The Heavy-Duty Mike Podcast https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com The Heavy Duty Mike Podcast focuses on helping followers of Jesus cultivate a meaningful and authentic relationship with the Word of God—the Bible. But wait, what about the name—The Heavy Duty Mike podcast? This doesn’t sound very ministry-focused, right? 
Well, I’m glad you asked. The name—Heavy Duty Mike—comes from the nearly twenty years I spent working in the heavy-duty diesel and transport refrigeration industry. While the trades were not my initial career pursuit upon graduating from college, that was instead, 10 years of teaching, coaching, and even administrating in various private and public middle and high schools.
But in my 30s, my life took a few detours, and eventually, I found myself in need of a good-paying job. Aside from being a trained teacher, the only other skills I possessed involved turning wrenches. So I found an opportunity in the trades, where I would spend the next twenty-plus years forging a totally new career.
During my time as a diesel technician, I worked with my hands, building, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing the trucks and TRU equipment that make up the refrigerated food and pharmaceutical supply chain. Eventually, I found my way into the corporate leadership side of the industry, teaching the tradecraft and professional life skills to younger technicians who were trying to forge a successful career turning wrenches.
One thing has always been true, no matter the job title, from molding young minds in a school classroom or training employees in how to succeed professionally, everything over the past 30 years has been preparing me for this new endeavor with the Heavy-Duty Mike Podcast. This, though, brings me to a serious disclaimer; it’s something I want to be clear about right at the outset, too. In fact, it’s why I still lean into and identify as a diesel mechanic and not a bible teacher.
There is one thing that I hope I never become known for, and it’s the prototypical modern ministry-minded mouthpiece for all things Christian; Not to besmirch good people who preach and teach God’s Word, because there are many, but the new generation of dudes who seem to be about looking in touch with the mainstream. These are people who are complete with feel-good stories, positive energy, good vibes, and have this almost unbelievable charm that captivates and impresses everyone.
Now listen, what angers me isn’t the look or the good vibes, it’s the lack of functional authenticity. What I mean is that, when it comes to pointing people to the biblical truth, bringing to light the message of God's Word, they simply are not doing the job, and too many young Christians are being misled about who God is, and what being a disciple of Christ is all about— this reality is simply destructive. I’ve seen the impact on good people and how it’s even led some to deconstruct their faith in Christ and turn away altogether.
I know, this sounds harsh, and it is, but this needs to be said, and it’s for good reason. I want to offer something different, something grounded in the practical application of biblical truth. Here is what I mean— take this example—When a transport refrigeration trailer unit, responsible for keeping twenty million dollars worth of pharmaceutical product safe in the throes of a mid-summer afternoon heatwave, begins to fail, no one actually cares about anything but the responding repair technician's ability to get on site, identify, diagnose, and repair the problem.
In fact, it’s never about the guy's expensive tools or toolbox, the kind of service truck he drives, his position in the shop, or where he ranks in the hierarchy—instead, it’s about whether or not he possesses the wisdom, work ethic, and problem-solving skills necessary to quickly fix the unit before twenty million dollars is lost forever.
What matters most in these situations as a technician is the same thing that I think matters in following Christ, our ability to be efficient and execute the Word of God. It’s the same attitude that I am going to apply to this podcast— I want to help people cultivate a right relationship with Scripture.
I’ve seen the damage to the character of Christ that seemingly well-intentioned ministry professionals have done in the name of Christ, and it angers me because God has provided us with everything we need for life and godliness through a knowledge of Him—found in His Word—2 Peter 1:3. Yet, there are still people who have somehow managed to make attaining that knowledge of Him in the Word of God something entirely different from what it should be.
In essence, they’ve become the new gatekeepers of truth, restricting access to Scriptural understanding, pushing them away from personal involvement in their conformity to Christ, and making them dependent on a person or ministry for their spiritual development.
God’s Word has been given and preserved for our understanding. Instead, many pastors and spiritual mentors are practicing this new form of enslavement to a man-centered, self-help dependence to perpetually find validation and acceptance. When this kind of emotional connection finally wears off, and the rhetoric is no longer enough to motivate, people abandon Christ, never fully coming to true repentance and faith in Christ.
This is why I’m here in this space—to direct listeners' minds away from this kind of man-centered thinking about biblical truth and spirituality. I want to do what other spiritual mentors have done for me, and that is to challenge people to return to the timeless and transformational thinking found in Scripture alone.
I admit, some of this stuff won’t go down easy—But the fact is, most of what Scripture reveals about following Jesus will quite literally change everything about the way you think and do life… But then, that’s the entire point of our salvation anyway—
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (LSB)
Thank you for taking the time to investigate this podcast by reading this. I encourage you to listen often. Also, go visit the site at heavydutymike.com to read the blogs I post; these are like the podcast, only in written form. Lastly, connect with me on Facebook. Admittedly, I’m not a huge social media guy, but it’s an easy way to share new content.
]]> Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:27:29 -0400 https://podbean.com/?v=5.5 en Copyright 2026 All rights reserved. Religion & Spirituality:Christianity 1440 episodic The Heavy Duty Mike Podcast focuses on helping followers of Jesus cultivate a meaningful and authentic relationship with the Word of God—the Bible. Michael D. Coggins Michael D. Coggins No false https://feed.podbean.com/heavydutymikepodcast/feed.xml https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/21949614/2026_lined_heavyduty_mike_podcast_ucndjp.png The Heavy-Duty Mike Podcast https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com 144 144 The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 5 -- 2 Timothy 3:16b The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 5 -- 2 Timothy 3:16b https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-indispensability-of-scripture-in-the-life-of-the-believer-%e2%80%93-part-5/ https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-indispensability-of-scripture-in-the-life-of-the-believer-%e2%80%93-part-5/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:27:29 -0400 heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/a51a72d8-8aae-3548-af0d-66beae0b1d41 We know that the purpose of Scripture then can be summed up like this: it shapes our beliefs (instruction), exposes our sin and condemnation (conviction), guides us towards repentance (correction), and cultivates within us Christlike obedience (training).

