I shared this short devo with my Daily Word subscribers this morning... Thought I’d share with you because it’s such a great reminder of everyday worship of our Lord as we head into the New Year.


Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! —Psalm 150:1-6

It was Billy Sunday who said we need to “Yank some of the groans out of (our) prayers and shove in some shouts.” And of course, one of the most precious and beautiful ways to praise God is to sing the name of Jesus.

I’ll tell you, I just love singing to the Lord. In fact, there are times I even make up songs. Now they’re not fit for human consumption. In fact, they’re not fit for anybody but the Lord! But I’ll be driving down the road sometimes, just singing and praising God. It’s great!

Now I realize that most of us aren’t professional recording artists and many might not like to sing. But one clear truth we find in the Scripture is that God wants us to praise him with music.

Musical praise isn’t just limited to those on stage with microphones. No, singing praises to God should be done by “everything that has breath!”

So next time you’re driving down the road by yourself, turn the radio down and sing a few songs to the Lord. You’ll be amazed how it feels to express your heart to your audience of one!

PRAISING GOD THROUGH MUSIC IS A COMMAND FOR EVERYONE. SO USE YOUR VOICE TO EXPRESS YOUR LOVE TO HIM!


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MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I pray you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!

"I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"

Have you heard the story behind the powerful song "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow? I shared it with our church family on Sunday, followed by a beautiful interpretation by one of our worship associates Jordan Grizzard. I hope this blesses you as much as it blesses me...

THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS

If you live in the Dallas area, you don't want to miss The Gift of Christmas, an absolutely stunning presentation by the Prestonwood Choir & Orchestra, along with our Students and Children's choirs. Gift of Christmas starts tonight at 7 p.m., the first of six performances.

I was at the dress rehearsal last night and I can tell you that this is truly the best Christmas presentation we've had in a long time. We're combining beautiful voices (1,000 of them, including adults, students and children), with pageantry (flying angels!) and technology (a 60-foot long LED wall)...

It was great to share this incredible night with many folks from our Special Needs Ministry and from our English as a Second Language Program. Being able to provide them the opportunity to come as our guests was a blessing.

Some 30,000 people will be taking in this presentation over the next few days... My prayer is that the Spirit will open hearts to the miracle of Christmas.

You can purchase tickets to one of the six performances at prestonwoodgoc.org.

Watch this video for a sneak peak...

Powerful Testimony of Life-Change

I wanted to share with you a testimony from one of our newest members, John Potter. I am grateful for the amazing work that the Lord continues to do at Prestonwood.

PCA STATE CHAMPS -- AGAIN!

Congratulations to the PCA Lions on their second consecutive state championship! Last night our football team took the TAPPS Division I title a year after winning TAPPS Division II. And what a game it was against Fort Worth Nolan, a powerhouse team going for a three-peat...

The Lions scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 80-yard-drive in the final three minutes, and then linebacker Zac Grogean sealed the 38-35 win with an interception in the endzone.

I'm so proud of these guys for their hard work and perseverance. The Lions lost once to a tough Celina team and once to these FW Nolan Vikings, who squeaked by. I'm so grateful for Head Coach Chris Cunningham and the rest of the coaching team for their leadership and guidance...

Thanks for an awesome season, boys!

(And thanks to Prestonwood staff member Cliff Traverse for these photos, including this great shot of the game-sealing interception...)

The Best Christmas Music

Can you imagine Christmas without music? I celebrate Christmas year-round and listen to Christmas music year-round. But there's something so incredibly wonderful about listening during the Christmas season. Don't you agree?

Here's a list of some of my favorite music; songs that I seem to listen to most. Let me know what your faves are ...

Top 10 Christmas Carols
1) Joy to the World
2) Silent Night
3) Carol of the Bells
4) God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5) How Great Our Joy
6) The Birthday of the King
7) O Come All Ye Faithful
8) O Come O Come Emmanuel
9) Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire
10) I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day


Top 10 Classics
1) I’ll Be Home for Christmas
2) It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
3) White Christmas
4) Here Comes Santa Claus
5) Santa Claus is Coming to Town
6) Mary’s Little Boy Child
7) It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
8) Sleigh Ride
9) The Christmas Story
10) Do You Hear What I Hear?

