Heart Corruptions

O God,

May thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to thee.

I have no merit, let the merit of Jesus stand for me.

I am undeserving, but I look to thy tender mercy.

I am full of infirmities, wants, sin;

thou art full of grace.

I confess my sin, my frequent sin, my wilful sin;

All my powers of body and soul are defiled:

A fountain of pollution is deep within my nature.

There are chambers of foul images within my being;

I have gone from one odious room to another,

walked in a no-man’s-land of dangerous

imaginations, pried into the secrets of my fallen nature.

I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself;

I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns

and thistles;

I am a fading leaf that the wind drives away;

I live bare and barren as a winter tree,

unprofitable, fit to be hewn down and burnt.

Lord, dost thou have mercy on me?

Thou hast struck a heavy blow at my pride,

at the false god of self, and I lie in pieces before thee.

But thou hast given me another Master and Lord,

thy Son, Jesus, and now my heart is turned towards holiness,

my life speeds as an arrow from a bow towards complete obedience to thee.

Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride.

Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day.

Grant me grace to bear thy will without repining, and delight to be not only chiselled, squared, or fashioned, but separated from the old rock where I have been embedded so long, and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ for ever.

- Valley of Vision

Balance

Can a man be a pastor of a church without meddling in everything in the town, or without policing every den in the community, or without becoming a storm-center in politics, in the schools' situation, or in civic affairs?  The pastor must bear his share of the community load; yet if he is new to the community, he must remember that it would be better for him to wait until he is asked for his advice or his services.  He must be smart, but not too smart; he must be quiet, but not too quiet.  He must be nice; but not too nice.  The place of a new minister is a hard place to fill.  -The Making of a Preacher, W. W. Melton, Pg56, Zondervan Publishing House, c1953

Be An Original...Well, An Original Copy! (Part 5)

Following our mid-winter board, the Summer prior to my senior year of high school, in 1996, my Dad and Rev. Miller took me and one of my high school classmates, James Mosley (also a preacher) to Dallas for the annual E. K. Bailey conference.  At that time, I knew very little about Bailey.  I just knew that, in all of the sermons on those tapes my dad would bring home from the convention, those preachers would often mention 'E.K.', either in a quote, acknowledge his presence in the audience (he was in the same convention) or some word of respect and adulation.  I had come across his messages, but never really connected with them.  I thought he was old and irrelevant.  Its amazing how things can change!  To say the least, he wasn't a favorite of mine.  Little did I know that he would one day be my college pastor, and I would cry for days after his passing, often thinking of him now before I mount the pulpit.

One thing I did know - that preacher Bailey (whomever he was) knew how to put together a first-class conference. I will never forget the level of excellence, detail, manpower and preaching lineup, which included many of the preachers I had both read and heard.  Warren Wiersbe was there. Gene Getz and A. Louis Patterson were there.  Tony Evans was there.  And a preacher who had become one of my favorites, Melvin Von Wade, was there in the flesh!  I had come to learn that Wade and Bailey were best friends; and that it was Wade who, on the campus of Bishop College, introduced Bailey to his future wife, Sheila.  I remember in the conference, getting on the elevator at the Fairmont Hotel, E.K. Bailey stepped on the elevator as well.  I never will forget he said, 'Young man, I'll give you a run for your suit!'. That was it. He stepped off, and that made my entire day!  As conferences go, I was going to my room, reading voraciously.  I really wanted to see where those guys (especially Patterson) got all of his information from.  By then, I had already become a very voracious reader, especially in the languages.  I loved to read a guy named Calvin Miller, and also Max Lucado and Charles Swindoll.  And while at the conference, there were many names dropped from all of the preachers who spoke.  One of my Dad's favorites (John MacArthur) was often mentioned, along with John Piper.  Interestingly, E.K. Bailey, in one of the general sessions, told the 700 or so ministers, '...if you came to the conference, and can only make one purchase, you need to go to the resource booth and get. John Piper's 'The Supremacy of God in Preaching.'. I got it, along with some other resources, courtesy of my father.  By this time, I had also began to preach a large portion of Melvin Von Wade.  It goes without saying, I loved this guy's sermon preparation and delivery.  To this day, the guy's sermon structure and organization is so solid, concrete and genius that it blows me away.  Little did I know I was developing a sort of 'crutch' for me.  So much of what I preached became such a part of my study and preparation and prayer life...that I'd forgot the original sources often.  

