I hope you will bring a friend to our Summer Freedom Celebration this Sunday as we celebrate our nation and speak specifically to the great need for spiritual awakening. Below are the times and locations. You can get directions by clicking on a campus.
After almost 18 years of serving as our Associate Pastor of Worship Ministries at our Springdale Campus, Buster Pray is leaving to begin a new ministry. His last Sunday with us will be on July 30. I am grateful to God for him, for his ministry, for all he has done in Northwest Arkansas, and his contributions to our ministry here. We will miss many things about him, but I have always appreciated his vision, tenacity, and commitment to excellence. I love Buster like a brother, as we have raised our families together.
Buster Pray will be relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, to begin a new ministry called, PureChurch. This ministry will serve churches in so many ways, not only in regards to worship ministries, but coaching church leaders in technology, facility planning, the creation of dual campuses, and leadership. He will be very successful in expanding his influence in the 2nd half of his life. Yes, they will be members of Andrew’s church, his son, who serves his church in the same capacity his Dad served us all of these years.
We need to pray for Buster and Martha Pray. We need to ask the Lord to sell their home very soon, lead them to the right home in Atlanta, open doors of ministry to other churches across America, meet their needs in every way, and show His mighty favor upon them. I believe in Buster and I bless God’s calling upon him to do this ministry for churches. This is what our church is about: helping other churches.
Remember, this coming Sunday we will have Summer Freedom Celebration at both campuses, and our Springdale Campus will have Buster Pray lead for the final major patriotic event. I look forward to preaching God’s Word this week at both of our campuses, so pray for me as well. Bring a guest with you this Sunday.
I am a very young man, but oh my, how time is going by us rapidly. I am so amazed at all June has flown by. With all the happenings in my life, I have looked up and June is almost history. Well, in regards to it, thank God, we have a few more days to seize in this month.
We are about to enter a very busy time for vacation time taken by the families in our church. I do hope that you will enjoy your time away if you are taking it or are even away now. At the same time, do not dismiss your personal walk with God. Also, engage through prayer for the ministries of your church. Additionally, support the Lord’s church financially even when you are away. The ministry continues to go on with or without you being present.
July will begin with a great ministry in our church: Summer Freedom Celebration! On July 2, both of our campuses will celebrate our nation and speak specifically to the great need for spiritual awakening. I will be speaking to both campuses in this presentation on this theme, so pray for me this week. Again, this kind of event is a fabulous avenue to use in order to bring a guest to our church. Most people love America and will go to great lengths to extend their support when given an opportunity to do so. Please consider the value of this, even in your schedule this Sunday and its potential to impact the lives of people.
This week reminds us of the need to pray for our President and the armed forces of our nation that are around the world. They deserve our support via prayers every day, but especially this week we are reminded to do so.
Say a prayer for our nation today.
Peyton is advancing in his life…for now, he has learned to crawl. The rules in the house have now changed and some things become dangerous. His investigative tendencies are kicking in, so Kate will have to get ready to stay ahead of him. He is so proud of himself when he performs this great feat. Of course, we are also very proud of him. The pictures posted today tell the story!
I wish I could have crawled this weekend…I went down Friday-Saturday-and early Sunday morning to a virus. Oh my, I felt horrible. I was down and out all Friday night and the entire day Saturday. Somehow, through the grace of God, He enabled me to get up early Sunday morning and make it to preach our services. I got stronger as I went, but I did not think I would make it. God is good to sustain us when we are weak. Thank you Lord.
If you were not able to be with us yesterday, I do hope that you will go and secure a copy of the message on, “The Battle of Your Life”. I am convinced it is a word that is so needed to be heard by all of us. God ministered to us as His church and we thank Him for it.
This coming Sunday morning is a great day to bring guests with you as we have our 2006 Summer Freedom Celebration. Our theme is on SPIRITUAL AWAKENING. Please join us at one of our campuses for one of our services. I am believing God for a great morning. I think God will use it mightily in our midst so please bring someone with you.
Let’s pray for a great Sunday and for God to minister to us.
I have received a lot of feedback from this past Sunday’s sermon. So, I would like to take a moment to refresh our memory on what we talked about.
In the book of 1 John, John is telling us why he wrote this book. He was about to warn us about the world and its influence upon us. He is calling us to look at where we are spiritually, and where we need to invest our time as Christians.
1 John 2: 12-14: 12 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have had victory over the evil one. 14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the One who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, God’s word remains in you, and you have had victory over the evil one.
Spiritual Stage #1: Little Children. John refers to us as children due to our spiritual maturity, not necessarily our chronological age. As children, we need to invest our time in growing in the faith and being discipled.
