Where Are You Spending Eternity?

This is from the “Daily Word” devotional I send out to thousands of people each morning. The message is so critical, I wanted to post it and provide you the opportunity to share with friends and family. If you’d like to receive my devos, please visit powerpoint.org to sign up.

“It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” —Hebrews 9:27

The Bible says so much about the brevity of life and the necessity of preparing for eternity.

Because the fact is, you and I will spend eternity somewhere, either in heaven or hell. And we must recognize and accept the brevity of life and the severity and the gravity of choices today.

There are no exceptions. There are no retreats from the appointment that we each have. It is appointed by God himself.

I believe that there are perimeters and boundaries to every life that God established before we were born. Now, scientists may say that we are genetically programmed… that each one of us has a genetic composition that is programmed for life and for death.

But let me tell you. It isn’t just scientific programming, but rather God himself programmed each of us. And so we must each face God and we must each face eternity. We are not going to live forever on this earth and we must come to grips with what God has to say to us about being saved.

Are you ready to meet him? You can take the first steps of preparing for eternity right now by repenting of your sins and asking him into your heart right now.

THERE ARE NO RETREATS FROM THE APPOINTMENT THAT YOU HAVE. IT IS APPOINTED BY GOD HIMSELF.

Ready for Some Football?

If you’re a diehard football fan, you’re likely ready for some football right about now … so you stayed glued to the TV watching the NFL draft this weekend hoping your favorite team picked up some franchise players. (Of course, we Dallas Cowboys fans didn’t have to watch the first day of the draft since we didn’t get our first pick until the 3^rd round! But that’s a whole other story...)

Well, if you want more football and you live in the Dallas area, you won’t want to miss PowerLunch on Tuesday. Todd Graham, one of college football’s premier coaches, will be joining us at the weekly gathering we host that features great guest speakers.

Now, Todd’s not related to me, but I sure don’t mind people thinking that he is! Todd has led the University of Tulsa to consecutive 10-win seasons. Before that, he led Rice University to its first bowl berth in 45 years, which earned him Conference USA Coach of the Year honors. At Tulsa, they love him so much that in January he signed a 10-year deal. Not many coaches get that kind of security!

We love him, too. I’ve known Todd since 1996, when he was coaching at Allen High School, where my son Josh played. He led Allen to five playoff berths in six seasons. More importantly, he was a great coach and mentor to a lot of boys.

Come join us and learn about leadership from one of the most successful leaders I know.

PowerPoint Ministries Anniversary

This is a special time in the history of PowerPoint Ministries. We are celebrating our 15^th anniversary! And we do so with the awareness and the gratefulness that God has blessed this ministry exceedingly abundantly above anything we could have imagined.

When my wife, Deb, and I had the vision for this ministry, we wanted to take the Gospel message preached in the Prestonwood pulpit beyond the walls of our church. Through various partnerships we are able to proclaim the Word of God in the Dallas area and to the ends of the earth through television, radio and the Internet. As today’s technology continues advancing at breakneck speed, we anxiously await all that He will do through PowerPoint.

I am grateful for the support of listeners and viewers like you! I am always so encouraged by the many e-mails and calls we receive about softened hearts and changed lives that have come from hearing the life-transforming Word of God.

Thank you for joining us on this journey as we continue to carry the story of salvation to a lost and hurting world.

(It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years! View one of our first PowerPoint messages below.)

PowerPoint in D.C.

It’s always a blessing to move into a new market with our PowerPoint Ministries radio broadcast. I have to say, though, I’m extremely excited about our new partnership with WAVA (105.1 FM) in our nation’s capital. We started broadcasting this week in a great time slot, at 9:30 a.m. (EST), between the wonderful teaching of John MacArthur and David Jeremiah.

Please pray for this ministry as we reach across the country and the world with the transforming Word of God. And please pray that our program and this radio station would make a difference in the Washington Metropolitan Area, especially during these trying economic times. Let’s pray our nation’s leaders will tune in!

For those of you who live in the D.C. area, I’m glad to be in your neck of the woods! For those who have friends or relatives in the area, be sure to tell them to check out WAVA.

HE IS RISEN!

How can you summarize the meaning of Easter in just a few words?

An angel did it. An angel so long ago, sitting on a stone that had been rolled away, spoke to two women in a simple statement, eight words that gave us the meaning of Easter.

He is not here; for He is risen.

Powerful, eternal words … it is the epitaph to end all epitaphs. Jesus is forever alive and because He lives, we live also.

I pray you and your family have a blessed Easter.

He is risen indeed!

Good Friday ... A Divine Triumph

As we reflect on the final hours of our Lord’s life upon the earth, it’s important to recognize that Christ was not backed up against the wall; He was not a victim of unjust men. Blasphemous and cruel acts killed Jesus. And, yet, He died willingly because had He not chosen to die, He would have never died.

