Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. - James 5:16 Over the years, it was said that if you wanted to know how popular a church is, visit it on Sunday morning. If you want to know how popular the preacher is, visit on Sunday nights. But if you want to know how popular Jesus is, visit the church’s prayer meeting.   As time has passed, most churches have abandoned both Sunday night services and prayer meetings. Could...

Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. - Psalm 90:14 “How can I pray for you?” When I am asked this simple question, it is a great kindness from the Lord. Not knowing what to say, I often answer by asking that person to pray Psalm 90:12 for me: “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”  Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses – the only psalm attributed to Moses. The psalm begins by declaring the eternality of God (Psalm 90:1-2)....

I love the church! This is not the party line I am paid to repeat because I’m a pastor. With deep conviction and unwavering confidence, I believe the church is the hope of the world! And I am not merely talking about the idealized universal church, made up of all true believers in all places at all times. I am talking about the local church, warts and all.  The church matters to me. And the church should matter to you! Why does the church matter?  Jesus builds the church. The first statement about the church in the Bible is from the...

Waking up after a long Sunday nap, I surfed channels and landed on Carlton Pearson’s broadcast. He was a younger preacher than many on TV. His church was jampacked, mega-sized, and racially diverse. A traditional black preacher, Pearson even “whooped” - backed by a Hammond organ. This set of ministry dynamics is rare now. Imagine how alien it was thirty years ago.  I was encouraged by the message I heard that night. Pearson was articulate, joyful, and – from what I could tell – sound. None of the subsequent messages I heard raised any red flags. For the record, I...

In the Fall of 2008, my family and I moved to Jacksonville from Los Angeles. My wife saw this transition coming and was somewhat braced for it. My children were too young to fully understand what was taking place. I was in shock.  I was invited to speak at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church for the first time on Memorial Day weekend, 2008. I was told I was not and would not be a candidate for the church’s pastoral opening. Then, I was asked to speak to the committees. Then, I was asked to speak again more than a month...

As a boy preacher, I accompanied my father to many funerals he officiated. I probably attended more funerals as a youth than most people attend in their lifetime.  My dad never allowed me to do anything in the services. But he often had me assist him during the processional before the service and the committal after the service.  As my dad led the family in the processional, he would read Psalm 91 as he walked down the aisle. Always Psalm 91. He frequently asked me to read the passage as I walked alongside him. One time, I started reading Psalm...

https://youtu.be/usVcaQ1Uiw4 50 Preacing Tips in 15 Minutes | H.B. Charles Jr. In this video, H.B. Charles Jr. shares fifty practical tips to help you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. These pieces of advice address the preacher's personal devotion, sermon preparation, and pulpit ministry. Of course, these fifty pointers are not exhaustive. But hopefully you will find these helpful hints beneficials to your Word work. Plan your preaching. Start preparing as early as possible. Prepare when you are at your best. Gather tools for sermon preparation. Consult the best commentaries. Read and reread the text. Observe before you interpret. Learn to...

A cathedral was known for its beautiful organ. Its music filled the surrounding valley. People came from all around to hear its melodic sounds. One day, the music stopped. The organ broke, and no one was able to repair it. Then, as suddenly as it stopped, the organ filled the valley with music again. People descended upon the cathedral to hear. When the old man finished playing, they asked, “How did you fix the organ? He answered, “I made it.”  What is broken in your life?  Denying the problem won’t help. Do-it-yourself efforts can’t repair it. Having that thing, going to that place, being...

Three Black pastors directly and profoundly shaped my commitment to expositional preaching. Two are now in heaven with Jesus: E.K. Bailey and A. Louis Patterson Jr.   The third is alive and well: R.A. Williams Jr.  Dr. R.A. Williams – the longtime pastor of the McCoy Memorial Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles (for more than four decades) – was recently honored as the 2023 “Living Legend” at the E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference in Dallas. My schedule did not permit me to attend. But I am glad that Dr. Williams is being recognized for his role in the revival of expository...

I was on a panel in which the question was asked, “How will you talk to your congregation about this SBC meeting?” Other pastors shared the systematic ways they discuss SBC life with their church families.  The happenings in the Southern Baptist Convention are not a regular part of my congregation’s discussions. But I would like to comment on what I experienced at this year’s SBC. That is the point and purpose of this article.  SBC New Orleans  Bart Barber, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas, won reelection as President of the Southern Baptist Convention. To watch him...

Precious Lord, we draw near to the throne of grace by the finished work of our great High Priest – the Lord Jesus Christ. We praise you that we are your regenerate and adopted sons and daughters through faith in the finished work of Christ. As we come to your throne for grace and mercy, we rejoice that in Christ all your promises are yes and amen.  We are sinful; you are holy. We were born in sin and have continued to sin. We are rebellious sheep who have turned away from the shepherd of our souls. We deserve curses, judgment, and punishment for the guilt of our selfish attitudes, fleshly desires, worldly...

"Thank You For It All" | H.B. Charles Jr. My new single, "Thank You For It All," has been released. And it is now available on all the various music platforms. Over the past several years, I have been writing music. The process started someone spontaneously, during my devotional times. I would sing melodies as I prayed and read scripture. Other songs were born from study times in sermon preparation. I periodically try out some of these songs during prayer meetings and worship services. At this point, I am eager to share this music with a wider audience. We have...