Podcasts about Prestonwood Baptist Church

Stunning new archaeological finds are confirming the truth of the Bible like never before. From the enduring mystery of the Shroud of Turin, to a rare Roman execution nail, to the “Jesus Cup” discovered underwater in Alexandria, Egypt - these discoveries are shaking the archaeological world. Joining me is my good friend Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, President of the Christian Thinkers Society, pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church, and one of today's leading voices in biblical scholarship. He's here to walk us through these finds, what they mean for our faith, and why they matter for every believer. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WATCH Stakelbeck Tonight episodes for free on TBN+ here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Stakscast with Erick Stakelbeck podcast features host Erick Stakelbeck and special guests having candid, thought-provoking conversations on the state of America, the world, and the Church, plus powerful personal testimonies and stories. Tune in for deep discussions on the big issues that matter to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unity isn't just a buzzword. It's the foundation for business growth and community impact. In this episode of Building Texas Business, I sit down with Jeff Williams, president of Graham Associates, to talk about how bringing people together drives both engineering success and civic transformation. Working with his firm who design iconic Texas projects including AT&T Stadium and Southlake Town Square, and during his three terms as Arlington mayor, he demonstrats how unity principles scale from boardroom to city hall. Jeff shares his approach to bridging generational divides through Friday "High Five" meetings that transformed skeptical baby boomers and millennials into collaborative teammates. His engineering firm rebuilt their office culture post-COVID by creating collaboration spaces and displaying core values throughout their workspace, showing employees they're not just designing roads but contributing to state-of-the-art hospitals. When people understand their larger purpose, engagement naturally follows. His upcoming book "The Unity Blueprint" captures lessons from leading Arlington through the pandemic faster than any other U.S. city, according to NYU research, and emphasizes that modern leadership requires teaching over commanding, with trust and value as non-negotiables for today's workforce. Success comes from transforming "my plan" into "our plan" through genuine input and buy-in, whether you're managing engineers or running a city. This conversation reveals how Texas businesses thrive by embracing partnerships over politics, with Jeff's $8 million citywide rideshare solution versus $50 million per mile for light rail proving that innovation beats tradition when unity guides decisions. SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Discover how weekly "High Five" meetings turned skeptical senior engineers into collaboration champions, bridging baby boomers and millennials Jeff details how Arlington saved millions by implementing $8 million annual autonomous rideshare instead of $50 million per mile light rail Learn why being the first U.S. city to run autonomous shuttles attracted Uber, Lyft, and Via to compete for Arlington's contract Hear how post-COVID office renovations with collaboration spaces and visible core values brought remote workers back to rebuild culture Jeff shares how a devastating referendum loss taught him that expertise means nothing if political consultants silence your voice Understand why the Medal of Honor Museum chose Arlington over Washington D.C.—Texas builds in years what takes decades elsewhere LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About Graham Associates GUESTS Jeff WilliamsAbout Jeff TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode, you'll meet Jeff Williams, CEO of Graham Associates and former mayor of Arlington, Texas. Jeff stresses the power of creating unity within a company to foster a strong culture and how training and developing your people it's critical to success. Jeff, I want to thank you for taking the time and welcome to Building Texas Business. It's great to be here. Jeff: Chris, it's always great to talk about Texas and especially business. Chris: Yes. So let's start with just introducing yourself and tell us what it is you do. What's your company known for? Jeff: Well, I own a civil engineering firm and we build communities. We design public infrastructure, highways, roads, utilities, but we also do sports facilities, churches, schools there. We've done a lot of different things. Some of our projects you might recognize in at and t Stadium, we were the civil engineers for it. And yes, we did work with the Jones family and we also also know Chris: Is Jerry World, right? Jeff: Absolutely. And it was an exciting project to work on and then it's amazing how well it's aged and still the top special event center here in the country. But then we've had South Lake Town Square, which was kind of the granddaddy of all of the town centers that's here and a really special place. Nebraska Furniture Mark. We got to work for Warren Buffett there and doing his grand scape development here in the Metroplex. But then we've also, we have Prestonwood Baptist Church, which one of the largest churches in the Southwest. So rewarding to be able to do that. And then we've got Westlake Academy, actually Westlake, Texas. We actually got to start from scratch there. It was a town that we got in on the very beginning. They had one subdivision and now they've got Fidelity's headquarters. Schwab is there, Deloitte, and then Viro, one of the most upscale developments in the state of Texas. So those are some of the fun projects that we've gotten to do. I think it's very rewarding. Chris: Yeah, no, I mean it sounds not just fun but impactful and kind of be able to look around and see how you've changed the landscape of your community, Jeff: Chris. That is so, so true. There's nothing better than to be able to take your family and friends to be able to show them what you've done, but even more importantly, to actually be at one of your projects and see people coming together and families enjoying a special place that we created. And of course that moves to unity and that's one of the things that I have grown to value more than anything else is bringing people together to make a difference. That's great. Well, Chris: We have the benefit here at Warrior Miller represent a lot of very successful real estate developers. And so I think I know our real estate team feels the same way is right working with the client to bring projects like that together and being able to, the benefit of doing the legal work for that and just see to go by years later and go, we worked on that project or that park or that building or that community center is really rewarding stuff. Jeff: Really is the mission of our company is to be an integral partner in building communities. Chris: I like that. So let's talk a little, I mean, what was the inspiration? Obviously you're engineer I guess by education, but what's been the inspiration for you to stay in this industry and build the company that you've Jeff: Built? Well, we just hit it. I feel like it's such an important part of being able to build these communities for people to live, work and play in. And then that actually led me to being actually recruited to run for mayor here in Arlington and to serve there. I served three terms as mayor. That's very unusual for engineers to move into that. I didn't realize it until after I was elected and there aren't many engineers that do that. But however, as an engineer, we have designed public infrastructure. We have to sell our projects to the citizens so many times we also understand schedules and budgets and being able to work through that. And so it really was a great fit for me there, although it's very challenging and people go, well, why would you do that? Well, the reason we'd do it, it's rewarding. It's the most rewarding job I've ever had. But it also is the hardest because you're working with so many different people. But it really increased my awareness that the last thing we need to be doing is to be having dissension and conflict all the time. Instead, we need to be bringing people together to make a difference and actually work on projects that can actually, people can get behind and have passion and discover their purpose. And then of course, the results of that have been actually to forge friendships. Chris: So I guess, how have you taken some of those lessons and lessons along the way and incorporated them into the company at Graham Associates to kind of build the team there? Jeff: Well, as I came out of serving as mayor, I ended my last term in 2021. We'd come out of the pandemic. There still were the lingering effects of it. People wanted to work from home. So however, in our business, in so many businesses, teamwork is a big part of what we need. Chris: Absolutely. Jeff: I read everything I could get ahold of because we are at the beginning of a technology revolution, but we also have societal changes that happen every few months or perhaps even sometimes monthly. So I needed to understand the young people, but also needed to figure out how to create an atmosphere to where our people wanted to be. So literally our offices, we redid everything in the way of so that we could be a very inviting place that our employees could be proud of, but also that our clients would want to come because those face-to-face meetings are still important. And then part of that impact too was that we try to create special places for collaboration and we have several collaboration rooms there. And so that was a key. But also in our Collins areas, we wanted to be uplifting. So in our kitchens we have those stocked, but we also put up positive phrases there that really epitomize our core values and we have our core values that our employees actually fed into. They're displayed everywhere. But then I ran into a roadblock because our older engineers said, Hey, why are we doing all of this? And then we started in on doing a Friday staff meeting where everyone came together and we call it our high five meeting, an opportunity for us to encourage each other and to be able to share some of the stories that happened that week. And man, my older engineer said, man, that's a whole hour of billable time that we could be having. And they didn't like it at all for the first couple of months. And then magic started happening. They started getting to know each other better. And so I had millennials getting along with the older baby boomers, they're an understanding each other and now they all look forward to it. And we do soft skill training and IT team building there also. But it is a time that we all look forward to and it built that camaraderie because we need teamwork and it helps to get them there. And so then I still allow my people to work one day a week at all. But then our project managers actually make the decision on how much more if someone wants to work from home more because it depends on the project and what we've got going, but yet our team understands now that they've got to be able to build those relationships. Well, I like what you pointed Chris: Out there is it's not a one size fits all game. You got to be flexible and listen. And I think as leaders, if you can communicate that so that your employees understand that they'll understand when you can't be as flexible as maybe they would like because the circumstances don't warrant that. But then when you can, you allow it, Jeff: Chris. That is so true, and you've got to value people and be able to listen to them. No longer can a manager when they ask you, why are we doing something? Because you can't say because I said so. Chris: No, Jeff: It's Chris: Because it's the way we've always done it. Jeff: Oh yes, that's another great line. That is a dinosaur that can't act more. But it's actually exciting to be able to share with our people why we're doing things and to be able to understand the big picture of that, Hey, this isn't that You're just designing a roadway to a hospital. You are contributing to the overall wellbeing of actually being a part of the team that constructs a state-of-the-art hospital that, Chris: Well, I think the other thing you've discovered, we see it here. It was certainly part of our culture before COVID and it's become an important part post COVID to regain connection. And that's getting people together in community, in the office, lunches, happy hours, breakfast, whatever, because then you use the word magic started to happen. I think that's right, that as we gain connection with our coworkers, that helps with retention, it helps with collaboration because we get to know each other a little better. Especially important I think not just in a post COVID world, but in the multi-generational office that we're dealing with. Right? Four and five generations in one office together don't necessarily see things eye to eye, but if you get to know somebody, you can break those barriers. Jeff: That's right. And that leads to something else that I've discovered. Even if you're an introvert and you think you don't need other people, it is amazing because God made us to live in community. And when you're coming together and aligning people with a purpose and you are working together, suddenly those barriers get broken down. And it doesn't matter the age difference, the color of your skin, all of those differences disappear because you're working together to make a difference. And suddenly, again, I'll mention you end up with friendships that are forged. In fact, if you think about it, probably your best friends are the ones that you worked on a project with. It might be for school, for church or in your work. And certainly it's awesome to be able to forge great friendships at your workplace. Chris: I love it. We haven't used the word really much, but it sounds like you're defining the culture that you're trying to build and nurture there. How would you describe the culture and anything else other than these kind of high five