The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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Delay of Game

September 24, 2007 / / 2 Comments

I’m sorry I’m so late with today’s post. I’ve been online all day trying to order a Tony Romo jersey.

Just kidding.

Forgive me. Today got completely away from me before it ever got started.

Now I’m waiting until tomorrow to get into all the ways our families and our churches and our institutions of higher learning are failing our teens. It’ll be one of those long, long posts that will probably spark more thought and discussion than anything else we’ve treated on this blog. And it’ll probably last the rest of the week. But it’s much more important than sacred space and song selection. The issue is so much bigger and deeper. And it impacts every last one of us.

 Forgive me. And give me ’til tomorrow.

Peace,

Allan

On A Road Marked With Suffering…

September 21, 2007 / / 7 Comments

So many of you emailed me and called me yesterday and this morning with kind thoughts and words regarding Whitney’s eye tests. Thank you. We are truly blessed by our God to have so many wonderful friends and family in our lives. And I’m confident he listened intently to every single prayer lifted to him on Whitney’s behalf. And I’m certain you were all blessed for those efforts made in our interests. I’m continually surprised, also, by the reach of this little blog. I’ve heard from several of you, from California to Vermont, who claim to have been reading this thing for weeks. It’s another reminder, another wake up call, to snap me out of my own world and see God’s world and his Kingdom for the all-encompassing thing that it is. May our Lord bless all of us richly as we strive with him to reconcile creation back to him.

The short version on Whit’s tests is that they’re still not sure. She failed the tests so miserably that the doctors say there’s no way the results are legitimate. Either she wasn’t paying attention when they were testing her or the equipment was messed up. The probable next step is that she’ll have to have an MRI. Her optic nerve is definitely swollen. But some people do just have bigger optic nerves than others. It could all just be a normal thing. But her rapidly changing sight and headaches point to something else. There may be something else going on, something maybe pushing on her nerve or something to cause all this. But before they order the MRI, they want to test her one more time. That’ll be Wednesday afternoon. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers before our Father. It just breaks our hearts to think Whitney would have one more thing piled on top of her.

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I love the Matt Redman song “Blessed Be Your Name.” It acknowledges the sovereignty of our God in unambiguous terms and states in clear language that, while our Father gives AND takes away, our trust and our faith is completely in him. When we’re in the land that is plentiful AND when we’re in the desert, when the sun’s shining AND when we’re suffering, the song recognizes and affirms that our God is fully overseeing all of it and we are to praise him with all of our hearts. I’m always particularly affected by the words of the second part of the second verse:

“Blessed be your name on a road marked with suffering. Though there’s pain in the offering, blessed be your name.”

The first time I ever sang this song was when D. J. Bulls taught it to us at the North Davis Church of Christ in Arlington. Because of that, I always think of D. J. when we sing this song, the same way I always think of Mike Montana when we sing “Mighty is our God” because he taught it to us in Mesquite. But in 2004 at North Davis, Carrie-Anne and I were right in the middle of struggling with the decision to leave the world of sports radio and dedicate ourselves to preaching the Word. And we knew that it would be difficult. We were preparing to throw all of our lives to God and give him complete and utter control over all of it. And we knew there would be good times and bad. Going to school for two years, Carrie-Anne going to work full-time, moving again, and trusting God completely to put us where he wanted us. I anticipated suffering and pain to be in the offering. And I was moved to tears almost every time we sang that verse. And I still am.

Not because we’ve suffered any pain. Not because we’ve suffered at all. In fact, all of this has been too wonderful and too easy. I’m almost suspicious.

But because I remember so vividly what I/we were feeling at the time. We were fully anticipating suffering. We expected it to be in the near future. And we were rushing into it headlong, willingly, and trusting in God to take care of us.

