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 Preview of Matthew 10:16-20, 26-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 2/01/26, "Loyalty Tested"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson "Mercy Extended" for 1/25/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 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: outreach
Teacher’s Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson “Mercy Extended” for 1/25/26
For teachers of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Matthew 9, for January 25, 2026. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text outline and highlights, illustrations you can share, discussion questions for your group, and spiritual life applications that … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Mercy Extended", Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln pardons, Bible professional mourners, Book of Matthew, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, church, down and out, evangelism, Explore the Bible, fasting, gospel, grace, gracious, Jesus, Jesus and fasting, John Lloyd Stevens, legalism, Lifeway, Matthew, Matthew 9, mercy, mourning, New Testament fasting, outreach, Pharisees, reclining to eat, separate from sinners, shawnethomas, showing grace, sin, sinners, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school outline, Sunday School teacher, synagogue official, triclinium, wineskins
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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Mark 11:15-25 “Clears”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson of Mark 11:15-25, “Clears,” for Sunday, October 29, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO ??? You … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged anger, bitterness, cleansing the temple, court of the Gentiles, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, fig tree, forgiveness, Gentiles, Gentle Jesus, gospel, grudge, house of prayer, IMB, Jesus, Jesus art, Jesus picture, John Bunyan, Jonah, lesson outline, lessons of the fig tree, Lifeway, Mark 11:15-25, missions, model prayer, outreach, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, purpose church, resentment poison, righteous anger, salvation, Southern Baptist missions, Sunday school lesson, teacher help, temper, Texas Port Ministry, The Angry Christian Bert Ghezzi, unanswered prayer, unforgiveness
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“Glorifying God as Salt & Light” (Matthew 5:13-16 sermon)
“(Victor) Frankl was a prominent Jewish psychiatrist and neurologist who lived in Vienna, Austria. In 1942, he and his wife and parents were arrested and transported to a Nazi concentration camp. At the end of the war three years later, … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons
Tagged Christians and politics, Christians and tippiing, Christians being salt and light, church, come out of the closet, discipleship, evangelism, First Baptist Angleton Texas, glorify God, glorify God and enjoy Him, I Corinthians 10:31, I Corinthians 6:20, I Peter 2:12, I Peter 4:16, II Corinthians 9:13, light, Lillian Parks Leighton, Matthew 5:13-16, meaning, never disgrace that uniform, outreach, prayer walk, purpose, purpose for life, salt, salt and light, salt lose its savor, Victor Frankl Man's Search For Meaning, Westminster Shorter Catechism, witness, worship, you are the light of the world, you are the salt of the earth
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“Your Circumstances: A Witness Stand For Christ” (Philippians 1:12-20 sermon)
I’ve got a friend and brother in ministry, Jack Tillery, who experienced a LOT of physical difficulties while he served at our church in Louisiana and for some years since. You may get an opportunity to meet Jack some time, … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Apostle Paul Acts, Apostle Paul witness Acts, Biblical Christianity, circumstances, Corrie Ten Boom witness stand for Jesus, evangelism, I Corinthians 10:31, II Corinthians 12 thorn in the flesh, illness, Jack Tillery, John Newton death of wife, lifestyle evangelism, mission, outreach, Philippians 1 sermon, Philippians 1:12-20, prosperity teaching, salvation, sickness, The Hiding Place Corrie Ten Boom, witness, witness for Christ, witness in trials, witness stand for Jesus, witness through illness, Your Best Life Now
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“The Growing Christian Life” (I Peter 1:22 sermon)
I have noticed that a lot of time and effort is spent around here by people trying to make things grow. They are trying to grow grass in their yard; or tomatoes or flowers in their garden, or fruit trees … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged adoption, adoption challenges, adoption gospel, agape love, anger, Aristides behold how they love one another, baby growth, behold how they love one another, born again, conversion, decisions, discipleship, evangelism, fellowship, gospel, gospel and truth, grow in love, growing Christian life, growth, Hadrian Aristides, how to grow, I John 4:8, I Peter, I Peter 1:22, I Peter 1:22 sermon, I Timothy 1:5, John 13:34-35, love, love the goal, mature Christian, mind will emotions, obedience to the truth, obey, obey the gospel, outreach, philadelphia love, purify, reprogramming, salvation, sanctification, soul, spiritual growth, truth, witness of love
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A New Testament “Outreach Plan”
“A great number of people heard of all that He was doing and came …”. (Mark 3:8) This is a good reminder of how “a great crowd” comes in the Lord’s work. We do not have to plan some … Continue reading