Tony Smith didn't set out to write a Bible study. For nearly two decades he's taught men and youth at Calvary Chapel, and the same question kept surfacing: how do you hand someone the tools to study Scripture for themselves, instead of just handing them your conclusions?

‘Give a man a fish and he eats for the day; teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime’ is a prevailing principle of this ministry with a subtle caveat. The starving man still needs a fish. Prepared Heart does both.

Early on, a fellow believer said something that reshaped how Tony taught for good: the people in front of you aren't there to hear from you — they're there to hear from God. That took the pressure off performing and put it back where it belonged. Instead of preparing something to impress, Tony started preparing his own heart first and searching the text for what God had for the group. That's the pattern behind everything Prepared Heart makes.

It's also the cyclical pattern of Ezra 7:10 — Prepare, Seek, Do, Teach — and it's why Prepared Heart seeks to create resources to support this cyclical pattern. Its flagship resource, Exploring Ezra: Return, Rebuild, Restore, is a study built to walk individuals and small groups through what the text says, what it means, and how to live it, one lesson at a time. A companion study on Nehemiah is already in development.

Tony lives in Maryland, where he continues teaching, mentoring, and studying Scripture within his local church.

Where to start:‍ ‍

• Studying on your own or with a group? Try the free sample lesson

• Leading a group? How to Lead a Bible Study

• Considering it for your church? See Why Exploring Ezra