It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is always an interesting Sunday. But it was a good day. I taught on 1 Timothy 2:8-15 – “Men and Women in Worship" - in my Bible Study Fellowship. I did an overview of the passage. But I plan to spend the next several weeks going through it in more detail. It’s a controversial subject. But I am looking forward to the study. As always, I am grateful for all the guests in worship today. It was cool to meet the family of members visiting for the holiday. Praise God for the two...

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a safe, blessed, and restful holiday. The Shiloh Church met for worship on Thanksgiving morning. What a service! I love my congregation. I preached a 1st person narrative on the 10 Lepers that I called, "The Testimony of a Cleansed Leper" (Luke 17:11-19). I almost chickened out in the last minute. I'm glad I hung in there with what I prepared. I am grateful to have my sister, Harriette, and niece, also named Harriette, here with us from Los Angeles for the holiday. That Dallas Cowboys tried as hard as they could to ruin...

O my God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, My heart admires, adores, loves thee, For my little vessel is as full as it can be, And I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.   When I think upon and converse with thee Ten thousands delightful thoughts spring up, Ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, Ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, Crowding into every moment of happiness.   I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, For adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil; For the...

I couldn’t wait to get to worship today. I was really looking forward to preaching today. Glad to be in the service one more time! I missed our 33 Men’s Bible Study Saturday morning. But I heard it was a great meeting and that even more men showed up. How big is God! Saturday was also our Thanksgiving Outreach. I am told that 1,500 meals were served over the course of the day. Winter clothes were given away, along with other acts of service. Matthew 5:16 in action! Glad to have our guests in worship today. Praise God for the...

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15 A pastor’s primary responsibility is to preach and teach the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 4:1-5). Faithfulness to this holy charge requires personal devotion, diligent study, and laborious preparation. Sermons don’t grow on trees! Well, biblical, Christ-exalting sermons don’t. Good preaching is hard work. But how do you get from text to sermon? What steps should a preacher take to preacher a sound, clear,...

Thanks for reading my blog this week. Thanks to my new subscribers. And thanks for your comments. Make sure you sign up for this blog under the picture to the left to receive email updates of new posts. If you missed my interview with my Dr. Melvin V. Wade Sr. this week, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. Shout-out to Pastor Mike Stone and the George Southern Baptist Convention for the opportunity to speak in their Pastor's Conference in Warner Robbins this week. Shout-out to Pastor John Barber and the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church of Miami...

Happy Veterans Day! I did not write Notes from Sunday last week. Someone later tweeted that they missed my notes. Way cool. Today marked 4 years since my installation as pastor of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. Thanks, Shiloh, for the kind expressions today. It has been a very encouraging day. I praise the Lord for you and praise for many more years together as pastor and people. Now, back to work! Best part of my day: A sister shared with me today that it was her anniversary today, as well. She joined Shiloh when I arrived. And she has...

Happy Veterans Day Weekend! We are grateful for the men and women who have sacrificed to preserve the freedoms we enjoy. Thanks for reading my blog this week. You can sign-up under the picture to the left to receive email updates of future posts. I am still praising God for the four years he has granted me to serve the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church as its pastor. We are still praying for those in the North East who suffered through Sandy and are now dealing with a cold front of snow. A birthday shout-out to S. Wesley, one of the faithful...

Ministers aren't kidding when they talk of troubles. It's the truth. Pick any ministry you want, and there will be enough problems in it to occasionally jerk the most optimistic person down off his toes. Ministries are few and far between that have no troublesome concerns stalking in the wings. More than likely, the best church you know about could be destroyed overnight if the right person made the wrong move. Even the best situation is fragile. Whether we know it or not, churches live on the brink. Something could go wrong at any time. If you are going to...

Four years ago, a monumental election took place. And right in the middle of the election, the economy collapsed. But I was not paying attention. I had monumental issues going on in my life and ministry that I was preoccupied with. During the summer of 2008, I was engaged in a process that would eventually result in me becoming the Senior-Pastor of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville. The Wednesday after the election of Barack Obama, my installation services began. I totally forget to mention that the nation had elected its first black president the day before. My guest...

Twenty-two years ago today, the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church of Los Angeles took a chance on a seventeen-year-old boy preacher. It was a Monday night. November 5, 1990. It was about eighteen months after the former pastor, my father, died. The church gathered to select its third pastor. For the record, the church did not meet that night with to select a high-schooler as its new pastor. I was not on the agenda that night. After a yearlong search, the pulpit committee presented three names for the church to consider. (I was not one of them.) And they would...

Thanks for reading my blog this week. Thanks for your comments. And thanks for subscribing. You can subscribe to this blog under the picture to the left to receive email updates of future posts. Our prayers are with those who have suffered loss as a result of the storm, Sandy. A big shout-out to A. Francis, who serves as the receptionist and administrative assistant at the Shiloh Church. Happy Birthday! And thanks for all that you do. Thanks to the pastors of Pensacola for the opportunity to minister the word during their Pensacola Citywide Revival for the second year. I...