It has been awhile.....

Just dropping through to let you know that I have not forgotten about my blog. I have been soooooo busy. I know that that is not a good excuse. I have really been trying to stay in the presence of God, so that I can hear clearly and discern the Will of God for my life and the Tabernacle Church. So much has happened in the last 2 months. This has truly been a year where God has EXPANDED OUR EXPECTATIONS. I promise I will fill you all in. Pray for me as I pray for you. I love you guys dearly. Soli Deo Gloria!

Forgiveness

I preached a mini sermon series a few weeks ago around the theme of Forgiveness. This is a hard concept for many of us to not only comprehend but ultimately put into practice. We harbor so much pain and hurt towards people that we end up hurting ourselves. I know that this was a burden in my own life. I came to the realization in my own life that I need to "release" others and ultimately myself through forgiveness. I know that the question is being raised as you read this, why should I forgive someone who has hurt and harmed me? The reason we should forgive someone, no matter what they have done to us, is because God has forgiven us. How can we who have been forgiven, not forgive? Jesus, as he hung on the cross for our sins, made the first statement out of his mouth, "Father forgive them, for they no not what they do". My prayer for all of us today is that we take the iniative to forgive someone and walk in the freedom and blessings that come when we follow the example of Jesus.

The Heart of a Worshiper

I know that it has been sometime since my last post. It is not entirely my fault. Schedule got jammed. I also began working on a blog centered around the controversy surrounding Chris Brown. I could not articulate my thoughts the way that I wanted to but it will be coming soon. During the month of July, I was led to preach a sermon series on Worship. I think it profoundly changed my congregation and myself. I admit without reservation or hesitation, that I am a Worshiper. I love being in the presence of God. Nothing gives me more joy and pleasure than to reverance God through worship. I believe that we are in the season where God is beginning to elevate willing and available, authentic and sincere vessels who worship in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is ones heart desiring and yearning after God. It is not only shouting but also sacrifice. This past month has been a refreshing revelatory reminder to me of the importance of just staying in God's presence. That is through morning morning devotions, continual prayer and fellowship with other believers. I have begun again to take my spiritual disciplines to a higher dimension, not just to manipulate God to move, but simply because I long to be closer.When was the last time you laid on your face for God? When was the last time your prayers talked about more than what you want God to do for you? I woke up this morning and simply told the Lord, "I Love You More Than Anything".....My prayer and desire for the people of God is that in this season you long and run after God like never before. God wants to be found by you. It does not have to be another conference or TV marathon, but if you want to experience the uncompromising and unconditional love of God, just want Him more than anything.

The Death of an Icon

This past week Michael Jackson died. Alot of mystery and controversy is surrounding his death. It must be said that he will go down as the greatest entertainer of all times, period. When I heard the news, I was shocked and saddened. I grew up on Mike. I had the red jacket with the zippers and the white glove(fortunately I did not have a jheri curl). I remember waiting on thursday nights when his video's would premiere on primetime television. I was a fan. I stayed buying his music after his skin got lighter and nose got skinnier. I still nodded my head to his latest hits even with child molestation charges were being pursued and million dollar buy outs were being made. I respected the tremendous gift even though there were many imperfections and flaws in his life. I can only imagine the burden and strain that must have been on his shoulders to have the world's spotlight pointed brightly at every area of your life. What did we expect from MJ? Did we expect him to be perfect when none of us are? Did we expect him to be that wonderful stage persona all the time? I am saddened to hear that people have committed suicide after hearing of his death. I pray for there families as well. Why is it that we have to wait til after death to appreciate one's life and achievement? Rest in peace, Mike. May you find in death what you were never able to find in life, PEACE. I heard the other night a reporter make the statement that no other death has affected the world like MJ's death. I beg to differ, because over 2000 years ago someone died who was more than an Icon, he was a Saviour........

Slavery v. Friendship

Over the last few years I have been wrestling with the concept of friendship. I have throughout my life seen people come and go. I must add here that I believe in long term friendships, which is evident by the fact that i still have tight relations with people I have known since the age of 4(big up to Skeet and Enji). I still have people in my life from all the areas of life. I enjoy connecting with them when I can, even though my schedule gets quite hectic. I wondered how have these relationships been able to last, even though time, distance, change of life and experiences, has interrupted the continuity and connective nature of the relationships. I believe it comes down to one factor, and that true friendship gives room to accept the other person for who they are. Surely we can have our opinions about what the other person should do or say or think. However, that is not friendship, that is slavery. To control another to manipulate them in the way we want them to be, robs them of the beauty of their individuality. We had a saying on line when I pledged Omega Psi Phi, and that was "the difference between a brother and a friend is that a friend is chosen". We have to choose to accept someone as a friend, even though there will be moments we do not agree or see things eye to eye. The realness of a friendship is that we love them for who they are and not what they do. Jesus echoes this when he explains our relationship to God in the Gospel of John. Jesus says "we are no longer slaves but friends". Wow, what a statement. That God is not looking for slaves who do things out of obligation, rather friends who can be appreciated for who they are and respond in real relationship. The question I pose, do you want friends or slaves?

