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 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "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
Tag Archives: Bible Reading
“For the Mouth of the Lord Has Spoken It” (Isaiah 40:1-8 sermon)
Emory University in Atlanta has a big collection of the writings of Martin Luther, who set off the Reformation in the early 1500s, and emphasized justification by grace alone, through faith alone. A couple of years ago, they found this … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged America judgment, atonement, Bible, Bible Reading, Christianity, Christmas, comfort, comfort comfort My people, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily quiet time, debt, faith, God, God's word, gospel, Handel's Messiah, History First Baptist Church College Station, II Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 40, Jesus, Jesus paid debt, judgment, King Uzziah, Larry Watson, Lord Shepherd, Malcolm Bane, Martin Luther, Martin Luther document Emory University, MasterLife, Messiah, prayer, salvation, scripture, scripture memory, sin, sin debt, Voltaire, war room prayer, word of the Lord
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“Real Faith Seeks Wisdom” (James 1:5 sermon)
Sometimes when a pastor preaches verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible, he might come to a passage which he’s really not sure will apply to anyone in the congregation that day. I can assure you that the scripture we are … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged A.T. Robertson, ask for wisdom, ask of God, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Book of James, chastisement, daily Bible reading, doers of the word, If any of you lacks wisdom, James, James 1, James 1:5, James sermons, James wisdom, Job, Mark Dever, maturity, perseverance, prayer, purpose for trials, Rebekah Genesis 25, salvation testimony, seeking wisdom, sophia, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, trials, where is wisdom found, wisdom, wisdom in trials
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“Christ’s Model of Obedience” (John 14:31 sermon)
One of the most glorious moments in the American Revolution was George Washington’s daring raid on Trenton, N.J., in December of 1776, when he led his men across the swollen Delaware River in freezing weather to launch a surprise attack … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged action of obedience, Battle of Trenton, Bible application, Bible Reading, Bible study, blessed if you do them, children and obedience, Christ, David McCullough 1776, doing, George MacDonald, George MacDonald obedience, George Washington, gospel, Here I stand, II Corinthians 5:21, II Samuel 6 ark, Jesus, Jesus example of obedience, Jesus obedience, John 13:17, John 14:31, Martin Luther Reformation, obedience, obedience quote, obedient, obey, parents and obedience, partial obedience is disobedience, pastors and obedience, personal obedience, salvation, sola scriptura, Sunday School teachers, Washington crossing Delaware
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“How To Run The Christian Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
For most of my adult like I ran for exercise, although I was never very fast. When we lived in Tulsa back in the 1990’s (when I was in my 30’s) I was probably in the best shape of my … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged Amy Grant Faith Walking People, Bible Reading, bitterness, Box Hill, Cherry Street Mile Tulsa, Christian life, Christian life not a sprint, Christian race, daily devotions, discipleship, endurance, England trip, entanglements, faith, feelings, fix your eyes on Jesus, forgiveness, friends, George Washington Delaware, Hebrews 12:1-2, holiness, ministry, not a sprint a marathon, one foot in front of the other, PE run, Peter what about this man, running, salvation, sanctification, say goodbye to the feelings, sin, two masters, your race
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Lifeway “Explore the Bible” Lesson Overview of I Kings 19:9-18, for Sun, July 17, 2022: “Hope”
(A brief overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson of I Kings 19 for Sunday, July 17, 2022) Video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: One way to introduce … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
Tagged Bible Reading, C.S. Lewis troughs, C.S. Lewis undulation, counseling, daily devotions, depression, Elijah, exercise, Explore the Bible I Kings 19:9-18, Explore the Bible Sunday school lesson, Gaither Church Triumphant, God has always had a people, I Kings 19:9-18 Bible Study, I Kings 19:9-18 Lifeway Explore the Bible, Lifeway Explore the Bible lessons, MasterLife discipleship, place to meet God, spiritual high and low
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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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“Jesus Directs His Church” (Acts 1:1-8 sermon)
Steve Jobs was one of the most unique CEO’s in history. He had a lot of quirks, but he led Apple computers to become what is now THE largest company in the world, worth over 300 BILLION dollars. But among … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology, missions, Sermons
Tagged "Acts 1:8 Christian", "Acts 1:8 missions church", Acts 1:1-8 sermon, Acts 1:8, Bible Reading, C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters, church, conviction of sin, ecclesiology, end times, eschatology, Holy Spirit, I Samuel 13 Saul, Isaiah 40:31, John 16:8, mission, missions, NASA rocket Chris Kraft, Psalm 130:5-6, Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37, sin, theological speculation, wait on the Lord, waiting
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