Yes, it is here and I mean here … what? FOOTBALL SEASON! It seems like an eternity since the Super Bowl in February. Tonight the first major college football game is on television. Most junior high teams begin playing tonight. Friday night, high school games begin, and then Saturday all day and in the evenings there will be college football games. The season is here…finally.

Tonight in Dallas, I will attend a dinner and fellowship time with the players and coaches of both Prestonwood Academy and Shiloh Christian. Prestonwood Church, under the leadership of Dr. Jack Graham, is one of the world’s greatest churches, touching in the high season, 15,000 people weekly in worship. If you think our church is big … Prestonwood is really, really big. Their Christian Academy is exploding in growth, being recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-growing Christian schools. I believe they are probably at least one-third larger than Shiloh Christian.

Friday night will be fun, as our teams compete with one another in the game of football. I am excited for our people to see their church campus and school facilities because it will challenge all of our visions. I am excited about the chance to play a great football team, a Texas football proven power house. Why play someone in a non-conference game? Great teams make you greater as a team. Yes, iron sharpens iron.

We will be spending the evening with Nick and Meredith,who live in an apartment building just minutes from the Prestonwood Campus. My Mom is coming up to see Josh coach for the first time. Jeana and I will leave Dallas after the game on Friday night, drive back to Northwest Arkansas to get some rest, and then get psyched up for the big USC game with the Razorbacks.

We will be out late on Saturday night AND we will be in church on Sunday. Please do the same. Prepare to do so. The Lord will bless you for it. I will be wrapping up my final message on the series, "The Holy Spirit and His Supernatural Power."

If I do not talk with you again before Sunday, I will see you then!

It feels like fall in Northwest Arkansas with temperatures this morning in the low 50′s! With the sun out now, it is a beautiful day. Yes, I have to say it - it reminds me it is football season! There is nothing like the refreshing breeze of God’s Spirit in our lives. Just like this refreshing morning, the Spirit of God moving in our lives is the same way. The air this morning was purifying, crisp, and created expectancy towards the seasonal changes on their way.

When the Spirit of God blows into your life with His refreshing breeze, He purifies, sharpens, and creates expectancy in you about what God wants to do in you. Do not minimize what the Lord wants to do in your life. He is something else and wants to do something else in your life. He wants to purify you in every way. He wants to sharpen your walk and your awareness of Him. He wants to create an expectancy in your life that is “looking for God to do something great in you.”

Have you asked the Lord to fill you this morning with His Spirit? Take these steps right now:

1. Confess your sins to the Lord. Take time for the Holy Spirit to reveal actions in your life that have not pleased God and led you away from His power. Receive His forgiveness which He appropriated through His finished work on the cross.
2. Yield each area of your life to the Lord. Take time to yield your mind, will, emotion, body, spirit, tongue, attitude, motives, dreams, goals, past, present, and future to the Lord. Yield it all and place it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
3. Receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. Tell God how much you need Him and want Him active in your life through the Holy Spirit. Receive His filling not only once today, but throughout the day.

An appropriate phrase for you to remember…

CONFESS AND BE FILLED … over and over again.

When the levees of New Orleans broke, filling the city with the Gulf of Mexico? I was in Louisville, Kentucky, speaking at Southern Seminary. I had gone in the afternoon before, speaking at an outdoor evangelistic venue in the midst of a major downpour. As Hurricane Katrina was winding down, major downpours were happening across the country.  I got in very late that evening and had to be up early the next morning. I will never forget turning the television on while preparing to leave for the day, seeing the situation in New Orleans.

I was astounded and captivated by what I saw as I left to speak. The President of the seminary where I was speaking that day asked me to pray for the New Orleans Seminary family as well as the people of New Orleans. Within days, while the city was closed, I was standing in the midst of a vacated, ravaged city, led into it by a marine escort. It was all amazing.

One year later, we find ourselves watching a city being rebuilt and the entire Gulf Coast still recovering from the hurricane. I am blessed to know our great nation has responded. The people of this country care about this nation and have responded generously.

In these days, we are reminded to continue to pray for the entire Gulf Coast of our nation. There are so many families still in transition from losing a loved one, losing a home, or losing everything. Oh my, just to write it or think of it still grips me to this day. I will never forget what these two eyes saw and what this heart felt as I toured the Gulf Coast. The result of that experience was our church mobilizing hundreds of people and thousands of dollars towards the effort.

