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 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: strength
“Where’s Your Glory?” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 sermon)
It’s football season, and many college football fans virtually live and die on the success of their football teams. Fans wear their team’s colors on game day, and get excited when they win, and bask in the glory of that … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged athletes injury, boast, college football, conversation, Ernest Hemingway suicide, glory, glory of heaven, God's glory, gospel, Houston hospitals, Isaiah 55:6-9, Jeremiah 9:12, Jeremiah 9:23, Jeremiah 9:23 sermon, Jeremiah 9:23-24, John 17:3, know God, knowing God, Knowing God J.I. Packer, Luke 12 rich man, materialism, Pete Rose batting average, physical ability, pride and joy, relationships, retail therapy, riches, salvation, shopping high, strength, Washington Irving Westminster Abbey, wisdom
Leave a comment
“On The Road With Jesus” (John 4 sermon)
One of best ways to learn about someone is to spend some time on the road with them. I remember reading an article by the renowned actor, Charlton Heston (who played Moses in the classic 1956 movie “The Ten Commandments”). … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Ten Commandments" movie, ask Jesus into your heart, Charlton Heston, cheap grace, confront sin, conviction, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, direction, discipleship, Don Sunshine, evangeism, gospel, Gospel Resurgence, help, hope, I AM, I Peter 2:21, Incarnation, Jesus Christ humanity, Jesus Deity, Jesus is the answer, John 14:6, John 4, John 4 sermon, Luke 13:3, Matthew 19, Matthew 24:30, ministry, peace, prayer, repent, repentance, repentance and salvation, rich young ruler, Ronald Reagan, salvation, sin, strength, The Cost of Discipleship, tiredness, weariness, witness, woman at the well, YHWH
Leave a comment
A Prayer For Grace
In Isaiah Chapter 33 we find a marvelous prayer from the lips of the prophet: :2 “O YHWH, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their (our) strength every morning.” When we break this verse down into … Continue reading
Strength From The Almighty
“The LORD will give strength to His people.” (Psalm 29:11) The last verse of Psalm 29 is a very encouraging one — but it is even more so when you consider what the Psalm had taught earlier. Psalm 29 begins … Continue reading
What God Is Testing In You
In Psalm 26:2 David prays, “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; test my mind and my heart.” In this prayer He asks God to search his inward life. The word “mind” here is actually “kidneys” in Hebrew, a cultural … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged beauty, inner life, Proverbs 31, Psalm 147:10-11, Psalm 26:2, strength, test, trial
Leave a comment
Strengthen Yourself In Your God
In I Samuel 30 we find a little-known episode, but one of the greatest crises David ever faced. It was before he ever became king, and could have derailed everything. While he and his men were off on a mission, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged armor of God, crisis, Ephesians 6, help, I Samuel 30:6, inner strength, strength
2 Comments
shawnethomas 