Three Generation Baptism

We have had incredible stories of life-change at Prestonwood this year. This weekend our church family witnessed a very touching baptism of three generations of women. Watch the video.

Decision Points

I'm one of the million-plus people who bought a copy of Decision Points by President George W. Bush as soon as it was released. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed it...It's a great read. I've been touched by the personal stories and the story, in his own words, of how God changed his life is powerful.

Here's a condensed version of the excerpt:

As I read the Bible, I was moved by the stories of Jesus' kindness to suffering strangers, His healing of the blind and crippled, and His ultimate act of sacrificial love when He was nailed to the cross. For Christmas that year, Don Evans gave me a Daily Bible, a version split into 365 individual readings. I read it every morning and prayed to understand it more clearly. In time, my faith began to grow.

... Surrendering yourself to an Almighty is a challenge to the ego. But I came to realize that struggles and doubts are natural parts of faith. If you haven't doubted, you probably haven't thought very hard about what you believe.

Ultimately, faith is a walk—a journey toward greater understanding. It is not possible to prove God's existence, but that cannot be the standard for belief. After all, it is equally impossible to prove He doesn't exist. In the end, whether you believe or don't believe, your position is based on faith.

That realization freed me to recognize signs of God's presence. I saw the beauty of nature, the wonder of my little girls, the abiding love of Laura and my parents, and the freedom that comes with forgiveness ... I moved ahead more confidently on my walk. Prayer was the nourishment that sustained me. As I deepened my understanding of Christ, I came closer to my original goal of being a better person—not because I was racking up points on the positive side of the heavenly ledger, but because I was moved by God's love.

What did you think of the book?

Give Thanks in all Circumstances

Thou that hast giv’n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be Thy praise.
—George Herbert

Every year at the end of November, we join family and friends over a great feast to reflect upon blessings and give thanks to the Lord. Thanksgiving Day can be a wonderful time, a holy time, of pausing to express gratitude to God. But just like prayer and praise and listening to Him, thanksgiving isn’t only meant for special gatherings, for a date on the calendar.

The psalmist says in Psalm 34:1, I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. And the apostle Paul implores the church in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances.” In fact, it is the “will of God in Christ Jesus” that we do so.

No matter what we are experiencing, good or bad, thanksgiving will not change your circumstances. But, thanksgiving and praise will change what your circumstances do to you. Your circumstances in life will either destroy you or strengthen you if you learn how to give thanks.

And when we say thank you, we recognize that beyond us and beyond our circumstances and beyond what’s going on in our lives, there is a sovereign God who loves us, who has a wonderful plan for our lives, who plans to give us a future and a hope, who is overall, above all, in all, through all, and in everything!
So, today, and every day, we give thanks.

JOSH HAMILTON AD

Just saw this new ad and it is pure greatness....

If you've never seen Josh Hamilton's I AM SECOND film, check it out....If you have, watch it again!

A THANKSGIVING MESSAGE

JOSH HAMILTON—MVP

I tweeted earlier about how Josh Hamilton being named the American League’s MVP would expand his platform to share his story of redemption. And I was not surprised, but so grateful to read these quotes from him immediately after he learned of the award:

"It's obviously a great honor. There are a lot of deserving players. I give all the glory to God. Without him, it wouldn't be possible."

"It's awesome to think about where I am at this moment and where I was. There was a 99 percent chance this would never happen and a lot of people would have agreed. There was a 100 percent chance that it wouldn't have happened on my own, but the important thing is I didn't do it on my own. With God, all things are possible."

"My relationship with Christ will keep me from being content. I want to be better in all areas of my life. As a competitor and an athlete, the way I'm wired, I want to do better and be the best I can at all times. I work hard at practicing and getting ready for games. I've seen it in players in the past who have all the talent in the world but didn't have the work ethic. The Lord has blessed me with the ability to work as hard as I can to show the talent He gave me to play the game."

I am so happy for this young man and excited to see all that the Lord will do through him in the coming years and long after his playing days are over...

Congratulations, Josh! Go Rangers!

Social Media & The Church

Yesterday’s front page of the Dallas Morning News had a great article about the Church and social media. And whether it’s Facebook or Twitter or blogs, we are definitely trying at Prestonwood and PowerPoint Ministries to reach people where they are.

