The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Always Working

August 17, 2026 / / 0 Comments

I began yesterday’s sermon by talking about the beautiful sunrises and sunsets in Midland. With the land as flat as it is out here in West Texas, and not very many tall buildings, and no trees, the sky is just so big and the sunrises and sunsets are spectacular. Every day. The sunrise is inspiring. The morning clouds. The colors. The sunset is breathtaking. So huge. The power and the beauty. Every day.

I’m not sure I had seen sunrises and sunsets until we moved to Amarillo 15 years ago. It’s not because they don’t have them in Dallas–they do. Every day. But I don’t think I ever really saw one. There are too many tall buildings and trees in the way. The landscape, the hills, the houses and high-rises–all the clutter kept me from seeing what was always there every single day.

But in Amarillo and, now, even more so, in Midland, with most of the clutter removed, I can clearly see what’s always been there. And I can pay better attention to it. And marvel at it. And be thankful.

The point I eventually made is that our God is always at work. Always. Every day. He never stops forgiving and comforting and redeeming and restoring and encouraging and saving. He never stops. Always. Every day. We believe that when God’s Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the grave, he was given power and authority over all things. And this divine power and authority has already defeated sin and death and Satan and all the destructive forces of evil in the universe. So, that means there is nothing–nothing!–nothing wrong, nothing dark, nothing broken, nothing bad, nothing evil in your life that hasn’t already been defeated by our Lord. The almighty Creator and Savior of the world is at work in your life right now. He is. You know he is doing something holy and good and redemptive in your life.

But maybe you don’t see it.

Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. Maybe there are too many buildings and trees in the way. Maybe the ups and downs of the terrain are blocking your view. Can you identify the clutter in your life that’s keeping you from realizing the power and the beauty of God’s work in your life?

As soon as the sermon was over, before the benediction, Triston emailed me the gorgeous picture at the top of this post of a sunset from his front porch. And then Herman and Patti sent this one from their driveway. Wow. I wish I’d had those when I put the PowerPoint together on Friday. Thank you for these amazing pictures.

Every morning, the beautiful West Texas sunrise reminds me that the earth is still turning and the God who created it is still in charge. In the evening, the gorgeous West Texas sunset reminds me that God is still working, always working. He is working for what’s best for you and for me right now and for all eternity. He is working in my life and in the lives of all the people I love. He is at work in and through all the people in our church, all the people and circumstances in our city, and all the people and situations around the world. Our God is constantly redeeming and restoring and healing and saving.

Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Peace,
Allan

Every Opportunity

August 13, 2026 / / 0 Comments

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.” ~Colossians 4:5

The older translations say “redeeming the time,” because, in the original Greek language, this is a commercial term. The verb means to buy it all out, like you know a good deal when you see one and you grab it. Like when you see Coconut Dr Pepper on the grocery store shelf, you buy all of them! You fill up your cart!

Like Black Friday, too, maybe. By the way, let’s be honest, Black Friday is decidedly not about Christmas shopping. The biggest Black Friday sales are on couches, mattresses, SUVs, and 300-inch TVs. You’re not buying that to give to Uncle Bill and Aunt Kay. But the idea is that I’ve got to buy this today. It’s about urgency. I’ve got to do this right now, or that price will be higher or those items will be gone. This is a pressing matter. Watch for the opportunity and then go for it.

I believe our God is moving in Midland, Texas. He is at work in your town, too. God is at work in the lives of your friends. He is doing something with your co-workers. God is drawing your next-door-neighbors closer to himself. God is pursuing everybody. He wants to be in holy community with everybody. Our God loves all people and he wants all people to be saved. And he is putting those people right in front of you. Pray for it. Watch for it. Make the most of it.

Anticipate these divine appointments with the people God is pursuing. Don’t be surprised by it. And don’t be scared. There’s nothing to be afraid of. God’s got this. He’s way ahead of you. When he puts somebody right in front of you, the absolute truth is that he’s been convincing them and drawing them and preparing them for your conversation for a while now. You don’t have to start anything. Just be alert to it and jump in.

