I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!Top Posts & Pages
- Joshua 3:5 Sermon: "Preparing For God To Work"
- "Following Jesus" (Matthew 4:18-22 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- “Comforting the Afflicted & Afflicting the Comfortable” James 1:9-11
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- The Drink Offering: Don't Waste Your Life
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Gerasene Demoniac" (Mark 5:1-20 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well" (John 4:1-42 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Doctrine/Theology
- History
- Home & Family Life
- India Mission Trip 2011
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: entertainment
“No Strange Fire: Honoring God in Worship” (Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon)
When I was pastoring in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal came to our church one Sunday to share his testimony. It was a big day; we had one combined service, and every seat was filled, with standing room only. There were … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized, worship
Tagged Abba Father, Acts 5, Ananias & Sapphira, Apostle John, awesome God, balance, Bible, caesar banquet shamed, cat in church, celebrities in the church, clothing, creativity, dress, dress and worship, entertainment, entertainment and worship, familiarity, fear of God, focus in worship, giving, glory of God, God's word, Governor Bobby Jindal, Hebrews 13:28–29, house of prayer, hypocrisy, Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon, Lord's Supper, Malachi 3:10, Nadab & Abihu, obedience, prayer, preaching, regulative principle, relationship with God, respect, Revelation 1:13, Revelation 1:17, reverence, salvation, scripture, singing, songs, strange fire, testimonies, testimony, Unseen presence, worship, worship planning
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“The King & The Disciples” (Matthew 5:1-2 sermon)
I have never in my lifetime seen the kind of vindictiveness expressed towards a president as we have seen evidenced towards President Trump: the hatred, lack of submission, people saying “He’s not my President”, etc. I was not a big … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged 30 minute church service, Beatitudes, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Chuck Quarles, Cliff Jenkins, commitment, consumer church, consumer mentality, convenience, crowds, daily bread, daily walk, Deuteronomy 8:3, devotional time, disciples, discipleship, entertainment, family, follow Me, following Jesus, God's will, God's word as food, Golden Calf, honey, Isaiah 53:6, Jesus, king, King Saul, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 5:1-2, meat, milk, ministry, mission partnership, missions, Moses, Mount of the Beatitudes, Mt. Sinai, Pandering, persecution, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh mission churches, popularity, prayer, priorities, Psalm 119:103, quiet time, salvation, scripture, SEBTS, Sermon on the Mount, service, solid food, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, success, truth, walk with God
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A “Sure-Fire Church Growth Method”
For the last generation, “church growth” has been a primary emphasis in American religion. Methods and process which appeal to the population at large have been employed by many religious practitioners in the hopes of reaching the unreached in our … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry
Tagged church, church growth, compromise, ecclesiology, entertainment, I John 4:5, worldliness
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