From Cow Pastures to Cotton Fields

I couldn’t let the month pass without noting that we just marked the fourth anniversary of Prestonwood North. This month we also expanded to two worship services at this second campus just 20 miles to the north. It has truly been a blessing to see what the Lord has done as we have faithfully reached out to the communities in the 380 corridor.

While driving to Prestonwood North over the past few weeks, I couldn’t help but think about where we’ve come. In the midst of this Metroplex, so urban and urbane, Prestonwood has risen up in what used to be cow pastures here on a hill in Plano.

(That's me and Mike and Joanie Buster checking out the land on Hebron in 1995.)

In 1995, the Lord brought us to these cow pastures, 140 acres on a road called Hebron. In Scripture, Hebron is where Abraham received the promise from God. Hebron means “face to face” with God.

Throughout history, God has blessed those who have received and believed His promises. He consecrated Israel for His glory. At Prestonwood, we have steadfastly believed His promise ... and He has kept His promises to us. God gave us a vision as to what would rise from the cow pastures 15 years ago—a church that ministers in the community and in the nations, from Africa to the Amazon.

(Pictured above are church leaders and deacons praying on the cotton fields in 2006.)

And four years ago He planted yet another vision for this church ... to lengthen our cords and strengthen our stakes, just as Isaiah 54 says. And so we went from the cow pastures on Hebron to the cotton fields in Prosper.

More and more families are joining our congregation at Prestonwood North, hearts are being restored, and lives are being changed. Nearly 2,000 are attending the two services and about 1,500 are plugged in to Bible Fellowship. And the best is yet to come...

Prestonwood is truly a testimony for how God can use anything ... from cow pastures to cotton fields ... for His glory.

I AM SECOND TRACTS

“It’s a terrible thing to lose a father.”

That’s the opening line—white copy on a black background—of my I AM SECOND tract. Last year, I shared my story with I AM SECOND. I spoke about losing my dad, the grief that engulfed my family when we learned he’d been bludgeoned with a hammer. But I also spoke about the grace of God. How He heals and restores.

This black and white, 31/2-by-51/2 booklet not only touches on my story, but it also lays out the Gospel message in just a few pages ... and the opportunity for the unbeliever to submit to God and pray to receive Him.

The tracts are available at the Prestonwood Bookstores and the Information Desk and the NextStep Booth this weekend. Pick some up and share them with someone you’ve been praying for. If you don’t live in the area, you can watch my film at iamsecond.com. Point others to the site ... it’s a great way to share what Christ has done in the life of so many.

T-MINUS 28 ... AND COUNTING

If you’re a Texas Rangers fan, I don’t have to explain that number to you. We’re that close to clinching the American League West title. And if you’re a Rangers fan, you know what an amazing season it’s been ... from overcoming injuries and more injuries ... to signing a top-notch pitcher like Cliff Lee ... to overcoming a drawn-out and downright messy resolution on ownership (with Ryan-Greenberg winning out, and rightly so) ... to a near no-hitter ... to just incredible play by the team.

At this point in the season, I don’t think I could ask for more as a fan. Except that I’m particularly excited by the awesome job that outfielders Josh Hamilton and David Murphy are doing. These guys are not only great players, they’re committed Christians. They’re loved by fans as well as teammates and the Rangers brass. They always play hard, leaving everything on the field. They are true professionals.

Now, we all know Josh had a rough road leading to Rangers Ballpark. And that’s what is so amazing about him ... his testimony ... his reliance on God to get him where he is.

I love when a player comes to bat and his walk up song is played. Now, I have to say, I don’t recognize most of them (although Jorge Cantu’s mariachi music is cool), Josh has been using Casting Crown’s “Until the Whole World Hears,” and David, who as I’ve said is a member of Prestonwood, likes “Strong Tower” by Kutless.

They are great players who want the world to know where their strength comes from. Even if you’re not a Rangers fan, how can you not like that?

A Kingdom Education ... Priceless

My grandson, Ian, is a kindergartner at Prestonwood Christian Academy. He is so excited about going to school every day. He loves his teacher and loves his classmates and loves everything about school so much he can’t wait to get there each morning. He feels at home at PCA and is proud to be Lion.

And I can’t tell you how grateful Deb and I (not to mention his parents, Jason and Toby!) are to know that he is not only receiving a Kingdom Education but that he has an extended family at PCA. It truly is a family environment.

I praise God for that and I am thankful to Dr. Larry Taylor for developing that atmosphere for the 1,408 students and their families (grandparents included). Larry is celebrating his 10-year anniversary as Head of School, and I couldn’t be more proud of how he has helped instill the Kingdom Education philosophy—a strategic partnership between the home, church and school in order to train our students, the next generation of leaders...

