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!
Tag Archives: worship
“The Gift That Is An Insult” (I Kings 9:10-14)
In “Henry V”, one of my very favorite plays or movies, Shakespeare tells of how when King Henry V of England was considering invading France, the French ambassador came to him with a “treasure,” saying that the Dauphin (or Prince … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged alabaster vial, cabul, commitment, corporate worship, dedication, discipleship, Endor, Galilee, Genesis 4, gift, gifts, giving, hard work, Hebrews 11:16, Henry V, I Kings 9:10-14, II Samuel 23, James 1:17, Jerusalem, King Hiram, Magdala, Malachi 1, Mark Twain, marriage, mission trips, missions, palace, personal worship, President John F. Kennedy, sacrifice, Shakespeare, Solomon, Sunday School, Temple, The Innocents Abroad, Tiberias, tithe, we choose to go to the moon, widow's mite, work, worship
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“Where’s Your Glory?” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 sermon)
Sunday morning came to our church in Southwest Louisiana, and the crowd was exuberant. Purple and gold clothing was everywhere. People were cheerful and talking in the hallways. A festive air just covered the whole place. LSU had won their … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged church, conversation, crown, daily quiet time, Death, devotional time, discipleship, Ernest Hemingway, eternal life, eternity, exercise, glory, heaven, Houston medical center, Isaiah 55, J.I. Packer, Jeremiah 9:12, Jeremiah 9:23-24, John 17:3, knowing God, Knowing God book, LSU football, materialism, NFL injuries, Pete Rose, Philippians 3:10, prayer time, quiet time, relationships, riches, suicide, temporal values, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Washington Irving, Westminster Abbey, worship
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“Neglecting God” (Zephaniah 1:1-6 sermon)
You never know what your kids are going to do with the things they hear you say. We had not been at our church in Tulsa Oklahoma very long when we pulled up to a convenience store, and Cheryl saw … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Twelve", Choose whom you will serve, church attendance, compromise, daily Bible reading, decisions, devotional time, evangelism, family, family time, Gibeonites, gratitude, Great Commandment, greatest sin, heaven, idolatry, James 4:17, John 17:3, Joshua 24, Luke 17 ten lepers, marriage, marriage commitment, Minor Prophets, neglecting God, neglecting your family, Old Testament prophets, pray without ceasing, quiet time, relationship with God, Romans 15:13, salvation, seeking God, singing, sins of commission, sins of omission, thanking God, Thanksgiving, time with family, time with God, worship, Zephaniah, Zephaniah 1:1-6, Zephaniah 1:6
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“Worshiping God Anyway” (Habakkuk 3:16-19 sermon)
On November 5th of last year, a killer shot 46 people people who had gathered to worship at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, just southeast of San Antonio. The pastor, Frank Pomeroy, and his wife were out … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged abortion, Acts 16, commitment, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Facebook, faith, gospel, Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk 3:16-19, heaven, hinds feet, hinds feet meaning, II Corinthians 4:16, Job, joy, joy in God, judgment, pain, pain holy angel, Paul and Silas, prosperity gospel, Psalm 147:10-11, Psalm 2:2, Romans 8, salvation, Sutherland Springs shooting, word faith, word faith teaching, worship
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“The Children of God” (Deut.33:3 sermon)
Not everyone pictures a relationship with a Heavenly Father as being good. I just finished reading a biography of Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. We aren’t as familiar with him today, but he was … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged affection, assurance, Bible, Bible Reading, Boompa, Charles Lindbergh, cherish, child, corporate worship, Deuteronomy 33:1-3, Deuteronomy 33:3, Ephesians 1:13, family of God, father, God, God is love, God the Father, good good Father, gospel, Great Commandment, He Will Hold Me Fast, held, Henry V, I John 4:8, Jeremiah 31:3, John 10:27-29, John 8:31, Keith & Krysten Getty, kept, love, love God, love letter, love of God, Luke 10 Mary and Martha, Luke 8:21, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation, perseverance of the saints, prayer, Psalm 131:2, salvation, Shakespeare, singing, Son, we are in God's hands, weaned child, word of God, worship
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“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
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“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
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