Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday shout-outs is my weekly bulletin board. Hope you find something helpful here. I published episode #001 of The On Preaching Podcast this week. Take a listen here. iTunes downloads will be available soon. Stay tuned.  A big shout-out to Cameron Triggs, Students Pastor at the Shiloh Church, for leading our Youth Explosion 2014 this weekend. And thanks to all the Shiloh staff and volunteers for serving our youth. You make it happen! Thanks to Pastor Bernard Yates and the Zion Hope Church for the opportunity to preach this week! Thanks to Pastor Reginald Gaines...

  It was the last day of the revival. I had just finished my ninth sermon of the meeting. I stood to give my lasting remarks. And I said what I was thinking. Usually, I am able to mind my business when I preach away from home. But since I had no intention of ever returning to that church, I took a shot at them. Thanks for putting up with my preaching this week. And for all of your kindness and encouragement. But all the glory goes to God. Any human credit goes to the church I serve. They give...

Good day and thanks for reading my blog!  The On Preaching Podcast will debut next week. The podcast will be dedicated to helping you preaching faithfully, clearly, and better. I hope you will listen and share. ! I will begin my weekly sermon manuscript distribution, as well. Sign up in the box to the right to join the weekly sermon list. H.B. Charles Jr: On Whooping Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference I will host at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville on September 24-26, 2014. Make plans to meet us for this great event. The conference...

The first preacher to influence me was my father. He was more of an orator than a whooper. His preaching had a rhythm and cadence. But he, and most of his preaching colleagues, were not real whoopers. Then it happened. I heard whooping. Real whooping. At the conclusion of the sermon, the preacher turned his words into music. In a real sense, he started singing his sermon. I immediately determined that was the way I wanted to preach. So I began to practice. And I started listening to good whoopers. Being able to sing a bit, I was able to...

Happy Memorial Day! Today is an anniversary, of sorts, for me. I first preached at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church the last weekend of May, six years ago. Unfortunately, I did not get to worship with my congregation today, as I was away on assignment. But I heard it was a great day of worship. Thanks to our pastors, staff, and volunteers for carrying on in my absence. You make it happen! I preached today at the Parkside Church in Cleveland, where Alistair Begg is Pastor-Teacher. I have read Alistair Begg’s books and listened to his Truth For Life messages...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Thanks to Dr. Paul Nyquist for the opportunity to speak at Moody's 2014 ReFocus Pastors Conference. A big shout-out to our Pastor of Worship, Joe Pace, for leading Praise Night 2014 at the Shiloh Church this weekend. It was a great night of corporate worship! Check out my new post: Gospel Artists, Please, Pick a Side! Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference I will host at the Shiloh Church in Jacksonville on September 24-26, 2014. Make plans to meet us for this great event. And tell your friends.   Chris Hefner:...

  Have you heard the one about the Civil War soldier who couldn't decide whether he wanted to fight with the Union or the Confederates? So he wore Confederate gray pants and a Union blue jacket to war. And he was shot by both sides! I imagine this is how Gospel Music artists often feel. Many Gospel artists feel their gifts and work are unappreciated by the church and disrespected by the world. They really don't know which side to fight for. But, with all due respect, this local pastor and passionate fan begs you to pick a side! No,...

Thanks for reading my blog site. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find helpful and interesting. Enjoy! Shout-out to Michael Diduit the Preaching.com team for the opportunity to speak at the National Conference on Preaching in Atlanta. Looking forward to hosting the NCP2015 in Jacksonville!  Shout-out to Bishop Alexis Thomas for inviting me again to speak at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix! Shout-out to the SBTS Southern Blog for posting my article: Summer Vacation for Full-Time Christians I am excited about the initial interest in the upcoming Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference. It...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I find interesting and helpful. You can sign-up for email updates of future post in the side panel.   Happy Mother's Day to my wife, Crystal! I love you! Thank you for everything you do for me and our three Terrorists... I mean, children.   A big shout-out to Dr. Fred Luter for the opportunity to preach at the great Franklin Avenue Baptist Church this week. What a pastor! What a church! What a meeting! Check out this week's post: Three Keys to Effective Sermon Preparation...

“So what do you do for a living?” I have a new answer to that question: “I write sermons.” Occasionally, an alert listener will reply, “You only write sermons? Do you preach them?” Then I give the punchline. “Sure, I do. But it’s hard to remember that part. As soon as the sermon is over, I have to start writing the next one!” That’s the life of a pastor. We have the joyful burden of weekly preparation. To keep your head about water and become effective you have to learn to hack the process. You need a system for Bible...

My new book came out this week, entitled, On Preaching. I hope you will pick up a copy. And thanks to all of you who have already bought it. I pray you find it helpful! Shout-out to the Antioch District of St. Louis for the opportunity to preach during your revival service this week! I hope to see you at the National Conference on Preaching in Atlanta (May 13-15). I also hope to see you at the Moody Pastors Conference in Chicago this month. I am scheduled to speak Wednesday evening, May 21. Registration is open for the Cutting It Straight...

Today is the National Day of Prayer. We are blessed to live in the United States of the America. In fact, God has so smiled on us that it is impossible to count our blessings. Yet these are critical times. Many good changes are taking place. But there are disturbing trends that mark a deliberate and obvious turn from God. America is not, and has never been, “a Christian nation.” There is no such thing. The church is a sign, herald, and foretaste of God’s present-but-not-yet kingdom, not any nation. Yet there was a day when this nation respected God's...