In this lesson, we are going to break down these 4 specific things and what they mean for us.

This lesson will be a word study of sorts in the original Greek to help us gain better clarity about how practical and “profitable” God’s Word should be in our lives.

]]> We know that the purpose of Scripture then can be summed up like this: it shapes our beliefs (instruction), exposes our sin and condemnation (conviction), guides us towards repentance (correction), and cultivates within us Christlike obedience (training).

In this lesson, we are going to break down these 4 specific things and what they mean for us.

This lesson will be a word study of sorts in the original Greek to help us gain better clarity about how practical and “profitable” God’s Word should be in our lives.

]]> Michael D. Coggins false No 2484 5 full The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 4 -- 2 Timothy 3:16a The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 4 -- 2 Timothy 3:16a https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-indispensability-of-scripture-in-the-life-of-the-believer-%e2%80%93-part-4/ https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-indispensability-of-scripture-in-the-life-of-the-believer-%e2%80%93-part-4/#comments Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:25:06 -0400 heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/137aeccf-7e6d-34b0-817e-b17469316cf3 Let’s continue our examination of the importance of Scripture in the life of the believer— Committing to Scripture Alone in this 4th lesson in what has become a series where we are addressing the essential preeminence of Scripture in the life of the believer.

We know that too often, when we find a place of comfort or normalcy, we also become complacent, forgetful, and even careless and conceited.

And sadly, as believers in Christ, we lose our way, even forgetting the very power and impact the Scriptures have had in our lives.

Let's consider this question here—

If the Scriptures are not the final, infallible Word of God, if some group or organization declared itself the final curator of what is God-breathed truth and what is not, what would be our basis for practicing the Christ life?

Would faith in the person of Jesus Christ be the same? Or would it have evolved to include hundreds of add-ons?

Without Scripture, indeed, this, and many other things would happen that would totally destroy the gospel message, which is why the Word of God is always under attack.

Thankfully, as followers of Christ, we have access to the Word and the ability to understand it.

In this lesson, we are going to set the stage for understanding Paul's instructions to Timothy about how God’s Word is specifically “profitable” in the life of the beleiver.

 

]]> Let’s continue our examination of the importance of Scripture in the life of the believer— Committing to Scripture Alone in this 4th lesson in what has become a series where we are addressing the essential preeminence of Scripture in the life of the believer.

