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 13:24-30, 36-43, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Judgment Coming," for 2/22/26.
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 14:22-33, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Courage," for March 1, 2026.
- “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)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 12:1-14, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Rejecting Legalism," for 2/15/26.
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 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
“The Gospel of Glory” (II Thessalonians 2:14 sermon)
One of my favorite pastors from history is Samuel Rutherford, a Puritan who pastored in Scotland in the 1600’s. He was persecuted by the government for his Biblical beliefs, and for a time was banished from his church. Rutherford is … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Ann R. Cousin The Sands of Time Are Sinking, Austin Phelps art gallery, C.S. Lewis run on God, David McCullough Wright Brothers, Ezekiel 10:18, fall short of the glory, false gospel, gain the glory, glory, glory glory dwelleth in Immanuel's land, glory of Christ, glory of God, God's glory, gospel, heaven glory, II Corinthians 4:4, II Thessalonians 1:9, II Thessalonians 2:14, Jesus only way, John 11:40 see the glory of God, John 14:6, John 17:24, John Piper definition of glory, Macchu Piccu, Paradise Lost Milton, Romans 3:23, Rutherford and Lady Kenmure, Rutherford's Letters, salvation, Samuel Rutherford, see My glory, Tim Keller prayer
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“Commissioned By His Glory” (Isaiah 6 sermon)
I’ve made it a personal tradition each Independence Day the past several years to read David McCullough’s classic, 1776, which chronicles that famous year in America’s history. One of the opening paragraphs describes George III, the King of England, proceeding … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged call to mission, Commission, conviction, conviction of sin, daily Bible reading, David McCullough 1776, evangelism church, forgiveness, General James Hamilton death Marie Beth Jones, glory, glory of God, holy holy holy, Isaiah 6 sermon, King Uzziah Isaiah, Luke Peter sinful man, Mark Twain Hawaii sunset, ministry perseverance, mission, outreach church, personal worship, Pregnancy Help Center, Revelation 4:8, sacrifice of Jesus, seraphim, service, shudder before the beautiful, sin, worship
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“A Not-So-Happy Ending” (Jonah 4 sermon)
In Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities he tells of the Marquis St. Evremonde, an extremely rich man who entertained himself by racing his carriage through the narrow streets of Paris and watching the peasants dive out of the … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, missions, Sermons
Tagged Carroll Keach LBJ driver, Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities, Christian service, Christians comfort, church battleship or cruise ship, discipleship, I Corinthians 12:7, Jonah, Jonah 4, Matthew 26:58, missions, passion, Robert Caro Lyndon Johnson, Romans 10:1, service, spectator religion, spiritual gifts
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“Jesus Coaches His Misguided Disciples” (Luke 9:46-56 sermon)
A couple of years ago, a hurricane hit southwest Louisiana where we had formerly pastored, and some of you may remember, we had a family come and stay with us in the aftermath. They have a little preschool boy (4-5 … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged attitudes of disciples, C.S. Lewis humility, Christian unity, denominations, discipleship, don't win arguments win people, ego, evangelism, humility, Jasper Myers summersault baseball video, Jesus coaches disciples, Jesus teaches disciples, John 17 all be one, John 3:17, John Newton, Luke 9:46-56 sermon, ministry, pastor ego, pride, self-centeredness, selflessness, song He's still working on me, Teddy Roosevelt bride at every wedding, The Cause of Christ Kari Jobe, witnessing
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“The Most Important Thing” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 sermon)
In 1962 Birch Bayh was elected to the Senate from Indiana, and he and his wife Marvella came to Washington D.C. Marvella had always wanted to see Europe, and she was delighted when she and her husband received an invitation … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Bible, Bible Reading, Birch Bayh, daily devotions, Deuteronomy 6:4 sermon, Deuteronomy 6:4-9, God commandments, gospel, Hear O Israel, how to love God, I Corinthians 8:4-6, Jesus only way, John 14:15, John 14:6, John 15:10, Jonathan Edwards fountain of love, keep God's commandments, LBJ father Sam Johnson, LORD Yahweh, love God, love the LORD your God, Luke 10 Mary and Martha, Lyndon Johnson Robert Caro, Marvella Bayh, Matthew 23:5, monotheism, obedience to God, phylacteries, President of the United States, Psalms, quiet time, Richard Feynman love, The Most Important Thing, The Shema, Yahweh
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“The Answer To The Biggest Problem You Have” (Luke 5:17-26)
What if I told you this morning that I know the answer to the biggest problem you have? Some problem just jumped to the front of your mind, didn’t it? “You have the answer to THAT?!” If you’re like me … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged C.S. Lewis run on gasoline, Charles Spurgeon testimony, evangelism, faith, forgiveness, George Whitefield, grace, Isaiah 45:22 Look to Me and be ye saved, Jesus, Jesus and the paralytic, Jesus is the answer, John 19:30 it is finished, John 3 Nicodemus, John 3 serpent, Joni Earickson Tada, look and live, look to Jesus, Luke 16 rich man and Lazarus, Luke 5:17-26 sermon, Numbers 21 serpent, priorities, salvation, sin, Southwest airlines accident, the biggest problem you have, your biggest problem, your sins are forgiven you
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“Walking in the Fear of the Lord” (Proverbs sermon)
As we started reading the Book of Proverbs in our daily Bible readings this week, one of the first verses we came across was 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” a famous verse in this … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Book of Proverbs, business principles, Cary Grant buttons, Cary Grant Nancy Nelson, definition of angel Hebrews 1:14, Edward Dolnick Clockwork Universe, family, fear of God, fear of the Lord, finances, in all your ways acknowledge Him, Isaac Newton God foundation of knowledge, Jesus Christ salvation, Joseph temptation Genesis 39, marriage, parenting, proverbs, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs business, Proverbs relationships, purpose of Proverbs, The fear of the Lord, Thomas Hardy Under The Greenwood Tree, walking in the fear of the Lord
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