Pray for America…

I have been so very patient - waiting and waiting and waiting some more - but hey, I AM READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL! Thank God it is here! Since the Super Bowl and its conclusion, I have had a long off-season as a fan. Yes, this is my kind of week.

The University of Southern California is coming to town for Saturday night’s nationally televised game. I had California types yesterday wanting to “place a wager on the game,” of which I refused. Oh my, they believe they are going to embarrass us nationally. However, I am optimistic, believing, and expecting! Why? Remember David! Yes, I will be there, among 75,000 plus people Saturday night.

I am excited about going to Dallas to see Shiloh Christian play Prestonwood Christian Academy. As our school engages in this competitive game, it will be a fun event. Get your Dallas friends to come to the campus of Prestonwood Baptist Church at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night for a fabulous high school event. Their stadium will be rocking!

We have so many coaches, players, students, and fans connected to all of our Northwest Arkansas schools. These people are connected to our ministry, and we are fired up about the challenges and opportunities all will face in this year’s season. Whoever receives your support, enjoy it thoroughly.

I will be in church on Sunday morning regardless of time or results … please do the same.

Have A Great Week.

Please give careful attention to what I am sharing with you today. I know the challenges in each one of these areas. In your walk with Christ, consider these components.

Learning about Jesus is imperative. It would be impossible to have any relationship with anyone without learning from them. Since Jesus is the Superior One in our relationship, then we as the lesser of the two must learn from Him. In other words, we have nothing to teach Jesus. He has everything to teach us. Therefore, learn to read His Word daily. Let Him use His words to impact your life in every way. Study His life because it will enrich you, assisting you with every attitude challenge you face today.

Waiting before Jesus is necessary. I do not do waiting for anyone very well, but I have learned the power of waiting before Jesus. Do not get in a hurry with God. Do not get ahead of His time agenda for your life. Obey Him even in the simplest of things, and waiting is one of those simple things. Waiting at the feet of Jesus, once He has ministered to you with His life and words, will build your faith in a dynamic way.

Praying to Jesus is a non-negotiable. When you run through life, you are daily presented options where you can negotiate the task or request. In walking with Christ, prayer is a non-negotiable. Your response to Jesus’ life and words cannot be one big nothing. Your response needs to be verbalized or written. Prayer is simply talking to the Lord, just as you talk with someone else. I hear people say at times, “I don’t sound real good when I pray,” or “I am not good at praying.” Let me ask you, “compared to what or who?” Bear your heart. Share your life. Just talk to Him.

Expecting response from Jesus is faith. As He has influenced you with His life and Word, you wait before Him, talking to Him. Then with a “forward heart” you expect Jesus to respond to you. This act of faith will result in something, perhaps not what you wanted, but remember, it is going to be what God wants. Expect Jesus to do something in your life today.

As you look towards this Sunday and the Lord’s Day, please expect Jesus to do something in you and in your church. The four components mentioned above will only insure He will! Come expecting! Believe God!

Expecting more than ever before.

Yesterday was a very long day, beginning at 3:30 a.m. and not really concluding for me until 9:30 p.m. After that, within 75 minutes, I was asleep.

After major study and preparation time yesterday, I cut seven television shows where I interviewed people in a talk show format. Being in front of a camera for four or five hours is challenging. However, yesterday was special.

I interviewed my great friends, Ted and Jan Schneider, concerning their son Ken, who before his death, entered into the gay lifestyle. That emotional hour was so powerful and such a blessing to me. God is able to raise people up from their adversity.

In preparing for my new book being released entitled, Ten Things Every Minister Needs to Know, I interviewed three pastors who have been influenced dramatically by this ministry and God is using powerfully today. I am so proud of each of these men. What a joy that was to me. We laughed, talked, and then fellowshipped together. What a blessing. While the Schneider’s did two shows with me, these three men did five shows with me. As well, our own Jordan Cox interviewed me for special segments for those five shows before these three pastors entered the scene.

Russ Tyler pastors the First Southern Church in Central City, Arkansas, located in the greater Fort Smith region. Russ came to Christ in our church, was baptized in our church, surrendered to ministry in our church, and interned in our church. I love and respect this man of God. Russ has a great future.