meetings and such that you're doing to try to help nurture the culture? Jeff: Well, I think the other part to round it out is that we have got to be focused on teaching and training. I think the culture has really got to be a teaching atmosphere. People don't respond to that type A manager that is forceful and raises their voice and all of that. It's more they've got to see that you value them, each one of these employees do. But then also it's not just in how you truth them. You need to take action in teaching and training them and show them how they are going to be able to help themselves and help the team overall by learning. And then of course, we also have to create that accountability because we aren't professional teachers. In fact, no matter what business we're in, most of us are not professional teachers. So we need our employees to be willing to ask questions and to be willing to be vulnerable, say, I really don't understand this. I need help on this. And that's where it's got to be a two-way street, but yet you cannot. You got to really foster that culture where they are willing to ask questions and to let you know that they don't know it there. But then we have the ability to focus in on what do they not understand and be able to get that training to help fill in that hole. Chris: Yeah, that's so important. So true. Let's just talk a little bit about technology and innovation. What are some of the things that you see and that you've tried to incorporate there from an innovative way of doing your work or how technology's changing the trends of how you go about your work? Jeff: Well, Chris, this is one of my favorite topics, and of course no surprise with me being an engineer, but we are really at the beginning of a technology revolution. In fact, I'll never forget, a few years ago I heard the head of IBM technology that was actually out of Belgium, and he said exactly that We are at the beginning of a technology revolution like the world has never seen, and we are going to see more change than we have ever experienced. Well, there is a little bit of a problem because most people don't like change. And yet we have got to be willing to adapt to that. And I challenge our engineers throughout when I'm speaking to engineering groups. So you guys have got to take the lead in that we, engineers are typically very conservative. They find a great way to do something or they want to stick with it. But however, because of new technology, we've got to be researching that technology. We've got to be looking to see what technology is good, what is not. We even need to be helping in the regulation of it. And so consequently, I'll say this, we have got to be researching AI and software that is coming out constantly. I have two people dedicated to that. Larger firms probably have whole departments that are dedicated because we have an opportunity to be able to do things better faster, but we've got to be able to be competitive. I don't want to wake up one day and all my competitors are being able to do things 30% cheaper than I can and beating my price point and actually able to serve the clients better. And I do equate it to when computers really came online in the eighties, we were all worried about, well, are we going to have a job? Oh, well. And then others would say, well, we're only going to work three days a week now because of computers. No, we saw ourselves become more productive and we will become more productive with AI and other technologies, but also even with the technology being able to incorporate how you use it. I'll give you an example of that. When I was serving as mayor, we were the first city in America to run an autonomous shuttle, a driverless shuttle there on a public streets. And it was amazing at work that we were all scared of it, but we actually challenged our city staff to be looking at new technologies that we could use to be able for transportation. And we said, Hey, let's open up our city as a laboratory. And so consequently, our staff came up with the idea that we really could have Uber and Lyft type process and actually have driverless shuttles that are seven passenger vans that could be going out throughout our city in a very cost effective way. That'd be much cheaper than high speed rail or light rail there. Of course, high speed rail is still a ways off. But anyway, long story short, we went out and did an RFQ, Uber, Lyft and a accompanied by the name of Via all proposed on it. And we ended up being the first city in America to implement technology rideshare and then added the autonomous vehicle to it. And now cities across America are doing that. And instead of paying 50 million a mile for light rail, we are end up calling actually covering our whole city 99 square miles for $8 million a year. It's an amazing thing and very cost effective. Everybody's business. We've got to look at how can we do things different and more cost effective utilizing the technology. Chris: Let's talk about a corollary to that. What are some of the trends you're seeing in your industry that we should be prepared for and maybe how is being based in Texas influencing those trends? Jeff: Well, it's growth, Chris. The growth is a big change in our business there because in growth is so big and so consequently the biggest resource we need or people, it's not, we can all buy our software, we can all buy our computers, but it's really about people. Every business I talk to, it's all about finding those people and then yet we've got to be willing to train them up there. And of course, really when you're hiring experienced people, many times that's just a stop gap because they don't quite fit what you need. So I think the big change that we're seeing trend that businesses are needing to train their workforce up and do that as fast as you can because we need more people to be able to fill those positions. So again, we've got to become teachers, we've got to be able to be efficient. And then I still think one of the biggest challenges in business and really in fact in America is that we have so much dissension. People have a tough time getting along with each other. Arguments come up and then suddenly that cancel culture comes and there's no forgiveness. It's I'm done with you. And that is a poison for business there. And none of us as managers want to spend all our time in conflict resolution. So to that, right? Chris: One of the things I talk about a lot is that if we can remember to give grace in the business world, we do have a personal life a lot, but for some reason we get into, then we think we switch and put the corporate hat on or business hat on and we kind of forget that. I think that is an important aspect to remember, to your point, it helps diffuse conflict. We're imperfect human beings. And so learning to have accountability but also with a touch of grace can help resolve conflict, avoid conflict mitigated in the workplace. Jeff: That's so true. Chris. I had an interesting thing happen along these same lines as New York University actually studied Arlington when I was mayor, and they got attracted initially that we had become the sports capital of the nation, but yet they looked at how we did things. And I needed help as a mayor, so I sought out people. I needed experts, I needed people that would work. I needed input from our citizens. And so we ended up working together to accomplish a lot of things. We had to work to keep the Texas Rangers here in town. There were a lot of other cities that wanted to move them out of our community. We also had not been bringing in jobs there. And in 2014, the year before I came in, the big headlines read that the DFW Metropolitan area had created more jobs in any other metropolitan area in the country, and Arlington was not doing that. And so we had to jumpstart that economy and then yet I needed to unite our leaders and we did that. And throughout the pandemic and so forth, New York University studied us and they believed we came out of the pandemic quicker than any other city in America, both physically and economically. And so they encouraged me to write a book on Unity and how you did it. And they also then took it a step further and they went to Forbes and I ended up signing a book contract with Forbes and were releasing the Unity Blueprint on September the ninth. That really is that plan. Therefore being able to bring people together in both your personal life, your life, and then even our civic involvement and so forth there. And that has been a big change for me really since I came into office. I always valued people, but now getting it, taking it to the next step of unity because how much time is wasted there when your employees are fighting with each other or arguing and then it's a lasting effect. They never work together as well. And so working and creating that culture and actually adding forgiveness to your core value I think is a very important thing. But then also getting people to adopt character values themselves, to have a foundation that they can work with. And when you see people working to be a person of character, there can be forgiveness, but there's not much room for forgiveness when it's constantly on the other person. It's a tough deal. Right. Well, Chris: I didn't realize about the book. That sounds, I'm excited to see it and read it, and I don't know if there's anything that kind of comes out of that as a tidbit that you might be able to share with us now the listeners about maybe obviously the lessons you've learned along the way, kind of that something that you've incorporated into your kind of leadership style that has helped foster unity within the organizations you've run. Jeff: Always amazed when a person gets appointed president of his company or gets elected to a position and many times they don't have a plan. And then in addition to that, if they do have a plan, many times they didn't get any input on it. They literally concocted a plan of their own versus the opportunity for you to work on a vision and a plan after you have researched it, and then you take it to your employees and get feedback from them. And suddenly that plan transforms from your plan to our plan. And it's amazing when you get that buy-in, how it can really work together, and you're not having to sell your plan all the time. They're doing it for you, and it makes all the difference. I'm very excited about being able to move out there around the country and pushing towards unity as a matter of fact, and our book has already reached the number one new release by Amazon. They're in both business and Christian leadership, so I'm pumped about that. That's awesome. Congratulations. But we're not perfect people. We all need the space, but if you're employees can see that you're working towards it, if your fellow employees can see you are working towards being that person of character and wanting to do it. Now, we landed in the middle of honor museum here in Arlington there. We were in a 20 city competition for that, and it's probably one of the greatest things I've ever been involved in. We had a six month journey there and competing against the other cities and it was a national museum. And you go, well, why didn't they go to Washington dc? Well, the reason they didn't is going to take 20 years to get it built. And we in Texas here, can get things built quick, can't we? Right. You've got great contractors, architects, engineers to make that happen. And real estate people, Chris real estate people, government. Chris: That wants to get stuff done, right? That's right. Yeah. Rather than being an impediment to getting stuff done. Jeff: Well, the middle of honor museum or the Medal of Honor recipients that were leading that recognize that very thing, they also saw that we are the center of patriotism and we can get things done. We have a track record do it. Chris: I had there's, we could do a whole episode I think just on that museum. I had the privilege, Texas Capital Bank did a little Texas tour and they hosted something here in Houston that I was invited to all about the museum, what it is, how it came about. Very unique, very special, very proud that it's going to be in Texas and hopefully more people will take time to get to know what this is all about and then go visit it once it opens. Jeff: Well, the thing that surprised me is when I actually visited with these Living Medal of Honor recipients, and each one of them has pledged to spend the rest of their life making more of a difference there. And what they're doing is they are pushing character values, integrity, sacrifice, courage, commitment, citizenship and patriotism. Well, that's what all of us need. And currently the state board of education here in Texas has adopted a two week curriculum that our students will study in school and then they'll be able to take a field trip to the museum or a virtual field trip. And I think that's gotten everybody excited that that is happening. And then of course, it's not just the youth, our adults too. So there are adult programs that are going on, but it had me reassess my core values. It had me to, I really wanted to reassess my character values and so forth. And in business it always starts with you got to do what you say you're going to do. But then I had an interesting thing happen and I pretty well knew the answer when I asked it, but I was speaking to 20 Chick-fil-A managers, and of course Chick-fil-A is number one in service, aren't they? Chris: Right? Jeff: I asked them, I said, guys, what are you looking for and you're leader? And they immediately spoke up and they said, we are looking for a leader that we can trust, and then we're looking for a leader that values us. I think that's where it starts for us then in Texas. We know that we get that right and we believe in partnerships and collaboration, and I think that separates us from so many other places in the country. Chris: So kind of tagging on with leadership, lots of theories and about how to become a leader, how to grow as a leader. I think you hit it on the nail on the head when you said you got to be a man of your word or a person of your word. Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it. It's kind of a foundational element, but I know from my own personal experience and talking to others, we learn a lot as leaders from mistakes we've made. And I'm just curious to know if you could share one of those rather than a mistake. I call it a learning moment where it didn't go as planned, but you learned from that and from that it actually probably accelerated your leadership skills because of it. Jeff: Yes, no doubt about it. That's very easy for me to say because one of the biggest disappointments I had in my career is we had worked on a Johnson Creek Greenway here in Arlington. It was a nine mile creek beautiful creek, and we also were going to be doing a river walk in the entertainment district around those stadiums and so forth. And we had done all the preliminary planning there. It got through the core of engineers, and we also had held major charettes. We were winning awards from all over the country. I was actually traveling and speaking on that. I had an incredible partner with me, a guy by the name of Jim Richards. I loved working with our team and I thought, this is what I'm going to be doing the next 10 years. But however, the city had to pass a sales tax selection to fund the project, and they hired a political consultant that came in and said, Hey, I think you guys ought to attach an arts referendum on this. The Johnson Creek project is so popular, the Riverwalk will go, let's attach that to it. And then there was one other thing that came in that was so unique, and that was that some of our people had actually gotten a agreement with Smithsonian to build a branch museum on this Johnson Creek river wall. And so they put that on the agenda there for an election, but the political consultants said, we don't want anybody doing anything. They said, we do not want Jeff Williams and my other partner going out and speaking, what if you make a mistake and you say the wrong thing or you stir people up? And then they also did not really realize that our refer referendum was very popular. We lost that election by a few hundred loaves. It was one of the most devastating things. And it's taken 20 years. A lot of it's been And it changed my whole career there because I had to study why did this happen? How did it happen? And I said, I have got to learn about how to handle sales tax and bond elections. And so I studied hard and in fact, I learned a lot on the Cowboys sales tax election because we had that coming up a few years after that. And we were prepared when we got into the Cowboys sales tax election. And I ran several school and city bond elections after that. There's times when you have to learn more and to be able to take control. And little did I know that it's going to prepare me for serving as mayor later on too. But I'll never forget, in 2008, we had a recession and y'all may recall that. And we had a bond program going on for public works and parks, and I was not mayor then of just engineer. And we were in trouble because if we didn't get these road projects through, and actually some of these parts projects, we had buildings that were in badly needed repair wreck centers, so forth, we had to again, engage more people and raise more money. And we went ahead with that sales tax or I should say bond program, and we were able to get it passed in the midst of that. And again, I think unity and learning about knowledge there played a huge pull. I'm a big researcher. I love to, and there are so many books out there, but also generally we never come up. We think that we come up with some creative idea that no one has ever done well, especially in business. Somebody has done it. Find them, find and you can learn from their mistakes and hopefully not make your own, but also learn from their successes. But great question, Chris. Chris: Yeah, no, you're so right. I mean, I tell people never stop learning. Be curious. We learn from our mistakes. We can learn from others and we can learn from our successes because sometimes we're successful despite ourselves or despite the plan. Lots of people will tell you it's good to be lucky every now and again. So sometimes that happens. But if you take the time to learn the why behind the success or the failure you will have learning and then that learning you will grow from Jeff: You just spur the thought that I think is so important as you are a success as you grow in your success in business. There, the ego definitely comes up. And then we all know that we've got to be careful and be humble, but I want to create a definition for humbleness because so many times when we hear humble, it goes, oh, well, you need to be modest. You never to don't need to show that confidence and so forth are really, I think the important thing about humbleness is that you need to realize that you are vulnerable and that we need other people. And you can't do it alone and you don't need to do it alone because you'll not really succeed as well. So as a leader, you walk along a cliff every day and we need people to be able to keep us from falling off. And I think you've got to continue to remember that every step of the way and there's always somebody that has a better idea. Let's go find it. Chris: Yeah, that's great. Jeff, this has been a great conversation. Just love your insights and your input. Can't wait to see the book. Unity. I want to turn just a little before we wrap up, is there a favorite spot in Texas that enjoy visiting or just kind of think about when are not doing all the engineering work and planning communities? Jeff: I love Texas. There are so many rural areas and cities, but I've got to share with you about three quick ones right here. One, Arlington, Texas has become the destination between Orlando and Vegas. And it is amazing how you can come now to the metroplex and you can see all kinds of events that are taking place there in our stadiums. And it may not be sporting, it may be concerts, it may be wrestling, who knows what it may be there going on. But then also we have the premier park in the state of Texas, I believe in River Legacy Parks, 1300 acres on the Trinity River bottoms and all of the tree growth and everything is still there. Amazing place with a world-class nature center there in it. But then you can go to Fort Worth and experience the Texas experience, the Stockyards, and then the world-class museum. And so we do staycations here because we don't want to take advantage of that. But then I'll hit two others real quick. Lubbock, Texas, I know you're going to go what in the world? Check out that restaurant scene and check out the music scene that is out there. And then Tex always got things going on, but of course we love Austin, San Antonio there in particular, Fredericksburg, east Texas and Tyler is awesome, but we have found a great beach in Port Aransas, har cinnamon chores for sure. We love it Chris: A lot to offer, right? Big state. A lot to offer. We accommodate all types and tastes. Right. Well that's one of the things I love about the state of Texas is if you can kind of find anything that any interest you have, we can satisfied. Jeff: That's right. That's Chris: Maybe not snow skiing. We hadn't figured that one out yet. But other than that, I think we got you covered. Jeff: Yeah, that's right. And of course Colorado's worried Texans are going to take over Colorado. We do head up there to do our skiing Chris: For sure. Okay, last question. Do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Jeff: Oh my goodness. I hate to make this choice, but I've got to talk barbecue. We have a really neat story here in Arlington with Harto Barbecue. This was a guy that was a backyard barbecue or Brandon, he's Texas monthly now has him in the top 50. But it was really neat. We had the first neutral World Series here in Arlington. You remember during the pandemic they picked us to in the LA Dodgers in Tampa came to town. The LA Dodgers found the small little barbecue spot of Hertado here in downtown Arlington and it went viral. They put it on social media. Everybody found Brandon Hertado, including Taylor Sheridan and Taylor Sheridan with Ellison started having him out to his parties and now he signed an agreement with four six's ranch that Taylor owns to supply the beef. And he's now got several restaurants. It's just a really neat story. And how many times is it so fun for us in Texas to discover that next new barbecue spot? Got 'em all over the place. It's awesome. That is a cool Chris: Story. I've not heard of that, but now I'm going to have to go try some, so love it. Well, Jeff, this has been great. I really appreciate you taking the time, love your story and just congratulations for all the success you've had, and I know you'll continue to that into the future. Jeff: Thank you, Chris, and look forward to continuing this relationship. And thank you for what you're doing here on the podcast. Chris: Absolutely. Jeff: And remember, let's build Unity and the Unity blueprint. Special Guest: Jeff Williams.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: PATRIOT MOBILEAs America’s ONLY Christian conservative wireless provider, Patriot Mobile offers a way to vote with your wallet, without compromising on quality or convenience. Patriot Mobile isn’t just about providing exceptional cellphone service—it’s a call to action to defend our rights and freedoms.With Patriot Mobile, you’ll get outstanding nationwide coverage because they operate on ALL THREE major networks. If you have cellphone service today, you can get cellphone service with Patriot Mobile, with a coverage guarantee.Right now, go to https://patriotmobile.com/RICK or call 972-PATRIOT and get a FREE MONTH of service with promo code RICK. Switch to Patriot Mobile today and defend freedom with every call and text you make. Visit https://patriotmobile.com/RICK or call 972-PATRIOT! SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: PATRIOT MOBILEAs America’s ONLY Christian conservative wireless provider, Patriot Mobile offers a way to vote with your wallet, without compromising on quality or convenience. Patriot Mobile isn’t just about providing exceptional cellphone service—it’s a call to action to defend our rights and freedoms.With Patriot Mobile, you’ll get outstanding nationwide coverage because they operate on ALL THREE major networks. If you have cellphone service today, you can get cellphone service with Patriot Mobile, with a coverage guarantee.Right now, go to https://patriotmobile.com/RICK or call 972-PATRIOT and get a FREE MONTH of service with promo code RICK. Switch to Patriot Mobile today and defend freedom with every call and text you make. Visit https://patriotmobile.com/RICK or call 972-PATRIOT! SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to order online, and your plants are delivered to your door in just a few days. Big yard, small yard, no yard? Fast Growing Trees has over 6,000 plants to fit any space, from indoor plants to fruit trees to full-sized privacy trees and more! Every plant comes with instructions and tips to care of your new plants so they can grow to their fullest potential. This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals, for your yard, up to half off on select plants and other deals. Go to: https://www.Fast-Growing-Trees.com/ And get 15% OFF your first purchase when using the code RICK at checkout. SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: Fast Growing Trees makes it easy to order online, and your plants are delivered to your door in just a few days. Big yard, small yard, no yard? Fast Growing Trees has over 6,000 plants to fit any space, from indoor plants to fruit trees to full-sized privacy trees and more! Every plant comes with instructions and tips to care of your new plants so they can grow to their fullest potential. This Spring Fast Growing Trees has the best deals, for your yard, up to half off on select plants and other deals. Go to: https://www.Fast-Growing-Trees.com/ And get 15% OFF your first purchase when using the code RICK at checkout. SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today. TODAY: Trump, Putin, Van, Halen | Best of Aug. 18 | The Rick Burgess ShowTrump and Putin meet in Alaska and talks seem to have gone smoothly. There are power moves mixed with signs of solidarity. We break it all down as Trump meets with Zelenskyy next. In music, David Lee Roth has gone viral for a recent show that features him wearing very thin pants. We try to forget what we've seen and go back down memory lane. Rick reports on his new pergola. Speedy's wife is surprised he can't read her mind. Adler takes his daughter roller skating for the first time.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SPONSOR: BLAZE MEDIA Blaze Media has always stood for truth, freedom, and faith in God and country and those aren’t just words. It’s a commitment Blaze Media strives to live by every day. And now, we want to help you carry that faith with you into your week, wherever you are. Starting THIS Sunday, we are launching a new series called Sunday Revival, new episodes will be available every Sunday morning for BlazeTV subscribers. You’ll hear inspiring messages from leaders like Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church, Josh Howerton at Lakepointe Church, Rob McCoy from Godspeak Calvary Chapel… and many more to come. Join us each week and discover additional perspectives to help deepen your understanding and faith. Regardless of what’s happening in our chaotic world, Sunday Revival is here to help you grow, stay grounded in God’s Word, and continue to strengthen your faith. Join us this Sunday on BlazeTV and start your week with purpose, faith, and inspiration. Go to https://www.BlazeTV.com/RICK and subscribe today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  I was listening to Pastor Jack Graham, Prestonwood Baptist Church, and he shared in his sermon on the life of David about some ways that the enemy attacks a man - he said that the enemy will use silver, sloth, sex, and self. In this episode, we'll dive into each of these and talk about God's perspective on each…and how to best counter the efforts to take us out!   T4M guys - just a reminder that Training4Manhood is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) ministry and you can make donations either via Zelle (info@training4manhood.com) or by visiting the Training4Manhood website.