Spiritual Stage #2: Young Men. As a young person in the faith, we are not yet fully mature, but we at least know how to handle God’s Word effectively in getting us through life victoriously. As a young man or young woman in the faith, we should spend our time in continuing to grow, discipling others, and being mentored.
Spriritual Stage #3: Fathers. This refers to those who have a deep, intimate personal knowledge of God. They know God, but also know the dangers of the world, realizing they can still be drowned in it. Spiritual fathers need to continue to invest their time in maturing, and mentoring others.
Time is running out. Where are you spending your time? Where do you need to be spending your time? Where will you invest the time you have left on earth?
You ought to see the outstanding building that we just opened at our Springdale Campus. It is comprised of a beautiful fellowship Atrium for masses of people as well as has an intimate, personal feel. It has a wonderful Kid’s Theatre that is large enough to have 500 children in one setting and will also serve as an alternative building for other church functions; because with a simple adjustment, it becomes able to be used by any age group for a dinner, fellowship area, or seminar. The building is also comprised of additional educational space for 400 adults. In August, the coffee bar and Bookstore will open, which will be cutting-edge. I believe it will help us explode this fall with excitement and with great response from people. Additionally, the sports fields are coming on and advancement is being made. Walk through, see, and experience these new facilities at our Springdale Campus.
You ought to see the wonderful Pinnacle Hills Campus that is being built. I cannot wait until it is completed and you can walk through it. It will be comprised of a Worship Center seating initially 2,400 people in theatre seats and can be expanded with a removal of a wall and increased to 3,600 theatre seats. It will be one of the most contemporary, cutting-edge Worship facilities in the world, standing in the center of where America comes to do business. The building also has a Gatheria that is large enough for 750 people to be seated around round tables, serving as a wonderful gathering place to move masses on Sundays, as well as serving as a banquet setting, place for our Summit Luncheons, and fellowship. The building will also have a coffee bar and Bookstore that will just be very special. Additionally, space is being constructed for 500 preschoolers and 500 children. Upon moving into this space sometime in mid-fall, our Student Ministry will meet in our present space, which will also be used for larger gatherings for teaching or can be used as a fellowship area. The campus will also have a 2.5 acre lake and three crosses that tower over the Pinnacle Hills region, serving as a “spiritual oasis in the midst of corporate and retail America.”
We are so very blessed, so very blessed. The fall will be so very exciting and this next year, we should enter the most unprecedented days of growth in our history. God has used you, His people, to do this and I am so very grateful to God for you. Now, as we prepare, let’s try to….
See and get a vision of what God sees for our future as a church.
The challenges in our nation stir us to be concerned for our country. Somehow we have to pray our nation through in these days.
The loss of lives in Iraq, even again today, remind us of the threats that loom against our armed forces and nation. The threats of North Korea bring us to face the reality of challenging and unstable times in world affairs. The President and his cabinet need us to pray for them to have the wisdom of God in these days. Our armed forces across the world and here in America need prayer for protection and provision. Yes, these are stirring times.
The challenge of higher interest rates and cost of fuel are raising some concerns about our country economically. You know, we can pray for our nation economically. We can pray for the Lord to move through all of these matters. Perhaps there is a message there for all of us to learn, but if nothing else, we need to pray. When people become stirred, we need to point them to the security for their future.
While a segment of the Presbyterian denomination is considering to make the Trinity appear more “gender-friendly”, the Episcopalian denomination is validating homosexuality. While these denominations struggle over theological matters to which the Word of God brings complete clarity, the Southern Baptist Convention is fragmented over various issues. The nation of America reflects the unstable condition of the church in our country. The “true church” is not labeled with denominational or non-denominational names, but the true church of Jesus Christ is the blood-bought saints of God who have received the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.
The true church of Jesus Christ must sound forth with clarity that Jesus Himself is the only hope and future for our nation. He is the only one who can bring peace in these stirring times. Please pray for the true church to point this nation to the Prince of Peace. We must not only point the nation to truth if they are going to believe us, but it would help if they witness peace in us and among us.
Pray, pray, and pray some more for our nation.
I want to thank you, my wonderful church family, for your hearty and gracious reception of me upon our return from the Southern Baptist Convention. Matters did not turn out as we had hoped, but we prayed, left it in the Lord’s will, now knowing the results. I am blessed to know you have prayed, encouraged, and are now ready to receive us back 100% as we continue on our journey of reaching Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.
