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 13:24-30, 36-43, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Judgment Coming," for 2/22/26.
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 14:22-33, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Courage," for March 1, 2026.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 12:1-14, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Rejecting Legalism," for 2/15/26.
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Discipline of Fasting" (Ezra 8:21 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 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 Discipline of Scripture Memory” (Matt. 4:1-11 sermon)
(Preached at PRBC 5-31-15) In the summer of 1980 I went on a mission trip with my home church, the First Baptist Church of Harrah, to Switzerland and Germany. During the trip we also took a one-day visit to Paris, … Continue reading
Son of God and Man
Was Jesus Christ the Son of God, or man? The answer of traditional orthodox Christianity is: BOTH! The witness of the scriptures affirms this truth. One of these scriptures is Romans 1:3-4, “Who was born a descendant of David according … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Christology, deity of Jesus, Fairest Lord Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 1:1, Messiah, Romans 1:3-4, Son of God, Son of Man
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“The Christian Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
(Preached at FBC Pauls Valley 2-15-15) Although I have run for exercise for much of my adult life, I have never been very fast. When we lived in Tulsa back in the 1990’s (when I was in my 30’s) I … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Christian race, endurance, Hebrews 12:1-2, Jesus, perseverance, race of faith, sin
11 Comments
The Mediator
Sometimes two estranged parties need a third person, sympathetic to both, who can bring them together. Job lamented in 9:33 of his relationship with God: “There is no umpire between us who may lay his hand upon us both.” In … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 4:16, I Timothy 2:5, intercessor, Jesus, Job 9:33, mediator, umpire
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Illustrations from Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad
Not long after the Civil War, Mark Twain joined a steamship tour of Europe and the Holy Land. His entertaining book, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles the journey in a way only Twain could. Punctuated liberally with sarcasm and irony, the … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Sermon Illustrations
Tagged atonement, Bible prophecy, Death, Ephesus, Holy Land, Jesus, Mark Twain, materialism, rest, Sabbath, salvation, sermon illustrations, sin, the cross, The Innocents Abroad
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All You Have To Do To Get To Heaven
Psalm 15 opens by asking the question everybody wants answered: “O Lord, who may abide in Your tent; who may dwell on Your holy hill?” In other words, how can we get to heaven, to be where God is — … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged grace, heaven, II Corinthians 5:21, Jesus, Matthew 5:48, Psalm 15:1-2, righteousness, salvation, works
1 Comment
All In
In I Kings 19, God told the prophet Elijah to anoint Elisha to take his place, and Elijah departed from the Lord and threw his mantle over Elisha, who was plowing with some oxen, calling him to be his disciple. … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged commitment, discipleship, I Kings 19:21, Jesus, Lordship, Luke 9:62
2 Comments
Think About Things Above
Colossians 3:2 commands us: “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on the earth.” “Set your mind” here is the Greek word “phroneo”, which refers to “the inward parts around the heart” (Thayer) and … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Colossians 3:2, heaven, Jesus, mind, thinking, thoughts
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Your Screwtape’s Disgrace!
Colossians 2:15 says that when God “disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.” The Bible words used here are very instructive to us in the spiritual warfare we face … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged authorities, Colossians 2:15, cross, Death, demons, Ephesians 6:12, Jesus, powers, resurrection, rulers, screwtape letters, spiritual warfare
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