Nick and Meredith are having a baby! Can you believe it? It looks like the baby will arrive towards the last of May. Life is transitioning, but God is good and we are very grateful.

By the time the baby arrives, Nick and Meredith will be married right at two years. Since Nick is still in seminary and working more than full-time at Prestonwood Church in Dallas, the journey will be more than challenging. While this is happening, Meredith is still driving and working in downtown Dallas at GuideStone Financial Services. And, Nick is now a part of the new campus staff team at Prestonwood which is launching their new campus in Prosper, 20 minutes or so north of where they live in Plano now. Life is full of changes.

In the middle of all of this, a baby is coming. Nick will still have a year left on his Master of Divinity Degree (94 hours to get it) by the time the baby arrives. This will present enormous challenges, so please pray for them. These challenges can be overcome by God’s provision occurring. Therefore, if you are a prayer warrior, take on Nick and Meredith as well as their baby God is forming right now.

Praise the God of heaven for life. He is more than good, and we are very grateful to His name. We lift Him up on high, shouting to Him and standing today on these words I read this morning from Isaiah 44:5b,

… I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants and My blessing on your offspring.

May God grant this text for Jeana and me. We receive it in the name of Jesus.

Yes, God is good.

Do you have a sister?  I do and her name is Linda.  Let me tell you a few things about having a sister, especially my sister. 

Before I forget, it is her birthday today…she is a few years older than me.  I always kid her about being older than me, but she is my favorite sister. Happy Birthday Linda!  Now, let me mention a few things about Linda today.

Linda became somewhat competitive, being the only girl in the family and having two girls of her own.  Of course, Dad always gave her whatever she wanted since she was the only girl…always had preference over Johnny and me.  As the youngest in the family, I suffered from a little neglect!  Do you believe that line?  Linda could smack a baseball though…she was deadly to the point of breaking a window or two. 

Linda did an outstanding job raising her two girls.  She lived on a moderate salary, especially having two children, but did a great job.  Both girls love the Lord, are extremely active in their church, and love their Mom greatly.  Observing Linda’s challenges along the way has always given me a heart for single parents. What a challenge, but she stepped up to the challenge over and above.

Linda is a grandmother, the grandmother of Matthias and Macy.  This is all we ever hear about anymore.  She goes on and on and on…you know the way those grandparents are…right?

Linda works at a church in our home town as the Church Secretary.  She has done everything in church for years, especially teaching students.  She is a very committed Christ-follower and believes strongly in the local church.  I am confident she does a great job.

Linda lives with Mom.  Before Dad died suddenly last year, she had moved in with them upon the sale of the home.  She did this because of her love for them and they love her dearly.  She cared for Dad and was the one to traumatically find Dad’s body upon his death last November 17.  She loved her Daddy, so it has been tough on her. She and Mom are doing well…they grieve together, but with hope.  Yes, they are going forward daily, never easy, but going forward. 

Blogging is about personal stuff, right? My life between the Sundays!  Well, Linda’s birthday is today and since she has given herself to my parents sacrificially, I thought it was appropriate to honor her here.  By the way, if you are playing softball and need a player, she can really smack a baseball…she learned to do that by beating up her little brother all the time. 

Happy Birthday Linda!

So much of my life is given to preparation. It is really amazing how many hours I spend preparing for Sunday sermons and other communication inside and outside of our church. Additionally, I have meetings and issues I deal with daily that demand for me to be prepared. The All-Pro, Peyton Manning, said to reporters something I have never forgotten. He was asked, “Peyton, do you feel pressure?” Manning, still in his very young twenties, responded, “Pressure means you do not know what you are doing.” What Manning was saying was that if he prepared for his opposition, he would not feel pressure because he would know what he was doing. You never go wrong when you prepare in your life. Spend time preparing!

I will be doing television shoots today, taping a week of programming on the subject of GRIEF. This will be run on our global broadcast for five days sometime prior to Thanksgiving. Kathy Ferguson will assist me today as I interview her and let her speak to the hearts of those who, just like her, have lost someone they loved dearly. Pray for both of us today. This has outstanding potential to touch the lives of people.

