Great day of worship at Shiloh today. Grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us today. As usual, our children choir did a great job singing in worship today. Praise God for those who were baptized today. I had the opportunity to chat with several new members today. Very encouraging testimonies. I preached from Psalm 3. I called the message, “It’s Not As Bad As It Seems.” The point of the message: Things are never as bad as they seem, if God is on your side. Outline: I. Bring your complaints to the Lord (3:1-2). A. He...

Thirteen years ago today I was blessed to marry the love of my life, Crystal. Crystal and I met in high school. Los Angeles High School. Go Romans! I was a senior. She was in the tenth grade. We met in Coach Williams World History Class. We sat next to each other. And every day, Crystal would ask me if I had my homework (probably, so she could cheat). Most times, I had not done my homework, either. I would have let he cheat if I did! I thought Crystal was beautiful. How could I not? But I was not...

It was so good to be home with my church family this weekend!Last week, I was in Antigua and Barbuda, speaking for the Eastern Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Jensworth W.C. Jonas. Crystal joined me on the trip. And we had a great time. I look forward to future Missions partnership with Dr. Jonas and the ECBM. Saturday night, John P. Kee was in concert on our campus. John P. Kee! John Kee did not see “Jesus is Real.” What’s up with that? One of my favorite female Gospel voices – Lejuene Thompson – was singing backup. I wish...

Crystal and I are in Antigua & Barbuda. I am here to preach for the East Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Hensworth W.C. Jonas. The Central Baptist Church, one of the oldest Baptist congregations here, celebrated its 46th church anniversary this weekend. Tryells Baptist Church and Covenant Baptist Church, which are plants and extensions of Central on different parts of the island, also celebrated almost 20 years of ministry. This is Antigua’s Harvest Celebration, which seems to be similar to our Thanksgiving. It is a time when the people here give thanks to God for his provisions. The various...

I am writing this post from Antigua & Barbuda. Crystal and I arrived Friday evening. I am here to speak for the East Caribbean Baptist Mission led by Dr. Hensworth W.C. Jonas. Dr. Jonas is the pastor of Central Baptist Church, where he has served for 26 years. Under his leadership, the congregation has planted several affiliated churches across the island. It was what we would call “one church in multiple locations.” Central is also the home of one of the leading schools on the island, which is also led by Dr. Jonas. I am here to speak for their...

When the Holidays are not HappyBy H.B. Charles, Jr. The holiday season – Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years – is a special time for many people. It is a time of celebration. Family and friends come together that may not have seem one another for a while. Wonderful meals are enjoyed. Gifts are shared. Affirming traditions are practiced. No wonder so many people look forward to the year-end holidays all year long. But this is not the case for all. There are also many people who find the holidays to be a time of grief and sorrow. My father was...

There will not be a Midweek Worship Service at Shiloh this evening. We will meet in the morning for a special Thanksgiving Day Service at 9 AM in our Coleman Auditorium. Start your holiday be joining us for corporate worship. God is the source every good gift and perfect gift. And he is worthy to be praised for all of his undeserved benefits toward us. Hope to see you there! “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

We have a blessed day of worship yesterday at Shiloh. Thanks to all our volunteers who served in any way over the course of the weekend. You make is happen! We distributed our 2011 Annual Report to the church yesterday. It was our first time undertaking something so detailed. I pray it will be received well by the congregation. We did “Blessed Assurance” corporately. I love that hymn! As always, I am grateful for the guests who were with us in worship. I preached from Psalm 46. I entitled the message, “A Safe Place in God.” The point of the...

Yesterday we celebrated three years the Lord has blessed us to serve him together as pastor and people at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. What a church!!!Either time flies by or I am getting older. Or both. Wednesday evening, Pastor George Hurtt of the Mt. Sinai Baptist Church of Los Angeles was our guest speaker. He kicked off the celebration in a great way with a message from Psalm 23:2. Yesterday, our guest was Pastor Romell Williams, who leads the Lilydale Baptist Church in Chicago. He preached from Matthew 20:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. They were both solid messages. It...

Good day of worship yesterday. The congregation sung “Holy, Holy, Holy” as our hymn for the day. Wonderful. We celebrated the Lord’s Table yesterday, as is our custom on 1st Sundays. Always a great time of worship and fellowship. We sung “Father I Stretch My Hands to Thee” during Communion. I learned a new verse to this hymn in Pensacola last week. I really like it. It says… “I do believe, I now believeThat Jesus died for meAnd by his blood, his precious blood I shall from sin be free.” Grateful, as always, for the guests who were in worship...

Today was a good day of worship at the Shiloh Church. 5th Sundays are like a box of chocolates… I led a questions and answers session with my New Members Class today. They had some provocative questions. Thanks to all of our volunteers. You make it happen! Today is Reformation Sunday. We introduced it with a brief video clip about Martin Luther and the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Wish we could have just shown the whole video!We sang, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” It was a new hymn to many. But it was great to hear the voices of...

We had a blessed time of worship yesterday at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. Thanks to all of our volunteers for your service yesterday. You make it happen! Our ensemble, Forgiven, led the musical praise yesterday and did a wonderful job. It was a good time of worship. We had a great Fighter Verse this week – Proverbs 1:10: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” This weeks verse(s) is Proverbs 3:5-6. Grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us yesterday. The world famous BrothaRollins was in the house! I met a family from Canada...