Monday night, I have the privilege of speaking in the chapel service of the Los Angeles Bible Training School. This training school is doing a great work, as it comes alongside local churches and assists in trains ministers and "lay people" to study, understand, and teach the word of God. One of the pastors of our church, George Hurtt, teaches a class on the Gospel of Matthew there. And two other of our pastors, Anthony Thompson and John Scroggins, attend classes there. The costs are minimum; but the rewards are great. The teachers are trained men who are committed to...

I am in Little Rock, preaching the "Vision Conference 2006" for Pastor Robert Townsend and the St. Peter Missionary Baptist Church. And you can call me "The Rainman." It has been raining much of the past week or so in Los Angeles. And I came here expecting it to be very cold. But when I arrived yesterday, it was in the seventies. My son called me and told me it was raining. I laughed and told him the sun was shining here. But I might have spoke to soon. When I woke up this morning and opened the shades, their...

I am still recovering from yesterday. I feel like one pastor who I heard say, "I spend four months in church every Sunday." Most Sundays are long days for me. But yesterday was unusually so. For starters, my Saturday did not go as I planned. That's my fault. But my anxious Saturday followed my into Sunday. And I really wasn't as mentally alert as I usually am. In fact, I locked myself into my office an hour before Sunday School and typed out notes for myself to take to the pulpit. I write out my messages word for word each...

As the Apostle Paul spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, there was a group of religious zealots (scholars call them "Judaizers") who followed him around "correcting" his teachings. These Judaizers contended that true salvation required both faith in Jesus Christ and adherence to the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament, particularly circumcision. Over and over again, Paul had to proclaim and defend the fact that God saves sinners by grace through faith in Christ, plus or minus nothing. I sometimes wonder if these men were sincere guys who just had some of the facts wrong. But one thing is for...

This past weekend, I published my 100th post on this blog. Happy anniversary hblogcharlesjr!!! I don't think this has any deep significance or anything like that. In fact, I only noticed it in passing as I was signing on to the "dashboard" of my blog. But if TV shows can throw a big party after 100 episodes, I can at least note the fact that I have been at this for 100 posts. My first post was on August 15, last year. I simply called it, "I'm a Blogger Now!" It was really just a test post to see if...

This past Sunday I was absent from my pulpit at Mt. Sinai. I preached for another congregation. This is something that rarely happens over the course of the year. And it even more rare that I am absent from my own pulpit to preach somewhere in the Los Angeles area. If there is any place I would be preaching on a Sunday besides Mt. Sinai, it would be Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, where my pastor (Dr. Melvin V. Wade, Sr.) serves. There are very few others places that I would go to on a Sunday morning. But this past Sunday,...

I am at Disneyland with Crystal and the kids. I am typing this post on my phone (a first for me). Crystal kept the kids out of school today so that we could spend some time together. Last year, we bought annual passes, so we are able to come to the park without it costing us a kidney each time. I have much work to do this weekend. But I probably would not be able to get much of it done without spending some quality/quantity time with Crystal, H.B., and Natalie. I love them. I miss them. And I am...

Thanks for your prayers. The Lord blessed me to preach both messages yesterday. And he sustained me both physically and spiritually. The host pastors and attending church members were very prayerful, kind, and encouraging. I am very grateful for the privilege of participating in this meeting. I recognize these men could have asked anyone to come to their city to preach to their congregations. I am thankful that the Lord placed me on their hearts and led them to extend this invitation to me for the second time. The citywide meeting officially ends tonight, with a youth emphasis service. I...

Please pray for me today. I am preaching in the citywide revival in San Francisco. I am the day speaker. The evening speaker is Dr. Marvin E. Wiley of the great Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood, Illinois. There was a schedule conflict. And Dr. Wiley had to leave this morning to make it to another meeting. So I will be preaching both the day and evening session today. I have been struggling with voice/throat problems all week long. Last year, I caught a really bad cold here. This time, my voice has just left me. I don't know...

I am coming off a long and busy week right into another one. Last Wednesday through Friday, I preached at the St. Paul Baptist Church in Sacramento, where Dr. Ephraim Williams is the pastor. The congregation was warm, prayerful and encouraging. And it was a blessing to spend time with Pastor Williams, who has so much pastoral wisdom to share. Saturday morning, I flew home, changed clothes, and headed to Mt. Sinai to lead a funeral service for a dear and longtime member of the church. Afterward, I was pretty wiped out. I took a really long nap, and then...

I am in Sacramento. Tonight was the first of three nights I am preaching for Dr. Ephraim Williams and the St. Paul Baptist Church. These three nights are the pre-celebration of the church's 58th anniversary. Dr. Williams is a remarkable pastor and St. Paul is a remarkable church. This afternoon, I was given a tour of the church campus. I can't describe what a faith building experience that was. The auditorium holds about 2,800. There are more than 40 classrooms and an admistrative wing. There is a large dining hall, a wedding chapel, and much more. And when my tour-guide...

Last week, someone asked this question in the comment section of my blog: "Do you believe in Acts 2:38?" In the English Standard Version, that verse reads: "And Peter said, to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." If this person asked me this question in person, I would ask, "Could you ask that another way?" I am not sure what the specific question about this verse is. So answering it is kind of like shooting...