Church | Kraig Lowell Pullam

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28 Sep 2019

Three Years in Retrospect

My blogs have been few and far between these days.

I could not go into another Lord’s Day without chronicling the past Lord’s Day celebration. Last week, God blessed us to celebrate three years together as Pastor and People at the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.

I am beyond grateful for the People of Shiloh!!!

The journey thus far has been joyful, amid the natural challenges any congregation experienced along the way. I am sure I have said it more than once – that I have never fathomed Pastoring in Ft. Worth, let alone a church like SMBC. This is not a negative notion at all; but just one of life’s curve balls providentially thrown in my direction. In just one example, my father and mother have been married for over 51 years. She was only 16; and he was 19 years of age. God forbid something should ever happen to my father first. But I contend that no sane man, in his right mind, could ever realistically fill the shoes of a man who has so met the challenge, that I have never even seen my mother pump gasoline into a tank. In like manner, no aspiring young preacher (who has any sense) would initially dream of following a Pastor who has literally set the bar and pastored one congregation for 57 years. It can almost seem that he is doomed for failure. I have always said that this is a recipe for disaster; and that any preacher who does it is a fool. But God….

Three years ago I didn’t know what to expect. It is often said that, at a good church, it will take a leader 5 to 7 years to become THE PASTOR. That is at a good church. While many laypeople are taken aback by this notion, it is actually true. I have yet to determine if that number is greater when considering the tenure of my predecessor. My greatest challenge was trying to get settled while also learning the people and my environment. The culture was changing at Shiloh. Unfortunately, as the new guy, I didn’t know it. It took me some time to learn my congregation, her history, the people who comprise our church, the issues, the strengths, the weaknesses, along with how I fit into making our congregation better; and grow and move forward. In fact, it has taken me three years!!!

In the first three years, the major challenge for me has been patience, by far. God has done a major job on me in the area of just being patient – with myself and even with others. More than this….others being patient with me. The people of Shiloh have been patient with me. With any given (and new) relationship, what keeps us going and flourishing is our love for Christ and our love for one another. We are forever called to love one another; and I pray each day that we walk together until we realize God’s vision for us together.

It is always refreshing to have my friend Rev. Parish Lowery and our sister church, Greater Friendship MBC with us for Pre-Anniversary; and my father with us on Anniversary Sunday. They both did a stellar job of sharing with us God’s Word.

How I thank the Lord for Brenda Jordan, who chaired our celebration this year. The tributes each week were inspiring and touching; and my wife and I enjoyed going through and reading the wonderful notes and seeing the gifts and expressions given by the Shiloh members. It was beyond encouraging.

My personality is always upbeat. But on the day of the celebration I was overwhelmed by who wasn’t there in the room with us. My Uncle, Rev. Lloyd A. Pullam, went home to be with the Lord this past May. He is the one who told me about Shiloh. He was very proud of my being called there. And he is the one who assured me that Shiloh was a good church; and would become great one day once I had ‘a few funerals.’ I miss him so very much. And I shall never forget the seeds he planted in my even realizing the plan God has for me for the remainder of my ministry.

If there are any members of Shiloh who may read this…I LOVE YOU!!! I thank you for your support; and I cherish your prayers and your presence. The best is truly yet to come!!!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Leadership, Pastoring, Uncategorized

14 May 2019

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Sunday Reflections

God be praised for another Lord’s Day, on Mother’s Day!

While it has been quite some time since I’ve last blogged, my schedule has moved at a quicker pace. When first arriving at Shiloh in September of 2016, I would tell people that I expected things to slow down and get back to ‘normal’ within the coming year. 2016 has come and gone; and so has 2017 and 2018. Now I have come to accept the rapid speed as my new normal.

I love it!

As a consequence, my prayer life has intensified. My devotional formation has become the staple of my entire bent toward sanity. With a growing congregation, growing sons and a 19+ year marriage….how I thank God for this journey!

Our Sunday began with continental breakfast with Mom’s! A couple of our members, Roberta Sherman and Sharon Jones, led the way in making this fellowship a success. They went over and above in showing love and appreciation to all of our mothers.

The 2nd Sunday of each month is our Children and Youth Sunday. The children, youth and young adults led us in worship; and also did a special presentation for the mother’s present.

