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: how to be saved
“No Spirit of Fear” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon/Hurricane Beryl, July 7, 2024)
In March 2020 about a dozen or so of our church members went on a mission trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, to minister with what is now James Trail ministry, with Dan & Meredith Shuman. It was a good trip, but … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged A Leopard Tamed, assurance, be not afraid, Bible, Christianity, confidence, COVID, COVID sermon, Death, discipline, Eleanor Vandevort, faith, fear, fear not, fruit of the Spirit, God, how to be saved, hurricane, hurricane Beryl, hurricane prep, II Timothy 1:7, In Christ Alone, Jesus, Kim Eaves, London Plague, love, Martin Luther plague, ministry, missionary, no fear, no fear in death, no guilt in life no fear in death, panic, power, Puritans, salvation, sermon, sound mind, Sudan, testimony, The Black Death
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: The Blame Game” (James 1:13-16 sermon)
On our trip to see our grand daughters baptized, Cheryl & I stopped to see a couple of Presidential libraries, including Jimmy Carter’s in Atlanta. I had to chuckle when we stopped there, because we have an ongoing joke in … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged A.T. Robertson, ABCs of salvation, accountability, Adam & Eve, alpha privative, blame, blame God, blaming God, Book of James, born this way, C.S. Lewis, Calvinism, Charles Guiteau, Clint Hill, David and Bathsheba, Dwight D. Eisenhower, excuses, first step to salvation, free will, Gary Powers, genetic predisposition, God, God author of sin, Greek grammar, habits, homosexuality, how to be saved, James, James 1, James 1:13-16 sermon, James sermons, Jesus, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, King David, lust, Mere Christianity, peirazo, President Eisenhower, Psalm 51, responsibility, Ronald Reagan, salvation, sin, temptation, temptations, The Blame Game, trials, trials vs temptations, Westminister Confession, What Real Faith Looks Like
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“I John’s Tests of Your Salvation”
Last week Cheryl & I went to the anniversary celebration at Challenger Aviation, Mike Challenger’s aviation business at Hobby Airport. Mike’s wife Mikelle’s dad is on staff at Sagemont Baptist in Houston, and we really enjoyed visiting with him and … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons
Tagged agape love, assurance of salvation, can I know I am saved, Challenger Aviation, Christian, Christian doctrine, Christian love, Christianity and homosexuality, commandments obedience, conviction, conviction of sin Holy Spirit, David McCullough Wright Brothers, doctrine, forgiveness, fruit of the Spirit, fully God fully man, Hadrian Aristides love one another, holiness, Holy Spirit, how to be saved, how to know I am saved, I John 4:6, I John 4:7-8, I John 5:13, I John assurance of salvation, I John sermon, I John test of salvation, Jesus Deity, Jesus humanity, John 16:8, keep His commandments, Ken Keithley quote indifference, lay down life love, love, love in marriage, love one another, marks of salvation, marriage, obedience, Oberkfell decision, righteousness, Romans 8:15-16, sacrificial love, salvation, sanctification, signs of salvation, sin, test of Holy Spirit
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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: Micah 4:6-8, 5:1-9
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Micah 4 &5 for Sunday, November 20, 2022, with the title: “Humble Beginnings.” (A video version of this overview is available on … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Bethlehem Ephrathah, Bible prophecy, dark days, George Washington American Revoluiton, how to be saved, Jesus Bethlehem, Jesus birth, Jesus person and work, John 8 I AM, lesson helps Explore the Bible Micah 4, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson help Micah 4 and 5, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson Micah 4 and 5, Messiah, Micah 5:2, poor in spirit, poverty in spirit, prophecies of Christ, prophecy of Christ birth, salvation, Sunday school teacher help, teacher help Lifeway Explore the Bible Micah 4
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“Sitting Before The Lord” (I Chronicles 17:16-20 sermon)
In the late 1800s, Alexander Graham Bell was a master inventor, producing, among other things, the first telephone. But Bell’s wife Mable was concerned. Once she wrote to her mother that the endless hours he devoted to the telephone frightened … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons
Tagged A.W. Tozer give time to Him, A.W. Tozer no shortcut, Alexander Graham Bell, Brooklyn Bridge David McCullough, busy-ness, Candace Millard Destiny of the Republic, Christian hedonism, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily prayer time, daily time with God, David prayer, devotional time, enjoy God, enter His gates with thanksgiving, how to be saved, humility, I Chronicles 17 sermon, King David, prayer, prayer time, Psalm 100:4, salvation, Shepherd, sit before God, slow down, taking for granted, Thanksgiving, time, worship
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“The Greatest Verse in the Bible?” (John 3:16 sermon)
People often enjoy discussing who or what “the greatest” is in different areas of life. A new acronym has arisen in light of that: “GOAT,” which stands for “Greatest of All Time.” The first time I saw that, it was … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged airplane trust, C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters, eternal life, eternal life definition, eternal life meaning, everlasting life, faith, for God so loved, Galatians 2:20, GOAT, greatest travel destination, greatest verse in the Bible, heaven, how to be saved, how to go to heaven, invitation, John 17:3, John 3:16, John 3:16 sermon, Jonathan Edwards, love, sacrifice Jesus, saving faith, this is eternal life, Tom Brady GOAT, trust in Jesus, Whoever will call, whosoever surely meaneth me, whosoever will may come, Winston Churchill son Randolph
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