It was only the first night of a weeklong revival. But this young preacher was wiped out. It was the first night of the meeting for the congregation. But it was my third week of preaching in a row. And I was tired. I had traveled all day without eating. I had to get a bite before I turned in. We ended up at a restaurant with a group of other pastors. To my surprise, one of my preaching heroes was there. And I had the opportunity to chat him up over dinner. Wanting to impress my hero, I began...

Thanks to Bailey Smith for the opportunity to speak at the Real Evangelism Conference Friday night at the Wheeler Grove Baptist Church in Corinth, Mississippi. A big shout-out to all of the Shiloh Church volunteers who served our community during our Make a Difference Day! We were rained out. But you still let your lights shine.  You make it happen! Thanks for your partnership in the gospel. I am excited about the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference that will meet in Jacksonville, September 24-26, 2014. Registration will open on April 15, 2014. I hope you will join us for this...

I studied what scripture teaches about spiritual leadership. And my eyes were opened about how the Lord governs his church. But I hit a sticking point. I had not seen what I was learning done in any church that I knew. I needed some advice. So I made an appointed with a pastor I respected. I told him what I learned and asked how he viewed the issue. He agreed with me, clarified my thoughts on some points, and affirmed that I was headed in the right direction. In fact, I discovered his congregation was operating according to the principles...

After teaching on this subject in Bible Study, a member asked me about the term “Bapticostal” – a Baptist and Pentecostal mixed. I acknowledged the term is often a tongue-in-cheek description of a doctrinal conservative who embraces a passionate worship style. But I added that any Christian with integrity might claim to be one or the other – Baptist or Pentecostal – but not both. Baptists and Pentecostals that have saving-faith are brothers and sisters in Christ. But we believe different things about the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit that are not compatible. Just ask a conscious Baptist...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I have found helpful and worth noting. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. I am looking forward to being a part of the Biblical Exposition Conference in Chicago in a few weeks. You still have time to register for the National Conference on Preaching 2014 in Atlanta. We are gearing up for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference this Fall. Hope you will join us this September in Jacksonville. You can now pre-order my new...

One of my associates preached our early service some years ago. He preached the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). His introduction focused on the fact that it was a story about a father who was there for his two sons and took care of their needs. As a sinner listening to the message, I was moved. As a preacher listening to the message, I couldn’t help but think that I would have never thought of getting into the text that way. It was doorway into the story that I had never even seen. Later that week, the associate...

As he passed through Ephesus, the Apostle Paul met several believers. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit since they believed. “No,” they replied, “we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2). In a real sense, this was my testimony for many years. Sure, I had heard of the Holy Spirit. And I believed in the Holy Spirit. But I did not know who the Holy Spirit was. There was not much talk about the Holy Spirit in the church I grew up in. But there was a lot of talk after...

Thanks for reading my blog. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. SPECIAL NOTE: I received news that Dr. Timothy Winters, longtime Pastor of the Bayview Baptist Church in San Diego passed away this morning. Pastor Winters was a faithful shepherd, sound preacher, and friend of preachers. I will always be grateful for the investments he made in him. Please remember the Winters family and Bayview Church in your prayers. I had the joy of speaking at the Watermelon Shed Revival in Tifton, Georgia, this week. Had a blast! Thanks to...

Thanks for reading my blog! Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board. Hope you find something useful here. Shout-out to Bailey Smith for the opportunity to speak a the Real Evangelism Conference this week in Charlotte. It was a great experience! It was way cool to host Youth Quake Live at the Shiloh Church this weekend. Check out my interviews Bryan Loritts and Phillip Pointer. Read my new post: "In Praise of Long Pastorates" Thabiti Anyabwile: Why We Should Reject Queen Bey's Depiction of Black Womanhood R. Albert Mohler: Inerrancy: a modern definition of an historic view John Piper: Some...

My orientation to pastoral ministry is bent toward long pastorates. My father served the church I grew up in for more than forty years. My adopted dad has also served his congregation for forty years. My own pastor has served his congregation for thirty-five years. And most of the men who have shaped my faith, theology, and ministry philosophy have had long pastorates. Of course, not every man is cut out for long pastorates. The calling of the Lord on each person’s life is unique. And some men are not divinely wired for long pastorates. Some pastors are called to...

Please pray for Dr. John A. Reed, his family and congregation, as he celebrates the homegoing of his wife of 52 years today in Oklahoma City. Shout-out to our youth pastor, Cameron Triggs, and his volunteer team for leading a purity conference this weekend with more than 100 teens from Shiloh Church. You can preorder my upcoming book, "On Preaching," which will be released May 1. Make sure you check out the A. Louis Patterson Jr. Interview. Read "On Praise Dancing." Ray Ortland: Faithful Pastor, You're Not Crazy Daniel Darling: What Pastors Owe Their People Nathan Busenitz: Are Tongues Real Languages?...

Happy Presidents' Day! We had a blessed day of worship yesterday at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. During our 10:30 service, we had Parent-Child Dedications for six families. Always a joy! As always, I am grateful for our guests who joined us in worship. I preached from Ephesians 1:7-10. I called the message, “The Blessing of Redemption in Christ.” The point of the message was this: Praise God for blessing us with redemption in Christ. There were two major sections to the message: The present blessings of redemption in Christ (1:7-8) The future blessings of redemption in Christ (1:9-10) Redemption...