A New Journey in Faith

Today I want to share something of the journey I, along with Deb and our family, have been on in recent months. In April, after a routine checkup and subsequent biopsy, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This was not what we expected to hear, but received it as a part of God’s plan for my life knowing full well we can trust Him in everything.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. —Proverbs 3:5-6

So, after consultation with my doctors, led by my personal physician Dr. Ken Cooper, I chose to have surgery on May 14. The surgery was successful and my team of doctors has assured my prognosis is outstanding. Of course, we are grateful for this good news.

After much prayer, it was my desire to keep the surgery private for a number of reasons. So, ten days after surgery, I returned to the pulpit and a somewhat scaled-back schedule. That was a push, but God has been faithful to strengthen me.

Now, in the providence of God, Prestonwood has given us a two-month sabbatical. It is perfect timing to begin that sabbatical now for the continued healing of my body, soul and spirit.

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. —1 Thessalonians 5:23

During this time, we will travel, relax, and enjoy our family. I also feel it is important to cancel my speaking engagements away and focus on my personal walk with Christ, fortify my faith, and make sure in all this journey that Christ is magnified.

He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. —Psalm 23:2-3a

Thank you, church family and PowerPoint listeners, for praying for us always, and I know you will continue to intercede for us.

Men, right out of my personal experience, let me remind you to get regular checkups, and that includes your PSA. This kind of preventive medicine has given me the healing from God I have needed. So, guys, bless your family by making sure you maintain good health through regular checkups and taking good care of yourself.

A MAN OF GOD

Happy Father’s Day! Men, I hope you are enjoying this special day with your families. It truly is a blessing to be called “Dad,” isn’t it? And being a father is a gift from God that we should cherish and take seriously, not just for today but forever, as I note in my book, A Man of God. Consider this brief excerpt:

“We have the awesome privilege and responsibility of teaching the next generation to put their faith and trust in God—to remember the great works of God and obey Him by keeping His commandments.

The question is, how are we going to do this? I believe we do it by living a legacy as well as by leaving one. Most people think of a legacy as something we leave behind after we’re gone, which often causes us to look backward. But the Bible’s emphasis is to look forward and upward, because we have a living faith and we serve a risen, living Savior. If we live the legacy of our faith today, we will be able to pass it on to those who come behind us tomorrow.”

I address this more in a special 23-minute video. I hope you’ll take some time to click here to view it, and truly take to heart the importance of being A Man of God for your family.

"POWERING UP"

Are you running on empty? As Christians, we don’t ever have to feel like the “bars” on our internal battery indicator have dropped to zero, forcing an abrupt shutdown. You know why? Because we can rely on the Holy Spirit for life-altering power. In my new book, Powering Up, I’ll show you how to tap into this magnificent power for living. Here’s an excerpt:

“If you’re like most Christ-followers I know, you’ve walked through a season or two when you really could have used a restart button. Maybe you’re in such a season right now: your picture has been breaking up and sputtering and spitting, and you know that the life you’re living is not the life God wishes for you to live. You’re fading in and out of obedience to his commands, and therefore fading in and out of true freedom, causing the people around you to wonder whether or not you really do follow Christ. You’re weary of the superficial and in desperate need of a massive dose of something supernatural that will enable you to face life’s struggles head-on and flourish in God’s goodness for days and years to come, but you just don’t know where to turn for help.

If that is true for you, then you are not alone. I have served in a local church setting for nearly forty years, and if there is one thing I’ve heard Christians of all ages, races, backgrounds, and traditions say they desire more than anything else, it is the certainty that the power of God really can make a difference in their lives.

They look at their sorry circumstances and their below-potential behavior and want to know that Jesus really can change their hearts, their habits, their desires, their patterns, and their pain. They want to know that there is enough power for them to overcome the work of the enemy in their personal lives and the forces of evil flowing through the world at large, that there is enough power for them to prevail. To their concerns—and perhaps to yours as well—I say, there is! There is plenty of power awaiting you, life-changing, habit-altering, pain-alleviating power. It’s what powering up is all about, as even Jesus’ earliest followers could attest.”

Visit powerpoint.org to find out how you can request your copy of Powering Up.

CWS Addendum

Sweet night for baseball! Our PCA boys played great. Cameron Rupp hit two homers and drove in four for the University of Texas, including the go-ahead run, and was named the game’s outstanding player. And Jordan Swagerty came on in relief of Arizona State’s All-Everything pitcher (who had allowed six runs in the fourth) and shut down the Longhorns. The Horns won this game 10-6; but these two teams could meet again on Friday...

(To top it off, the Rangers found their power again... Couldn’t have asked for a better baseball night.)

Former PCA Baseballers in CWS

When the Texas Longhorns and Arizona State Sun Devils square up tonight in the College World Series, I’ll be a little torn as to which team to cheer for. Both are longtime powerhouse baseball programs with amazing talent. And tonight, that talent includes former Prestonwood Christian Academy standouts Jordan Swagerty and Cameron Rupp.

Isn’t that awesome? Two kids from our incredible PCA program led by Mike Maack are part of teams playing on the biggest stage in college baseball!

Cameron’s a catcher for the Longhorns and Jordan’s a pitcher for the Sun Devils ... But they’ll always be PCA Lions!

Making Memories

One of the things I love most is going to Rangers Ballpark with my family. Ian, our grandson, went with us on Friday night to see our beloved Rangers play the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the best record in the league and a Hall of Fame manager in Joe Torre.

It was a scorcher of a night and we hoped that heat would translate onto the field since our offense has been ice-cold recently. We actually did witness some offense and a 6-0 win— the second shutout in a row, in fact, for the Rangers.

And Ian had a great time. Now, he’s only 4, and this isn’t just his grandfather bragging on him, but he’s incredibly sharp. He knows the players on the field and understands what’s going on. Of course, we’ve been practicing with him for a few years now and in his just-completed inaugural T-ball season, he showed flashes of being a five-tool player already! (See photos of him in action in an April posting on this blog.)

Ian loves baseball and he loves his Texas Rangers ... and he loves his large popcorn! And I love watching Ian have a great time. These are great memories for me and for him. Do you have kids or grandkids? Take some time this summer and go make some memories.

All Digital…For Real This Time!

Today’s the big day. Are you ready? Or, rather, is your television ready? With the whole country going digital, I’m glad to say we’ve been on board at PowerPoint Ministries for a year. (And, actually, knowing that production of analog content would eventually come to an end, we started preparing about three years ago.)

We celebrated our first High Definition broadcast on Dec. 28, 2008. We’ve been amazed at how much clearer and more defined the picture looks. And, after all, at PowerPoint this is what we strive for—delivering the clear, defined message of the Gospel from households in the Metroplex to those in East Asia and all places in between.

Let me know what you think of this new digital look on your TV screen.