Brad Jurkovich pastors the Victory Life Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas. He began coming to our church in college and became a personal friend shortly after that. He has never met a stranger, and Jeana and I introduced he and his wife Stephanie. God is using Brad in West Texas. He cracks me up and keeps me laughing.

Dr. Alex Himaya pastors The Church at Battle Creek in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Great things are happening in this man’s life and church. He was our Student Pastor for over five years before entering into this pastorate. He is a blessing to my life.

What a joy it is to be a part of these men’s lives, their families, and ministries. I have great love and admiration for each of them. May the favor of God abound on them.

A word for today: Always invest in others.

Northwest Arkansas is a region built by courageous and maverick leaders. The names of Sam Walton, Don Tyson, and J.B. Hunt always make the marquees when speaking of Northwest Arkansas, but another man was used to build the lives of people via a major corporation, and that man’s name is Red Hudson. His name and face needs to be added to the Mount Rushmore of Northwest Arkansas, along with others like Gene George and Frank Broyles.

Red Hudson built a company with 12,000 employees called Hudson Foods. His company became one of America’s top poultry and beef producers. Another great story, a World War II veteran, a simple employee who worked his way up in a company and one day said, “I can do this on my own.” At that point, he began Hudson Foods and it was in existence until he sold it to Tyson Foods.

After a brief bout with cancer, Red Hudson died on Sunday afternoon. He was always a distinguished Christian gentleman, believing in others. After being married 60 years to June, he leaves her to go to heaven. Red was a follower of Jesus Christ, confident of his relationship with Christ. He and June joined our Pinnacle Hills Church almost three years ago.

Wednesday morning I will conduct this service for the Hudson family. Even though my relationship with him has only been for three years, my love and respect was always great for Red. Again, a pioneer, a maverick leader, a man who believed in others, and one who gave others a chance to succeed.

As we lose another great leader in Northwest Arkansas, I am fearful, but hopeful, that other new leaders will emerge with the same ethics and commitments to the way people should be treated. In a day when integrity is for sale in the business world and marriage is discarded as something to be easily lost, I am fearful, but hopeful. I am hopeful that young leaders will understand this region responds to people who are willing to do it differently, but right. I am fearful that some believe different means “just to be different” and right means “right in my own eyes.”

We must pray for new leaders to emerge with a commitment to do things the right way. While you cannot replace a “Red Hudson” with another person, I am always hopeful that someone will answer the call personally when they begin to feel inwardly… I can do that!

Yes, that is what built Northwest Arkansas.

Sunday was a terrific day for the ministry of our church. Yesterday we expanded the organizational structure for the future on both campuses as we are now mobilizing for what I believe could be the greatest year of our growth. Excitement was in the air as people began to come back to church, preparing for the beginning of school today in our region.

Sunday was a day where the Lord moved among us. Something special was in the air as we began a series on “The Holy Spirit and His Supernatural Power,” which is only going to be a three-week series on Acts 1-2 as well as complimentary passages. Worship was outstanding on both campuses. Great numbers of decisions were made for Jesus and His Church. Prayer permeated both worship centers. Yes, God is moving.

Sunday demonstrated a great team effort on both campuses by our Staff Team. I am so grateful for each of our staff players and I hope you are as well.

Sunday was a 19-hour work day at best. With so much happening and my involvement in both morning and evening, as well as some pastoral matters I needed to be involved in, I was ready to go to sleep last night. Yet there is nothing like exhausting yourself for Jesus, His people, and His work. I am so very grateful. Also, I am grateful for my Jeana who was with me every step of the way. What a great wife for this Pastor.

Bringing You Along…

After 15 years of service full-time to our worship ministries, Anita Stewart becomes my personal assistant today. Since Gayla Oldham became Director of Human Resources for our ministry, Melissa Swain has been taking care of matters for me in this transition time. I was waiting for God’s direction and the right person who could perform this task successively as it takes on a new look for the future.

I have complete confidence in Anita Stewart and believe in my heart that no one is more right for this than she is at this point in the life of our church. She has a discerning feel for both campuses, has been a long-time member of our Springdale Campus, and helped us begin the Pinnacle Hills campus ministry. Her administrative and personal skills are outstanding and her walk with Christ ever-growing. Pray for her as she begins this new task, giving this position a new look for the future. She will be sliding between the campuses if and when needed to offer her skills for the long-term future of our ministry.

