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“We are clay pots, but we are not crack-pots. We are in his hands, and our flimsy words alter eternal realities. When a clay pot who is Spirit-filled, Scripture-saturated, prayer-armed, servant-hearted, God-adoring, and Christ-following speaks the Word of God, things happen, whether the preacher is aware of it or not. God smiles, angels applaud, hell quakes, and lives change.”
~Lynn Anderson, Freshness for the Far Journey, 2000
“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.” ~Philippians 2:14-15
God’s purpose for you, what God is working in you, what transforms you into a blameless and pure child of his, what allows you to shine like a star, what enables you to hold out the word of life, it all starts with “do everything without complaining or arguing.”
You can’t shine like a star is you’re complaining or arguing.
Think about your life over the past week, maybe just today: at the restaurant, the customer service counter, the post office, the bank, on your street. Think about the people you’re complaining against, or to, or about. What happens if that person shows up next Sunday morning and sits right next to you on your pew? What will you say to them?
You’ll have nothing to say to them. But it won’t matter at that point because they won’t be listening anyway. Not then. Not anymore. Your Christian witness is hindered, if not completely destroyed. You have no credibility.
You claim to be a child of the almighty creator of heaven and earth. You claim to be a subject of the sovereign Lord who defeated sin and death and Satan and reigns at the right hand of God. You claim to be a citizen of an eternal Kingdom that can never be shaken. You claim to belong to a Father who provides and protects his children. But complaining and arguing says you don’t believe a word of it. Your behavior contradicts your belief. You live like those things don’t really matter, like they have no impact on your life. And it wrecks your testimony.
We’ve got to start taking this as seriously as Paul does. Holding out the very word of life is at stake here. Shining as pure and uncontaminated light-givers in a dark, dark world; becoming children of God without fault, especially as the world views us; living free from anything blame-worthy; beyond reproach; credible witnesses in a world that so desperately needs our resurrected Savior.
It’s a little thing. Complaining. Seems almost trivial. Especially maybe to people who complain all the time. But Paul ties it directly to our salvation and our Christian witness and our ability to fulfill God’s mission for our lives. We are God’s shining stars in the universe. And that universe includes the restaurants, the schools, the neighborhoods, the stores, and the banks we visit.
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Since March, I’ve been driving down to Waco once a month for a full-day of prayer and study and encouragement and reflection with a group of eight other preachers and an elder. Jim Martin put the group together and I’m eternally grateful he included me from the start. I look forward to these monthly gatherings as a real time of spiritual renewal and personal introspection.
Our time together this month will be even more special. We’re leaving from Waco at 4:30 this afternoon to drive to Lynn Anderson’s house in San Antonio where we will spend the night and then all day tomorrow at the feet of this great man of God. ( “KK&C Top 20” pollsters, your deadline’s been extended. I won’t get the new poll up until late Tuesday night. You now have until 8:00 pm Tuesday to decide whether OU really deserves to be ranked ahead of Texas.) Lynn, of course, is a fantastic preacher of the Gospel and an outstanding author. His They Smell Like Sheep is at the very front of the recent move by elders in God’s Church to re-cast their roles according to the biblical standard as shepherds and teachers, not governors and decision-makers. We’re going to spend all day tomorrow with Lynn talking about church leadership and preaching and ministering and God’s will for his people. I’m anticipating nothing less than a total re-energizing for me and my ministry. I’m expecting to come away more focused and more committed than ever to God’s great cause.
Iron sharpens iron. And I’m certain the sparks will be flying at Lynn’s house tonight and Tuesday.
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Last night was the annual “Legacy Family Christmas” performance and dinner. Over 500 of us came together to enjoy our young children singing Christmas carols, readings of Christmas memories submitted by our older members, songs from our singles and middle-married groups, burgers, and pictures with Santa. As usual, the church staff put together a Christmas song with which to bless the congregation. The songs that didn’t make our full cut included:
Deck the halls with tacky fences.
Out in the parking lot, near and far;
There’s no room for no more cars!
You better watch out, keep your head down;
Don’t look now, he’s coming around!
Kent needs men to move a few chairs.
Grandma got run over by a Wiggler
Walking way too slowly by Pod C.
