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 24:36-51, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Alert" for May 10, 2026
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 22:15-22, 34-40, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Honor" for 5/03/26
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- "The Gift That Is An Insult" (I Kings 9:10-14)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 21:23-32, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Authority," for 4/26/26.
- "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
“This Week In Paradise” (June 19)
Yes, another week in “Paradise” – otherwise known as the pastor’s home – has gone by, “like sands in the hourglass”. Several of the stories this week have to do with the seemingly ubiquitous power outages in Southwest Louisiana, as … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment
“This Week in Paradise” June 11, 2012
German Just back from church camp last week, Michael began his summer “school”: Rosetta Stone German, Level 1. It took just a few minutes to set up, and he was off and running with it. The first day’s lesson was … Continue reading
Quotes & Illustrations from G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy
Chesterton’s classic book is a gold mine of illustrations and quotes. Following are some I gleaned from my recent reading, arranged in alphabetical order – with my favorite “Laugh Out Loud” lines from the book at the end! Balance Man must … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations
Tagged change, freedom, G.K. Chesterton, Islam, Orthodoxy, quotes, sermon illustrations, testimony, tradition, Trinity
6 Comments
“This Week in Paradise” June 4, 2012
From vanity, to sarcastic children, the follies of this pastor’s home are exposed to the world in this week’s installment of “Paradise.” Reading Mike Beard, our chairman of the deacons, came over for a few minutes and visited one day … Continue reading
“The Democracy of the Dead” (G.K. Chesterton)
Proverbs 11:14 is noted for its adage: “In abundance of counselors there is victory.” But there is a source of counsel that many in our proud age, which generally adheres to the credo that “newer is better”, neglect. Our generation is apt … Continue reading
Destructive Self-Confidence (G.K. Chesterton story)
“Once I remember walking with a prosperous publisher, who made a remark which I had often heard before; it is, indeed, almost a motto of the modern world. Yet I had heard it once too often, and I saw suddenly … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Sermon Illustrations
Tagged G.K. Chesterton, humility, Matthew 5:3, Orthodoxy, poor in spirit, self-confidence
4 Comments
30 Years In Paradise
This is a special edition of “This Week In Paradise”, because it was 30 years ago today that Cheryl & I were married: May 28th, 1982. Of course, being a pastor and pastor’s wife, we have not had any difficulties … Continue reading
“This Week in Paradise” 1.4
Following are the latest stories from inside this pastor’s home, from the week of May 20-26 … Potty Training Our neighbor across the street is potty training her little boy, and she was having trouble with it, so she posted … Continue reading
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