I made an attempt to share from Deuteronomy 32:11-12 and entitled the message “Parenting Like an Eagle”. I am one of the preachers who would consider Mother’s Day one of the hardest days to preach. Since I’ve been pastoring, I have always looked back on Mother’s Day, wishing I had done a better job with the sermon. While I had difficulty in the delivery of the sermon, I do think I communicated the truth contained in the text; and believe God’s people were ultimately helped. I am grateful for the family who came forward to become a part of our congregation. The Lord is about to expand Shiloh in ways we have never seen. I am humbled and honored that He would allow me to be in the midst of what He is about to do!

It is an honor to lead God’s people; and it is an even greater honor to Pastor and Shepherd a people I love, and enjoy being around. I am well aware that the Lord did not have to lead me to a place such as Shiloh. I don’t take it for granted; and I pray that God continues to sustain us, expand us and keep us together.

I am looking forward to taking a break within the next few weeks. Praying for all students who are closing out this school year; and for teachers who are preparing for a short time of rest and renewal.

Posted in Church, Church Life, Pastoring, Preaching, Sermon, Uncategorized and tagged flock, Reflections, Shiloh

09 Feb 2018

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January in Retrospect

God be praised for 2018! And thank Him fully for the Month of January.

January began COLD in North Texas. After a festive Christmas enjoyed by family, the last Sunday of December left many parishioners our way at home. I left home that Sunday morning at 8:40am; and arrived at church at 10am…. considering Shiloh is approximately 15 miles from my home, the timeframe gives light on how much ice was on the road. Interestingly, I did not expect anyone to show up; and yet we had a good number. Because of the inclement weather, we had to cancel our New Year’s Eve service for 5pm. Nevertheless, we entered 2018 grateful because we did not receive any reports of accidents from our members or family.

In the second week of January, we began to gear up for the installation of my brother, Rev. Kevin Lanier Pullam, at Fort Worth’s Pleasant Mt. Gilead Baptist Church, in the historic Como area of our city. While our schedules have limited our personal time together, I am extremely elated to not only have he and our sister, LaTonya, in town; but to have him as leader of a church many of us have grown to know and love. PMG installed him in a grand fashion; and God’s providential plan for both Pastor and People coming together were evident and clear. I am praying for days and years of fruitful and productive ministry.

On the 14th of January, I presented my first Vision Plan to our congregation. It is a 20 page document that entails my vision for 2018, a short synopsis of where we’ve been, proposed budget and important dates for the year, along with speakers and our annual focus. I was glad to see the Vision Plan warmly received by our people.

Beginning the 22nd of January, a couple of ministers were able to travel with the president of our national convention, Dr. Samuel Tolbert, and Dr. G. V. Clark (my state president) for both a cohort with President Tolbert and also as a delegation to the midwinter board of the Progressive National Convention. It served for us as a busy week. However, the convention and our work was held in Nassau, Bahamas. What a place to do the work of ministry. This time really gave us an opportunity to hear the vision of Dr. Tolbert; gain some leadership nuggets and wisdom from both he and Dr. Clark; and also a refreshing time to fellowship with the other pastors, Rev. Kennedy Young and Rev. Ricki Ferrell.

I came back home with helpful insights on how to enhance my own ministry and leadership; and also grateful to have met some great people in Progressive; and also the Rev. Jesse Jackson, whom they honored in one of their services.

During the last week of January, I journeyed to Austin, Texas to serve as evangelist for the Stewardship Institute at Mt. Zion MBC. Incidentally, Dr. George Clark is the pastor there. Again, I was humbled and grateful for the opportunity to not only preach on the subject of stewardship for 3 nights; but just to fellowship and spend time with Dr. Clark. Pastor Clark is 86 years of age; but he is one of the most innovative, energetic, wise and disciplined men I have ever known. As an extra bonus…he was very good friends with my Shiloh predecessor, Pastor Albert Chew, Jr. I love hearing the stories of Rev. Chew told from his friends and family; because it’s the closest I can get to a man who left me the mantle of leadership in such a place as Shiloh. Since I never knew him personally, it makes me feel like I know him for myself.

