One of my pulpit heroes preached at my church. We didn't really know one another. Yet he agreed to come. I was beyond excited. I have absolutely no recollection of the service or sermon that night. But I will never forget the conversation afterward in my study. Food had been prepared. And a few preachers hung around to eat and chat, including several denomination leaders that had come to hear our special guest. The denominational leaders began to encourage me to get more involved in the work. It felt more like pressure. They dropped the hook with tempting bait. If  I...

I had a more than 10-hour flight from Rome to Atlanta Saturday. Then another hour home. Wiped out! I should not preached. I was really tired. But I pressed on. I was so glad to be home with my family and to worship with the Shiloh Church family. I was also glad to have our guests, including the family reunion that joined us for worship. Praise God for the four persons who were baptized today! Shout-out to our Pastor of Outreach, Reginald Bryant, for teaching my Bible Study Fellowship for me over the past several weeks. I preached from Colossians...

Thanks for reading my blog this week. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. I have spent this week in Rome at the Proclaimers Place preaching seminar. I have been challenged, inspired, and strengthened by the study of scripture, discussion of preaching, and visits to historic Christian sites. I was reminded this week that the bow that is always bent will soon break. I have always been reminded you need batting practice, as it were, to work on your swing to be more effective in the batter's box (pulpit). This week has been very...

I am in Rome, Italy, this week, studying scripture and preaching with a small group of pastors. This is the ninth annual Proclaimers Place study conference.  It is my third time attending. The last two I joined were in Oxford, England. We are studying four passages this week - Matthew 16:17-20, Hebrews 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 5:1-8, and 2 Timothy 4:6-22. We study one passage a day, doing group exegesis and discussing how to craft the text into sermon. The sessions also include general discussions about homiletics. The Roman Empire sits in the background of the entire New Testament. And it is...

I am on my way to Rome, Italy, for a weeklong preaching conference. A small, intensive study group will study texts all week and visit related sites. Please pray for safe arrival and fruitful study. We had a great day at Shiloh today! It is a joy to pastor such wonderful people. I missed teaching my Bible Study Fellowship group today. It was my privilege to lead the congregation in the Lord's Table today. We also extended the right-hand-of-fellowship to our new members. In place of our normal scripture reading, we read the Apostle's Creed together. Very moving to hear...

Thanks for reading my blog. Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board of things that caught my attention. You can sign up for email updates of future posts under the picture to the left. Thanks to Pastor John Adolph for the opportunity to preach the 2013 Family Conference at the Antioch Baptist Church in Beaumont Thursday. Thanks to Pastor Jeffrey Reaves for inviting me to close out the 2013 Servant Leaders Summit at the Good Shepherd Baptist Church in Richmond Friday. I am excited to participate in Southern Seminary's 2013 Expositors Summit with R. Albert Mohler and Alistair Begg. I...

Thanks for your prayers and expressions of concern this week. I started the weak not feeling well. But I am doing much better. Praise God! A big shout-out to the pastors of the Shiloh Church for stepping up in such a great way this week! Shout-out to Tim Challies for commending my post: An Essential Part of Planning Your Preaching I am looking forward to the 2013 Thriving Summit in Philadelphia (October 11-12) I hope to see you at The Expositors Summit at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, October, 29-31. Every preacher should read Steven Lawson's little book, The Kind...

I am a proponent of planning your preaching. I plan out my preaching a year in advance.  And I urge other preachers to do the same. But any plan is better than no plan. It may be a plan for the coming quarter or month. Or maybe for the next two weeks. Anything beats the pressure of looking for something to preach each week. There are multiple benefits to developing a preaching plan. It saves time. It relieves stress. It allows you to work ahead. It enables you to be intentional about the diet you feed your congregation. And it...

Saturday Shout-Outs is my weekly bulletin board about my weekly highlights and some articles I have found worth sharing. Thanks to President Henry Perkins for the privilege of being the keynote speaker for the California Baptist State Convention in Long Beach this week. Wednesday, my connecting flight through Atlanta was delayed because of weather. I did not land in time to get to the church to preach. A big shout-out to our Pastor of Christian Education, Donald Lewis, for being ready to preach. Check out A Brief Response to the George Zimmerman Verdict I am grateful for the opportunities I...

Several weeks ago, we had a membership meeting at the Shiloh Church. During the meeting, I made several comments about the trial in which George Zimmerman was accused of murdering Trayvon Martin. The next day, a member sent me a note thanking me for sharing my thoughts about this important matter. That note stuck with me. He was right. Outside of my passing comments in that meeting, the members of my congregation had no way of knowing how their pastor processed these events. I strive to preach the Bible, not current events. But this time my silence on a big cultural...

I love the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church! I came home from a long week physically tired but spiritual refreshed. I was really excited about being in my pulpit this morning. As Saturday passed, I had a nagging suspicion that the George Zimmerman verdict would be announced before the day was over. I was right. So I changed my preaching plan for the day. I think it was for the best. Our youth made it home safely from youth camp Saturday evening. May the week they spent in the word and in service to others bear much fruit to the glory...

Thanks for reading my blog. You can sign-up for email updates of future posts under my picture to the left. I spent this week in Dallas at the 2013 E.K. Bailey Conference: Preaching 360. I had the opportunity to speak in the Tuesday evening general session. I gave four lectures on preaching through Philippians. And I participated in a round-table discussion on biblical preaching. Many thanks to Pastor Bryan Carter for the opportunity to take part in this year's conference and to the Concord Church staff for their great hospitality. Steve Lawson was outstanding. Bryan Lorritts was compelling. Bryan Carter...