going to encourage and those outside the Kingdom we’re trying to reach for our Christ. And ask our God to transform our group from Central, to do more with us than we could ever begin to ask or imagine.

Peace,

Allan

When The Sermon’s Over

July 10, 2012 / / 2 Comments

If my honeymoon here at Central is supposed to last one year — I’m not assuming anything here; it may last another two or three years or, without my knowledge, it may have ended months ago — then I’ve got only about six more weeks of this wonderful bliss. So, please indulge me with your love and grace and allow me to encourage you in a way that, I hope, provokes some honest self assessment and reflection.

It ain’t over when the sermon is over.

In fact, I would argue — get ready, I’m about to! — that the best and most important part of our Sunday morning assemblies occurs after the sermon is finished. Church is not over when the sermon is over; it’s just getting started. If you’re heading for the doors and out into the parking lot the moment I close my Bible, you’re missing out on the best stuff that happens during our assemblies. If the last thing you see or hear, experience or participate in, during our weekly gatherings in that worship center is my voice, here’s what you’re missing.

1) Self-Reflection – the song that we sing together right after the sermon is chosen in order to promote some healthy and much needed self-assessment. The song is connected to the just-presented Word in a way that should lead to personal and congregational reflection. It’s hard enough in this noisy world with our hectic pace and our short attention spans to find time to reflect on God’s Word and our response to it. Whether you hit the parking lot one minute after the sermon’s done or 30-minutes later, the honest truth is that, by that time, you’ve already forgotten every bit of it. You’re on to the next thing. What sermon? What Word of God? We believe that the Word preached has a life-transforming power. We believe that God’s Spirit uses that Word to change us, to shape us, to form us more into the image of Christ. Those moments immediately following the proclamation of that Word are much better spent thinking and reflecting, meditating and contemplating application, than in gathering up purses and papers and rushing up the aisles. What’s the hurry?

2) Baptisms – yes, it still happens occasionally. Somebody will be so moved by the proclaimed Word of God, he will walk down to the front of the worship center right after the sermon and be baptized on the spot. A previously unsaved child of God will declare her allegiance to her Creator, submit fully to the Lordship of our Christ, participate in the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus, and be delivered from her sins into eternal life in glory. Why would you want to miss that? It’s the thing we teach and preach, it’s the thing we uphold as vital to salvation, it’s the very thing we’ve fought to defend. It’s baptism! It’s the chance to witness up close and personal our Almighty God snatching an eternal soul from the clutches of Satan and redirecting him or her to heaven. It’s the opportunity to physically watch God keep his centuries-old promises. It’s a holy occasion to participate in God’s salvation, to witness a birth, to be present when a child of God is reclaimed and restored to righteousness. Why in the world would you miss that in order to get to Arby’s or to the lake fifteen minutes earlier? To me, it’s like a football player who has given his life to football saying “no, thank you” to starting at quarterback in the Super Bowl in order to go home and watch a hair-clip infomercial on a 13-inch black-and-white TV. It’s that crazy.

3) Bearing Burdens – two or three times a month, it seems, somebody in our church family or somebody from the Amarillo community is taking that time right after the sermon to ask our church for their prayers. A brother in Christ comes down to the front to confess sin and ask forgiveness; a sister comes to reveal her broken heart over a family matter; or, as was the case this past Sunday, three ladies from the downtown women’s abuse center come forward and beg us to pray for God’s mercy and strength. To me, this is our fully-involved God saying to us, “You want to be more like Christ? You want to become more like my Son? Here, minister to these hurting people.” Encouraging the downtrodden, giving strength to the weak, forgiving the sinner, loving the unlovable — these are all very Christ-like things to do. Jesus lives to intercede for us; interceding on behalf of others makes us more like him. Bearing the burdens of others is about as Christ-like as it gets. It’s incomprehensible that while your brother is mustering up all the courage in his body and soul and mind to walk down that aisle to throw himself upon the mercy of God and his church, you’re skipping up the opposite direction to get to the ballgame or to your enchiladas and rice. With only a little prompting, forty or fifty people got out of their seats to embrace those three women Sunday, to put their arms around them and pray with them as they bared their hearts to God and to us. I praise God for that physical, tangible, see-able outpouring of his grace. It was the best thing, the most powerful thing, that’s happened in our worship center in months. I pray you didn’t miss it because you were in a hurry to mow your lawn.

4) Exhortation – at the end of every assembly, one of our shepherds stands up to bless us. One of our elders, one of our spiritual fathers (to use a New Testament term), reads to us from the Holy Word of God. He challenges us to live in the coming week for Christ. He blesses us. And he prays for us. I don’t understand why anybody would walk out on that. You know it’s coming. We do it every week. One of the men this church family has ordained as the most Christ-like among us, one of the men we’ve said we will follow because he is so obviously following our Lord, one of the men we believe God has placed among us to shepherd us is going to get up and bless us! He’s going to read Holy Scripture to us! He’s going to pray! It’s incredibly important. It’s huge. I can’t understand why anybody would walk out on that blessing.

It ain’t over when the sermon is over. Usually it’s just getting started, the best part of our Christian assemblies together is still to come. God still has plenty of work to do — on you, on me, on our church. I lovingly encourage you to stick around.

Peace,

Allan

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