Hang in the battle of life today. Have a Christ-filled day.

Last Sunday I talked about transition and change that we go through in life. Nothing stays the same…nothing. Perhaps that is your desire about where you are right now in your life. Things are great with every segment and relationship in your life. Get ready and enjoy right now…change is coming.

Let me remind us today that there are some things that remain the same when change is occurring. These things are relevant when change happens anywhere from personal to vocation to job to family to marriage to disappointment to future to church and yes, to anything. What is always the same?

• The Word of God is always the same. It is God’s truth for your life. We know it as the Bible. The book is about the redemptive plan of God found only in His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, this book says, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
• The Mission of life is always the same. Since your relationship with Jesus began, you have been given a mission. Wherever you live, reach your region, your country, and your world. Kingdom vision takes you beyond yourself and into others having a need for Jesus Christ.
• Worship is always the same. Where you worship, both personal and church may change or the city may change or the way you worship God personally changes; but worship and its need in your life is always the same. Worship is valuable for you personally and in a church.
• Connection is always the same. Yes, you are part of a spiritual family that you need to engage and connect with regularly. Through connection moments, the big becomes small and the city becomes a town.
• Service is always the same. God has saved you His grace for the purpose of you serving Him and serving others. Yes, each of us need to improve our serve
• Giving is always the same. You are never more like Jesus than when you give of the life, resources, time, and talent that God has blessed you with in life. Giving is counter-cultural, but go against the tide of flesh and culture…serve.
• Power is always the same. The power of God is a reservoir that is waiting for you to see activated in your life. It is the secret to everything…everything. Call upon God this moment for His power.

How can you experience this power of God? Through a relationship with the Holy Spirit daily.

Seek Jesus diligently. Receive His power.

Options abound on both campuses for worship services, connection groups, and service opportunities. Present needs, growth potential, and new space gives us the opportunity to provide more options for our people. Let me list those options as you understand and help us communicate these options to other people.

• Springdale Campus Worship Services
  9:15 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.
  *The 10:55 a.m. service will have live worship and preaching will be shown from the earlier worship service.
• Springdale Connection Group Options (Our Bible Study-Small Group Ministry)
  8:15 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 10:55 a.m.
  *New space affords this opportunity for us. The 9:30 a.m. Connection Groups will attend the 10:55 a.m. worship service. The 9:30 a.m. permits the preschool and children’s ministry not have a “major rush” of all people coming at once.
• Pinnacle Hills Campus Worship Services
  9:15 a.m. and 10:55 a.m.
  *The 9:15 a.m. has “live worship” and preaching only is simulcast from the Springdale service. This option continues to grow and be successful for hundreds of people.
• Pinnacle Hills Connection Groups (Our Bible Study-Home Fellowship Group Ministry)
  We have over 60 options all over Northwest Arkansas in which you can connect. When we enter the new campus we may be able to offer a very limited Connection Group opportunity on Sunday morning for a few people. Our strategic commitment remains to the Connection Group ministry meeting in homes.

Why did we arrive at 9:15 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. times for Worship services? We have been forcing transition way too much, rushing everything we do. When we are trying to move thousands of people in and out of our campuses, through our buildings, and deal with significant issues in today’s culture for preschool and children’s ministries, it takes time to transition people. The 9:15 a.m. has been existent for years, but the 10:55 a.m. is better for the church to transition people, rather than the 10:45 a.m. time. Every minute provided for more time in worship eases the feel of our worship experience as well as gives us latitude to see the Lord move and helps us transition people successfully and effectively.

Thanks for any adjustment this is to your personal schedule. Worship, connection groups, and service is not something we should “rush to do” but something we do for the purpose of offering our very best to God because of our love for Him and others.

Opportunities for service still exist on both campuses. Please notify the offices of Jeff Young at Springdale, Drew Tucker at Pinnacle Hills, and Doug Sarver for mission-related matters for both campuses (Doug offices at Springdale Campus). We need you, so please step up at this critical time. You can and should do something for the Lord through your local church.

THE GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE ROOM FOR MORE PEOPLE WITH THESE CHANGES. It all begins this Sunday, August 20. Invite, invite, and yes, invite others. Research proves…they will come with you.

Pray for Sunday.