Jesus just asked somebody for a drink of water at a well. Peter just knocked on the door at Cornelius’ house. Philip saw some guy reading his Bible and asked him if he wanted to talk. Paul asked his jailer about his grandkids. Watch for the opportunity and then make the most of it.

When God is in the middle of things, the holy potential is everywhere. So watch for it. And the make the most of every opportunity.

Peace,
Allan

God Bless Legacy

August 11, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Carrie-Anne and I had dinner Saturday night with some of the very best people we know, some of our very best and closest friends from our time at Legacy, the first church we served in full-time congregational ministry. David and Shanna Byrnes hosted us for a massive fajita feast, and we talked and laughed together until we were too tired to keep going. We talked about kids and grandkids, weddings and jobs, and Kevin and Jill Welch’s connections to Hollywood and baseball royalty through their two daughters. We thanked God again for Shanna’s good health and cried together as we marveled over his divine goodness to us all. And then Kevin showed us how to precisely place one scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla between two of Delanie’s homemade chocolate chip cookies to form the perfect ice-cream sandwich, a delightful cap on a wonderful evening.

It was twenty years ago this summer I received that first phone call from Jerry Karels, the chairman of the preacher search committee at Legacy Church of Christ in North Richland Hills. I was standing in the driveway of Kyle and Marti Futrell’s rent house in Marble Falls, the place we were living while I completed my two-year seminary education in Austin. I was halfway through the program and, as a result of connections between Austin Grad President Stan Reid and a couple of Legacy elders, I was on Legacy’s list. Jerry and I talked about the preaching position for about 30-minutes and then he asked me to send him a resume and tapes of a couple of my sermons. I didn’t tell him at the time, but I had only preached a total of two sermons! So, I sent him the CDs and, by God’s grace, we wound up at Legacy.

Carrie-Anne and I were blessed by God and honored by Legacy to be invited back this past Sunday to help them kick off their new cycle of Small Groups. I preached to a packed house about our connections together in Christ. I joked that they should have a recall option in place in order to re-think their ordaining of Jerry Karels as an elder. And then I encouraged their small groups co-leaders at a lunch in the Legacy gym. I must admit, I experienced some PTSD as we entered the gym–I kept expecting to be smashed in the face by a Josh Dyniewski elbow.

The most important thing, though, is that I got to tell them how much they mean to us.

That Legacy church will always be special for Carrie-Anne and me. Those are the people who gave us our start in congregational ministry. They saw something in me, they believed in me, they gave me a chance at a time when I’m not sure anybody else would. Those poor people burned off years of purgatory listening to my earliest sermons! They encouraged me. They took care of my family and me. They gave me a place to learn how to be a preacher. And I’ll always love them for that.

I thank God that I got to hug Quincy DeQueemani’s neck Sunday and listen to him tell me one more time how our God is the one who killed the Amorites with hailstones. I thank God that I got to tell John Royse again how much he inspires me. I thank God that I can still see hear Paul Dennis’ booming bass voice coming from that fourth middle pew, even thought he and Jean have already fallen asleep in our Lord. I thank God that Keith Romero still laughs really loud, that Todd Robinson is still really bald, and that Polythene Pam is still doggedly pursuing our God. I thank our Lord I got to see Nancy Snelson on Sunday, the original inspiration behind Missions Month. I thank him for J Bailey, who always knows the exact right thing to say to encourage me in any given moment, and Russ Garrison, who must have said “Keep your chin up” to me about a million times back then.

I thank God that Carrie-Anne and I were able to worship Sunday next to Chris Drake, aka Rob’s Dad, aka #48. Chris told me on several occasions back then to just point out the people who were giving me trouble and he’d clear them out like Moose Johnston blocking for Emmitt Smith. As we shared the communion meal Sunday, I reminded Chris of the time he led our communion thoughts by comparing a perfect 6-4-3 double play to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As he headed to the parking lot after church, The Drake told me again to “keep matriculating the ball down the field.”

I thank God for every person at Legacy Sunday who had so many nice things to say to us. Sunday was truly a wonderful day for us, and I pray it was a blessing to that good church.

And Saturday night. Saturday night was heaven. A foretaste of what’s in store for us on that coming day of glory.