And we sing that song last night at the funeral of Mack Dennis, Paul and Jean’s son who was killed in a car crash last week at age 40. And we’re singing this song together, praising God in the good times and the bad. And I look at Paul and Jean. And they’re singing. And they’re both smiling. I look at Mack’s widow, Lisa, and their two young, young, very young and sweet children. They’re crying. But they’re singing.

Blessed be your name.

And they’re certainly on a road marked with suffering. There’s mountains of pain in the offering for this family. Pain that, thankfully, I can’t begin to imagine. Pain and suffering that makes whatever I’ve endured in my life seem tiny and insignificant, not pain at all. Yet they sing.

Blessed be your name.

The psalmist never asked for a smooth path. He never asked for things to be easy. He asked God to give him feet like a deer so he could negotiate any path he was on. Habakkuk prayed for the same thing. Give me the strength and the courage and the stamina to handle it.

I was inspired last night by Paul and Jean’s singing and smiling. Yes, there were tears. And, yes, there’s plenty of confusion and pain and probably even some anger. They’re honest about it. And I believe God honors that honesty with him. But their faith and trust is in the Lord. And they continue to bless his name. Praise God for their wonderful example of faith and courage on a road marked with suffering.

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On Monday, in addition to breaking down the Cowboys loss to the Bears, I’d like to give you some personal observations stemming from the roundtable discussions at the ACU Lectures regarding our teens and why they’re jaded by “church.” What’s to blame for the numbers of our kids who are fleeing the churches of Christ? What can be done? How do we address some of these things? Is it a real problem or just a perceived problem? We’ll get into it Monday.

Have a fantastic weekend,

Allan

Inappropriate Use of a Football Team

September 20, 2007 / / 4 Comments

Terrell Owens got fined $7,500 by the NFL this week for what they’re calling “inappropriate use of a football.”

Jason Reeves knows a little about that.

When will the league fine Jerry Wayne for inappropriate use of a football team?

I’m afraid if Julius Jones gets hurt today in practice, the Cowboys will call O. J. Simpson. He should be out of jail any day now. Hey, if this Romo thing doesn’t work out, Michael Vick will be ready to go for 2009. You can inagurate the new stadium with a new quarterback. Why not?

The Cowboys’ signing of defensive lineman Tank Johnson is unexplainable and inexcuseable. In the past 18 months — which represents most of Johnson’s NFL career with Chicago — Johnson’s been arrested four times on gun charges and probation violation stemming from the gun charges. In a raid on Johnson’s suburban Chicago home, police found caged pit bulls and seized three rifles, a semi-automatic weapon, three handguns, and over 500 rounds of ammunition. In a scuffle with police in which officers used mace to help subdue him, Johnson is reported to have told one of the men, “You’re not the only one with a glock! If it weren’t for your gun and your badge, I’d kick your ___!” He was pulled over recently at 3:30 am on suspicion of drunken driving.

Nice.

Welcome to the Cowboys. Where character counts and integrity matters. Unless we’re really in a bind and you can really play ball.

Jerry Wayne made a pretty big deal about taking Johnson off their draft board in 2004 because of his character issues coming out of college. He openly bragged about it. We’re not going to bring in that kind of element. But as soon as Jason Ferguson goes down, Tank Johnson’s character is suddenly not a factor anymore.

It reminds me of the year I first started rooting against the Cowboys. Summer of ’96. Lots of player arrests. Lots of off-field issues. And Jerry Wayne threw down the gauntlet. No more tolerance. You break team rules, you’re gone. Kendall Watkins, a third-string tight end, was spotted at a Dallas bar Jerry had declared off limits. And he was canned the next day. Big headlines. News conference. Jerry bragging. Zero tolerance.

Less than two weeks later Michael Irvin’s busted in his drug and hit-man scandal. It’s all on tape! But Jerry says, “Michael’s family. Look at all he’s done for this organization. He’s family. He needs us to help him. We’re doing what’s best for him now. He doesn’t need us to throw him out. That’s not right. He needs us to love him and get through this together.”

