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 17:1-13, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Glory," for 3/22/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 15:1-11+, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for March 8, 2026, "Real Devotion"
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- "Christ's Suffering/Our Salvation" (I Peter 3:18 sermon)
- “The Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 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: salvation
“A Christian Response to the Coronavirus Crisis” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon)
How many of you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? I do … I was in my office at First Baptist Church Moss Bluff when someone told me to look at my computer … and those horrendous scenes … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "In Christ Alone" song, 9/11, Back-2-Back missions, coronavirus, coronavirus and church, Dan Shuman, Facebook, faith, fear, fear not, fear not 365 times, fear of death, Galatians 5:22-23, gospel, hoarding, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 13, II Timothy 1:7, Kim Eaves, Kyle & Jackie Chamblin, love, Martin Luther and plague quote, Mazatlan, Meredith Shuman, panic, pray and watch, Psalm 5:3, Puritans in London plague, salvation, selfishness, sensible, September 11 2001, sound mind, spirit of fear, the world
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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 People of Joy” (Philippians 1:1-2 sermon)
A few weeks ago I mentioned Hudson Taylor, who began a great mission work in China in the 1800’s. While he was there, the work was difficult, and funds were getting low, but he reported to one of his friends … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "I Give Up" discipleship class, "The Pursuit of Holiness" discipleship class, Apostle Paul, bondservants, bondservants of Christ, church at Philippi, conditions of the gospel, deacons, Ephesians 1, Ephesians 2:8-9, faith, forgiveness, Galatians 5:13, gladness, God's will, grace, hagioi, hagios, happiness, happiness and holiness, happy, holiness, holy, Holy Spirit, Hudson Taylor, I Corinthians 6:19-20, in Christ Jesus, introduction to Philippians, joy, Lordship, Lordship of Christ, Luke 6:46, Martin Lloyd-Jones Philippians, Matthew 20:27, Matthew 8:9, Matthew Henry happy holy, my will, overseers, people of joy, Philippi, Philippians, Philippians 1 sermon, Philippians 1:1-2, Philippians sermon, Psalm 4:7, saints, salvation, salvation by grace, sin, slaves, slaves of Christ, spiritual blessing Ephesians 1, surrender, temptation, Thomas Brooks happiness holiness, Thy will, Thy will be done
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“Humility In The Church” (I Peter 5:1-7 sermon)
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theological statements to the door of the Wittenburg church, and kicked off the Protestant Reformation. He called the church of God back to the authority of the word of God, and … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28, bishop, C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters, Church ministry, elders, episkopos, forgiveness, George Friderick Handel, grace, humble, humble salvation, humble yourself, humble yourselves, humility, humility in the church, humility not thinking less of yourself, humility salvation, humility thinking of yourself less, I Peter 5:1-7 sermon, Lutheran name, Martin Luther, ministry, opinion, overseer, pastor, pastor example, pastor not lording, pastor pedestal, pastor pride, pastors, preference, pride, salvation, Shepherd, shepherds, Sunday School, Sunday School ministry, Sunday School teacher
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“The Christ of Christmas: His Humanity” (John 1:14 sermon)
Several years ago, the President of Ursuline College made headlines when she decided to move into the women’s dorm at the college. So many college professors and administrators are accused of living in their academic “ivory towers,” far removed from … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Docetism, Docetists, doctrine, doctrine of the Incarnation, Doctrine of the Trinity, Emmanuel God with us, empathy, flesh, flesh and blood, follow in His steps, Hebrews 10:4, Hebrews 2:14, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 4:15, I John 4:2-3, Imitating the Incarnation, Incarnation, incarnational ministry, incarnational missions, Isaiah 59:16, ivory tower, Jesus 100% man 100% God, Jesus Christ, Jesus death, Jesus humanity, Jesus man, Jesus manhood, Jesus poverty, Jesus propitiation, Jesus real man, John 19:28, John 19:34-35, John 1:14, John 4:6, Luke 24:39, Luke 2:21, Luke 2:24, Luke 2:52, Luke 2:7, Matthew 27:28-30, missionaries, missions, Missions Conference, Paul Harvey The Man and the Birds, prison ministry, salvation, sufferings of Christ, sympathy, Ursuline college president dorm, woman drowning Boston Harbor
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“The Christ of Christmas: His Deity” (John 1:1-3 sermon)
A couple of years ago the Nativity Scene in St. Albans, West Virginia got national attention. The scene was notable, because it included a stable, some sheep, camels & a donkey, and even some “visitors” – wise men – and … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 14:13-15, Bishop Dmitri Royster, change your life, Christ, Christ Christmas, Christmas, Colossians 2:9, Diety of Christ, forgiveness, fullness of God, God with us, Gospels, Hebrews 1, Herschel Hobbs, I AM, Immanuel, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ God, Jesus claim to be God, Jesus Creator, John 10:30, John 1:1, John 1:1-3, John 20:28, John 8:56-59, keep Christ in Christmas, Matthew 1:23 God with us, Mormons, Philippians 2:9, pleroma, resurrection of Jesus, Revelation 19:10, salvation, St. Albans West Virginia nativity scene, The Christ of Christmas, the name which is above every name, virgin birth
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“The Call of Christmas” (Luke 2:8-11 devotion)
“Now there were in that same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Christmas, Christmas devotion, Christmas sermon, evangelism, faith, for You!, humility, Isaiah 53, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Luke 2:8-11, Messiah, Personal, put your name in a verse, repentance, Ruth Bell Graham, sacrifice, salvation, Savior, shepherds, Talmud
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