The Secret of Success

As I am now firmly settled into middle age(30), I have been bombarded with many inquiries about how I have been able to achieve success at such a young age. For the record, I don't see myself as someone very special or one who has arrived. I believe that I have not yet reached or scratched the surface of my potential as a man, preacher, pastor so I am constantly striving to be better by getting closer to God. My beginnings were less than spectacular. I was raised by my grandparents, in a very spiritually disciplined household. I would not have figured that by the age of 30, I would have pastored 2 great churches, have a Masters and Doctorate, build a Family Life Center and pastor what is categorized a "Mega" church. I must admit that I have always been a dreamer. I spent most of my youth alone, dreaming and reading. I was sociable, but I spent a majority of my youth in church. I can remember waking up in the middle of the night and having my grandparents praying over me. I can remember being prophesied to. My grandfather's favorite scripture is Matthew 6:33, and he reminded me of this daily(miss you pops). I have adopted this verse as my life's motto as well as the phrase "Soli Deo Gloria", which means "To God Alone Be the Glory". He told me to always keep God first. There have been times I did not want to or was tempted to sway, but I could not leave or desert this desire and love I have for God. The wild thing is that my life is not how I would have planned it, but I can see it no other way. I guess you have been reading this to find out the secret to success. Joshua 1:7(NLT) "Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them and you will be successful in all that you do." Now go be and live successful......

The Burden of Preaching

As I sit in the Newport News Airport waiting to board my flight home(which sucks because I am missing the Lakers game tonight), I am reflecting on this week where I was ministered to at the Hampton Ministers Conference. We were challenged by the conference to continually take seriously the role of preaching. I am not sure of many things, but one of the few certainties that i am sure of is my purpose here on earth. God built and fashioned me to preach the Gospel. There is nothing on earth that gives me greater joy than to preach. I feel like every moment is a build up to the time of proclamation. Preaching to me is like breathing. I am challenged to find ways to improve the preaching gift that God has endowed with me. I tell people all the time that the best way to work on preaching must begin with an intimate relationship with God and His Word. I try to spend as much time with God as I possibly can. Sometimes, other things have to suffer, in order for me to get the required time of devotion that is needed to be a faithful proclaimer. That is time, relationships, appointments and etc. It is not easy, but very necessary. I shamedly admit I am not good at balancing, but it is what it is. As I prepare to close this blog, I am going to spend some time in the airport terminal reading my favorite book, the Bible. Sunday is coming.........

It Has Been Awhile....

Whew....Time really flies. We have been shoulder deep in church stuff that I have been swamped. I am glad that this relationship series has been going pretty well. It has been a challenge preaching, but I am thankful for God's grace. We had our Relationship Seminar led by Pastor and First Lady Rogers from Triumph Church in Washington, DC. They gave incredible insight into all areas of Relationships. Even gave insight on the "dating" concept and said that it is courtship. Three biblical relationships is brother/sister, engagement and marriage. I will elaborate on this in a future blog. I have been swamped with ministry stuff and we have been having a lot of deaths in the our church this year. Pray for us. This is a short blog, I promise to get a longer one up soon. DrCEGJr

Dating vs. Marriage

I had an interesting conversation with a member following last weeks service. She exclaimed that she is having a hard time dating, in which I replied "I am against dating!!". She seemed puzzled. I threw it out for conversation because I am still forming my thoughts on this subject, but the more I think about it, what is spiritual about dating in our contemporary context? Do we have the wrong premise for this ideal? What is the difference contemporarily between dating and marriage? Are expectations the same or different? Is dating a biblical prerequisite for marriage? Let me hear what you think....DrCEGJr

The Types of Love

Tonight I discussed the three types of Love from the bible. They are Eros, Phileo, and Agape? What are your thoughts on the types of love? Have you ever been driven by your desires(eros)? Have you been stuck in an arrangement(phileo)? Have you experienced unconditional love(agape)? Hollah at your pastor......RevCEGJr

