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...

This Wednesday, we will continue our Guest Lecture Series at MSMBC. Irvin Busenitz, Vice President for Academic Administration and Professor of Bible Exposition and Old Testamfrom at The Master's Seminary, is teaching on "A Biblical Approach to Christian Parenting." His opening lecture, last Wednesday, was a great blessing. On the many helpful, challenging, and encouraging things he said, there is one statement that I have been chewing on every since last Wednesday: "A strong family can survice a weak church. But a strong church cannot survive weak families."

Lately, several people have made statements to me about the fact that we upload my weekly messages onto our website for free. The concern is that we ought to be selling those messages, rather than letting people listen to them for nothing. Why do you we it? Well, let me be clear that we do not do it because I feel that I am such an outstanding preaching. I am an average preacher who is striving to get better. I have some good weeks and some bad weeks, like every other preacher. Honestly, it is somewhat difficult to have my...

Over the past week or two, I have received emails that reported the (alleged) scandalous sin of a high-profile pastor/Gospel Music artist (or is that Gospel Music artist/pastor?). Then, other emails began to come in, retracting the news reports. I have not searched out to the matter to see which story is true - the report or the retractions. And I don't intend to. But there is a larger lesson that I think we, as Christians, should consider as a result of this incident. Christian leaders (I'm not sure if that ought to be in quotation marks, in this case)...

Today is my daughter's birthday. Natalie Marie Charles is four-years-old today. Praise God! I was preaching in Atlanta the night my son, H.B. III., was born. But I was blessed to be right there with Crystal when Natalie was born. Crystal wasn't feeling well. And we didn't take any chances. She had gone into premature labor with our son. And the doctor tried to delay my son's birth as long as possible. But after about a week, he was born six weeks premature. So when Crystal started feeling pains, we went straight to the hospital. They ran all kinds of...

The Shepherds' Conference is meeting here this week at the Grace Community Church, where Dr. John F. MacArthur, Jr. serves as pastor-teacher. This conference is an annual meeting held for pastors, church leaders, etc. And it is always a great blessing. In the providence of God, John MacArthur has been one of the greatest influences for expository preaching in my life. I have learned much from his teaching and writing. His commitment to sound doctrine and Bible exposition has been a model that I have tried to follow. Likewise, the congregation he serves in many ways reflects the the message...