Latest Lessons
Here are the most recent items added.
February, 2021
Famine of the Word
This lesson examines how God can and does punish modern nations in the same way He disciplined the Israelites for similar sins against Him.
February, 2021
Here Am I, Send Me
Mike uses Isaiah's call into ministry to provide direction and encouragement for the men and women that are being called into the various ministries that a congregation needs.
January, 2021
When Good Becomes Evil and Evil Becomes Good
America's acceptance of same-sex marriage reflects the confused moral stance that existed in the days of Isaiah when the prophet charged the nation with usurping God's moral order.
January, 2021
Goose Wisdom
Mike compares the natural wisdom seen in the migration habits of Canadian Geese to the attitudes the Christian flock should cultivate to live together in harmony.
January, 2021
Structures and Features
In this lesson, Mike will review the fifth of the five strands Isaiah uses to frame his prophecies, the special literacy and structural features of his prophetic utterances.
January, 2021
Structures and Features
This lesson continues to examine the third and fourth major topics addressed in Isaiah's writings, the Holy One of Israel, and the faith response of the Jewish people.
January, 2021
Structures and Features
This lesson begins a three-part series outlining how Isaiah actually arranged the material in his book.
January, 2021
The Three Cs of Christianity
Despite the millions of books and articles written about Christianity, this faith can be summarized using three words that begin with the letter "C".
January, 2021
The Life and Times of Isaiah
In this first lesson, Mike will give a brief introduction of Isaiah himself and how his book was written.
January, 2021
Isaiah for Beginners
In this study, Mike will provide a comprehensive introduction to Isaiah explaining the structure, style and various themes Isaiah addresses as well as several lessons developed from key passages in Isaiah's book.
December, 2020
Christianity Vs. Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto and Buddhism
In this lesson we compare religions from China, Japan and India to the religion of Christianity.
December, 2020
God's Prescription for Burnout
In this final lesson, Mike breaks down God's way of dealing with human stress especially when it leads to personal burnout.
December, 2020
Stress from Burnout
Mike examines the end result of constant over-stress, burnout and how to avoid this debilitating condition.
December, 2020
Stress from Loss
Mike finishes out this topic by providing a biblical strategy for grief recovery.
December, 2020
Stress from Loss
Mike reviews the effect of loss on individuals, especially the stress associated with various kinds of loss.
December, 2020
Stress from Conflict
This lesson deals specifically with conflict in church situations. Hopefully lessons learned here can serve to deal with the stress caused by conflict in any setting.
December, 2020
Stress from Failure
In this session, Mike talks about the type of stress that everyone wants to avoid but all suffer from to a degree or another - stress from failure.
December, 2020
Stress from Work
Mike talks about the greatest source of everyday stress, the things we do to earn a living - work.
December, 2020
Stress from Worry
In this session, Mike defines the destructive habit of worry and how we are producing positive outcomes from those situations that normally cause us stress from worry.
December, 2020
An Introduction to the Problem of Stress
This lesson points out the nature of stress and its special effect on believers.
December, 2020
Stress Busters
Mike addresses a common problem of the times, stress, and how we can naturally decrease the frequency and intensity of this debilitating condition in our lives.
December, 2020
Christianity Vs. Jainism and Sikhism
In this lesson, we compare the religions of Jainism and Sikhism to Christianity.
December, 2020
Christianity Vs. Hinduism
This entire lesson is devoted to comparing Hinduism to Christianity.
December, 2020
Christianity Vs. Zoroastrianism and Islam
In this lesson we continue looking at Near Eastern Religions by seeing how Zoroastrianism and Islam compare to Christianity.
Church 101
November, 2020
Why is Thanksgiving important?
Mike reviews how the act of giving thanks is necessary to our spiritual growth.
Church 101
November, 2020
What Makes a House Church a Church?
In this lesson, Mike describes the two main elements that establish a church over a simple gathering for a Bible study.