Are you considering PTZ cameras for your church worship service? Join Phil Cooke and Bryan Bailey, Director of Media at Prestonwood Baptist Church, to explore how one of the nation's leading churches is leveraging PTZ robotic cameras to transform church worship experiences.   Whether you're a church media director, on a media team, or training volunteers, this behind-the-scenes conversation is packed with practical and spiritual insights to help you:   ·       Integrate PTZ camera technology for smooth, multi-angle worship production ·       Lead and empower volunteer teams with clarity and confidence ·       Develop a ministry-focused mindset as a church media director   If your goal is to elevate the worship experience through technology that enhances—not distracts from—God's presence, this episode is for you.

Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD is a New Testament scholar, pastor, author, nationally syndicated radio host, Bible teacher, and apologist, and he ministers internationally as president of Christian Thinkers Society. Jeremiah loves the local church and serves as pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas. Jeremiah's passion is working with churches and pastors in equipping Christians to giveintellectually informed reasons for what they believe.I. Serious Scholars and Experts Believe the Shroud is AuthenticII. Science Today Still Cannot Explain How the Image is in the ClothIII. The Evidence Most Powerfully Points to One Conclusion: Jesus is the Man of the ShroudTalk with God: Read John's account of the Passion (chapters 18-20) and meditate on God's love for you as you prepare your heart for Easter this week.

