PCA Sophomore, Zach Peters' press conference on his verbal commitment to the University of Kansas

It’s not everyday that one of our PCA sophomores commits to play college basketball at a major university, but that’s exactly what happened today. Zach Peters, one of our incredible basketball players who helped lead PCA to this year’s state championship, verbally committed today to attend the University of Kansas. That was a great moment for Zach, his family and all of PCA. What really took that incredible moment to the next level was all of our Upper School students. In anticipation of Zach’s announcement, I watched as our students filed in, dodging media cameras and crew, filing the Field House stands. Our students showed up when it counted and were there to support their friend and classmate as he voiced this important decision to the world. Students cheered and rallied around one of their own. Today, I saw an incredible student athlete make a stand and choose his college basketball program as a sophomore, but I also saw much more. I saw PCA be what makes PCA great…students taking the stands to cheer on one of their own—a fellow champion for Christ.

The powerful remarks of Pastor Graham, Tom Ziglar (Zig’s son) and Mike Fechner demonstrated to each of us that God was at work.  Pastor Graham inspired us with stories of his grandson’s experiences at PCA while expressing the importance of supporting Kingdom Education.  Pastor said it best when he mentioned the original vision and eventual “marriage” of Prestonwood Baptist Church and Prestonwood Christian Academy more than 13 years ago.  Everyone in the room was touched by Mike Fechner’s moving comments, his openness in sharing the Gospel and his unwavering commitment to PCA and the benefits of supporting Sponsor-A-Child. Mike’s life showed us the selfless qualities of a servant leader — in his home, church and community.

When Mike requested that his children stand, he honored each of them personally, calling them his “heroes.”  It was Mike Fechner, the servant leader,  who then accepted the award on behalf of his children.  It was a spirit-filled evening that will not be forgotten.

As Pastor Jack Graham said on Sunday, servant leadership is a quality that should be honored and revered when it’s lived out. At PCA, we’re about to hold our second annual Zig Ziglar Servant Leadership Award event on Tuesday, April 13, that will honor the selfless servant leadership of Mike Fechner while all proceeds from the event benefit PCA’s Sponsor-A-Child program. Mike has demonstrated servant leadership in every aspect of his personal and professional life, including his unwavering work with H.I.S. Bridgebuilders ministry that reaches communities from Dallas to around the world. Now, he accepts this honor to help PCA make a Kingdom Education accessible to any family desiring a Christian education. Mike Fechner is a true servant leader who leads, and lives, by example.
I personally invite you to join us in honoring Mike by purchasing tickets to the April 13 event at ZigZiglarAward.com. We need more servant leaders in this world. We need more people like Zig Ziglar and Mike Fechner who have made servant leadership a lasting legacy.

Check out the video below that describes exactly why PCA holds this event:

TAPPS Division II Boys Soccer State Champions

Saturday, PCA’s Boys Soccer team secured the TAPPA Division II State Championship. These great athletes, led by Coach O’Neal, showed the talent, teamwork and determination of every minute the season’s hard work. Congratulations to the entire team and their families for representing PCA with excellence!

The excitement grows for PCA’s Athletic program this week as we’re on the road to the Varsity Boys Basketball Semi-finals on Friday in Mansfield where a win earns PCA a spot in the State Championship game the next day, also in Mansfield. Coach Freeman and his team have competed this year against not only district teams, but some of the highest-ranking teams in the nation through a variety of tourneys.

What a great week on the heels of the Varsity Football team’s State Championship and our Competition Cheerleader’s National Championships. Those great accomplishments have now been followed by the Varsity Soccer State Championship —that’s two in State. I hope to see you at our third State Championship run this weekend with our boy’s basketball team in Mansfield!

In the season’s biggest competition held by National Cheerleaders Association (NCA), our Competitive Cheerleaders were crowned as National Champions earning a remarkable score of 93.5! They also defeated 52 other national Christian schools to win the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders’ (FCC) Grand Champion award, making PCA’s seventh championship in school history.

