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 10:16-20, 26-34, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for 2/01/26, "Loyalty Tested"
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 9:10-19, 23-26, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson "Mercy Extended" for 1/25/26
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "True Religion" (Philippians 3:2-3)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 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: Lifeway
Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 4:12-19, Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, “Be Prepared” for April 27, 2025.
An overview to help Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders prepare for this week’s lesson. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: A few years ago, Nik Ripken (pen name of a former Southern … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Be Prepared, accountability, Agatha Christie, application, Beatitudes, Bible, Bible study, blessed are the persecuted, Chaplain Bob Rogers, Christianity, Christie autobiography, Clio in U.S. House, discipleship, discussion questions, Explore the Bible, God, heaven, I Peter, I Peter 4:12-19, illustrations, inevitability of suffering, Jesus, Joe McKeever, John 15:20, John 16:33, judgment, Lifeway, Luke 9:33, Matthew 249, meekness, Nik Ripken, persecution, Peter, Psalm 37, Randy Alcorn, Richard Curtis Mississippi Baptist, suffering, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school outline, sunrise, The Insanity of God, trust in the Lord and do good, types of suffering, why did God do this?
6 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of Mark 15:33-39, 16:1-8, “Our Savior,” Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for Easter Sunday, 4/20/25
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Mark 15-16 for Sunday, April 20, 2025, with the title, “Our Savior.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Our Savior", Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln Fox River story, Bible study, Carl Sandburg Lincoln, Easter, Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday Bible study, evangelism, Explore the Bible, God, good news, gospel, It is finished, Jesus, Jesus cross, Jesus death, Jesus resurrection, Lifeway, Lifeway survey, Mark 15 & 16, needless worry, paid in full illustration, Psalm 2:2, R.W. Dale Jesus is alive, resurrection of Jesus, Shawn Thomas, shawnethomas, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, veil of the Temple, Walking With The Giants, Warren Wiersbe, why have you forsaken Me, witnessing, worry
5 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 4:1-11, “Our Faith,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 4/13/25
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 4:1-22, with the title “Our Faith,” for Sunday, April 13, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged above all love, Bible, Bible study, Bible study lesson, David McCullough 1776, end of the world, eschatlogy, Explore the Bible, George Washington, God, good for love, gospel, holiness, Hope Thomas, I Peter, I Peter 4, I Peter 4:1-11, I Peter 4:10, I Timothy 1:5, Jesus, Lifeway, love, love covers, Martin Luther, plant an apple tree, priority of love, return of Christ, salvation, sanctification, second coming, Shawn Thomas, sin, spiritual gifts, steward, stewardship, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, surprise attack
10 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 3:1-12, “Relationships” for 3/3025
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 3:1-12, for Sunday March 30, 2025, with the title, “Relationships.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged authority, Bible commands for husbands, Bible commands for wives, Bible principles of marriage, Bible study, C.S. Lewis Christian relationships, Christian relationships, CS Lewis The Weight of Glory, Explore the Bible, fellow heir, gospel, Harry Lee Poe The Completion of CS Lewis, hupotasso, husband, husbands, husbands and wives, I Peter, I Peter 3, inner beauty, Jimmy Carter, lesson outline, lesson overview, Lifeway, marriage, relationships, salvation, Shawn Thomas, submission, Sunday School, Sunday school discussion questions, Sunday school illustrations, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, the things that matter most Jimmy Carter, The Transformed Wife, understanding way, wife, wives
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Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 2:11-17, 21-25, “Our Witness,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 3/23/25
This is an overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of the Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for March 23, 2025, from I Peter 2:11-17, 21-25, with the title, “Our Witness.” A video version of this overview is … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged atonement, authority, Baptist Sunday School, behavior, Ben Franklin, Bible study lesson, Charles Sheldon, Christian lifestyle, Christian submission, Christlikeness, conduct, Corrie Ten Boom, David McCullough John Adams, evangelism, Explore the Bible, Fight Club pornography ministry, follow in His steps, God, gospel, holiness, hupotasso, I Peter, I Peter 2, I Peter 2:11-17, I Peter 2:24, in His steps, Jesus, Jesus death, Jesus example, Jesus Paid It All, keep your behavior excellent, lesson help, lesson outline, lifestyle, lifestyle evangelism, Lifeway, lust, meekness, pornography, Psalm 37, Romans 13, Romans 8:28-29, sanctification, Southern Baptist Sunday School, submission, substitutionary atonement, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, the cross, The Presidents Club, trust, What Would Jesus Do?, witness, witness of submission, witness stand for Jesus, WWJD, You mustn't hiss the President
3 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 2:1-10, “Our Identity,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 3/16/25
An overview for Sunday school teacher and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of I Peter 2:1-10, with the title of “Our Identity,” for Sunday March 16, 2025. A video version of this overview is available at: … Continue reading
Teacher’s Overview of I Peter 1:13-25, “Our Mandate,” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for 3/09/25
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 1:13-25, for Sunday, March 9, 2025, with the title, “Our Mandate.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Our Mandate", "therefore living", accountability to God, agape love, agape vs philadelphia love, Andrew Jackson judgment, Bible, Bible application, blood of Jesus, brotherly love, Christian life, church, Explore the Bible, Francis Schaeffer, George Muller prayer, gird up your loins, gird your minds for action, gospel, grow in love, holy, How Should We Then Live?, I Corinthians 6:19-20, I Peter, I Peter 1, I Peter 1:13-25, II Corinthians 5:10, Jesus blood, Jon Meacham Andrew Jackson, judgment, judgment seat of Christ, Leviticus holy, Lifeway, love, love based living, love in church, Romans 12:1, salvation, sanctification, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, teacher help, therefore, Tim Keller prayer, word of God, word-based living, you shall be holy
12 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of I Peter 1:3-12, “Our Inheritance” for 3/02/25
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible lesson” for March 2, 2025, “Our Inheritance,” with the text of I Peter 13-12. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Our Inheritance", Bible, Bible study, born again, Charles Dickens Great Expectations, Christianity, Daniel, eternal security, Explore the Bible, faith, George Washington, George Washington inheritance, glory, God, gospel, heaven, heaven reward, How Firm A Foundation, I know whom I have believed, I Peter, I Peter 1, imperishable, inheritance, it's not all about you, Jesus, John 3:3, John 3:7, kept in heaven, lesson help, lesson outline, Lifeway, Old Testament prophecies of Jesus, Peter, Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Asia Bithynia, power of God, prophets, reward, Romans 8:18, Ron Chernow, salvation, saving faith, selflessness, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, term Great Expectations, the soul that on Jesus, we're not home yet, you must be born again
13 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Leviticus 26:1-13, “Holy Living,” for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Leviticus 26:1-13, with the title, “Holy Living,” for Sunday, February 23, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Holy Living", Agatha Christie autobiography, blessings, blessings of holiness, commandments, commands, David McCullough Harry Truman, day of atonement, dwelling, Eden Regained, Explore the Bible, glory, God, God glory, gospel, Hebrews 12:14, holiness, Jesus, John 15:10 If you love Me keep My commandments, John Milton Paradise Lost, John Newton, keep My commandments, lesson outline, Leviticus, Leviticus 26:1-13, Lifeway, Lord, nearness of God, obedience, obedience is the best test, Paradise Restored, Psalm 73:28, salvation, sanctification, Shebani, spiritual blessings, spirituality, Sunday School, Sunday School teacher, tabernacle, teacher help, Truman himself, ultimate blessing, Yahweh, YHWH, you shall be holy for I am holy
1 Comment