I am grateful for a wife and a church who daily entrust me with the wisdom to discern when I need to stay, and when I must go and do ministry. I think the Lord has always given me discretion in the Pastorate to discern when I need to be home; and when I need to spread my wings. I am also thankful for accountability partners who keep things in perspective for me; when I am away and wish to be home. I have literally seen the results of some of the sacrifices I made in late 2016 and 2017 as a new pastor. At this juncture, Shiloh is stronger than I anticipated it would be at this point, with us together as Pastor and People.

I am praying for wisdom, help and anointing as we continue to move forward and move ahead in ministry. Thankful to have a couple of weeks at home before I am away again.

I would love to hear from you. If this blog is a blessing to you, please share with others. Blessings!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Leadership, Pastoring, Preaching, Social Life, Spiritual Formation and tagged Clark, Convention, Ferrell, Kennedy, NBCA, PNBC, Tolbert

01 May 2017

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Sunday Reflections

There is some level of difficulty in coming to terms with the fact that I haven’t blogged since January of this year. Notwithstanding, my time has been well-spent, amid the pressing demands of life, family and ministry. I officially moved to Dallas/Fort Worth on September the 1st; preaching my first sermon as the Pastor of Shiloh MBC/Ft. Worth on September the 25th. Little did I know, when arriving, the psychological, emotional and physical challenge my quick move would ensue upon me as a husband, father and pastor. While trying to make adjustments and get settled…life and ministry never stopped. Because I burned no bridges during my transition, and the love was strong with relationships we had left in Houston and a beloved congregation in Victoria, I found myself emotionally drained (and even confused) at times. And then, after the sixth (6) month, around March or shortly thereafter…I felt myself and things getting back to normal. Or should I say…my “New normal”! For about a month now, I am developing a system that works for me; and have set boundaries and priories for me to get things done in my new role as the Pastoral Leader of our great church. In so doing, I have found the time I need for personal development, spiritual formation, daily physical exercise and, most importantly, private devotion. I thank the Lord for my loving wife and our boys who have never complained about the move’ and who have shown support for this calling upon OUR lives. I’m so excited and elated to see what the Lord will do in this new work. Admittedly…because I have seen the vision of what the Lord is leading us to…it is quite overwhelming to see HOW He will bring the vision to pass. But I know the the Lord works best in people who realize they cannot do it without Him.

Last week, I JUMPED into the Book of Revelation, and finally developed the spiritual guts to do an exposition through Revelations 2 – 3, on the 7 Churches. Revelation has always been an intimidating book to me, as it is to most preachers. It is so full of imagery, prophecy, correction, confrontation, sporadic shifts and the like. In 23 years of preaching (preaching about 960 times) , I am pretty sure I’ve never preached from the book of Revelation, even once. Interestingly, it is the one book in scripture that the Lord promises to bless those who read it. So here we are.

Here is an outline of last week’s sermon…

When the Thrill is Gone

Revelation 2:1-7

I. COMMENDATION OF THINGS DONE WELL

a. It was a devoted church (Verse2)
”I know your works.”

b. It is a disciplined church ”could not bear those who were evil.” (verse 2)

c. It is a discerning church
‘you have tested those who say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars…” (verse 2)

d. It is a determined church (verse 3)

II. CRITICISM OF WHAT’S GONE WRONG
(Verse 4)

III. COUNSEL ON HOW TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT
(Verses 5-7)

REMEMBER
REPENT
REPEAT

Here is today’s sermon outline…

When Life Gets Rough

Revelation 2:8-11

I. GOD IS BIGGER THAN OUR CIRCUMSTANCES

He is the Lasting One
He is the Living One

II. GOD KNOWS WHERE WE ARE

He Knows Our Tribulation
He Knows our Poverty
He Knows the Slander (Verse 9)

III. GOD MAKES A PROMISE TO US IN OUR SUFFERING

1. Expect It

2. Don’t be scared

THE REASON FOR SUFFERING
THE RESTRAINT OF SUFFERING
THE REWARD OF SUFFERING

Ultimately, I believe God was pleased. The mood of both churches is quite different. One deals with a loss of love while the other affirms a promise of suffering and the truth of victory. While it is heavy stuff, I’m convinced that not only is expositional preaching the best preaching method of stretching a church; it is God’s method for stretching the preacher. It is my hope to continue, and conclude this series by the first of the summer. I am spending this first year getting to know the people of Shiloh, familiarize myself with the community, and gradually present my style and form of leadership, administration and things in between. Truly grateful for gradual, rather than impulsive, growth. My brother, Kevin, has said ‘if it grows fast, it blows fast!’ I concur! So I am humbled by the work God has assigned to my hands; and I am praying now on His leading and directing us to build that TEAM that will surround the vision He has given to execute His plan for Shiloh. Please keep us in your prayers. I am fully aware that this is no small feat. God is able!

