In Anchorage, Alaska; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta,
Texas; Abilene, Texas; Akron, Ohio; Altoona, Pennsylvania; Allentown, Pennsylvania;
Amarillo, Texas; Asheville, North Carolina; Atlantic City, New Jersey;
Augusta, Maine; and Austin, Texas.
In Baltimore, Maryland; Bangor, Maine; Barbados, West Indies; Baton
Rouge, Louisiana; Beaumont, Texas; Bemidji, Minnesota; Benton Harbor, Michigan;
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Billings, Montana; Binghamton, New York; Birmingham,
Alabama; Bloomington, Illinois; Bloomington, Indiana; Boise, Idaho; Boston,
Massachusetts; Bradenton, Florida; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Brownsville,
Texas; Buffalo, New York; Burlington, North Carolina
In Casper; Wyoming; Carbondale, Illinois; Canton, Ohio; Cedar Rapids,
Iowa; Champaign, Illinois; Charleston, South Carolina; Charleston, West
Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Cheyenne,
Wyoming; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Cedar Lake, Indiana; Cleveland,
Ohio; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Columbia, South Carolina; Columbus, Georgia;
Columbus, Ohio; and Corpus Christi, Texas.
In Dallas, Texas; Danville, Virginia; Danville, Illinois; Dayton, Ohio;
Daytona Beach, Florida; Decatur; Illinois; Decatur; Georgia; Denver; Colorado;
Des Moines, Iowa; Detroit, Michigan; Dothan, Alabama; Dubuque, Iowa; Durham,
North Carolina; and Durango, Colorado.
In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Elkhart, Indiana; Elmira, New York; El
Paso, Texas; Erie, Pennsylvania; Eugene, Oregon; Evansville, Indiana; and
Evanston, Illinois.
In Fairbanks, Alaska; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Fayetteville, North Carolina;
Flagstaff, Arizona; Flint, Michigan; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Ft. Worth,
Texas; Ft. Smith, Arkansas; Ft. Sill, Oklahoma; Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Fredericton,
New Brunswick, Canada; and Fresno, California.
In Gainesville, Florida; Gainesville, Texas; Goose Creek, Texas; Grand
Bahamas; Grand Junction, Colorado; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Greensboro,
North Carolina; Greenville, Texas; Greenville, Mississippi; Greenville,
South Carolina; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
In Hammond, Indiana; Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada; Harlingen, Texas; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Hartford, Connecticut;
Honolulu, Hawaii; Hollywood, Florida; Houston, Texas; Huntsville, Texas;
Huntsville, Alabama; and Huntington, West Virginia.
In Indianapolis, Indiana; Islamorada, Florida; Iowa City, Iowa; Irving,
Texas; Ingram, Texas; Italy, Texas; and Itasca, Texas. In Jackson,
Mississippi; Jackson, Tennessee; Jacksonville, Florida; Jacksonville, Texas;
Johnson City; Tennessee; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; Joplin, Missouri; Jacksonville,
North Carolina; Jasper; Alabama; Jacksboro, Texas; Jacinto City, Texas;
Jasper; Texas; Jefferson, Texas; Jasper; Indiana; and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
In Kahului, Hawaii, Kalamazoo, Michigan; Kansas City, Missouri; Kansas
City, Kansas; Kinston, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Kokomo, Indiana;
Karnack, Texas; Kaufman, Texas; Knox, Indiana; Kilgore, Texas; Kernersville,
North Carolina; and Kankakee, Illinois.
In La Crosse, Wisconsin; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Lansing, Michigan;
Lancaster; Pennsylvania; Laramie, Wyoming; Laredo, Texas; Las Vegas, Nevada;
Lincoln, Nebraska; Little Rock, Arkansas; London, Ontario, Canada; Long
Beach, California; Long Island, New York; Longview, Texas; Los Angeles,
California; Louisville, Kentucky; Lewisville, Texas; Lubbock, Texas; and
Lynchburg, Virginia.
In Nashville, Tennessee; Naples, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Newark, New
Jersey; New London, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; New York, New York;
Norfolk, Virginia; Newport News, Virginia; North Chicago, Illinois; North
Aurora, Illinois; New Boston, Texas; Nederland, Texas; Niagara Falls, New
York.
