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
- "The Incomparable Christ" (Hebrews 1:1-4 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 5:13-20, 43-48, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "True Righteousness," for 12/28/25.
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "Three Christian Attitudes" (Philippians 3:12-15 sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- Reasons For Giving Thanks (Psalm 136 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
Category Archives: Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 2:5-16, 36-38, “Empowered”
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 2, for Sunday, June 9, 2024, with the title, “Empowered.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Acts, Acts 2, Acts 2 Sunday school lesson, cheap grace, Day of Pentecost, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, evangelism, Explore the Bible, Feast of Weeks, first fruits, gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, kerygma, Lifeway, Pentecost, repent, repentance, The Cost of Discipleship, tongues, witnessing
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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 50:15-26, “Revenge” for May 26, 2024
An overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” Sunday school lesson for teachers and Bible study leaders. This week’s lesson is for Sunday, May 26, 2024, and is based on Genesis 50:15-26, with the title, “Revenge?” A video version of this … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Ackroyd Dickens, Am I in God's place?, anxiety, bear a grudge, Book of Genesis, brothers, burial, Charles DIckens, Ephraim, example, Explore the Bible, faith, family, forgiveness, Forward in Faith, funeral, Genesis, Genesis 50, Genesis 50:15-26, God causes all to work together, God's sovereignty, grandchldren, grudges, guilt, Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith, Israel, John Milton Paradise Lost, Joseph, Joseph and his brothers, Joseph example, Joseph faith, Lifeway, man's responsibility, Manasseh, perspective, revenge, revenge at first though sweet, revenge dig two graves, revenge is a circle, revenge is a grenade, Richard Osman, Richard Osman The Man Who Died Twice, Romans 12:17-21, Romans 8:28, sovereignty and responsibility, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, teacher help, Vengeance, Vengeance is mine says the Lord, What if game, What If?, work together for good
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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 45:1-15, “Reconcile” for 5/19/24
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 45:1-15 for Sunday, May 19, 2024, with the title, “Reconcile.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Reconcile", all things work together, Bible, Divine Providence, divine purpose, Egypt, Explore the Bible, family reunion, forgiveness, Genesis 45, Genesis 45:1-15, God, God sovereign, God's purpose, God-centered, gospel, grace, grief, Jesus, John Rahm, Joseph, League of Nations, Lifeway, loss of loved one, Pharaoh, providence, Providence of God, Psalm 119:71, purpose, reunion, revenge, Romans 8:28, salvatiion, sovereignty, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, teacher help, trials, Woodrow Wilson
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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 41, based on Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for May 12, 2024, “Revealed”
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 41:14-20, 33-37 for Sunday, May 12, 2024, with the title, “Revealed.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
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Tagged balance, Bible, Biblical balance, Cervantes, Charles DIckens, Don Quixote, dream, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, Genesis 41, God, God sovereignty, interpretation, Jesus, John Bunyan Pilgrims Progress, Joseph, Joseph prison, life application, Lifeway, Nile River, Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, pray like it all depends on God, prayer, providence, rags to riches, Revealed, Romans 8:28, salvation, sovereignty, sovereignty and responsibility, Sunday School, teacher help, trust, Walter Raleigh, witness
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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 39:7-21, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for May 5, 2024.
A lesson overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 39:7-21 with the title “Accused,” for Sunday, Mary 5, 2024. (I might use an alternate title: “He Is With Me”!) A … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Sovereignty of God", accountability to God, Accused, Bible study, Deuteronomy 19:15, Explore the Bible, false accusation, flee youthful lusts, Genesis, Genesis 39:7-21, George Whitefield America's Spiritual Founding Father, God judge, gospel, I am with you always, I Corinthians 14 worship, I Timothy 5:19, II Timothy 2:22, II Timothy 4:7, Jehovah, Joseph, judgment, lesson overview, lesson preview, Lifeway, Lord, Matthew 28:20, presence of God, Providence of God, Psalm 139, Psalm 23, Richard Jewell accusation, Romans 8:28, salvation, Sunday School, teacher help, temptation, the gospel, the Lord was with him, Thomas Kidd George Whitefield, two or three witnesses, Yahweh, you are with me Psalm 23
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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 37, “Dreamer” for April 28, 2024.
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 37:5-8, 18-28, for Sunday, April. 28, 2024 with the title, “Dreamer.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged 10 Commandments, 5 Love Languages, church, church conflict, Dreamer, Explore the Bible, family, family conflict, Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman, Genesis 37, God's providence, God's sovereignty, gospel, grace, hagiography, His Very Best, I John 1:8, Israel, Jacob, jealousy, Jimmy Carter, Job, Jonathan Alter, Joseph, Joseph's brothers, lesson overview, Lifeway, marriage, Messiah, problem, providence, responsibility of man, salvation, sin, sovereignty, Sunday School teacher, workplace confict
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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 35:1-15, “Renewed” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for April 21, 2024
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders of Genesis 35:1-15, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for Sunday April 21, 2024, with the title, “Renewed.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: Another title … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Bethel, blessing, blessings, C.S. Lewis, children, consecration, Explore the Bible, false gods, father, Genesis, Genesis 35:1-15, God, gods, good, head of household, holiness, idols, instant obedience, internet, Israel, Jacob, Jim Eliot, John Kenneth Galbraith, LBJ, Lifeway, Luke 6:46, Lyndon Johnson, matriarch, name Israel, obedience, obey, one good God, parenting, patriarch, peace, revival, safety, Shechem, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, teraphim, There is but one good, vow to the Lord, vows, Why do you call Me Lord
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Genesis 32:22-32 Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for 4/14/23, “Wrestled”
(A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 32:22-32, “Wrestled,” for Sunday, April 14, 2024. Includes a sample lesson introduction, outline, text highlights, illustrations, questions for your class, and … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged baptism, Bible, Bible study, Bill Elliff, Blessed, Christophany, conviction, D Day, Dwight Eisenhower, Explore the Bible, Genesis, Genesis 32, Genesis 32:22-32, God, Habakkuk 2:1, heel snatcher, Israel, Jacob, Jacob wrestling, Jesus, Lifeway, Lord's Supper, Luke 11, Luke 18, name, Peniel, prayer, remembrances, Romans 10:1, Romans 9:1, salvation, sin, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, supplanter, teacher help, wrestling with God
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Teacher’s Overview: Genesis 30:25-34, 41-43, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson: “Blessed” for April 7, 2024
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 30, “Blessed,” for Sunday, April 7, 2024. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: In her … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Agatha Christie, Agatha Christie autobiography, balance, blessed to be a blessing, blessing, blessings, Explore the Bible, flocks, Genesis, Genesis 30, healing, health wealth and prosperity, Jacob, Laban, lesson overview, Life Group Lesson, Lifeway, Lord, money, prosperity preaching, Psalm 128, Psalm 136, riches, scriptural balance, Sunday school lesson, teacher help, wealth, Yahweh
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