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
- Romans 8:14-27 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview, "Indwelt," for October 18, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: "Struggle," for 10/11/26
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "The Lord Our Provider" (Philippians 4:15-23 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” (11-05-13)
CHECK THAT: We were watching football Saturday and I went to the kitchen to get some of our favorite chili that Cheryl had made with the Rabideaux’s deer sausage that Jacki Hunter had graciously brought us from Louisiana. We had … Continue reading
Loyalty in Deed
In I Samuel 24, Saul was pursuing David, whom he accused of treason against him. But when David had an opportunity to kill Saul in a cave, he did not, and in :8-11 he called out to Saul, “‘Why do … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged deed, faithfulness, hymn I Love Thee, I Samuel 24:8-11, loyalty, Proverbs 20:6
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Book Review: Father, Son & Holy Spirit by Bruce Ware
Many books, sermons — or even individual Christians themselves — may be labeled as either precise in theology, or strong in their application, but it can be hard to find in any of these a balanced pairing of both. Bruce … Continue reading
We Are An Offering
Psalm 110:3 says: “Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power …”. In Hebrew, that literally reads: “Your people WILL BE freewill offerings” — that is, they will offer themselves freely as a sacrifice and offering to … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged commitment, consecration, freewill offering, Psalm 110:3, Romans 12:1, sacrifice
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Hallelu-Yah!
Psalm 113 is a Psalm of praise for the people of God. It begins and ends with the expression: “Hallelu-Yah”! (literally “Praise Yahweh!” In most Bibles, when you see the word “LORD” in all capitals in the Old Testament, it … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Hallelu-Yah, Hallelujah, praise, Psalm 113, Yahweh
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Our Final Court of Appeal
In I Samuel 24:12 David cries out to Saul: “May YHWH judge between you and me …”. David had tried and tried to convince Saul that he was not “out to get him”, but to no avail. Despite many “reconciliations”, … Continue reading
Circumstances Aren’t Everything
I Samuel 24:3-4 reminds us that although God uses circumstances for His purposes (as we saw at the end of the last chapter), circumstances themselves are not the only factor in godly decisions. Chapter 24 says that when Saul was … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
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Waiting For Our King
Psalm 110:1 opens: “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’” As Jesus makes clear in the New Testament (Matthew 22:41-46) this is a Messianic Psalm — … Continue reading
Two Sides of the Coin
Psalm 109:17 shows us “two sides of the coin” of sin, both sins of “commission” and of “omission”: “He also loved cursing, so it came to him. And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him”. … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
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Book Review: Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, by Donald S. Whitney
I read Don Whitney’s Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health for a small-group class on Sunday mornings at Trinity Baptist in Norman this year. I understand that it has been used for some time by several ministers and in … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Ministry, Reviews
Tagged Christian life, curriculum, discipleship, legalism, small groups, spiritual growth
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