Here is a note I wrote in our November church newsletter about my pastoral anniversary. It was a Monday night. It was a church business meeting. It was a vote to decide my father’s successor. These were all good reasons for me go to bed early, as I had planned. But I decided to go to the meeting anyway. I had even determined the person I was going to vote for that night. Several hours later, I left the meeting as the newly elected pastor of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church. I was only 17-years-old. I was in the senior...

This evening, I will begin a three-night meeting (Wed.-Fri.) at the New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Los Angeles, where Dr. Melvin Hill is the pastor. Please join me in pray for power for preaching, the salvation of souls, and the building up of God’s people.

First, an update. Joshua scored a TKO over me in the fifth round! I spent the first half of this year getting to preach through the book of Joshua. Honestly, I have never had so much trouble getting out of the starting gate with a book like I did with this one. I spent the past several months trying to get through Joshua. I'd get a message ready. Then It would take me several weeks to get to the next one. Ultimately, I never made it to chapter 5. I don’t know what went wrong. Honestly. I was just not...

I am in Tucson, Arizona. I am here to speak tonight for the Progressive Missionary Baptist State Convention Fall Session and Revival. Pastor Ricky B. Harvey is the president of this group. And his congregation, Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, is hosting the services. Pray for me.

This weekend, the pastoral leaders and staff of MSMBC are together in downtown Los Angeles for our annual retreat. This is when we do the heavy lifting for our plans for the upcoming year. This is about this sixth year in a row we have met together in this way. And this is about the fourth year we have met at this hotel. We are finishing up dinner now. And we will take on work for a couple of more hours, before we quit for the night. We will start again early in the morning, and go through tomorrow afternoon....

Here is the book review I wrote about a month ago for our church newletter. Steve Brown introduces his book What Was I Thinking? with an illustration: “One Time Mark Twain’s wife got furious with him and did something she rarely, if ever, did. She started cursing. Twain started laughing, and that, of course, made her even angrier. She asked him what he thought was so funny. ‘My dear,’ he said through gales of laughter, ‘you know the words, but you don’t know the tune!’” This humorous story is Brown’s explanation of where he is in his walk with Christ...

I am in Louisville preaching the citywide revival through Wednesday night. Dr. Eric A. Johnson is the president of the citywide revival. And my friend, Dr. Derrick Miles, is the vice-president. The services are being held each evening at the Hill Street Baptist Church, where the Rev. Gregory Smith is the pastor. Please remember me and this meeting in your prayers.

Here are some recent pictures of my family. Crystal & NatalieCrystal, H.B. (III), Natalie, & meH.B., Natalie, and my mother, Ellen Charles

I am in Oakland. In the morning, I will be heading home from preaching at the Greater St. John Baptist Church here, where Gregory Payton is the pastor. Pastor Payton has been hosting St. John's "Empowering the City with a Word" conference, which started this past Sunday.There has been a "lecturer" and speaker each night. Clinton McFarland from Columbus (Miss), Brian Hunter from Berkeley, Melvin Wade from Los Angeles, and James Dixon from Houston have spoken this week. Tonight was the closing night. I gave the opening message. And Pastor Dennis Jones of the Gethsemane Baptist Church in Houston gave...

Please join us this week as we pray for those who have suffered loss in the multiple wildfires that have struck various parts of California this week.

Last week, as I preached for Pastor Reginald Terry and the Antioch Baptist Church, I was also able to attend several other services. Our services started at 6 pm and was over before 7:30. So the last two nights, we were able to attend several special events that were taking place across town. On Thursday, I was able to attend the closing night of Omaha's Citywide Revival. Dr. Frederick D. Sampson, from Houston, was the speaker. And it was fantastic. Dr. Sampson is a preaching legend. And it was great to get to here him for the first time. On...

Yesterday was a long, blessed day. I preached both of our morning services, and also led my small-group during the Sunday School hour. Then I had to preach two more times in the afternoon. At 3 pm, I preached the 14th pastoral anniversary for my longtime friend Reginald Payne at the Full Gospel Baptist Church. Reginald and I started preaching together at Mt. Sinai. And before he was called to serve his church, Reginald was my primary pastoral assistant. I am very proud of him and grateful to God for our friendship and the wonderful way the Lord is using...