Peace,
Allan

Trading Places

August 6, 2026 / / 0 Comments

The Gospel is all about trading places. It’s about substitution. Someone taking my place. Me filling in for someone else. Christ Jesus paying a debt he did not owe. Me bearing burdens that belong to my brother. An exchange. A switch-out.

The Gospel is this way because our God is this way.

God is love. And love–real love, intimate love, liberating love, Gospel love–is all about this exchange.

Think about your small group that meets most Sunday nights. Think of the emotionally wounded person in your group. There is no way to listen to and love that person and stay completely emotionally put-together yourself. As you listen to him and attend to him, he will probably begin to feel stronger and better. But that won’t happen without you being emotionally drained yourself. There’s an exchange. A trade. And it takes a toll.

Parenting is the same way. We sacrifice and give and serve in order that our children may live. We decrease so they will increase.

God’s salvation through Jesus works the same way. He submits to us. He leaves his heavenly home. He serves. He sacrifices and suffers. He takes on shame to give you glory. He dies so you can live.

John Stott wrote:

“The essence of sin is we human beings substituting ourselves for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for us. We put ourselves where only God deserves to be; God puts himself where we deserve to be.”

If we’ll open our eyes and look for it, we’ll see that the exchange is all around us. We live in the exchange. We are trading places all the time. This is our salvation and our holy call. Praise God for trading places!

Peace,
Allan

Working for Christ

August 5, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Once again, our GCR Church hosted all the new Midland School District employees this week for their two-day orientation. Almost 400 new teachers, bus drivers, counselors, coaches, nurses, and aides spent all day yesterday and today getting the lowdown on how to do their jobs the Midland ISD way. And it was a tremendous success. Again.

 

 

 

 

 

I am so thankful for the more than 30 GCR members who showed up both mornings to greet all the new school district employees, to serve coffee and tea, to point folks to the registration tables, to direct them to the restrooms, and to usher them to the Worship Center, the gym, and Room 301. It’s so much fun when our church recognizes that our building is a ministry hub seven days a week. I have to guess at least half of these 400 new teachers have just moved to Midland from out of town–they’re brand new here–and now they’ve all been inside our building and have had a good experience with some of our best and nicest people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know what God will do with that. I remember Jimmy Morgette walking through our doors two years ago as the new choir director at Bowie, and now he and Logan have made GCR their home. And our whole church is better for it. God is at work both in us and through us when we host the MISD new employee orientation. May his name be praised.

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

“Obey your earthly masters in everything and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for people, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” ~Colossians 3:22-24

Disclaimer: The relationships between employers and employees in our democratic society today is so different from what it was with masters and slaves during the first century when Paul penned his letter to the church in Colosse, it’s hard to make even one correlation. We certainly can’t do a one-to-one comparison in which slaves equal employees and masters equal employers. That is not the point of this post. The point is the mutual submission the Bible commands, which is definitely applicable in all our workplaces. 

When you’re at work, someone is either over you or you are over somebody else. Most of the time, it’s both. There’s a leadership structure, a chain of command. There are power and control dynamics in every workplace. So, the biblical principles apply: Don’t just work hard when they’re looking, but work hard to honor the Lord. Whatever you do, do it as working for the Lord.

I love how the cosmic realities of a new life in Christ, being raised with Christ and being a new person, all under the Lordship of Jesus totally transforms the workplace. No matter what your job is–“whatever you do”–you are working for the Lord. No matter what you do for a living, submitting to Christ as Lord of your life turns your job into his holy calling.

Your job is not just a necessary evil to make money. It’s not like you just work to pay the bills and your service to Christ is somewhere else, like what you do through the church. You were created to do everyday work for the Lord. When God created Adam and Eve, he put them in the garden to work it. When you are raised with Christ, you are living a new life in his glory, and you work your job in that same glory. God uses what you do, whatever you do, to benefit others. The Bible wants you to see your work this way and to view everybody’s jobs this way–as work that is commissioned by the Lord and used by him to bring glory to God.

Martin Luther wrote:

“When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to give us this day our daily bread. And he does give us our daily bread. He does it by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread, the person who prepared our meal.”

