In my book, On Preaching, I recommended several best practices for guest preachers. I can summarize that chapter in one sentence: As a guest preacher, don’t make a mess for the pastor to clean up when you leave. I recently got a question about that chapter: I advocate clear, bold, and faithful preaching of the word of God. Yet I recommend guest preachers be careful should not say or address anything controversial in the sermon. Is this a contradiction? This is a good and fair question. But the answer is obvious for guest preachers who are local pastors: Do unto others...

So how did it go this Sunday? This question is asked many times each week. Some pastor talks to another pastor. And whatever the agenda of the discussion, it is likely one will ask the other about the previous Lord’s Day service. Did you have a good day? What did you preach? How did it go? The answer typically includes comments about Sunday’s attendance, offering, and steps of faith taken. Then we describe how we think the sermon went. We may feel we were not quite ready. We may feel the sermon could have been shorter. We may feel the...

Thanks for visiting my blog site. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board. Enjoy! A big shout-out to Dr. Terry L. Johnson and the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah for the opportunity to preach their annual Communion Season. What a church! Pastors, do yourself a favor and get of copy of The Parables of Jesus by Terry Johnson. Thanks to the men of the Shiloh Church who joined us this weekend as week kicked off our study of 33 The Series Part 4. Check out this week's episode of The On Preaching Podcast: #008: Staying Fresh in the Pulpit  I...

Thanks for reading my blog. Here are my Saturday Shout Outs. NOTE: You can subscribe to my weekly sermon email list in the column to the right to regularly receive a free sermon manuscript and other resources. A big shout-out to Preacher Mike for the opportunity to preach Monday Night Live at the First Baptist Church of Indian Trail in North Carolina. Shout out to President Arthur Lane and the pastors of Corpus Christi for the opportunity to preach the citywide revival this week. I first preached this meeting about fifteen years ago, with my brother Kevin. And it was...

God Knows What He's Doing

  On July 30, 2008, the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville met to call a new pastor. I was one of two names to be considered that Wednesday night. I had mixed emotions. First all of, the momentum was moving toward me being called to Shiloh. Yet I had been in this situation before. And after momentum toward a vote, another congregation overwhelming voted NOT to call me. It was embarrassing. And I did not want to go through that again. At the same time, I was sure that if Shiloh called me, I was not going. The Lord was blessing...

We are beginning a new feature here called, WORD & WORSHIP. It will consist of articles, reviews, and videos by me and my ministerial colleague, Joe Pace, who serves as the Pastor of Worship & Arts at the Shiloh Church. Our goal is to offer biblical guidance and practical help in the dealing with the relationship between music and preaching in corporate worship. We believe music in worship should extend and support the teaching ministry of the church (Colossians 3:16). And we hope to help teaching pastors and music ministers to strike the proper balance for the edification of the saints and...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I found worth sharing. Enjoy! A big shout-out to Brian Dye and his entire team for the opportunity to teach and preach at the Legacy Movement Conference this week in Chicago. It was way cool to see so many young people on fire for the Lord! So... I told my children that I am now hip, because I was invited to speak at Legacy. They shook their heads in disagreement. I am very excited about concluding our first Summer Psalm Series at the Shiloh Church this weekend....

Thanks for reading my blog. Here are my Saturday Shout-Outs for this week. A big shout-out to the Shiloh Church staff and volunteers for serving our children this week during the 2014 Vacation Bible School. You make it happen! Shout-out to Pastor Terrance Floyd and the Mt. Gilead Baptist Church of Wichita, KA. It was a blast to have the opportunity to preach to you again. This congregation is twelve years old. And I have had the joy of preaching to them ten of those years. Two nights of the meeting, a local pastor named Kent brought young men from his church...

I believe expository preaching is the most faithful way to preach and teach the word of God. Expository preaching is that preaching that explains what the text of scripture means by what it says. It makes the God-intended meaning of the text the primary message of the sermon or lesson. Bible exposition lets the word of God speak for itself. On September 24-26, 2014, the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference will meet to teach, model, and promote expository preaching and teaching. This conference is for pastors, associate ministers, and Sunday School teachers, whether you are a season preacher or new...

Good day! And thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find helpful to share. The 2014 E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference was fantastic! The theme was Preaching 360: Old Testament Edition, which focused on helping preachers properly deal with the different genres of the Old Testament. It was a joy to hear great preaching and teaching from Bryan Carter, Steven J. Lawson, William Curtis, Kevin Smith, Chuck Fuller, L.A. Kessee, and many others. This year, the conference honored my pastor, Melvin V. Wade Sr., as a living legend. And it was honor to...

Happy Independence Day! I hope you are having a blessed and safe holiday weekend.  We are praying for Pastor Breonus M. Mitchell, his family and congregation, and he celebrates the homegoing of his beloved wife today. Also praying for my brother, Kevin Willis, as he preaches the message in the funeral. The 2014 E.K. Bailey Preach Conference is next week (July 7-10, 2014), hosted by my friend, Pastor Bryan Carter. Hope to see you there. Thank God for Dr. E.K. Bailey!  I am honored and excited to participate in the 2014 SBTS Expositors Summit (October 28-30, 2014). Make sure you check...