I will be speaking at the Summit Business Persons’ Luncheon this week. You can get a ticket at the door, or pick one up at either of our campuses any time before Thursday. This is not a Bible Study, but a time for equipping leaders to make the climb in the business world. This climb involves someone giving motivation, leadership lessons, or even just talking about their life story. It is a phenomenal moment to connect with people in Northwest Arkansas. We begin eating lunch at 11:45 and you will walk out the door by 12:50. Get a ticket and come! We meet at The Church at Pinnacle Hills. We reach and touch many, many unchurched people through the Summit, and some days those who don’t attend church make up the greater percentage of the hundreds that attend weekly.

Pray for me this week.

For those of you who have been keeping up with my niece’s baby through my blog, she is improving and has now been moved to her own room. Macy, already dealing with Down Syndrome, experienced major open heart surgery last week. After a long week, great medical care, and the people of God praying, Macy is advancing and improving. You can keep up with Macy through progress reports and pictures by visiting her patient care page here. The name of her care page is: MacyLynnSvec.

Remember to pray during our 50 Days of Prayer. It all began yesterday on both of our campuses and now resumes in your daily life. Please join us in these requests daily. We want to see God do something wonderful in and through our lives and spiritual family.

Yesterday was very, very busy. I preached our services in both morning and evening. I went home and crashed for an hour yesterday afternoon and then returned to the church for a television shoot. I was engaged in that most of the afternoon before preaching God’s Word. Last night at dinner, I had some time with Brad Graves, Church Planting Strategist and Coordinator of Strategic Focus Cities in Cleveland. He will have planted 22 churches within 18 months in this role. We are working with the North American Mission Board to help Brad launch a major flagship church in the city of San Diego in 2008-2009.

Please pray for me this week…I have a week filled already!

Yesterday I spent most of the day in Wake Forest, North Carolina at the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This seminary is connected with us, serving as one of our six seminaries that trains up men and women for ministry and missions. Dr. Danny Aiken leads that institution with 2,400 students, and his leadership is superb. The worship service at Chapel was truly worshipful and very meaningful to all persons present. At the conclusion we gave away around 1,200 copies of 10 Things Every Minister Needs To Know, which is just now being sent to Christian bookstores across the nation. Four members of our Staff Team accompanied me and led classes and put their lives into the next generation of leaders. I was so very, very impressed when I came away with what God is doing through Dr. Aiken and his team in the lives of these seminary students. Praise the God of Heaven!

My night was blessed upon my return with Peyton, our grandson, spending about four hours with us last night while Josh and Kate had an opportunity to eat dinner together during the rush of the season. This young lad is walking and keeping us running! Oh my, I say it again: Stay at home Moms with preschoolers have the hardest job in the world! Bless all of you! Peyton is 1 year old tomorrow, September 22. Can you even believe it? Just think: he gets to spend his birthday night at a football game … God is so good!

Our Business Persons’ Summit, which is attended by 400-525 persons a week, equips people for making the climb in the Business world. It is not a Bible Study, but a time of equipping leaders and motivating them to make this climb with the right convictions and ethics. My good friend, Dr. Rex Horne, the new President of the Oauchita University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, will be our guest speaker today. Dr. Horne left his work in Little Rock in the late spring of the year, taking on this new assignment as President of this prestigious and highly recognized institution in our state. I am very confident he will do a wonderful job serving there. Tickets are still available and I want to encourage you to come. You should arrive at 11:45 for lunch and will walk away at 12:50.

Have a great day.

Macy’s heart surgery lasted almost six hours at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston yesterday and has been deemed successful. She has gone through much and needs your continued prayer support. For those of you who have not read my blog before, Macy is my niece’s daughter. Thanks for praying for them. If you want to stay in touch with her condition or give a positive report to the family, you can do so here. You will have to create a login, and the name of her page is MacyLynnSvec.

The study on the book of Job continues this week. It is a study that now takes on some matters relating to Job and his friends. The message Sunday is, “They Just Don’t Understand.” Pray for me.

How are you doing? I mean really, how are you doing? This coming Sunday morning we will be doing a song that I think really is so very powerful. I hope you will not miss worship at all.

I am at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina today pouring my life into ministers. I am going to preach a message out of my newly

released book which is on its way to the stores across America right now. The book is entitled, 10 Things Every Minister Needs To Know. It is a book for all ministers of all ages from all sizes of churches to all roles in ministry for all who are located anywhere in the world. This will be an encouraging gift to any minister you know across the world.

