Perhaps one of the most monumental events in my life was when I left my hometown of Flint, Michigan, to attend Prairie View A&M University in Texas. I remember scrambling money together from family and friends to help me to pursue my academic and professio... Read More »

I’ll never forget my first trip to the mountains. My adolescent eyes were filled with awe. The mountains rose high above our car. Occasionally there was a waterfall that sprung from the mountainside. Wonder was not the only emotion I experienced. My über-ob... Read More »

Preaching the Word of God is one of my favorite things to do. It is an honor and a blessing to be chosen and used by God to proclaim His message of salvation to others. While preaching is a great enjoyment, preaching is something that does not come naturally. ... Read More »

Top ten lists. Every sport, every profession, every person has a “top ten.” Preachers are no different. From your ten favorite sermons, to your ten favorite resources, to your ten favorite preachers, you can find a “top ten” for just about anything. So... Read More »

Martin Luther, as a middle-aged monk, was engaged in a political and theological debate over indulgences.[1]Martin Luther, and Tryntje Helfferich, The Essential Luther, Hackett Classics. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, 2018. Accessed 1-6-2020. T... Read More »

This year I celebrate 40 years of service as a staff member at a Southern Baptist church. For the past 36 years, I’ve served as a senior pastor in four SBC churches. Each church was different in size and membership make-up. All have been a blessing. Early on... Read More »

As the American Revolution began to draw to its close in the early 1780s, a young veteran began his ministry. Lemuel Haynes, an American patriot and preacher, was the first African American ordained in the United States. Haynes’s years of ministry as a pasto... Read More »

For followers of Christ, especially those in leadership, character (who you are when no one is watching) and reputation (who others believe you to be) should match as closely as possible.  For this to be possible, the decision must be made to dedicate oneself... Read More »

In his classic work, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, John A. Broadus stresses the need for effective preaching, arguing that the “the record of Christian history has been that the strength of the church is directly related to the strength of the ... Read More »

Is it possible to be sinful in our preaching? Is it possible that preachers can be consumed with self in the very moment they are supposed to be consumed with a message from God? I think we all know the sad answer is that it is indeed possible. Human beings ha... Read More »