We know that too often, when we find a place of comfort or normalcy, we also become complacent, forgetful, and even careless and conceited.

And sadly, as believers in Christ, we lose our way, even forgetting the very power and impact the Scriptures have had in our lives.

Let's consider this question here—

If the Scriptures are not the final, infallible Word of God, if some group or organization declared itself the final curator of what is God-breathed truth and what is not, what would be our basis for practicing the Christ life?

Would faith in the person of Jesus Christ be the same? Or would it have evolved to include hundreds of add-ons?

Without Scripture, indeed, this, and many other things would happen that would totally destroy the gospel message, which is why the Word of God is always under attack.

Thankfully, as followers of Christ, we have access to the Word and the ability to understand it.

In this lesson, we are going to set the stage for understanding Paul's instructions to Timothy about how God’s Word is specifically “profitable” in the life of the beleiver.

 

]]> Michael D. Coggins false No 2939 4 full The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 3 -- the Reformations Impact The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 3 -- the Reformations Impact https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/scripture-alone-is-the-word-of-god-really-all-we-need/ https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/scripture-alone-is-the-word-of-god-really-all-we-need/#comments Tue, 26 May 2026 22:07:05 -0400 michaeldcoggins.podbean.com/2e57044a-d027-3238-9565-49451ce336a6 (the official teaching authority and office of the Roman Catholic Church) and formal traditions collectively are the final, infallible authority for matters of life, faith, and practice;   The Reformers, who held a powerfully opposing position, believed simply that that the Scriptures and nothing else, are the infallible final authority on matters of life, faith, and practice.    This issue would serve as a clarion call for the church to, rethink and reform its positions, in light of Scripture alone.    Can you imagine living without having access to the Bible? I can't, in fact, the Bible has been part of my life as long as I can remember. But, this reality is exactly what the world at this time faced.   Thankfully, God in His providence raised up a group of people who would ultimately challenge the institutional church's control over Scripture and, because of their sacrifice, eventually usher in an era that would see a resurgence of Biblical truth, and a deeper love and appreciation for the Word of God.    Sola Scriptura—This Latin phrase, which didn’t appear until the 20th century, came to define the core idea held by all the reformers—Scripture Alone—the final and infallible authority on matters of life and godliness.   While few in our Christian communities challenge this theses now, it is important for us to do more than just agree with it; in fact, we need to realize that we have a natural tendency to allow ourselves to be influenced, even controlled by other people and their extra-biblical origins, just like residents of the middle ages.   Today, we will dig more into this history, our tendency to lean away from scripture and we'll explore the meaning of what Peter means in 2 Peter 1:3— when he says, “We have everything necessary for life and godliness through a knowledge of Him.”]]> michaeldcoggins false No 2703 3 full The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 2 -- Intro to 2 Timothy The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 2 -- Intro to 2 Timothy https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/what-really-shapes-your-worldview/ https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/what-really-shapes-your-worldview/#comments Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:00 -0400 michaeldcoggins.podbean.com/1731b87a-a954-3f57-ae55-da3cae072317  

