I met Crystal during my senior year at Los Angeles High School. She was in the tenth grade. She was in my World History class. And I thought she was absolutely beautiful. We really didn’t interact much in school. She was doing what tenth-graders do. And I was doing what very few twelfth-graders do (pastoring a church). After I graduated, I did not see Crystal again for several years, even though I would ask my sister, Donetta, about her often. They were in the same grade and had formed a friendship at LA High. In fact, that’s how I met...

Today was the culmination of our celebration of the 15 years the Lord has blessed me and MSMBC to be together as pastor and people. This morning, Dr. John A. Reed Jr. of the Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, delivered the message. His preached a message called "You Can't Quit" from Acts 18:5-6, 9-11. He will never know how timely his message was and how the Lord was used him to speak to specific matters I have been struggling with. I am convinced the Lord sent Pastor Reed here just for me. I know that many other people in...

Last night, my brother Kevin preached the message during our fifteenth pastoral anniversary celebration. His text was from Exodus 18. His title was, "Get Yourself Some Help." The passage is about Moses' encounter with his father-in-law, Jethro, in which he is instructed to spread out the leadership responsibilities of the people so that they will not all wear themselves out. Kevin used the text to talk about the importance of pastors and church leaders not having a inflated sense of self-importance. And he challenged the church to partner with the pastor in order to reach the goals God has for...

Last night, our fifteenth pastoral anniversary celebration kicked-off. Dr. A.D. Iverson brought the message. He is the pastor of the historic Paradise Baptist Church in our city. He preached my installation fifteen years ago. And he has been a consistent friend over the years. I have had the privilege of preaching at Paradise on a number of occasions. And I always enjoy my times of fellowship with Pastor Iverson. He and I have something unique in common, in that we both pastor the churches our fathers served for many years.Dr. Iverson preached from Luke 10:17-20. His title was, "Something to...

I have a confession to make. I have been trying to avoid this for a few weeks now. But I haven't been able to hide from the truth. In fact, it seems everywhere I go, I see signs reminding me of my wrong. Literally. But I can't run from the truth anymore. I have to come clean today. Oh well, let me stop beating around the bush. Here it is. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe hits theaters today. And I intend to see it some time over the next two weeks, while I'm on...

There's an age-old question that is yet to be answered: which came first, the chicken or the egg? The same type of question can also be asked of hurting pastors and churches. Which came first? Did the pastor hurt the church, causing it to be hurtful in return? Or was it the other way around? I don't think we can ever know. Let's face it. The delicate balance between godly leadership and a healthy membership is fragile. There's a ugly reality about all of us that we just can't get around: we are all sinners! Redeemed sinners, we may be;...

This week, the membership of MSMBC and I will celebrate 15 years of ministry together as pastor and people. I was selected to pastor Mt. Sinai on Monday, November 5, 1990. And I was installed as pastor during the week between the 1st and 2nd Sunday of that December. So much has happened over the course of these fifteen years, I wouldn't know where to begin talking about it all. There have been some great victories. And there have been some crushing defeats. There have been some things that bring a grateful smile to my mouth when I think about...

My end-of-the-year vacation is quickly approaching. You just don't know how much I need this time of rest to recharge my batteries. One the special features of my vacation time is that it allows me to catch up on my personal reading. I am a bookaholic. Of course, reading is a vital part of my work. But it is also just a part of how I am wired. I begin to get anxious if I go a day or so without doing some personal reading. It keeps my mind alert and it's humbling to be constantly learning things I don't...

As I was getting dressed this morning, I turned to CNN to catch the headlines. As I did, they were running a story on Terrell Pough. I immediately recognized the pictures of him, even though the name didn't ring a bell. I was introduced to Terrell's story several months ago, while reading People Magazine on a flight somewhere. They were commending him as an exemplary single-dad, who was taking care of his 2-year-old daughter, Diamond. All too often, we hear about young black men acting in irresponsible ways. So I was really excited and encouraged to find the story of...

This is the day... Crystal and the kids come back home. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Last Wednesday, the three of them flew to Midland, Texas, to spend Thanksgiving with her father. Although Crystal was born in Seattle, her formative years were spent in Midland. But she has not been back there in some time. So when her dad asked her to come, we thought this would be a good thing to do. We knew from that start that I would not be able to go with them. And we both were okay about that. But the past five days...

It's Sunday night. We have just put the kids to bed. I have had a long post-church nap. And I got to watch some football this evening. The kids and I have watched some TV and had some hot chocolate. And Crystal and I are now watching a movie, kind of. This is a typical Sunday evening at the Charles compound. We are doing absolutely nothing in particular! This is our routine, if we don't have church on Sunday afternoon. And it is wonderful!This morning, I preached the sermon that I preached at Midweek a week or so ago. It's...

I am not feeling well today. My wife, Crystal, has been dealing with severe cold-like symptoms for the past week or so. And, apparently, I am either catching or have caught whatever she has. I started feeling really bad in the middle of a meeting yesterday afternoon. It was just a couple of hours before our Midweek Service. And when I finished my meeting, I grabbed by Bible and laptop and went home. I got in the bed and was there from 7 PM last night to 7 AM this morning. Before I left the office, George (my friend, associate...