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 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 15:1-11+, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for March 8, 2026, "Real Devotion"
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "Christ's Suffering/Our Salvation" (I Peter 3:18 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 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: Sermons
“My Children’s Conduct” (Philippians 1:27-30 sermon) Mothers Day 2021
In 1778, during the American Revolution, John Adams of Massachusetts was needed by his young country as an ambassador in Europe. His 10-year-old son Johnny (John Quincy Adams) would accompany his father on the trip. It was an amazing opportunity … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged A.W. Tozer, Abigail Adams letter, ambassador for Christ, behavior, Bible, biblical marriage, children, Christian life, church compromise, church mission, church purpose, church unity, evangelism, family unity, gender, God created male and female, Jesus only way, John 17 High Priestly Prayer, John Quincy Adams, marriage, mission, missions, Mothers Day, Nabeel Qureshi, parents, parents and children, Philippians 1:27 sermon, representative, Satan's schemes, Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, sexuality, stand firm, striving together for the gospel, Sunday school organization, together, unity, witness
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“While You Are Waiting” (Philippians 1:22-26 sermon)
It matters what you believe. A few years ago there was man who was was in high school and decided that since he didn’t believe in God, there was no meaning or purpose to life. And since there was no … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Christian life, Dahmer life no meaning, discipleship, don't waste your life, Fruitful labor, George Washington death, John Piper seashells, others, Philippians 1:22-26, selfishness, selflessness, senior adults, service, what's in it for me, work, You're a good man Charlie Brown
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“Working Out Your Salvation” (Philippians 2:12-13 sermon)
SO, how do you follow up on Easter Sunday?! We had such a great day last Sunday, didn’t we? Celebrating our Risen Savior; seeing several people follow Him in baptism — It was a great Easter Sunday. But how do you … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Bible Reading, challenge, church attendance, comfort, daily devotions, daily quiet time, dicipleship, Ephesians 2:8-9, Ephesians 6:5-6, eye service, fruit of salvation, George Washington slavery, God is at work, God is at work in you, God worthy, Hebrews 13, hypocrisy, Luke 6:46, Matthew 6:1, our God is a consuming fire, Philippians 2:12-13, responsibility, sacrifice, salvation, Secret Service president, service, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, take a bullet, take a bullet for God, Tom Brady super bowl trophy, Working Out Your Salvation, worship, worship attendance
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“A Body In Motion” (Ephesians 4:11-16 sermon)
Sir Isaac Newton, the English scientist, is famous, among other things, for the “laws of motion” he formulated in the 1600’s: among them being that a body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a body in motion tends … Continue reading
Posted in Ministry, Sermons
Tagged balance of truth and love, Bill Russell Player coach, body in motion, body of Christ, Christlikeness, church, church activities, church discipline, church equipping ministry, church growth, Church ministry, deceivers in the church, each part, Ephesians 4:11-16, equip the saints, equipping, every joint, false prophets, First Baptist Church Angleton, Isaac Newton, it takes us all, maturity, ministry project, pastor, pastor as coach, pastor as equipper, pastor as example, pastor as player-coach, people of God, Rosaria Butterfield, speaking the truth in love, spiritual maturity, unity of the faith, whole body, working together, Your relationship with others must be as strong as your words
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“Glorifying God as Salt & Light” (Matthew 5:13-16 sermon)
“(Victor) Frankl was a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist who lived in Vienna, Austria. In 1942, he and his wife and parents were arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp. At the end of the war three years later, … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Christians and politics, Christians and tippiing, Christians being salt and light, church, come out of the closet, discipleship, evangelism, First Baptist Angleton Texas, glorify God, glorify God and enjoy Him, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, I Peter 2:12, I Peter 4:16, II Corinthians 9:13, light, Lillian Parks Leighton, Matthew 5:13-16, meaning, never disgrace that uniform, outreach, prayer walk, purpose, purpose for life, salt, salt and light, salt lose its savor, Victor Frankl Man's Search For Meaning, Westminster Shorter Catechism, witness, worship, you are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth
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“It’s What’s Inside That Counts” (Matthew 5:8 sermon)
When I got sick in 2012, they ran me through a bunch of tests trying to diagnose my illness. One day I found myself on an exam table, hooked up to an ultrasound machine, and the technician smeared some gel … Continue reading
Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged 6th Beatitude, appearance, beatific vision, Blaise Pascal, blessed are the pure in heart, blood of Jesus, clean, clean hands, clean heart, good deeds outweigh bad, good works, heart attitude, heart qualities, heaven, I John 1:7, I John 3:2, I Samuel 16:7 Eliab, Isaiah 1:18, Islam, it's what's inside that counts, katharos, look good, Mark 7:1-7, Matthew 5:8, Muslim, outward appearance, pork unclean, Proverbs 20:9, Psalm 17:15, Psalm 24:3-4, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 51:10, Psalm 63, pure heart, pure in heart, Revelation 22:4, salvation, Seeing God, superficiality, surface, the great reward, Tim Keller beatific vision, ultrasound heart, unclean, we will see Him
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“The Character of Christ: Merciful (Matthew 5:7 sermon)
Several years ago, a man and his wife were traveling on the Interstate in Florida, when their car broke down, with the next exit 40 miles away. There had been a rash of highway robberies there recently, so no one … Continue reading
Posted in Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Beatitudes, Biblical definition of mercy, blessed are the merciful, But God, character, character of Christ, compassion, Dane Ortlund, do something, Ephesians 2 mercy, feel compassion, Florida highway robbery, forgiveness, God rich in mercy, Good Samaritan, Jesus example, John Hay Abraham Lincoln mercy, Luke 7:13-15, Mark 10:21, Mark 6:34, Matthew 14:14, Matthew 18, Matthew 5:7, Matthew 9:36, mercy, notice, Prodigal Son, Samaritan and mercy, see feel compassion do, see the need, Sherlock Holmes, you give them something to eat
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