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 Preview of Matthew 16:13-26, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson: "Following Jesus" for 3/15/26
- Teacher's Preview of Matthew 15:1-11+, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson for March 8, 2026, "Real Devotion"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Man Born Blind" (John 9 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "The Message of the Cross" (I Cor. 1:18-24 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Church With An Open Door" (Revelation 3:7-13 sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 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: God
“What James’ Faith Looked Like” (James 1:1 sermon)
This summer the Olympics will return to Paris France. It’s always fun to see how our American athletes do — and usually somebody from our country wins, and shares their Christian testimony. In 2008 a young man by the name … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged anointed One, Bible, Book of James, C.S. Lewis, Christ, Christian testimony, commitment, David Boudia, doulos, faith, God, heaven, James, James the brother of Jesus, Jesus, Lord, Lord Jesus Christ, Mary, Mere Christianity, Messiah, Nicodemus, personal relationship, rich young ruler, salvation, saving faith, sin, slave
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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 of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 17:1-10, 15-19, “Established”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 17:1-10 and 15-19, with the title of “Established,” for Sunday, February 18, 2024. A video version of this overview is available … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Abraham, Abraham laughed, Abram, awe, But God, Canaan, Colossians 3:3, covenant, Explore the Bible, faith, Genesis, God, honest to God, humility, II Corinthians 5:21, Isaac, Ishmael, Israel, Jesus, Lifeway, name, name change, names meaning, Nefilat Apayim, new covenant, Palestine, salvation, Sarah, Sarai, worship
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“Suffering Servant/Glorious King: His Substitutionary Atonement” (Isaiah 53:4 sermon)
In Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, he writes of two men who, although they looked very similar, and both loved the same young lady, but they were very different in character. Sidney Carton was a man … Continue reading
Posted in Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King, Sermons
Tagged bear sin, Bible, burden of sin, Charles DIckens, cross, faith, forgiveness, God, guilt, Hurricane Katrina, Isaiah, Isaiah 53:4, It Is Well, Jesus, Job, John 9, John Bunyan, judgment, leprosy, Leviticus, Leviticus 16, Mesopotamian King substitute ritual, Messiah, my sin o the bliss, nailed to the cross, Newbery Medal, Pilgrim's Progress, reward, salvation, scapegoat, Sid Fleischman, Sidney Carton, sin, substitutionary atonement, suffering, Suffering Servant, Tale of Two Cities, The Whipping Boy
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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 8:10-22, “Land!”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 8:10-22 for Sunday, January 14, 2024, with the title, “Land!” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: ??? Can you … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Land!", ark, But God, cancer, church, creation laws, deliverance, don't just do something stand there, don't just stand there do something, Edward Dolnick, Ephesians 2, eternal life, Explore the Bible, faith, faithfulness of God, flood, Genesis 8, Genesis 8:10-22, giving, giving testimony, God, God creation, gratitude, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, hope, I Samuel 13, judgment, laws of science, Lifeway, Matthew Henry, Noah, obedience, patience, Pinkerton's bbq, Psalm 130:5, sacrifice, sacrificial giving, salvation, Sir Isaac Newton, testimony, thanks, Thanksgiving, The Clockwork Universe, the flood, tithe, tithing, trust, trusting God, waiting, waiting on God, waiting on the Lord
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Teachers’ Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 6 & 7, “Judgment”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson on Genesis 6:13-22, 7:20-24 for Sunday, January 7, 2023, with the title of “Judgment.” A video version of this overview is available on … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Answers in Genesis, archeology, ark, bible study help, cubit, Exodus 34:6-7, Explore the Bible, flood, Genesis 18:25, Genesis 6, Genesis 6 Bible study, Genesis 7, Gilgamesh Epic, God, God judge, gospel, grace, hell, II Peter 2, judge of all the earth, judgment, justice, lesson outline, Lifeway, Noah, salvation, sin, Sodom and Gomorrah, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, The Ark Encounter
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