Our boys basketball Lions continued to gain national attention in Houston’s John Lucas Holiday Xplosion by holding their own and showing the team’s true character and talent. The Xplosion pitted PCA against some of the highest-ranked teams not only in Texas, but in the nation and we saw success. PCA’s varsity Lady Lions basketball came in strong during the Prosper Holiday Classic, including two huge wins over Iowa Park and Classic host, Prosper High.  Additionally, a Plano Star Courier article about PCA’s State Championship Football team was named the number eight “Story of the Year 2009” in the newspaper’s Top Ten list of sports stories. I’m proud of the dedication of all of our student athletes.

What a great way to bring in the new year!

-LT

When we hit half-time with a lead of 28-10, our blood was pumping and adrenaline was off the chart! We knew our Hard Fighting Soliders could deliver with another win and did they ever! PCA ended the game 35-17 against Argyle Liberty. What an incredible rush for the fans, players and coaches! All of the hard work they put in during those hot summer days on the field; work outs early in the morning; blood, sweat and tears–that’s what the price was for this championship game.

I don’t know if you saw the article recently written by Plano Star Courier reporter Matt Welch, but the title says it all: “Lion Hearts.” I cannot tell you how much my heart swells with pride for our team when I hear of someone who sees past the game, past the winner, past who is ranked…to the character of the team.

THIS is what Prestonwood Christian Academy is all about.

Congratulations to the team and coaches for their monumental win against Argyle Christian. You will be an integral part of PCA history–not only for your win, but for how you did it.

During this season of Thanksgiving, please know how thankful I am for each of you and your families. Join me in giving thanks for our many blessings this Thanksgiving.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise, give thanks to Him; bless His name. — Psalm 100:4

We are building a tradition of including not just alumni, but also alumni parents throughout the year in key PCA events because you are family to us!

I was amazed at the diligent work of our students on the homecoming floats! If you were never involved in building a float, know that these students spent weeks perfecting them all in the spirit of PCA Homecoming—ok, and some friendly competition between classes. Congratulations to the senior class for winning the Homecoming Float competition!

Floats weren’t the only thing students decorated. They were also busy transforming their hallways into jungles, splatter-painted black rooms and their clothes into the theme for the day. There is one thing none of our students are lacking, and that is creativity.  Many thanks to our Campus Ministry team led by Lainie Montgomery in making this week fun for students and the staff regardless of the weather! Even though we had to move the pep rallies in-doors, no one missed a beat because of our team’s hard work.

The students and staff are building a tradition of Homecoming floats and a Homecoming week filled with PCA spirit!

If you missed any of Friday night’s events, remember to view the archived video of the game, the winner of the float competition and the Homecoming queen. By the way, do you know who the people are behind the cameras—PCA students!

Even with the week of Homecoming festivities ending, the webcast continues spreading the PCA spirit—a tradition in the making.

How we deal with what I call our “elephant” will not only determine whether or not we take advantage of this opportunity, it will ultimately determine if our children and grandchildren will have the faith of their parents and grandparents. I’m referring to how parents are training their children, how churches are training parents to train their children and how education is viewed within the church from preschool to high school.

I encourage you to click on the link below to read my new article on this subject. In fact, this subject is a major part of the upcoming Education Symposium, sponsored by Engage the Culture (ETC) Ministries.

For the full article, please visit the ETC Ministries Web site at www.engagetheculture.org and please post your comments and ideas.

We began with an action-packed Back to School Day that included our All School Worship. I shared the theme for the year, “Intent On One Attitude”, based on Paul’s challenge to the Philippians in Phil. 2:2-11. My prayer for our staff, students, and parents is that we would rally around one-attitude…one purpose…and that is to empty ourselves of “us” and humbly replace it with “Him.”

Our Latin inscription on our crest says and symbolizes it all – “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” – “To The Greater Glory of God.”

I just returned from our high school retreat. It was for His greater glory that we do life together.

Let’s make this year one to truly remember. Let’s make it a time in which we all came together to live our lives in all we do to the greater glory of God. It’s our greatest honor.