I remember one incident at the close of the conference,  it wasn't the final night, but the night before.  Stephen Olford, a guy who became known for his sermon preparation and delivery, was on to preach that night.  Initially, I thought he was originally from Britain, in that he had an English accent, but was actually born in Zambia to Christian missionaries.  What set the place on fire was his closing story, in which I've never forgotten.  He was a young man who, at that time, had become a young pastor and preacher.  He had made it his practice to have quiet time prior to his morning message on the Lord's day.  This Sunday was no different.  His father had been sick, in the hospital, and had been in a sort of coma for some time.  Olford's mother called Stephen on that morning, insisting to speak with her son.  On the other end, she explained that his father had done something quite strange.  She said, he came out of his coma, sat straight up in his bed and shouted, 'Tell the lad I said 'PREACH THE WORD!''. After he uttered those words, he laid back on his bed, and went home to be with the Lord.  Stephen Olford, since that day, said that he would all the more commit to the Biblical exposition of Scripture, because of the admonishment of his father, and moreover, his Savior!  At that time, Bailey called all of the preachers to the altar; and it was there, that you could feel a sense of conviction amongst that aggregation of preacher's who were there as a re-establishing of priorities in the proclamation of God's infallible, inerrant Word.  I was at that altar!  

Of course, there would still remain within me a sense of my own inadequacy in not having the 'hooping' gift and the close.  For me, this would be a struggle I would continue to grapple with long into my adult years.  But something did intrigue me.  Many seemed enamored with a guy there by the name of Kenneth C. Ulmer.  It didn't take long for me to discover that this one guy was a gifted preacher, on many fronts.  Only years later would I discover that Ulmer actually began preaching under Melvin Von Wade, the guy whose preaching I'd grown to love and admire.  I sat In a few teaching classes of Ulmer.  The guy clearly knew his stuff.  Though I had not heard him preach up until that point, I did admire his style, and obvious intellectual prowess.  Admittedly, he seemed a little strange (in ways I will not mention here) but he knew the languages (which I liked), but he also knew how to make those languages relevant (which I liked even more), and he even did something that had become my practice by the time I actually went to college and seminary, learning Greek, Hebrew, etc....he was giving the mood, person, etc. of the words.  I learned later in college this was called 'Parsing'.  The guy was good, to me.  Interestingly, by that time, I had discovered Paul S. Morton on BET, and had seen Ulmer on the Full Gospel scene.  This did confuse me after hearing him, in not seeing that level of depth or biblical exposition in many of the Full Gospel clips I had seen.  I didn't know if this attributed to why I hadn't heard him speak on any of those televised clips, but the man was very insightful and helpful.  I walked away knowing that, at least for Patterson and Ulmer, it was at least possible to have some ministerial clout and relevance without the typical 'gravy.'. Yes, they had their own way of closing, but nothing akin to the introductions of this form I had received via Jasper Williams and Jerry D. Black.  

Points on Prayer

James 5:16 reports “the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much". Prayer is powerful. We need to pray at all times. There is so much that will never happen in your life and mine apart from fervent and focused prayer!

What are some examples?  

1. Abraham's servant prayed, and Rebekah appeared.

2. Jacob wrestled and prayed, and Esau's mind was turned from twenty years of revenge.

3. Moses prayed, and Amalek was struck.

4. Hannah prayed, and Samuel was born; and her enemy, Peninah was confounded.

5. Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed, and in twelve hours one hundred eighty-five thousand Assyrians were slain.

6. Elijah prayed, and there were three years of drought; he prayed again, and the rain came. 

PRAYER CHANGES THE WAY GOD ACTS. 