This was an act of love; an act of grace; a willing commitment to the Cross. All the evil deeds of men, who conspired together to kill Jesus, and all the sinful acts of mankind before and after Christ, cannot compare to the divine justice and the holy act of Christ and what He did upon the Cross.

There is nothing deeper, nothing more profound than what Jesus Christ did for us. We will spend eternity remembering, reflecting, celebrating the Lamb who is worthy to be slain.

So, on this Good Friday, as we reflect on the Cross and the scene surrounding it, we must think deeply of its power, its grace, its meaning and its significance. Certainly, it is the most significant, most important event in all of human history. It brings us to our knees and to our faces before God as we worship Him who gave His life for us.

Jesus was not a martyr or a murder victim. The Cross is not a human tragedy, rather, it’s a divine triumph. It is the plan of God for all ages, the central plan for all mankind … and we see justice and judgment, and, ultimately, we experience grace.

Beyond a New Day

Today is Opening Day for Major League Baseball. That makes it a great day for me! My beloved Texas Rangers are ready and I’m on record predicting a winning season. Opening Day is all about hope, faith, and love – the optimism that every true fan has for their team. The faith that “this year is the year”… and sheer love for the game. It is a day to celebrate the greatest game – America’s National Pastime. It is beyond baseball – it is a way of life for fans, fathers and sons (and daughters). Expectations are electric! How many homers will Josh Hamilton launch? Will Michael Young win a Gold Glove at his new position at third base? Will Ian Kinsler take the next step to stardom? Will our pitching finally come through??!!! Count on it – I will be in my seats for the opener, watching President George W. Bush throwing out the ceremonial first pitch (He loves the game and is a former Rangers owner.) and cheering for my boys for the next 162 games and on to the playoffs, and, dare I say it? The World Series. Like I said, today is all about hope, faith, and love.

Our family experienced another big opener last Saturday. That would be my grandson Ian Graham’s first T-ball game! He had his own large cheering section and, of course, played a great game. His team is the Bombers and Ian is on his way to the big leagues wearing Josh Hamilton’s number 32! It is beyond a new day to see your grandson playing his first ballgame, and I am so grateful for this season of life.

A Natural Stroke --------
Home run ----------


So, now you know the title of my Easter message coming up this weekend – Beyond a New Day! Jesus lives and gives us eternal life – a never-ending day. This hope, faith, and love fill every day with joy and we can now live in unbridled optimism only because He Lives. Easter is way beyond another day on the calendar. It is the “opener” for the best day you ever lived. Don’t miss it.

As for my future big leaguer ... he hits left and throws right and has great speed and power – just like his dad ... and I taught him.

Letter from a Soldier

There are some things that don’t need explanation or introduction. This letter is one of those. I will only preface it by asking you to please pray regularly for the brave men and women who protect our country every day.

Dear Pastor Graham,
My name is Jordan M. Pena, or better known as Private First Class of the United States Army. I received a letter from the church on March 30, 2009, and I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for having the church stand behind me, and my fellow brothers and sisters in service ... as a fellow follower in Christ, member at Prestonwood, at one time as a student, and now a service member of the military. It’s hard to find the right church in North Carolina near Fort Bragg, when I’m used to a great pastor from my home state and city. No one can fill your shoes as a great leader and speaker of God’s Word. I miss not being at Prestonwood on Sundays with my friends, but I get by reading my Soldier's Bible every chance I get, to keep my faith strong.

A little history about me, I graduated from Hebron High School in May of 2007, and went to Basic Training that following July. My 19 weeks of training ended when I earned the title of a United States Army Paratrooper (Red Beret) on Dec. 14, 2007. Shortly after being home and getting to listen to you speak one last time, I left Carrollton for Fort Bragg, where I've been stationed for a year now. I’m going on two years of active duty service and coming on the age of 21 this December. However, I will not be home to celebrate this is year, as I am currently serving in Afghanistan. A 12-month deployment that started on Jan. 26, 2009 will last until my feet touch back home in North Carolina sometime early next February. This August, I have been given the chance to come home on a 2-week mid-tour deployment leave. And I look forward to sitting on a Sunday, listening to you speak the Word of God.

Prestonwood will always be my home church … from accepting Christ into my life as a seventh grader at Prestonwood, to being baptized my sophomore year of high school, to being a senior and standing up in front a crowd telling them that I had joined the Army to protect them and God's Word … I will continue to defend it with honor. I ask for one simple thing, for a prayer so strong that it keeps my family, friends, fellow serviceman and women, and me, out of harm’s way.

Thank you, Pastor Graham, for being a big part of my life. With a cross hanging from my dog tags close to my heart, I feel God around every day, and the prayer of His believers over me and my buddies. We await the day we can come home and be united with our friends and family. God bless, and Godspeed.

Sincerely,
PFC Jordan M. Pena, U.S. Active Army Paratrooper