]]> “son in the faith” (2 Timothy 1:2) This is likely because Timothy came to faith in Jesus Christ through Paul’s ministry and, because over their many years of shared ministry experience, including enduring numerous hardships and suffering together, an inseparable, even familial bond had no doubt formed between the two of them.   Now, in what is to be the final months of his life, Paul writes a deeply personal second letter (2 Timothy) to his young protege. And central to this letter will be numerous admonitions, exhortations, and even direct charges to Timothy about how he must defend and preach the truth of Scripture in word and deed.   Paul’s words are not only intended for Timothy, but they are for all believers—you and me. This letter will provide us with a clear statement about the intended purpose of Scripture 2 Timothy 3:16-17—   [16] All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.   We learn from this epistle that Paul saw having an uncompromising devotion to Biblical truth as the only way Timothy would navigate the growing drift away from the true Way found in Jesus Christ, that taking place in the church in Ephesus, Timothy was pastor of at the time.   It is no different today either. The abundance of opposition to biblical truth from secular society, the temptation to compromise in the face of hardship and suffering, or the fear of abandonment and rejection for total surrender to biblical truth are everywhere around us—and are the same as what Timothy faced in his day.   The result for us, as in his day is that many begin embracing a shallow, almost worthless form of Christianity, one they neither practice nor truly believe. Eventually, many find themselves living in opposition to the Word of God, some without even realizing it.   This raises several questions: Why do people embrace such a shallow Christian faith? Why do some drift so far away from Christ and even reject the Word of God? Are they misled, lied to or just poorly taught?   In this episode, we’ll begin to answer these questions as we explore what Paul’s second letter to Timothy teaches believers about remaining faithful to Scripture in a world full of competing ideas.   As you listen, do this: consider what is the source, or where to your ideas that influence or shape your worldview come from ultimately. Ask yourself this, - “Is it Scripture and Scripture alone, or is it ‘mostly' Scripture and...?”   This is part 1 of a 2-part episode study on 2 Timothy.   In part 2, we will look specifically at the Apostle Paul's exhortation for how —óphelimos— or  profitable, beneficial, and useful — the inspired Word of God is for making us mature in Christ. —2 Timothy 3:16-17   This week prior to episode 3 take some time to read 2 Timothy a few times and get familiar with Pauls letter to Timothy.  

 

]]> michaeldcoggins false No 3105 2 full The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 1 - Romans 12:1-2 The Indispensability of Scripture in the Life of the Believer – Part 1 - Romans 12:1-2 https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-title-of-episode_001_-_romans_12_1_27t2cn/ https://heavydutymikepodcast.podbean.com/e/the-title-of-episode_001_-_romans_12_1_27t2cn/#comments Tue, 05 May 2026 16:07:00 -0400 michaeldcoggins.podbean.com/84a10e28-ebb9-33ea-89c2-608871c98dd7 God's grace has bestowed on us the ability to see the World, the Way (John 14:6), we were originally intended to see it. Through Jesus Christ, we're not only saved from our sinful depravity, but we're also being "set apart" for something that is altogether different. This sounds great, but why is it that I just don't have trust in Him when life turns difficult, or suffering becomes my reality?

I fear that way too many have fallen for a counterfeit version of faith--much like myself, you too may have adopted a Christianity that satisfies some kind of impulse or 'felt need,' but the "true offering" of your mind to Him is not taking place--it's still reserved for you!

The fact is, this reality becomes all the more obvious to us when we do encounter hardship and suffering. I've experienced this firsthand in my own life recently.

The truth is that the biblically "renewed mind" is the only way to know, endure, and overcome suffering. It's also the only way to know and comprehend what Kingdom Living is all about.

The Renewed Mind, in short, is the ability to think like Christ--or biblically. And in this episode, we will look at what it means to follow Jesus Christ Biblically. Paul makes this understanding clear in Romans 12:1-2. 

We will look at why, unless our minds are intentionally rewired to think like Christ, we will always conform to a standard that allows for the service of self and not Christ, and maybe, and more importantly, become victims of our own self-deception.

]]> God's grace has bestowed on us the ability to see the World, the Way (John 14:6), we were originally intended to see it. Through Jesus Christ, we're not only saved from our sinful depravity, but we're also being "set apart" for something that is altogether different. This sounds great, but why is it that I just don't have trust in Him when life turns difficult, or suffering becomes my reality?

I fear that way too many have fallen for a counterfeit version of faith--much like myself, you too may have adopted a Christianity that satisfies some kind of impulse or 'felt need,' but the "true offering" of your mind to Him is not taking place--it's still reserved for you!

The fact is, this reality becomes all the more obvious to us when we do encounter hardship and suffering. I've experienced this firsthand in my own life recently.

The truth is that the biblically "renewed mind" is the only way to know, endure, and overcome suffering. It's also the only way to know and comprehend what Kingdom Living is all about.

The Renewed Mind, in short, is the ability to think like Christ--or biblically. And in this episode, we will look at what it means to follow Jesus Christ Biblically. Paul makes this understanding clear in Romans 12:1-2. 

We will look at why, unless our minds are intentionally rewired to think like Christ, we will always conform to a standard that allows for the service of self and not Christ, and maybe, and more importantly, become victims of our own self-deception.

]]> michaeldcoggins false No 1944 1 full