And Jerry, yesterday, says he signed Tank Johnson because he believes in second chances.

It would be nice if Jerry would just say they signed Johnson this week because he can help give them some inside info on the Bears, Sunday night’s opponent. That would be sleazy. It would be underhanded. Skirting the rules. Flaunting the system. Breaking written and unwritten NFL policies.

And it would be much more palatable than what they’re actually doing.

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It’s great to be back in the office / study today here at Legacy. I missed everybody and felt strangely disconnected from things while we were in Abilene.

But what a great experience we had at the ACU Lectureships! I’ll have to talk more about all that tomorrow. Lots of observations and opinions I’ll share that, I’m sure, will spark plenty of theological reflection and discussion.

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Please be in prayer today for our oldest daughter, Whitney. Following a series of tests two weeks ago, doctors just told us yesterday morning that one of her optic nerves is swollen and they’re calling us in at 4:00 this afternoon for further tests. Her eyesight has been deteriorating in rapid and noticeable fashion over the past couple of months. She’s wearing bifocals now. And this swollen nerve issue may be the reason. We’re hoping this is something that can be fixed with little or no problem. She’s nervous and so are we. Your prayers on her behalf are very much appreciated.

Peace,

Allan

My New Favorite Speaker

September 19, 2007 / / 4 Comments

Jeff Walling always gets me with his illustrations. They’re masterful. They’re real. Walling’s illustrations are powerful in that they always create in me life-altering pictures that I never forget. And I look forward to the Tulsa Workshop and WinterFest every year because I know I’ll get to sit at the feet of Jeff Walling and receive God’s truth in a way that will impact me and never leave me.

Randy Harris nails me every time with his dry wit and sarcasm. It’s subtle. And you have to pay attention. But he’ll be cruising along and then mutter something, almost under his breath, that absolutely pricks my heart and convicts me. It’s like he’s been living inside my house — hockey players say “in my kitchen”— and knows all my shortcomings and failures and sins. And his little throwaway line causes my soul to bleed and my entire being to turn completely to my God who saves me. And I look forward to Tulsa every year because I know I’ll be challenged by Randy.

Terry Rush breaks my heart every time with his passion for our Lord and our Lord’s people. Terry can’t preach a sermon without crying or almost crying. And it’s because he loves God’s church so much. And it’s real. Because Terry sees what God sees. That pathos of the prophets. He feels the same grief over sin and sickness and injustice that our God feels. And I look forward to Tulsa every year because I know Terry is going to awaken me to new realities.

Jason’s been talking about Billy Wilson for several weeks.

Billy’s been speaking at ACU now for several years. I’m sure he’s a regular at Pepperdine. And it’s possible he’s even made an appearance or two at Tulsa. If so, I don’t know where I’ve been. I’m sick I’ve never heard him or heard of him before this week.

He’s my new favorite speaker.

Maybe it’s just because he’s new and fresh to me. Maybe it has something to do with his Scottish accent that’s cool and forces me to pay more careful attention to his words. But I don’t think so.

Billy combines the passion of Rush and the dry wit of Harris and the perfectly painted illustrations of Walling to homiletically grab me and rip me open and pour the words of God directly into my soul.

He’s certainly passionate. He calls ’em like he sees ’em. He screams and he yells. And, while he hasn’t done it yet, I think he’s capeable of throwing something. He sort of scares me.

He takes everyday things, things that every single person in the room has experienced — a new bike at Christmas, trying to open a stubborn jar, breakfast — and twists them around to reveal a profound truth about the Church that will never leave your head or your heart.

And he’s funny.  Very funny.

Billy Wilson’s my new favorite speaker.

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Day Three is commencing. And I’m anxious for it, from Wilson’s opener this morning to Walling’s closer tonight. But, even more than that, I can’t wait to get home and see my girls. I miss them tremendously. They make me laugh and they fill my heart with joy. Carrie-Anne, I miss you, baby. I’ll see y’all soon.