The practice of prayer has:

• Brought forth water from a baked rock in a trackless desert (Moses),

• Split the waters of the Jordan (Elijah, Elisha and Joshua),

• Subdued the strength of fire (three Hebrews),

• It has bridled the rage of lions (Daniel),

• Hushed the anarchy of the Egyptian mob (Moses),

• Extinguished the terrors of wars (Hezekiah on Sennacherib),

• Calmed the raging storms (Christ),

• Expelled the occupation of demons (Paul on girl of Philippi),

• Burst the chains of death (Elijah, Peter, Paul & Christ ),

• Unlocked the doors of prisons (Peter by the saints),

• Expanded the borders of the Kingdom (Lord of harvest, laborers ),

• Cut short the ravages of disease (Peter for Dorcas),

• Exposed fakes (Peter on Ananias & Saphira),

• Saved cities from destruction (Jonah on Ninevah),

• Held the Sun in the sky (Joshua at Gibeon),

• Dried the skies of rain (Elijah on Ahab).

Prayer is...

• An all sufficient supply of power,

• An endless vein of treasures to be mined,

• An overflowing spring that never runs dry,

• A glorious view of heaven that can never be obscured,

• A place of peace never invaded and

• A fountain of blessing never exhausted!

GOD RESPONDS TO PRAYER

Be An Original...Well, An Original Copy! (Part 4)

The preacher's name was Jerry D. Black; he looked, in my view, nothing like he'd sound.  He appeared as a thin, straight-haired, pretty-boy, middle-age guy with hazel eyes. But as he stood in the pulpit, I was immediately struck by his baritone-bass voice, coupled with his role in the service.  He seemed to inadvertently direct the choir, the band and the entire experience flowed at his direction.  He possessed a perfect blend of a country/city preacher. He was clearly intellectual, but also emotive and 'down-home.'. I would find out years later that he grew up in the back hills of Arkansas, and actually got his start as a church musician, and then became a prominent preacher, coming to Atlanta some years later. It all made perfect sense - he had the gifts to touch both head and heart. With all of the energy, detail and effort that was dedicated to the worship experience, everyone seemed to know that the central purpose  was to hear the preaching of the Word of God.  Jerry Black, the preacher, read from Luke chapter 13, the story of a woman bowed down for eighteen years and encountered Christ and eventually healed.  He titled the message that morning, "The Crooked Made Straight.". As he preached, I began to alternate between the hats of being a young teenage Christian and a student of preaching.  I could be biased, but I will say that I've heard Jerry D. Black many times since that day, but on that occasion he seemed to be in rare form.  Actually, that has been the only time, even now, I can recall a preacher literally shouting while preaching. He preached.  Clearly, whatever insults we young preachers made to Rev. Miller and my father behind their backs, it was all worth it.  As we climbed back in the van to head back home to Corpus Christi, we were all quiet, some even crying.  We were simply blown away, as probably some young basketball novice who would see MJ for the first time on court.  As we returned, I had determined in my heart and mind that I would certainly follow in MLK, Jr. and Miller's footsteps, and attend Morehouse College. (More on that later!)

As a sophomore in high school, my Dad took myself, along with his other preachers, to the Prairie View A & M's Minister's Conference.  I was most excited about hearing G. E. Patterson, who had been slated to speak at the banquet. Unfortunately, he did not show!  Imagine my heartbreak...  Nonetheless, I had some very good experiences there at the conference.  Most notable was being introduced to the preaching of William D. Watley, among others.  It was my first real experience of seeing preaching across denominational lines.  It was still good preaching, nonetheless.  On Tuesday night of the conference we played hooky and traveled with Rev. Miller to Brookhollow Baptist Church, aka 'The Church Without Walls.'. It was a midweek service, but I never will forget being on the Bingle location campus, remarking how many people were there. In fact, it wasn't just a lot of people for a midweek; it was just a lot of people!  The worship was exciting and alive, led by V. Michael McKay.  Then the pastor, Ralph D. West (a guy who I remember seeing at the Prairie View conference, seeming to be a little cocky) took the stage. I'd never heard of him before, but everyone seemed to listen to his every word. Admittedly, I wasn't impressed. No one, including myself, would have ever thought that he would one day be my most favorite preachers in the world. I was there to hear Charles Boothe!!!  Finally, after that 'West guy' was done 'talking', Charles Boothe was up.  Again, he had preached. I would later hear him at the conference later that week.  I seemed to be in my element when listening to the message of the preacher. Somehow, I loved the emotional side, but my should leaped in the content the way many leap at the 'close'.  Needless to say, I really connected at that conference, and was enriched by the experience.

