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)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- "Blessed Is She Who Believed" (Luke 1:45 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 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: Your Best Life Now
Teacher’s Overview of II Peter 2:1-3, 17-19 & Jude 17-23, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson “Be Alert” for 5/18/25
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders who are preparing to teach Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson on II Peter 2:1-3, 17-19 & Jude 17-23, with the title “Be Alert,” scheduled for Sunday, May 18, 2025. A … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Be Alert, Bible study, counterfeits, cults, Dante Inferno, darkness, David Koresh, doctrine, Explore the Bible, false prophets, false teachers, George Whitefield, gospel, greed, heresies, Hugh Bryan, II Peter, II Peter 2:1-3, immorality, Joel Osteen, Jude, judgment, Kenneth Copeland, Lifeway, pride, prosperity gospel, Rasputin, Sunday School, teaching, Thomas S. Kidd, Tim Challies, vanity, Your Best Life Now
4 Comments
“Your Circumstances: A Witness Stand For Christ” (Philippians 1:12-20 sermon)
I’ve got a friend and brother in ministry, Jack Tillery, who experienced a LOT of physical difficulties while he served at our church in Louisiana and for some years since. You may get an opportunity to meet Jack some time, … Continue reading
Posted in Philippians sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Apostle Paul Acts, Apostle Paul witness Acts, Biblical Christianity, circumstances, Corrie Ten Boom witness stand for Jesus, evangelism, I Corinthians 10:31, II Corinthians 12 thorn in the flesh, illness, Jack Tillery, John Newton death of wife, lifestyle evangelism, mission, outreach, Philippians 1 sermon, Philippians 1:12-20, prosperity teaching, salvation, sickness, The Hiding Place Corrie Ten Boom, witness, witness for Christ, witness in trials, witness stand for Jesus, witness through illness, Your Best Life Now
1 Comment
“The Faith That Saves” (I Peter 1:8-9 sermon)
II Timothy 1:5 has one of the great Mothers Day verses. It says: “For I am mindful of the sincere FAITH within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 4:12, affections, doubt, Ephesians 1:13, faith, Hebrews 1:11, I Corinthians 15, I John 5:12, I Peter, I Peter 1:8-9, II Timothy 1:5, Jack Tillery, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 14:6, John 20, John Piper affections, John Piper Think, love, love God, love Jesus, Mothers Day, not seen, object of faith, prosperity gospel, resurrection of Jesus, salvation, saves, saving faith, sight, soul, Thomas, transplant, unseen, unseen love, Your Best Life Now
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“Great Expectations” (I Peter 1:4-5 sermon)
One of Charles Dickens’ greatest novels bears the title: Great Expectations. “Great Expectations” didn’t just mean that great things were expected of the young man Pip, whom the story was about. To have “expectations” in old England meant that you … Continue reading
Posted in Doctrine/Theology, I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 20:32, Ephesians 1:14, eternal reward, eternal security, false teachers, father, FDIC, giving, glory, government debt, Great Expectations Charles Dickens, health and wealth gospel, heaven, Hebrews 9:15, I Peter, I Peter 1:4-5 sermon, II TImothy 1:12, imperishable, inheritance, John 10:28-29, kingdom of God, kingdom work, materialism, once saved always saved, prosperity preachers, reward, rewards, Romans 8:38, salvation, security, service, Social Security crisis, stephanos, theology, time, tithing, U.S. Government, victor's crown, wasting time, Your Best Life Now
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Living In A Tent
“Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.” (Genesis 18:1) So Abraham literally lived in a “tent.” When angel asked him in :9, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology
Tagged Abraham, commitment, discipleship, doctrine, faith, false teaching, Genesis 18, glory, hardship, heaven, Hebrews 11:, persecution, perseverance, prosperity gospel, reward, sacrifice, tents, theology, Your Best Life Now
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Not In This World
“If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.” (I Corinthians 15:19) How important is Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? In this part of I Corinthians 15, Paul listed a … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged eternity, I Corinthians 15:19, prosperity gospel, rewards, suffering, Your Best Life Now
2 Comments
“Comforting the Afflicted & Afflicting the Comfortable” James 1:9-11
In the early 1900’s, humorist Finley Peter Dunne said that “The newspaper does everything for us. It runs the police force and the banks, commands the militia, controls the legislature, baptizes the young, marries the foolish, comforts the afflicted and … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged bung hole, comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable, Death, dust, eternity, Finley Peter Dunne, Hamlet, Isaiah 40:6-7, James 1:9-11 sermon, Luke 12:13-21, materialism, money, poor, poor Christians, poverty, Prince William inheritance, prosperity preaching, Revelation 2:9, rich, rich Christians, rich man and heaven, riches, self-image, Shakespeare, Sylvester Stallone, the democracy of death, The RIch Fool, The Rich Man and Lazarus, Your Best Life Now
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