As a self-appointed "missionary" for Apple's Mac computers, I could not help but report on this news brief from this morning's USA Today newspaper entitled, "Charlie Rose saves laptop, not face": "Why has Charlie Rose been sporting a black eye and bandage over part of his forehead? On Monday, the PBS host tripped in a pothole while walking on 59th Street in Manhattan. He was carrying a newly purchased MacBook Air laptop and made the decision to protect the computer. Producers say he hit the pavement face first. The MacBook is fine." - by Ann Oldenburg with staff and wire...

'- This is the second weekend in a row where I have suffered with a sore throat and an aching body. I think I may be fighting off a cold, with varying degrees of success. I pressed through on the previous Sunday. And I really did not want to do it again. But I did. And I was not at my best this Sunday. - Our children sang in our morning worship service. It was great! Hats off to Phil Placenti, our children's division pastor, for preparing our children to sing. - A group of the young ladies performed an...

Last night, Anthony Kidd, who pastors the Westside Bible Church, ministered the word in our Wednesday Night Midweek Service. Over the past year, Pastor Kidd and I met and began a new friendship. And I have developed a great deal of respect and admiration for him in the short time we have known one another. Likewise, Westside Church meets at the school a few blocks away from our new location. So it was important to me that we quickly establish a fellowship between our two congregations, especially with both congregations being like-minded evangelicals. Pastor Kidd brought a message on James...

In 2006, I had the opportunity to speak in the annual men’s conference hosted by the Los Angeles Bible Training School. I was asked to present a message that I had preached in my exposition of Colossians at Mt. Sinai Church, where I serve. The message was based upon Colossians 3:5-9. I entitled it, “Putting Sin to Death.” In this message, I try to challenge the church to be intentional, strategic, and militant in the battle for godliness and against sin - particularly sexual sin. It is a very important message that I really worked hard on. But when I...

'- I was not feeling well today. I am battling the early symptoms of a cold. And I found it hard to pull myself together. But at no point this morning did I feel that I should not preach today, even though I was not feeling up to it. - Crystal did not rest well last night. But she felt strong enough to attend service this morning. I am always more relaxed (in contrast to anxious) when Crystal is present when I am preaching. - There seemed to be quite a few guests in worship today. I saw many new...

Here is my sermon skeleton from yesterday's message on Psalm 23. The audio of the message should be on the MSMBC website some time this week. Title: "Living with Confidence in God" Text: Psalm 23 Theme: A song of confident trust in the Lord Point: God is worthy of your trust. Purpose: The purpose of this message is to exhort end encourage the hearer to live with confidence in the Lord, because he is worthy of our complete trust. Outline: I. The Lord watches over those who trust him (23:2-3) A. The Lord watches over the physical needs of those...

I know. I died. I thought last week was Daylight Savings Time. Oops. But, for real, this time, don't forget to spring forward one hour tonight. You don't want to be late to church in the morning, do you?

I am working on an exposition of Psalm 23 for this coming Sunday. And it has been rough going, for several reasons. First of all, I am in a citywide revival meeting this week in San Antonio. It's a five-day meeting. And there are day and evening services. And I have been preaching on a rotating system, morning and evening. I miss my family. I have been trying to keep up with MSMBC stuff. And I have been fighting off cold symptoms all week, as the weather here keeps changing. The bottom-line is that it has been a long week....

I am in San Antonio. I am preaching in their citywide revival. This is the second year I have been a part of this meeting. Last year, I preached with Pastor Dennis Jones of Houston. This year, I am preaching with Dr. C.E. McLain, who pastors the Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport. It is the church his father served. And he has been there for some seventeen years. Dr. McLain is one of the noted preachers of our country, who has had a great ministry in several cities over the years. I heard Dr. McLain in person for the...

Today is my daughter's - Natalie Marie Charles -sixth birthday. Soon, Crystal will give birth to our second daughter. And my household will then official be overrun by women. But I suspect that Natalie will have no "middle child" issues to deal with. She will always be my first daughter... and first diva! Our new baby will have to establish her own identify, because Natalie is in a class by herself and is an impossible act to follow. It is with great joy that I have the privilege, along with my wife, of shaping this little "image bearer." And I...

'- I died. I thought Daylight Savings Time was to spring us forward this past weekend. I was a week early. Oops. - The L.A. Marathon has altered its route. And my family and I were able to get to church with absolutely no complications. And it did not hurt our worship attendance, either. Cool. - My wife was able to go to church for the first time in several weeks. She has been feeling better and has been able to move around a bit. I was so happy to see her in her typical spot. I had to work...

I am scheduled to complete my series on "Total-Life Stewardship" this Sunday. It will be the seventh message of the series. My focus will be on the stewardship of our Christian witness. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul says, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." I hope to teach the church about what it means to be a stewards of our witness. And I want to challenge the congregation to do four things: (1) know what you believe,...