During my junior year in high school, I never will forget that our city hosted our national convention's mid-winter board.  This was a great experience for me because I would finally get to see all of these preaching legends I had heard for years on tape.  James Dixon (who had grown to be a favorite of mine) was there, the Sampson boys (F.D., Asa, etc) were all there, along with C. L. Harvey and Isadore Edwards.  All of these guys had different styles, but by then I had grown to appreciate them all.  No vivid memories stand out, aside from one night when I was at home.  Rev. Miller insisted my Dad make contact with me to be at the meeting that night in the general session.  Miller conveyed the message, and my Dad co-signed and agreed, that I wouldn't want to miss the preacher.  It is ironic, as I reflect...after arriving there, the preacher Miller and my father were insistent upon me hearing, I had heard once.  It was L.K.Curry, the Chicago preacher I had heard years before that played a part in starting everything!  The one who preached on being inadequate and an underachiever.  As I sat there in the back of this packed house, this guy's presence was simply vintage.  He even 'looked' like a preacher.  I never will forget he had on a nice black, 3-button suit, a white shirt, a grey satin-looking tie and a white handkerchief.  As soon as he spoke, I made the instant connection.  Interestingly, I didn't really want to be there that night! But Miller, who was like a father figure to me and had been such a blessing to me as a young preacher, let alone my Dad's instruction, I was there out of respect.  I must admit that I don't remember his text, but I remember the title of Curry's message was 'Divine Closure'.  I remember him telling the story of being a little boy when his mother passed; and that as others were wailing the death of this young woman, he sat there in quiet content and peace, knowing that his mother was in good hands and safe keeping. He said that he unknowingly had 'Divine Closure.'. Again...Miller, nor my father, steered me wrong.  That one message has gone into the archives as one I continually replay through the virtual IPod of my mind. 

Be An Original...Well, An Original Copy! (Part 3)

On the night of my Trial Sermon, I was very nervous.  I had remarked to my older brother, Keith, as we sat in my father's study that I was scared.  He, being a young up and coming sax player in the church world told me that fear is merely Satan's attempt to neutralize my faith, and cause me to move away and turn back.  He said that it is okay to be nervous, not afraid. I've never forgotten his admonishment and advice.  As I walked out...I couldn't believe how many people were there.  Everyone seemed to be there.  J.R. Miller was there, along with many of my uncles, including my Dad's brother, Lloyd A. Pullam. Cleophus J. LaRue, Harold T. Branch and most of the local pastors were present.  It wasn't until years later that I realized that their presence there was not only because of me, but more out of support and esteem for my father.  It speaks volumes to me, even now.  I shall never forget, after preaching, Dr. Joe. S. Ratliff, of the Brentwood Church, in Houston, mailed me a book on ministry and preaching, along with a note of encouragement.  To this day, I still have that note and book somewhere in my library.  After preaching, I can vividly remember something Harold T. Branch said to me.  He said, 'Son, the greatest gift God has given you, after the cross..., is your mind.'. I didnt know if this was a generic, hyperbolic statement that Dr. Branch gave to every young preacher he would come across, but that is what he said to me.  And while his words seemed minuscule to my 15-year old mind, I remembered, and ran with it!  I remember my dad raised an offering for the church that night.  He said that the offering would be used to build my library and for the sole purpose of 'sharpening my ax.'. I never will forget that the offering was $347.00!!!  My first purchases from that offering were A Broadman Commentary Set and a Thompson Chain Study Bible.  My father also encouraged me to purchase a concordance, bible dictionary and a few other books for my fledgling library.  He also did something else. With the little money I had left, he took me to the bank, and made me open up an account. My first check was my tithe check!  

After preaching that night, my aunt 'Renee' (who was a member of the prestigious Antioch Church of San Antonio) said that she thought I would love a preacher who came on BET on Thursdays by the name of Frank M. Reid.  She was right; I DID!  For me, Reid became (after my father and Miller) my first real model for preaching. He definitely became my first portable preaching seminary.  From his demeanor in the pulpit to his preaching style, to his close....it all seemed planned though spirit filled.  His preaching changed years later; but I really fell in love with his preaching from the mid-nineties to early 2000's.  I loved it because I could SEE him preach, juxtaposed to all the guys I had only heard via tapes.

