I detest church hopping. Yet I accept the fact that there are times when Christians transfer church membership. But there is a proper time and way to leave a church. What are the legitimate reasons for leaving a church? When is the right time to leave a church? How should one leave a church to join another? Red Lights: Wrong Reasons for Leaving a Church Here are seven wrongs reasons for leaving a church.  Sin. Someone has sinned. Maybe it was a leader. Is this a good reason to leave? No. It is not promote holiness to leave because of...

Happy Father's Day! I thank God for my late father - my hero! - Dr. H.B. Charles Sr.  Happy Father's Day to my Dad, Melvin Von Wade Sr., and my Pops, John A. Reed Jr.  Please subscribe to the new On Preaching Podcast with H.B. Charles Jr. via iTunes.  Thanks for those who have signed up for our new email subscription list at the top right of this page. (This list is NOT the same as the blog subscription list.) We sent out our first sermon manuscript this week. Be on the look out for a new sermon next weekend....

There are several Bible verses that drive my commitment to faithful preaching. They are 1 Timothy 4:16, 2 Timothy 2:15, and 2 Timothy 4:2. I regularly share these verses with young preachers, when I am asked for a passage of scripture to encourage them in the work. But there is another passage that reminds me of my charge to preach the word. I rarely share this verse. It is not from the Pastorals. For that matter, it is not from the New Testament. It is 2 Samuel 24:24. But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it...

The phone rang in my hotel room. It could only mean one thing. My ride was in the lobby. It was time to go preach. I grabbed my Bible, iPad, and ball cap, and headed out the door. I knew I needed to take another look at my manuscript on the way to church. So I searched for it in my iPad, as I walked to the elevator. Found it. As I glanced over my sermon, I struggled to remember the message. So I braced myself to have to preach from the manuscript. Most of the time I preach only from...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday shout-outs is my weekly bulletin board. Hope you find something helpful here. I published episode #001 of The On Preaching Podcast this week. Take a listen here. iTunes downloads will be available soon. Stay tuned.  A big shout-out to Cameron Triggs, Students Pastor at the Shiloh Church, for leading our Youth Explosion 2014 this weekend. And thanks to all the Shiloh staff and volunteers for serving our youth. You make it happen! Thanks to Pastor Bernard Yates and the Zion Hope Church for the opportunity to preach this week! Thanks to Pastor Reginald Gaines...

  It was the last day of the revival. I had just finished my ninth sermon of the meeting. I stood to give my lasting remarks. And I said what I was thinking. Usually, I am able to mind my business when I preach away from home. But since I had no intention of ever returning to that church, I took a shot at them. Thanks for putting up with my preaching this week. And for all of your kindness and encouragement. But all the glory goes to God. Any human credit goes to the church I serve. They give...

Good day and thanks for reading my blog!  The On Preaching Podcast will debut next week. The podcast will be dedicated to helping you preaching faithfully, clearly, and better. I hope you will listen and share. ! I will begin my weekly sermon manuscript distribution, as well. Sign up in the box to the right to join the weekly sermon list. H.B. Charles Jr: On Whooping Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference I will host at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville on September 24-26, 2014. Make plans to meet us for this great event. The conference...

The first preacher to influence me was my father. He was more of an orator than a whooper. His preaching had a rhythm and cadence. But he, and most of his preaching colleagues, were not real whoopers. Then it happened. I heard whooping. Real whooping. At the conclusion of the sermon, the preacher turned his words into music. In a real sense, he started singing his sermon. I immediately determined that was the way I wanted to preach. So I began to practice. And I started listening to good whoopers. Being able to sing a bit, I was able to...

Happy Memorial Day! Today is an anniversary, of sorts, for me. I first preached at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church the last weekend of May, six years ago. Unfortunately, I did not get to worship with my congregation today, as I was away on assignment. But I heard it was a great day of worship. Thanks to our pastors, staff, and volunteers for carrying on in my absence. You make it happen! I preached today at the Parkside Church in Cleveland, where Alistair Begg is Pastor-Teacher. I have read Alistair Begg’s books and listened to his Truth For Life messages...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Thanks to Dr. Paul Nyquist for the opportunity to speak at Moody's 2014 ReFocus Pastors Conference. A big shout-out to our Pastor of Worship, Joe Pace, for leading Praise Night 2014 at the Shiloh Church this weekend. It was a great night of corporate worship! Check out my new post: Gospel Artists, Please, Pick a Side! Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference I will host at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville on September 24-26, 2014. Make plans to meet us for this great event. And tell your friends.   Chris Hefner:...

  Have you heard the one about the Civil War soldier who couldn't decide whether he wanted to fight with the Union or the Confederates? So he wore Confederate gray pants and a Union blue jacket to war. And he was shot by both sides! I imagine this is how Gospel Music artists often feel. Many Gospel artists feel their gifts and work are unappreciated by the church and disrespected by the world. They really don't know which side to fight for. But, with all due respect, this local pastor and passionate fan begs you to pick a side! No,...

Thanks for reading my blog site. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find helpful and interesting. Enjoy! Shout-out to Michael Diduit the Preaching.com team for the opportunity to speak at the National Conference on Preaching in Atlanta. Looking forward to hosting the NCP2015 in Jacksonville!  Shout-out to Bishop Alexis Thomas for inviting me again to speak at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix! Shout-out to the SBTS Southern Blog for posting my article: Summer Vacation for Full-Time Christians I am excited about the initial interest in the upcoming Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference. It...