Grandma says that we should be more careful,
Or we’ll be taking her to H-E-B.
Sung to the tune of “Walking in a Winter Wonderland,” here’s what we presented last night: “Working for the Church at Legacy.”
Class bells ring, so annoying;
Coleman Ar-cher, candy throwing;
A service we lost, we love our new cross,
Working for the church at Legacy.
Gone away is the gray van;
Never gon-na get a new van.
The tires will blow, and we’ll need a tow,
Hitching our way back to Legacy.
In the concourse you’ll find lots of tables,
And free Bibles at the Lost and Found.
You’ll say where’s the coffee and the donuts?
We’ll say you can find it further down.
When it works, ain’t it thrillin’?
(mouthing words here only, no sound)
It’s out and it’s in; how much did we spend?
Working on the sound at Legacy.
In November we elected elders,
After Allan beat it in the ground (Amen!)
We’ll have lots of fun with our new elders,
Until the weekly meetings beat them down.
Later on, we’ll perspire,
Sitting by Todd’s fake fire.
We’re slightly afraid of the song that we made.
Working for the church at Legacy.
Hope we’re still employed at Legacy.
Peace,
Allan
God is the fountain whence ten thousand blessings flow;
to him my life, my health, my friends, and every good I owe.
The comforts he affords are neither few nor small;
he is the source of fresh delights, my portion and my all.
He fills my heart with joy, my lips attunes for praise;
and to his glory I’ll devote the remnant of my days.
~Benjamin Beddome, 1817
Dearest Carrie-Anne,
Things are so crazy right now. Between the demands of our Christian ministry, your new school schedule, and the girls, it seems we have less and less time just to be together. And relaxed. But, darling, you must know that you are at the very center of everything in my life. You are the one who gives me strength and confidence to be my very best. You are the source of the love and emotional support that get me through these hectic days. You’re always a part of everything I am and everything I do.
As the years go on — and they seem to be picking up steam! — I’m more and more grateful to our God for bringing us together. Getting married on Thanksgiving weekend, more than the hassles it causes with family and holiday plans, makes more and more sense every year. Because I am so thankful that you said “yes” to me when I asked you. I’m so thankful for your forgiveness, your patience, your support, and your precious love.
Nineteen years ago today you gave me a second chance. You said “yes.”
Thank you.
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November 25, 2008
It must be that everyone’s trying to cram a full week’s worth of work into two-and-a-half days or they’re still in shock from Saturday night’s huge letdown, but we’re working with the lowest pollster turnout in the history of “The KK&C Top 20″ college football poll. Only ten panelists weighed in for this week’s rankings, which naturally led to tighter gaps between teams and three-ties. Alabama jumps back into the #1 spot with seven of the first place votes following Texas Tech’s nationally-televised humiliation in Norman. A total of three votes separates Texas, Florida, and OU in the next spots, followed by USC to wrap up the top five. The Red Raiders fall to #6.
Looking ahead to this weekend’s rivalry games, the contest that holds the most interest for our pollsters is the Longhorns-Aggies tilt in Austin. This will be the last chance for Texas to beat anybody 52-10 to force Larry T to throw an end-of-the-season party for all the “KK&C Top 20″ participants. Hook ‘em!
LSU, the defending national champs, finally fell out of the poll after their loss to Ole Miss. Florida State’s back in. Click here to get to this week’s poll, all the comments, and pollster profiles. Or, as always, click on the green “KK&C Top 20” tab in the upper right hand corner of this page. Enjoy.
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Prentice Meador, the long time preacher at the Prestoncrest Church in Dallas, passed away early this morning in Nashville after a sudden, and still unexplained, I think, illness this past weekend. Prentice had recently moved to Tennessee to work with David Lipscomb University. The last time I saw him was three years ago at a men’s weekend at the Westover Hills Church in Austin. We took about 20 guys from our Marble Falls congregation and were strengthened and encouraged—inspired!—by Prentice. God’s Kingdom is bigger and stronger on earth today because of Prentice. A great warrior for Christ. A wonderful gospel preacher. Well done, good and faithful servant.
Peace,
Allan
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” ~Philippians 2:5
So I’m talking about The Fonz during yesterday’s sermon. You remember The Fonz from TV’s “Happy Days” 30 years ago? The leather jacket, the hair, the magic touch, the super cool? “Aaayyyy!”
