“So how was your flight?” When I am asked this question, I typically respond by saying it was a good flight. I speak positively about the flight for one reason. It landed. I may not like my assigned seat. There may have been no room for my bag in the overhead compartment. It may have been a bumpy flight the whole ride. But none of that really matters as long as the flight lands safely. The same is true of sermons. It may get off to a bumpy start. You may have to play catch up to stay within the...

It is a very cold day here in Jacksonville. The only good reason to be outside was to go to church! We celebrated the Lord’s Supper today in both of our morning worship services. I was glad to have all of our guests in worship today, especially the interns from the local 2nd Mile Ministries of Jacksonville. The music was good today. I resumed our Family Matters series with a message, entitled, “Live-In Love: What the Bible Says about Cohabitation” (Hebrews 13:4). I gave three reasons why it is wrong for Christians couples to live together without being married. The...

Thanks for reading my blog this week. I hope you find the following resources helpful. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. A big birthday shout-out to my daughter, Natalie, who turns 11-years-old Monday (3/4). Both of my daughters were born in March. Hailey's big day is coming at the end of the month (3/24). Shout-out to all the men of Shiloh who studied with us the past 6 weeks for 33 The Series (Part 2). Preorder my upcoming book: "It Happens After Prayer" Follow Shiloh Church on Twitter: @ShilohJAX Thanks...

I recently preached a message on the biblical grounds for divorce. This is not a subject where all agree. But I read the scriptures to teach two circumstances in which God permits divorce: God permits divorce when sexual immorality has been committed (Matt. 5:32; 19:9). God permits divorce when a believer is deserted by an unbelieving spouse (1 Cor. 7:15-16). These are the only grounds scripture gives for divorce. And, as it relates to sexual immorality, I believe that we should view this as unrepentant sinful behavior, not just a single act. If a believer divorces outside of these grounds,...

Today was Ministry Emphasis Day at the Shiloh Church. There was a ministry fair after both services today. Ministry leaders answered questions. Members signed-up to serve. Way cool. I am grateful to God for all the volunteers of our congregation. You make it happen! We did not have Bible Study Fellowship groups today, to give members the opportunity to browse ministry displays today. As always, I was glad to have our guests in worship today, including the New Stanton High School class of 1977. Praise God for the two who were baptized today. I preached on “The Good Samaritan” from...

Thanks for reading my blog. You can sign up for email updates under the picture to the left. Tomorrow is Ministry Emphasis Day at the Shiloh Church. A big-shout to all of our volunteers for your service and sacrifice. You make it happen! Shout-out to Elder Benard Yates and the Primitive Baptist Church Convention for the opportunity to speak at their board meeting and institute this past Monday and Tuesday. 10 Ways to Avoid Indecent Exposure in the Pulpit by H.B. Charles, Jr. The Concord Church has published information about the 2013 E.K. Bailey Preaching Conference. I am honored to...

Happy President’s Day! It was a long but good day of worship and ministry at Shiloh yesterday. In my Bible Study Fellowship class, I continued my study of 1 Timothy with a lesson on the ministry of deacons (3:8-13). Didn’t finish. Praise God for those who were baptized yesterday. I continued our Family Matters series with a message from Matthew 19:3-10: “Jesus’ Answer to the Question of Divorce” In Matthew 19, Jesus affirms the sanctity of marriage (vv. 3-6) and explains the grounds for divorce (3:7-10). Matthew 19:9 is the crux of the text and is the subject of much...

Thanks again for all of your kind birthday expressions. I have been 40 for about a week and survived! I hope I am getting better as I am getting older. Thanks for reading my blog. And thanks for signing up. If you have not done so, you can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Shout-out to SermonCentral.com for posting my article this week: "How to Be an Awesome Guest Preacher."  Shout-out to ChurchLeaders.com for posting my article this week: "The Danger of Spiritual Catchphrases"  Shout-out to Michael Jordan - The greatest of all time!...

Happy birthday to my mother, Ellen Charles! If the Lord let’s me see tomorrow, I will 40-years-old. Yikes! My children keep assuring me that they still love me even though I am now an old man. My wife made sure I had a great birthday weekend. She's the best. And thanks to my three partners in crime for hanging out with the old man. Last Sunday, I publicly predicted the 49ers would win the Super Bowl. I tried to ignore last weekend even happened. But the saints wouldn’t let me forget it today. A member who is out of town...

Today, the Lord has blessed me to see my 40th birthday. I am in shock that I am now 40. Where in the world did the time go? Let me think about it… I have been following Jesus for 34 years. I have been preaching the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ for 29 years. I have been pastoring God’s people for 23 years. I have been married for more than 14 years. I have been a father for 13 years. Yep. I guess 40 years makes sense, after all. The Lord has been good to me....

Saturday Shout-outs is my weekly bulletin board where I make note of the things that caught my attention over the course of the week. Thanks for reading my blog this week. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. I am celebrating my 40th birthday this weekend. My birthday is Monday. I was born about 2 hours away from being born on the same day as my mother, whose birthday is Sunday, February 10. I saw my two favorite basketball teams play this weekend. The Miami Heat crushed the Los Angeles Clippers....

The McChurch has replaced the traditional church and its relational values. Fast-food Christians pull up to ecclesiastical drive-through windows, order the McGroups, consume the experience and then drive off, discarding relationships like burger wrappers on the highway of life. Savvy church growth pastors quickly learned that significant growth can occur if a church learns how to market it burgers to capture the appetite of this roving crowd. In some instances merely producing an interesting alternative to the status quo can lead to significant church disaffections. - William Chadwick, Stealing Sheep, p. 20 Transfer growth, by definition, creates no numerical growth in...