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 Joshua 2:4-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Amazing Grace," for June 14, 2026.
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 3:14-4:9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Remembering God's Works" for June 21, 2026.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 1:1-11, 16-18, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson: "Strong & Courageous" for 6/07/26
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 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: discipleship
Love & Obedience
Many times, it is not “either/or”, but “both.” It is so in Nehemiah 1:9, where Nehemiah has just confessed the sins of Israel to God, and he quotes Him as saying to His people, “but if you return to Me … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged commandments, discipleship, John 14:15, love, Nehemiah 1:9, obedience
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“The Discipline of Scripture Memory” (Matthew 4:11 sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, OK 9-21-14) When I was in college I went on a mission trip to Switzerland and Germany. During the trip we also made a one-day visit to Paris, but in many ways I was … Continue reading
“The Discipline of Spontaneous Prayer” (Nehemiah 2:4 sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist Pauls Valley, OK, 9-14-14 a.m.) Some of us were eating out a few years ago, and one of our friends was asking the blessing for our food, and he prayed a fairly long prayer. When he … Continue reading
A Word to Church Leaders
Ezra 5 tells us that the prophets Haggai & Zechariah prophesied and told the leaders of the Jews, Zerubabbel and Jeshua, to rebuild the house of God, despite those who opposed them. Verse 2 says that Zerubabbel and Jeshua did … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged discipleship, Ezra 5:2, Haggai, leadership, Zechariah
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“The Discipline of Ordered Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13 Sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, 9-07-14) When our son Paul was a preschooler, we went to my mom’s house for a get-together, and we all had a good time. We ate cake, and swam and played outside, and at … Continue reading
“The Discipline of the Word” I Peter 2:1-3 sermon
(Preached 8-24-17 at First Baptist Pauls Valley, OK) For years before his death in 2013, Pat Summerall broadcast NFL games on television. Many of you would recognize his voice to this day. Some of you also know that Summerall’s life … Continue reading
“Are You A Disciple?” Luke 9:23 Sermon
(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, OK 8-03-14) In Matthew 28, Jesus gave His Great Commission to go and “make disciples.” The most important business of the church is to make disciples. But what does it mean to be a … Continue reading
The Drink Offering: Don’t Waste Your Life (Philippians 2:17 sermon update)
(This is the text of the sermon I preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley on Sunday, July 13th 2014. It is a revised and updated version of a previous message by this title I preached at FBC Moss Bluff, LA … Continue reading
Evidence of Discipleship
In II Kings 3:14 the prophet Elisha addressed the king of Israel, and he began his sentence with the phrase: “As YHWH of hosts lives, before whom I stand …”. This expression is significant for a couple of reasons, one … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged accountability, disciple, discipleship, II Kings 3:14, mentor, mentoring, presence of God
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Menial Training For Ministry
In II Kings 3:11, when Jehoshaphat asked for a prophet of Yahweh, someone responded: “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” This is a revealing statement, with some telling implications … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged apprenticeship, discipleship, II Kings 3:11, mentoring, ministry, ministry training
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