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!