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 18:21-35, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Forgiveness," for 3/29/26
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- "The Condescension & The Glory" (Philippians 2:6-11 sermon)
- "Lessons From Gethsemane" (Matthew 26 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 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: Devotions/Bible Studies
Lessons From An Infamous Character
II Samuel 15:1-2 says of King David’s devious son that “Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged diligence, I Samuel 15:1-2, Luke 16:8, work ethic
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Seeking the Giver
Psalm 3 concludes with :8, “Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing be upon Your people. Selah.” What began earlier in the Psalm as a catalogue of all of David’s troubles ends in exclamations of praise to God for His … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged God, More Than The Water, priority, Psalm 3:8, Randy Presley, salvation, seeking God
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By The Will of God
In Colossians 1:1 Paul wrote that he was an apostle “by the will of God.” This is an extremely important assertion. He had not taken this mantle upon himself; God had purposed and given it to him. It should be … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Colossians 1:1, God's will, ministry, vocation
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Knowing Him
In Psalm 3:3 David said: “But You, YHWH, are a shield about me …”. It is instructive that the enemies of David, the “naysayers”, said: “There is no help for him in God” — the word “God” there is the … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged elohim, knowing God, personal relationship, Psalm 3:3, Yahweh
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Don’t Listen To What “Everybody” Is Saying
In Psalm 3:2 David writes: “Many are saying to my soul, ‘there is no salvation for him in God’.” The Psalm tells us that David’s situation was indeed bleak: he wrote it when he was in the cave, fleeing from … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged discouragement, peer pressure, pop theology, popular opinion, Psalm 3:2
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Breaking the Chain: The Sons of Korah
Some people feel as if they are “doomed to failure” due to a sin their parents committed, or because of something unsavory in their family background. The story of the sons of Korah reminds us that we are not consigned … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged family, Psalms, sins of the fathers, sons of Korah
2 Comments
But You …
In Psalm 3, David is almost overwhelmed by the increase of his enemies, and the hopelessness of his situation. And this was not only his own perception. Verse 2 says “MANY are saying of my soul, ‘there is no deliverance … Continue reading
Are YOU Sure of a Good Conscience?
In Hebrews 13:18 the author writes: “Pray for us, we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.” That is quite a statement to make: “we are sure that we have a … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged confession, conscience, forgiveness, good conscience, Hebrews 13:18, integrity
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The Model Prayer and Your Request
We saw here how what is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer” of Matthew 6:9-13 is really a model for our daily prayers. But it can also serve as a guide for the way that we pray for specific … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged how to pray, intercession, Matthew 6:9-13, model prayer, prayer, prayer requests, The Lord's Prayer
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The Model Prayer
The Model Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13 (often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”) is probably the single most familiar prayer in history, yet it is often misunderstood. It was never meant to be used as a “rote” prayer, word-for-word. Jesus … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13, model prayer, prayer
1 Comment
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