MLB, Josh Hamilton and Me

Have I mentioned yet my new favorite channel on TV? MLB Network—every baseball fan’s dream station … all baseball all the time.

I get to watch classic games, games I remember watching as a boy, and get to see some of the greatest players of all-time looking back on their careers. (In fact, there was a great interview just the other day with Tommy John, the guy the famous pitching arm surgery was first performed on and named after.) And, now of course, there are spring training scores and highlights and in-depth features on each team.

And just last night, MLB aired a great piece on Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and his amazing story ... from out-of-this-world prospect to cocaine addict, and by the grace and mercy of God, now one of the best players in the game.

As a kid, I always dreamed of making it to the MLB, being a five-tool talent like Josh. Well, last night I made it to the bigs. I was on the MLB Network! In the story about Josh, they included a clip of the two of us talking at PowerLunch here at Prestonwood last fall.

I’m sure I’ll see a lot more of Josh on MLB Network. As for me … not so much.

P.S. If you missed the MLB Network piece, it will re-air Wednesday, March 4, at noon. Set your DVR!

The Cody Novak Story

Every once in awhile, I open the newspaper and read a story that touches me deeply. What a blessing it was this morning to see a story about one of our own young men on the front page of the Dallas Morning News. Now, I knew the story was running but was pleasantly surprised to see it grace the front page.

The story is one of faith and strength and courage. It’s a story about a great love for the game of basketball, for teammates and most importantly for our great God. It’s the Cody Novak story.

Cody is a 17-year-old senior here at Prestonwood Christian Academy who is an outstanding athlete and a wonderful young man. While his PCA basketball teammates will be battling tonight to reach the TAPPS 5A state championship game tomorrow, Cody is battling something much bigger. He recently found out he has a very rare and aggressive cancer. I’ve known Cody and his family for many years, so it isn’t surprising to hear how he is dealing with this. He’s not scared. His God is greater than this, he says.

Cody’s story is the most e-mailed story in the past 24 hours at the Dallas Morning News. Countless will be blessed by a boy who’s not giving in or giving up but holding fast to his faith in Christ.

Click here to hear Cody interviewed by Greg Hill on KRLD-FM 105.3 The Fan.

Hope Springs Eternal

For fans of the great game of baseball, nothing matches the hope of spring, when no one languishes in last place and everybody can dream of the World Series. If you’re a fan, you know what I’m talking about and you know that today is the official start of Spring Training, when all players report. And it’s always a great day (even though the game has been tainted as of late).

No matter which team you follow, the anticipation leading up to Opening Day (47 days away) makes every fan a school kid again. And, really, baseball is a lot like life—filled with ups and downs, victories and defeats. Sometimes our hopes are swept away by a Mariano Rivera cutter and sometimes our joy soars on a Josh Hamilton walk-off homer in extra innings.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Christians savored the hopeful joy that baseball fans find this time of year...that they would share the Good News casually around the water cooler or with friends and family, or that they would religiously read God’s Word just as fervently as fans read boxscores? And wouldn’t it be great if Christians looked forward with a baseball fan’s zeal to the great day of salvation?

Because...after all...for a believer, the greatest Opening Day is yet to come.

Digging Deeper

One of my prayers for the people of Prestonwood is that we would grow deeper in the Word. I can’t tell you how essential it is to read the Bible, to study it, to understand it so that you will truly know what you believe and you will truly know God.

We want to complement what you are doing in your quiet time with God. And we are doing that not only in the services and Bible Fellowship on the weekends, but during the week. If you’re not attending on Wednesday nights, you’re missing out on a wonderful opportunity to go further in your spiritual walk. We have a diverse selection of classes through our Life & Leadership Institute. And we’ve embarked on The Journey ... A Spiritual Walk thru the Bible in Wednesday Night Bible Study.

Last week, Minister to Young Marrieds Chris Kouba did an excellent job guiding us through Genesis. Last night, I took a full crowd in The Chapel through Exodus. I tell you what, it’s exhilarating to have a solid hour (I could have gone two!) to just teach. I’ve put together a teaching schedule that includes many of our ministers. They are hungry for God’s Word and hungry to teach it. The question is ... are you hungry?

We’re still deep in the “Law” segment of this Bible study. And as I said last night, we don’t keep the law because we want to be saved; we keep the law because we are saved. As we continue through the Old Testament in the next few months, we’ll also delve into “History,” “Wisdom” and “Prophets.” Next up ... Leviticus.

Join us on this journey...

Live to Tell Stories, Salvations and Steroids

We experienced an amazing time at Prestonwood this past weekend! I am so grateful to my friend Greg Laurie for sharing his powerful life story with us through the documentary, Lost Boy, and through his message.

Nearly 20,000 attended services during this mini Harvest Crusade and more than 200 made decisions for Christ—including 37 students at our Freedom Weekend outreach who were baptized on Sunday. We were also blessed with a full house at Prestonwood North, our second campus in Prosper.

If you are a friend of our ministry who lives outside of the Dallas area, visit PowerPoint Ministries to view one of our Live to Tell Weekend services. To learn more about Lost Boy, the documentary and the book, check out Greg's blog. You will be blessed. And be sure to let me know about your life change. How has your life been transformed by Christ? Many of our members are sharing their stories. We all have a story to tell...so, tell it.

Which brings me to a whole other story. This week, the biggest sports story in the world has been the admission by Yankees superstar slugger Alex Rodriguez that he used banned substances while playing for the Texas Rangers. I watched his interview and a couple of things struck me (besides the fact that he wants everyone to just forget his three-year playing career in Texas ever happened). When asked if he was bitter that tests that were supposed to be confidential and should have been destroyed weren’t, his answer was: “No, I mean, God has done this for a reason.” Later, when talking about having fun again in baseball, he said, “that’s my savior, the game of baseball.”

Now, I won’t begin to assume that I know what A-Rod’s beliefs are. (Didn’t he dabble in kabbalah recently?) But he does appear to have misguided views of God. And we all know he’s not alone. This is why it’s critical that we live to tell the greatest story ever told—the story of Jesus Christ, our Lord, the true Savior of this world.

If You Invite Them ...

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this weekend. Live to Tell Weekend is an incredible outreach opportunity for our church family. We want to have as many people here as possible—especially those who need to know Christ. Have you invited a friend?

Think of this as an old-time revival—church for two days. If you’re a Sunday worshipper, invite someone to join you on Saturday ... then come back on Sunday. I know you won’t want to miss either day because our guest speaker Greg Laurie has one of the most powerful testimonies I’ve ever heard. Greg is a great friend, a true man of God with an amazing gift for preaching the Gospel in relaxed style.

He is also a wonderful writer. If you haven’t read his autobiography, Lost Boy, I highly recommend it. (He’ll sign copies both days.) His is a powerful story of faith and conversion. And we’ll watch it unfold before us on Saturday through the 55-minute documentary of the same name. On Sunday, Greg will bring the message, “My Story,” and we’ll watch a shortened version of the movie.

So don’t miss out on this chance to bring someone who doesn’t yet know the God we know. Remember the movie Field of Dreams? Being a baseball fan, of course, that’s one of my all-time-favorites. Anyway, I’m sure you recall the memorable line from the movie: If you build it, they will come. Well, I can tell you this: If you invite them, they will come to know Jesus.

Let me hear from you after the weekend ... and tell me stories of transformed lives.