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...

Thanks for reading my blog. Enjoy these Saturday Shout-Outs!  Don't let the Super Bowl get in the way of your worship of Jesus tomorrow! 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 PSALM 23! Shout-out to Pastor Robert Jackson for the opportunity to preach the wonderful congregation of the Forestville Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, this past Monday and Tuesday. And special thanks to Pastor Paul Fleming for all of his kindnesses. A big shout-out to the North Greenville...

The following is an exert from Rediscovering Expository Preaching by John MacArthur, Jr. Fling him into his office. Tear the “Office” sign from the door and nail on the sign, “Study.” Take him off the mailing list. Lock him up with his books and his typewriter and his Bible. Slam him down on his knees before texts and broken hearts and the flock of lives of a superficial flock and a holy God Force him to be the one man in our surfeited communities who knows about God. Throw him into the ring to box with God until he learns how...

The following is an exert from the introduction of my new book, The Difference Jesus Makes. I was in junior high school the first time a girl gave me her phone number. I did not ask for the number. As our families had dinner together that Sunday evening, it was obvious that I liked her. But I did not have the guts to ask for her number. I didn’t even know that was what you were supposed to do. But she saved the day. Before we left the restraint, the young lady told me she needed a pen. I borrowed...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly online bulletin board. Enjoy! You can sign up for my FREE weekly sermon manuscript email list in the box in the top right of this page. Shout-out to my friend, Mac Brunson, for the opportunity to give the opening lecture at the Jacksonville Pastors' Conference hosted by the First Baptist Church. A shout out to Josh Buice for the opportunity to speak at the G3 Conference in Douglasville (near Atlanta) this week. It was way cool to meet Tim Challies and Voddie Baucham for the first time at G3. Check...

One Friday evening, he died on the cross for your sins and mine! They buried him in Joseph’s new tomb! But early Sunday morning, he rose from the dead with all power in his hands! The church tradition I grew up in expected the preacher to end the sermon by going to the cross. My father ended his sermons with a summarizing illustration of whatever text he preached. But many other preachers I heard closed their messages with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some claim if you do not go to Calvary at the end. And you...

My father was a good preacher. People who heard my dad will tell you Junior cannot touch Senior when it comes to preaching. There are many preachers who have influenced my preaching. But my dad is at the top of the list. My dad would often tell me, “Son, I don’t want you to be a jackleg preacher.” I didn’t know what a “jackleg preacher” was. Still don’t. But I heard the term enough to know it was something I did not want to be. I hope I am or am becoming the kind of preacher my dad would be...

Today is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed in me, when as yet there was none of them. - Psalm 139:13-16   Join us, along...

Thanks for reading my blog! You can sign up for my FREE weekly sermon manuscript email list in the box in the top right of this page. A big shout-out to all the Shiloh Church members who participated in Prayer Emphasis Week 2015. Clay Today: Shiloh Merger: More than black-and-white Check out the devotional I wrote this week: "Commit Your Work to the Lord."  Take a listen to the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: "What I Pray When I Preach" Ray Pritchard: 20 Sermons for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday James Hamilton Jr.: Worthy of Double Honor: Expository Advocating...

For several months, I have read a chapter of Proverbs daily. I have read Proverbs countless times over the years. But it has come alive for me in fresh and new ways recently. One proverb I have meditated a great deal on is Proverbs 16:3… Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs are not guaranteed promises. They are practical wisdom for a godly and peaceful life. It may not be wise to read them as a principle and promise. It is more like a cause-and-effect. There is a choice and a consequence. You make...