Relationships-Marriage and Singleness

Do you believe that God intended all to be married? Is there a stigma on those who are single past a certain age? I want to read your comments. Bless ya. RevCEGJr

Reflections on Second Anniversary

The week began with a blast. I had to preach revival at Carpentersville Baptist Church in North Augusta, SC. I enjoyed the fellowship immensely and the people were very receptive to the word. Tabernacle, as usual, came out to support in great numbers. i truly do have a special church family. On Thursday, I had to officiate the funeral of one of our seasoned saints. I believe that it was a comforting time for the family. That Thursday evening was the kick-off to my anniversary celebration, with my Pastor and mentor, Pastor Anthony Maclin from The Sanctuary at Kingdom Square in Maryland as the guest preacher. My pastor had a word for the house that night. It is such a great experience when I get to fellowship with my pastor. He has truly been a father, mentor, confidant to me. On Friday night, there was a dinner with a special musical guest. I was overwhelmed to see the place filled to celebrate with me. I had a good time and was presented with gifts of love from the congregation. They even presented me with a vacation(Lord, knows I need it) It was a real chill evening where I got to fellowship and enjoy the moment. On Saturday, I spent the afternoon skating with the youth and young adults. For the record, I have no problem with skating, its the falling that I do not get with. I am happy to report that I did not fall(even though some will argue that I really did not skate). Oh well..... Sunday was the climax, and my friend and brother, Pastor Philip Pointer came and rocked the house. He is one of my favorite preachers and closest friends. My family was able to come and worship. My grandma was looking fly as usual and my mom and sister with a few friends from Greensboro was in attendance. It is during moments like these that I really miss my grandfather. Shout out to all who made this 2nd anniversary a special one. I know that he would have enjoyed the festivities. I really need some prayer for the next couple of weeks. I will be preaching in five different cities over the course of two weeks and I also have graduation to prepare for. Dealing with these graduation tickets is beginning to get on my nerves and it seems as if the guest list grows everyday. I do not plan well either, so I am trying to delegate the work to others, but you know how that goes. Well I will check you out on cyberspace soon, probably from an airport somewhere. Be Blessed, RevCEGJr

PS-I recommend you see Wolverine and Obsessed. I have not heard good things about the Soloist....What new movie is coming out that you think is a must see?

The Pain of Celebration

This is the weekend where we celebrate the second year of partnership of pastor and people here at Tabernacle Baptist Church. I am so blessed to be here and I am priviledged to have this wonderful divine assignment which allows me to pastor some awesome people. I must admit that I am a little uneasy with the whole celebration concept, especially with it centered around me. I have always had tough times with celebrations growing up, birthdays and holidays, because these occasions were not big in my family. The only big event that my family makes huge is graduations. I have also had some disappointing moments on days that are supposed to be joyous. I appreciate the tremendous effort that all are making to contribute to this memorable moment. I will write my reflections on the weekend next week. Please pray that I will allow myself to celebrate and enjoy the moment. Pray for safe travels for family and friends. Pray that this be a divine moment of reflection and rejoicing for what God has done and will do in my ministry and the life of the church. Peace and Blessings, RevCEGJr

PS: My father was supposed to be coming this weekend, but.............

Single or Alone

Is there a difference? I am preaching a series on Relationships the month of May and this is a critical component. I welcome any comments. RevCEGJr

Living in the true meaning of RESURRECTION

I am always uplifted by the story of Jesus being raised from the dead. It is the central foundational point of our faith. Without an empty tomb, our faith and our preaching is in vain (1 Corinthians 15). I heard an interesting quote on yesterday, while I was resting from our Resurrection services. The quote was, "many of us celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, but then after the moment, we allow Him to die again on Monday." I was struck by this because I do feel that often times we minimize the magnitude of the Resurrection by making it one day that we gather to worship, instead of living and walking in the Resurrection everyday of our lives. Those faithful saints who made there way to the graveyard over 2000 years ago, as told by Mark, were expecting a funeral, but when they got there, they had a stone removed, a situation reversed because of the Word of God and a friend welcomed back to the fold after denying Christ. I wonder how many of us would have the faith to go to a place of perceived disappointment, as long as Jesus is there? I know that God can give us more than we expect when we trust Him. The resurrection shows us that God oftentimes does His best work behind our back. While they were grieving, God was working the situation out for His glory. I really want God to expand my expectations this year in every area of my life. I believe that God can resurrect dead hopes, dead dreams, dead relationships and anything else that seems dead in our lives. My prayer is for all to know and experience RESURRECTION in life through the POWER of God. RevCEGJr

"Because He Lives......"

