The people of God will follow the pastor who feeds them the Wordof God. That isn’t to say that they won’t balk once in a while. They can makethe pastor’s life a living hell. But week in and week out, year in and yearout, Christians will not cut themselves off from the one who sets theirspiritual table. Even the delinquent son has an uncanny sense of when dinner’son, and he knows he will not be refused. While the people of God want desperately to flock to thespiritual food of the Word of God, pastors flock to seminars on how to...

Today begins our Wednesdays in the Word preaching series atthe Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville. Each Wednesday evening in February, during our regular MidweekWorship Service time (7 p.m. EST), we will host a series of pastors from aroundthe country to minister the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.Actually, two of our guests are from Georgia, two from Houston, and one servesright down the street from us here in Jacksonville. I pray this will be a greatly encouraging time for ourpeople. This may seem like a simple goal. but do not understate the importanceof encouragement. Many are...

I am in Miami. I arrived yesterday to speak for Pastor Carl Johnson atthe 93rd Street Community Baptist Church. Pastor Johnson is a kind host and passionate leader. Andit was great to worship with the 93rd Street family last night. I also had the opportunity to reconnect with a PastorTyrell Brown from Virginia, who lectured before I spoke. We met almost tenyears ago, when we were much younger preachers. It is good to hear the ways theLord is blessing Pastor’s Brown’s work. I will be on my way home in a few hours. I am looking forward to our Midweek...

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Yesterday ended our 2012 Prayer Emphasis Week. It hasbeen a powerful week of prayer. The week climaxed with our first All-Night PrayerMeeting. It started Friday night at 10 PM and went through Saturday morning at6 AM. What a time! Thanks to all of our staff and volunteers. It was a longweek. But you made it happen! Saturday afternoon, I spoke at the Christian EducationsConference for the Progressive National Baptist Convention. I spoke on thePersonal Develop of the Christian Educator. Thanks to Pastor Streeter for theinvitation and opportunity. We held a rally during out Bible...

This is Prayer Emphasis Week at Shiloh Metropolitan BaptistChurch. We are climaxing it with an All-Night Prayer Meeting. Itbegins tonight at 10 PM and will last through 6 AM. The Psalms frequently mention praying to God in the nightwatches. Jesus spent all night seeking the will of the Father. Throughoutchurch history, devout Christians have set times where they have sacrificedsleep for prayer. We are gathering as a church family for a night of prayer tocall on God for a special work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are alsoasking for the favor of the Lord on our church...

This past summer, I had the privilege to attend theProclaimer’s Place preaching conference in Oxford, England. It was led by Dr.Joel C. Gregory in conjunction with the It was my second year attending. And I was challenge,refreshed, and inspired to continue growing in my preaching. I also had the opportunity to speak at a local Baptistcongregation on the Lord’s Day that I was in England. It was a wonderfulexperience. A collection of sermons from Proclaimer’s Place attendeeshas been published. I am privileged to have a sermon included in thiscollection. It is a message on Psalm 23 entitled “Living with Confidence...

Yesterday began Prayer Emphasis Week 2012 at the ShilohMetropolitan Baptist Church. What better way is there to start a new year than in prayer?This week we give ourselves to pray as a church family,seeking God’s face, submitting ourselves to God, and petitions God’s blessingson our disciple-making efforts. Our congregation will pray through prayer guides this weekthat will enable us to be praying about the same things throughout this week. There will be prayer meetings each day this week at thechurch from 12-1 PM. Pastor Carison Adams of the St. Paul Baptist Church inMarion, Indiana, will be our guest speaker Wednesday....

Corporateprayer is an expression of Christian fellowship. Therefore, it should be ourgoal that our prayer meetings promote our unity in Christ. Here are tenpractical guidelines that will help us honor the Lord Jesus in our times ofprayer together. 1.    Recognize the appointed leader of the prayermeeting. Look to this person to give direction. 2.    Use prayers that bless, are biblical, and brief(The 3 B’s). A.  Bless: Are others up or torn down? (1 Co. 14:26)B.   Biblical: Does my prayer align itself with theword of God? (John 15:7) C.  Brief: Am I respectful of others who also wantto pray? (Matt. 6:7)3.    Direct prayers Godward. Avoid prayers thatteach,...

I am in Los Angeles.I flew in to attend the annual Prayer Bowl, hosted by Pastor Melvin Wade and the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church of Los Angeles. The Prayer Bowl is a daylong service of preaching – one sermon after another that Mt. Moriah has hosted at the beginning of the year for almost 30 years. I have attended it since I was a boy. And I preached in it every year until I moved to Jacksonville.I am not here to preach. I just want to attend and be preached to. But Pastor Wade warned me that I need to...

O Source of all good, What shall I render to thee for the gift of gifts, Thine own dear Son, begotten, not createdMy Redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute, His self-emptying incomprehensible, His infinity of love beyond the heart’s grasp. Herein is wonder of wonders: he came below to raise me above, was born like me that I might become like him. Herein is love; when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace, to raise me to himself. Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and...

Tonight at 7 PM, the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church of Jacksonville will host our music department's annual Christmas Concert. Our Worship and Arts Department is under the capable hands of Dr. Roger Sears. Our Mass Choir, Forgiven Ensemble, Children and Youth Choir, and Praise Dance Team will all be performing tonight. It will be a great celebration of the miraculous birth and redemptive work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you live in the Jacksonville area - and your local church does not have a meeting scheduled - joins us for this special time of worship. Or watch...

Happy Birthday Crystal! I am not good at surprises. But I did a pretty good job this weekend. I sent from my niece Harriette, who is very close to Crystal, to visit for the weekend while I am away. I think it is the best birthday gift I have ever given Crystal. I am writing this post from Chicago. I filled in this Sunday for my friend, Romell Williams, at the Lilydale Progressive Baptist Church, as he is recovering from surgery. Romell has bailed me out on many occasions. It was a privilege to return the favor. Romell and his...