In this episode of Simple Faith, host Rusty George sits down with David Shivers, Associate Pastor of Local & Global Outreach at Prestonwood Baptist Church. With over 22 years of ministry experience, David brings a wealth of wisdom and insight into the heart of serving both locally and globally. He shares about his journey from a standout basketball player in Boerne, Texas, to serving in one of the largest and most dynamic churches in the country, where he helps lead efforts to make an impact for Christ.David also combines his love of sports with his passion for ministry, having served as a chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys and now with the Dallas Mavericks. As he works toward a Doctorate in Education Ministry, David's unique perspective on faith, sports, and outreach is sure to inspire and challenge listeners. Tune in for a conversation that blends simple faith with a heart for making a difference in the world.david shivers social media:X: x.comhttps://x.comDavid Shivers (@dshiv_7) / XChurch Website: Prestonwood Baptist Churchhttps://prestonwood.orgDavid Shivers

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." – Matthew 6:33This verse calls us to put God's Kingdom first in every aspect of our lives—including our investments—trusting that He will provide and use our efforts to advance His purposes. Today, Will Lofland joins us to share how that's happening right now.Will Loftland is the Managing Director of Investments Distribution at GuideStone Funds, an underwriter of Faith & Finance. He also oversees GuideStone's shareholder advocacy strategy and represents the firm as a participant in the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility.Who Is Guidestone?Guidestone is more than a financial services firm—it's a ministry to ministries. It is focused on serving ministries in all financial aspects of their work, including retirement plans, insurance solutions, wealth management, and the nation's largest Christian-screened mutual fund family.By equipping ministries with financial stability and security, Guidestone helps leaders focus more fully on spreading the gospel. Their services are designed to remove the weight of financial anxiety so that pastors, missionaries, and nonprofit leaders can flourish in their callings.What makes Guidestone unique is its unwavering commitment to honoring God with every dollar invested. Through rigorous Christian values screening, corporate engagement, and impact investing, it ensures that each fund reflects biblical principles.Guidestone's Impact Funds are an extension of this stewardship philosophy. Launched just before 2020, these funds go beyond avoiding harmful investments—they proactively invest in companies, projects, and causes that create meaningful change.Take the Impact Bond Fund, for example. It invests in projects like:Clean water infrastructureAffordable housing initiativesChristian-focused senior living communitiesThey believe that if we are truly stewards of God's resources, we want to invest in a manner that honors God and His purposes for human flourishing. Introducing the Kingdom Causes ProgramWhile securities can create positive change, their reach has limits. That's where Guidestone's Kingdom Causes program comes in.Born out of the Impact Funds initiative, Kingdom Causes donates 20% of the advisory revenue generated by the Impact Funds and supplements it with additional funding. Since 2020, they've donated nearly $750,000 to ministries advancing the gospel and protecting life.Their giving is focused on two core pillars:Sanctity of LifeSpreading the GospelFrom local to global, the ministries they support reflect these values.Ministries Making a DifferenceLocal Impact: Prestonwood Pregnancy CenterLocated in the Dallas area, this center is an extension of Prestonwood Baptist Church and serves women with compassionate care and gospel-centered support during unplanned pregnancies.They provide honest care, real information, and a strong infrastructure to support needy women. National Reach: Psalm 139 ProjectThis initiative provides ultrasound machines and resources to pregnancy centers nationwide, reinforcing the value of life and empowering expectant mothers.Meeting Physical Needs in the Name of JesusGuidestone also supports ministries that serve practical needs as an avenue for gospel outreach.Send ReliefA joint venture between the International Mission Board (IMB) and the North American Mission Board (NAMB), Send Relief addresses urgent needs like the following:Medical Missions in VenezuelaEntrepreneurial training for widows in AfricaLocal development projectsThese efforts not only meet physical needs but also open doors for evangelism.Faith-Based Content for Kids: Meet MinnoRecognizing the need for Christ-centered media, Guidestone supports Minno, a streaming platform offering biblically grounded content for children. It gives parents peace of mind knowing their kids are watching wholesome, faith-filled shows.Discipling the Forgotten: Prison MinistriesTwo standout organizations Guidestone supports are:Prison Fellowship: Sharing the hope of Christ with incarcerated individuals. Prison Seminaries Foundation: Partnering with Baylor University to provide seminary training to inmates serving long sentences.These ministries are transforming lives behind bars, raising disciple-makers where they're least expected.How You Can Join InWhen you invest in Guidestone's Impact Funds, you're doing more than planning for your future—you're also making an eternal impact. Visit GuideStoneFunds.com/Faith to learn more and to explore their faith-based investment options. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:I'm in the midst of my retirement or death planning, and I'm wondering what criteria I should use for creating a trust versus just having a will.Resources Mentioned:Faithful Steward: FaithFi's New Quarterly MagazineGuideStone FundsWisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money (Pre-Order)Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and AnxietyRich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich FoolFind a Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA) or Certified Christian Financial Counselor (CertCFC)FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

Glenn reacts to some of Kash Patel's best moments from his confirmation hearing. Glenn also plays the highlights of Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing, in which she calls out the Left's weaponization of the intelligence community. Glenn calls out the Left's corruption and lack of morals that these confirmation hearings have exposed. Prestonwood Baptist Church apologetics Pastor Jeremiah J. Johnston joins to discuss the Shroud of Turin and all the evidence that points to its authenticity.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump's pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, vowed never to weaponize the FBI and put somebody through what the Left put him through. Glenn reacts to some of Kash Patel's best moments from his confirmation hearing. Glenn also plays the highlights of Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation hearing, in which she calls out the Left's weaponization of the intelligence community. Glenn calls out the Left's corruption and lack of morals that these confirmation hearings have exposed. Trump's Cabinet is filled with the only people brave enough to root out the corruption deep within the federal government. President Trump has earned the trust of Republicans to vote for his nominees. Prestonwood Baptist Church apologetics Pastor Jeremiah J. Johnston joins to discuss the Shroud of Turin and all the evidence that points to its authenticity. Glenn and Stu discuss BlazeTV's documentary, which Elon Musk recently promoted, investigating the DEI policies that are plaguing the airline industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For our last podcast episode of the year, we hosted Kaleb Moore and Jonathan Walker of Prestonwood Baptist Church. They talk about leadership and preparation during Christmas, how to care for our own souls during the busiest seasons of the year, and approaching Christmas from a missional posture. Find resources for Prestonwood Worship on MultiTracks.com.Follow us @multitracks // @multitracksgospel // @leadworshipwellwww.multitracks.com

Monday, December 2, 2024 Today Point of View‘s host is Kerby Anderson! His guest for the first hour is Dr. Jack Graham, Senior Pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church. He will join Kerby in-studio to talk about his new book, “The Jesus Book.” Connect with us on Facebook at facebook.com/pointofviewradio and on Twitter @PointofViewRTS with your opinions or […]

