I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!
Tag Archives: hope
“The Hope” (Easter Sermon 2018)
A young man came into our church in Oklahoma City one Sunday morning, and he was in despair. His marriage, and really his whole life, had fallen apart, and he came to church in despair for help, and he said … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Acts 20:21, Acts 26, Acts 26:19-23, deeds of repentance, despair, Easter, Easter sermon, Ephesians 1 resurrection power, eternal life, hope, I Corinthians 6:9-10, Isaiah 53, Jesus resurrection, John Merrill football coach, power, promise, repent, repentance, repentance and faith, repenters, repenters and Christians, resurrection, Romania, sin, Stefan Berci, Tim Keller
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We Do Not Lose Heart
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man in decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (II Corinthians 4:16) It is a sobering reality to many when they observe the gradual decline of … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged aging, body, faith, heaven, hope, II Corinthians 4:16, physical body, senior adults
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The Ultimate “Wrong Side of History”: A Psalm For Our Times,
Christians in America have been dismayed by many recent events in our country, the Supreme Court decision regarding same-sex marriage prominent among them. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by what seems to be an unrelenting tide of ungodliness, and … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship
Tagged eternity, God, hope, Jesus Christ, judgment, Psalm 113, Psalm 2, same-sex marriage SCOTUS, sovereignty, wrath, wrong side of history
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The “Cloud” of Prosperity
One of Job’s complaints, found in 30:15, was that “My prosperity has passed away like a cloud.” There are a number of great word pictures in the book of Job, and this is one of them. He says that prosperity … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, hope, Job 30:15, prosperity, riches, trust, wealth
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Help From The God of Jacob
Many of us know what it feels like to be in a time of distress. Maybe you would say you are in a time like that now. Psalm 20 reminds us that it matters who you look to for your … Continue reading
Suddenly Everything Can Change
When God speaks and acts, things can change faster than you can imagine! In II Kings 6, the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s capital city, Samaria, had been under seige, and they were starving. Chapter 6 verse 25 recorded that “a … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged change, circumstances, hope, II Kings 6:25, II Kings 7:1
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You Are Not Forgotten
In Psalm 9:18 David reminds us: “For the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.” This is a good reminder, because there are times when you DO feel like you will always be … Continue reading
