For many years, I served a church in the shadows of many so-called "megachurches" in my city. This was not a thing for me. I believed my congregation was, pound-for-pound, just as strong and healthy and fruitful as these larger congregations. But there were times when I felt the pressure to measure up to other congregations. This pressure was self-inflicted. At points, I foolishly accepted the deception that numbers, prominence, and apparent success were the signs of God's blessings on a church or ministry. They are not. During one of these periods, I discovered a truth that set me free:...

January 12-19 is Prayer Emphasis Week at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. We start the year in believing prayer for one another, our congregation, and our city. Between our two services, I taught a lesson entitled, “Pray for One Another,” about the importance of intercessory prayer. I intend to teach, “Pray for the Lost,” next Sunday. Shout-out to our new media team members for your service this weekend. Great job! We had a lot of guests in worship. Very encouraging. Praise God for the one who was baptized! The choir did a prayer medley before I preached that was fantastic....

January 12-19 is Prayer Emphasis Week at the Shiloh Church. Please join us as we begin the new year by giving ourselves and our needs to the Lord in believing prayer. A big shout-out to the brothers at the Reformed African American Network for the opportunity to do their Pass the Mic Interview Podcast. Check out the guest post written by Cameron Triggs, the Pastor of Students at the Shiloh Church: 5 Ways Christian Hip Hop Can Help Serve the Church The Jacksonville Pastors' Conference is just a couple of weeks away. You don't want to miss it! I will...

The following is a guest post by Cameron Triggs, Pastor of Youth and Young Adults at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL. He blogs at camtriggs.com.   “I’ve been thrown out some of the best churches in America.” Guess who said that? No, it was not Lecrae, Da’ Truth, Trip Lee or some other “rambunctious” rap artist. Actually, the man who uttered these words has also written monumental songs that can be found in those weird little red books called “Hymnals”. Need another hint? OK, he wrote a little song called “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”.  Are you...

The first Sunday of 2014 was a blessed day of worship at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church! We started new worship times – 7:45 and 10:30 AM. The congregation handled it well the first week. I trust the schedule change will give our Bible Study Fellowship leaders the time they need and give me time to preach the 1st service without rushing. It was good to have our guests in worship with us. Always encouraging. Our new Pastor of Worship – Joe Pace – led worship for the first time. It was great! I am looking forward to ministering with...

Happy New Year! Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things worth noting and reading. Thanks for reading. Check out the new blog by the Pastor of Youth & Young Adults at the Shiloh Church: Cameron Triggs. Daily Record: Bishop Rudolph McKissick retiring after 47 years at Bethel Baptist  Hope to see you at the Jacksonville Pastors' Conference. NYTimes.com: Evangelicals Find Themselves in the Midst of a Calvinist Revival  Justin Taylor: How to Read the Whole Bible in 2014 R. Albert Mohler: Some Thoughts on the Reading of Books Phillip Jensen: Don't Teach the Bible Jared C. Wilson: Milestones...

Merry Christmas! A big shout-out to my wife, Crystal, who celebrated her birthday this week. Happy Birthday, Sunshine! A big shout-out to the Music & Arts Department of at the Shiloh Church for a wonderful Christmas Concert this week! You make it happen! Thanks to Kathy Taylor for leading us in musical praise during the our Christmas Concert! Please join us for the Jacksonville Pastor's Conference 2014. Ray Pritchard: 48 Messages Celebrating our Savior's Birth  Colin Hansen: My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2013 Darryl Dash: 7 Reasons to Preach God-Centered Sermons Justin Lathrop: How To Become An Indispensable Staff...

I am a  pack rat. My church staff is trying to go paperless. I just bought a new file cabinet to make room for all the various files I keep. Some are decades old. Not long ago, I found a filed article entitled, “What’s Really Going On?” I won’t mention the name of the author. And you wouldn’t know her if I did. But this article helped save my ministry. It was the early 1990s. And I was getting beat up pretty bad in a church fight. Actually, it wasn’t a fight – it takes two to fight. It was...

The following is a guest post written by my friend Lance Mann  who serves as the Senior Pastor at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church in Crockett, TX.  The first Sunday in December 2013 was like every other first Sunday. We arose this morning, attended Sunday School, participated in the baptism of a new member, and had a wonderful time in worship. But in actuality, this really wasn’t like any other Sunday. It was one year ago this Sunday, where I was introduced as the new Senior Pastor of the St. Luke Baptist Church, Crockett, TX. Our transition has had a few “bumps in...

Thanks for reading my weekly bulletin board, Saturday Shout-Outs. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Thanks for the kind and warm congratulations as Crystal and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this past Thursday. Check my interview with Dr. R.A. Williams Jr. Hope to see you at the Jacksonville Pastor's Conference 2014! R. Albert Mohler: Nelson Mandela and the Ironies of History Tim Cantrell: How One South African Pastor Prayed Yesterday Ryan Huguley: 5 Ways to Love Your Pastor's Kids Thom Rainer: When a Pastor Receives an Anonymous Letter Mike...

Today is a blessed day in my life. It is the fifteenth anniversary of my marriage to my Crystal. Crystal and I met at Los Angeles High School. She was in the tenth grade. I was a senior... and a senior-pastor (but that’s another story). We met in Coach Williams’ World History Class. It was the easiest class in the school (Do the math: the football coach was the World History teacher!). Our first (romantic) words to one another were... Crystal: “Did you do the homework?” Me: “Nope. You?” Crystal:  “Me neither.” After that class, we did not see one...

Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of news, articles, and events. Thanks for reading. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Congratulations to my friend Romell Williams and his wife, LaTashia, on their birth of their new son this week! Praise the Lord! Thanks to Pastor W.T. Edmondson for the opportunity to minister the word during the church conference at the Bethlehem Baptist Church in West Point/La Grange, GA. A big shout out to ChurchLeaders.com for posting "What Should You Expect From Your Preacher? by Pastor Charlie Dates. You can...