But let me make this clear, social media will never replace our face-to-evangelism, our servant evangelism. We will forever be the hands and feet of God, serving in our communities and the mission fields.

Still, our mission at Prestonwood is “to glorify God by introducing Jesus Christ as Lord to as many people as possible and to develop them in Christian living using the most effective means to impact the world, making a positive difference in this generation.” And right now, social media provides us that opportunity with the majority of the country and much of the world now plugged in. We are truly left behind as the Church, if we don’t go where the people are for the sake of the Kingdom.

More than 500 million people are on Facebook, and the story notes that 47 percent of churches now use Facebook. So, just as Jesus went to the people, we are using whatever means possible to take the Gospel to our community and the world.

Now, I don’t know how many churches use Twitter, but I know it took me awhile to accept the whole idea of it because it seemed a bit self-absorbing to me. But I realized what a great tool it can be and now that I’m aboard, I want to develop it in way to reach people whether through Prestonwood or PowerPoint.

So I use personal quotes or well-known quotes that will lift a person’s day or encourage them. I may use it as a prayer request or to give a heads up on what I’m going to be preaching on Sunday or to invite people to come to church or to pray for our services. When I’m going to be at a speaking engagement, I’ll encourage those in that city to come and those here in our church to pray for us.

Twitter makes for great water cooler conversation. It gave me a chance to talk about my beloved Texas Rangers during our run to the World Series. And I can keep up with my friends and what’s on their mind and what God is saying to them in their quiet time.

Follow me @jackngraham....

I’ll have a special gift for my 5,000th follower.

What do you think the special gift should be? Write to me and let me know...

PCA State of the School

Sitting in the PCA State of the School address by Head of School Dr. Larry Taylor on Monday night, I couldn’t help but think how far God has brought this school. I am so grateful for His hand on PCA and for His blessing.

We opened our doors in August 1997 with about 300 children in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade. We now have nearly 1,500 students in pre-k through 12th grade. And the Lord continues to bless Prestonwood Christian Academy every day. Here are just a few things that I (along with about 1,000 parents) learned:

• In the past year, 177 students and parents surrendered their lives to Christ.
• Nearly 90 percent of alumni have said they feel spiritually prepared to defend their faith.
• Last year, 60 percent of our Upper School students went on a mission trip.
• So far this year, 373 students have signed up for mission trips.
• Over the past six years, PCA students have been awarded more than $12 million in scholarships.

Our students are not just receiving an excellent education; they are truly receiving a Kingdom Education. As the grandparent of a PCA Lion, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this. I know how much my grandson, Ian, loves PCA and how much his parents, Jason and Toby, love it.

I want you to take a moment to watch this powerful video that speaks so much to what PCA is about ... what makes it special.

RUNNIN’ FOR POWERPOINT ... AND FUN

This Saturday morning we’re hosting our 2nd Annual PowerPoint Fun Run and 5K. The great thing about these runs is you don’t actually have to run. Which is what I’m doing...not running. But I’ll be there, walking that nice, hilly 3.1 mile course. (I’ll probably kick it in the last few yards!)

So, anyway, I want to invite you and your family to come out and join me. You can, together, participate in the one-mile Fun Run (8:30 a.m.). Or you can walk or run the 5K (9:00 a.m.). We had a blast last year and had a great turnout. We have lots of free food and other great booths and giveaways. And best of all, this helps support PowerPoint Ministries. In particular, this will go toward the purchase of airtime as we continue to take the Gospel message to the ends of the earth.

Although online registration is now closed, you can still register onsite Saturday morning (at the PCA Lower School entrance on Midway and Park). Check out this video to learn more.

AN INCREDIBLE RIDE

What an amazing ride our Texas Rangers took us on this season! Nobody expected them to be in the World Series. In fact, they were picked by many so-called baseball experts to finish fourth in the AL West... And yet, here they were still playing in November ... in the Fall Classic.

It has been a blast following their journey to the World Series, and Deb and I and the rest of Team Graham (and Rangers Nation for that matter) are so thankful for this absolutely joyous season. The Rangers didn’t win the championship, but they won the hearts of the Metroplex! We’ll never forget those special moments as we captured the ALDS in Tampa Bay and then the American League Pennant. Those games against the Yankees? Priceless.

The future is bright for our Texas Rangers ... and I am looking forward to Spring Training just four months away! Let’s Go Rangers!

