A COURAGEOUS FAITH

When I think of the Cruse family, the word that comes to mind is “courageous.” This precious family has shown courageous faith over the past four years as 8-year-old Connor, my special friend, has battled two very aggressive types of cancer.

Connor was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in May of 2005 when he complained of a tummy ache for a couple of weeks. Since then, he’s endured more pain and chemotherapy and radiation and surgery than any person, let alone a child, should. But he’s rarely complained. He’s just wanted to get on with being a kid … playing with his two younger brothers and older sister, enjoying school and playing baseball.

He gets that positive spirit from his parents, Tait and Joy. Deb and I have gotten to know this young couple well in the past four years, not only because they are members at Prestonwood. They’re also our neighbors.

Tait and Joy have bravely shared their story at our church and other churches, and through their blog. And you know, just listening to them or reading the heartfelt words penned by Joy in the blog, you can sense their incredible faith in our all-powerful God. They have never lost sight of the fact that our lives are in His hands.

But they have also shown a great perseverance and determination to fight for their child … to pursue a means for a miracle from God. Just about six months ago, they found out that this monster living in Connor’s body had reared its ugly head again in the form of a different, even more hostile cancer. As they’ve noted recently, they’re “swinging for the fences,” seeking the best possible treatment for a child who just wrapped up the second grade.

I’ve shared special moments with this family, including baptizing Connor and spending long hours at the hospital. As their pastor, I’m privileged to walk alongside the Cruses during this trying time. And as their pastor, I couldn’t be more proud of how they’ve witnessed to thousands with their steadfast, courageous faith.

Click here to learn more about Connor.

GOD OF THIS CITY

As I mentioned earlier in my blog, new American Idol Kris Allen is from my hometown of Conway, Arkansas. Kris pretty much shocked the entertainment world with his win from an underdog status.

But I think there may be another reason for this young man’s success. He is, in fact, a profound believer and follower of Jesus and is involved in leading worship at New Life Church in Arkansas. He now has a unique platform from which to glorify Jesus and share his faith. I am praying God will use this young man in a great way.

Check out this YouTube video of Kris leading worship in his home church in Conway, and remember, our God is the God of this City!

DAY 151

I pray you will be blessed today by these words from my most recent devotional, A Daily Encounter With God.


And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. —Jeremiah 18:4

Are you a broken vessel today?

As clay in the potter’s hands, we can get marred because of impurities in our lives. On the potter’s wheel, any foreign object in the clay can cause a fracture in the vessel.

Sometimes the potter must stop and remove the impurities before going on. Do you feel resistance in your life today? Maybe there is an impurity or reluctance that is keeping God from creating His masterpiece in you.

And maybe you’ve already been fractured. If you are a broken vessel today, you may be wondering, is it too late for me? Absolutely not!

If you will give God the broken pieces of your life, He’ll put you back together. But you must be willing to turn loose of the impurity or resistance.

When you do, today’s Scripture says the potter can make the vessel again. I’m so glad God is a God of a second chance, third chance, a tenth chance, and even a one-hundredth chance!

He gave Jacob another chance, Jonah another chance, Sampson another chance, Peter another chance ... and He’ll give you another chance, too

God can take you in your broken condition and make you over again!

GIVE GOD THE BROKEN PIECES OF YOUR LIFE SO THAT HE CAN REMAKE YOU IN THE VESSEL HE WANTS YOU TO BE.

Hometown Idol

Deb and I are big American Idol fans. We’ve been watching it since Season 3. Our favorite singer over the years has been Carrie Underwood. But, this is our favorite season; this year is special. Not only has the talent been amazing, but there’s one contestant in particular that we’re really pulling for—Kris Allen.

He is incredibly talented and genuinely humble, and he hails from my hometown of Conway, Arkansas! He’s put that little town on the map.

Photo Courtesy of New Life Church

But here’s the most important thing, Kris is a believer with a heart for worship and missions work. He’s helped lead worship at New Life Church in Little Rock and Conway the past six years. The way he’s carried himself the entire season with a quiet confidence says a lot about him … to millions of viewers every week. (What a platform!)

Whether or not he beats Adam Lambert — who was anointed the frontrunner early on — in the finale this week, Kris has a great future ahead of him and an even greater testimony.

Great Golf...Greater Cause

Every year for the past 19 years, I’ve carefully assembled a team of very good friends who happen to be great golfers for our Prestonwood Golf Classic.

The tourney benefits our Prestonwood Foundation, which during these tough economic times is providing assistance to a lot of people in the community with resume writing and career transition workshops and financial planning classes. Our foundation does much more. Proceeds from the tourney actually went toward our Global Missions Endowment, helping provide financial support to members who have a heart for missions but are unable to afford the cost of a short-term missions trip. So we were playing a great course for an even greater cause.

OK, some people say I’m intensely competitive. I don’t know about that, but I’ll tell you what, I don’t like to lose! So my four-person scramble, which included Jim Martin, John Cheney and David White, was built to win. We had a storm blow through yesterday morning but by our afternoon tee time it had cleared up and we were ready to play the Hills Course at Prestonwood Country Club. (FYI, for those of you who live outside the area—our church doesn’t own this course, it just happens to be nearby.)

We played a great round and finished tied for first. But, it appears that one of our young ministers recruited a couple of ringers and his team won by a scorecard playoff. Needless to say, that young minister is no longer employed at Prestonwood!

Just joking. We (220 of us) had a great time, and we helped raise more than $10,000 toward our missions endowment. It doesn’t get much better than that. (Well, except maybe winning.)

Graduation Day

At Prestonwood this weekend, we recognized our high school seniors who are just a couple of weeks away from graduation day. (Remember those days? For some of us it’s been decades!) I brought the message “Graduation Day” from my series Eternity Now. Here’s the thing, this message is for everyone because a much greater graduation awaits us. Eternity begins now ... it begins today ... as we look forward to that graduation day when we are in the presence of the Lord.

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.