I went to the office early to work on my Thanksgiving sermon before the rest of the team arrived. I stopped by the Waffle House on the way. As I sat at the counter, a man in a nearby booth asked, “Is that Psalm 100 on your file.” It was. I was working on several projects at the same time. And I had marked Psalm 100 real big across the folder. I told the man I was working on Psalm 100 to preach for Thanksgiving. With a confused look, he asked, “So do you write your own sermons?” When I...

I have pastored two churches. I have also been a candidate for two pastoral vacancies during my ministry. I was not a part of the search process of the first church I served. My name was submitted for nomination from the floor during the call meeting. The congregation unexpectedly selected me as its next pastor. I was initially asked to fill the pulpit one Sunday at the church I currently serve. I was later asked to allow my name to be submitted as a pastoral candidate for the church. The church called me to be its pastor several months later....

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving morning, the Shiloh Church gathered for worship. It was a blessed time. I shared the manuscript I preached from Psalm 100 in today's weekly sermon email. You can sign up for this weekly newsletter in the column to the right of this page. Check out the new article I posted this week: "Why Expository Preaching?" As you are making plans for 2016, mark your calendars for Together For the Gospel (T4G) - April 12-14, 2016 in Louisville. Jason K. Allen: 5 Words That Strengthen Every Sermon Brian Croft: What if I preach...

My father – H.B. Charles, Sr. – was a faithful preacher. He was not, however, an expositor. His messages were thoroughly biblical. But they were not expositional. My dad was more a textual preacher. He would often lift a verse and keep turning it to show the beautiful gospel implications in it. But the main point of the text was not necessarily the main point of his sermon. I was not led to Christ by expository preaching. The preaching that nurtured my faith was not expositional, either. Much of the preaching that continues to feed my soul is not classic...

I had the privilege of contributing four extended sermon outlines to the Nelsons Annual Preacher's Sourcebook 2016 edited by Ken Hemphill. Check it out! Ray Pritchard: Thanksgiving Sermons Erik Raymond: Using Variation and Surprise in Preaching Peter Mead: Meaningless Chatter Thabiti Anyabwile: Bits and Pieces for Young Ministers: Discipleship, Rest and Reading Derek Thomas: 5-Step Strategy to God-Centered Prayer Thom Rainer: Six Reasons Why Longer-Tenured Pastorates Are Better Cary Nieuwolf: How Pastoral Care Stunts the Growth of Most Churches Jonathan Leeman: 22 Mistakes Pastors Make in Practicing Church Discipline Gavin Ortlund: Why I'm Complementarian  Nathan Busenitz: 10 Questions About Adventism ...

It was a joy to speak for the Arkansas Baptist Convention Pastors' Conference this week in Hot Springs. A big shout-out to my friend, Pastor Charlie Dates, for the opportunity to speak at the Faith & Public Life series this week at the Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. It was a great joy to celebrate kick-off my 7th pastoral anniversary at the Shiloh Church by having dinner with the elders of the church and their families. November 5 was the day I was called to pastor my first church back in 1990. I am "Thankful for 25 Years of Pastoral...

November 5, 1990. I ditched school that Monday morning. I had a funeral to preach. For the first half of the year, I preached the 11:00 AM service at my father’s church on first Sundays. But the first Sunday in August was the last time. I preached a sermon that Sunday, entitled, “Waited Time On God Is Never Wasted Time” (Job 14:14).  In a meeting after the service, it was decided that I should not be allowed to preach any more until after the church called a new pastor. I was also asked to meet with pulpit committee. The committee...

  Concerning Philippians 4:19, James Montgomery Boice comments... "We come now to what is perhaps the greatest promise in the entire Bible. And it is great because it includes all of the other promises in itself." The wonderful promise of Philippians 4:19 is this: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (ESV). The opening conjunction, "And," is key to understanding this promise. The Philippians were in need. Yet they neglected their own needs to supply what Paul needed to advance the gospel. Now Paul assures the saints that God has not forgotten...

My father was H.B. Charles Sr. He pastored the Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles for 40 years, until his death in 1989. All I saw my father do was serve the church. Whether I became a preacher or not, my father’s example taught me to associate Christianity with serving others. The Lord called me to preach as a boy. I was 11-years-old when I preached my first sermon. By my teens, I was basically preaching every week. I was 16-years-old when my father died. A year and a half later, I was called to succeed my father...

Thanks for praying for me this week, as I spoke at The Expositors Summit at the Southern Seminary. I am always grateful for the kindness of Dr. Albert Mohler and thankful for his faithful proclamation and defense of the gospel.  It was also a joy to meet and hear Dr. Derek Thomas for the first time, after reading so much of his writings over the years. Southern Seminary: Preaching demands convictional courage, speakers say at Southern Seminary's Expositors Summit  Florida Baptist Witness: Southern Seminary's Expositors Summit: Preaching demands convictional courage Reformation Day R.C. Sproul: Is the Reformation Over?  Kevin DeYoung: The...

I was introduced to the young man after a worship service. He had recently moved to the city for work and was looking for a church home. I prayed for him. I also asked him to call my office to set up a time for us to talk. But I was not looking forward to the conversation. I dread “I’m looking for a church home” meetings. Meeting with members is a joy. I wish I could do it more often. I am not pastoral counseling expert. But I view pastoral counseling as the private ministry of the word, corresponding to what...

You can sign up in the margin to the right of this page to receive a free weekly sermon manuscript and other resources.  Shout-out to the Beulah Baptist Association for the opportunity to speak during their annual session this week. It was my joy to be be interviewed for The Jude 3 Project podcast: "Apologetics in Pastoral Ministry."  Check out my article on pastoral ministry: Don't Try To Put Out Every Brush Fire!  Take a listen to the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: 7 Reasons Why I Write Sermon Manuscripts. I solicit your prayers for the 2015 Expositors Summit...