The Reach of PowerPoint Ministries

I am so very grateful for what God has done through PowerPoint Ministries. It’s been an amazing 16 years since Deb and I founded this ministry to take the Gospel message beyond the walls of our church.

And I am grateful to you, the viewers and listeners, for your steadfast support... Just recently I heard a wonderful story from a local worship pastor. He was telling me that he checked to see what his 15-year-old son had TiVo’d in his room and was pleasantly surprised to see PowerPoint recorded a handful of times!

It just reminds me of the importance of this ministry and how we are connecting with people from all seasons of life—from a teen to a senior shut-in. I’m thrilled that our messages on the family this past week including “God’s Game Plan for the Home,” and “The Role of the Husband,” “The Role of the Wife,” “The Role of the Child” have been a blessing to so many. I’ve heard from our PowerPoint team that our phones have been lit up all week.

Thanks again for your support, and be sure to tell friends about the messages we’ll be airing next week:

Monday: “Keeping the Team Together”
Tuesday: “High Definition Living”
Wednesday: “Text Parenting”
Thursday: “Financial Firewalls”
Friday: “Surveillance and Security”

RANGERS WIN THE PENNANT!!

Deb and I have waited a long time for this .. and I can tell you, it was sure worth the wait! Our beloved Rangers are headed to the World Series (still so surreal!), and experiencing that atmosphere at Rangers Ballpark late last night was something we'll remember the rest of our lives... And it's not over yet!

What I love about this team--and there's a lot to love--is how they care for each other. Every one of those guys interviewed, starting with ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton, spoke about the team's unity and wanted to speak more about teammates than themselves. In this me-me day and age, it's refreshing to see a team like the Rangers, the Ginger Ale Gang...

How cool was that for the world to see? The American League champs celebrating in front of 51,000 fans, dousing each other with ginger ale so their MVP can participate!

And how powerful was it for the world to hear that MVP sharing his faith, giving glory to God and speaking the words "My Savior Jesus Christ"?

And to top it off .. our young closer, Nefti, strikes out A-Rod, freezes him in fact, to end the game and the series! Doesn't get much better than that for true Rangers fans.

Now the whole world knows what Deb and I have known all season, this is truly destiny's team.

Hello, World ... Hello, World Series!!

RANGERS BASEBALL---THE BEST IS YET!

Getting ready for the first game (and first win) in the ALCS against the Yankees!

Now, I wouldn’t say I hate the Yankees, but ...

Listen to this interview I did with KCBI this morning to hear my thoughts on the matter...

GO RANGERS!

LIONS BATTLE FOR #1

(Kenneth Huggins rushed for 258 yards last week against Argyle Liberty Christian.)

After a decisive win against Argyle Liberty Christian, the team PCA beat for the state championship in TAPPS Division II last year, the Lions take on Fort Worth Nolan. Undefeated Nolan is the No. 1 ranked team in TAPPS Division I and defending state champion. The Lions, ranked right behind Nolan (we lost one to Celina), travel to my hometown on Friday for this battle for the top spot in the division.

Not bad for our first year playing in this new division! In fact, ESPN Dallas says this “could be the most important private school game in the area this season.” Click here to read the story.

Texas high school football doesn’t get any better than this...

ANTLERS AWAY!

It was antlers all the way last night and my beloved Rangers advance to the American League Championship Series! What an amazing display of base running ... even Bengie Molina got in on the action ... moose antlers! And claw to Cliff Lee for some of the greatest precision pitching I’ve seen from a Rangers’ pitcher in a long time.

And, so now we face the Yankees.

The team with its first postseason series win against the one with 27 championship titles; the team that had to win all its games on the road against the team that swept its opponent; the team with everyday guys, against the team with superstars who date movie stars; the team with Cliff, against the team that wanted Cliff (and still believes it will get him after the season)...

Watching the post-game shows on MLB, TBS, ESPN and FSN, the thing that really stood out for me was how much the Rangers love each other. I can’t imagine another clubhouse being this tight, this self-less...If you’ll remember, Josh Hamilton didn’t participate in the spraying celebration after wrapping up the AL West title in Oakland because of his battle with alcohol and drugs... So yesterday, the team made sure Josh was included... Click here or on the image to link to a video that speaks volumes about the team destined to be world champions ...

