When DREAMS DIE

This is the last of my three part post on “Dreams.” We talked about “Daring to Dream,” “Dreams vs Career” and now when “DREAMS DIE.” My brother in law, Noe Salmeron was at the event above the day they demolished the famed Texas Stadium last week. Since 1971, Texas Stadium was the home of the legendary Dallas Cowboys. My wife, Ruth was born in El Salvador but her second home is Irving, Texas (literally just miles from this historic site).

This post will have two points. It has been said: “ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END.” Honestly, as a lifelong Washington Redskins fan I always admired this stadium. For one, it is arguably the most recognized field in the National Football League but also one of the most recognized venues in all of sports (including the Boston Garden, Yankees Stadium and Madison Square Garden). It always impressed me and the endless joke I heard since elementary school from all my Cowboys friends: “The reason the roof of Cowboys stadium had a hole at the top was so God could watch His favorite team play!” Cute joke – but God sees through steel. Go God!!

The blue star at the 50 yard line is also one of the most visible “brands” in all of marketing. The symbol says nothing but says it all that they’re multiple World Champions. The Cowboys have been blessed with amazing talent over the years – Staubach, White, Aikman, Too Tall Jones, Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders and the list is almost endless. Ruth and I, had the privilege to tour the old stadium and also attended the inaugural event at the grand-opening of the new COWBOYS STADIUM (all $1.2 Billion) to watch George Strait & Reba McIntyre kick off a concert. You can read two previous posts about the new stadium on my blog in the archives (Dallas Cowboys to left side bar). The astro-turf was “state of the art” at one time and I read recently where one Dallas fan never missed a single, Sunday game since the old stadium opened and he now has Season Tickets to the new stadium. WOW, I wish I was as commited to Christ as he is the Cowboys!

Honestly, since junior high I have tried to appreciate and admire the dreams of others. Jerry Jones certainly has vision and I pray to die a helper than live a hater. Some fans are so zealous for their team that they cannot find anything good to say about their opponents or rivals. For the record, as a kid I wore Redskins socks, pajamas, shoes, jersey, hat, wristband, back-pack, lunch box (with the Redskins Thermos), Redskins notebook, pencil, jeans and truth be told, I even had Redskins underwear in fourth grade! Like my Underoos, this post will be “brief.”

As a child, when the tv show “DALLAS” would come on and theme song would play I would always cringe when they showed the aerial view of Texas Stadium. In my immaturity, I cared only for “my” team but as I got older, I began to have a mutual respect for the Dallas Cowboys. I didn’t despise them early on because they were “bad” but because they were so good. Early on, (as a kid) I was a hater of anyone or anything outside of the Washington Redskins. Without question, the rivalry between the Cowboys and Redskins were and still some of the most heated contests ever in professional sports. All of my Cowboys friends couldn’t wait to get to school on Monday morning and make fun of me for the Cowboys (usually) beating us once again. Those were some tough times being loyal to a losing team. Then in middle school and high school, the Skins went on a winning streak and attended the SUPER BOWL four times and won three! My parents went to the Super Bowl in 1991, when we beat the Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis, MN.

Watching the TEXAS STADIUM fall was not a proud moment for me but was actually a somber feeling (even as a Skins’ fan). This venue did bring a lot of joy to their fan base for years and it was countless folks dream to not only visit but some fans almost worshipped there as they glorified the gladiators of the gridiron. As the stadium toppled and the building imploded last weekend a couple thoughts came to my mind.

VISIBILITY: The Bible is clear: “What we can see is temporal but what we cannot see is ETERNAL.” When the Twin Towers fell on 9-11, no Las Vegas gambler would dare dream (or bet) that those massive buildings would fail and fall in our life time. We tend to put our trust, pride and worship in things seen but fail to recall that what is worth more is the un-seen things! Faith in Christ is more stable and secure than things seen with the human eye. We cannot trust in chariots, cars, computers, cash or coliseums but our trust is in the Name of the Lord our God.

