As a boy, I looked forward to the annual 24-hour preaching marathon, hosted by Pastor Rocellia Johnson and the Bethany Baptist Church of West Los Angeles. Yep. You read it right. A 24-hour preaching marathon. There would be preaching on the hour. My friends and I tried to hear every sermon. Bethany’s church facilities were severely damaged by the Northridge earthquake in 1994, ending the annual marathon. But I will never forget the great sermons I heard there over the years. The late Timothy M. Chambers, Jr. preached one memorable sermon at the event. The son of a well-respected preacher,...

Thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy these Saturday Shout-Outs! YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST IN THE BOX AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. TODAY'S MANUSCRIPT IS FROM JAMES 1:16-18 I hope you will make plans to join us for the Cutting Is Straight Expository Preaching Conference in Jacksonville - September 22-24, 2015. It was a great joy to preach chapel at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary this week! A big shout-out to Dr. Ephraim Williams for the opportunity to preach during the 67th church anniversary celebration of the St. Paul...

Reality TV is an oxymoron. No one lives with film cameras documenting every moment of one’s life. It is at best staged “reality.” These shows get good ratings. They make TV stations a lot of money. And production costs are minimum. No wonder these shows are so successful. In the process, reality TV creates celebrities who milk their fifteen minutes of fame for everything they can. They talk and act with great self-importance. But they are only famous for being famous. The more rude, loud, silly, degrading, and violent the personality, the more attention he or she gets. With rare exceptions, reality...

I preached Genesis 22:1-14 today at the Shiloh Church. I entitled the message, "Testing Time" (22:1). The big idea of the sermon was simply that a faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted. God enrolls us in the school of faith to promote us to graduation. But spiritual promotion requires divine testing. In verse 8, Abraham responds to Isaac's question by declaring, "God will provide for himself a lamb for the burnt offering." And when God provided, Abraham named the place, "The Lord will provide" (22:14). As I talked about the God who provides, I quoted the words of a...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST IN THE BOX AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. TODAY’S MANUSCRIPT IS JOHN 13:1-17! Make sure you check out the Terry K. Anderson Interview. We also posted part 2 of the Steven J. Lawson Interview audio as an episode of The On Preaching Podcast. Read the guest post by Melvin V. Wade Sr.: Maintaining Stamina During Revivals A big shout-out to Gary L. Williams and by boyhood friend, Reginald C. Payne, for closing out Word Encounter 2015 at the Shiloh Church in a big way! It has been a...

The following is a guest post by Dr. Melvin V. Wade Sr., who has served as the Senior-Pastor of the Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California, for forty years. Check out the Melvin W. Wade Sr. Interview: Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3. The grace-given task of proclaiming the riches of a kingdom that is sure to come is an arduous task. No matter what one’s preaching niche or mode of presentation might be, preaching the gospel is a strenuous assignment. It is a physical, mental, and emotional drain. So how does the preacher develop and maintain the...

YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR MY EMAIL LIST IN THE BOX AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS PAGE TO RECEIVE A FREE WEEKLY SERMON MANUSCRIPT. TODAY’S MANUSCRIPT IS ROMANS 12:1-2! Make sure you check out my the Steven Lawson interview Part 1 and Part 2.  We also posted part 1 on the Steven Lawson interview audio as an episode of The On Preaching Podcast.  A big shout-out to Mac Brunson and Terry Anderson for preaching the word at Word Encounter 2015 at the Shiloh Church. NOTE: Stay tuned for the Terry K. Anderson Interview this coming week. Todd Pruitt: On Praying Publicly...

Happy Valentines Day to my wife, Crystal!  "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..."  Thanks for all the very kind birthday wishes this week. I am grateful to be 42. (104 in preacher years!!!) Don't miss the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: Preaching Funeral Sermons. Check out the Jeffrey A. Johnson Sr. Interview. We were blessed to have Dr. Steven J. Lawson preach the word during Word Encounter 2015 at the Shiloh Church. (Be on the look out for my 2-part interview with Steve Lawson next week). Read my article in the latest Leadership Journal: Interruption or Divine Appointment?...

After I study the text I plan to preach, I craft a sermon skeleton. A sermon skeleton is a statement of the sermon’s content, purpose, and structure. It includes the title, text, point, outline, transitional sentences, and other elements of the sermon. I used to state the sermon objectives in the skeleton, as well. I still think and pray about the objectives of the sermon, even though I don’t put them on the skeleton. But it is a good practice I commend to you as you prepare to preach (or listen to preaching). The objectives of the sermon are the...

It was a great joy and privilege to speak at the Go Conference at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary this week! Shout-out to Pastor Michael Clifford for leading the Men's Discipleship Fellowship this weekend in my absence. Word Encounter 2015 got off to a great start this week at the Shiloh Church. Dr. Rudolph McKissick Sr. and Pastor Jeffrey Johnson blessed us richly. Don't miss Dr. Steven J. Lawson this upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday (2/10-11). NOTE: Be on the lookout for my interview with Pastor Jeffrey Johnson this coming Monday (2/9). Peter Mead: 10 Pointers for Young Preachers Andy Flowers: 4 Ways...

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. – Psalm 119:97 Shiloh Church loves the word of God! It is the foundation of our life and faith in Christ. It is the means of our spiritual growth. It is the light and lamp for our pathway. February will mark a special time in the word we are calling Word Encounter 2015! Guests speakers from our community and from around the country will preach the word to us on Tuesdays at Shiloh Orange Park and Wednesdays at Shiloh Downtown. There will also be special musical guests each week...