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 Deuteronomy 33:1-5, 26-29, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "God's Power," for 11/30/25.
- Teacher's Overview of Deuteronomy 30:11-20, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Fully Committed," for 11/23/25.
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- Reasons For Giving Thanks (Psalm 136 sermon)
- "Give Thanks to the Lord" (Psalm 118 sermon) Thanksgiving 2024
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 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: testimony
Teacher’s Overview of Exodus 16 & 17, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson for January 5, 2025
An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Exodus 16:11-19, 17:1-6, “Provision Given,” for Sunday, January 5, 2025. A video version of this overview, that you can watch/listen to, is available … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Bible, Bible study, daily bread, do all things without grumbling, Exodus, Exodus 16 and 17, Exodus 16:11-19 17:1-6, Exodus from Egypt, Explore the Bible, financial provision, God, gospel, grumbling, Jehovah Jireh, Jesus, Lifeway, man hu, manna, my God shall supply all your needs, needs, Philippians 2:14-16, Philippians 4:19, provision, quail in the wilderness, salvation, Sunday School, testimony, water from the rock
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“What Real Faith Looks Like: Real Faith Works” (James 2:14-26 sermon)
John Wooden was one of the greatest coaches of all time. His UCLA Bruins dominated college basketball back in the 1960s-70s like no other team ever has. He won 10 national championships in 12 years, including seven in a row! … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons
Tagged Abigail Adams, Abraham, Abraham faith, Abraham works, arrested for being a Christian, Bible, Book of James, demons, demons believe, epistle of straw, evidence, faith, faith and works, fruit, God, good works, gospel, Islam, James, James 2, James 2:14-26, Jesus, Jimmy Carter testimony, John Adams, John Wooden, John Wooden testimony, judgment, Martin Luther, Matthew 13, Nabeel Qureshi, Parable of the Sower, Rahab, Rahab faith, Rahab works, religion, salvation, Seeking Allah Finding Jesus, spiritual fruit, testimony, They Call Me Coach, witness, words vs actions, words vs deeds, works, works salvation, world religions
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“No Spirit of Fear” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon/Hurricane Beryl, July 7, 2024)
In March 2020 about a dozen or so of our church members went on a mission trip to Mazatlan, Mexico, to minister with what is now James Trail ministry, with Dan & Meredith Shuman. It was a good trip, but … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged A Leopard Tamed, assurance, be not afraid, Bible, Christianity, confidence, COVID, COVID sermon, Death, discipline, Eleanor Vandevort, faith, fear, fear not, fruit of the Spirit, God, how to be saved, hurricane, hurricane Beryl, hurricane prep, II Timothy 1:7, In Christ Alone, Jesus, Kim Eaves, London Plague, love, Martin Luther plague, ministry, missionary, no fear, no fear in death, no guilt in life no fear in death, panic, power, Puritans, salvation, sermon, sound mind, Sudan, testimony, The Black Death
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“What Real Faith Looks Like” (Introduction to the Book of James)
Some time ago I was visiting with a pastor in another state, and he was talking about how there are well over 30 churches in just their small community. He said, “You know how it is here; everyone says they … Continue reading
Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
Tagged American Christianity, assurance, Bible, Book of James, Christianity, commandments, conviction, conviction of sin, easy believism, epistle of straw, faith, God's Law, gospel, how can I be saved, James, James 3, Jesus, John Ryland, Lord, Lord Lord, Martin Luther, meddling in my private life, salvation, Samuel Rutherford, saving faith, scripture memory, sin, strawy epistle, Tennessee Williams, testimony, tongue, What Real Faith Looks Like, words, works
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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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Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” John 9:24-38, “You Have Seen Him”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 9:24-38, for Sunday, February 12, 2023, with the title: “You Have Seen Him.” (A video version of this overview is available … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged 30 second elevator speech, baptism, Bulgaria mission work, Christian persecution, evangelism, how to give a testimony, John 9 Bible study help, John 9 the man born blind, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson help, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview John 9:24-38, Son of Man, teacher's help LIfeway Explore the Bible John 9, testimony, testimony workshop, witnessing
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Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson: John 1:40-51, “Come and See.”
A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 1:40-51, for Sunday, December 11, 2022 with the title, “Come and See.” (A video version of this overview is available on … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Acts 1:8, Acts 1:8 church, Acts 1:8 Sunday school class, Charles Dickens Mrs Jellyby, discipleship, Dr. Francis Collins testimony, evangelism, evangelistic testimony, Explore the Bible lesson John 1, follow Me, Jesus is the ladder, John 1 Sunday School lesson, John 1:40-51, John 1:40-51 Sunday School lesson teacher help, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson help, Matthew 4:19, Oscar Thompson Concentric Circles, Reflections on the Existence of God, Richard E. Simmons III book, salvation testimonies, Shawn Thomas Sunday School lesson help, Sunday school lesson help, teacher's helps for Sunday School, testimony, witnessing
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