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?