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 25:31-46, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Active Faith" for May 17, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 24:36-51, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Alert" for May 10, 2026
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "Ambassadors For Christ" (II Corinthians 5:20 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "The Church With An Open Door" (Revelation 3:7-13 sermon)
- Joshua 3:5 Sermon: "Preparing For God To Work"
Categories
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- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
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Tag Archives: grace
Responding Graciously When You’re Unjustly Accused
In II Samuel 16:5-8 the man Shimei made accusations against David that were hurtful, but groundless — and David’s gracious response should be instructive to us:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged David, false accusation, grace, II Samuel 16:5-14, responding graciously, Shimei, unjustly accused
3 Comments
Doing The Opposite
In II Samuel 9:7 King David told Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth: “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan …”. “Do not fear” was an appropriate admonition, for Mephibosheth was … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged enemies, grace, II Samuel 9:7, kindness, love your enemies, mercy
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God Will Fulfill Your Purpose
In Psalm 138:8 David declares confidently that God’s purposes for him will come to pass: “The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands.” (ESV) Each … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, Psalm 138:8, Psalm 139:13, purpose, Romans 9:16
1 Comment
A Lesson in Civility and Grace
Following the death of Saul & Jonathan on Mt. Gilboa at the hands of the Philistines, David composes a lament in their honor. The song he wrote in II Samuel 1:17-27 is instructive to us in several ways: — First, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged civility, enemies, grace, II Samuel 1:17-27
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The Law & The Need For Grace
Psalm 119 is a great paean to the Law of God, extolling many marvels and facets of His word. Verses 1-8 (in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter Aleph, as Psalm 119 is an acrostic in Hebrew) open … Continue reading
Grace For Those Who Fall Short
Psalm 106:3 says: “How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times.” If only we did! Unfortunately this rules out every one of us: NONE of us practices righteousness at ALL times! “There is NONE righteous; … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged chesed, grace, lovingkindness, praise, Psalm 106:3, Romans 3:10, salvation, Thanksgiving
2 Comments
When You’ve Messed Up: (Part VI) Don’t Take Grace Lightly!
The message of I Samuel 12 to a people who had sinned is a hopeful one: if they will admit their sin, God will forgive, and they should not give up on their relationship with Him. But it ends with … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged cheap grace, forgiveness, grace, I Samuel 12:24-25, John 8, repentance, sin
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The Throne of Grace
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Notice that we are not encouraged to draw near to … Continue reading
His Manner of Grace
The prayer of Psalm 119:132 is “Turn to me and be gracious to me – after Your manner with those who love Your name”. The Psalmist asks God to be gracious to him, and bases it on the “manner” of … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Exodus 34:6, God, God's gracious manner, grace, His manner of grace, Psalm 119:132
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“Our Gracious God” (Exodus 34:6-8)
They should have been consumed by fire, every last one of them. With their own eyes the people of Israel had just watched the Red Sea split in two, and had seen God gloriously save them from the Egyptian army in the … Continue reading
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