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
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- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: busy-ness
“Come Away & Rest” (Mark 6:30-31 sermon)
In the 1860’s, Mark Twain took a steamboat tour of Europe and the Holy Land. In his book, The Innocents Abroad, one of my favorite books, Twain wrote about his stop in Rome: “Afterward we walked up and down one … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged busy-ness, daily Bible reading, daily quiet time, day off, devotion time, Ephesians 2:8-9, eternal rest, Eugene Peterson, faith, grace, Innocents Abroad, Jehovah's Witness, Jesus rest, Mark 1:35, Mark Twain, Mark Twain Innocents Abroad, minister day off, ministry, ministry rest, prayer, prayer time, rest, rest in peace, Romans 10:2, Sabbath, sabbath rest, sabbatical, salvation, vacation, work, work a holic, work-a-holic
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“Sitting Before The Lord” (I Chronicles 17:16-20 sermon)
In the late 1800s, Alexander Graham Bell was a master inventor, producing, among other things, the first telephone. But Bell’s wife Mable was concerned. Once she wrote to her mother that the endless hours he devoted to the telephone frightened … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged A.W. Tozer give time to Him, A.W. Tozer no shortcut, Alexander Graham Bell, Brooklyn Bridge David McCullough, busy-ness, Candace Millard Destiny of the Republic, Christian hedonism, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily prayer time, daily time with God, David prayer, devotional time, enjoy God, enter His gates with thanksgiving, how to be saved, humility, I Chronicles 17 sermon, King David, prayer, prayer time, Psalm 100:4, salvation, Shepherd, sit before God, slow down, taking for granted, Thanksgiving, time, worship
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“The Maladies of Martha” (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)
A few weeks ago I read Joseph J. Ellis’ book on President Thomas Jefferson, entitled American Sphinx. In it, he discussed, among other things, the men who influenced Jefferson and made him the kind of president that he was. He … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged accusing God, busy-ness, Christian growth, consecration, COVID-19, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily prayer time, daily quiet time, devotions, discipleship, does God care?, egocentrism, Ephesians 2, example, Exodus 2:24-25, God, God mercy, God who sees, God's will, Hagar in the wilderness, It's not about you, Job 38-39, John 21 you follow Me, John Adams, Joseph J. Ellis American Sphinx, log out of your own eye, love, love of God, Luke 10:38-42 sermon, Maladies of Martha, Mark 4:38, Mark 5 Gerasene demoniac, marriage, Martha, mercy of God, morning prayer time, negative example, others' shortcomings, others' sins, our will, prayer, priorities, relationships, Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life it's not about you, salvation, sanctification, schedule, self-centeredness, selfish, selfishness, sin, spiritual growth, telling God what to do, Thomas Jefferson, Thy will be done, time, time with God, what's in it for me?
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“Martha & Jesus: A Christian Allegory” (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)
One of the most famous allegories in history is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. An “allegory” is where some character or symbol represents something else. In Pilgrim’s Progress (which is perhaps a rather “thin” allegory) the main character of Bunyan’s novel … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged allegory, analogy, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jackson baby christening, asking Jesus in your heart, attitudes, Augustine conversion, Augustine spiritual growth, baptism, busy-ness, Christian allegory, consecration, conviction of Holy Spirit, daily devotions, daily quiet time, devotions, discipleship, Holy Spirit, home remodeling, infant baptism, Jesus in your life, Lazarus John 11, Luke 10:38-42, Martha and Jesus, Mary and Martha, personal salvation, Peter Brown Augustine, Pilgrim's Progress, priorities, process of sanctification, relationships, Saint Augustine, salvation, sanctification, schedule, sinners prayer, worship
2 Comments
“Come Away … And Rest” (Mark 6:30-32 sermon)
In the 1860’s, Mark Twain took a steamboat tour of Europe and the Holy Land, during which he visited Rome. He wrote about his experience there: “Afterward we walked up and down one of the most popular streets for some … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged 4th Commandment, balance, break, busy-ness, Christian life, cruise, daily Bible reading, day off, Ephesians 2:8-9, exercise, getaway, Hebrews 4, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:30-32, Mark Twain, prayer time, rest, rest in Jesus, rest in Me, rest in peace, retreat, Revelation 14:11, Revelation 14:13, Sabbath, sabbath rest, salvation, The Innocents Abroad, trust, vacation, work
4 Comments