Episode 101 - Content 1 Day Christian Media Summit In this bonus episode of the Faith and Family Filmmakers Podcast, Geoff interviews Tim Shields about the upcoming ‘Content One Day', Christian Media Summit on February 24th. They discuss the event hosted at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano Texas, which will feature panels, breakout sessions, networking opportunities, and keynote speakers focused on empowering and connecting Christian media professionals. Register now to get the ½ price earlybird discount. Lunch is included. Listen to get all the details.Highlights Include:Welcome and IntroductionIntroducing ‘Content 1 Day' 2025Event Overview and HistoryEvent Details and ExpectationsNetworking and Community BuildingPanels and Breakout SessionsIf You're Going to NRB…Possible Keynote SpeakerHow to RegisterThe Content One-Day Christian Media Summit is more than an event—it's a nurturing ground for media professionals aspiring to make meaningful content that resonates with faith and family audiences. Hosted by influential voices and attended by passionate creatives, this summit offers boundless opportunities for growth and connection. Whether you're a seasoned filmmaker, a burgeoning writer, or simply someone passionate about Christian media, this is the place to cultivate your vision and expand your reach.https://www.christianmediaconference.com/content1day-program-1The Faith & Family Filmmakers podcast helps filmmakers who share a Christian worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. Releasing new episodes every week, we interview experts from varying fields of filmmaking; from screenwriters, actors, directors, and producers, to film scorers, talent agents, and distributors. It is produced and hosted by Geoffrey Whitt and Jaclyn Whitt , and is brought to you by the Faith & Family Filmmakers Association Support Faith & Family Filmmakers Our mission is to help filmmakers who share a Christian Worldview stay in touch, informed, and inspired. If you would like to assist with the costs of producing this podcast, you can help by leaving a tip.Get Email Notifications Enter the Faith & Family Screenwriting Awards festival Faith and Family Screenwriting Academy: https://www.faffassociation.com/Script Notes and Coaching: https://www.faffassociation.com/script-servicesJaclyn's Book, ‘In the Beginning Middle and End' multi-book gift bundles: https://faffassociation.com/#gift-book-bundlesVip Producers Mentorship Program: https://www.faffassociation.com/vip-producers-mentorshipCopyright 2024 Ivan Ann Productions

It's Wednesday, November 27th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 125 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Muslims slit throats of Christians in Mozambique, Africa Barnabas Aid reports that fighters from the terrorist group called “ISIS Mozambique” killed four Christians in northern Mozambique this month. In one incident, Muslim militants slit the throats of Christians they described as “infidel Christians.” They killed another Christian in a machine gun attack.  Militants began an insurgency in the southern African country in 2017, killing thousands of people since then.  Mozambique is ranked 39th on the Open Doors' World Watch List of nations where it most dangerous to be a Christian.  Christians oppose Britain's End-of-Life Bill Christian leaders sent a letter to the United Kingdom parliament, opposing a proposed End of Life Bill. The measure would allow terminally ill adults to seek assistance in ending their own lives. The bill moves forward with a second reading on Friday. The recent letter warned, “This bill, in our view, undermines the value of life and lacks the safeguards needed to protect those most at risk from being coerced into premature death.” Trump threatens tariffs on Canada, Mexico, & China until illegals & drugs stop In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump announced his plans for tariffs on Monday.  The plan affects America's primary trading partners—Canada, Mexico, and China. At the start of his second term, Trump said Canada and Mexico will face a 25% tariff until they curb the flow of migrants and drugs across the border. Trump also announced a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, in addition to any other tariffs on the country, until it deals with fentanyl smuggling.  Trump picks Scott Turner for Sec. Housing and Urban Development Last Friday, President-elect Trump nominated Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Turner played football in the NFL before serving in the Texas House of Representatives. He worked in the first Trump administration, and is an associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas.  Turner responded to the nomination on X. He wrote, “Thank you, Mr. President. I am thrilled to continue the outstanding work we began in your last administration at HUD with an incredible team. … I would also like to express the sincerest of gratitude to my mentor, Secretary Ben Carson. … We have an important mission ahead. To God be the glory. Let's get to work!” Target fired Christian who wrote “Trust in Jesus” on Target nametag KVLY-TV reports that Target has apologized for firing an employee over Christian messaging on her name tag.  Denise Kendrick worked for a Target store in Fargo, North Dakota. She said she was fired earlier this month for writing “trust in Jesus” on her Target nametag. A manager told her that she couldn't wear the nametag. Kendrick replied, “Well, I've seen people with rainbows on theirs. I'm going to continue to wear this nametag,”  And then they said, “Well, you can't work here anymore.” After the incident, a Target spokesman said, “Upon learning of the situation, we conducted a review and determined that the team member should not have been terminated. We apologized to her and offered to reinstate her immediately.” In Matthew 10:32, Jesus said, “So everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in Heaven.” Walmart rolls back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies On Monday, Walmart announced it is rolling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.  It's the latest large company to do so. The world's largest retailer will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign, the largest lobbying group for sexually perverted lifestyles in the U.S.  Robby Starbuck is a conservative activist who has been calling out companies for their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. After talking with Walmart, he wrote on X, “This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America.” World's oldest man died And finally, the world's oldest man died in England on Monday. He was 112 years old. John Alfred Tinniswood was born on August 26, 1912, just months after the Titanic sank. He lived through both world wars and served in the British Army Pay Corps during World War II.  Tinniswood's family said he was active in retirement. He volunteered as an elder in this local church where he gave sermons. He said moderation was important to a healthy life.  Tinniswood is survived by his daughter, Susan, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Proverbs 3:1-3 says, “My son, do not forget My law, but let your heart keep My commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, November 27th, in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by Amazon Music or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Jack Graham is a distinguished author, speaker, and the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church. On this episode of the Give Me Liberty podcast, Pastor Jack explains why adopting a Biblical worldview is ESSENTIAL to following Jesus with every aspect of your life.  Learn more at standingforfreedom.com

How early is too early to plan your church Christmas pageant or program? In this episode, Phil Cooke https://philcooke.com shares the “best of” Christmas podcasts for church media directors, choir directors and their teams to produce the best Christmas pageant or program ever! Go behind the scenes of the “The Gift of Christmas” stunning multi-media event as Phil interviews Prestonwood Church creative leaders Michael Neale, Andy Pearson, and Bryan Bailey to discuss the mindset, collaboration and planning of a successful church Christmas program. Then, get Phil's nine-point church media checklist to help your team produce a holiday program that expresses the wonder of Christmas in a professional and engaging way.

Description: Dr. Jeremiah Johnston is the Associate Pastor of Apologetics and Cultural Engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church. He is also a renowned New Testament scholar, apologist, and author. In this episode, Dr. Johnston outlines the greatest threats facing Christianity and Western civilization and equips listeners to stand firm on the truth of God's Word.  Learn more at standingforfreedom.com

You may have heard his name - but most likely have listened to his voice. Jack Graham is the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the country's largest and most dynamic congregations. He's written numerous books and has a brand new book just released. It's titled The Jesus Book. In this podcast, we'll dive into why he wrote it and why it's such an important read. Also, you'll learn a little more about the man behind the voice.https://jackgraham.org/https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Book-Reading-Understanding-Yourself/dp/0764243772

Guest: Scott Turner, Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church, former NFL player   Reminder that early voting here in Texas begins October 21st and goes through November 1st and the General Election is Tuesday, November 5th.   Voting is a very important and special honor as citizens of this country - and as citizens of heaven we should engage in all aspects seeking first the Kingdom of God and to glorify Him in all that we say and do - which means that we must both carry ourselves in a way that is civil and honorable while at the same time stand for what is right, true, and good!   A couple of great resources you need to take into consideration are the following: The Law by Frederick Bastiat - a great account on the tension between government supplying the needs of people vs. people (the church, individuals) meeting the needs of others Speaker of the House Mike Johnson's 7 Core Principles of Conservativism - you need to know where you stand on these principles…and why. Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

Guest: Scott Turner, Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church, former NFL player   If you'd like to watch this podcast, check out the PCA YouTube page.   Loved our time with Scott Turner learning how God used his early humble beginnings to teach him the value of hard work and serving others well. Enjoy this episode with Scott listening to him share how God orchestrated so many people, places, and things in his life to draw Scott closer and to deepen Scott's faith journey.   And, the good news is that at the end of this episode, there is more to come next week as we continue this conversation with Scott Turner and turn our attention to the importance of living out our faith in the political arena.  Special shout out to Jared Wood for allowing us to use his music - check him out at JaredWoodMusic!

