A young preacher friend recently texted me. He was asked to preach a funeral for a family. It would be his first. And he wanted to know if I had any advice to offer him. I responded by mentioning a podcast I did on preaching funeral sermons: “Preaching Funeral Sermons.” I also offered offered several pieces of advice. It was a text-message. Not the way to elaborate. Yet I shared this advice with my friend: Brief. Gospel-centered. Be sensitive to family. There are other important factors to consider when preaching funerals. But these three pieces of advice are a good...

My wife, Crystal, and I am in Los Angeles today to attend the memorial service for my pastor's (Dr. Melvin V. Wade, Sr.) mother: Mrs. Mary Wade. Prayers appreciated. Shout-Out to R. Wayne Briant for the opportunity to speak at the Southwest Florida Evangelistic Conference with Dr. Stephen Nelson Rummage in Sarasota this past Monday. Check out my new article: Reflections On My First T4G Conference. NOTE: Clear here to see videos of all T4G main session speakers.  Here is the latest episode on The On Preaching Podcast: Praying for Sunday's Sermon Jesse Johnson: Should You Use Illustrations from Movies?  John MacArthur:...

I attended the Together for the Gospel Conference in Louisville for the first time last week. It is a biennial conference for pastors led by Mark Dever, Albert Mohler, Ligon Duncan, and C.J. Mahaney. I have heard about T4G from its inception. I have seen the videos from past meetings. I have purchased the books produced from the messages. I have heard good reports from friends who have attended. But schedule conflicts have prevented me from attending, until this year. I unspeakably grateful that I was able to attend this year. My week began Monday by participating in the Council...

My big brother, Kevin Willis, was there to hear me preach my first sermon, at the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. I was a boy preacher, eleven years old. It was some years before he heard me preach again. Kevin was in town to preach a meeting. He was scheduled to preach at 3:30. And I had a preaching engagement later that evening. Of course, I went to hear my brother preach. And he came to hear me after he his meeting. I was "on" that night. I preached one of my "sticks" - a familiar sermon I had...

Saturday Shout-outs are back! I have not posted SSO in several weeks, because of glitches that needed to be addresses. Thanks for your patience support! Be on the lookout for my new book, "On Pastoring." It is a short guide to living and leading as a pastor, scheduled to be released June 7, 2016 by Moody Publishers. Check out my latest post: "Who's Holding You Up?" Make sure you check out the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: How I Prepare to Preach. The elders of the Shiloh Church spent several days this week on retreat to pray and...

During a recent sermon, I shared an illustration I have used during counseling sessions over the years. It was very different doing this illustration in the pulpit, rather than in front of one or two persons across a desk. And I typically do not use any type of multimedia in my preaching. I typically just go to the pulpit with my Bible, and a half-sheet a sermon notes, if necessary. But I tried something a little different. And I think it got the point across I was trying to make about loving difficult people and being faithful in difficult relationships. After a...

Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do... - 1 Chronicles 12:32 Equipping Leaders to grow Churches, connect with Communities to transform an unchurched Culture The Ralph Douglas West Ministries extends a special invitation to all pastors, church staff, and congregational leaders to the 2016 Issachar Church Growth & Development Conference. The challenging and informative conference will take place April 26-28, 2016, at the Church Without Walls in Houston Texas. The purpose of the Issachar Conference is to equip today's church leaders with the necessary tools that will enable him or her to...

Thank you to everyone who sent kind words for my birthday this week (2/11). I was already an old man at 21-years-old. At 43, I am now ancient!!! A big shout-out to my Mom, Ellen Charles, whose birthday is the day before mine (2/10). She usually comes to JAX for us to spend our birthdays together. This was the first time I went to OKC to be with her. Good times. Love you, Mom! Hope to see you at Together For The Gospel in Louisville – April 12-14, 2016. Ralph Douglas West and the Church Without Walls will host the Isaachar...

It was a joy to speak at the 2016 Moody Founder's Week in Chicago! This weekend, we are hosting our first Family Conference at the Shiloh Church. We were richly blessed to have K. Edward Copeland, along with many other speakers, who equipped our church in the area of faith and family. Hope to see you at Together For The Gospel in Louisville - April 12-14, 2016. Check out the Isaachar Conference hosted by Ralph Douglas West and the Church Without Walls in Houston - April 2 Derek Thomas: Bad Homiletical Models of Expository Preaching Tim Challies: The Hidden Beauty...

The E. K. Bailey Expository Preaching conference is a gathering of preachers committed to growing in our skills and practice of the exposition of Scripture. Our conference is designed to strengthen your preaching from the process of preparation to your weekly delivery. We want to equip you to handle the Scriptures with integrity, scholarship and reverence. Our theme for this year is “Preaching Acts and the Prison Epistles.” We will provide you with a core group of workshops that will teach you how to preach effectively through these specific books of the bible which include: Acts, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon....

In Deuteronomy 6, we are given our historic confession of faith in verses 4-6. It states: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” That is the great truth God wants all of his people to know. God wants Israel to know He is one, He is the Lord, and He is to be loved with all of our being. However, we must ask an essential question about God’s ultimate declaration. How do we...