Pray for us today … will return this evening.

My niece’s little baby, Macy, will have heart surgery at 8:00 a.m. in Houston today.  Macy was born recently with Down Syndrome and in need of major heart surgery.  This surgery has been delayed twice, but today is the day so please lift her up.  It will be several hours, so lift up her Mom and Dad, Kristy and Rodney. She is in Children’s Hospital in Houston.

Pain is real for this little family.  Of course, it represents the pain that exists in families all over the world.  Families who have children who are struggling with physical challenges that are very real and dangerous.  It was just a few short years ago that I married Kristy and Rodney and it is hard to believe their first baby is here and now faces this ordeal today.  Again, it is a reminder of the masses of issues that exist in families daily.

This is all that is on my heart today and serves as a good reminder for all of us to pray for people in need this day.  Hospitals are full of them all over the world. Beyond the physical needs, there are so many other needs.  The needs are so many that they are impossible to list.  Again, it reminds us of the great need to pray.

I love you and thank you for praying for Macy and all others who have major needs today.

Yesterday we asked our people who were in worship to write down the greatest question they would like to ask God about anything in their life, family, or the world. We supplied post-it notes for everyone.  I will know today the response of those present.  It was easy for me to write mine!

My question to God is:  “Why do you let bad and horrible weather happen on Sunday mornings?”  At 8:30a.m. the rain began and continued torrentially at both campuses until after 12:00 noon.  It was horrible and torrential rainfall, accentuated with lightning and thunder.  Of course, this played upon the emotions of people so it was a difficult Sunday.  So, I have reaffirmed in my heart what my question is to God.

I will let others judge the message, even though it was a difficult setting in which to speak; however, the worship was outstanding.  The entire theme of the service was powerful and I only wish the message would have received complete 100% concentration from everyone without the apparent distractions. 

Yes, God is in control…I know it.  Yes, He is in charge of the weather, even on Sundays.  I only pray that God will have His people step up in every way to a greater and higher degree, regardless of weather.  It is amazing though:  90 plus year-old people on walkers drove to church for both Connection groups and Worship; yet, hundreds of healthy people “did not want to get out in the rain!”  Go figure that one.  Of course, we all know, if the Razorbacks had been playing in torrential rainfall, we would all be out there in our rain gear, braving the weather! 

Okay, enough of my soapbox for the day.  Life goes on and so does church, regardless of circumstances. 

Seriously, we kick off our 50 days of prayer on this coming Sunday, so read your mail this week and begin with us on Sunday morning. 

Nick and Meredith are coming home tonight so they can attend the #1 vs #1 game on Friday Night at our Stadium against Greenwood. Yes, the #1 team in Class 3A is playing the #1 team in Class 5A at Champions Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night. We need you to come and support this game if you are not committed to a local high school football team already. This is a huge ball game for both programs.

Nick and Meredith will also be able to attend Peyton’s 1st birthday party on Saturday afternoon before they return to Dallas pre-Sunday responsibilities. Peyton’s birthday is not until Friday, September 22nd, but Josh and Kate are having the party early due to scheduling and family. Yes, Peyton is fired up about it … I think.  Some of you will say, “Where has this year gone? He is already one year old?!”

Time is a deceiving experience, is it not?  Each of us act and live as if we have no restrictions and life pretty well revolves around us. How untrue that is. Life is racing in a radical way. Somehow we need to get to the point of “taking it in” so much more than we may be doing now. You got any secrets — let me know.

I was at one of our Connection Groups last night, and they were wrapping up a study on the subject of heaven.  They put me on the hot seat for about 30 minutes, asking me all kinds of questions about heaven. When we really center in on that subject or when we lose someone we love, we develop a very inquisitive heart about heaven. Yet, we only know so much and will only know so much.  God keeps so many things mysterious, with heaven being one of the most mysterious of all.

How the Father is longing for all of us to come home. When I think about how much I long for Nick and Meredith to come home to us safely, how much more does the Father in heaven desire for us to come home safely.

Yes, one day we will be safely home … heaven … it will be so much more than we can even imagine … any of you remember these words to the old hymn, “When We All Get to Heaven”? They go like this:

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus,
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.

Refrain:
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.

Let us then be true and faithful,
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.

Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold

ONWARD TO YOUR “REAL PRIZE”!