I studied Daniel 3 to preach last week. During my reading and research, I take note of every homiletical outline I come across. It helps me in sermon preparation to see how others organize the text for preaching. I was particularly curious to see how others preachers have treated Daniel 3, for several reasons. First of all, it's Daniel 3 - the three Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace! If you mess this story up, someone should revoke your ordination! But Old Testament narrative is not my strength. And I had to find a way to put my arms away...

We had a good day of worship at the Shiloh Church today. In my Bible Study Fellowship group, I taught from 1 Timothy 5:1-16. After general instructions on how to treat everyone (vv. 1-2), Paul focuses on the care of widows. I did not finish the lesson. Praise God for the seven persons who were baptized today. Our children’s choir sung today. Grateful for all the guests we had in worship today. The Bethune Cookman University Concert Chorale was our special guest today. I preached Daniel 2: “How God Views the World” Sermon Point: World history will inevitably end with...

Thanks for reading my blog. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Shout-out to Dr. George Waddles for the opportunity to teach and preach this week at the Bible Exposition Conference in Chicago. Moody brought advance copies of my new book, It Happens After Prayer, to the conference. Thanks to all who picked up these early copies. You still have time to register for the National Conference on Preaching 2013. It should be a great meeting! Listen to Shai Linne's new song, Fal$e Teacher$ Brennan Manning, author of The Ragamuffin Gospel,...

I love first Sunday’s at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church! In my Bible Study Fellowship class, I taught from 1 Timothy 4:6-16: “A Good Servant of Jesus Christ.” I really enjoy this class. We had a good number of guests in worship. It is way cool that our members are inviting guests to Shiloh. There was music. We celebrated the Lord’s Supper in both of our worship services. Praise God for the new members we welcomed into our church family. I began a series through the book of Daniel. I plan to work through the book chapter-by-chapter. It will not...

Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things I have found interesting over the course of the week. Hope you find something helpful here. Thanks to my new blog subscribers. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Shout-out to Pastor John Brooks for the opportunity to preach the word to the good people of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Kansas City (MO) this past Thursday and Friday. Read "The Bottom Line of Christian Ministry." My new book, It Happens After Prayer, will be released May 1. You can pre-order a...

It was early in my first pastorate. There were two Sunday morning worship services. My father’s custom had been to preach two different messages. So that’s what I did. It wasn’t long before I found myself in a jam. Before I started pastoring, I wrote a new sermon every couple of weeks. But it was a whole another thing to produce two new sermons every Sunday. I needed a second sermon idea one week. Reading through a book of sermon outlines (Can one actually read a book of sermon outlines?), I stumbled across one entitled, “Other Little Ships” from Mark...

In the business world, the bottom line is the last line of a financial statement that shows profit and loss. It is about whether the company is earning or losing money. And, as they say, the bottom line is the bottom line. Every field of life and labor has a bottom line. In business, it is making money, earning profits, and increasing revenue. In education, it is passing tests, making grades, or earning a degree. In sports, it is winning games, awards, and championships. Everything has a bottom line. What is the bottom line of Christian ministry? You would think...

It's Holy Week! Over the coming days we will remember the final week in the life of Jesus. May you encounter Christ through prayer and the scriptures in a fresh, new, and life-changing way. Don't forget to invite an unsaved or unchurched friend to church with you Easter Sunday! Brothers, what are you planning to preach Easter Sunday? Thanks for reading my blog this week. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. My daughter, Hailey, turns 5-years-old this weekend. She is going up quickly. Too quickly. Hailey is my family's exercise...

Thanks for reading my blog this week.You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. My son, H.B. III, played his first team basketball games this weekend. His team is now 0-3. But I am a proud father, nonetheless. It was an indescribable privilege to speak at chapel at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am grateful for the kindness of Dr. R. Albert Mohler, for whom I have great respect, and the new friends I met. Excited about the Shiloh Church staff and volunteers that attended the Go Forward Conference hosted by...

I think that there are people who enjoy Bible study the same way that other people enjoy filling out crossword puzzles. Get all the parts and get the thing completed – they find satisfaction. I think there are people that study the Bible that way. They can see how it relates to its context and how its details work to get across the concept. But if it never gets into your life, if it never really touches your experience, I doubt seriously that you can call it a study of biblical truth, because I think God’s truth is always designed...

I had a good Sunday. But I missed worshiping with and preaching to the Shiloh Church. Thanks to Pastors West Wilson and Donald Lewis for ministering the word to the congregation at Shiloh. It was my privilege to speak during the celebration of the 50 years Dr. John A. Reed Jr. has served as Pastor of the Fairview Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. Pastor Reed was one of my father's closest friends. He was "Uncle John" to me, when I was a boy. The morning my father died, I was flying home to Los Angeles. Dr. Reed was flying home...

Thanks for reading my blog this week. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. A big shout-out to my son, H.B. Charles, III, for making the track team this week - along with making the basketball team!  Go, H.B.!!! Shout-out to Pastors Todd, Benson, and Washington for the opportunity to preach to their congregations in Alexander City/Rockford, Alabama, Thursday and Friday nights. I posted my latest "On Preaching" article this week: "On Sermon Conclusions." ChurchLeaders.com posted my article on "How to Avoid Pulpit Plagiarism" this week. I am looking forward to...