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
- Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: "Struggle," for 10/11/26
- Romans 6:1-14, Overview of Lifeway's Explore the Bible lesson, "Freedom," for October 4, 2026.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "Jesus Christ: Cornerstone or Stumbling-Stone?" (I Peter 2:4-8 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Romans 5:1-11, 18-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Restored Relationship, for 9/27/26.
- "Inviting Jesus Into Your Home" (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 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: evangelism
“An Effective Witness” (I Peter 3:15 sermon)
A couple of weeks ago, a group from our church went to Houston see the play “The Hiding Place,” about how Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were taken by the Nazis into a concentration camp during World War … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", 30-second elevator speech, always being ready, assurance, attitude, attitude and witnessing, Betsy Ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, Corrie Ten Boom, CPR, Effective Witness, Ephesians 2 without hope, evangelism, every person you meet, Gail White testimony, gentleness, God's provision, God's purpose, gospel, gospel outline, gospel presentation, hope, I Peter 3:15, I Peter 3:15 sermon, lifestyle, lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle witness, Man's Need, Man's Response, not out to win arguments out to win people, prepared to witness, ready, reverence, Roman Road of salvation, salvation, testimony, The Hiding Place, the hope within you, witness, witness stand for Jesus, witnessing
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“Whom Shall I Fear?” (I Peter 3:13-15 sermon)
In Marie Beth Jones’ Tales of the Brazos, she tells of Dr. William F. Bruner, who was one of the first doctors who lived in what would later become Angleton. One day Dr. Bruner was called to treat a young … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Angleton, Angleton Texas, Apostle John, Christ, Christ Lord, Dr. William F. Bruner, evangelism, fear, fear controls you, fear of death, fear of men, fear of the Lord, Herod fear, homosexuality, I Peter 3:13-15 sermon, I Peter 3:14, II Corinthians 5:11, intimidation, Isaiah 8, Jesus, Jesus is Lord, LGBT agenda, Lordship, Lordship of Christ, Marie Beth Jones, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 14, meaning of lordship, Milton Paradise Lost, mission, missions, peer pressure, persecution, Psalm 27:1, Revelation 1, Romans 3:18, Tales of the Brazos, television, tv news and fear, what people think, whom shall I fear?, witness
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“Living Your Faith At Home” (I Peter 3:1-7 sermon)
Many of us are familiar with the famous story, “Rip Van Winkle.” Last year for the first time I really read the story in Washington Irving’s Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon. In it he describes Rip Van Winkle: “He would never … Continue reading
Posted in Home & Family Life, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged appearance, beautiful woman, beauty, Billy Graham, children, clothes, daily Bible reading, discipline, disciplines, duties, Eliab, Ephesians 5, Ephesians 5 love wife, evangelism, exercise, faith, faith and family, faith starts at home, family, family life, family sermon, fellow heir, freaking out, God sees not as man sees, gods, husband, husband love, husband spiritual leadership, husbands, I Corinthians 13 love, I Peter 2:12, I Peter 2:23, I Peter 3:1, I Peter 3:1-7 sermon, I Peter sermon, I Samuel 16, I Timothy 5:8, inner beauty, It's My Turn Ruth Graham, kids, live out your faith at home, love, makeup, marriage, ministry, mom freaking out, outward appearance, outward beauty, Plutarch, Proverbs 11:22, responsibilities, Rip Van Winkle, Ruth Graham, sacrifice, salvation, Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, submission, submit, trust, trust God, trusting God, understand wife, understanding, Washington Irving, weaker vessel, wife equal, wife submit, wife witness, witness, witness at home, wives
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“The Substitutionary Atonement” (I Peter 2:24 sermon)
