I am on my way home from Wichita. It has been a good week of preaching, even though I have ministered under a personal burden I am carrying. God is faithful. And I believe he used me to be a blessing to Pastor Floyd and the Mt. Gilead Church family. However, at the same time, at some point each night I became acutely aware of the fact that I was preaching to myself just as much as anyone else. Correction: This was my sixth straight year preaching for Pastor Floyd at Gilead, not my fifth. Cool. I really look forward...

I am in Wichita, Kansas. I am preaching a three-night revival at the Mt. Gilead Missionary Baptist Church, where Rev. Tarrance C. Floyd serves as pastor. Pastor Floyd organized this church about five years ago. And this is my fifth year preaching for him. Pastor Floyd and I have become warm friends. And I am honored that he would have me back again to minister the word to the Mt. Gilead family. Every year I come, the congregation has taken some step forward in the development of its ministry. This year is no different. The entire auditorium has been remodeled....

“For too long we have been tickling palates with fancy flavors, spicy relishes, and clever recipes borrowed from the world. Too many pulpits serve gourmet theology with menus from Hollywood and are trying to please the jaded appetites of the fed-up humanity. But what we really need is some old-fashioned salt. And if we do not start producing more of it in our churches, we shall be good for nothing.” - Vance HavnerTitle: "Out of the Saltshaker"Text: Matthew 5:13 Outline: I. IntroductionSodium Chloride - salt - gets a lot of bad press these days. It is blamed for everything from...

It struck me one day in a Christian bookstore that most of the "church growth" books I picked up in that store were not books on vision but on image. They hadn't been published to help me see the world in a particular way but to help the world see me - were I a megachurch pastor - in a particular way. They were books that enticed the pastor of limited self-image to be like somebody else the world admired. What a cul-de-sac of emotional poverty this is. These books were published to serve the idolatries of megapastor wannabes. -...

It was good to be back in my pulpit yesterday. I missed being with MSMBC last Sunday. And I was very eager to preach. A simple act of kindness - the gift of three cough drops before church - helped calm my anxieties about the day. It was a simple act through which God communicated that he was with me. I got more comments yesterday about what a blessing Pastor Elliot Ivey was to the congregation last Sunday. My constant response was, "I told you so." We had quite a few first and second time guests in our two services....

God willing, I will resume my study of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) this coming Lord's Day. On the first Sunday of July, I finished our mini-series on the beatitudes of Jesus. The next portion of Jesus' famous sermon is recorded in Matthew 5:13-16. In these verses, Jesus explains how we can maximize our impact and influence for the kingdom of heaven with two word pictures: salt and light. It is my plan to preach these two passages separately. This Sunday, I plan to preach on Matthew 5:13: "You are the salt of the earth, but if salt...

This morning, I had a conversation with a trusted mentor and cherished friend. I called him to seek his advice. Little did I know, he was planning to call me on an unrelated matter. As always, this friend's advice proved to be insightful, challenging, and encouraging. He listened. He spoke carefully about the subject, but freely about his view of me. It was just the kind of conversation I needed to have today. God is good! By the way - and I know this is absolutely none of my business - but I hope that you have godly, trustworthy people...

One of the discussion questions in our small group meeting tonight was, "What difference does prayer make in your life?" One sister answered, simply, "It's the difference between a good day and a bad day." She explained that prayer makes all the difference in her day, even though it may not change the details of the day. Prayer makes the difference in how I respond to the circumstances of my day, she said. This dear sister was absolutely right. Indeed, there are times when God responds to our prayers by direct, divine intervention that changes things in our lives in...

Yesterday, I preached at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida. This was my second time preaching at Shiloh. And, once again, the congregation received my ministry very warmly. I pray that the messages ministered to the congregation in a helpful way. May God grant the increase. I preached two messages - Job 1 at 8 AM; Genesis 50 at 10 AM. For some reason, I was much more relaxed in the second meeting. But I was able to say most of what I felt I should say in both services. I lost my voice in the middle of...

I am reading The Incredible Journey of Faith by Ray Pritchard. It is small work. But it is taking me some time to read it. It seems that every couple of pages, I stumble over some statement that I am forced to wrestle with before I can go on. It happened to me again last night, as I was reading a chapter that focuses on a petition of the model prayer: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10b). Pritchard calls this petition that hardest prayer you will ever pray. And I agree with him....

A friend of mine called me last week to check on me. During the conversation, he affirmed that he was and is covering me with believing prayer. Specifically, he said that he was praying that I would be able to hear "the next word." Of course, I asked what that statement meant. He then referenced Genesis chapter 22. He went on to explain. But I already knew the point he was trying to make. I have another friend who has often used Genesis 22 to warn me not to kill Isaac prematurely or unnecessarily. Genesis 22 records the story in...

Jesus said to be happy when we’re persecuted. Persecution can be good because: (1) it takes our eyes off earthly rewards, (2) it strips away superficial believers, (3) it strengthens the faith of those who endure, and (4) it serves as an example to others who may follow us. We can be comforted to know that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted in the past (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel). Our persecution in the present means we have shown ourselves to be faithful. In the future God will reward the faithful by letting them enter his eternal kingdom where there is no more...