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.
-
Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 22:15-22, 34-40, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Honor" for 5/03/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 21:23-32, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Authority," for 4/26/26.
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The World, The Flesh, and the Devil" (James 3:15 sermon)
- The Drink Offering: Don't Waste Your Life (Philippians 2:17 sermon update)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 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
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
He asked. But he didn’t like the answer he received. Nehemiah 1 says that when some visitors arrived in Babylon from Jerusalem, Nehemiah asked about the welfare of the holy city. But the answer dismayed him: the people were distressed, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Matthew 5:4, mourning, Nehemiah 1:4, revival
Leave a comment
“The Discipline of Fellowship” (Hebrews 10:23-25 sermon)
Cheryl & I are fond of assigning “chapter titles” to different episodes of our life together, as if they would be chapters in a book. We have labeled some of them: “The Great Mouse Caper”, “The Dark Year”, or “Just … Continue reading
The Only Rock
The last phrase of Psalm 18:31 addresses just the point where many people make the biggest mistake in their lives. The verse says: “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?” (Psalm 18:31) … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Matthew 7:, peace, Psalm 16:5, Psalm 18:31, rock, sand, security, stability
Leave a comment
It’s Not How Much You Read
Three little words in Hebrew fed my soul that day. I try to get a variety of scripture into my life daily, as I read from Psalms to begin my prayer time, then both an Old Testament and a New … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship
Tagged Bible Reading, God's purposes, Hebrew, Psalm 18:30, scripture meditation
2 Comments
The Precious Stewardship
In Ezra 8:24-30 Ezra tells us that he took 12 of the priests who were with him in Babylon, and weighed out to each of them a portion of the gold & silver and the costly utensils which were going … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Ezra 8:24-30, faith, II Timothy 1:14, stewardship, the gospel, word of God
Leave a comment
The Light in My Darkness
In Psalm 18:28 David says, “For You light my lamp; the LORD my God illumines my darkness.” That God would “illumine (his) darkness” could mean something different than we might initially think.
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged comfort, darkness, God's presence, Hebrews 13:5, light, Psalm 16:8, Psalm 18:28, Psalm 23:4
Leave a comment
“The Discipline of Scripture Memory” (Matthew 4:11 sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist, Pauls Valley, OK 9-21-14) When I was in college I went on a mission trip to Switzerland and Germany. During the trip we also made a one-day visit to Paris, but in many ways I was … Continue reading
“According to My Righteousness”?
Psalm 18, in which David celebrates his deliverance, contains what to many would seem a questionable phrase. In the midst of His praise of God for what He has done, David says in verse 20, “He has rewarded me according … Continue reading
The Words of the Commandments
The scribe Ezra’s dedication to the word of God is chronicled repeatedly in Ezra Chapter 7. One such reference is found in verse 11, which describes him as “Ezra the priest, the scribe, learned in the words of the commandments … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged application, Bible, Bible study, Ezra 7:11, Matthew 22:32, scripture, teaching, words
Leave a comment
Sharpen Your Skills
Ezra 7:6 says of Ezra that “he was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses …”. This is an important statement, and it is no accident that it is mentioned as his character is introduced into this story. It … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged education, Ezra 7:6, God's plan, purpose, skill, training
Leave a comment
shawnethomas 