SBC President Bryant Wright at Prestonwood

I’m excited to welcome Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright to the pulpit at Prestonwood this Sunday. Bryant’s a good friend and pastors the wonderful church, Johnson Ferry Baptist in Marietta, Ga., just outside of Atlanta.

I’m grateful for Bryant, who has chosen to lead the SBC during this important time as we endeavor to engage churches in the Great Commission Resurgence. Johnson Ferry Baptist is a church with a heart for missions and Bryant is a great connection between the old and the young. I know that he will do a great job of leading us over the next two years.

In keeping with our current message series, The Gospel of God, Bryant is preaching from John 3:1–16, bringing the message “Two Births That Count.”

Come join us at 9:15 and 11:00 a.m., or if you’re out of town, live stream at powerpoint.org at 11:00 a.m.

RANGERS WIN ... RANGERS WIN!

I’m out here at “The Trop” in St. Pete and have just witnessed Rangers history! We won a playoff game! And, frankly, not only did we win ... we roughed up those Rays pretty good. I’ve been waiting a long time for this and I can tell you it was pure greatness... (Here are a couple of videos: celebrating victory on the field and batting practice, and a photo of the first pitch.)




My wife, Deb, and son Josh, and daughter Kelly, and I were all wearing our Rangers Red in this sea of blue here at Tropicana Field. And we proudly threw out the “claw” and “antlers.” In fact, here's Josh being interviewed by the St. Petersburg Times. (Click to read the story.)

Cliff Lee had a few rough spots but otherwise was unhittable, retiring 12 straight at one point. And with Cliff pitching like this, all you need are a couple of runs ... and our offense sure produced today.

Like I said in an interview on KCBI radio after the game, this is a confident team, and definitely the best Rangers team I’ve seen on the field in a long, long time.

We are having a blast and are looking forward to winning tomorrow’s game with C.J. on the mound, and then closing out the series at home on Saturday!

PCA Lions Playing at Cowboys Stadium

I've been to the new Cowboys Stadium a few times, and it truly is everything it's been described as. It's a striking building, no doubt. That gigantic screen that nearly runs the length of the field is like nothing I've ever seen and the field is absolutely gorgeous. So, I think it's great that our own PCA Lions will play on that field on Thursday in the first private school game to be played there. In a rematch of the state championship that PCA won last year, the Lions face the Warriors of Liberty Christian.

The two teams are ranked in the top five in their TAPPS division this year so I know it's going to be a battle ... which is why we've dubbed it "Battle at the Blue Star."

If you like high school football, and want to check out Cowboys Stadium for a way discounted price, come check out the game. Tickets are $10 and they'll be sold at the stadium...

Go Lions!

Remembering Tom Landry

If you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan, you have to go the State Fair and check out the Tom Landry Personal Collection exhibit. The first head coach of the Cowboys was always one of my heroes.

He made that team into America’s Team with some of the greatest players to ever play the game like Bob Lilly and Roger Staubach (who will be at PowerLunch on Oct. 19) and so many more....

I go way back with the Cowboys...I’ve been a longtime fan and I even sold popcorn and peanuts at the Cotton Bowl for a couple of seasons. (I think that’s where I developed my preaching skills!)

I always admired Coach Landry and his strong Christian faith and his devotion to his family and his integrity. One of my greatest memories was hosting him at PowerLunch. He was always very clear: faith first, family second and football third ... And he lived out those priorities in life.

Coach Landry will always be known as “The Man in the Hat” ... And who will ever forget his calm and dignified demeanor on the sidelines? His character and demeanor and style and how he treated his players was always reflective of his Christian faith. He was truly one of the greatest men in the history of Dallas, one of the all-time great coaches and one of the greatest men I’ve ever met.

So let me encourage you to go to the State Fair and eat a couple of Fletcher corn dogs and check out the Tom Landry exhibit.

"YOU REIGN"

I’ve often said that we are blessed with the greatest church choir in the country. It’s amazing to be led by our Worship Pastor Todd Bell and the 500-plus voices, accompanied by amazing musicians in the orchestra, each week. What I love best is how Todd and the choir have their own “church” on Wednesdays and before the services, preparing their hearts for worship before leading our church family in worship.