Several years later, Rev. J.R. Miller, who attended Morehouse, got word that some of us were curious about attending Morehouse one day.  So...one summer, he and my father drove us young preachers into a church van and took us to Atlanta.  Man....up to that point, I had never seen a city like that, in that way.  Miller took us by Salem Baptist Church (all of us wanted to see the place where Jasper Williams preached!). At that time, prior to the emergence of T.D. Jakes....Jasper Williams was the go-to guy in black preaching.  We also had a chance to go by Rev. Miller's home church there, Antioch. We met his college Pastor, Dr. Cameron Alexander, and was able to tour his church facility. That was my first up close encounter with a church that ran like a full-fledged business.  I can still remember seeing so many people, and being amazed that so many people were at church, in professional attire, working in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week.  

We also had a chance to go by the Atlanta malls, see the sights and the girls, and also ran into TLC, a girl-singing group.  They were walking through the mall, without a crowd or entourage.  It was just after one of the group's member, Left Eye, had burned down her boyfriend's house in an Atlanta suburb.  After noticing we were following them, I never will forget Left Eye remarking I was cute.  I guess she meant as a little boy, but for some reason I thought she was trying to get a date.  I had to let everyone know that Chili was my girl, and that was it.

That Sunday, for some reason, my father and Rev. Miller didn't take us to Salem, where we wanted to go.  We were very upset, but he promised us we would not be disappointed.  This was my first test in taking Miller at his word, when it came to preaching.  We were ALL upset, to say the least. He took us to a Beulah Baptist Church.  I will never forget that as we drove up to this school-looking church, people were running to get into church.  Though the church was packed, Rev. Miller had an old classmate who was a member there, who had arranged for all of us to sit together towards the front.  What I experienced next....far exceeded what I had heard as a little boy on that golden-looking tape......(To Be Continued)

Be An Original...well, An Original Copy! (Part 1)

Prior to entering ministry, I was a very unusual child.  My parents were avid attendees on the convention scene, especially their beloved National Baptist Convention of America.  My father thought it strange (though I didn't know it at the time) that I, as early as 8 or 9 years of age, would ask him to bring me tapes of the preachers at these conventions.  He would!  At that age, I would listen to the preaching of Asa Sampson, Gardner C. Taylor, Isadore Edwards, E.K. Bailey, A. Louis Patterson, Jr., Terry Anderson, Albert Chew, Manuel Scott, Sr. and many others.  Early on, I somehow knew these guys were the best at their craft.  Early on, I became struck by the oratorical ability of many of these preachers.  Little did I know that my father apparently didn't bring me the hooping giants; but those preachers who seemed to harness within me a singular appreciation for the content of the message.  To this day, I do not know if it was intentional or not. I seem to think it was unintentional since, even now, one of my Dad's favorite preachers is A. L. Patterson, Jr.  Nonetheless, I studied these guys, wrote out their words and often memorized their styles, expressions and words. This, at some point, led do a desire to learn more.  I remember wanting to write down the words I heard from Patterson, Bailey and especially M.V. Wade...until finally, I saved up enough money to get a dictionary.  I would learn them, and study those words. One day it dawned on me that I needed a thesaurus!  

At 10 or 11, I was heavily into Martin Luther King, Jr. Admittedly, I was more in tune with his oratory and charisma than I was the understanding of his cause among the plight of my people, at that time.  His words seemed to flow and just roll, like an art form of sorts.  He heavily reminded me of Gardner Taylor, but a younger, sharper version.  At some point I learned that they were colleagues in ministry and the Civil Rights movement.  