Whether they are learning Spanish or Algebra or through missions work or whatever it may be, students are helped to realize their God-given potential to impact the world for His sake. Right alongside the academics is the spiritual development of each student. To date, we are thankful to have graduated 649 students, who have received more than $22 million in scholarships to universities all over the country since 2002.

Earlier this year, as I looked to the future, God gave me three, all-consuming, holy ambitions for the next decade. We’re calling it “Vision 2020.” Number one is continuing to expand the local, national and global influence of Christ and the church. Number two is growing and building the North Campus and strengthening the Plano Campus. And number three is developing a new generation of 21st-century leaders for the Church. I believe we do that every day through our Pastoral Intern Program and our Children’s and Students Ministries ... and certainly through PCA.

Like Ian, I am proud to be a PCA Lion.

Talkin' Rangers

In case you missed it, I was on KCBI this morning ... not just for my regular PowerPoint slot ... I was on live talking about my beloved Rangers.

Next ... MLB Network?

Click here to check it out ...

A Visit With Billy Graham

My lifelong friend, O.S. Hawkins, and I had the privilege last week of spending some time with Billy Graham. It was truly a special time. O.S. and I made a memory we’ll never forget.

We went up to Billy’s mountaintop home in Montreat, North Carolina. It’s a beautiful location with a wonderful view, as you can see from my iPhone photo. He still lives in the log cabin designed back in the 50s by his beloved wife, Ruth, who went to heaven three years ago.

Billy is now 92. And although his sight and his hearing are not great, his mind is still sharp. We had a very engaging visit. His grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, a great young pastor who is now leading Coral Ridge Presbyterian, in Fort Lauderdale, was also there. Tullian is one of 20 grandchildren, and there are also 40 great grandchildren. It was great to see that sweet relationship between Tullian and the man he calls “Daddy Bill.”

We talked about everything from his crusades in Fort Worth and Dallas back in the 1950s and the most recent one here at Texas Stadium in 2002 where Prestonwood was so involved. He’s very interested in what is going on in churches. He knows Prestonwood well. In fact he told me a story. He said, “I recommended Prestonwood. A man called me who was moving to Dallas. He’s a Methodist and he wanted to know what church he should attend, and I said, ‘You know, you really should consider Prestonwood.’ And the man said he knew Prestonwood, but his wife was on the board at SMU. So they ended up going to a Methodist church.”

I wasn’t really sure where the story was going and then Billy gets to the kicker—the man was George W. Bush! He got a real kick out of telling me that.

Spending time with him, I was taken once again by his humility, his grace. He has always been a true Christian gentleman. And I’ve always admired his integrity. With so much craziness and lack of integrity in Christian ministry today, just to see him, his character and the quality of his life is a true honor. I was also taken by the fact that this is a man who traveled the world and walked with kings and presidents and now his life is centered in that small spread on the mountain, and basically from his bedroom to his chair. And yet he seems perfectly content with where he is in his life. He looks forward to going to heaven and joining Ruth. But before he goes, he wants to preach one last sermon. He’s prayed about it and already has his text, Galatians 6:14: But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

That verse is up in every room of his house in big letters. He’s memorizing it and meditating on it because he wants to deliver that message one last time ... in God’s time ... before he goes to heaven.

In honor of this great man, I am preaching “Living the Cross” from this verse this Sunday.

God only made one Billy Graham and he has been a prophet to the nations for our generation and he’s spoken to more people than anybody in the history of the Christian faith. To be in his presence, in his house, is like being in the house of one of God’s prophets. God’s presence is very real... he’s not alone in that house ... the presence of God is very powerful in that place. I will forever treasure that special time we experienced with Billy Graham and that sense of God’s presence in a man whose life has been fully dedicated to Christ.

The Hands and Feet of PowerPoint

When Deb and I started PowerPoint Ministries 16 years ago, we didn’t know what God had in store. We just knew we wanted to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth through the broadcast ministry.

Today, at any given time, PowerPoint is proclaiming the truth of the Gospel somewhere in the world, either through radio, television or the Internet. We hear from listeners every day through phone calls and e-mails and Facebook. I recently heard that our Daily Word e-mail devotional is sent to more than 4.7 million people. It is such an incredible blessing to hear testimonies from people all over the world about how God’s Word has changed their lives.

We have an amazing staff at PowerPoint, men and women who share mine and Deb’s passion to reach the lost and the dying. I am so very grateful for their heart and commitment and dedication. (Above is a picture of some of the guys and I taking in a Rangers game recently.) They, along with our many volunteers are truly the hands and feet of this ministry.

We have a great group of volunteers, about 65 or so, who come in monthly to help get our PowerLiving newsletter out. (See photos.) They patiently stuff thousands of envelopes for us. The great thing is the camaraderie that they’ve established, the like-mind they have for not only this ministry but for God’s kingdom.

I praise God for what he is doing through PowerPoint and I can’t thank Him enough for the wonderful people he’s brought alongside us in this mission to reach people with the life-changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.