Allan

That Thing God Does & Old Friends At ACU

September 18, 2007 / / 0 Comments

In response to Gary’s comment from yesterday: What is “God, do that thing you always do?”

 It’s our loving and compassionate Father whose eternal nature is to save us and redeem us and reconcile us back to him moving among his people to be present with them and in them. And that presence is then powerfully manifested in an outpouring of confession and prayer and connection and change.

It’s God overcoming my weakness and my sin and my lack of vision and understanding to blow our doors off with his message of forgiveness and hope. It’s when he causes something incredible to happen in an assembly of his people — something that nobody can plan or predict. He puts his message directly into people’s hearts. He pours his love straight into people’s souls. And then amazing things happen.

 It happens at retreats. It happens at workshops and seminars. It happens in living rooms and around kitchen tables. It happens on Sunday mornings Friday nights. And I can’t explain it.

It’s revival, maybe. It’s a reawakening to the Holy Spirit of God and the power he gives us. It works through intentional prayer and sacred songs and confession of sin. It works when God’s people truly humble themselves before him, recognizing their sin, and whole heartedly submitting to his Lordship.

I don’t know exactly what or how it is.

But I do know it’s our God who does it. He just jumps right into the big middle of everything we’re doing and almost disrupts things with his presence. And his people respond to that presence with tears of joy and sorrow, with prayers of confession and thanksgiving, and with an outpouring of love for each other.

And I know our God is present with us everytime we come together. But sometimes it’s more powerful than at other times. The feeling, not the presence or the power itself. Are we more in tune with our God and his presence and power at those times than at other times? Are our hearts more open and our minds more clear and our souls more ready? Or is God revealing himself in different ways at those times? Is he moving in us and through us differently during those times? I don’t have an answer. It’s a combination of all of it, I suppose.

All I know is that it happened Sunday morning and again Sunday night at Legacy. He’s getting us ready. He’s transforming us. And I’m convinced anew and more than ever that our God is going to do some powerful things in us and through us for the Kingdom.

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I don’t have time or space to tell you all the wonderful things about Day One at the ACU Lectureships. Randy Harris’ session on humility sparked much conversation and debate and reflection for the rest of the day and night. Billy Wilson’s presentation on the blessings of God found in the great Psalm 23, I think, is going to show up in at least a couple of sermons at Legacy. A panel discussion between us old guys and a bunch of college students was eye-opening as to why a lot of them are jaded by our Church of Christ fellowship. It’s nothing we don’t already know. But it really pushes some of our shortcomings to the front. And then Landon Saunders nailed it at last night’s keynote with a call from Micah to reach out to the people in our communities who make churches uncomfortable. The people in our town who are dying for forgiveness, longing for connection, yearning for love and acceptance. And he puts church leaders — you and me — squarely in the cross hairs of Micah’s message.

Day Two is upon us. I’m refreshed and ready to go.

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I hadn’t been on campus five minutes when I ran into Kirk Eason from Austin Grad. Stan Reid is also here and we visited a bit after last night’s session. I’ve also spoken with Dan and Reba Bonner, two wonderful people who went with us on our trip to Israel in January. Jim Martin, a godly man and gospel preacher in Waco and a longtime friend of the family sat two seats down from me during the morning keynote. Grady King from South MacArthur and Danny Sims from Alta Mesa are running the roundtable with the college students. Sid and Janetta Allen sat down right in front of me at last night’s keynote, dear friends from North Davis who were honored by ACU last night for their decades of Kingdom service in North and South Korea. Shannon Jackson’s here. Kyle Smith, one of our kids from Marble Falls hollered out “Larry!” out in the campus yesterday and I turned around. Of course. Later on, his brother Ryan and David Griffen showed up at Moody for the keynote. And I’ve seen Mackenzie Lewis, but I haven’t been able to visit with her yet.