On Sunday, the choir will premiere live its new CD, You Reign, during our services. If you live in the area, be sure to join us at 9:15 or 11:00 a.m., or you can live stream the second service on powerpoint.org. The CD will be available at the Prestonwood Bookstores beginning Sunday.

A Word from David Jeremiah

My good friend David Jeremiah was here yesterday. Had a great talk with him, and then he spoke to nearly 900 at our weekly PowerLunch. David’s got a powerful new book out, The Coming Economic Armageddon: What Bible Prophecy Warns about the New Global Economy. He touched on the book and the current financial crisis our country is facing. It is both sobering and startling.

But David is a pastor, so he focused on four things what we, as believers, must do to overcome these unstable times.

Keep your head in the game. Don’t ignore the situation. We need to know about it and how it affects us. Progress is impossible if we don’t know where we are to start with.

Keep your house in order. We may not be able to do anything about the national economy, but we are in charge of our own household. Do two things: Take a personal inventory of your financial situation, and try to become debt-free.

Keep your heart in your faith. Don’t be discouraged. In the midst of debts and darkness is Jesus, and we are His ambassadors. Through our faith, people will realize that God’s Word is Truth in all of this.

Keep your hope in God. We are God’s people; we know that. Troubles don’t matter; God will continue to care for His people. Every generation faces uncertainty, but nothing can destroy our joy. We have real reason for hope. Our hope is not in the current situation, but our hope is in God. Problems actually make us better because they drive us toward God.

If you would like financial guidance, please check out the resources we have available through Prestonwood Foundation:

Financial Boot Camp—Six-week class that covers 10 biblical principles that deal with understanding God’s role in your finances, developing a spending plan, eliminating debt, building short and long term savings, giving, and more.

Marriage & Money God’s Way—God’s Word has a lot to say about money and marriage. Put these two areas of life together and the result can be explosive if you are not following God’s clear path for success and blessing.

Biblical Finances Discovery Classes—Four week class that reviews biblical financial principles as it pertains to fulfilling the call to be a faithful steward/manager with what God has given you.

Prestonwood Foundation also offers one-on-one guidance, providing free, confidential financial guidance. If you are interested in any of these classes or to schedule an appointment, please contact Ron Kelley at 214-820-5439.

Baseball and Burgers ... Again

Deb and I are having a great time in Southern California, or as they say here, The O.C.

We’ve been following our Rangers on their way to the Western Division Championship. We stayed through the 12th inning last night, watching our guys get the win. It was very cool to hear a pretty good size group of Rangers fans chanting “Let’s go Rangers!” Kinda like the Yankees get everywhere they go ...

But before heading out the game or the beach ... you guessed it. We had to make a stop at In-N-Out for a Double-Double, fries and a Dr Pepper. I can’t wait for In-N-Out’s arrival in the Dallas area in the spring. As far as I’m concerned, this is the lunch and dinner of champions...

JARRETT STEPHENS IA2 FILM

One of my life’s ambitions is mentoring young men in the ministry. I was blessed to have a godly mentor in my pastor, Dr. Fred Swank. I’ve spoken often about the influence he had on my life. I benefitted greatly from the investment he made in my life ... and to this day many of the decisions I make are a direct result of his influence.

What I learned from Dr. Swank I want to deposit in the young men who are coming behind me, those to whom I’ll pass the baton... Jarrett Stephens, our Teaching Pastor at Prestonwood, is one of those young men. I’ve know Jarrett for more than 10 years now and I’ve seen him grow more and more passionate about God’s Word. He is an incredible preacher with the heart of a servant. He is a wonderful husband to Debbie and a great daddy to Riley and Kelsey.

And Jarrett has a powerful story to tell. A story of God’s grace and mercy and the restoring power of His love. I am so very proud of Jarrett and I love him like a son. Watch Jarrett’s I AM SECOND film and be sure to share it with someone who will be blessed by it.

And visit iamsecond.com to view other films.

Powerful Kickoff to PowerLunch

I’ve always admired Jim Kelly from afar. He was a great football player...tough, hard-nosed, competitive, relentless. He was the face of the Buffalo Bills franchise and for good reason. Following the guidance of Head Coach Marv Levy, he kept that team at the top for a long time...unfortunately for Jim, the Cowboys were a better team...But that doesn’t take away from this guy’s Hall of Fame career.

