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)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 22:15-22, 34-40, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, "Honor" for 5/03/26
- Romans 7:4-6, 14-25 Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson overview: "Struggle," for 10/11/26
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "America's Verse" -- "Judge Not" (Matthew 7:1-5 sermon)
- "This Is My Story: The Philippian Jailer" (Acts 16:25-34 sermon)
- “The Narrow Way To Heaven” (Matthew 7:13-14 sermon)
- Romans 6:1-14, Overview of Lifeway's Explore the Bible lesson, "Freedom," for October 4, 2026.
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
Ask — and Seek!
Psalm 27:4 says “One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I shall seek …”. Notice the two important phrases here: “I have asked …” and “I shall seek”. Each of these actions is important, and necessary in its own … Continue reading
“This Week in Paradise” July 23
This week in the “Paradise” otherwise known as the pastor’s home seemed to revolve around foreign language, and of course our new baby kitten, Eponine! You’ve Got the Wrong Person I have told people before that Cheryl & I have … Continue reading
“Thou O Lord”, Psalm 3:3 Part I: “My Shield”
I first knew something was wrong with me physically in February 2012, when I had to go home sick from prayer meeting. I ended up having to take a medical leave from my duties as pastor, and tried to make … Continue reading
Posted in POTS (dysautonomia) articles, Sermons
Tagged Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Genesis 25:22, God's protection, God's purpose, God's purposes in trials, Henry V, intercession, Job, John Ryland, Lamentations 3:7, Life Together, My Shield, plagues and deaths around me fly, POTS, Psalm 119:67, Psalm 3:3, Romans 8:28, sermon, Shakespeare, the bulletproof George Washington, trials, We're in God's hands brother, Why am I this way?
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This Week in “Paradise” (July 16)
This week in the “Paradise” otherwise known as the pastor’s home was my first with a new medication that seemed to keep my heart rate down, leading to my return to preach at First Baptist Moss Bluff on Sunday night.
“Acceptable in His Sight” (Psalm 19:11-14)
I listened to my favorite preacher, Mark Dever, the pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington, D.C., this morning, and he had a good word for me. In a message on James 1, Dever said that sometimes we can see some of God’s … Continue reading
Confusing Certainty With Correctness
Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” In the first words of this familiar verse is an important truth: Just because people think they are going … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged godly friends, misplaced confidence, Proverbs 14:12, scripture
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My POTS experience: Meds and the “Roller Coaster”
You know how when you ride a roller coaster at the amusement park, you can get that “carsick” feeling? Well “roller coaster” is the perfect analogy for me today, and the sick feeling is the literal description of how I … Continue reading
Posted in POTS (dysautonomia) articles
Tagged beta blocker, dysautonomia, medication, metropolol succinate, POTS, roller coaster, sleeping aid, trazodone
6 Comments
Poem: “I Walked A Mile With Pleasure”
I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chatted all the way; But left me none the wiser For all she had to say. I walked a mile with Sorrow, And ne’er a word said she; But, oh! The things I … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized
Tagged pleasure, poem, Robert Browning Hamilton, sorrow, suffering, trials
7 Comments
“This Week in Paradise” (July 9, 2012)
“This Week in Paradise” July 9 Last week marked one of the first of our recorded “weeks in Paradise” in which there were no stories about our son Michael. I can assure you, that was only because I did not … Continue reading
Posted in Home & Family Life, This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
Tagged A Beka, coffin, dark humor, humor, pastor's family, Poirot
6 Comments
The Overflow
From first to last, it had been a morning full of hugs. I returned to the 8:30 service at First Baptist, Moss Bluff, for the first time since I have been on medical leave. I saw a couple of people in the … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Ministry, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized
Tagged church, evangelism, fellowship, hugs, sharing, witness
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