May God bless us with a fantastic week in his service.

 Peace,

Allan

Greetings From Abilene

September 17, 2007 / / 5 Comments

I want to share with you this morning, before we leave the hotel room to go to the first day of the ACU Lectureships, a couple of ideas from 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 that we just didn’t have time to deal with yesterday at Legacy. More on “yesterday at Legacy” later in the post.

There’s no doubting that verses 11 & 12 are a description of the “brotherly love” and the “more and more” in verses 9 & 10. Leading a quiet life, minding your own business, and working to support yourself is the way Paul describes keeping a low profile to keep harm from coming to the brothers and sisters of the congregation. That kind of brotherly love, putting Christian brothers and sisters and their well being at the forefront of all the decisions and choices we make in the community, is the “do so more and more.”

David DeSilva wrote a book four or five years ago on Christian ministry formation in the New Testament. And he wrote this about that particular passage:

“Feelings of attachment and experiences of encouragement within the group will outweigh feelings of disconnectedness from society and experiences of discouragement at the hands of outsiders. Care for and being cared for by the brothers and sisters will lead to an increased desire to conform to the values of the group, and to be held in esteem by those who are important to a Christian’s daily life.”

We all make decisions, every day, about how we’re going to be involved in the community. And Paul tells this new group of Christians that those decisions ought to be influenced by, if not determined by, our brotherly love. Love and concern for the well-being of my brothers and sisters will impact the way I live my life in society.

What you do out in the community today reflects on the person you sat by in church yesterday. The way I act today reflects on you. I need to be thinking about you when I make purchasing decisions and recreational choices and entertainment selections. You should be thinking about your church when you make career decisions and social judgments.

That’s taking it to the next step. That’s doing it more and more.

“Paul is not uninterested in acts of love and benevolence that reach beyond the group. But he seeks to promote first that level and kind of mutual affection and investment that will enhance the solidarity of the group, as well as convey to the individual member that these relationships are the most significant in his or her life.”

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The Lord moved in amazing ways through the Legacy church yesterday. He spoke words of comfort to us through the prophet Habakkuk and our brother Mac McAlister in the shock of the deaths of the sons of our dear friends Paul and Jean Dennis and Eldon and Marjorie McDowell. He showed us a beautiful picture of reconciliation between a man and his family and a man and his God with the new birth of our new brother Tyler Sharpe. He communicated to us what a humble heart and a sensitive spirit looks like in the confession of Mark Dunn. He touched us and moved us through Mason Scott’s open challenge to love one another more and depend on each other more. There was not a person in the building who wasn’t touched and impacted by at least one of the many things that happened yesterday morning. And then, as if the floodgates of mercy and compassion had been opened, Sunday night ended with a couple of dozen of our brothers and sisters requesting prayer from our elders. I lost count as couples and families prayed with our shepherds during the singing of beautiful hymns that proclaim our dependence on our God such as “I Need Thee Every Hour” and “It Is Well With My Soul.”

Terry Rush always prays before they worship at Memorial Road, “God, please do that thing you always do.”

I began praying that a year or so ago. Yesterday, God did that thing he always does.

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We didn’t arrive at the Best Western – Abilene until almost 2:00 this morning. Something about a construction issue on the roads in Forney for Dan and Jason as they left Diana to get to North Richland Hills to pick me up last night. I think it probably had more to do with an unscheduled stop at the Dairy Palace in Canton.

In Tulsa, we’re always having to choose between two or three excellent sessions every hour. Here, I don’t know how we’re going to do this. Every hour there are at least a dozen offerings that I don’t think I can miss. I know for sure we have Randy Harris at 8:30 and Jeff Walling at 9:45, even thought that means I have to miss Mark Shipp’s presentation on spiritual adultery in Hosea. After that, I’ll have to rely on my horsemen buddies to lead the way. I’ll probably be coming home with lots of CDs.

 Peace,

Allan

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