Serving the churches of our convention would have been a joy, but we must go forward from here. I had in my heart so many things I had not shared because the time was not right. If we had been elected, I was going to challenge you and our convention to rally in San Antonio, pre-SBC next summer: 5000 teenagers for five days pre-SBC as well as engage them in evangelism, church plants, and worship; I wanted to challenge our convention to begin 50 new churches the weekend of the SBC in the growing, exciting region of San Antonio, Austin, and San Marcos; additionally, I wanted to highlight the phenomenal work of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, a model convention in missions support in Texas, but extending the largest part of their dollars received around the world through the SBC enterprise. Yes, those are worthy matters for consideration and prayer, but obviously not through my leadership as President of the SBC. We can only pray and trust the precious Lord Jesus.
We need to pray for a mighty spiritual revival in our church and other churches, igniting the next great spiritual awakening in America. My dear friends, it is critical that we understand that this nation is in dire spiritual need. If the church, our denomination, and others are as influential as we imagine ourselves to be, we must do something in our generation to see the next great move of God. My heart breaks when I think of where we are and where God wants us to be. Join me in praying.
Again, I love you and thank God for each of you.
Thanks to all of you who have prayed for me over these past 35-40 days. With all of the flurry and warfare, it feels like an eternity, but the announcement to be nominated was only made on Sunday, May 8. I am emotionally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. Your prayers and love for us during this time has been and is so appreciated.
This we know: God did not will for me to be President of the Southern Baptist Convention. In a three-candidate race, I came in second; with the third candidate deciding to get in eight days before the race, which split the strong conservative vote. I do not and will never understand the logic of any of that, but leave it all in the hands of God. I know that I obeyed God, took the high road, honored Christ, this church, and others above all. I lost, will work through it, and above all, spend my time here in what God has anointed me to do: pastor and lead this great church.
Any regrets? I have been asked that along the way. I have one, but this is neither the time nor place to discuss it.
I love you, dear people. We rest in the will of God.
God is moving.
Greetings from the Pastor’s Conference and the Southern Baptist Convention in Greensboro, NC. I’m Alan Damron, Associate Pastor of Strategic Communications and Executive Director of Ronnie Floyd Winners. Pastor has asked that I keep our church family up to date in these exciting days through his blog. As you may well guess, the intense schedule of this Conference and Convention for a presidential nominee is filled with unending interviews and meetings. So, let me just give you a travel log/informative note in the next two to three days to let you know what is taking place in Pastor’s life. Brian Armas will be helping me by supplying a few well placed pictures to document our journey.
Sunday morning began with Pastor and Jeana joining the services back in Springdale by streaming live on the internet. It was a joy to share in this special moment. David Nasser brought a strong and powerful message to us all!
Sunday evening the Pastor’s Conference began with more powerful preaching from Pastor Dick Lincoln, Dr. Johnny Hunt, and a video message from Rick Warren. Each speaker formed a resounding-single message: preach the gospel and reach the lost.
Monday morning the staff joined Pastor as he presented a break-out session on Multi-church strategies. Each session was packed and he did a great job encouraging and equipping those who were interested in the possibility of expanding their church’s reach with this same strategy.
At the same time Jeana was on a Minister’s Wive’s panel dealing with specific issues in ministry along with Liz Traylor, Susie Hawkins, and Carol Ann Draper. Of course, she did a wonderful job and we are very proud of her grace in leadership.
Throughout the afternoon Pastor gave a number of interviews ranging from the daily newspaper from Nashville (The Tennessian) to the Associated Press out of Charlotte SC and with a Criswell Radio Broadcast. In each and every interview Pastor continued to share God’s gracious story of what God is doing in Northwest Arkansas for His glory.
Last night the Pastor’s Conference concluded with more powerful preaching by David Jeremiah, Tony Evans, and Ed Young, Sr with a very special tribute to Dr. Adrian Rogers and a brief charge from his wife, Joyce Rogers to take the baton to carry the gospel around the world and stand firm without compromise in the Word of God.
Having the privilege of being around the Pastor most of the time so far, it has been a great encouragement to see how so many of his peers have encouraged him. He is greatly respected among many. And it has been equally encouraging to see a great number of his "young preacher boys" standing with him in this strategic moment.
Let me remind you again to be in much prayer on Tuesday, for God’s will to be done through the voting process at 2:15 pm. It is very important to remember that whether God’s will is for our Pastor to be elected or not, our call to reach Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ is still our main focus.
At this moment (pre-election) I can honestly tell you that this coming Sunday we can welcome our Pastor back to Northwest Arkansas with great appreciation and love for his commitment to preach the Word of God and his unwavering commitment to reach Northwest Arkansas, America, and the world for Jesus Christ.
