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
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "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"
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- “The Golden Rule” (Matthew 7:12 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- "Christ's Suffering/Our Salvation" (I Peter 3:18 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
“In His Steps: When We Suffer” (I Peter 2:19-23 sermon)
Cheryl & I love to read and watch the old Agatha Christie detective stories, so last year we each read her autodbiography. In it Mrs. Christie tells of a teacher at her girls school growing up. She said she couldn’t … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Agatha Christie biography, an eye for an eye, become like Christ, Christian life suffering, Christians and persecution, Christians and suffering, Christlikeness, commit to God, despair, discipleship, do not be overcome by evil, do not take your own revenge, entrust to God, faith, following Christ, foolish suffering, fret not, godly suffering, holiness, holy, I Peter 2:19-23, I Peter 2:20, I Peter sermon, I will repay says the Lord, in His steps, In His steps suffering, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joe McKeever, Lord of the Rings, love your enemies, Matthew 26:50, Matthew 5 sermon on the mount, meekness Psalm, never take your own revenge, payback, persecuted for Jesus, persecution, Proverbs 20:22, Psalm 37, revenge, ring of power, Romans 12:17, Romans 12:19, salvation, suffer, suffering, suffering for Jesus, trust, trust God, trust in the Lord and do good, turn the other cheek, why did God do this?, you can't fight the enemy with his own ring without turning into an enemy
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“You’re Not From Around Here” (I Peter 2:11-12 sermon)
Our daughter Libby grew up in Oklahoma and Louisiana, but since she has been married and in the ministry, she has lived in some different parts of the country, where they talk differently, and do things differently. She and Josh … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "Show me now", abstain, abstinence, body temple, care, children's choir, Christian "hate speech", Christian behavior, Christian life, Christian living, discipleship, Eliza Doolittle, enemies, evangelism, family, grace, holier than thou, holiness, homosexuality, hypocrites, I Corinthians 6:12, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I John 2:3-4, I Peter 2:11-12, I Peter sermon, imitation, joy, legalism, libertine, libertines, libertinism, lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle witness, living in a fishbowl, love, lust, marriage, My Fair Lady, persecution of Christians, repent, repentance, responsibility, salvation, sanctification, Show me!, witness, worldly lusts, You're not from around here
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“God’s Purpose For Your Life” (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
One of the most common questions people ask in life is, “What am I here for?” If you think we have just “evolved” from nothing, then there IS no good answer for that. A genuine atheist will tell you that … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Aslan, atheist meaning of life, C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia, choir, church building, coral reef, Ephesians 2 dead in sin, evangelism, Exodus 30, gift of God eternal life, Hebrews 13:15, I Peter 2:4-5, I Peter 2:4-5 sermon, incense, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Lion Witch Wardrobe, living stones, Matthew 1:6, Matthew 24, meaning of life, new building, Peter rock, prayer, prayer as incense, Psalm 141:2, Psalm 5:3, purpose, Queen Jada, Revelation 5:8, Revelation 8:3, Romans 6:23, salvation, sinners prayer, spiritual sacrifices, spiritual temple, stone statues, Temple, temple of God, the church, the church is not the building, Thomas Lord Fairfax, wages of sin is death, worship God at the lake, Writing by Stephen King
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“The Firm Foundation” (I Peter 1:23-25 sermon)
Years ago, John Wesley wrote: “I want to know one thing: the way to heaven; how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged all flesh is like grass, assurance, Bible, born again, church, confidence, discipleship, duct tape, eternal life, fad, firm foundation, foundation, gimmick, gospel, Hebrews 4:12, How Firm A Foundation, Hussein Bolt, I Corinthians 2:1, I Peter, I Peter 1:23-25 sermon, I Peter sermon, II Timothy 3:16, Isaiah 40:6-8, Isaiah 53, Isaiah 55:10-11, James 4:14, John 3:16, John Wesley quote, Matthew 24:35, Matthew 5:17, ministry, Muslim conversion, not perish, once saved always saved, Ozymandias Shelley, perish, perseverance of the saints, Psalm 103, Psalm 90, Rameses II, Romans 10:17, salvation, salvation testimony, scripture, the word of the Lord, Wilbur Wright, word of God
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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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“The Blood-Bought Life” (I Peter 1:17-21 sermon)
There is a man in Australia, James Harrison, whose blood is precious. Harrison has an antibody in his blood which is given to mothers whose systems would attack their unborn babies. When they discovered the antibody in his system, about … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged American Caesar, Bataan, blood, blood bought life, blood of Christ, blood of Jesus, Calvin Fairbank, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, Christians aren't perfect just forgiven, church, conduct yourselves in fear, Douglas MacArthur, George Pickett, Gettysburg, gold, good works, I Peter, I Peter 1:17-21, in an hour you'll be in hell or glory, James Harrison Australia blood, John 8:34, John Piper Don't Waste Your Life, live differently, precious blood, price of slave, Psalm 49:7-8, ransom, redeemed, redemption, religion, religious, salvation, saved, seashells, set free, silver, sin, slave bought to set free, slavery, slaves of sin, sober, submarine, take life seriously, What can wash away my sin?, William Manchester, worth its weight in gold, worth their weight in gold
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“The Call To Holiness” (I Peter 1:14-16)
Duncan Campbell was a Scottish minister who lived in the mid-1900’s. He was involved in an amazing revival in the Hebrides Islands in the northwest of Scotland. Years ago he said, “Holiness — a demonstration of godly living — is … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged adultery immorality, Be killing sin or it will be killing you, business, business ethics, C.S. Lewis, cathedral, compromise, cross, cross of Christ, daily repentance, drug use, drunkenness, Duncan Campbell, holiness, holiness of God, holy, Holy God, holy holy holy, holy life, Holy One, Holy Spirit, I am holy, I Peter 1:14-16, I Peter sermon, II Corinthians 5:17, imputed righteousness, Isaiah 6, Ivory soap 99 and 44/100 percent pure, Job, John Owen, justification, Leviticus 11:44, Matthew 5:48, moral life, Pamela Brooks, Paula Mutina agency, pornography, repent, repentance, revival, salvation, sanctification, sexuality, snake, standard of holiness, trisagion, vocation, Yahweh, you shall be holy
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shawnethomas 
“4 ‘MUSTS’ For Spiritual Growth” (I Peter 2:1-3 sermon)
On Sunday morning, December 7th, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Washington called General Douglas MacArthur, who was in charge of the Philippines, to tell him about the attack, and that they would undoubtedly be next. William Manchester, author of … Continue reading →