PRESTONWOOD MEN'S CONFERENCE

Guys, can't say enough about the upcoming conference on March 4 & 5... Check out this video... And click here to register.

Men’s Conference & David Murphy

I spent some time this morning interviewing Texas Rangers outfielder and Prestonwood member David Murphy. I love talking to this young man ... and not just because he plays for my beloved Rangers...

David is a true man of God with an incredible testimony—which you’ll get to hear at the Prestonwood Men’s Conference on March 4 & 5. (Men, if you live in the area, you need to make plans to attend. Click on the link above to learn more.)

Here’s what David had to say about a few topics ... you’ll have to come to the conference for the rest of it!

On Baylor days:
I didn’t know Christ when I went to Baylor...

I look back and I’m amazed at how God had everything planned out even though I didn’t know who He was.

I felt a huge void in my heart and I knew something was missing ...

On getting drafted in first round:

I got off to a great start ... but I got hurt and my numbers weren’t so great and I began to wonder if I would realize my dream.

On temptation:
On the road, if I’m not at the field I’m in my hotel room... Josh (Hamilton) and I play cribbage a lot.

On playing in the World Series:
It’s pretty amazing...what you dream about when you’re little...



Well, guys, I’m fired up about the conference and hope you are, too.... Invite someone to come with you.

A DAILY ENCOUNTER WITH GOD ...

We have Snowmaggedon 2.0 today in the Dallas area. Another day to pause, embrace the day, spend time with family, work from home .... and it's also a great time to reflect. Today's devo (DAY 40) from my A Daily Encounter with God provides good food for thought.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty
again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in
him a spring of water we l l i n g up to eternal life.” —John 4:13-14

What would it take to make you genuinely happy? What would it take to really satisfy you?

Would it be more money, more pleasure, greater success, better relationships, or a better physique? What would it take?

Unfortunately, the world screams that these are the things that will bring you ultimate satisfaction. And it’s so easy to buy into the notion that these things will truly satisfy.

But take another look at today’s verse. Jesus told the woman at the well that the things of this life won’t ever really satisfy us… only He will.

So many people today chase the dream of personal achievement… and find that it doesn’t really satisfy. Others think, “I’ll be happy if I can just find Mr. Right,” or “I’ll be fulfilled if I can just find Mrs. Right.” But even the best man or the best woman can’t satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart!

I can guarantee you that nothing… no human relationship… no job promotion… no amount of money in your bank account… will satisfy you like Jesus can.

If you’ve lost sight of this fact, I encourage you to ask God to help you realign your priorities today!

NOTHING IN LIFE WILL TRULY SATISFY YOU EXCEPT JESUS CHRIST

PAUSE ...

OK, I am definitely not used to
this much ice. Now, a dusting of snow is always beautiful, but not when the hardened slick, scary ice still lies below. Then it's just plain, well ... yikes! Those of us in Super Bowl country are now on DAY 3 (and counting) of whatever cold system the Steelers and Packers managed to bring our way. Hard to believe we were a balmy 70 degrees just a few days ago.

I will say this, though, I have taken advantage of this hibernation period to read, pray, and spend quality time with Deb and our beloved "Boys," our beagles, Yogi and Deuce. (Check out my tweet with photo of them looking sharp in their jackets.)

This downtime led me to think about how this truly is a blessing from God, just telling us to slow down, to spend more time doing the things that are important in life. Looking back on the last few days, did it really matter that you weren't able to go out to eat? Or that your child's sporting event was canceled? Or that you weren't able to make it to one of those Super Bowl events?

This has been an excellent opportunity to pause. In my booklet Pause: Resting In God Instead Of Stressing Out, I write about how far too many of us have chosen to live life too fast, too stressed:

"The good news is that another option exists. We can stay inside our stress, or we can move to the place called pause. Psalm 23 paints a compelling picture of what the place called pause is all about. The words are well known--descriptors like 'green pastures' and 'quiet waters' and a life lived without fear--but the enjoyment of these realities is not. We know a peaceful existence is possible; we're just not all that good at living it out....

"We pile too much onto each day, we rarely take time to relax, and then we wonder why we feel so tense. We hop on airplanes every week, hit three cities in four days, sleep in strange beds and eat strange food, and return home absolutely fried. Or we shuttle our kids from activity to activity with no down time in between, race home for sixteen minutes to eat dinner before heading to the next practice or event, and fall into bed exhausted and unfulfilled....

"We are under too much pressure, too much stress, and we're getting eaten up as a result...."

So, today, I encourage you to stop complaining about the sub-20 temperatures and the cabin fever... And enjoy this place called pause.

Pause to pray, pause to praise, and pause to gain perspective.

How are you spending your time at home?

A GLIMPSE OF PRESTONWOOD

Check out this powerful video on how God moved through our church last year... As we close out the first month of 2011, I can't tell you how fired up I am about all that God will do in the coming months.

MARCHING FOR LIFE

I am so grateful for the ministry to our teens, not only through our Student Ministry but through Prestonwood Christian Academy. I was so glad to hear that 15 of our students joined a handful of teachers and parents (along with about 10,000 others) in the Dallas Rally and March for Life in Downtown Dallas last Saturday.

The students are members of the PCA Pro-Life Club. What a blessing to have such a club in our Upper School, with students celebrating life. And that’s why they marched ... to celebrate life and in peaceful protest on the 38th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

One of our teachers said the students left “knowing they had been a part of a special worship time and knowing they had made a difference for life.”

PCA is taking about 30 students to Austin on Feb. 10 to lobby for life-saving sonogram legislation requiring all women who are considering abortion to have a sonogram.

Our Prestonwood Pregnancy Center is an amazing “Jesus Ministry” that provides sonograms for free to women from all over the Dallas area. And, praise God, many of these abortion-minded women who enter the doors of the Pregnancy Center for a free sonogram end up changing their minds.

MY FAVORITE DEVOS

January is getting away from us already! So, just wanted to check in and see how folks are doing on New Year’s resolutions. I hope that one resolution is to find a devotional that truly speaks to you. I have a few favorites that I thought I’d share with you. My prayer is that after awhile you won’t consider this a resolution but rather a part of your daily routine—a part of life.

• Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon
• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers
• Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence by Sarah Young
• Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman
• Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck
• Pathways: Your Daily Walk with God by David Jeremiah
• Prayer, Praise & Promises: Daily Walk Through the Psalms by Warren Wiersbe
• Time To Get Serious by Tony Evans
• A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie
  

Let me know if you have a favorite devotional.