I have two more messages to preach at Bayview Church before I go home. I have preached three so far. Sunday was kind of tough. I really don't think I "connected" with the congregation in either of the morning services. But I was still blessed to be there. Pastor Winters is such a joy to be around. A for a young pastor to be able to sit with him and watch him lead his congregation is an enriching experience. Sunday evening, Crystal and the kids headed home so that the kids wouldn't miss school. That was difficult. I didn't want...

Yesterday, a brother asked me, "What do you think are the biggest problems facing the church today?" For the record, I don't like these kinds of questions. And I really don't like being on the receiving end of one of them. It seems kind of presumptuous to me to try to answer for the spiritual condition of large sections of Christians in the world. I have a hard enough time monitoring my own heart, not to mention my own congregation. So it seems to that I should be pontificating about the larger body of Christ. Yet, we talk like this...

It is late (or early, depending on how you view it). I am in San Diego to preach for Pastor Timothy Winters and the Bayview Baptist Church through Wednesday evening. Crystal and the kids came down with me for the weekend. San Diego is a special place for me and Crystal. So we don't need to have much of an excuse to drive down to San Diego. And the kids just like going somewhere... anywhere. So they were also excited about coming down with me. We got here this afternoon and spent a slow, quiet, and leisurely evening together. We...

I have just finished reading a book entitled, Preaching Evangelistically (Broadman & Holman Publisher). It is written by Al Fasol, Roy Fish, Steve Gaines, and Ralph Douglas West. I saw an add for this book in a magazine a few weeks ago. And when I saw it in a store somewhere, I immediately picked it up. I wanted to read it for several reasons. First, Al Fasol is in it, writing about preaching. Fasol's book, Essentials for Biblical Preaching, which I have read several times, is a really helpful book on preaching. And his work on sermon delivery, A Complete...

The Lord really helped me through a long weekend. I continued my series on the "One Another" commands in Sunday School. Yesterday's lesson was on "Serving One Another." I was not able to finish the lesson, so I will have to do a part 2. In our worship service, I concluded our preaching series on the Ten Commandments with a message entitled, "Overcoming Covetousness" (Exodus 20:17). I was not really tired at all, even though I should have been. In fact, after I gave the benediction, you could have easily convinced me to preach again. But that all changed about...

My friend, Tony Rhone, began his first pastorate this past Easter Sunday at the Galilee Baptist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Prior to agreeing to serve the Galilee Church, Tony served as the assistant to the pastor at the Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, where John A. Reed, Jr. is the pastor. Tony is also Reed's son-in-law, who has been married to his oldest daughter for over 20 years. Tony is a good friend, a godly brother, a servant leader, and a faithful preacher. Please pray for him, his family, and the Galilee Church. And check out Tony's new blog,...

Well, the Lord was kind to me last night. I had to preach twice - at both 7 and 10 PM. And the Lord gave me strength and wisdom for both messages. I have recently lost a storage unit. And I had deleted the message I intended to preach at 7 PM after placing the manuscript on it. But after having the storage unit for only a week, I lost it. So I didn't have my sermon. Thankfully, my secretary found a hard copy of the message in my study. She emailed it to me. And I rode to church...

Today is the last of the five days of preaching for me here in Oklahoma City. And it is scheduled to be the longest day of them all. This morning, at 8 AM, the annual prayer breakfast takes places. Dr. L.K. Curry of Chicago is to bring the message. It's a can't-miss situation. I have to hear Dr. Curry. Then, at the noon service, Pastor C. Dennis Edwards of Cincinnati is to bring the message. And that, too, is a can't-miss situation. Now, the two evening services are can-miss meetings, except for the fact that I am scheduled to preach...

When I sat down from preaching last night, a strange feeling came over me. It was that sense of relief I feel after the third sermon I preach in most revivals. It's the feeling that my work is done and it's time to go home. Then it dawned on me that I have three more sermons to preach before I can go home. And relief then turned into fatigue. I am so physically tired, last night I think I could feel every footstep I took. But spiritually, I am being revived, encouraged, and strengthened.This has been a great week, so...

Last night, I began my series of messages at the Fairview Baptist Church. The attendance was strong, the worship was warm, and the message was well received. The Lord gave me strength to preach, even though I battled with my sinuses all afternoon. I bumped into my brother in the hotel lobby on the to church. And I saw my mother, aunt, and cousin at church. It was a good evening. Afterward, I came back to the room and talked to Crystal for a while, then went to sleep. I needed to the rest. I am feeling much better this...

What is "Easter Monday"? I heard newscasters use that term last night and this morning. I had never heard it before? What does it mean? Anyway, it's "Easter Monday." And I am at LAX (again), waiting to get on a flight to go somewhere to preach (again). Yesterday was a good day. I was feeling sick all day Saturday, with a cough and congestion adding to my sinus problems. And I really didn't feel like preaching/teaching. I had finishing touches to put on the message that I wanted to preach Easter. But I was unable to get anything done. So...

I had a rather long flight home yesterday from Detroit. It was scheduled to be almost five hours. But we were delayed in leaving Detroit, because of the weather. And it was a turbulent flight the whole way here. And once we neared LAX, we were diverted because of weather and air traffic. So the flight went way past five hours. It was exhausting. And my sinuses were bothering something terrible. When I landed, I took something for my sinuses, and it put me to sleep (as usual). By the time I woke up, it was 5 PM. And I...