In 2018, an ISIS terrorist took a young woman hostage in southern France, threatening to kill her. In a bold move, a police officer, Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, offered to take the place of the young woman. The terrorist let … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged ask Jesus into your heart, atonement, Becky Thatcher, capital punishment, change, Christ crucified, Christianity, cross, cross of Christ, die to sin, doctrine, Elizabeth Nel, evangelism, Exodus 13 lamb, forgiveness, good works, I Peter 2:24, I Peter 2:24 sermon, Isaiah 53, ISIS, It is finished, It Is Well, Leviticus 14, life change, Lt. Col. Arnaud Beltrame, Mark Twain, Old Testament, on the cross, paid in full, repentance, sacrifice, salvation, sanctification, sin, substitute, substitutionary atonement, tetelestai, the cross, the word of the cross, theology, Tom Sawyer, transformation, Winston Churchill, witness, witnessing, works
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“Your Witness Under Authority” (I Peter 2:13-20 sermon)
When General Douglas MacArthur was stationed in the Philippines, he was given an order to survey the whole area of Bataan, the jungly, mountainous peninsula at the mouth of Manila Bay. Another officer on his staff saw the order and … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 5, authority, Biblical submission, boss, Caesar is Lord, children, Christos Kurios, Daniel 1, discipline, Ephesians 1, evangelism, exceptions to submission, family, Franklin Graham, gay pride soccer jerseys, General Douglas MacArthur, government, honor the king, hupotasso, I Peter 2:13-20, I Peter sermon, Jaelene Hinckle, Jesus is Lord, Kurios Kaiseros, Law, Lordship of Christ, Nero Caesar, obedience, parents, police, President of the United States, proper role of government, render to Caesar, respect, respect authority, respect for the office, respect teachers, Roman emperor worship, Romans 13, Romans 13:1-6, Ruth Graham It's My Turn, school, submission, submission to authority, submit, supervisor, tax, teachers, U.S. women's soccer, we must obey God rather than men, William Manchester American Caesar, witness, witness of submission, workplace
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“You’re Not From Around Here” (I Peter 2:11-12 sermon)
Our daughter Libby grew up in Oklahoma and Louisiana, but since she has been married and in the ministry, she has lived in some different parts of the country, where they talk differently, and do things differently. She and Josh … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "Show me now", abstain, abstinence, body temple, care, children's choir, Christian "hate speech", Christian behavior, Christian life, Christian living, discipleship, Eliza Doolittle, enemies, evangelism, family, grace, holier than thou, holiness, homosexuality, hypocrites, I Corinthians 6:12, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I John 2:3-4, I Peter 2:11-12, I Peter sermon, imitation, joy, legalism, libertine, libertines, libertinism, lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle witness, living in a fishbowl, love, lust, marriage, My Fair Lady, persecution of Christians, repent, repentance, responsibility, salvation, sanctification, Show me!, witness, worldly lusts, You're not from around here
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“God’s Purpose For Your Life” (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
One of the most common questions people ask in life is, “What am I here for?” If you think we have just “evolved” from nothing, then there IS no good answer for that. A genuine atheist will tell you that … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Aslan, atheist meaning of life, C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia, choir, church building, coral reef, Ephesians 2 dead in sin, evangelism, Exodus 30, gift of God eternal life, Hebrews 13:15, I Peter 2:4-5, I Peter 2:4-5 sermon, incense, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lion Witch Wardrobe, living stones, Matthew 1:6, Matthew 24, meaning of life, new building, Peter rock, prayer, prayer as incense, Psalm 141:2, Psalm 5:3, purpose, Queen Jada, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:3, Romans 6:23, salvation, sinners prayer, spiritual sacrifices, spiritual temple, stone statues, Temple, temple of God, the church, the church is not the building, Thomas Lord Fairfax, wages of sin is death, worship God at the lake, Writing by Stephen King
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“4 ‘MUSTS’ For Spiritual Growth” (I Peter 2:1-3 sermon)
On Sunday morning, December 7th, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Washington called General Douglas MacArthur, who was in charge of the Philippines, to tell him about the attack, and that they would undoubtedly be next. William Manchester, author of … Continue reading →