Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do... - 1 Chronicles 12:32 Equipping Leaders to grow Churches, connect with Communities to transform an unchurched Culture The Ralph Douglas West Ministries extends a special invitation to all pastors, church staff, and congregational leaders to the 2016 Issachar Church Growth & Development Conference. The challenging and informative conference will take place April 26-28, 2016, at the Church Without Walls in Houston Texas. The purpose of the Issachar Conference is to equip today's church leaders with the necessary tools that will enable him or her to...

Thank you to everyone who sent kind words for my birthday this week (2/11). I was already an old man at 21-years-old. At 43, I am now ancient!!! A big shout-out to my Mom, Ellen Charles, whose birthday is the day before mine (2/10). She usually comes to JAX for us to spend our birthdays together. This was the first time I went to OKC to be with her. Good times. Love you, Mom! Hope to see you at Together For The Gospel in Louisville – April 12-14, 2016. Ralph Douglas West and the Church Without Walls will host the Isaachar...

It was a joy to speak at the 2016 Moody Founder's Week in Chicago! This weekend, we are hosting our first Family Conference at the Shiloh Church. We were richly blessed to have K. Edward Copeland, along with many other speakers, who equipped our church in the area of faith and family. Hope to see you at Together For The Gospel in Louisville - April 12-14, 2016. Check out the Isaachar Conference hosted by Ralph Douglas West and the Church Without Walls in Houston - April 2 Derek Thomas: Bad Homiletical Models of Expository Preaching Tim Challies: The Hidden Beauty...

The E. K. Bailey Expository Preaching conference is a gathering of preachers committed to growing in our skills and practice of the exposition of Scripture. Our conference is designed to strengthen your preaching from the process of preparation to your weekly delivery. We want to equip you to handle the Scriptures with integrity, scholarship and reverence. Our theme for this year is “Preaching Acts and the Prison Epistles.” We will provide you with a core group of workshops that will teach you how to preach effectively through these specific books of the bible which include: Acts, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon....

In Deuteronomy 6, we are given our historic confession of faith in verses 4-6. It states: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” That is the great truth God wants all of his people to know. God wants Israel to know He is one, He is the Lord, and He is to be loved with all of our being. However, we must ask an essential question about God’s ultimate declaration. How do we...

[caption id="attachment_6149" align="alignright" width="300"] G3 CONFERENCE: Steve Lawson, H.B. Charles Jr., & Josh Buice[/caption] It was a joy to speak at the 2016 G3 Conference (Gospel, Grace & Glory) hosted by my friend, Josh Buice and the Prays Mill Baptist Church of Douglasville, Georgia. (Click here to read host Josh Buice's reflections on the 2016 G3 Conference). Praying for pastors and churches on the east coast who have to shut down this week and still minister to their congregations during this snowstorm. The Lord be with you! I hope to see you at the Jacksonville Pastors Conference next weekend, hosted...

Praying at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. – Ephesians 6:18 January 10-17, 2016 is Prayer Emphasis Week at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. We believe it happens after prayer! And we expression our devotion to believing prayer by beginning each year committing ourselves, one another, and our congregation to the Lord in prayer. I preach on prayer during these two Sundays. And we have set prayer times during the week. Members were given the opportunity to submit prayer requests. These prayer...

Happy New Year! May the Lord's richest blessings be with you and yours in 2015! NEW POST: Top Blog Posts of 2015 Check out the Southern Seminary top 5 chapel videos from 2015. Bruce Ware: Advice for Another Year of Bible Reading Justin Taylor: Reading the Whole Bible in 2016: An FAQ Donald Whitney: How I Started Praying the Bible Kevin DeYoung: Ten Check Up Questions for the New Year Tim Challies: How to Finish Over 100 Books in 2016 Colin Smith: Seven Virtues to Pursue for Spiritual Growth Nicholas T. Batzig: Plagiarizing and Quoting in Preaching Jared C. Wilson: The...

Most weeks, I publish several posts on this site. I write articles on biblical preaching, pastoral ministry, and church life. I record interviews with pastors and other spiritual leaders. I post The On Preaching Podcast episodes. And I share articles written by others in my Saturday Shout-Outs. Thank you for reading my blog this year. I hope you have found helpful resources here. Here are some of the most viewed and best responded to posts from my blog site in 2015. Enjoy! Articles Lessons My Father Taught Me. So Do You Write Your Own Sermons. Weak Sermons Need Music To...

Sign up for my newsletter in the box in the right column of this page to receive a free sermon manuscript each week to read devotionally or put fuel in your fire as you prepare to preach. Check out the John A. Reed Jr. Interview. Pastor Reed is the Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. He was one of my father's dear friends. He is my "Pops." We continue to thank the Lord for blessing the Shiloh Church Choir's live CD recording last weekend. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement. The CD is schedule for national release...

A great, big birthday shout-out to my wife Crystal! We first met in Coach William's World History Claus at Los Angeles High School. We have now been together for more than 20 years. And it has been  an indescribable privilege to watch Crystal grow as a Christian, wife, mother, leader, and friend over these years. I am getting older! She is getting better! But being with Crystal makes me want to be better, too. I love you, Sunshine! Happy Birthday! Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement for the Shiloh Church Choir Live CD recording. It was a great night...