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 19:16-30, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Eternal Life" for 4/12/26
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 20:1-16, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Grace," for 4/19, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "A Living Hope" (I Peter 1:3 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 28:1-10, 16-20, "Our Task," Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 4/05/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "I AM the Living One" (Revelation 1:17-18 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 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: Jesus
The Lessons Around You
Jesus had just said to His disciples, “Get up, let us go from here” in the last verse of John 14, so perhaps it was passing some grapevines on the way to Gethsemane which occasioned Jesus to talk about how … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged creation, discipleship, Jesus, John 15:1, lessons in creation, Psalm 19, Romans 1, teacher, teaching, vine
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If You Loved Me You’d Rejoice!
“You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away and I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) Here … Continue reading
“Don’t Be A Hypocrite!” (Matthew 6:1+ sermon)
“Beware!” If you are out driving, and you come across a sign in the road that says “Beware!”, you are going to pay attention, and proceed very carefully, aren’t you? And you should. You know there is something dangerous ahead, … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged actor, alms, applause of heaven, church, Facebook, fasting, giving, heart, humility, hypocrisy, hypocrite, hypocrites, Jesus, John 11 Jesus prayer, let your light shine, Luke 20:20, Matthew 23, Matthew 5:16, Matthew 6:1, Matthew 6:1-18, model prayer, motivation, NBA home court, Pharisees, poor in spirit, praise, prayer, pride, private prayer, public ministry, pure in heart, recognition, righteousness, scribes, singing, tip of the iceberg, worship
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The Believer’s Peace
“Do not let your heart be troubled.” (John 14:1) Many of God’s people are familiar with the opening words of this chapter. But they may not remember that Jesus REPEATS these very same words again later, near the end of … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Comforter, disciples, heart, heaven, helper, Holy Spirit, Jesus, John 14:27, John 14:6, John 1:41, peace, salvation
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A Triune Comfort
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” (John 14:16) Jesus, knowing that His disciples were grieved by His impending departure from this world, comforts them with the promise … Continue reading
Are You Doing His Works?
“Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12) Much of the attention … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged disciples, discipleship, Jesus, John 14:12, marks of discipleship, Matthew 4:23, ministry, test, works
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“Show Us The Father”?
“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” (John 14:8) If Jesus had responded to this request with a note of frustration in His voice, it would have been understandable:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged Colossians 2:9, Deity of Christ, God, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 14:8, theology
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It’s All About Jesus
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (John 14:6) This isn’t “just” a verse about Jesus being the only way to heaven — although … Continue reading
“Getting To Heaven May Be Harder Than You Think” (Matthew 5:20-48 sermon)
I want to begin by congratulating Dewey Phipps, Josh Peterson, and Anthony Burdick for completing the Bear Run last week. If you aren’t familiar with that, it is a 5-mile run ALL UPHILL on Grandfather Mountain. I can’t imagine how … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged adultery, David Thomas, Devil's Island, divorce, Gethsemane, Hebrews 12:29, holiness, Jesus, Jesus only way, Mark Dever, Matthew 5:20-48 sermon, murder, On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand, poverty in spirit, righteousness, Romans 3:23, salvation, Sermon on the Mount, Ten Commandments, wrath of God
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Lead By Example
“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.” (John 13:15) Here Jesus gave His disciples — and all us reading His word today — one of the most important lessons about leadership: … Continue reading
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