How was your Sunday? What was preacher? I pray you have a great week. Blessings!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Pastoring, Preaching, Sermon, Spiritual Formation, Teaching and tagged fort worth, revelation, Shiloh

02 Feb 2016

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Sunday in Review

2577006675_b5dd38dca6 God be praised for a great Lord’s Day!

Our weekend began with a very powerful and encouraging time with our church family and guests at our 2nd annual prayer breakfast. The event is purposefully internal, with our members encouraged to invite their friends and family. Our time together exceeded our first year, to my pleasant surprise. My wife, D’Ani, spearheaded this event. Simply put…she not only knows the expectations of her pastor; but she simply knows how to get things done, and people involved. I am looking forward to God continuing to use her for great things in God’s work, particularly in the areas of empowering women and in prayer.

Here’s the outline for Sunday’s message.

Title: Feasting in Famine

Text: Genesis 26

C.I.T. (Central Idea of the Text): God’s blessing on your life is not the absence of problems, but the grace to handle your problems righteously.

I. Know that God is concerned about where you are (vv. 1-6)

II. Know where Nowhere Leads (vv. 7-17)

a. Listening to Bad Advice
i. Don’t listen to people who’ve never been where you’re going.
ii. Don’t listen to people who don’t know where they’re going.

b. Having no Real Direction

c. Following the Wrong Path
i. Following the Path of Least Resistance
ii. Following the Path of Sin

d. Turning Away from God’s Way

III. Know Where Faith Goes

a. There Must be a Dedication to the Will of God
i. A Place of Surrender
ii. A Place of Sacrifice

b. There Must be a Detachment to the Way of Man
i. Separation from Earthly Pleasures (v. 25)
ii. Concentration on Eternal Possessions

c. There Must be a Dependence on the Word of Life
i. We will face resistance (vv. 15-21)
ii. We can find refreshment (vv. 22-24)

Though I am disappointed in the overall delivery of the message, I realize it is primarily the fault of my lack of preparation for the message and its delivery that being said, I am thankful for those who made decisions following the message.

We held our annual church meeting following our morning worship. Overall, the meeting went well, serving as a time to both evaluate ourselves and encourage us as we move ahead. It is a difficult endeavor to transition a 140+ healt old congregation who has experienced the challenge of the times and rocked by storms in her recent history. I am convinced more than ever that the best days for Mt. Salem are ahead; and I am encouraged to know that our people are excited about what is to come!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Pastoring, Preaching

29 Dec 2015

Sunday Reflections

God be praised for another Lord’s day!It is hard to believe the last Sunday of 2015 has come and it has gone.

If I have a Sunday morning preaching Goliath, I’d have to say it is typically the last Sunday of the year. There. I said it!

For me, the primary reason it is so difficult for me is because the Christmas week, according to the Guiness Book of World Records (🙊) is officially the “fastest week ever, in America”….especially with 1) Having children who aren’t in school 2) Having children who think Daddy not having Bible Study at the church the rest of the year means more time for them. 3) The day before Christmas entails traveling to your hometown; and the day after entails recovering from the aftermath. 4) Me loving every minute of it, especially #2!!! (Note: 12 year old going on 13, not so much!)

So…..

Here’s my outline…

Title: Releasing the Unforgiving Prisoner of Your Pastor

Text: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

C.I.T.: Paul’s instruction of restoring an offender illustrates godly lessons in how and why we should let it go.