November, 2020
Christianity Vs. Judaism
In this lesson, Mike will list the information about Christianity in the nine categories used to describe major religions and use this as a base to compare it to Judaism.
November, 2020
The Royal Priests
In this lesson, Mike compares the Aaronic priesthood of the Old Testament to the Royal priesthood of the New Testament.
Church 101
November, 2020
How Do I Start a House Church?
In this short video, Mike reviews the three things necessary to start a church in your home.
November, 2020
Introduction: Unorganized Religions
This lesson begins our study of world religions by defining the word religion and what groups will be included. We also begin by exploring Primitive Religions.
November, 2020
Christianity vs. World Religions
This series is a brief guide to understanding World Religions. It examines the many types of religions and how they compare to Christianity.
November, 2020
Jubilee and Jesus
In the book of Leviticus, we read about an amazing system of economics that God provided for the Jews called the Sabbatical year ordinances. A feature of this system was the year of Jubilee. In this lesson, Mike shows how Jubilee was a preview of not only an event in the future but a person who would fulfill all the wonderful promises of the Jubilee year.
November, 2020
A Christian's Response to Death and Dying
In this session, Mike compares the five stages of grief originally taught by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross to the grieving process outlined in the Book of Job.
October, 2020
Life Lessons from Job
In this lesson, Mike will share seven life lessons that will help students incorporate this book into practical faithful living.
October, 2020
The Spiritual Crisis
Job must face his greatest crisis which is being in the presence of God as a guilty sinner.
October, 2020
Fishing Lessons
Mike reviews 7 parallels between fishing for fish and "fishing for men."
October, 2020
The Theological Crisis
This lesson reviews the last of the friend's speeches along with Job's summary of his experiences followed by a final speech by Elihu which serves as a bridge to the important questioning of Job by God Himself.
October, 2020
The Christmas Cook
This is my 58th Christmas without my father. I thought of him recently while I browned some meatballs for a spaghetti sauce we were cooking up for guests over the holidays.
October, 2020
The Dent in my Life
Ah, the joy of a new car! It's the pride of ownership that I recently experienced in driving a vehicle that had neither scratch nor blemish. I took great care in staying away from runaway shopping carts slamming into me at the grocery store and not parking too close to other vehicles for fear of their doors opening and damaging the pristine finish on my baby.
October, 2020
The Theological Crisis
In this second cycle of speeches, we see Job's friends holding their line of argument but observe a shift in Job's reasoning concerning the way God metes out justice and the extent of His mercy.
October, 2020
Baptism and the Holy Spirit
Mike compares today's popular teaching about the Holy Spirit to what the Bible specifically says about the third person in the Godhead.
October, 2020
Waiting out the Storm
I was watching the endless rain. Saturday, Sunday and now a third day of gray drizzle continued as I found my way to work on a cold damp Monday morning. Folks came in telling stories of swollen creeks and flooded roads as the earth could no longer soak in the deluge.
September, 2020
The Theological Crisis
The author introduces Job's theological crisis through the speeches of Job's friends and Job's reply to each.
September, 2020
The Scariest Passage in the Bible
A study of the most unlikely passage to wear this title (hint: it is found in Luke).
September, 2020
The Teacher Who Failed
Ray Blanchard is the only teacher I remember from 9th grade. That was almost sixty years ago and yet I still can see him, short and squat with a shock of straight blond hair wearing his usual rumpled gray suit.
September, 2020
The Physical Crisis
This lesson reviews the possible types of outlines that could be used to study Job and what each accomplishes along with the first section of the "thematic" outline used in this study.
September, 2020
The Gideon Principles
Mike reviews the life and times of one of the Old Testament's reluctant heroes and demonstrates how his rise to greatness sets a course for our own spiritual development today.
September, 2020
A Cup of Water
The wait at the tire shop was going to be a long one so I walked over to the taco shop to get a bottle of water. The young girl at the take-out window informed me that they were all out of water then quickly offered to get me a plastic cup filled with ice water and a straw. She offered it with a smile and refused my attempt to pay.
