We have a very special speaker on Thursday at the Summit Business Persons Luncheon, Mr. Truett Cathey. Mr. Cathey was the founder of Chick-Fil-A, the incredible restaurant chain located all across America. This man is an unashamed follower of Jesus Christ. His values upon which he built his company even include a “Not open on Sunday” policy. Is this not unique? Yet the company has and continues to explode nationally. Tickets may still be available, so call (479) 271-7799.

The Summit Business Persons Luncheon has grown into one of the premiere business platforms in all of Northwest Arkansas. I am amazed and blessed by its continued success. It takes a lot of work from our staff and sacrificial volunteers to pull off the 26 Thursdays we do it each year. It has become one of the defining experiences in the entire culture of Northwest Arkansas.

Yesterday I was able to dialogue with the President of the World Trade Center that has recently been located in Northwest Arkansas, just down the street from our Pinnacle Hills location. Great plans are on the agenda and what a fabulous opportunity for this region and for our church. Northwest Arkansas has become the 285th location of the World Trade Center Association. Their ultimate role is to increase trade between the countries of the world. With the emergence of globalization, the opportunities are endless.

One of the unique characteristics of our region and both locations for our church is the presence of these major influencers and corporations located here. Think about it for a moment. Our Springdale location is just down the street from Tyson Foods and only 15 minutes from the University of Arkansas. Our Pinnacle Hills location is just down the street from the World Trade Center, just five minutes from J B Hunt Transport and seven minutes to Wal-Mart Headquarters. As well, both locations are within minutes of four of the largest high schools in the state of Arkansas. We are very blessed as a ministry.

Thank God for His Favor upon our church today.

This morning I am speaking at our own Shiloh Christian School. We have a school with just under 750 students from Kindergarten through 12th grade. It is fully accredited by three different and nationally-recognized accrediting agencies. Our school is committed to coming alongside parents in assisting them to raise their children.

Our school is committed to a Bible-based world view being taught in a spiritual environment. We are centered in Christ alone and stand solid on the authority of His Word. It is our goal that each faculty member, whatever their level of employment, would live by biblical Principles and by the power of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating outstanding Christianity and churchmanship. This is far more important than so many things. If we want students who are contagious for Jesus, His Church, and committed to His Great Commission, then it is my goal to see this demonstrated through the lives of every Shiloh employee.

Our school is committed to college prepatory academics. 99% of our graduates go on to college, and we are committed to getting them ready to live life within those institutions, being able to compete with the best minds in America. Last week in a meeting, we discussed several ways we could take this to an entirely new level, engaging students to the very last day they are with us in their senior year, preparing them in every way to enter the collegiate ranks, not only as students academically, but spiritually.

Our school is committed to outstanding Athletics and Spirit Groups. Teenagers love to have fun and engage in life in many ways. Athletics and Spirit Groups serve as outstanding ways to build community, fellowship, and friendships for a lifetime. Education cannot eliminate the power of community. Experiencing life together, even through competition, can help build that community. Right now in our high school, we have two of the most outstanding basketball teams playing, with both having potential to win a state championship just like our football team did in December. Now for those of you who read this who may not live in Arkansas, but in our state, private schools compete in the public school league, and we like it that way. Our Band has exploded in the past two to three years, another way to build community. The list could go on and on. Shiloh Christian School is not a perfect school, but a great place for children.

Pray for me today as I speak to them this morning.

Pray for Shiloh Christian School, its growth, and its future.

Look forward to this Sunday, February 4 as Dr. Charles Lowery ministers to all of us on the subject of “Communication in our Families.” I am convinced if someone can communicate more effectively about a subject than me, submit to it and let it occur! This is exactly why I decided to have Dr. Lowery be our pulpit guest for this Sunday. You will learn, you will laugh, and you will be challenged. He is a splendid communicator, one of the best, so bring someone with you on this coming Sunday, February 4.

Make a difference with your life this week. There are so many things you can do with your life this week, but insure you make a difference, a real difference in the lives of other people. I am convinced that the Lord can successfully use you, so resolve this day, “I will make a difference with my life this week.”

This week there will be so many things happen in your life, so determine, “I will respond in a positive way to them.” This is not easy, but you can do it!  I hope God will enable you and inspire you to live like His Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that all of us will be like Christ when various challenges are thrown our way through life. They will come again and again; however, our response to them is what is important.

This week, give God your best. Give Him your best in time, talents, and treasures. You have what you have because of Christ and nothing else. Do your very best by giving God your best! His best has been established in the Bible, so read the book and let God speak to you.

This week leads up to Super Bowl Sunday in the world culture. Let’s make it a super week for God.

Have a Super week!

For every Christ-follower, this year’s Super Bowl will have a very special element. Two close friends who are unashamed and outspoken born-again Christian men will be coaching their teams in this year’s Super Bowl in Miami. I wish now I was going!

These guys are special men and thank God for that. Anyone who has ever told any of you, “Keep your faith silent,” or “You can’t be an outspoken Christian and be successful,” is wrong. These two men are modeling the favor of God for us today.

