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.
-
Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 3:14-4:9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Remembering God's Works" for June 21, 2026.
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 6:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Winning Strategy," for June 28, 2026.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 2:4-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Amazing Grace," for June 14, 2026.
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "Inviting Jesus Into Your Home" (Luke 10:38-42 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: obedience
Teacher’s Overview of Exodus 40:16-21 and 34-38, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for 2/02/25.
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders who are teaching Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38, “Inhabited,” for Sunday February 2, 2025. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRODUCTION: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Bible, Blaise Pascal, Exodus 40, Exodus 40:16-21, Explore the Bible, glory, glory of God, God, gospel, guidance, Jehovah, Jesus, John Newton, just as the Lord commanded Moses, Lifeway, Moses, Moses obedience, obedience, obedience is the best test, Providential guidance, salvation, shekinah glory, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school outline, Sunday school teacher help, tabernacle, teaching outline, wait on the Lord, whatever He says to you do it, Yahweh, YHWH
7 Comments
“Trusting Providence In A Fallen World” (“Trust & Obey”) Matthew 2:13-23 sermon
(Preached at First Baptist Church, Angleton, TX, December 29, 2024.) I hope that you are among those who had a Merry Christmas — but honestly I know that not everyone did. Our lives are often very difficult, and maybe you’ve … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged A.W. Tozer, Bethlehem, Bible, Christianity, Christmas, creation, depravity, Egypt, faith, God, God's provision, God's providence, Holy family, importance of obedience, Jesus, Joseph, Joseph's obedience, King Herod, man's nature, massacre of innocents Bethlehem, Matthew, Matthew 2, miracle vs providence, nature, obedience, post-Christmas sermon, prophecy, providence, provision, Romans 8:19-22, Romans 8:22, sermon, sovereignty, sovereignty of God, The Knowledge of the Holy, tragedy, Trust & Obey
Leave a comment
Teachers’ Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 12:21-32, “Delivered From Egypt” for 12/15/24
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 12:21-32 for Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, with the title: “Delivered From Egypt.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged "Delivered From Egypt", Abraham Lincoln pardon, blood, blood of Jesus, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, doer of the word, Exodus, Exodus 12, Exodus 12:21-32, Explore the Bible, forgiveness, gospel, hyssop, I John 1:7, James 1:22, Jesus, Jesus our Passover Lamb, John Newton, Lifeway, lintel and doorpost, Matthew 7:24-27, Moses, obedience, obedience is the best test, obey the gospel, pardon, Passover, Passover Lamb, Pharaoh, salvation, Sunday School
6 Comments
“What Real Faith Looks Like: The King’s Laws” (James 2:5-13)
In Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace, he writes about how during Napoleon’s War with Russia he commanded a group of his soldiers to go downstream and find a good place to ford the river, and go to the other side. … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged all sin is sin, Andrew Jackson, Bible, Book of James, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, comparing, discipleship, ethics, failure, faith, God, gospel, how would you like it, in the course of justice, James, James 2, James 2:5-13, Jesus, John Adams, Jon Meacham American Lion, judgment, King Jesus, Law, law of liberty, Law of mercy, Leo Tolstoy, Love God Love Others, love your neighbor, mercy, Napoleon, obedience, render the deeds of mercy, Romans 13:8-10, salvation, Shakespeare, Sheldon Vanauken, sin, slavery, Tao, The Golden Rule, The Great Commandment, The Hermitag, the Law, The Merchant of Venice, the quality of mercy, the standard, transgression, War & Peace, we do pray for mercy, Yours Jack, zeal
Leave a comment
Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 8:26-39, “Baptizing”
An overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 8:26-39, for Sunday, July 28, with the title, “Baptizing.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Acts 4:12, Acts 8, Acts 8:26-39, all gods the same, Ardas, baptizing, believers baptism, Bible study, Charles Spurgeon, church in Acts, cross, doctrine of baptism, Early Church, Ethiopia, Ethiopian eunuch, evangelism, Explore the Bible, Gaza Road, gospel, gospel outline, Harmeet Dhillon, Holy Spirit, Islam, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jesus one way, John 14:6, lesson help, lesson overview, Lifeway, missions, obedience, Pentecost, Philip, repentance and faith, response to the gospel, RNC, salvation, Samaritan Pentecost, same god different name, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, teacher help, the church, the cross, the gospel, what is the gospel
2 Comments
Teacher’s Overview of Acts 5:29-42, Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson “Worthy,” for July 14, 2024
(A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: ??? Did you/someone you know ever disobey a law/command/guideline, to do something you believed God wanted you to do?(— A friend of mine and I shared the gospel … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged abortion, Acts, Acts 5, Acts 5:29-42, apostles, balance, Bible, Bible study, C.S. Lewis, chronological snobbery, civil disobedience, cost of discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, discipleship, Ephesians 1:13, evangelism, Explore the Bible, faith, Gamaliel, Geaux Therefore, God of our Fathers, gospel, hate crime, history, Holy Spirit, homosexuality, Jesus is Lord, Jewish Encyclopedia, lessons of history, Lifeway, Lordship, ministry, NOBTS, obedience, persecution, perseverance, Peter, Pharisee, Prince and Savior, repentance, Rex Butler, Romans 10:9, Romans 13:1, Ron DeSantis, salvation, Savior and Lord, sharing, Stephen Boissoin, submission, Sunday School, time will tell, transgender, we must obey God rather than men, Winston Churchill lessons of history, witness, workplace
1 Comment
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
5 Comments
shawnethomas 