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
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- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
- Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
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- Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King
- John 3:16 sermon series
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- Luke 2 Christmas series
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- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
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Tag Archives: James 2
“What Real Faith Looks Like: Real Faith Affects the Way You Talk” (James 3:1-12 message)
James 3:1-12 “What Real Faith Looks Like: Real Faith Affects the Way You Talk” Francis Carpenter was an eminent American portrait painter back in the 1800s. Among the people he painted was President Abraham Lincoln. For six months he would … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Admiral Dewey, Book of James, C.J. Stroud, careless words, children, Christian life, convicted for being a Christian, cursing, Dwight Eisenhower, faith, forest fire, forgiveness, Francis Carpenter, fruit, George Patton, gospel, holiness, horse bit, Jacqueline Winspear, James, James 2, James 3, Jesus, John Wooden, language, Maisy Dobbs, mine ponies, parents, rudder, salvation, ship, sin, speech, swear words, talk, Theodore Roosevelt, tongue, Welch revival, What Real Faith Looks Like, words, works
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Real Faith Works” (James 2:14-26 sermon)
John Wooden was one of the greatest coaches of all time. His UCLA Bruins dominated college basketball back in the 1960s-70s like no other team ever has. He won 10 national championships in 12 years, including seven in a row! … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged Abigail Adams, Abraham, Abraham faith, Abraham works, arrested for being a Christian, Bible, Book of James, demons, demons believe, epistle of straw, evidence, faith, faith and works, fruit, God, good works, gospel, Islam, James, James 2, James 2:14-26, Jesus, Jimmy Carter testimony, John Adams, John Wooden, John Wooden testimony, judgment, Martin Luther, Matthew 13, Nabeel Qureshi, Parable of the Sower, Rahab, Rahab faith, Rahab works, religion, salvation, Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, spiritual fruit, testimony, They Call Me Coach, witness, words vs actions, words vs deeds, works, works salvation, world religions
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: The King’s Laws” (James 2:5-13)
In Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace, he writes about how during Napoleon’s War with Russia he commanded a group of his soldiers to go downstream and find a good place to ford the river, and go to the other side. … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged all sin is sin, Andrew Jackson, Bible, Book of James, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, comparing, discipleship, ethics, failure, faith, God, gospel, how would you like it, in the course of justice, James, James 2, James 2:5-13, Jesus, John Adams, Jon Meacham American Lion, judgment, King Jesus, Law, law of liberty, Law of mercy, Leo Tolstoy, Love God Love Others, love your neighbor, mercy, Napoleon, obedience, render the deeds of mercy, Romans 13:8-10, salvation, Shakespeare, Sheldon Vanauken, sin, slavery, Tao, The Golden Rule, The Great Commandment, The Hermitag, the Law, The Merchant of Venice, the quality of mercy, the standard, transgression, War & Peace, we do pray for mercy, Yours Jack, zeal
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: No Partiality” (James 2:1-4 sermon)
At one point during the U.S. Civil War, Northern General Ulysses S.Grant gave President Abraham Lincoln and the Secretary of War a list of 8 major generals and 33 brigadier generals whose service he said “the Government ‘could dispense with … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged Are you somebody?, beauty, Bible, Billy Graham, black, Book of James, business, business ethics, Christian life, Christianity, church, faith, favoritism, God, gospel, Hadrians Wall, In Christ Alone, James, James 2, James 2:1-4, Jesus, judgment, Katharine Graham's Washington, Lindy Boggs, money, partial, partiality, poor, prejudice, Proverbs 20:10, race, racial prejudice, reverse discrimination, rich, rich young ruler, Robert Caro, Robert E. Lee, Roman society, Rome, salvation, salvation by faith, sermon, sin, sin of partiality, Steve Jobs, The Country Church, the ground is level at the foot of the cross, The Power Broker, Ulysses S. Grant, Walter Isaacson, Washington Irving, white, worship
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“Culture-blind” — or Cowardly?
In Washington Irving’s delightful The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, the author journals about his attendance at a venerable English country church: “The congregation was composed of the neighboring people of rank, who sat in pews sumptuously lined and cushioned, … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized
Tagged C.S. Lewis, church, compromise, courage, cowardice, culture, culture blindness, favoritism, James 2, James 2:1, James 2:1-6, Lesslie Newbigin, partiality, poor, preaching, reform, rich, The Country Church, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Washington Irving
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shawnethomas 