Share this article today. I have seen this on two sites already so that Christians can use this experience to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

MIAMI (BP) — Super Bowl XLI will feature two teams making their first super game appearance in two-plus decades, two Midwestern teams separated by only a couple hundred miles, but most importantly two coaches who are strong believers in Jesus Christ.

Head coaches Tony Dungy of Indianapolis and close friend and fellow Christian Lovie Smith of Chicago gave credit to God following their respective teams’ victories in the conference championships Jan. 21.

“The Lord set this up in a way that no one would believe it,” Dungy said following the Colts’ win over New England. “The Lord tested us a lot this year, but he set this up to get all the glory.”

The news that two witnesses for their personal faith in Jesus Christ would have a two-week international spotlight for their beliefs thrilled Christian leader William Pugh, executive director of sports ministry’s Athletes in Action (AIA), a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ.

“We are so excited to see the Bears and Colts in the Super Bowl,” said Pugh, a close friend of both head coaches. “We could not have picked two better coaches to represent all that is good about sports.”

AIA organizes and runs the annual Super Bowl breakfast the day before the game. Last year, Dungy was the keynote speaker just weeks after his son’s tragic death, giving an inspirational message about God’s love in the best and worst of times.

Smith is in his first tenure as a head coach and hasn’t had the public opportunities to share his faith like Dungy, but he has told the Chicago media he believes in Christ, listens to Christian music when driving his car, and does not smoke, drink, or curse.

“I’m so happy for Lovie who does things the right way, without cursing and shows things can be done differently,” Dungy said of Smith. “We give God all the credit.”

Dungy has served as the cover spokesman for a special Super Bowl witnessing video and tract. Several of his players, including star tight end Dallas Clark, put out a special faith-based DVD entitled Power to Win about their faith in Christ and their need to honor him in all that they do.

While the media will concentrate on the game itself, the men in charge of leading their teams to the big game plan on sharing the most important things in their life, something that has nothing to do with runs or passes or even the final score.

Come and join me at the Summit Business Persons Luncheon on Thursday at The Church at Pinnacle Hills location. People from all over the region attend, and new people fill the Gatheria weekly.

Food is served from 11:45-12:15, with the program itself beginning at 12:10. You will be walking out by 12:50. I will be speaking tomorrow on the subject, "Are You Living Life in Overload?" We do not do Bible Studies, but leadership and motivational lessons in a positive environment. The Summit is a soft entrance into our church. On the average week, no more than one-half of the people who attend are active attenders of our church. Tickets are available. Go to www.churchph.com/summit to
discover how you can get them.

Come and join me on Sunday as I continue the HD Family Series, speaking on what I believe may be the biggest issue in life, not only for families, but for each person. It will be a great service and I guarantee you, the Lord will speak to your life on this Sunday. This issue is bigger than big in all of our lives. You will be glad you came. Invite and bring someone with you.

Come and join me in walking with Jesus daily. Life will make a lot more sense to you. Each day, with great intentionality, walk with Jesus. Enjoy the forever presence of Him in your life if you know Him as Lord and Savior. Abide in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Come and join me.

After we have done certain things, we say to ourselves and even to others, "I should have known better." Oh my dear friend, this happens over and over again to us. We identify well with those who have gone before us who stated things like, "to him who knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin" or "the things I do not want to do, I do, and the things I desire to do, I find myself not doing." This is where so much of life is lived for me. What about you?

Our choices must be courageous choices, even willing to be different from others. Regret can plague the best of us. I have seen it dominate from the least of us to the greatest among us. Again, so many times whether ever stated publicly, there is that internal feeling that nags at us, "Well, I should have known better." We experience this in pretty well every facet of life.

DO WHAT IS RIGHT should become the dominating agenda in our lives. The opinions of others will always challenge our identity, but we must rest in who we are enough to always DO WHAT IS RIGHT or stated in another way, DO THE RIGHT THING.

Life is more serious than a silly football pick I make. Yes, I should have known better to pick the Bears to lose to the Saints, but I did. In reality, who cares who I pick to win, right?

Life is more than about football picks and living in regret. Life is about doing what is right and doing the right things. Sometimes in life when we miss on this, we enter into some big time regret. Regret that can go with us to the grave without the daily work of Christ in us. Therefore, today, on January 23, 2007…

Do what is right.

If you desire to achieve anywhere in life, you will experience what it is like to lose. Losing is never easy, especially when it occurs publicly. Some people experience a personal loss and others never know of it due to the privacy of the individual. Some people lose big, because when you have a history of winning big, the loss takes even more notice by others.

Take the New Orleans Saints football team – they lost yesterday in Chicago and lost big. The score indicates more than reality, but they still lost. The only reason their loss was so visible was because of what they represented in their historical winning year in their franchise. America was pulling for them as a whole, but the Chicago Bears prevailed.

Their coach, Shawn Peyton, who did a great job this year, will push pause for a number of days and evaluate and learn. He will learn so his team will learn. The lessons will not be that profound, but just lessons. Losing teaches us so many lessons, and none of them are easy to learn. Yet once we have lost, we look forward to the time when we can prove, not that we can win, but that we have learned the lessons we needed to learn.