VICTORY: Yes, the roar from a Cowboys crowd was almost deafening and heard at Ruth’s home just a few blocks away. But when the smoke cleared, the crowd dissapeared and the stadium empty, evacuated and extinguished than all that matters in the end was did it honor Christ during its tenure? It has been said: “Whatever is done for self will pass but what is done for Christ will last.” Despite gold rings did it honor the God Who Is Redeemer (Jesus)? This is true for all sports not restricted to one team, business or political party. We must chase the ETERNAL not the ephermal. We must celebrate God not goods. We need to cherish people, prayer and The PRINCE OF PEACE not possessions, power or palaces.

Friend, it is not wrong to dream its just wrong when the dream we dreamed was not honoring God. It’s like leaning a ladder only to learn at the end of life that we placed it against the wrong wall. What a waste! Some dreams need to die and as massive or even noble it (dream) will all vanish and amount to rubbish if it was never used for God’s Glory. Man’s glory fades but God’s Glory is FOREVER! When our dreams don’t work out I have learned that our Dissapointments are usually DIVINE Appointments. Our dreams need to be Christ-centered because if they are not we will find ourselves in a crisis regardless of how creative they were in its inception. The litmus test is does it live up to please the Lord?

The second part to this post is WHY HATE? The Bible says “to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” The “Hatfields & McKoys” despised each other. Actually, they hated each other! Generations came and passed and a reporter interviewed relatives of both families and asked: “What started the feud to begin with?” On one interview, a relative replied: “You know I don’t even know, we were just taught at birth to hate their family.” How sad!

There is an un-written rule that one shouldn’t say anything bad about someone when they die. Buildings have no feelings but human beings sure do. If we can find common ground and respect for something or someone when they are gone perhaps we should all try harder to relate with individuals while they are alive. It may be an unwritten rule to not say anything bad when their GAME IS OVER (life) but the Bible records plainly that we must love our enemies and pray for those that wrongfully hurt us. Let us not wait until its too late after one is demolished, destroyed or dead before we show grace, love and mercy. People need love now (not later). It is a travesty to miss an opportunity in life to find value only in death.

We have neighbors, co-workers and friends who are “dying” for acceptance, attention and approval and may we love on them now before its eternally too late. Society says: “All good things come to an end” but Scripture implies that “when we come to the end of self, sin and selfish pursuits (dreams) that need to die than we can come to Good things.” The “GOOD NEWS” is regardless if our dreams are demolished or become a reality; our total trust must be in God alone. Yes, the Cowboys “star” has attracted millions of fans but all dreams die miserably when we are not following the Son!

Not all dreams come true but they are great to encourage us to move forward, try harder and make our life at bat count. I had a dream in high school (despite being a Redskins fan) to preach at the 50 yard line of TEXAS STADIUM and host a Celebrate Jesus! Crusade there in downtown Dallas! Unfortunately, I never got to preach there but that dream inspired me to rent out the Arlington Convention Center (just miles away) adjacent to Six Flags over Arlington & Texas Rangers Baseball Stadium and we had a Celebrate Jesus! Texas Crusade there with invited guests Dove Award winner Ayiesha Woods, Grammy Winner Michael English, Shannon Marketic, 1992 Miss USA, Stevie Prather, Guy Latimer, Christy & Weston Hinson, DEMASKUS and others! We may not land on our dreams but travelled further because of them and God’s great grace!

Some dreams must die because if they don’t we can make them an idol. I have learned in my own life, what you are willing to walk away from will often chase you down later. Don’t “sell out” but stand up for Jesus and He will show up and SHOW OFF! Dreams can be directed by God but chase the Dream Giver more than dreams. You cannot go wrong when you walk behind The Way and The Word.

May we honor God by loving on people and the hymn is so true: “TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS, look full in His Wonderful Face and things of the Earth will grow strangely dim in the Light of His Glory and Grace.” Dream On & LIVE ON for God’s Glory. In the words of that Journey classic: “Don’t Stop Believing!”

Frank & Ruth @ TEXAS STADIUM -Irving, TX 2007