This is one of the greatest utterances in all the Bible. It stretches over everything else revealed in scripture. The theme of purity of heart being necessary to see God is vast and infinite and draws in almost every biblical thread. – John MacArthur, Kingdom Living Hear And Now, p. 119Yesterday, I continued my series of the beatitudes of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 5:3-12, with a message on Matthew 5:8. Here is the sermon skeleton. Title: "The Window in Your Heart" Text: Matthew 5:8 Theme: The blessedness of purity of heart Point: God blesses the pure in heart. Outline: I....

My week is being devastated by Chris Erdman and his book, Countdown to Sunday: A Daily Guide for those Who Dare to Preach. This series of brief essays pokes holes in so many foolish assumptions about preaching - from matters of technique to issues of purpose. While I do not agree with everything Erdman writes, I am enjoying the conversation (sometimes argument) about what it means to host the text on Sunday mornings in such a way that you allow the mischief of God in the text to do its missional work in the life of the gathered congregation. Here...

Here are some pictures from June 1, our first Sunday in our remodeled auditorium. Thanks, Venus, for the pictures. They are great. H.B. leading some part of the worship service. The saints in worship. The congregation. My sisters - Tracy, Donetta, and Harriette - with me and HaileyThe family. Apparently H.B.3 is too cool now to smile. The church sign.

"It is immediately apparent that if the implication of the fifth beatitude were put into practice with greater zeal and consistency the preaching of the gospel would be far more effective! What a blessing for mankind this would be!" - William Hendriksen, The Gospel of Matthew, p. 276Here is the sermon skeleton from Sunday's message: Sermon Title: "A Conspiracy of Kindness" Text: Matthew 5:7 Theme: The blessedness of being mercifulPoint: God blesses those who are merciful. Outline: I. The blessedness of mercy extended (5:7a)     A. The definition of mercy: compassion in action.     B. The demonstration of mercy        ...

It was good to be home after several days away. I was rather tired Sunday, probably still adjusting time zones again. But the Lord gave me strength to preach. We have our first baptisms in our remodeled auditorium during our second service. Hallelujah! I continued our series on the beatitudes with a message on Matthew 5:7, which I called, "A Conspiracy of Kindness." I feel like I am finally getting into a rhythm with this new series of messages. And I can't wait to get to the pulpit next Sunday to preach on Matthew 5:8 - the pure in heart....

I wrote a post this morning as I was preparing to fly home from Newark. And when I published it, I noticed that it was my 449th blog post. So I thought I would write number 500 today to say, "Wow, I have written 450 blog posts!" About a week ago, someone wrote a comment to me about something I wrote in June, 2006. When I read the comment, I was a little surprised. It had not dawned on me that I had been writing this blog that long. This occasion caused me to do a little reflection. Here is...

I am writing this post from the Newark airport. In about an hour, I will be heading home to my family in Los Angeles. I have preached three messages at the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, where my friend Barron Wilson is the pastor. I preached some of my "get fired" sermons - messages that I preach and then don't get invited back. But the Mt. Calvary received the messages prayerfully and attentively. And Pastor Wilson asked me to come back next year! I also had the opportunity to spend some time this week with my boyhood friend, Joe Carter, and...

I am in New Jersey to preach a three-night revival, which is a part of the 57th Church Anniversary for Pastor Barron O. Wilson and the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church of Jersey City. This is my second year doing this meeting. Last year, we worshiped in another part of the building, as the main auditorium was being remodeled. But the congregation was able to resume their services in their auditorium this past Sunday. So it is all the more wonderful for me to be here to celebrate this special time with Pastor Wilson and the Mt. Calvary family. When I...

Crystal and I walked out of the house Saturday, without bringing our camera. So we were unable to take any pictures at John and Vanessa's wedding. But here is a picture Suzan took of me and Crystal after the ceremony. Thanks Suzan for the picture.

I have been in post-Sunday recovery today. It was a long, good weekend. My entire family went to church together for the first time - all five of us. Oh, what a feeling! I have never been a part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony before. So I don't know if I did it right. I just cut the ribbon, said, "Praise the Lord!" and rushed in to our remodeled auditorium so that we could worship God together. There were many guests, friends, and well-wishers present in both of our morning services. Always encouraging. I led the singing in our worship services...

Here are a few pictures from this past Sunday. My wife and kids took most of the shots with my camera. But they were so excited that we didn't get very many pictures. I should have more pictures to post soon.