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 7:15-29, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Authority Acknowledged," for 1/11/26.
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 8 & 9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Every Life Valued" for 1/18/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 6:19-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Treasure," for 1/04/2026
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "Three Christian Attitudes" (Philippians 3:12-15 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: ministry
“Don’t Waste A Good Crisis” (Hurricane Beryl message, July 2024, Psalm 46)
Just before the dark days of the Second World War, English Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said: “Never let a good crisis go to waste”! His statement has been adopted and re-quoted by many politicians in recent years: “Never let … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Bible, blessings, CAT 1, Corrie Ten Boom, COVID, COVID crisis, crises, crisis, crisis ministry, don't waste a good crisis, electricity, faith, give thanks, God, God is our refuge, gratitude, hurricane Beryl, In Christ Alone, Jesus, Lyndon Johnson, material blessings, ministry, My hope is built on nothing less, never let a god crisis go to waste, politics, prayer, Psalm 116:1, Psalm 46, Psalm 46:1, Robert Caro, salvation, Samaritans Purse disaster relief, saving faith, service, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, take for granted, thankful, The Solid Rock, trust, water, well, Winston Churchill
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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 6:1-15, “Serving” for July 21, 2024.
An overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” Sunday School lesson, for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text overview and highlights, illustrations, discussion questions for your class, and spiritual life applications. A … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Acts 6:1-15, church, church growth, complaint, deacon, deacon ministry, deacon qualificatioins, deacons, diakoneo, diakonos, evangelism, Explore the Bible, Greek, grumbling, Hebrews, Hellenistic, hurricane Beryl, Jews, Lifeway, ministry, ministry to widows, Sanhedrin, service, serving, serving food, Stephen, Sunday School, the twelve, widows, wisdom, witness
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“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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Teacher’s Overview of Acts 5:29-42, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson “Worthy,” for July 14, 2024
(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: ??? Did you/someone you know ever disobey a law/command/guideline, to do something you believed God wanted you to do?(— A friend of mine and I shared the gospel … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged abortion, Acts, Acts 5, Acts 5:29-42, apostles, balance, Bible, Bible study, C.S. Lewis, chronological snobbery, civil disobedience, cost of discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, discipleship, Ephesians 1:13, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, Gamaliel, Geaux Therefore, God of our Fathers, gospel, hate crime, history, Holy Spirit, homosexuality, Jesus is Lord, Jewish Encyclopedia, lessons of history, Lifeway, Lordship, ministry, NOBTS, obedience, persecution, perseverance, Peter, Pharisee, Prince and Savior, repentance, Rex Butler, Romans 10:9, Romans 13:1, Ron DeSantis, salvation, Savior and Lord, sharing, Stephen Boissoin, submission, Sunday School, time will tell, transgender, we must obey God rather than men, Winston Churchill lessons of history, witness, workplace
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: True Religion” (James 1:26-27 sermon)
What does a “religious” person look like? What do you envision when you think of someone who is “religious”? Someone carrying a big Bible, or wearing a cross around their neck? Maybe somebody speaking from a pulpit, or singing a … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged Acts 4:12, Africa, African Queen, assurance, Bible, Bleak House, Book of James, Book of Mormon, bridle tongue, C.S. Lewis, Charles DIckens, Christianity, consumer religion, Dan & Meredith Shuman, doer of the word, false religion, Fight Club, God, hearers of the word, holier than thou, holiness, home, I Timothy 5, James, James 1, James 1:26-27, James 3, James sermons, James Trail Ministry, Jared Wilson, Jesus, Jesus only way, John 14:6, Katharine Hepburn, life, lifestyle, Luke 18, Mahatma Gandhi, Matthew 7:13-14, ministry, missions, missions starts at home, Mormon, Mormonism, Mrs. Jellyby, narrow gate, nursing home visitation, orphans, Pharisee and the publican, pornography, purity, real faith, real salvation, religion, religion starts at home, religious, Rock of Ages song, salvation, sanctification, scripture, self-righteous, test of salvation, True Religion, What Real Faith Looks Like, widows, words
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Relationships & Righteousness” (James 1:19-21 sermon)
In the fall of 1871, explorer Harry Stanley found missionary Dr. Livingstone in Ujiji, Africa, after he had been lost to civilization for several years. It was then that he uttered those famous words, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Staying there … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
Tagged A.T. Robertson, anger, Bible, Christianity, continual repentance, conversation, dads, Dr. Livingstone, ethics, evangelism, faith, fathers, Fathers Day, garden, gay Christian, gospel, Harry Stanley, hearing, holiness, humility, James, James 1, James 1 sermon, ministry, mouth, proverbs, quick to hear, real Christianity, receive Jesus, relationships, repent, repentance, salvation, sanctification, saving faith, sermons, Shekinah, sin, slow to anger, slow to speak, Sunday school class, teaching, temper, thrice was Moses angry, two ears one mouth, weeds, What Real Faith Looks Like, witness, word implanted, words, Zeno
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