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 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "Inviting Jesus Into Your Home" (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 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: Sermons
“Pressing On To Know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3 sermon)
Not long ago I read of a well-known actress who said that when she wasn’t acting, she really had no purpose in life. She said she just about went crazy because she nothing to do, and she said, “Thank God … Continue reading
Your Two Key Relationships (Psalm 16:2-3 sermon)
One of the things that makes getting around relatively easy in Oklahoma is that the whole state is basically divided into 4 quadrants by I-35 which runs north & south, and I-40, which runs east & west. These 2 great … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", all lives matter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, C.S. Lewis quote, gospel, Mere Christianity, Psalm 16 sermon, Psalm 16:2-3, relationship with God, relationship with man, relationships, salvation, white lives matter
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“A Christian Decision-Making Grid” (I Cor. 9-10 sermon)
In 1939 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the leading Christian preachers and teachers in Germany — but the country had been taken over by Adolph Hitler, and the noose of his control was beginning to tighten over the country. Soon … Continue reading
Trusting The Potter’s Hands (Genesis 2:7-8 sermon)
Sometimes you will hear a person described as a “self-made man”. I know what they are talking about when they describe someone that way: they mean that they didn’t begin life with a fortune; that they worked their way “up … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged creation, design, faith, Genesis 2:7-8 sermon, Holy Spirit, potter, providence, Providence of God, Psalm 139, spirit, trust
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“How To Seek The Lord” (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
In 1622, a Spanish ship, “Our Lady of Atocha”, sailed from the Spanish colonies in the New World back towards Spain. The Atocha was laden down with so much gold from the mines in the Americas that it had taken … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Bible, Isaiah 55:6-7, Mel Fisher Atocha, prayer, repentance, salvation, Seek the Lord, seeking, seeking God, treasure
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“The Drink Offering: Don’t Waste Your Life” (Phil. 2:17 sermon)
Some time ago, as I was getting out of my car, I noticed that I had a can of Coke in the cup holder. I can’t stand to leave anything in my car, so I picked up the can to take it … Continue reading
“My Redeemer” (Job 19 sermon)
(Palm Sunday/Lord’s Supper service 3-20-16) If you want to make my wife Cheryl groan, just mention the Book of Job. I think she feels like we lived through that book for about two years as a family, and indeed Job … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged I John 2:2, Job, Job 19:25, Lord's Supper, mediator, My Redeemer Lives, Oscar Schindler, Palm Sunday, redeemer, redemption, salvation, sin, umpire
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“The Disciple’s Character: Persecuted” (Matthew 5:10-12 sermon)
Henry Blackaby, the author of Experiencing God, one time prayed a prayer that many of us have perhaps prayed at one time or another: “Lord, make me like You.” But Blackaby shared that when he prayed those words, God directed … Continue reading
Posted in "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12), Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Beatitudes, character, character of Christ, disciple's character, hate crimes, Henry Blackaby, homosexuality, I Peter 2:20, India, Isaiah 53, Matthew 5:10-12 sermon, Matthew 5:3-12, persecuted for righteousness, persecution, RSS, suffering, William Tyndale
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“The Disciple’s Character: Peacemaking” (Matthew 5:9 sermon)
In 1994, North Korea precipitated an international crisis, when they took the rods out of their nuclear reactors, which would allow them to create nuclear weapons. Many thought we might be on the brink of war. But Jimmy Carter, years … Continue reading
Posted in "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12), Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Beatitudes, character, doing peace, Ephesians 2:14-16, evangelism, Jimmy Carter Peacemaker, love, making peace, Matthew 5:3-12, Matthew 5:9, peace, peace with God, peacemaker, peacemakers, relationship pyramid, The character of Christ, The Disciple's Character
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“The Disciple’s Character: Purity of Heart” (Matthew 5:8 sermon)
I enjoy going to a number of high school sporting events, like football and basketball games, and track meets. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this one track meet I watched several years ago in Louisiana. As I sat in … Continue reading
Posted in "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12), Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged appearance, Beatitudes, holiness of God, inner man, Islam, Jeremiah 17:10, Mark 7:1-7, Matthew 5:21, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 5:8 sermon, pornography, Psalm 51:10, pure heart, purity of heart, salvation
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shawnethomas 