I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!
Tag Archives: relationship with God
“No Strange Fire: Honoring God in Worship” (Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon)
When I was pastoring in Louisiana, Governor Bobby Jindal came to our church one Sunday to share his testimony. It was a big day; we had one combined service, and every seat was filled, with standing room only. There were … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized, worship
Tagged Abba Father, Acts 5, Ananias & Sapphira, Apostle John, awesome God, balance, Bible, caesar banquet shamed, cat in church, celebrities in the church, clothing, creativity, dress, dress and worship, entertainment, entertainment and worship, familiarity, fear of God, focus in worship, giving, glory of God, God's word, Governor Bobby Jindal, Hebrews 13:28–29, house of prayer, hypocrisy, Leviticus 10:1-3 sermon, Lord's Supper, Malachi 3:10, Nadab & Abihu, obedience, prayer, preaching, regulative principle, relationship with God, respect, Revelation 1:13, Revelation 1:17, reverence, salvation, scripture, singing, songs, strange fire, testimonies, testimony, Unseen presence, worship, worship planning
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Keep The Fire Going!
“Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.” (Leviticus 6:13) The Old Testament tabernacle worship was full of symbolism. It taught God’s people the “A-B-C’s” of what it takes to have and keep … Continue reading
“Knowing”: The Firm Foundation
“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God …” (John 13:3) The word “knowing” here is a crucial one: “Jesus, KNOWING …”. … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged assurance, confidence, faith, foundation, heaven, I John 5:13, Jesus, John 13:3, knowing, relationship with God, service
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He Loved Us First: The Difference That Makes
“We love, because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19) John tells us in this brief verse God loved us first. This is significant, and makes such a difference in our understanding of our relationship with Him:
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged God's love, grace, I John 4:19, love, merit, performance trap, relationship with God, Romans 5:8, salvation, saved by grace
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Your Two Key Relationships (Psalm 16:2-3 sermon)
One of the things that makes getting around relatively easy in Oklahoma is that the whole state is basically divided into 4 quadrants by I-35 which runs north & south, and I-40, which runs east & west. These 2 great … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", all lives matter, black lives matter, blue lives matter, C.S. Lewis quote, gospel, Mere Christianity, Psalm 16 sermon, Psalm 16:2-3, relationship with God, relationship with man, relationships, salvation, white lives matter
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A Mutual Embrace
“My soul clings to (after) You; Your right hand upholds me.” (Psalm 63:8) We get glimpses in several of the Psalms of the kind of deep spiritual relationship that David had with the Lord. Psalm 63 is one of those. … Continue reading