In this episode of the Equipping Pastors podcast, Ken Whitten is joined by Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church, for a conversation that discusses: Investing in the lives of pastors Critical issues that pastors need to address publicly How to pastor during political seasons And more. For more resources for pastors, visit namb.net/pastors.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Welcome to the Drive Thru Mom's Podcast!  They say it's lonely at the top.  Leadership is a life filled with leading others, constant recruiting, looking at characteristics in others and growing them in their vocation, ministry or volunteerism. But what does leadership look like?  What qualities do you look for in someone? How do you draw them into your excitement for the opportunity you have? Today's guest is Rhonda Brittain, Minister to Preschool at Prestonwood Baptist Church, (and soon to be Dr. Rhonda Brittain, PhD in Leadership from Dallas Baptist University) has a deep love of ‘team'.  Putting a team together with different gifts, abilities and characteristics is her jam! What a great and wise leader from her 35 years in ministry form students, children's and women's ministry.  Thanks Rhonda, for pouring out your love for Christ and the local church for us to hear! ENJOY friends and HAPPY WEDNESDAY! CONNECT WITH US: Email: lynn@drivethrumoms.com Website: https://www.drivethrumoms.com Book: Faithful Before, Faithful Again: Finding God Faithful in An Anxious World  https://a.co/d/ernpYJS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drivethrumoms Linktree: https://linktr.ee/drivethrumoms?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=bf81e359-b976-4b95-bb82-699e19a26f2e Subscribe: Drive Thru Moms Podcast Review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/drive-thru-moms/id1528282382#see-all/reviews  CONNECT WITH RHONDA: Email: r.brittain@prestonwood.org www.prestonwood.org

Top headlines for Wednesday, May 29, 2024In this episode, we delve into the recent storm that caused significant damage and flooding at Prestonwood Baptist Church in North Texas. We also discuss Louisiana's new law penalizing those who force a pregnant woman to take an abortion-inducing drug without consent. Plus, we explore the upcoming 25-hour revival event gaining widespread support across the globe, and we highlight the remake of Nintendo's Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which will now feature a trans-identifying character, correcting previous censorship in the U.S. version.Subscribe to this PodcastApple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle PodcastsOvercastFollow Us on Social Media@ChristianPost on TwitterChristian Post on Facebook@ChristianPostIntl on InstagramSubscribe on YouTubeGet the Edifi AppDownload for iPhoneDownload for AndroidSubscribe to Our NewsletterSubscribe to the Freedom Post, delivered every Monday and ThursdayClick here to get the top headlines delivered to your inbox every morning!Links to the NewsPrestonwood Baptist Church sustains damage after Texas storms | Church & Ministries NewsRussell Brand reflects on 'beautiful' first month as a Christian | Entertainment NewsLa. criminalizes giving women abortion drugs without consent | Politics NewsAlabama pastor charged with rape used church to contact victims | U.S. NewsPolice searching for drivers who twice defaced LGBT pride mural | U.S. NewsPope says gay men barred from seminary, uses derogatory word | Church & Ministries NewsGather25 seeks to unite 2.5 billion Christians to spark revival | Church & Ministries NewsNintendo 'Paper Mario' remake features a trans character | U.S. News5-y-o-boy released from hospital after family killed in crash | U.S. News

Welcome to The Reaching Gen Z Podcast! I am your host, Dr. Seth Peterson. Our aim is to spotlight practical tips and tools to help you reach Gen Z in your context. In this episode, I got to catch up with Jason Mick, who leads one of the largest multi-site student ministries in the country at Prestonwood Baptist Church with campuses in the Dallas-Ft.Worth metro area. Jason Mick is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ - Proud Husband & Father of four kids (13, 11, 9, and 7). He is nearing completion of his Doctorate of Ministry degree from Liberty University - which is all on reaching the next generation. Jason is a leader among leaders, so it was a treat to sit down with him to hear his heart about reaching Gen Z. This interview provides practical tips and tools to equip anyone to not only understand who Gen Z is, but to connect with them in a way that will leave a lasting impact. Whether you are a student pastor, volunteer, parent, or teen yourself, tune-in and tune-up your skills on how to reach Gen Z where they are today! Axis is our featured resource for this episode. With Permission of Axis.org and Prestonwood Baptist Church, there is a link below which should be a helpful guide to parents on Generation Z: http://prestonwoodstudents.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Axis-Parents-Guide-to-Gen-Z.pdf If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star rating and review! This has been The 'Reaching Gen Z Podcast with Seth Peterson' – a place to talk about how to reach Gen Z more effectively. Stay tuned for more conversations that promise to be both inspiring and thought-provoking as you engage the next generation now.

It's Monday, May 6th, A.D. 2024. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Adam McManus Nigerian Muslims murder pastor on way to church conference Armed Muslims shot and killed Reverend Manasseh Ibrahim on April 23 in Kaduna State, Nigeria as he traveled to a church conference, reports International Christian Concern. The reverend served under the Evangelical Church Winning All Kaduna Central District Church. Violence in Kaduna State, often directed toward Christians, has left thousands of believers in a state of fear. Yahaya Kinge, chairman of the local Christian Association of Nigeria, said, “Christians who are direct victims of banditry and insurgency in Kaduna state are fed up with the inability of the Nigerian government to find a lasting solution to the incessant killings of innocent Christians.” Terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province, and Islamic Fulani militants have caused countless atrocities throughout northern Nigeria in the last decade, causing the deaths and kidnappings of thousands. According to Open Doors, Nigeria is the sixth most dangerous country worldwide in which to be a Christian. Revelation 6:9-10 says, “When [Jesus] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the Earth and avenge our blood?'” More Chinese illegals caught at border in 2 days than all of 2021 More Chinese-based illegal immigrants were encountered at the U.S. southern border in just two days than in all of fiscal year 2021, reports WorldNetDaily.com. According to what a Customs and Border Protection source told Fox News' Bill Melugin, there were approximately 262 Chinese illegals caught by Border Patrol at the San Diego sector on May 1, as well as 223 on May 2. By contrast, only 323 Chinese nationals were apprehended by Border Patrol at the southern border throughout all of fiscal year 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection data. IRS about to roll out new audits The Internal Revenue Service says it is about to ramp up audits as it cracks down on tax cheats and seeks to deliver more revenue into the U.S. Treasury's coffers, reports Yahoo Finance. But not every group of taxpayers will face more scrutiny, according to IRS commissioner Danny Werfel. The IRS has been bolstered by $80 billion in new funding directed by the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law in 2022 by President Joe Biden. The idea behind the new funding was to help revive an agency whose ranks have been depleted over the years, leading to customer service snarls, processing delays, and a falloff in audit rates. Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs repeals state's near-total abortion ban Last Thursday, Arizona Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs signed into law a formal repeal of the state's near-total abortion ban, undoing one of the strongest preborn protections in the country with the help of a handful of Republicans, reports LifeSiteNews.com. Last month, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled 4-2 that the law, which dates back to before Arizona gained statehood in 1912 and was codified in 1913, was legally enforceable after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Arizona Supreme Court rejected claims that Arizona's more recent 15-week abortion ban was intended to invalidate it. The decision meant that abortion was set to become illegal in the Grand Canyon State for any reason except when allegedly “necessary” to save the life of the mother. Direct abortion is always gravely immoral and never needed nor ethically justified to save a mother's life. Hobbs and Arizona's Democrat Attorney General Kris Mayes vowed not to enforce any of the state's abortion restrictions, while the ruling elicited national outrage from the abortion lobby as well as criticism from Republicans who feared it might impact their political popularity. The members of the GOP who downplayed the Arizona pro-life law including former President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake, and Fox News primetime personality Sean Hannity. But Abby Johnson, who has had two previous abortions which she regrets and was featured in the movie “Unplanned,” said, “I'm a conservative Christian and millions like me across the country are frustrated with this.” She said it sounds like Trump “just doesn't want to ban abortion at all,” since he opposes both federal limits and state laws. Pastor Jack Graham affirms a Biblical worldview And finally, in an interview with The Christian Post, Pastor Jack Graham of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, said a Biblical worldview is the foundation for the Christian. GRAHAM: “We talk a lot about Biblical worldview. At one point, we talked about liberal/conservative or conservative/progressive. But what we talk about is worldview. How do you the world? Do you view the world through the lens of Scripture? Or do you view the Scripture  through the lens of the world?  And, of course, we choose to view the world through God's Word. “When you do that, the Bible applies to every life situation. Obviously, the family is the foundation of civilization, as God made it. People want to know what the Bible says to my family, to my children, how do I raise my kids?'” Out of concern for the faithfulness of the next generations, Graham believes that the church must equip young people with Biblical answers to the world's toughest questions. GRAHAM: “We're seeing young people grow up in church and then potentially abandon their faith. So, what we want to do is to do ‘preventative medicine.' “We have a gentleman in our church, Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who is ‘the father of aerobics' and the father of Preventative Medicine, healthwise, physically.  I believe the church, right now, needs to be on the cutting edge of preventative work in terms of our children, preparing them to answer the big questions that are coming their way. And to equip parents to be able to answer their children's questions so that when their children leave home, they'll have a faith to live by and not to abandon.” Because the Word of God is authoritative, the church should not cave to the world's embrace of the acceptability of sexual perversion. GRAHAM: "The Bible is clear on 'male and female, He created them.' So, we are not going to be flying rainbow flags in the church that's reaching families for Christ because it is in opposition to the Bible.” Proverbs 30:5 declares, “Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Close And that's The Worldview in 5 Minutes on this Monday, May 6th in the year of our Lord 2024. Subscribe by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Or get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