In Oakland, California; Odessa, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Omaha,
Nebraska; Ontario, California; Ontario, Canada; Orange County, California;
Orlando, Florida; Oak Forest, Illinois; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Ottawa, Kansas;
Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Oxnard, California; Ottawa, Canada; Olney, Illinois;
Olney, Texas; Orange, Texas; Oak Park, Illinois; Oak Lawn, Illinois; and
Ottawa, Illinois.
In Paducah, Kentucky; Palm Beach, Florida; Panama City, Florida; Pensacola,
Florida; Parkersburg, West Virginia; Pasco, Washington; Pascagoula, Mississippi;
Peoria, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philipsburg, Pennsylvania;
Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburg, Texas; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Port Arthur;
Texas; Portland, Maine; Portland, Oregon; Poughkeepsie, New York; Powell,
Tennessee; Pueblo, Colorado; and Port Huron, Michigan.
In Raleigh, North Carolina; Rapid City, South Dakota; Redding, California;
Reno, Nevada; Richmond, Indiana; Richmond, Texas; Roanoke, Virginia; Rochester;
New York; Rockford, Illinois; Rock Island, Illinois; Rock Springs, Wyoming;
and Rowlett, Texas; Rockwall, Texas; Rockaway Beach, Missoun.
In Sacramento, California; Saginaw, Michigan; St. John, New Brunswick,
Canada; St. Joseph, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; St. Paul, Minnesota;
St. Petersburg, Florida; Salisbury, Maryland; Salt Lake City, Utah; San
Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; San Jose,
California; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Sarasota, Florida; Sarnia, Ontario,
Canada; Savannah, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Sheridan, Wyoming; Shreveport,
Louisiana; Sioux City, Iowa; South Bend, Indiana; Springfield, Illinois;
Springfield, Missouri; Springfield, Massachusetts; State College, Pennsylvania;
Stockton, California; and Syracuse, New York.
In Tacoma, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Temple,
Texas; Terre Haute, Indiana; Texarkana, Texas; Texarkana, Arkansas; Texas
City, Texas; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Tucson, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma;
and Tyler; Texas.
In Urbana, Illinois; Utica, New York; University Park, Texas; and Uvalde,
Texas.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Vale, Colorado; Vicksburg, Mississippi;
Victoria, Texas; Visalia, California; Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; and Vincennes,
Indiana.
In Washington, D.C.; Waco, Texas; Watertown, Wisconsin; Waterloo, Iowa;
West Palm Beach, Florida; White Plains, New York; Wichita, Kansas; Wichita
Falls, Texas; Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, North Carolina; Windsor;
Ontario, Canada; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Winston-Salem, North Carolina;
Winona Lake, Indiana; and West Hollywood, Florida.
In Youngstown, Ohio; York, Pennsylvania; and Yuma, Arizona, and in many
other cities, villages, towns, hamlets, neighborhoods and countrysides
across the United States I have preached the blessed truths of God's Word.
In addition, I have opened His Word and preached from it in many foreign
countries.
In December of 1985 I preached my 43,000th sermon (as of March 2000
- 66,000). It seems that with the passing of each year I feel I know less
about preaching. This is because perhaps I have learned more. With the
opening of every door; there are many more doors to open; with the exploring
of every cave, there are many more caves to explore; with the climbing
of each height, there are many more heights to climb; and with the plunging
into each depth, there are many more depths in which to plunge.
The first little church that I pastored had 19 members. The church which
I now pastor has tens of thousands of members. The smallest crowd to which
I have ever preached was seven. Now each Sunday I have the responsibility
of preaching to thousands at the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana.
During these 43,000 times I have represented my Saviour before His people
and before those who know Him not. I have observed some things. Some of
these I have remembered. Some of the remembered ones I share with the reader
in this sincere effort to be a help to God's servants and those who speak
for Him.
I make no attempt at being original. I have often said that the definition
of leadership is, "One who goes from follower to follower collecting ideas,
compiles them, puts them in a book and sells a copy to each follower."
It has been my privilege for many years to travel the length and breadth
of my country. I have met many men of God who have influenced me in my
preaching. I have collected from them ideas and methods, and now I have
compiled them. I share them with you, my readers.
Someone has said that preaching is pouring back in a flood what you
receive from the audience in a vapor. Thank you for the vapor. I trust
that you are refreshed, and blessed and helped by the flood.