I have lost several times in my life. Guess what: I still do not like it. However, losing teaches you so much about life and many times, even about yourself.

All is not lost when you lose if you learn a few lessons from your loss. You can do that. I have and I am still learning along the way, because at times, I still lose. Whether we win or lose, what matters the most is what we have learned from God when we win or lose. Yes, I like lessons from winning more than those from losing. Yet you cannot win them all, right? Well, winning can happen even when you lose. Winning is an attitude, not simply an experience.

Develop a winning attitude this week.

I was in New Orleans just days after Hurricane Katrina, able to be there because of a Marine escort. It was an amazing experience, one that left me feeling hopeless. It was a lonely city full of buildings, with just a few people and absolutely no traffic.

When I returned, I was not very optimistic about the future of that city. I had been to New Orleans on numerous occasions for conventions and a College National Championship Game. I have loved going to New Orleans through the years because of its uniqueness and its incredible food. However, after seeing the trauma, tragedy, and tribulation they had faced, I was just not optimistic about the future of the city.

The rising miracle of the New Orleans Saint football team demonstrates the true spirit of New Orleans. It appears the city is coming back to a degree even though the barriers before them are still enormous. Yet, a people, a team – being able to accomplish what has been happened this season shows the entire city and nation the power of victory through the greatest adversity.

This miracle in New Orleans is to be applauded and congratulated by all of us, even if we are not football fans. Therefore, I hope they do very well this week as they play in one of the two conference championship games. The winner of each will meet in the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami, Florida.

My picks for the weekend:

• New Orleans Saints will upset the Chicago Bears: the spirit of New Orleans will continue this miracle run!
• Indianapolis Colts will defeat the New England Patriots: Peyton Manning will play in this year’s Super Bowl game!

Whatever you may be facing this day or in this season in your life, let the miracle of New Orleans remind you: there is always a way. Greater than the spirit of New Orleans for all of us is the Holy Spirit of God. He is more than able to fill you, empower you, and walk with you, giving you the power to overcome whatever you are facing.

Our God always gives the greatest miracles.

God’s favor comes in all kinds of flavors in each of our lives. It is always a joy to see your children grow and mature, especially when success is God’s school, rather than disappointment and perhaps even failure. While God’s favor can be experienced in all of these ways and more, I just cannot act as though what the Lord has done for one of my children does not exist. I mean, this is a personal blog, right?

Josh has received two statewide “Coach of the Year” awards since his team won the State Football Championship. At 26 years of age, he is more than blessed and he knows it. Josh’s humble spirit continues and has been one of his great assets throughout his entire life, even through setting state and national football records in his high school years. He has always been about team, not himself.

Josh was recognized in Little Rock on two occasions recently. The pictures you see in this blog today were taken when he was honored at the Little Rock Touchdown Club last week. We were not able to attend this event, even though we did the other one, but this was a special moment for both Josh and Kate. A coach’s life is hard, strenuous, and stressful, not only for him but for his spouse. Regardless of the level, the pressure ascends to the highest level.

After winning the State Championship, our team was recognized as not only the #1 team in our classification, but also:

• The #4 team among ALL classifications in the State of Arkansas by the Associated Press and …
• The #9 team in the Southwest region of the United States by Prepnation.com which includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and perhaps others; but we were the only ranked team in the state of Arkansas in this region of the country.

Yes, it was a very special year. You enjoy what God gives you when you receive it, because it all comes from God and He alone gets the glory. Whether or not it happens ever again, we trust the Lord; but most of all give Him thanks for these experiences. When Josh was walking through some days of deep disappointment, but most of all in health challenges that ended his playing career and perhaps what may have influenced his quality and longevity of life, I told him, “Son, God is getting ready to do something great in you … the experiences you have gone through after such a great high school career, I believe God is going to raise you up early in your life if you will stay before Him.” God has been so good to him and to us. I am so very thankful to Jesus for it.

Whatever it is in life, from great teams, to families, to businesses, and to churches, they are built with great players under a leader who has the wisdom to guide them to experience their greatest potential. It is a joy for me to lead a family and a church. Yes, I do like to lead, but I love watching other people navigate through the waters of leadership successfully.

Today, I thank my great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His favor upon my family. He has been more than faithful through the good times and the bad times. To Him alone be the glory.

He is faithful.

I was three for four on my NFL playoff picks made on my blog last week. If I had gone with my gut, I would have been four for four. You would think I would know better by now to play conventional wisdom at times.

Speaking of conventional wisdom, how many times have you short-changed your life because you used conventional wisdom. You were more drawn to what others said or believed than what you thought was right. I am convinced it costs people vision, confidence, money, and much more. We live many times on the short end of life all because we are not willing to be different.

Be willing to be different today in every way. Do not buy into the words of others. Soak yourself in the Word of God, the Bible. This is the place where real wisdom flows.

There is nothing God has done or does that flows in line with conventional wisdom. He always astounds human intellect and human power. He always amazes the masses with His words and actions.

Be willing to be different.