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 Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 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: God the Father
“A Biblical Farewell” (Acts 20:18-32)
(On the occasion of my retirement from First Baptist Church, Angleton, TX, Sunday, January 26, 2025) So what do you say to someone when you’re seeing them for the last time? It’s very difficult. Quite honestly, a lot of times … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Acts, Acts 20, Acts 20 sermon, Apostle Paul, Bible, children, Christianity, daily Bible reading, elders, Ephesian elders, faith, farewell, Father's hands, God, God the Father, good bye sermon, gospel, Henry V, I commit you to God, I know whom I have believed, In Christ Alone, intercessory prayer, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the answer, Mark Dever, nothing in my hand I bring, pastor, pastor retirement, Paul, prayer, Prodigal Son, read the directions, repent, repentance, repentance and faith, retirement, salvation, saving faith, scripture, Shakespeare, Shawn E. Thomas, Shawn Thomas retirement, sin, We're in God's hands brother, why should I let you into my heaven, word of God
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Revelation 1:3-5, “Comfort & Challenge”
Some of you can really relate to this thought: if you have a child who is in some ways both the greatest comfort and love in your life — but also in other very real ways, a great challenge to … Continue reading
Posted in Revelation sermon series, Sermons
Tagged God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Harry Lee Poe C.S. Lewis, human nature, Irenaeus trinity, Jesus Revelation, Magellan Laurence Bergreen, Magellan Trinity, Malcolm Yarnell trinity, man nature, Matthew 7 house on rock, Revelation 1 sermon, Revelation 7 churches, Revelation blessed who reads, Revelation read hear keep, Revelation sermon, seven churches in Asia, seven spirits, sin nature, Trinity, Trinity in Revelation, Triune God
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“Pilgrim’s Progress” (I Peter 1:1-2 sermon)
The Bible is the #1 best-selling, most-read book of all time. But right behind it, is The Pilgrim’s Progress, widely considered the second most-read book in history. It was written by Puritan John Bunyan, in the form of an allegory: … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged aliens, ambassador, baptism of Jesus, Bible, Chris Boniol, David McCullough Mornings on Horseback, doctrine, evangelism, gardener, George W. Bush Muslims, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Great Commission, Gregory of Nazianzus, Hebrews 11:13, I Peter 1:1-2, I Peter 2:11, I Peter sermon, II Corinthians 5:20, Islam and the Trinity, John Bunyan, modalism, not of this world, pilgrim, Pilgrim's Progress, pilgrims, place kicker, planted, Puritans, purpose, scripture, sown, The Pilgrim's Progress, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., this world is not your home, Trinity, Triune God, vocation, when I say God I mean Father Son and Holy Spirit, witness
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“The Children of God” (Deut.33:3 sermon)
Not everyone pictures a relationship with a Heavenly Father as being good. I just finished reading a biography of Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. We aren’t as familiar with him today, but he was … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged affection, assurance, Bible, Bible Reading, Boompa, Charles Lindbergh, cherish, child, corporate worship, Deuteronomy 33:1-3, Deuteronomy 33:3, Ephesians 1:13, family of God, father, God, God is love, God the Father, good good Father, gospel, Great Commandment, He Will Hold Me Fast, held, Henry V, I John 4:8, Jeremiah 31:3, John 10:27-29, John 8:31, Keith & Krysten Getty, kept, love, love God, love letter, love of God, Luke 10 Mary and Martha, Luke 8:21, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, perseverance of the saints, prayer, Psalm 131:2, salvation, Shakespeare, singing, Son, we are in God's hands, weaned child, word of God, worship
2 Comments
Paul’s “Theology 101”
The Apostle Paul preached at Mars Hill has been criticized by some for not being directly based upon the Old Testament scriptures. But upon further inspection it is an amazing compendium of knowledge about the One True God. Notice what … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Doctrine/Theology
Tagged "Sovereignty of God", Acts 17:23-31, Apostle Paul, doctrine of God, God, God judge, God mercy, God the Father, holiness of God, immanence, omnipotence of God, Omnipotent, Providence of God, sufficiency of God, teaching, theology, theology 101, theology of God, transcendence
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The Eternal Love of Heaven
“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John … Continue reading
If You Loved Me You’d Rejoice!
“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Here … Continue reading
Book Review: Father, Son & Holy Spirit by Bruce Ware
Many books, sermons — or even individual Christians themselves — may be labeled as either precise in theology, or strong in their application, but it can be hard to find in any of these a balanced pairing of both. Bruce … Continue reading
“Our Triune God”
Matthew 3:16-17 “Our Triune God” Some years ago, my sister served as an English teacher in a Chinese college with our SBC Journeyman program. She could not initiate any “evangelism” per se, but she was allowed to respond to any … Continue reading
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