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 18:21-35, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Forgiveness," for 3/29/26
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20, "Our Task," Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 4/05/26
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- "Lessons From Gethsemane" (Matthew 26 sermon)
- "Suffering Servant/Glorious King: The Cost and Benefits of His Atonement" (Isaiah 53:5 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
“Meeting With God” (Exodus 29:42-45 sermon)
Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? I was talking to Barbara Riddle the other day, after Billy Graham had passed away, and she was telling me that some years ago Ruth Graham was at the same hospital … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged adultery, assurance of salvation, Bible Reading, Billy Graham, Christianity, consecration, Exodus 29:42-45, fellowship, forgiveness, God, good deeds, heaven, holiness, homosexualiity, I John 1:5-6, I John 2:3, I Samuel 3:9, Jesus, John MacArthur Laverne & Shirley, Joy Behar and Mike Pence mental illness, language, mercy, note-taking, pornography, prayer, religion, revelation, salvation, Universal Studios, worship
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“The Questions of Moses” (Exodus 3:10-4:1 sermon)
When we are reading through God’s word like we are, we need to look for certain things. Like is there a command we need to keep; or a sin to confess; or a prayer to pray using this verse? Is … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Aristides, church, D Day, Exodus 3:10-4:1, faith, General Eisenhower, God, Hadrian, I AM, I AM WHO I AM, I am with you, Joseph, man, Moses, names, questions, resumes, salvation, service, theology, trust, What If?, Yahweh
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“The Providence of God” (Genesis 37-50 sermon)
Christians have a different outlook than other people have. We believe in an unseen, almighty, all-wise God. So because of that, not only is our outlook different, but our vocabulary is different as well. Many people speak of “karma” or … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons
Tagged Carson Wentz, chance, church planting, coincidence, Corrie Ten Boom, Doug Pederson, dysautonomia, Ephesians 1:11, forgiveness, Genesis 37-50, God, Joseph story, Karma, luck, Nick Foles, OU Nebraska game of the century, Philadelphia Eagles, plan, POTS, providence, Providence of God, purpose, Romans 8:28, salvation, theology, trust, witness, workplace
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Laughter and the Faithfulness of God
“Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’” (Genesis 18:12) Now it was Sarah’s turn to laugh at the promise of God! Abraham had done the same thing in … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, faithfulness, Genesis 17:17, Genesis 18:12, God, II Timothy 2:13, Isaac, laugh, laughter
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God’s Understanding Towards Us
Psalm 103 is well-loved for its opening words “bless the Lord, O my soul,” and is a great Psalm of praise to God for His blessings towards us. Among the emphases of the Psalm is the blessing of God’s UNDERSTANDING … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged bless the Lord, empathy, fairness, God, God's patience, God’s grace, God’s sympathy, grace, Hebrews 4:15, judgment, patience, praise, Psalm 103, sympathy, theology, understanding
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“Your Worries & Your Father” (Matthew 6:25-34 sermon)
The other day I was reading something written by a pastor from generations gone by, and he said of this certain thing: “This is something which is highly dishonoring to God, a sin which we need to make conscience of, … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged anxiety, C.S. Lewis, faith, family, father, Father in Heaven, God, Hudson Taylor, II Corinthians 10:3-5, love, Matthew 6:25-34 sermon, Philippians 4:6, provision, trust, worry
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“The Importance of Forgiving Others” (Matthew 6:14-15 sermon)
Several years ago a pastor went on a trip to England, where a Catholic priest told him and his wife a story about Lady Spencer, the mother of Princess Diana (who had been killed in a tragic car accident on … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged American Christianity, Augustine of Hippo, Bill Elliff, bitterness, Constantine baptism, daily sins, devotional time, eclipse, Emmet Fox gulp acid, Ephesians 4:32, fellowship with God, forgiveness, forgiving others, God, God holy, holiness of God, I John 1:7, John 15:5, Lady Spencer, Matthew 6:14-15 sermon, Michael Thomas' Hallelujah lyrics, model prayer, Peter Brown, Princess Diana, quiet time, salvation, sins, Stephen Acts 7, unforgiveness
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Pour Out Your Heart To Him!
“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. SELAH.” (Psalm 62:8 NASB) Psalm 62 opens with a contrast between the wickedness and deceitfulness of men, and the faithful … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged God, heart, Hebrews 4:16, pour out your heart, prayer, Psalm 62:8, relationship
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“Show Us The Father”?
“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” (John 14:8) If Jesus had responded to this request with a note of frustration in His voice, it would have been understandable:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Colossians 2:9, Deity of Christ, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 14:8, theology
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Worship Isn’t A Matter of Geography
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” (John 4:21) Jesus’ statement to the woman at Jacob’s well in Samaria should not be lost … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 17:28, God, I Corinthians 6:19-20, John 4:21, omnipresence, spirit, worship
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