If the Lord spares me, tomorrow will be a really long day for me. I trust it will be a good day. But it will be a long day, nonetheless. I plan to close out my series on Luke 15, "Lost People Matter to God," in both of the morning worship services at Shiloh. The past two weeks I have preached on the parable of the prodigal son - one week on the lovesick father, one week on the wayward son. This Lord's Day, I intend to focus on the elder brother. I have labeled the message, simply, "Lessons from...

Today is me and Crystal's tenth wedding anniversary!!! We met at Los Angeles High School in 1991. I was a senior. Crystal was in the tenth grade. We were both in Coach Williams' World History Class. Coach Williams, one of the football coaches, had a reputation for having the easiest class. He didn't let us down. Crystal and I would occasionally talk in class. She would ask me if I did my homework. I would answer no. That was it. Crystal was in the same grade as my little sister, Donetta. And I would regularly ask Donetta about her. Some...

Phillip Brooks has famously defined preached as "truth through personality." This is a simple enough definition. Yet, at the same time, it is rather complex. Of course, the complexity of this definition has nothing to do with the place of truth in preaching. That matter is pretty clear. It's a black-and-white issue. There is nothing ambiguous about it. True preaching must proclaim the truth. And, as Jesus declared to the Father in John 17:17, "Your word is truth." The word of God is the truth. And faithful preaching must "tell the truth" as it is revealed by the word of...

Crystal and I finally told Trey and Natalie that Shiloh Church would be voting on a new pastor. We also told them that we needed to pray hard for Shiloh, because I was one of two names that would be submitted to the church for consideration. They were both speechless. So I encouraged them to say something. H.B. spoke up, asking, "Daddy, you said we have to pray. But can we pray what we want to pray?" "Sure," I replied, not really knowing where this was going. He leaped into the air cheering and instructing his little sister to vote...

Lido and I made it safely to Jacksonville yesterday afternoon. Pastor Letson took us to the house. And I prepared myself for worship. An hour or so later, I drove myself to church for the first time. If Jacksonville's rush hour was any reflection of what I experienced last night, driving here will be a breeze in comparison to Los Angeles. I went down to the main auditorium about thirty minutes for the worship service to check on something. I went another route back to the study and got lost. Thankfully, I bumped into one of the staff members in...

Thank you for praying for me, my family, and Mt Sinai this weekend. The Lord blessed us. It was a long, busy, special weekend. There was a lot of laughter. A lot of tears. A lot of hugs. A lot of pictures. And a lot of farewells. Not good byes. Just farewell for now. This week, my family and I will be moving to Jacksonville, Florida, to begin a in earnest my new pastorate at the Shiloh Church. But I do not believe I would be able to making this transition and follow the Lord's leading to this new assignment...

This is a pretty big weekend for me. It is to be my last Sunday services with my beloved congregation at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.Several events will mark this celebration. A luncheon is scheduled for this afternoon, which will give us an opportunity to fellowship with one another outside of the formal setting of a worship service. Dr. R.A. Williams, pastor of the McCoy Memorial Baptist Church of Los Angeles, was scheduled to speak. But he is not feeling and will not be able to attend. Please remember him in your prayers. Tuesday, we asked Dr. A.D. Iverson of...

I have often mentioned the Church Council of MSMBC on this blog. Here is a picture of me and the guys that I received this evening. It was taken on the occasion of my 15th pastoral anniversary at Mt. Sinai. These men have served with me throughout the years. And it has been one of the great joys of my life to shepherd MSMBC alongside these godly men. My friends. My brothers. From left to right: Anthony, Charles, Phil, John, H.B., Todd, Richey, Harry, & Marcellus. A hat tip to Venus for the picture.

As I was making my way to my connecting flight home this morning, my phone rang. It was Crystal. She was overwhelmed as she watched the movers pack and load up our possessions to transport them to Jacksonville. I didn't know what to say. So I prayed. And I recommended that Crystal go out for a couple of hours, so that she wouldn't have to watch them moving our things out. I arrived home several hours ago, with a message to pick up a car rental. Another does of reality. Our cars are gone and on their way to Jacksonville....

Today begins a very long weekend for me. It should be busy. It should be memorable. It should be enjoyable. I will spend most of the day finishing some writing I need to submit and preparing my Sunday sermon. I plan to continue my study of the Beatitudes - "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6). This evening I will be preaching the closing night of the youth revival at Peace Chapel Baptist Church, where the DeAntwon Fitts is the pastor. In the morning, Crystal and I will try to attend the funeral service for a young man...

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 have been cataloging my personal library through Library Thing. I am not finished yet. I have several hundred more books to add to complete my catalog. But here is what I have. There are books on all kinds of subjects here. There are the sermon outline books I bought as a boy preacher. There are the my reference works. There are the commentaries I have collected over the years. There are also books on pastoral ministry, church dynamics, preaching, sermon illustrations, and Christian living. I also have books on African American subjects and by African American authors. And I...