I. Letting it Go Communicates God’s Mercy (Vss. 5 – 6)

II. Letting it Go Restores the Offender (Vss. 7-8)

III. Letting it Go Displays Obedience (Vs. 9. “…if you would…stand the test and be obedient…”

IV. Letting it Go Mirrors the Character of Christ (Vs. 10. “…forgive…forgiven…”)

V. Letting it Go Disarms the Devil’s Antics (Vs. 11. “…in order that Satan might not outwit us…”)

It was a long week. Well, rather, a short week! During the week of Christmas, I have found extreme difficulty putting together my message on the last Sunday of each year, for years. I thought I had nailed down Genesis 13, which is the detailed account of Lot and Abraham parting ways. Then…this led to my going back to Genesis 12 with the calling of Abram. Before I knew it, I simply had a preliminary skeleton of an outline of Genesis 13 (a passage I had never preached before) and a re-working of Genesis 12 (a passage I had preached a few times)…looking at all of these notes on Christmas Eve, with a 2-part tentative sermon series on “The Blessing of Saying Goodbye.”. Simply put (fast forward)…I spent the little time I had left sifting through the above 2 Corinthians 2 passage to share with our people.

Because of prayer, my heavy study of 2 Corinthians 2 in the past, google, experience, Bible software and other ministry helps…the Lord faithfully saw me through the preaching delivery, I trust. I thank God for the 1 who came forward for prayer and the other the join in fellowship with our congregation through membership.

While I cannot explain or accurately describe both my peace and joy this last week of 2015; I can honestly say I am grateful for so much. My family, the people I serve, along with my friends and the opportunity I am given to minister to so many in chaplaincy – have compelled me to stand in amazement and awe. God has been good to me! While it hasn’t been the way I would have planned it out…I wouldn’t change anything about my story, up to this point.

Who, but God, knows what the New Year will bring. My short-version prayer is that I would be in the center of His will for my life. His will trumps my plans, desires, comfort or willingness to get the big picture. I’m going to trust Him more in 2016; and believe He plan and purpose is bigger than my own, and lead my family into that plan. This is also my prayer for every person with whom I pastor, my family, friends and those who are reading this now. The Best is Yet to Come!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Pastoring, Preaching, Spiritual Formation | Leave a comment

24 Nov 2015

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Sunday Reflections

God be praised for a great meeting in the tabernacle on the Lord’s day!

After taking a break away from our exposition through the Psalms, I picked up where we left off and continued with Psalm 14.

This 2-week intermission was partially feeling a pastoral need to deal with internal matters within our church; and partially a difficulty and challenge in wrapping my homiletical hat around the 14th Psalm. I love exegetical work! Admittedly…there is the continual challenge of formulating the meaning of the text into a well-crafted sermon that lives in the practical ears of parishioners.

All in all….I just threw myself to the proverbial sharks, not wanting to delay another week. I’m glad I did!

Here’s my outline:

Title: Running Away From the God You Need
Text: Psalm 14:1-7
C.I.T. : While the entire human race rebels against God, the righteous long to see His kingdom established on earth.

I. The Folly Of Trying to Make It Without God
a. The World is Insane (vs 1a)
b. The World is Immoral (vs 1b)
c. The World is Impotent (vss 2-3)

II. The Response of God to Man’s Foolery
a. What Men Do
i. They never learn (vs 4)
ii. They never rest (vs 5)
iii. They never win (vs 6)

b. What God Does (vss 4-5)
a. He looks
b. He finds

III. The Joy of Trusting in God’s Loving Protection
a. For their salvation (vs 7a)
b. For their restoration (vs 7b)
c. For their celebration (vs 7c)

God breathed upon the message and I am thankful to have made it through. My goal is to make it to Psalm 15, and take a break to concentrate on working through a book I am trying to put together, in a series of sermons. Currently it is a composition of around 200 pages of full-page sermons of about 20 sermons I need to seriously edit, footnote, re-write and try on our people. I am believing it will ultimately bless our congregation and, in turn, bless others. With prayerful plans to begin doctoral work in July of 2016, I am hoping to have this done by the Spring of next year. I need every single prayer I can get.

In other news… My Cowboys finally win a game, after 7 weeks of losing without Tony Romo. I don’t know what’s worse – losing 7 games; or losing 7 games after a great season last year. I celebrate this current win!

How was your Sunday? Please take a moment to share your thoughts, subscribe and share this blog with others if it is a blessing to you.

Posted in Christian Living, Church, Church Life, Pastoring, Preaching and tagged ministry, Mt. Salem, Pastoring, preaching, Sunday

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Kraig Lowell Pullam

My thoughts. My reflections. My journey…. On pastoring, preaching, leading & learning.

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