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 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)
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 15:1-11+, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for March 8, 2026, "Real Devotion"
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "The Most Important Thing" (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 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
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- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
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- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
- History
- Home & Family Life
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- 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
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- missions
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- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
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- Revelation sermon series
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Tag Archives: sin
Is God Even Listening To Your Prayer?
God likes to hear your prayers, right? Well, maybe. Proverbs 28:9 is a verse which reveals some light on that. It reads: “He who turns away his ear from listening to the Law, even his prayer is an abomination.” We … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged abomination, disobedience, prayer, Proverbs 28:9, scripture, sin
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The Sin of “NOT …”
We often think of sin as something we “do”, but Romans 1 reminds us that it also often involves what we do NOT do. Verse 31, speaking of those who are worthy of God’s wrath, says that they are: “unloving, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged apathy, Elie Wiesel, indifference, James 4:17, love, mercy, opposite of love is not hate, Romans 1:31, sin
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Not Just “Their” Sins …
We need to recognize the importance of a little word in Romans 1:18, where the Apostle Paul writes: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men …”. This chapter is well-known for … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged forgiveness, homosexual practice, homosexuality, Romans 1:18, salvation, self-righteousness, sin
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A Good Fear
Not all fear is bad. Proverbs 14:16 says: “A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is arrogant and careless.” The word “cautious” in this verse is literally “fears” in Hebrew. A wise man “fears” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged consequences, fear, fear of the Lord, Proverbs 14:16, sin, wisdom
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Don’t Take That Road!
After a brief introduction to the book, the wisdom of Proverbs begins in earnest in verse 10: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” It is no coincidence that the first word of wisdom given after the introduction … Continue reading
“The Christian Race” (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
(Preached at FBC Pauls Valley 2-15-15) Although I have run for exercise for much of my adult life, I have never been very fast. When we lived in Tulsa back in the 1990’s (when I was in my 30’s) I … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Christian race, endurance, Hebrews 12:1-2, Jesus, perseverance, race of faith, sin
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Are You Turning Away From Evil?
Job 1:1 says that Job “was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.” That phrase “turning away from evil” is an important one, which should challenge each of us:
Watch Out For This Trap!
Nehemiah’s enemies tried to trap him in Chapter 6 of that book, using a ploy which seems to be a common type of temptation used by the enemy. Perhaps it has been used against you — or may be soon?
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged compromise, God's word, Nehemiah 6:10-14, Satan, schemes of the enemy, sin, temptation, tempters
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As Persistent As They Are
Some people do not give up easily. Unfortunately the wicked often display more persistence than the people of God. It is revealing that in the Book of Nehemiah, Sanballat, Tobiah & Geshem, who were opposing Nehemiah’s work of rebuilding the … Continue reading
Illustrations from Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad
Not long after the Civil War, Mark Twain joined a steamship tour of Europe and the Holy Land. His entertaining book, The Innocents Abroad, chronicles the journey in a way only Twain could. Punctuated liberally with sarcasm and irony, the … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Sermon Illustrations
Tagged atonement, Bible prophecy, Death, Ephesus, Holy Land, Jesus, Mark Twain, materialism, rest, Sabbath, salvation, sermon illustrations, sin, the cross, The Innocents Abroad
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