My father was a good preacher. People who heard my dad will tell you Junior cannot touch Senior when it comes to preaching. There are many preachers who have influenced my preaching. But my dad is at the top of the list. My dad would often tell me, “Son, I don’t want you to be a jackleg preacher.” I didn’t know what a “jackleg preacher” was. Still don’t. But I heard the term enough to know it was something I did not want to be. I hope I am or am becoming the kind of preacher my dad would be...

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed in me, when as yet there was none of them. - Psalm 139:13-16   Join us, along...

Thanks for reading my blog! You can sign up for my FREE weekly sermon manuscript email list in the box in the top right of this page. A big shout-out to all the Shiloh Church members who participated in Prayer Emphasis Week 2015. Clay Today: Shiloh Merger: More than black-and-white Check out the devotional I wrote this week: "Commit Your Work to the Lord."  Take a listen to the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: "What I Pray When I Preach" Ray Pritchard: 20 Sermons for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday James Hamilton Jr.: Worthy of Double Honor: Expository Advocating...

For several months, I have read a chapter of Proverbs daily. I have read Proverbs countless times over the years. But it has come alive for me in fresh and new ways recently. One proverb I have meditated a great deal on is Proverbs 16:3… Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs are not guaranteed promises. They are practical wisdom for a godly and peaceful life. It may not be wise to read them as a principle and promise. It is more like a cause-and-effect. There is a choice and a consequence. You make...

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. – Colossians 4:2 January 11-18 is Prayer Emphasis Week at the Shiloh Church. Our goal is to begin the year giving thanks, making confession, submitting our lives, offering petitions, and interceding for one another. In our worship services yesterday, members filled out prayer cards and left them at the altar. We asked each member to come this week and spend at least 15 minutes praying for the needs on the cards. YOU CAN SUBMIT PRAYER REQUESTS THROUGH OUR CHURCH WEBSITE (www.shiloh.church). CLICK THE ENGAGE TAB TO FIND THE PRAYER LINK....

Thanks for reading my blog! Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board. I send out a free sermon manuscript by email each week. You can sign up for the sermon manuscript list in the box to the right. Praise God for the launch of Shiloh Church of Orange Park!  Shiloh Church in the News: Black & white congregations hope racial reconciliation reflects in New Year merger | Christian Examiner Congratulations to my friend, Carlos L Kelly, who begins his new assignment as pastor of the Beulahland Bible Church this weekend! We mourn the passing of Gospel Artist, Andrae Crouch, and thank...

Why do you wear black suits ALL the time? I get this question often. But it’s not true. I don’t wear black suits all the time. I have and wear different colors occasionally. Yet I wear the same thing so often that my wife and kids are shocked when I emerge from the closet with something other than a black suit, white shirt, and black tie. My father was a connoisseur of fine clothes. He is remembered for his preaching, generosity, and clothes. My dad was not a flashy dresser. But he was always clean. That gene skipped me. I...

Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! – Psalm 115:1 Yesterday marked the official launch of the Shiloh Church of Orange Park. The Shiloh Church is now one church in two locations. The first Sunday of 2015 marked the beginning of our new worship schedule. The congregation now meets for worship three times on Sundays between two locations. I led and preached our 7:45 service downtown. After extending the invitation, I headed to Orange Park. I didn’t really know what to expect. I...

Happy New Year to you and yours!  Please pray for for the official launch of Shiloh Church of Orange Park on January 4, 2014. NOTE: All three services - at both locations - will be streamed on Sundays through the Shiloh Church website. Check out: My Top Posts of 2014 Congratulations to Dr. Maurice Watson who begins his new assignment as the the 6th pastor of the historic Metropolitan Baptist Church in Washington D.C. Timothy George: Spurgeon at Year's End Christina Fox: New Year's Resolutions: Aim for Godliness and God's Glory Hershael York: Recovering from a Dud Jonathan Parnell: When...

Thanks for reading my blog in 2014! Some of your are regular readers, who keep up with most posts. Others of you came looking for something specific and stuck around. Or maybe you just stumbled onto the site. Now matter how you arrived, I am glad you are here. This blog began as a creative writing exercise. It has evolved (as continues to evolve) into something more than that. You can find various resources here. And I hope you have found them helpful. Here are some of the blog highlights from 2014... On Preaching My New Book: "On Preaching"  Building...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! Sign up for my free weekly sermon manuscript email list in the box to the right!  Check out my article: The Happy Dilemma of a Growing Preacher Ray Pritchard: 47 Sermons for the New Year John Piper: Contemporary America and a Call to Prayer David Platt: Our Obligation to the Unreached Thom Rainer: Seven Myths about a Pastor's Workweek Nathan W. Bingham: Top Commentaries on Every Book of the Bible Brian Croft: The Practical Shepherding Series through Zondervan David Murray: 6 Meditations on the Pre-Incarnation  Michael Kruger: A Christmas Present from the Mainstream Media: Newsweek...