Speaking @ Greater Starlight in Los Angeles

It is kind of late. And I am very tired. But I am still trying to wind down from preaching tonight.

I brought the closing message tonight at a three-night revival meeting held at the Greater Starlight Baptist Church here in Los Angeles, where Prentiss Lewis serves at pastor. Local pastors, Xaviar Thomas and Welton Pleasant, spoke the first two nights of the meeting.

I have preached for Pastor Lewis at Greater Starlight many times over the years. In fact, I think Greater Starlight is the only place, outside of Mt. Sinai, where I have repeated a message. I have preached there so often, I really don't remember all the messages I delivered there.

Over the years, I have found Greater Starlight to be a place where I feel free to preach my heart.  I preach a lot of places where I feel "setting pressure," not knowing what is appropriate or helpful to preach. I often find it difficult to prepare for many places that I go.  So tonight was just really refreshing for me. There was a message on my heart to preach - a message that I don't feel I could preach many places outside of my own congregation. And I just went for it tonight. And they took it. And received it. It was very encouraging to me. I pray that much fruit will come from the ministry of the word this week at Greater Starlight.

I think I was rambling pretty bad in that previous paragraph. And I am not sure if what I was saying was clear. But I guess the bottom-line is that I really felt tonight was a "in season" (2 Tim. 4:2) time and place for preaching. And I just had a wonderful night in worship and the word with Pastor Lewis and Greater Starlight. And I praise God for it.

Happiness is... coming home late from a service or meeting and Crystal has left the light on for me. It usually means that she tried to stay up for me to get home but was too tired to stay awake. It's a simple thing. But it really makes me feel loved. And it is one of the 1,000 little things Crystal does that cause me to keep falling in love with her.