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 Preview of Matthew 10:16-20, 26-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 2/01/26, "Loyalty Tested"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson "Mercy Extended" for 1/25/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- Psalm 3:3 “Thou O Lord” Part III: “The Lifter of My Head”
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: Sermon Illustrations
“Don’t Be A Hypocrite!” (Matthew 6:1+ sermon)
“Beware!” If you are out driving, and you come across a sign in the road that says “Beware!”, you are going to pay attention, and proceed very carefully, aren’t you? And you should. You know there is something dangerous ahead, … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged actor, alms, applause of heaven, church, Facebook, fasting, giving, heart, humility, hypocrisy, hypocrite, hypocrites, Jesus, John 11 Jesus prayer, let your light shine, Luke 20:20, Matthew 23, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:1-18, model prayer, motivation, NBA home court, Pharisees, poor in spirit, praise, prayer, pride, private prayer, public ministry, pure in heart, recognition, righteousness, scribes, singing, tip of the iceberg, worship
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“The Unseen Battle”
With three of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church’s adult members on mission in three different nations the next couple of weeks, our members need to realize the important responsibility we have to support our colleagues in prayer. In the biography, Hudson … Continue reading
Distractions From Devotions
Our church, Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, North Carolina, is sending three adult members out to different mission fields this weekend: one to Wales, one to Haiti, and one to Romania. I sent them this quote from China Inland Mission … Continue reading
“Don’t You Touch Them ‘Ere Things”
As one of the first conflicts of the Revolutionary War made its way back from Lexington and Concord, through the little town of Menotony, British troops were vandalizing the home of an American deacon in his absence. The British ordered … Continue reading
Bonhoeffer: The Blessing of Morning Prayer
“The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage at work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, … Continue reading
Illustrations From Walt Disney: An American Original
I picked up a copy of Walt Disney: An American Original in a bookstore at (of all places!) Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was not a “puff piece” but an interesting look into the life of a man … Continue reading
Why the Incarnation: Paul Harvey’s “The Man & The Birds”
I have used Paul Harvey’s “The Man & The Birds” over the years as a favorite story to illustrate the meaning and necessity of the doctrine of the Incarnation, that God became Man in the Person of Jesus Christ. Following … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations
Tagged Christmas, Incarnation, Paul Harvey, The Man and the Birds
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Illustrations from Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad
Not long after the Civil War, Mark Twain joined a steamship tour of Europe and the Holy Land. His entertaining book, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles the journey in a way only Twain could. Punctuated liberally with sarcasm and irony, the … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Sermon Illustrations
Tagged atonement, Bible prophecy, Death, Ephesus, Holy Land, Jesus, Mark Twain, materialism, rest, Sabbath, salvation, sermon illustrations, sin, the cross, The Innocents Abroad
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Notes & Quotes from C.S. Lewis: A Life, by Alister McGrath
Some of my favorite quotes, and potential sermon illustrations from McGrath’s 2013 biography of Lewis. These are in order as they appeared in the book: TRAIN UP A CHILD “Both brothers inhabited imaginary worlds, and committed something of these to … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Sermon Illustrations
Tagged Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis, sermon illustrations
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shawnethomas 