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 Preview of Matthew 10:16-20, 26-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 2/01/26, "Loyalty Tested"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson "Mercy Extended" for 1/25/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 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: forgiveness
Which IS easier?
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?” (Matthew 9:5) This sentence is full of the searching wisdom of Jesus, and may not be what it appears at first blush. Which IS … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged forgiveness, grace, Matthew 9:5, salvation
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The Most Important Thing
“Take courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2) Someone might not think there was anything strange about the words that Jesus spoke here — except that they were spoken to a man who was paralyzed! Some people brought this … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged attitude, forgiveness, Matthew 9:2, Psalm 4:7, salvation, sin
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The Ultimate Sacrifice
“Greater love has no one than this: that one lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Often when a soldier gives his life in battle, it is said that he made “the ultimate sacrifice.” Humanly speaking, that is … Continue reading
God Can Use “Messes”
“David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” (Matthew 1:6) There are some less-than-exemplary people and circumstances found in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. One of them is contained in this … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged adultery, Bathsheba, David, forgiveness, genealogy of Christ, grace, Matthew 1:6, providence, service, Uriah
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One of Satan’s Biggest Schemes
“… so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (II Corinthians 2:11) Although many are reluctant to talk about “the devil” in our “modern” days, The Bible tells us … Continue reading
“This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well” (John 4:1-42 sermon)
Several summers ago, a father and his son were out for a walk in a farmer’s field in northern England. The son had brought a metal detector with him, and all of the sudden, it started to squeal. They decided … Continue reading
Posted in "This Is My Story" sermon series, Sermons
Tagged chair illustration, eternal life, evangelism, faith, forgiveness, grace, Isaiah 59:2, Jesus Christ, John 4 sermon, John 4:1-42, John Bunyan, love, love of God, Peter Ackroyd Shakespeare biography, salvation, sin, The Woman at the Well
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“This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind” (John 9 sermon)
There are some characters in books or movies who are popular because they are so heroic or selfless or beautiful, and they are so beyond who we are, and what we can do, that we idolize them as “superheroes”. But … Continue reading
Posted in "This Is My Story" sermon series, Sermons
Tagged evangelism, forgiveness, John 9, man born blind, Nepal mission, popcorn, salvation, sin, story, testimony, This Is My Story
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Take Refuge in Him
“The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.” (Psalm 34:22) God had made it clear in Psalm 34:21 that the wicked would be punished. The word there means … Continue reading
“Forgiving Each Other” (Ephesians 4:32 sermon)
The cross of Jesus is the center of Christianity. The basic message of Christianity is that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” — and He died for our sins on the cross. Paul called the gospel “the … Continue reading
A Sobering Self-Deception
“There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, yet is not washed from his filthiness.” (Proverbs 30:12) This is a good reminder that just because a person “thinks” something is so, or “feels” that something is so, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged forgiveness, II Corinthians 13:5, Proverbs 30:12, salvation, self-deceit
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