Well, I admire Jim even more after having met him and his wife, Jill, and after hearing their hearts and the story of their son, Hunter, at PowerLunch today. Hunter was born with Krabbe disease, a rare terminal illness.

But though he was unable to speak, his short life spoke volumes and helped to restore the couple’s marriage and faith. This is the story of changed lives through the powerful witness of a little boy. Jill wrote a memoir about the precious life of their Hunter in Without a Word: How a Boy’s Unspoken Love Changed Everything. Pick up a copy.

If you live in the area, be sure to make plans to join us next week. My good friend David Jeremiah will be our guest speaker. I know you’ve heard of David and you’ve heard his program Turning Point on Christian radio. He’s the Senior Pastor of Shadow Mountain ommunity Church in El Cajon, California...and an incredible writer and Bible teacher.

Check out our lineup for the rest of the year and follow PowerLunch on Twitter.

Prestonwood North Dinner on the Grounds

We had a great time celebrating our annual Dinner on the Grounds last night at Prestonwood North. We come together as a church family each year between the anniversary of this campus and the anniversary of moving into the permanent facility in Prosper ... and we have just a typical Sunday potluck church dinner.

Well, sort of typical... We had more than 1,200 there and some great food (our people can really cook!) and giant inflatables and games for the kids covered the front parking lot. The Quinten Hope Band provided some great music. (I was itching to get on drums with those guys.)

But the evening really was about changed lives and the work that the Lord is doing through our church family. We witnessed the baptism of 37 people, many of them parents and their children who have found a home at Prestonwood North.

One woman who was baptized along with her two children, described the experience as “breathtaking.” She said they’d been looking for a church home and just hadn’t found one until they went to Prestonwood North. Another gentleman told me he and his wife were headed for divorce when they started attending, and last night his wife was baptized. I love to hear that people are plugging in and finding a church to call home.

When God led us to that cotton field in Prosper more than four years ago, we knew He would do “exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” We knew the fields would be white for harvest... Looking around the grounds yesterday, seeing all these families become one, helped me again to realize that this is only the beginning. God has so much more in store as we continue to reach those communities.

I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to close the evening than by holding hands, looking toward the cross at the church entrance and singing the “Old Rugged Cross.” The Cross is why we exist; why we do what we do; why we continue to reach out locally, regionally, nationally and abroad with the Gospel... until the whole world hears.

ALL STAFF CHAPEL

Our All-Staff Chapel this week was a great opportunity to come together to worship and pray and to encourage one another. We are blessed to have the greatest staff team around ... and I am privileged to be their pastor. We have 670 employees at Prestonwood from Main Street Café to our many ministries and facilities and so on....

I appreciate the hard work of all our people; I am grateful for their passion and dedication to our church and our Lord; and I love their heart to serve others and the joy with which they do it. I am also very thankful for your prayers for our ministers and our staff team as we go about doing our Father’s work day-in and day-out at this place we call Prestonwood.

CELEBRATING NEWNESS OF LIFE

I don’t know that there’s a more beautiful sight in worship services than that of people coming forward to accept Christ ... to join this family of believers ... to rededicate their lives. We had a powerful picture of that last weekend when Tim Lee preached. And this past weekend we experienced another amazing moment in the life of our church when we baptized 94—spontaneously.

We began the series The Gospel of God, teaching from some of the greatest chapters in the Bible. We started with the message “The Supremacy of the Gospel” focusing on 1 Corinthians 15:1–4.

And at the end of the services (Jarrett Stephens on Saturday and I on Sunday) invited those who have never been baptized, those who’d been waiting or those who were making first-time decisions for Christ, to come and be baptized right at that moment. We praise God for the 94 adults and children who came forward!

Those who were new believers, we counseled and will continue to do so, and the little ones will be enrolled in our New Christians Class.

This weekend they learned that the clear teaching of Scripture is that every believer should be baptized as a testimony of saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Immersion reminds us of the burial of our sin through the blood of Christ just as emerging from the water is symbolic of victory over death and a brand new start.

Upon making a profession of faith, confessing Christ, they identified with Christ in His death, burial and Resurrection, and were raised to walk in newness of life. What a beautiful picture that is of Christ’s baptism and what a beautiful sight it was to witness....

To God be the glory!