Today, we could say the truck driver who hauled the produce, the factory workers in the food processing plants, the warehouse workers, the wholesale distributors, the stock boys in the grocery store, and the teenager at the checkout counter. You’ve also got bankers and investors and advertisers and agricultural scientists and mechanical engineers, and they’re all playing important roles in your getting your morning bagel. Or the bag of donut holes. It depends on if we’re talking about you or me.

God could give us what we need every day by his own direct provision. He’s done it before. Several times. It would be cool for pot roast and green beans to just fall from the sky, or for ravens to show up on my front porch with cheeseburgers and fries and spicy ketchup. But the Lord has chosen to work through human beings. And we’ve all got different capacities and different talents and different jobs, but we’re serving each other. And our Lord.

Scripture is calling you to re-think your job. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” What you do every day, and the way you choose to do it, blesses people and glorifies God. It’s much bigger and much more important than just the task in front of you. Or whether or not your boss is watching.

Peace,
Allan

Clothes Make the Christian

July 31, 2026 / / 1 Comment

Our youngest daughter Carley and her husband Collin just left our house for their new digs in Phoenix.

Arizona.

That’s a long, long way from Midland.

The move is the headline in Collin’s recent promotion with CBS Sports and their 24/7 streaming service. Instead of being headquartered in Dallas and covering college sports and recruiting from Norman to Austin up and down I-35, he’s now part of a team covering almost a third of the country from Arizona and Utah west to Southern California to Washington State. It’s a tremendous opportunity for Collin in a brutally competitive industry–I completely understand–and we’re absolutely thrilled for them both.

Still, obviously, there’s some sadness mixed in. We’re going to see these two much less often now. How do we get one of those credit cards that gives us Southwest Airlines miles?

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

In other Stanglin family news, Elliott took his first steps at 6:45 Tuesday evening. At 55 weeks old, our first-born grandson (by 45 seconds) has flipped the switch and doesn’t crawl anymore! If history is an indicator, I’m betting that Sammy watches Elliott bust it for about two weeks, analyzes everything he sees, and then starts walking perfectly, immediately, and never falls. Here’s a video of those first steps:

ElliottFirstSteps

I know! I know! You want to watch it like ten times!

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

“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” ~Colossians 3:12-14

You can tell who people are by the clothes they wear. You see a police officer, you know he’s a police officer by the uniform, the badge, and the handcuffs on his belt. You know a nurse by the scrubs she’s wearing, the stethoscope around her neck, and the bags under her eyes. A referee wears a striped shirt, a cowboy wears pointed boots, a chef wears a funny hat, a dad wears cargo shorts and two-toned Asics.

A Christian is recognized by the fashion statements we make, too. When you’re raised with Christ, you wear compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, and love And people can see it a mile away.

The old clothes, the clothes you wore in the life you once lived, those are inappropriate for the new realities we enjoy in Christ. The new clothes, the new way to behave–that’s what we wear now. And these new clothes signal to people who we are. They identify us as disciples of our Lord Jesus.

Now, some people will criticize these clothes Christians wear as kind of wimpy. Christians are weak-willed pansies who talk about love and peace and let others just walk all over them.

Wait. That’s not true. Christian behavior is decidedly different from worldly behavior, but it’s not for wusses. People who say that don’t know what they’re talking about.

Have you ever seriously tried to forgive someone who did you wrong? That is a very difficult thing to do. It takes determination and commitment and follow-through. It takes a devotion to another person and a loyalty to higher ideals. It takes great courage to forgive. The wimpy thing, the easy thing to do is NOT forgive.

Have you ever tried to be compassionate and patient? It’s not natural. It’s not easy. It takes tremendous discipline. Being a person of peace in the world we’re in takes a massive amount of courage and boldness. And it’s risky. It’s much safer to join in on all the slander and lies and expressions of outrage.

But those are the old clothes. That’s the old wardrobe, before you were raised with Christ. You wear different clothes now. People know by your kindness, gentleness, patience, and love that you live in a different reality and you serve a different King.

Peace,
Allan

« Older posts

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