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.