During all of this, I was unknowingly exposed to some of the best preaching through my father's pulpit ministry.  While my father was not an oratorical or hooping heavyweight, I would discover in college that he was a homiletical genius! I later realized he is one of the best teachers when it comes to sermon structure, delivery, simple communication, pulpit decorum and pastoral preaching.  His good friend, Rev. J. R. Miller, was also a huge influence on my preaching ministry.  I'm convinced that Rev. Miller was and is not only one of the best there is in preaching; but, like Kobe Bryant, he knows his craft like it is a natural instinct.  I have always believed him to be able to stand on the same stages as all of the aforementioned preachers, with ease. In fact, he has!  We as young preachers, looked to him as young basketball novices look to MJ. My Dad and Rev. Miller would often have Dr. Joe Samuel Ratliff to Corpus Christi to preach.  Instantly, he became one of my favorites.  He seemed to entail the oratory, the charisma, simplicity, intellect combined with a Pentecostal yet religio-conservative touch.  I didn't realize until many years later that Ratliff did this by intention, but simply made it seem like it was second nature.  As I reflect, I think of many preaching giants in my own world who influenced my life and later preaching: Cleophus LaRue, my uncles (Joel A. Ward, Monty Francis and Lloyd A. Pullam), my grandfather in ministry, Rev. A. L. Kennon.  Other influences were Harold Branch (the younger brother of E. Stanley Branch) and H. C. Dilworth, who heavily influenced J. R. Miller, my Dad, Cleophus LaRue and many others.  

At the age of 12 or so, I remember our city had a citywide Spring Break revival, held at my Dad's church.  They brought to town a young preacher, Gary Scott.  He sort of reminded me of Ratliff, but was also a little like Rev. Miller...but also had a voice and could sing.  I liked him a lot; but that was also a red flag for me.  I said to myself, "I can't do that!". This somehow stuck in my mind.  I had not earthly idea that the enemy of my soul was beginning to work in my mind then through comparison, feelings of inferiority and even fear.  Simultaneously, I remember one day going through my Dad's tape collection, when I came across a shiny, golden-looking tape.  (Whether this was a divine appointment or a scheme of Satan working in a little boy who shouldn't have been snooping through his Dad's stuff, I don't know). I went to my room, put that shiny golden tape from a place called 'Salem Baptist Church' in 'Atlanta,GA' with a message entitled 'Who's The Greatest' by a preacher with an equally shiny name as that cassette tape, "Jasper Williams.". And what I heard next literally floored me....this is a long blog, I'll have to continue with a part 2! Stay tuned...

God is Faithful

I am currently in the process of reading Ray Pritchard's 'The God you can Trust.' In it Pritchard seeks to unmask the theological query many of us tend to grapple with as it relates to the reliance and providence of the very things that devastate our heart and leave us looking for answers - what can we trust? More specifically, we are lead to explore Whom we trust!? When an expectant mother rushes to the ER and gives birth unexpectedly to a stillborn; when a healthy Christian seeking to devote her life to missions goes for her annual checkup only to be informed that cancer is riveting her physical anatomy and she can expect to live, at most, the next three months alive. Or...when a devoted husband of two is delivered divorce papers, and later told by his wife of 20 years that she has fallen in love with his best friend. Inevitably...we are called to examine the extreme elements of our trust.

Of course, Pritchard's theme and thesis points to conclude the inevitable reality that the answer to life's queries are in God and God alone. I am convinced that God, in and through His Word, is teaching me the importance of ministering efficiently and effectively to beleivers who are struggling to 'hold on to their faith in the midst of confusing circumstances, unexplainable tragedy, and their own foolish mistakes'. Charles Haddon Spurgeon is noted to have said in his lecture series to his students that our preaching should strive to minister to those that are hurting. He says that if they minister to them that hurt they will always have captive audience.

Obviously the same is true today! People are hurting. People are struggling. And unfortunately, many false leaders have gone to the extreme and have begun to incorrectly minister to the struggling masses by feeding them placebo (candy) and spiritual lolipops that will only appease them temporarily and superficially. This concerns me; but it also strengthens my faith, in knowing that God's Word is faithful and true. We are seeing a true manifestation of a generation that 'will not endure sound doctrine' and those who have 'itching ears'.

My prayer for those who are my comrades in faith and ministry is that they (you), whether leading 50 or 5000, will remain faithful to the One Who remains so faithful to us. I concur with Pritchard, He is a God we can verily and surely trust!