I am in San Antonio. I am preaching in their citywide revival. This is the second year I have been a part of this meeting. Last year, I preached with Pastor Dennis Jones of Houston. This year, I am preaching with Dr. C.E. McLain, who pastors the Little Union Baptist Church in Shreveport. It is the church his father served. And he has been there for some seventeen years. Dr. McLain is one of the noted preachers of our country, who has had a great ministry in several cities over the years. I heard Dr. McLain in person for the...

Today is my daughter's - Natalie Marie Charles -sixth birthday. Soon, Crystal will give birth to our second daughter. And my household will then official be overrun by women. But I suspect that Natalie will have no "middle child" issues to deal with. She will always be my first daughter... and first diva! Our new baby will have to establish her own identify, because Natalie is in a class by herself and is an impossible act to follow. It is with great joy that I have the privilege, along with my wife, of shaping this little "image bearer." And I...

'- I died. I thought Daylight Savings Time was to spring us forward this past weekend. I was a week early. Oops. - The L.A. Marathon has altered its route. And my family and I were able to get to church with absolutely no complications. And it did not hurt our worship attendance, either. Cool. - My wife was able to go to church for the first time in several weeks. She has been feeling better and has been able to move around a bit. I was so happy to see her in her typical spot. I had to work...

I am scheduled to complete my series on "Total-Life Stewardship" this Sunday. It will be the seventh message of the series. My focus will be on the stewardship of our Christian witness. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul says, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." I hope to teach the church about what it means to be a stewards of our witness. And I want to challenge the congregation to do four things: (1) know what you believe,...

I was born in the coolest month of the year. February is the shortest month of the year, consisting of only twenty-eight days. But once every four years, February gets an extra day. It’s called leap year. I am not sure about the reason for this. But I think it’s cool, nonetheless. Enjoy it.Happy Leap Day!

"How are you doing today, H.B.?" you ask. Well, look at these pictures and then take one wild guess about how this lifelong resident of Los Angeles is doing today during his visit to Detroit.

I am in Detroit, Michigan. How am I doing? When I landed yesterday afternoon, it was 18 degrees. It was supposed to have dropped to 8 degrees last night - I was sequestered in my hotel room long before that had an opportunity to happen. And there is supposed to be a slight heat wave today - 20 something degrees. And it is supposed to snow again tomorrow. My daughter told me this morning that I should have watched the news and brought my gloves - never mind that she has never seen my with a pair of gloves ever...

'- It was pouring down raining Sunday morning. I drove to church expecting very few of our congregation to be present. I was pleasantly surprised. - For the third Sunday in a row, my wife was not able to go to church. I am glad she is getting her rest and that our baby is doing fine. But I really miss being in worship with her. And yesterday, for some reason, it was particularly hard for me. - I listened to the song, "I will Sing Praises" on an older album I have - "A Change Will Come" by Rev....

God willing, I will continue my series on "Total-Life Stewardship" this Sunday. I am nearing the end. And it is pretty interesting how this series has been growing on me as the weeks have gone by. Sunday's message will be the next to last in the series. I plan to speak on the stewardship of our (spiritual) gifts. 1 Peter 4:10-11 is the foundational text for this message. It says: "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves,...

I attended the On-Target Evangelism Conference this week in Anaheim. The California Southern Baptist Convention sponsored this event. This was the second time I have attended. I attended several years ago, and I was both challenged and encouraged by the messages that I heard. Unfortunately, I missed last year. But I was able to attend this year. And it was even better than the last time I was there. Nelson Searcy – Nelson Searcy, who pastors the Journey Metro Church in New York City, gave several lectures on breaking growth barriers. I cannot swallow all that Searcy teaches without spitting...

My wife, Crystal, managed to give me a surprise dinner for my birthday this past weekend. She called me Friday afternoon and told me she was hungry and what she wanted to eat and that it was time to come home. So I did. Hey, my wife is pregnant and I’m not crazy. We arrived at the restaurant and had to wait a while for a seat. So we went across the way to the bookstore. When we returned to get our table, the wife and daughter of one of our pastors came out of the door. Then it clicked...

I continued our series on “Total-Life Stewardship.” My message was on the stewardship of speech. I tried to tackle it in terms of three relationships – God, self, others. My major points were: (1) God is listening to what you say; (2) your words tell on you; (3) your tongue has powerful effects on others. Among our guests Sunday, there was a young man from Detroit. Pastor Tolar Morgan, whom I preached for several years ago, pointed him to our church. There was also a young man in town for business from Houston. Pastor Ralph West had pointed him to...