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 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 3:14-4:9, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Remembering God's Works" for June 21, 2026.
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Numbers 14:11-24, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Rebellion & Judgment" for 9/28/25
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 2:4-21, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Amazing Grace," for June 14, 2026.
- "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
Author Archives: Shawn Thomas
“The Discipline of the Word” (I Peter 2:1-3 sermon)
(Preached 4-26-15, Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Morganton, NC) For years before his death in 2013, Pat Summerall broadcast NFL games and other sporting events on television. Many of you would recognize his voice to this day. Some of you also … Continue reading
Is There A Lion?
“The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets.’” (Proverbs 22:13) The Book of Proverbs contains a number of character studies, which describe different kinds of people we encounter — or perhaps ourselves! Among … Continue reading
The Model Prayer (Part 1) “Begin With Praise”
(Preached at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, Morganton, NC, Wed. p.m., 4-22-15) I don’t know if you’ve seen any of “A.D” The Series on Sunday nights, but like most shows, it has its better moments as well as its weaknesses. One … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons, The Model Prayer Series
Tagged devotions, Matthew 6:9, model prayer, praise, prayer, prayer time, Psalm 100:4, quiet time
2 Comments
“When The Cat’s Away …”?
“A king who sits on the throne of justice disperses evil with his eyes” (Proverbs 20:8) This scripture pictures a strong leader on the throne of the land, before whom the wicked scatter. But what often happens when a leader … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged accountability, computer, ethics, pornography, Proverbs 20:8, work, work ethic
1 Comment
How To Stay Poor
You probably don’t want a recipe for poverty, but the more pertinent question may be, are you unwittingly following it? Proverbs 21:17 says: “He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged diet, discipline, exercise, poverty, Proverbs 21:17
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A Surprising Cause of Unanswered Prayer
Ever wondered why your prayer request goes unanswered? Scripturally, there are a number of possible answers you might be familiar with: — sometimes we ask with wrong motives (James 4:3) — or we do not keep persisting in prayer (Matthew … Continue reading
A Word To The Wise
One of the striking testimonies that came out of the Oklahoma City bombing a few years ago involved a man who was sitting in his Murrah Building office thinking, “I wonder what God is going to have to do to … Continue reading
“The Disciplines of Disciples” (I Timothy 4:7-10 sermon)
(Preahed at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church, 4-19-15) When I served as interim at First Baptist Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, I had the opportunity to go up to the high school during their summer band practice. I was impressed with the quality … Continue reading
A Prayer for God’s People
Another good scriptural intercessory prayer is found in Psalm 28:9, where David concludes the Psalm with these words: “Oh save Your people and bless Your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever.” It is a prayer which specifically targets … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged church, God's people, individuals, intercession, prayer, Psalm 23:1, Psalm 28:9, Shepherd
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Matthew 6:5-9 Introduction to the Model Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer is one of the most familiar and beloved Christian scriptures – yet it may also be one of the most misunderstood. But it is a scripture that is VITAL for us as we would learn to pray. … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermons, The Model Prayer Series
Tagged Chuck Quarles, how to pray, Lord's Prayer, model prayer, prayer, prayer outline, Sermon on the Mount
3 Comments
shawnethomas 