September, 2020
Take a Breath
I met an unpleasant man the other day. We didn't speak, only shook hands but his body language and the manner of his grip told me that he wasn't interested in speaking or knowing me. This wouldn't have been so bad except that he was serving as a greeter at a congregation I was visiting.
September, 2020
Speed Bumps on the Road To Heaven
I once knew a lady who abandoned Christ for golf. She played after work and then began to skip mid-week services to play, and soon was absent on "sunny" Sunday mornings as well.
September, 2020
Outline and Characters
Mike continues the introductory material by providing brief summary descriptions of the main characters as well as the purpose and style of possible outlines for this book.
September, 2020
Survivor Guilt
The tornado missed my house by several miles. Storm chasers described its wicked course while reporters chronicled the destruction and death in real-time images that mesmerized viewers huddled around their TVs, unable to look away. A familiar spring ritual in Oklahoma.
September, 2020
Searching for Truth at Dudes
I sat at Dudes for my regular burger and fry as a group from the local high school rolled in. They weren't any different looking than the other teens who populated the place at lunch hour.
September, 2020
Critical Introduction
Mike begins this series by examining the introductory features of the book of Job including its possible author, date of writing and several purposes in which this work has served believers through history.
September, 2020
Book of Job
This series will review Job's experience of unwarranted hardship and focus on this believer's attempt to maintain faith in a period of suffering he neither deserved nor understood.
August, 2020
Iron Love
She's ironed my shirts now for over thirty years. It's not a big thing, but each time I go to my closet and see them neatly pressed and hung in a row I remember the early years.
August, 2020
The Virtual God
Time magazine once published a section devoted to the newest computer products. As I leafed through the latest gadgets and gizmos, I realized that the world and its technology was getting just beyond my grasp.
August, 2020
Jesus' Resume
In this lesson, Mike explains why Jesus is uniquely qualified to be the head of the church.
August, 2020
For Rent
There's a "For Rent" sign in front of a house near my home. It's for rent because the young mother who lived there with her husband and two young children committed suicide recently.
August, 2020
A Year in the Life
This devotional series is designed for small groups that meet monthly. Each lesson contains a brief "slice of life" animated video followed by five questions or ideas to stimulate discussion and exchange.
August, 2020
Not All Religions are Equal
In this lesson, Mike articulates the advantages of the Christian faith not found in other major religions in the world.
July, 2020
The Purchasing Power of the Pearl of Great Price
This lesson expands Jesus' brief teaching parable by revealing the unique features that give the Pearl of Great Price its value.
June, 2020
John the Baptist
In this lesson, Mike cuts through the many human and cultural views of John the Baptist in order to reveal the true character and mission of this important Bible personage.
June, 2020
Love Bombs
The final class describes the most challenging step in loving our enemy, love bombing.
May, 2020
Make Room for God
In this second to last session, the group will discuss how bringing God into the equation will affect the people in conflict with one another.
May, 2020
The Religion of Desire
Mike discusses the newest religion of the 21st Century and its impact on society as well as the Christian response to society's latest attempt to replace God with a deity of its choosing.
May, 2020
Win the Peace
Mike discusses the working out of aggressive good in actively seeking peace with our enemy.
May, 2020
Do Something Beautiful
In this session, Mike lays out the type of action that convinces our enemies of our goodwill towards them.
May, 2020
Pretty Woman Complex
Mike calls on Christian women to revolutionize how they are seen by themselves and secular society.
May, 2020
Never Means Never
In this lesson, Mike reviews the reasons why we should never take revenge when dealing with our enemies.
Church 101
May, 2020
How Do I Prepare a Funeral?
In this video, Mike goes over some of the key components to organizing a full or graveside service.
May, 2020
Walk a Mile
Mike talks about the role that empathy plays in the process of loving our enemies.
