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.
-
Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Judgment Coming," for 2/22/26.
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 12:1-14, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Rejecting Legalism," for 2/15/26.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 11:1-6, 16-24, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Confronting Doubts, for 2/08/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- Basebaal Strikes Out
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- “No Strange Fire: Honoring God in Worship” (Leviticus 10:1-3 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: service
“The People of God” (Joshua sermon)
This week we will be celebrating the 242nd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation. Most of us are very proud to be Americans, and are grateful to God for the blessings that He has … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged abortion, Alexandria plague, allegiance, Bishop Cyprian, church, compromise, Dionysius, direction, George Muller, Gibeonites, God's side, imitation, Joshua, Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua 9:14, leadership, love, marriage, mercy, people of God, prayer, salvation, service, the world, VBS, worldliness
Leave a comment
“The Misplaced Passion of Spectator Religion” (Jonah 4 sermon)
On this Father’s Day, many of us are remembering our dads — whether they are still with us, or like my dad, have gone on to be with the Lord. I can remember my father sitting in his recliner, watching … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Amos, Apostle Paul, armchair religion, Charles DIckens, Christianity, church, clergy laity divide, comfort, compassion, convenience, critic, cruise ship or battleship?, disciples, discipleship, Ephesians 4:11-12, evaluate, Fathers Day, gifts, grieve, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 12:7, Jonah, Jonah 4, La-z-boy Christianity, Marquis St. Evremonde, Matthew 26:58, Matthew 5:4, mercy, ministry, mission, mourn, Nineveh, passion, religion, Romans 10:1, salvation, service, spectator, spectator Christianity, spectator religion, spiritual gifts, Tale of Two Cities, worship, worship services
Leave a comment
“Testing The Fruit Of Your Salvation” (James 1:21-27 sermon)
For Mothers Day we got some things for Cheryl for the garden. She loves to garden outside — and I love to go out and walk through the garden with her for 5 minutes before I go inside to read! … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged age, Bible, Book of James, born again, church, church attendance, conviction, darkness, doer of the word, faith, Faith works, fruit, fruit of salvation, holiness, I John 1:5, II Corinthians 5, James, James 1, James 1:21-27, James 1:21-27 sermon, John 13:17, John 3, light, Matthew 13 parable of the sower, minister, ministry, mirror, mirror of the word, new creation, obedience, orphans, Paraliament, purification, repent, repentance, salvation, sanctification, scripture, service, sin, slavery, widows, William Wilberforce, word of God, works, worship
Leave a comment
“Leave Us Alone”?
“Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wildereness.” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship
Tagged cost of discipleship, discipleship, Exodus 14:12, sacrifice, service
Leave a comment
It’s Not Too Much
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Sanctify to Me every firstborn, the first offspring of every womb among the sons of Israel, both of man and beast; it belongs to Me.’” (Exodus 13:1-2) It is striking that God has … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Abraham and Isaac, Exodus 13:1-2, giving, love, obedience, sacrifice, service, tithe, tithing, vocation
Leave a comment
“The Questions of Moses” (Exodus 3:10-4:1 sermon)
When we are reading through God’s word like we are, we need to look for certain things. Like is there a command we need to keep; or a sin to confess; or a prayer to pray using this verse? Is … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Aristides, church, D Day, Exodus 3:10-4:1, faith, General Eisenhower, God, Hadrian, I AM, I AM WHO I AM, I am with you, Joseph, man, Moses, names, questions, resumes, salvation, service, theology, trust, What If?, Yahweh
Leave a comment
“The Greatest Mission Trip” (Philippians 2:5-13 sermon)
After our morning service today, we have the opportunity to stay for soup and sandwiches, sponsored by our student ministry, to support the Hamburg, Germany mission trip that they will be going on this summer. I’m excited that a dozen … Continue reading
Posted in Ministry, Sermons
Tagged Bill Borden, Borden of Yale, Burke United Christian Ministries, Christology, church on mission, deity of Jesus, Dr. Jim Smith, Elf at the CoMMA, Everyone wants a revolution no one wants to do the dishes, glory, God the Son, greatest mission trip, humility, Incarnation, India missions, Isaiah 6, Jesus, John 17:5, Lesslie Newbigin, lifeguard, little things, local mission, Lottie Moon offering, Luke 19:10, Matthew 20:28, mission trip, missionaries, missions, Philippians 2:5-13, ransom, sacrifice, salvation, service, Son of God, The Greatest Mission Trip, Thou didst leave Thy throne song, Tish Warren The Liturgy of the Ordinary, Trinity
1 Comment
Christian Freedom Is No Excuse To Sin
“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13) This is a good word, because from time to time you hear “Christian” … Continue reading
Serving God In Your Bodily Illness
“But you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time …”. (Galatians 4:13) So the Apostle Paul had a “bodily illness” which was hindering him as he sought to … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Galatians 4:13, II Corinthians 12:9, illness, service, sickness
Leave a comment
An Amazing Example of Selflessness
“When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into … Continue reading
shawnethomas 