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 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.
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 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
“The Little Condo on the Prairie” (11-19-13)
FFB WOES Monday night, Cheryl and our daughter-in-law Ashley were virtually tied in their fantasy football matchup for the week, and each had a couple of players left in the game that evening. But Cheryl’s hopes vanished when her quarterback, … Continue reading
Just A Number of Days
I Samuel 27:7 says: “The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.” The chapter begins with David thinking that Saul would eventually kill him if he stayed in Israel, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged brief episode, God's plan, hour of trial, I Samuel 27:7, perseverance, purpose, time
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Book Review: THINK: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper
In the introduction to John Piper’s Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God, Piper writes that his book is a plea not to be “either/or” regarding thinking and feeling, that we need them both. And he … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged Calvinism, John Piper, love for God, relativism, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God, thought, worship
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The Race That is Set Before Us
Hebrews 12:1 encourages 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
The Obedience of Love
In Psalm 119:57 the Psalmist writes: “Yahweh is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words.” Here we see the key to the kind of obedience that God wants from us.
The Counsel of the Word
Psalm 119:24 says: “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” In Hebrew, “they are my counselors” is literally: “the men of my counsel.” What a picture God has given us here: that those who testify to us about … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Bible, counsel, Psalm 119:24, scripture, testimony
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When Doing Nothing Is The Most Important Thing
There are times when we should trust God, but then act, knowing that He is working through us (see devotion here) but there are also times when we are to totally leave things in God’s hands, and when we are … Continue reading
The Law & The Need For Grace
Psalm 119 is a great paean to the Law of God, extolling many marvels and facets of His word. Verses 1-8 (in which each verse begins with the Hebrew letter Aleph, as Psalm 119 is an acrostic in Hebrew) open … Continue reading
Modeling the Golden Rule
In I Samuel 26, David and Abishai stealthily crept into Saul’s camp and came upon him while he was sleeping. Abishai took this as God’s providence, and as the chance to do away with Saul. But David stopped him. Verse … Continue reading
Look to the Reward
Hebrews 11:26 says that Moses considered “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.” In this chapter which extols faith, we find here a glimpse of how it practically works … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged faith, Hebrews 11:26, perseverance, reward, temptation
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