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 Romans 1:13-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "True Power," for 9/06/26
- Teacher's Overview of Joshua 1:1-11, 16-18, Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson: "Strong & Courageous" for 6/07/26
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
- "Seeking Him First" (Matthew 6:33 sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Ruth 3:8-13, 4:13-17, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Redemption," for 8/30/26.
- "How To Run The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "The Word That Sustains In Difficult Days" (Habakkuk 2:1-3 sermon)
- "The Christian Race" (Hebrews 12:1-2 sermon)
- "Finishing Well" (Psalm 92:12-15 message)
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
“A Labor Day Message”
Ephesians 6:5-9 “A Labor Day Message” Sept. 4, 2011 p.m. I wonder how many people really know what Labor Day is about – other than that it gives us a 3-day weekend! Labor Day seems to mean different things to different people. … Continue reading
“A Song In The Night”
Habakkuk 3:16-19 “A Song In The Night” Sept. 4, 2011 In the early 1820’s, John Keats, the English poet, went outside one evening for the specific purpose of sitting under a tree and listening to the song of a … Continue reading
My LASIK Experience
About two weeks ago I had LASIK surgery: a popular procedure used to correct one’s vision. It was something I had contemplated for some time. I had several relatives who had experienced the procedure, including two of my sons and my … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Home & Family Life, Uncategorized
Tagged LASIK, LASIK expectations, LASIK experience, LASIK side-effects
5 Comments
“Anwoth Is Not Heaven; Preaching Is Not Christ”
Sometimes in the process of looking for one treasure, you inadvertently find another. That happened today, as I was searching through one of my very favorite books, The Letters of Samuel Rutherford. (Rutherford was the pastor of a church in … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Ministry
Tagged Letters of Samuel Rutherford, losing your ministry, ministry, preaching, priorities, Samuel Rutherford
3 Comments
A Song of Wrath and Mercy
Habakkuk 3:1-2 A Song of Wrath and Mercy 8-21-11 This week one of our church members reminded me the story of Stuart Hamblen, the songwriter who had lived a life of drinking and partying, but who was saved through the ministry of Billy Graham, … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged "the old man upstairs", Habakkuk 3, Habakkuk sermons, mercy, reverence for God, the glory of God, wrath
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The Third Team on the Field
At The Response, the prayer gathering attended by 32,000-plus in Houston a few days ago, most of the event was spent in some kind of prayer. There were no “sermons” as such, although periodically, a preacher or recognized figure would … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Uncategorized
2 Comments
Delight Yourself in the Lord
Psalm 37:4 “Delight Yourself in the Lord” 8-14-11 p.m. Years ago, Corrie Ten Boom wrote, “Look around, you’ll be distressed. Look within, you’ll be depressed. Look to the Lord, you’ll be at rest.” From all of her experiences, she ought to … Continue reading
“The Lord is in His Holy Temple”
Habakkuk 2:9-20 “The Lord Is In His Holy Temple” 8-14-11 a.m. A couple of weeks ago, when we studied Habakkuk 2:4, we talked about how Job, when he had endured so much, asked God questions for which he never really received … Continue reading
The Back-to-School Speech
It was August 2004, and like children all over the country right now, our kids were getting ready to go back to school. Our oldest, Paul, was going to be taking his first classes at McNeese State University in Lake Charles. … Continue reading
Some Running Advice Is Best Taken With a Grain of Salt
In one of my very favorite movies, “Chariots of Fire”, the great British runner Harold Abrahams is asked if he enjoys running. He responds, “I am more of an addict.” I fall probably somewhere in between those two categories. Sometimes I … Continue reading
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