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 3:21-4:5, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: "Saving Faith," for 9/20/26.
- Teacher's Overview of Romans 2:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Coming Judgment," for 9/13/26.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 20:1-16, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Grace," for 4/19, 2026
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- Psalm 3:3 “Thou, O Lord” Part II: “My Glory”
- “The Narrow Way To Heaven” (Matthew 7:13-14 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: grace
He Longs To Be Gracious!
Isaiah 30:18 must be one of the most encouraging verses in all of the word of God: “Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.” God had spent … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged compassion, God, grace, Isaiah 30:18, Prodigal Son, theology
3 Comments
“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
5 Comments
The Motivation For Holiness
Why should we attempt to be holy? Many people do not realize that genuine Christians have a different motivation for holiness than most other religious groups. Romans 12:1 admonishes us: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, mercy, Romans 12:1, salvation, works
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No Room For Boasting
“Where then is boasting? It is excluded.” (Romans 3:27) A better word could not be said regarding true religion. There is NO room for personal boasting in genuine Christianity.
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged boasting, Galatians 6:14, grace, holier than thou, Romans 3:27, salvation, self-righteousness, works
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God’s Providential Hand
Why did that person help me? Why did I find favor before their eyes? Nehemiah 2:8 gives us the answer to that. Nehemiah had been asked by the king what he would request, in regard to the problem of Jerusalem … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged blessing, favor, God's hand, grace, Nehemiah 2:8, providence
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“Until Now”!
II Kings 13:23 describes God’s treatment of the people of Israel who had rebelled against Him for years. It says that “YHWH was gracious to them … and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now.” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged forbearance, grace, II Corinthians 6:2, II Kings 13:23, judgment, patience, Psalm 103:10, Psalm 103:8, Psalm 103:9, sin
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All You Have To Do To Get To Heaven
Psalm 15 opens by asking the question everybody wants answered: “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent; who may dwell on Your holy hill?” In other words, how can we get to heaven, to be where God is — … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, heaven, II Corinthians 5:21, Jesus, Matthew 5:48, Psalm 15:1-2, righteousness, salvation, works
1 Comment
A Picture of His Grace
I Kings 11 describes how King Solomon allowed his heart to be turned away from God by his foreign wives. He broke the covenant with God and his heart was not fully devoted to Him (:4). But verses 11-12 tell … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, I Kings 11:11-13, salvation, Son of David
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Lessons in Grace
In I King 9:6 God told King Solomon, “But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me … (:7) then I will cut off Israel from the land …”. Here again we see that God DOES keep … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, I Kings 9:6, obedience, Romans 7, salavation, works
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Before Him
Colossians 1:22 says: “Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach”. This verse teaches us that now, because of what Jesus has done, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged before Him, blameless, blood, Colossians 1:22, forgiveness, grace, holy, Isaiah 64:6
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