April, 2020
Blessing Not Cursing
The first step in putting God's strategy to work requires a change in what we think and say about the person we hate.
April, 2020
What to do with the Rebel Child
Mike provides a practical strategy for Christian parents struggling with children who have lost their way.
April, 2020
God's Strategy
In this session, Mike lays out God's practical and doable approach to loving those we can't stand.
April, 2020
Personal Inventory
In this first session, Mike lays out the basic objectives of the class and leads the class in listing the people or organizations we can't stand.
April, 2020
How to Love Someone You Hate
This small group series and title are based on a book by Milton Jones that explores the biblical strategy we can use to obey Jesus' difficult command to love our enemies.
April, 2020
Out of Season
Enough cowering! Enough hiding out and social distancing from getting things done because of the virus!
Church 101
April, 2020
How Do I Take Communion at Home?
Mike explains how to obtain and use the elements for taking the Lord's Supper (communion) when you are not able to meet at the church building.
April, 2020
The Desire for What is Forbidden
In this final lesson dealing with the tenth commandment, Mike explains the thin line that separates good versus evil desires and how to avoid the sinful trap of covetousness.
Church 101
April, 2020
How to Include A cappella Music in Your Live Stream Worship
In this video, Hal Gatewood will show you how we are using Praise and Harmony TV singing videos in our live stream services each week.
March, 2020
Truth Equals Integrity
Mike explores the everyday requirements demanded by this command beyond its primary application in a court of law.
Church 101
March, 2020
Is Worshiping Online, True Worship?
Churches are turning to live streaming to solve the problem at hand, but is this actually biblical and acceptable? Are we really just forsaking the assembly?
March, 2020
Unconditional Surrender
Mike explains the nature of our submission to Christ when we become His disciples.
Church 101
March, 2020
How to Build a Church Website
We're asked pretty regularly about websites for churches. Here are our recommendations for both.
March, 2020
Taking without Permission
Mike demonstrates the many ways this command can be violated, and how we can build a defense against dishonest tendencies.
Church 101
March, 2020
Does God Speak Through Our Pets?
In this video, Mike explains how God speaks to us today.
March, 2020
God's Plan for Sexual Fulfillment
In this lesson, Mike reviews the basic rules about sexual intimacy as well as the various strategies one can use to keep this commandment.
March, 2020
The Problem of Abortion
Mike continues with the second lesson on the sixth commandment dealing with the issue of abortion in which he reviews arguments for and against this practice.
March, 2020
The Sanctity of Life
Mike discusses the reasoning behind the sixth commandment not to kill and the various ways it applies to our lives.
March, 2020
Knowing God
Mike looks at the joys and challenges that are part of the experience of knowing God more intimately.
March, 2020
Daniel 11 – Outline of Kings
Daniel 11 predicts events that will take place between the rise and fall of the Greek and Roman Empires.
February, 2020
The Command with a Promise
Mike discusses what the fifth commandment requires of both parents and their children.
February, 2020
The Sabbath Rest
Mike explains the difference between the Sabbath Day and the Lord's Day.
Church 101
February, 2020
What Happens After We Die?
In this video, Mike answers questions dealing with the end times. Including how the Holy Trinity plays into this.
February, 2020
Use the System!
In this lesson, Mike reviews the system of ministry established by the Apostles in the early church and how it can be adapted for modern church use.
February, 2020
The Holy Name
This lesson reviews the various ways the commandments have been listed and explains the reason for the reverence of God's name.
February, 2020
From Religion to Conversion
Mike recalls the spiritual steps he took in his journey from hearing the call to conversion to hearing the call to ministry.
January, 2020
Idol and Likeness
Mike explains the various ways the second commandment forbidding idolatry is violated in modern times.
January, 2020
The Commandments in the 21st Century
In this first session, Mike establishes both the importance and relevance of the 10 Commandments for the Christian in the modern world.