My prayer for all today is that we experience RESURRECTION in all areas of our lives. There is VICTORY in Jesus. I am so thankful that He died for me, but even more grateful that ROSE three days later with ALL POWER in His hands, so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Do you know Him today?

Reflections on Palm Sunday

I am still basking in the afterglow of a wonderful Palm Sunday Worship Experience. We celebrated our Lord's Supper Experience as well as baptize nearly 30 people. I preached a challenging message entitled "The Curse of being Unfruitful" from Matthew 21:18-19. It was a message that I believe challenged our entire congregation, Pastor included. I have made personal commitment to be a "fruit" believer and not just a "leaves" believer. I desire to be productive for the kingdom of God. We had 8 people join our fellowship on yesterday. I am continually amazed at the power of God, that operates in us finite beings to bring God glory. I ask and solicit your prayers that Tabernacle Baptist Church would be the body of believers that God would have us be. Peace and Blessings, RevCEGJr

Is There A Heaven For A "G"?

As we are preparing to enter the "Passion" season, which commerates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I am particulalry drawn to the story of the thief who is crucified next to Jesus. In all the pain and discomfort, he famously requests of Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom". What a powerful and provacative statement. This man, whom we know little but can assume only negative things because of his current predicament on the cross, has the audacious hope to ask for the Son of the living God to remember him. What nerve this man has. We don't know his background or his shady associations, but he surely knew. He knew the mistakes and wrong turns that had caused his life to cascade down this horrible path to destruction. I know that we all can feel this brother, because if we are truly honest with ourselves, we have not crossed every T or dotted every I. We have some things in our past that we are not proud of and if we take it even further, if it was another day or place, could have found ourselves in some unescapable situations with some reprehensible consequences. But thanks be to God, that this brother did not let his past or painful predicament stop him from receiving relief from the only one who could give him what his soul and heart really needed. Jesus looked this broke brother in the eye and said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." Wow, there really is a heaven for a "G", even me.....Peace and Blessings, RevCEGJr

The Therapy of Rain

I am sitting here listening to the rain splash against my window. There can be few more relaxing moments than listening to rain make its way from heaven to earth. Rain is a necessary nuisance. Rain can be relaxing if one is laying in bed trying to rest, but rain can be a tremendous pain if one is driving on a roadway. Rain is needed to sustain life, because sunshine alone will not stimulate and produce growth. It takes sunshine AND rain. That is how it is in the life of a believer of Jesus Christ. God never promises that trouble(rain) won't last long, God just promises that it won't last always. I have grown to the place where I have stopped trying to figure out what the rain is doing to me and think about what it is doing for me. I feel the ol song that the seasoned saints sang which melodiously declared, "Rain on me Jesus, til I walk right, Rain on me Jesus, til I talk right". Rain on me Jesus.......

Life from an Airport Terminal

On the road again. I have been afforded many opportunities the last few years to spend a large amount of time in airports. I have had to travel to preach, go to school, and finish up doctoral work. I love traveling, even though it does get tiring and exhausting. I love experiencing new places and meeting new people. There is so much to learn from exposing oneself to different people and places, and in my case, churches. I enjoy sometimes just observing people in the airport. You see people scurrying from one end to the other, you see others who are obviously flying for the first time based upon there need to having to go through the metal detectors multiple times at the security checkpoint. I enjoy seeing people adjust in this place of transition from one destination to another. That is life, always in transition and us having to adjust to it. Sometimes we are delayed, other times we are early. Sometimes we have to make connections and other times we miss it or the flight is cancelled all together. Speaking of flights, I hope I don't miss mine...Peace, RevCEGJr

Faith is......

I have been examining the perplexities and profundity of Faith the last three months from the pulpit of Tabernacle Baptist Church. I have been preaching through Hebrews 11, the Hall of Fame of Faith. I have been challenged personally in this study and I hope that our church has been inspired and challenged. There are so many levels and layers to Faith, and whatever it is one subscribes to as a standard of Faith, we can not argue that unless one has Faith, it is impossible to please God and God rewards those who have Faith. The reward is not something tangible, rather the reward is God and God's sustaining power. I have had many episodes in my own life where I have had to just have Faith in God. I will be completely honest, it was not easy, matter of fact, it was extremely painful. It is difficult at times to reconcile a loving God with periods of pain and hardships, however, we are required to just put our trust in God. Many would argue that this is "blind hope", with no basis of validity or substance. There are many who allow trials and tribulations to completely dry up their confidence in God. The one thing that helped me in those moments where I felt like letting go, is when I remembered that God has never let go of me. I pray that God continue to use me to help others in this constant pursuit of developing and strengthing one's Faith, not just as a Pastor/Teacher, but as someone who knows first hand what it is to lean and depend on God. Peace and Blessings, RevCEGJr