The pro-life community can be the answer for thousands of children in need of loving foster parents or adoptive families, according to Prestonwood Baptist Church Associate Pastor Jeremiah Johnston.“We have 400,000 children in foster care nationally,” Johnston says, adding that “about 100,000 of those 400,000 are available for adoption and just waiting for a 'forever family' right now.”“The need is hug,” the pastor tells “The Daily Signal Podcast.” That's why Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, on April 13th is hosting the “Chosen” conference a daylong event to educate Christians and the pro-life community on the need for good foster and adoptive parents.Johnston joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share how people across the U.S. can participate—either in person or remotely—in the event, which is drawing keynote speakers ranging from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to “Duck Dynasty” star Sadie Robertson Huff.Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we sit down with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, to discuss the historical evidence of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what Christians should think about Israel, the Trinity, the inerrancy of Scripture, and more. Johnston is a New Testament scholar, author, pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church and dean of spiritual development at Prestonwood Christian Academy. His new Bible Study, Body of Proof, includes four topics and reasons to believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. --- Timecodes: (01:00) The resurrection / resurrection sites (05:50) Biblical significance of Israel (13:59) “All Israel will be saved” (20:50) Why is the Bible trustworthy? (26:25) Canon of the Bible (31:20) Does the Bible contain errors? (34:52) How to explain the Trinity (39:29) Why do we pray? --- Today's Sponsors: A'Del — go to adelnaturalcosmetics.com and enter promo code "ALLIE" for 25% off your first order! Patriot Mobile — go to PatriotMobile.com/ALLIE or call 972-PATRIOT and use promo code 'ALLIE' for free activation! Focus on the Family — the new podcast, "Practice Makes Parent" brings you real, practical, and biblical advice. Tune in every Wednesday on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcasting platform.  --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 784 | Did the Resurrection Really Happen? | Guest: Jeremiah Johnston https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000607756837 Ep 974 | Candace Owens, 'Christ is King' & the True Gospel https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-974-candace-owens-christ-is-king-the-true-gospel/id1359249098?i=1000650527935 Ep 905 | What's Really Going on in Israel? | Guest: Josh Hammer https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/relatable-with-allie-beth-stuckey/id1359249098?i=1000634310661 --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Texas, blasted President Biden's transgender celebration, calling it a declaration from hell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sadie has a heart-to-heart with gold medal winning Olympic gymnast Carly Patterson about motherhood, fitting into new seasons of life, and using fear to fuel your dreams. Carly reveals what inspired her journey from beginning gymnastics as a little girl to competing internationally within a few short years. Sadie discovers that she and Carly have a surprising and touching connection, and Carly gives a moving testimony to her commitment to her family and future as a mentor of young gymnasts. Try AG1 and get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 AND 5 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase exclusively at http://drinkAG1.com/WHOA ! Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at https://www.stamps.com/whoa https://www.prestonwood.org/chosen — Join me for CHOSEN on April 13th at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

God created us in His image and He is emotional, so WE have emotions! But what do we do with them? Do we let them run our lives, or can we air them out and talk about them with trusted friends and family and then deal with them in a productive and healing way? Sadie and Jennie Allen tackle all this and more as they discuss confession, parenting during highly emotional moments, and the example Jesus set for us in dealing with deep emotions. Jennie shares about her and her husband's "dark night of the soul" when she says she just went numb. And Sadie confesses a recent anxiety struggle and how she navigated it to a better place. Jennie's book, "Untangle Your Emotions" is available now! https://drinkag1.com/whoa — Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 AND for a limited time you'll get 10 free AG1 Travel Packs with your first purchase! https://www.prestonwood.org/chosen — Join me for CHOSEN on April 13th at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas! Get a 4-week trial, free postage, and a digital scale at https://www.stamps.com/whoa - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're joined by Dr. Jeremiah Johnston, president of the Christian Thinkers Society, pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church, and author of "Body of Proof: The 7 Best Reasons to Believe in the Resurrection of Jesus—and Why it Matters Today," to discuss Jesus' resurrection and apologetics as a whole. We touch both on how to raise Christian thinkers and how to become Christian thinkers ourselves, citing how Jesus asks us to love God with our hearts and minds. We discuss the legacy of the Christian faith and the many wonderful things Christian thinking has brought to societies. Then we look specifically at the resurrection and why it's so fundamental to not just our beliefs as Christians but to the world overall. We cover some of the facts that prove it really happened and answer the question of why it matters for us now. --- Timecodes: (01:11) Interview with Jeremiah begins (02:49) Raising Christian thinkers (06:40) How to start being a Christian thinker (11:40) Apologetics (15:42) Christianity makes sense (20:52) Christian ideas & legacy of faith (27:13) How do we deal with criticism of Christianity (34:53) Body of Proof (38:51) Facts / reasons bodily resurrection is essential (42:20) What does this mean for us? --- Today's Sponsors: Naturally It's Clean — visit https://naturallyitsclean.com/allie and use promo code "ALLIE" to receive 15% off your order. If you are an Amazon shopper you can visit https://amzn.to/3IyjFUJ. The promo code discount is only valid on their direct website at www.naturallyitsclean.com/Allie. Constitution Wealth — align your values with your investments through your financial management. Go to ConstitutionWealth.com/ALLIE and schedule a FREE consultation! Fearless Army: Roll Call — join hundreds of like-minded men in Nashville on April 15th for Fearless Army: Roll Call - an all-day event to encourage men to put on the full armor of God to take a stand against the evil forces destroying American culture. Tickets will likely sell out, so secure yours today by going to FearlessArmyRollCall.com. Nefarious — catch the psychological thriller (based on the book by Steve Deace) that deals with the true nature of good and evil, out April 14 nationawide. Watch the trailer now at whoisnefarious.com. --- Relevant Episodes: BONUS: What the Resurrection Means for All of Us https://apple.co/3zTva3H Ep 679 | Busting Atheism's Biggest Myths | Guest: Dr. Neil Shenvi https://apple.co/3GkQ6UH --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices