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 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 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: spiritual disciplines
“Working Out Your Salvation” (Philippians 2:12-13 sermon)
SO, how do you follow up on Easter Sunday?! We had such a great day last Sunday, didn’t we? Celebrating our Risen Savior; seeing several people follow Him in baptism — It was a great Easter Sunday. But how do you … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons
Tagged Bible Reading, challenge, church attendance, comfort, daily devotions, daily quiet time, dicipleship, Ephesians 2:8-9, Ephesians 6:5-6, eye service, fruit of salvation, George Washington slavery, God is at work, God is at work in you, God worthy, Hebrews 13, hypocrisy, Luke 6:46, Matthew 6:1, our God is a consuming fire, Philippians 2:12-13, responsibility, sacrifice, salvation, Secret Service president, service, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, take a bullet, take a bullet for God, Tom Brady super bowl trophy, Working Out Your Salvation, worship, worship attendance
2 Comments
Perfected In The Flesh?
“Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) Writing to the legalistic Galatians, Paul was reminding them that they were not saved by works of “the flesh” — good … Continue reading
Bonhoeffer: The Blessing of Morning Prayer
“The morning prayer determines the day. Squandered time of which we are ashamed, temptations to which we succumb, weaknesses and lack of courage at work, disorganization and lack of discipline in our thoughts and in our conversation with other men, … Continue reading
Not For One Hour?
“And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter: ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?’” (Matthew 26:40) What a pathetic response to an amazing invitation! How blessed were Peter, … Continue reading
Day By Day
In II Corinthians 4:16, the Apostle Paul wrote: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day.” We looked previously at how a Christian does not become … Continue reading
The Process
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (II Corinthians 4:16) The first part of this verse describes how a believer need not lose heart … Continue reading
“The Discipline of Discipling” (II Timothy 2:2 sermon)
Coach Hayden Fry’s 1983 University of Iowa football team picture has become famous, not necessarily because of the games it won, but because of what became of its coaching staff. The assistants on Fry’s staff that year would go on … Continue reading
“The Discipline of Fasting” (Ezra 8:21 sermon)
A Christian disciple from India came to the United States a few years ago, and made the tour of a number of our Baptist churches, both observing and speaking. After a few weeks, he asked a question of his host. … Continue reading
Posted in "The Disciplines of Disciples" series, Sermons
Tagged Christian disciplines, Daniel, discipleship, Ezra, Ezra 8:21, fasting, humility, intercession, Jesus, Moses, prayer, sermon, spiritual disciplines
3 Comments
shawnethomas 