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)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- Psalm 3:3 “Thou O Lord” Part III: “The Lifter of My Head”
- Psalm 3:3 “Thou, O Lord” Part II: “My Glory”
- "Lessons From Gethsemane" (Matthew 26 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- "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: Devotions/Bible Studies
Glorious Saints
In I Samuel 28, the medium at En-dor brings Samuel up from the dead for Saul. Verse 12 says she cried out with a loud voice, and Saul asks her what she saw. She responds: “I see a divine being … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", afterlife, C.S. Lewis, glory, heaven, heavenly body, I Samuel 28:13
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So Easily Entangled
Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged entanglements, Ephesians 6:10, Genesis 4:7, Hebrews 12:1, holiness, sin, temptation
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Just A Number of Days
I Samuel 27:7 says: “The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.” The chapter begins with David thinking that Saul would eventually kill him if he stayed in Israel, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged brief episode, God's plan, hour of trial, I Samuel 27:7, perseverance, purpose, time
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The Race That is Set Before Us
Hebrews 12:1 encourages us: Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that … Continue reading
The Obedience of Love
In Psalm 119:57 the Psalmist writes: “Yahweh is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.” Here we see the key to the kind of obedience that God wants from us.
The Counsel of the Word
Psalm 119:24 says: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” In Hebrew, “they are my counselors” is literally: “the men of my counsel.” What a picture God has given us here: that those who testify to us about … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Bible, counsel, Psalm 119:24, scripture, testimony
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When Doing Nothing Is The Most Important Thing
There are times when we should trust God, but then act, knowing that He is working through us (see devotion here) but there are also times when we are to totally leave things in God’s hands, and when we are … Continue reading
The Law & The Need For Grace
Psalm 119 is a great paean to the Law of God, extolling many marvels and facets of His word. Verses 1-8 (in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter Aleph, as Psalm 119 is an acrostic in Hebrew) open … Continue reading
Modeling the Golden Rule
In I Samuel 26, David and Abishai stealthily crept into Saul’s camp and came upon him while he was sleeping. Abishai took this as God’s providence, and as the chance to do away with Saul. But David stopped him. Verse … Continue reading
Look to the Reward
Hebrews 11:26 says that Moses considered “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” In this chapter which extols faith, we find here a glimpse of how it practically works … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, Hebrews 11:26, perseverance, reward, temptation
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