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)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 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: John Bunyan
Teacher’s Overview of Numbers 13:17-31, “The Land,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson overview for 9/21/25
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Numbers 13:17-31, with the title “The Land, for Sunday, September 21, 2025. Includes a sample introduction to the lesson, text highlights and outline, … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "The Land", Anakim, answered prayer, anxiety, Bible, Bible study, Biblical faith, Caleb, church, doubt, Explore the Bible, faith, germ theory, Giant Despair, giants, giants in the land, God, Hall of Faith, Hebrews 11:, Ignaz Semmelweis, Jesus, John Bunyan, Joshua and Caleb, lesson outline, lesson overview, Lifeway, Moses, numbers, Numbers 13:17-31, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, shawnethomas, spies in Canaan, Sunday School, Sunday school teacher help, the twelve spies, Valley of Eshcol, word faith
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Total Commitment” (James 1:6-8 sermon)
One time Cheryl, our son Michael & I were waiting to place an order in the drive through line at a fast-food restaurant, and it looked like the people in front of us were having a difficult time making up … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged answered prayer, Book of James, choices, choose, Christian life, commitment, cool vs. Christ, dipsuchos, discipleship, double-minded, doubt, faith, genuine salvation, Hipster Faith, I Kings 18:21, James, John Bunyan, Joshua 24:15, Landry Jones, Matthew 6:24, Mr. Facing Both Ways, no man can serve two masters, one master, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, salvatiion, seeking God, tossed by the wind, total commitment, two-headed snake, unanswered prayer, Whitney Hand, whom will you serve
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Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 19:12-26, Lifeway “Explore the Bible lesson “Purged”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 19:12-26, with the title, “Purged,” for Sunday, February 25, 2024. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Abraham, better than I deserve, Dave Ramsey, evangelism, Explore the Bible, fire and brimstone, Genesis, Genesis 19:12-26, grace, Hebrews 12:25, hell, hurricane, intercessory prayer, Isaac's Storm, John Bunyan, Jude 1:7, judgment, lesson outline, Lifeway, lot, ministry, mission, Pearl Harbor, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, prayer for the lost, presumptuous sins, Purged, Sodom, Sodom and Gomorrah, Sunday school lesson, warning, witness
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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: Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Mark 11:15-25 “Clears”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson of Mark 11:15-25, “Clears,” for Sunday, October 29, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO ??? You … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged anger, bitterness, cleansing the temple, court of the Gentiles, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, fig tree, forgiveness, Gentiles, Gentle Jesus, gospel, grudge, house of prayer, IMB, Jesus, Jesus art, Jesus picture, John Bunyan, Jonah, lesson outline, lessons of the fig tree, Lifeway, Mark 11:15-25, missions, model prayer, outreach, Pilgrim's Progress, prayer, purpose church, resentment poison, righteous anger, salvation, Southern Baptist missions, Sunday school lesson, teacher help, temper, Texas Port Ministry, The Angry Christian Bert Ghezzi, unanswered prayer, unforgiveness
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“Pilgrim’s Progress” (I Peter 1:1-2 sermon)
The Bible is the #1 best-selling, most-read book of all time. But right behind it, is The Pilgrim’s Progress, widely considered the second most-read book in history. It was written by Puritan John Bunyan, in the form of an allegory: … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Doctrine/Theology, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged aliens, ambassador, baptism of Jesus, Bible, Chris Boniol, David McCullough Mornings on Horseback, doctrine, evangelism, gardener, George W. Bush Muslims, God the Father, God the Holy Spirit, God the Son, Great Commission, Gregory of Nazianzus, Hebrews 11:13, I Peter 1:1-2, I Peter 2:11, I Peter sermon, II Corinthians 5:20, Islam and the Trinity, John Bunyan, modalism, not of this world, pilgrim, Pilgrim's Progress, pilgrims, place kicker, planted, Puritans, purpose, scripture, sown, The Pilgrim's Progress, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., this world is not your home, Trinity, Triune God, vocation, when I say God I mean Father Son and Holy Spirit, witness
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“This Is My Story: The Woman At The Well” (John 4:1-42 sermon)
Several summers ago, a father and his son were out for a walk in a farmer’s field in northern England. The son had brought a metal detector with him, and all of the sudden, it started to squeal. They decided … Continue reading
Posted in "This Is My Story" sermon series, Sermons
Tagged chair illustration, eternal life, evangelism, faith, forgiveness, grace, Isaiah 59:2, Jesus Christ, John 4 sermon, John 4:1-42, John Bunyan, love, love of God, Peter Ackroyd Shakespeare biography, salvation, sin, The Woman at the Well
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The Top Shelf: Books I’ve Read More Than Once
When it came time to sell our home in Louisiana and move to a condo less than half its size in Oklahoma, we had to do some dramatic downsizing! One of the most difficult items to tackle was our book … Continue reading