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
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20, "Our Task," Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 4/05/26
- "Suffering Servant/Glorious King: The Cost and Benefits of His Atonement" (Isaiah 53:5 sermon)
- "A Living Hope" (I Peter 1:3 sermon)
- "Lessons From Gethsemane" (Matthew 26 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "I AM the Living One" (Revelation 1:17-18 sermon)
- "Christ's Suffering/Our Salvation" (I Peter 3:18 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 18:21-35, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Forgiveness," for 3/29/26
- "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
Tag Archives: discipleship
“The Condescension & The Glory” (Philippians 2:6-11 sermon)
There are some things that human words and media, just do not have the ability to fully convey. For example, our secretary Dana just visited Niagara Falls with her husband. She said so it was just so incredible. I’ve never … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Charlotte Diggs Moon, Christ died for us, Christ's model of condescension, death of Jesus, deity of Jesus, discipleship, following Christ's example of humility, girl pushes bear to save dog, Ha Shem, have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, Jesus Christ condescension, Jesus Christ exaltation, Jesus Christ God, Jesus Christ humility, Jesus equality with God, Jesus exaltation, Jesus steps of condescension, Lottie Moon, Mark Twain Innocents Abroad, Philippians 2:6-11 sermon, the name above all names
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“Our Imitation of Christ” (Philippians 2:5 sermon)
Birch Bayh was a Senator from Indiana back in the 1960’s. He and his wife Marvella ended up serving in Washington for some years, but they were admittedly “babes at sea” when they first arrived from Indiana. They were nervous … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged attitude, Birch Bayh, discipleship, E.W. Starling and Woodrow Wilson, following Jesus, imitating others, imitation, Imitation of Christ, Katharine Graham's Washington, LBJ, Lyndon Johnson, Marvella Bayh, Matthew 14 Jesus and John the Bpatist, Phil Mickelson, Philippians 2:5 sermon, Philippians 2:6-11, Phroneo, salvation, selflessness, Starling of the White House, Ten Commandments, the attitude of Christ
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“While You Are Waiting” (Philippians 1:22-26 sermon)
It matters what you believe. A few years ago there was man who was was in high school and decided that since he didn’t believe in God, there was no meaning or purpose to life. And since there was no … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Christian life, Dahmer life no meaning, discipleship, don't waste your life, Fruitful labor, George Washington death, John Piper seashells, others, Philippians 1:22-26, selfishness, selflessness, senior adults, service, what's in it for me, work, You're a good man Charlie Brown
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“Glorifying God as Salt & Light” (Matthew 5:13-16 sermon)
“(Victor) Frankl was a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist who lived in Vienna, Austria. In 1942, he and his wife and parents were arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp. At the end of the war three years later, … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Christians and politics, Christians and tippiing, Christians being salt and light, church, come out of the closet, discipleship, evangelism, First Baptist Angleton Texas, glorify God, glorify God and enjoy Him, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, I Peter 2:12, I Peter 4:16, II Corinthians 9:13, light, Lillian Parks Leighton, Matthew 5:13-16, meaning, never disgrace that uniform, outreach, prayer walk, purpose, purpose for life, salt, salt and light, salt lose its savor, Victor Frankl Man's Search For Meaning, Westminster Shorter Catechism, witness, worship, you are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth
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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
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“Defective Discipleship” (Matthew 26:58 sermon)
Several times in recent weeks I have mentioned Martin Luther, the German Reformer of the 1500’s. After he brought the authority of the Bible, and salvation by grace through faith, back to the forefront of Christianity, he was not satisfied … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Archie Leach, baptism, baptism and discipleship, Cary Grant military, Christian finances, commitment, discipleship, distant discipleship, evangelism, following at a distance, forgiveness, grace, limited discipleship, Lordship, Luke 6:46, Luke 9:23, Martin Luther, Martin Luther discipleship, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 26:58, Matthew 26:58 sermon, Matthew 27:48-49, ministry, real discipleship, spectator discipleship, witnessing, worship, worship participation, worship service criticism
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