The 2012 E.K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference is full swing. It kicked off Monday evening with Matt. Chandler, who lectured on “the Godness of God.” The message emphasized 5 ways scripture affirms the authority of God: (1) creation, (2) providence, (3) nature, human rule, and (5) Satan. It was powerful. I spoke after Chandler. I preached a message from Romans 11:33-36 that I called, “God Knows What He’s Doing!” Tuesday morning, Dr. Steve Lawson preached from Exodus 33:17-34:7: “Show Me Your Glory!” It was typical Lawson: Fantastic!!! Dr. Steve. Lawson is arguably the best expository preaching in the country. (Buy...

Praise the Lord for the way he worked today at Shiloh! Thank God for the one who was baptized today. Thanks to all of the volunteers who serve at the Shiloh Church. You make it happen! Our worship leader was on his post today, R. Scott, even though his sister passed away this weekend. Very encouraging. I preached Psalm 1. I called it, “Which Way Are You Going?” I stated the point of the sermon in three words: Choose God’s way. Sermon Outline: I.     Choose the way that is blessed (1:1-2) II.     Choose the way that bears fruit (1:3-4) III.    ...

The year was 1990. It was the week I turned 18. A sermon shaped my future. I was hosting a revival meeting. Our guest speaker was the late Rev. Jerome Kirby. One night after service, Rev. Kirby said he wanted to hear E.K. Bailey preach at Mt. Moriah the next day. I had heard the name before. But I did not know anything about E.K. Bailey. My guest said, “Shame on you!” My guest would not answer any of my questions about Dr. Bailey’s minstry. He told me my questions would be answered tomorrow. They were. The next, Dr. Bailey preached...

There is a sermon illustration I have used over the years in preaching about personal change, spiritual conversion, and new beginnings. It's called, Autobiography in Five Short Chapters, by Portia Nelson. I am often asked to repeat it or where it can be found. Well, here it is… Chapter 1 – I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost… I am helpless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter 2 – I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the...

A certain woman who jumped from church to church decided that she was not at the right place. She informed her pastor, “Well, I believe it’s time for me to move again.” Mustering a rare forthrightness, he replied, “That’s okay. It does not matter that much when you change labels on an empty bottle.” Of course, there are legitimate times and reasons to move your membership from one church to another. Conscience and conviction may require you to leave a church. In most instances, relocation results in the need to find a new church home. There is a list of...

I'll give you one guess who that handsome young man to the left is. Before I go any further, let me answer your burning question: Is that a Jheri Curl? Answer: Absolutely not! I only use juices and berries on my hair. Bonus Q&A: Yes, those are Gazelle glasses I am wearing. What you know about that?!?! This is a newspaper clip I found recently in a book. It is from local church newspaper in Los Angeles called the A.C.C. (R.I.P.) I was just eighteen-years-old. It is an advertisement for my first pastoral anniversary celebration at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist...

We were hanging out at the church, waiting for the afternoon service. An unidentified woman pulled up. She was there to pick me up for the service I was schedule to preach at her church that afternoon. My father had told her pastor I would preach the meeting. But he forgot to tell me! So there I was. On my way to preach. Barely in my teens. Scared out of my wits. I preached the story of David and Goliath. This was my introduction to preaching without notes. A baptism by fire. More than twenty-five years later, I am used...

Welcome to my new readers! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy the posts and find them helpful. I write “Notes from Sunday” each week about my day of worship. I reflect on the day and the events around it. I also comment on stuff that caught my attention over the weekend. (Translation: Sports!) I taught Bible Study Fellowship today for the first time in weeks. I called the lesson, “How to Minister to God.” I miss teaching this class. Praise God for those who were baptized this morning. We had a lot of guests in worship today. Way cool....

Let’s face it. We’ve all done it. We have all had those times when we participated in corporate worship services without truly worshiping God in spirit and truth. We have all gone through the motions. We have all sat in services with our minds and hearts being at some distant place. Why does this happen? You love God. You have been looking forward to going to church all week. The worship was uplifting, the music was inspiring, and the sermon was edifying. But, somehow, you missed it all. As the worship flowed, you were fault-finding. As the musical praise was...

I am a loyal Gospel Music fan. For years, I have joyfully collected Gospel CD recordings. More recently, I download music from iTunes. I rarely go anywhere without my iPod. Keys, wallets, cell phone, and iPod - don’t leave home without them! I love Gospel Music. Praise and worship. Traditional. Contemporary. Old school. New school. You name it. I like it all. Even quartet music is starting to grow on me! Ultimately, I love music. But I especially love Gospel Music. However, most of the Gospel Music on my iPod, I would absolutely freak out to hear performed in an...

Today’s post is a guest post by my friend and brother, Pastor Brian Carter. Brian serves as the Senior-Pastor of the Concord Church in Dallas, one of the great congregations in this country. Brian is also the host and leader of the annual E.K. Bailey Expository Preaching Conference, which will meet in Dallas later this month. The late Dr. E.K. Bailey is one of my homiletical heroes. Through his example and this conference, the Lord used him to influence many African-American pastors toward expository preaching. Brian and his team are carrying on this great work and taking it to new...