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.
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)
- "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
It’s “Snow” Walk in the Park!
Sunday evening, our family had been “snowed in” for the better part of four days, other than morning worship at Trinity Baptist, and a brief trip to the grocery store. With a bad case of “cabin fever”, I decided we … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Leave a comment
Every Encumbrance
Hebrews 12:1 exhorts us: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged discipleship, encumbrance, Hebrews 12:1, priorities
2 Comments
Strengthen Yourself In Your God
In I Samuel 30 we find a little-known episode, but one of the greatest crises David ever faced. It was before he ever became king, and could have derailed everything. While he and his men were off on a mission, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged armor of God, crisis, Ephesians 6, help, I Samuel 30:6, inner strength, strength
2 Comments
“The Little Condo on the Prairie” (12-04-13)
It’s about the holidays this week — Thanksgiving, Christmas, as well as some of our typical family fare! SNOWBOUND Michael was “bummed” about having to miss church services due to an early (late November) snow here in Oklahoma. He bemoaned: … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
3 Comments
Popular Praise: Blessing or Bane?
SO many people would give almost anything to have the kind of renown and fame that David received from the people of Israel after he killed Goliath, but as we see in I Samuel 29:5, it is not always such … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged flattery, I Samuel 29:5, John 2:24, popularity, praise, Proverbs 29:5, public opinion
1 Comment
Run With Endurance
Hebrews 12:1 exhorts us: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that … Continue reading
Do Not Confuse Disobedience With “Mercy”
In I Samuel 28:18, Samuel speaks to Saul from the grave: “As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.” Here the … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged disobedience, I Samuel 28:18, J.I. Packer, precise God, Puritans, Richard Rogers
Leave a comment
How Sweet Are Your Words?
In Psalm 119:103 the Psalmist exclaims: “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Are they indeed? How would we demonstrate the truth of this verse, if it were so in our own … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Bible, God's word, Psalm 119:103, scripture
Leave a comment
Learning to Hate Evil
Psalm 119:104 says: “From Your precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every evil way.” Psalm 97:10 admonishes us: “Hate evil, you who love the Lord.” One of the salient problems of God’s people in every age is that we … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Bible, hate evil, holiness, Psalm 119:104, Psalm 97:10, sanctification, scripture, word of God
1 Comment
A Word of Thanksgiving
Psalm 111:1 says: “Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, in the company of the upright and in the assembly.” Here we find several truths about thanksgiving: — “I will give thanks …” … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged giving thanks, praise, Psalm 111:1, thanks, Thanksgiving
Leave a comment
shawnethomas 