I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- COVID-19 crisis assorted messages
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Discovering FBCA Membership class lessons
- Doctrine/Theology
- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
- Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
- History
- Home & Family Life
- I Peter sermons
- India Mission Trip 2011
- Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series
- Luke 2 Christmas series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- missions
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Psalms studies and messages
- Revelation sermon series
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Category Archives: Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
“What Real Faith Looks Like: The Blame Game” (James 1:13-16 sermon)
On our trip to see our grand daughters baptized, Cheryl & I stopped to see a couple of Presidential libraries, including Jimmy Carter’s in Atlanta. I had to chuckle when we stopped there, because we have an ongoing joke in … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged A.T. Robertson, ABCs of salvation, accountability, Adam & Eve, alpha privative, blame, blame God, blaming God, Book of James, born this way, C.S. Lewis, Calvinism, Charles Guiteau, Clint Hill, David and Bathsheba, Dwight D. Eisenhower, excuses, first step to salvation, free will, Gary Powers, genetic predisposition, God, God author of sin, Greek grammar, habits, homosexuality, how to be saved, James, James 1, James 1:13-16 sermon, James sermons, Jesus, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, King David, lust, Mere Christianity, peirazo, President Eisenhower, Psalm 51, responsibility, Ronald Reagan, salvation, sin, temptation, temptations, The Blame Game, trials, trials vs temptations, Westminister Confession, What Real Faith Looks Like
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Perseverance” (James 1:12 sermon)
We’ve got one of my very favorite family pictures to put up on the screen: In 1998, I ran the Tulsa Run road race with Paul, David & Libby, our three oldest kids. Cheryl took this picture of the four of us at my … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
Tagged A.T. Bobertson, acid test, acid test gold, approval, approved, assurance, assurance of salvation, Book of James, crown of life, dokimos, eternal security, family, gold, gold test, I Corinthians 13, I Peter 1:6-7, if saved always saved, James, James 1:12, love, Matthew 13, once saved always saved, Parable of the Sower, perseverance, perseverance of the saints, Romans 16:10, seal of approval, stephanos, tested like gold, tests, trials, Tulsa Run, What Real Faith Looks Like
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“Comforting the Afflicted & Afflicting the Comfortable” (James 1:9-11 sermon)
In the early 1900’s, humorist Finley Peter Dunne said that “The newspaper does everything for us. It runs the police force and the banks, commands the militia, controls the legislature, baptizes the young, marries the foolish, comforts the afflicted and … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
Tagged Alexander, Bible, Book of James, church poor, comforting the afflicted, death sudden, faith, Finley Peter Dunne, Hamlet, humility, identity, Imperious Caesar, Isaiah 40:6-7, James 2:5, James sermons, Jesus, love of money, Luke 12:13-21, materialism, Matthew 19:23, money, poor, poor in spirit, poverty, Prince William inheritance, real faith, Revelation 2:9, rich, riches, salvation, saving faith, self-image, Smyrna, Sylvester Stallone, temporal values, wealth, Yorick
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Total Commitment” (James 1:6-8 sermon)
One time Cheryl, our son Michael & I were waiting to place an order in the drive through line at a fast-food restaurant, and it looked like the people in front of us were having a difficult time making up … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged answered prayer, Book of James, choices, choose, Christian life, commitment, cool vs. Christ, dipsuchos, discipleship, double-minded, doubt, faith, genuine salvation, Hipster Faith, I Kings 18:21, James, John Bunyan, Joshua 24:15, Landry Jones, Matthew 6:24, Mr. Facing Both Ways, no man can serve two masters, one master, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, salvatiion, seeking God, tossed by the wind, total commitment, two-headed snake, unanswered prayer, Whitney Hand, whom will you serve
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“Real Faith Seeks Wisdom” (James 1:5 sermon)
Sometimes when a pastor preaches verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible, he might come to a passage which he’s really not sure will apply to anyone in the congregation that day. I can assure you that the scripture we are … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged A.T. Robertson, ask for wisdom, ask of God, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Book of James, chastisement, daily Bible reading, doers of the word, If any of you lacks wisdom, James, James 1, James 1:5, James sermons, James wisdom, Job, Mark Dever, maturity, perseverance, prayer, purpose for trials, Rebekah Genesis 25, salvation testimony, seeking wisdom, sophia, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, trials, where is wisdom found, wisdom, wisdom in trials
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“What James’ Faith Looked Like” (James 1:1 sermon)
This summer the Olympics will return to Paris France. It’s always fun to see how our American athletes do — and usually somebody from our country wins, and shares their Christian testimony. In 2008 a young man by the name … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged anointed One, Bible, Book of James, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christian testimony, commitment, David Boudia, doulos, faith, God, heaven, James, James the brother of Jesus, Jesus, Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, Mary, Mere Christianity, Messiah, Nicodemus, personal relationship, rich young ruler, salvation, saving faith, sin, slave
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“What Real Faith Looks Like” (Introduction to the Book of James)
Some time ago I was visiting with a pastor in another state, and he was talking about how there are well over 30 churches in just their small community. He said, “You know how it is here; everyone says they … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
Tagged American Christianity, assurance, Bible, Book of James, Christianity, commandments, conviction, conviction of sin, easy believism, epistle of straw, faith, God's Law, gospel, how can I be saved, James, James 3, Jesus, John Ryland, Lord, Lord Lord, Martin Luther, meddling in my private life, salvation, Samuel Rutherford, saving faith, scripture memory, sin, strawy epistle, Tennessee Williams, testimony, tongue, What Real Faith Looks Like, words, works
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“Expecting The Unexpected” (James 4:13-17 sermon)
How many of you expected to be here at Angleton Christian School for worship this morning? I didn’t! Some of you saw my post on Facebook yesterday morning: I listed all the activities, all the things we had going today … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged balance, cancer, change, crisis sermon, do not know what a day may bring, emergencies, fear, Gaza, gospel, heaven, II Timothy 1:7, illness, Israel, Israel Gaza, James 4, Jesus, Lord willing, Luke 12 rich man, plans, salvation, second coming, spirit of fear, unexpected, World War III
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