When I was nine-years-old I wanted to be The Fonz. He was the very definition of cool. And I poured myself into being exactly like him. I did everything a little boy without a motorcycle could to imitate Fonzie. I wore my blue jean jacket with the collar up, even when it was 95-degrees outside. I blew on my fist before hitting the button on the Coke machine at the city rec center. I carried a comb in my back pocket. I called my friend Mike Cunningham’s dad “Mr. C.” When I went to the bathroom I said I was stepping into my office. I called my sister “Shortcake.” I told everybody to “Sit on it!” And I was constantly sticking up both thumbs and declaring a profound, “Aaayyyy!”
It didn’t make anybody’s joy complete.
My parents that year took away the TV, my bicycle, my allowance, and my football trying to break me of those habits.
I told the story yesterday to illustrate what Paul does in Philippians 2. He tells us to be like Jesus, to have his attitude, to have his outlook. And that sounds good. It sounds great. Who could argue with that concept? But what does it look like? What does Jesus say? What does Jesus do? How does Jesus act?
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
Christ Jesus gives up everything. And dies for others.
How do we consider others better than ourselves? How do we look to the interests of others? Paul says, look at Jesus.
Jesus sacrificed for us, he served us, by giving up completely everything that was his. He poured out his diety. He let go of his equality with God. He sacrificed his eternal power. He gave up his heavenly glory. Our model, the one we follow, willingly traded heaven for earth, glory for shame, a royal scepter for a slave’s water basin, life for death — even death on a cross!
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. You should give up everything and die for others.
When I got home yesterday afternoon there was a message on my phone from Charlie P. Charlie is raising his six-year-old grandson. And he had called to tell me that after lunch, he had found his grandson in the garage wearing a blue jean jacket with the collar up. He had wet his hair and combed it straight back. And he was posing with his thumbs up. “Aaayyy!”
My prayer is that everybody went home yesterday and began to imitate Jesus with the same fervor and energy this little boy used to imitate me imitating The Fonz.
What are you sacrificing to be a Christian? What are you giving up to be a member of your church family? What is it costing you to imitate our Lord? Are you dying to yourself every day to benefit the person who sits behind you at the assembly? What are you giving up to be a Christian?
Aaaaayyyyy,
Allan
A few of you have asked for copies of “The Mice in the Piano,” a short little story I read Wednesday night as an illustration to a lesson I was teaching on 1 Samuel 26. God had put Saul and Abner and 3,000 well-trained soldiers into a deep sleep which allowed David and Abishai to sneak undetected through the camp all the way to the King’s sleeping bag. It appears that David had no idea God had done that. The information comes to the reader from the author almost as an aside. It’s just between us. God was personally and intimately involved in what David was doing, whether David knew about it or not. “The Mice in the Piano” illustrates that. It also serves as a perfect follow-up to yesterday’s post about the new efforts of athiests in the United States to portray themselves as normal and loving and kind and happy and everywhere.
Think about David as you read this short story. But think, too, about Doug Krueger, the athiest quoted in yesterday’s post who says, “We’re just regular people who have perfectly satisfactory lives without believing in God.”
Imagine a family of mice who live all their lives inside a large piano, just as you and I live our lives in our fragment of the universe. To the mice in their piano-world came the music of the instrument, filling all the dark spaces with sound and harmony. The mice were much impressed by it. They drew comfort and wonder from the thought that there was a Someone who made the music—invisible to them, yet close to them. They loved to think of the Great Player whom they could not see.
Then one day a daring mouse climbed up part of the inside of the piano and returned to the colony very thoughtful. He had discovered how the music was made. Wires were the secret—tightly stretched wires of graduated lengths that trembled and vibrated. Now the mice must revise all their old beliefs. None but the most conservative could believe any longer in the Unseen Player.
Years later, another explorer mouse came back with still further explanations. Hammers were the secret; numbers of hammers leaping and dancing on the wires to produce the beautiful sounds. This was certainly a more complicated theory than the one their forefathers knew. But it proved they lived in a purely mechanical and mathematical world. The Unseen Player came to be regarded as a myth.
And the pianist continued to play.
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