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
- 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: relationship with God
Teacher’s Overview of Psalm 23, “God’s Care,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for August 10, 2025
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Psalm 23, for Sunday, August 10, 2025, with the title, “God’s Care.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged anoint my head with oil, Bible study, Explore the Bible, for You are with me, God with us, God's Care, good ruts, Jehovah, Jesus, John 14:6, lesson overview, Lifeway, Psalm 23, Psalms, relationship with God, ruts of righteousness, salvation, Shawn Thomas, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, The Lord is my Shepherd, Yahweh, YHWH
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“Who God Says He Is” (Exodus 34:6-8 sermon)
Years ago, in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer wrote: “What you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you.” What do you think about when you think about God? And … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermons
Tagged "The love of God" song, A.W. Tozer what you think about when you think about God, Al Mohler, Bulgaria missions, chesed, compassion God, Dave Ramsey better than I deserve, doctrine of God, Exodus 34:6-8 sermon, forgiveness, God, grace of God, grace to others, gracious, heaven, Jebel Musa, Jesus final revelation, living by grace, love has a long fuse, lovingkindness, Marinne Williamson, new age, Prodigal Son, relationship with God, response to God, revelation, salvation by grace, surprises in heaven, theology, Yahweh, YHWH
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“The Lord Our Provider” (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
I’ll never forget the time, just after Cheryl & I had graduated from seminary; I only had a part-time job, and we didn’t have any prospects of finding a full-time church yet; we had just had our first child, and … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Angleton Christian School, building fund, Christian School provision, church building provision, condition of Philippians 4:19, First Baptist Church Angleton Texas, Genesis 22, George Muller orphanage proviision, givers, giving, God our provider, God's providence, good stewards, Hudson Taylor, Hudson Taylor testimony, in Christ Jesus, investing in eternity, investing in the Kingdom, Jehovah Jireh, kingdom giving, Kingdom investing, Lottie Moon offering, missions, missions giving, needs vs. wants, pastor Shawn Thomas, Philippians 4 sermon, Philippians 4:19 sermon, provision, relationship with God, retirement savings, salvation, Shawn Thomas, stewardship, supply, tithe, tithe ten percent, tithing
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“The Model Prayer: Receiving & Giving Forgiveness” (Matthew 6:12 sermon)
In 2012 a book was published with the title: Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. It became a New York Times Bestseller, and was regarded by many as a “pretty cool” book on prayer; how a lot of our … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Matthew sermons, Sermons, The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020), Uncategorized
Tagged C.S. Lewis, confessing sin, confession, daily prayer, daily quiet time, devotions, forgive the inexcusable, forgiveness, giving forgiveness, granting forgiveness, Help Thanks Wow, I John 1:9, Jerry Bridges, Jesus, Lord's Prayer, marriage, Matthew 18, Matthew 6:12 sermon, meaning of forgiveness, model prayer, morning prayer, no condemnation, Parable of the Two Debtors, prayer, prayer outline, prayer relationship, preach the gospel to yourself, Psalm 66:18, relationship with God, repentance, Romans 8:1, salvation, sin, sin debt, sinners prayer, song "The Lord's Prayer", Tim Keller
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“No Worthless Thing” (Psalm 101:3 sermon)
On this Father’s Day, we can remember one of the great “Father/Son” teams in American history, John Adams, and his son, John Quincy Adams, both of whom served as President of the United States. When he was only ten years … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Abigail Adams, belial, Bible sword, billboards, books, Cary Grant Phillis Brooks, commercials, commitment to holiness, Daspe survey pornography, David and Bathsheba, Eve saw, family, Fathers Day, forgiveness, God, grace, grace of God, heaven, holiness, horses peripheral vision, I John 2:16, internet, internet pornography, internet search, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, lead us not into temptation, Love Later Brand Hatch Hajela, lust of the eyes, marriage, Matthew 4 temptation, model prayer, moral thread in books, No Worthless Thing, Philippians 4:8, pornography, pornography addiction, Psalm 101, Psalm 101:3, pursuit of holiness, reading, relationship with God, salvation, sanctification, Satan, scripture memory, sons of belial, surfing the internet, television, temptation, the lamp of the body is the eye, trap, tv watching, warning, word of God
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“Christ’s Suffering/Our Salvation” (I Peter 3:18 sermon)
David McCullough is one of my favorite history writers (I loved his book on the Wright Brothers). One of HIS favorite authors was a man by the name of Conrad Richter, who won the Pulitzer Prize back in the 1950’s … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged bring us to God, C.S. Lewis happiness, C.S. Lewis milk and water, C.S. Lewis pleasure, Christ suffered for sins, Christ suffered once, Conrad Richter, David McCullough, death of Christ, draw near to God, evangelism, forgiveness, God, God Father, grace, hapax, hapax legomena, heaven, Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 10:11-12, Hebrews 10:14, Hebrews 4:15, Hebrews 9:25-26, hina, Hymn Free From the Law O Happy Condition, hymn It Is Well, hymn Jesus paid it all, Hymn Once For All, I Peter 3:18, I Peter sermon, It is finished, ministry, Moravians sold to slavery, My sin o the bliss of this glorious thought, once, Once for all O sinner receive it, one offering, one sacrifice, purpose, purpose clause, purpose of salvation, relationship with God, repentance, sacrifice, salvation, Sanan Gunan Thai SEAL, sin, suffer, suffering, Thai Navy SEAL died in rescue, Thai soccer team rescue, the benefit of ill, witness, works salvation
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