Monday Morning Blues

Monday morning can be the best and worst day of the week for a preacher. It can be great because it is a day of refreshing, reflection and restoration. I try and sleep late and catch a matinee movie or whatever else requires little or no brain action. I have endeavored to take better care of myself. I used to be one of those guys who had to be in the office 7 days a week. I have learned that this is unhealthy. I am an overachiever and a workaholic. This is a bad combination, but I am nearing 30 and I want to do what I am doing for a long time. Monday can be horrible, because it is the shortest day in the week, besides Saturday. One does not feel Sunday until Monday, especially if you have to preach multiple services on Sunday. It also gets to be a drag if you have to travel and preach on a Monday. Today I missed my flight to a revival in North Carolina. I will barely have enough time to throw some water on my face, change clothes and go to church. Mondays.........

Happy Birthday PaPa(Big E).....

Today would have been my grandfather's 84th Birthday. I miss him so much. Thanks for everything Grandpa.......Love Always.............

MARCH MADNESS.....

I must admit this is one of my favorite times of the year. I love basketball. It is ironic that the last two places that I have pastored have been football states(Alabama and Georgia). I am rooting for Wake Forest, but I have......winning it all(got to keep somethings to myself). We have a busy weekend coming up at church. Tonight is the third installment of our "March Gladness" Revival. Pastor Delman Coates and Pastor Arthur Jackson III have already preached and it has been awesome thus far. I am excited that tonight, Pastor Jasmin Sculark is with us. I know that we are going to have a high time in the Lord. Tomorrow, we are having a Movie Night for our married and engaged couples, where we are viewing "Fireproof". On Saturday, there is a Mens Conference at Paine College and I have a wedding to officiate in the afternoon. Then it time to have worship on Sunday. Did I also mention that I am in the final leg of my doctoral work and I am trying to put the finishing touches on my project. Whew.......Needless to say, it has been a hectic time.

PS-Tomorrow also would have been my grandfather's 83rd birthday. Miss you Papa.

When God's Glory Fills the House....

What happens when God shows up in a mighty way and the GLORY of God fills a place. We had one of those worship experiences that leaves a believer speechless. The 11am service at Tabernacle yesterday was simply AMAZING. This came off of what i considered a pretty substandard 8am worship. Everything that could go wrong at the early service, did go wrong. Mics were not working, instruments were not being heard, and the atmosphere was not conducive in my opinion to receive the Word. I was preaching the 10th installment of my By Faith series through Hebrews Chapter 11. I preached a message entitled "When God Crosses His Hands" from Hebrews 11:21. I hope that I was faithful to the intent of the text.
The catalyst for the spiritual outpouring was our Mime Ministry, which performs on our Youth Sunday. They ministered to the song "Say Yes" and they performed with such passion and power. Even the kids seemed to be in a different place. There was utter pandemonium, to the point where I did not know which way to take the service. We still had not done the announcements, welcome, offering. We had an altar call and many joined the church. We preached and took up an offering and went home. Many were lingering in sanctuary even after the benediction because it was such a sweet spirit in the place. I must admit that I am still on a spiritual high. I have received so many emails from people who said they have never experienced anything like that before. In the book of Exodus, it speaks about a moment in the history of Israel where after they built the Tabernacle, that the Glory of God filled the Tabernacle that even Moses could not enter. It is my prayer that my life and the life of the church will not be the same and that all of us get to be closer to God, in a more intimate and real way. Soli Deo Gloria!!

I have just figured out

I have just figured out how to blog from my phone. I hope this keeps me consistently writing.

I'm BAAAAACCCCKKKK

It has been a very long time since I have written a blog(almost 2 years). Finishing up my doctoral project has renewed an interest in writing for me. I hope that I stay consistent in this endeavor. I want to write a few devotionals and just some insight and perspective on life and ministry. I have been blessed the last few years to pastor the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Augusta, Ga. I have enjoyed the assignment that God has granted me. I pastor some wonderful people who allow me to be the pastor that God has created me to be. I hope and pray that through this blog, I can minister to the masses through real and honest dialogue. Let the blogging begin.......