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I was introduced to the young man after a worship service. He had recently moved to the city for work and was looking for a church home. I prayed for him. I also asked him to call my office to set up a time for us to talk. But I was not looking forward to the conversation. I dread “I’m looking for a church home” meetings. Meeting with members is a joy. I wish I could do it more often. I am not pastoral counseling expert. But I view pastoral counseling as the private ministry of the word, corresponding to what...

You can sign up in the margin to the right of this page to receive a free weekly sermon manuscript and other resources.  Shout-out to the Beulah Baptist Association for the opportunity to speak during their annual session this week. It was my joy to be be interviewed for The Jude 3 Project podcast: "Apologetics in Pastoral Ministry."  Check out my article on pastoral ministry: Don't Try To Put Out Every Brush Fire!  Take a listen to the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: 7 Reasons Why I Write Sermon Manuscripts. I solicit your prayers for the 2015 Expositors Summit...

The Hymn of Christ (Philippians 2:5-2:11)

This is episode #028 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, we talk about seven reasons why I write sermon manuscripts. Here are 7 reasons why I write sermon manuscripts: Write for Accuracy Write for Order Write for Clarity Write for Time Write for Audience Write for Memorization Write for Posterity QUESTIONS Do you write out your manuscripts?  Why or why not?  What do you take to the pulpit with you when you preach?  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Why Johnny Can't Preach by T. David Gordon Well-Driven Nails by Byron Forrest Yawn Preaching that Connects by Mark Galli...

My secretary stopped me in the hallway. She was obviously upset. I asked what was wrong. She began to weep. This was one of the most godly women I knew. And I couldn’t handle it when she cried. She often wept for others, rarely for herself. I pressed her to talk, only to discover she was weeping for me. The rumor about me she shared was really bad, heartbreaking, and absolutely not true. Another church employee supposedly witnessed to my wrongdoings. He knew me since I was a boy! I couldn’t understand why he would make up such a story. But...

Ray Pritchard said... I know a whole handful of miserable, grumpy Christians, and I think I know what is wrong with most of them. They have decided that they're going to keep the body of Christ at arms length and they're not really going to get involved. They are not going to join the church. They are not going to really get involved and they are going to sit on the fence and watch as things go by. They're going to stick their toe in and pull it out and stick their toe in and pull it out and that's...

You can sign up for our my weekly sermon manuscript and newsletter list in the right column of this site.  It was a joy to to speak at the Pine Bluff Family Bible Conference this week. Shout-out to my friends, Pastor Derrick Easter and Pastor Terry Brown, for the gracious invitation. Shout-out to the Transforming Churches Conference for the opportunity to speak this annaul conference in Southern California Check out the articles I wrote this week: On Preaching: Preaching the TONE of the Text On Pastoral Ministry: Seeing Beyond the Rubble of Ministry Take a listen to the latest episode...

This is episode #27 of The On Preaching Podcast, the podcast dedicated to helping you preach faithfully, clearly, and better. In this episode, we will discuss study tools for biblical preaching. For effective sermon preparation, you should schedule at time to study, select a place to study, and gather your tools for study. What tools do you need for biblical preaching? Here are 14 categories of study tools you need for effective Bible study and sermon preparation... A Personal, Study Bible Bible Translations Study Bibles Cross-References Concordances Context & Background Dictionary & Encyclopedias Bible Introductions Bible Doctrine Commentaries Bible Software...

We had three fulltime pastors on staff besides me. For this midsize church I served, this was a big deal. Ministry should have been a joy. It was, instead, a time of great discouragement. The pastoral team was a blessing. But I did not know how to lead the team. At a result, the obvious blessing felt like an unexplainable curse. I was preaching through the book of Nehemiah. We had reached chapter 4. As I meditated on the chapter, my discouragement was confronted head-on. I tried to ignore it. I preached the text and prepared to move on to...

Biblical preaching seeks to explain the meaning of a passage of scripture and exhort the hearer to respond to the truth. Faithful preaching is truth-driven. The goal of the preacher’s exegetical study should be to find to truth of the text. The passage may mention anxiety, prayer, thanksgiving, peace, and even refer to the Lord Jesus Christ in the same text. But that passage is not about all of those different things. Only one truth is the dominating theme of the text. The others truths support the main idea of the text. Having discovered the message of the text, the...

A big shout-out to my son - H.B. Charles III - who turned 16-years-old this week! Happy Birthday, Doc! I love you! It was a joy to preach for Pastor Terry Anderson at the Lilly Grove Baptist Church in Houston this week. What a church! During the Cutting It Straight Expository Preaching Conference, we showed a video about The Preachers Who Have Influenced Me.  Check out the latest episode of The On Preaching Podcast: Preaching without Notes Click here to see my interview with Ed Stetzer on #TheExchange.  You still have time to register for the 2015 Expositors Summit on the...