I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!Top Posts & Pages
- "Following Jesus" (Matthew 4:18-22 sermon)
- Joshua 3:5 Sermon: "Preparing For God To Work"
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well" (John 4:1-42 sermon)
- “Comforting the Afflicted & Afflicting the Comfortable” James 1:9-11
- The Drink Offering: Don't Waste Your Life
- "How To Seek The Lord" (Isaiah 55:6-7 sermon)
- "The Disciple's Character: Purity of Heart" (Matthew 5:8 sermon)
- God Doesn't "Owe" You Anything!
- "The Importance of Forgiving Others" (Matthew 6:14-15 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Doctrine/Theology
- History
- Home & Family Life
- India Mission Trip 2011
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: worldliness
“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
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NOT Like The World
“You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; shall not walk in their statutes.” (Leviticus … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged consecration, holiness, Leviticus 18:3, separation, standards, worldliness
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Feed The Sheep, Not The Goats
“We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” (I John 4:5-6) It is … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged church, compromise, I John 4:5-6, ministry, preaching, teaching, worldliness
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A “Sure-Fire Church Growth Method”
For the last generation, “church growth” has been a primary emphasis in American religion. Methods and process which appeal to the population at large have been employed by many religious practitioners in the hopes of reaching the unreached in our … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry
Tagged church, church growth, compromise, ecclesiology, entertainment, I John 4:5, worldliness
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Like All The Nations?
In I Samuel 8:5 the people of Israel told Samuel: “Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” A king in and of himself was not not necessarily a bad thing; in fact a godly … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged church, I Samuel 8:5, Romans 12:2, worldliness, youth ministry
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Not So Among You
In Mark 10:43 Jesus said: “But it is not so among you.” He spoke these words to His disciples in response to James & John’s ambitious request to be seated at His left and right in His kingdom — and the indignation … Continue reading