Category Archives: Current Events

Family Gingerbread Contest 2021

Posted on 2021/12/25 by Shawn Thomas

Help us determine the winner of our annual family gingerbread house contest. Vote for your favorite from the six below. You can use any criteria you wish: just the one you like best. THANK YOU for helping us continue our … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

“Lights In The World” (Philippians 2:14-16 sermon)

Posted on 2021/06/21 by Shawn Thomas

It’s almost hard to remember last February’s winter storm now, in the heat of the summer — but I may need to remind SOME of you that you DID say you would never gripe about the Texas heat again, after … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discipleship, Philippians sermons, Sermons | Tagged above reproach, BBC Cranford, cohabitation, dark world, darkness, divorce, eight year old gender decision, family, gender, gender issues, Genesis 2, God's plan for marriage, God's plan for sexuality, I am the light of the world, light, lights in the world, marriage, perversion, Philippians 2:14-16 sermon, Sam Rayburn, sexuality, sin, Texas winter storm 2021, the world, ungodliness, world, you are the light of the world | Leave a comment

“The Lord Tests The Righteous” (Psalm 11:5 sermon)

Posted on 2020/07/20 by Shawn Thomas

During the Civil War, they got a new orderly, a young man to carry messages to and from President Abraham Lincoln. Not long after he started, someone offered him $100 (which was a lot of money back in the 1860’s!) … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Current Events, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Abigail Adams, Affliction is a good man's shining time, Carl Sandburg Abraham Lincoln, character, compromise, COVID-19, COVID-19 time of testing, foundations destroyed, Genesis 42:15, God is on the throne, God of the Bible, God sovereignty, gold refined, heart, I AM, I AM THAT I AM, I Chronicles 29:17, it's a test, Job, Job 23:10, John Newton, Matthew 13 parable of the sower, Navy SEAL, Navy SEAL hell week, perseverance, perseverance of the saints, priorities, Psalm 11:5 sermon, Psalm 1:1, ring the bell, Say "This is a test!", sin, test, test heart, test of salvation, testing, The Lord is in His holy temple, the Lord tests the righteous, William H. McRaven, Yahweh, YHWH | 2 Comments

The Providences of 1776

Posted on 2020/07/05 by Shawn Thomas

I’ve made a personal “tradition” of reading David McCullough’s 1776 on the 4th of July for the last couple of years. The book is a marvelous retelling of this pivotal year in the story of America. A repeated theme that … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, History, Reviews, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized | Tagged 1776, 4th of July, America, America and the providence of God, America God, American history, American Revolution, Battle of Brooklyn fog, David McCullough, David McCullough 1776, George Washington, history, Independence Day, providence, providence and American Revolution, providences, the providence of God, Trenton, United States of America | Leave a comment

“Waiting For Our King” (Psalm 110 sermon)

Posted on 2020/06/15 by Shawn Thomas

When I was growing up I loved the story of Robin Hood — I had an oversized green t-shirt that I would wear, with a brown belt around my waist, as I would take my bow & arrows out into … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Current Events, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "until" in the New Testament, abortion, cancer, Christ King, COVID-19, Deity of Christ, end times, enemies a footstool, every knee will bow, Exodus 35:29, Free French, freewill offering, German "blitzkreig", Hebrews 2:8, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, humanity of Christ, I give myself, I heard the bells Civil War origin, I heard the bells on Christmas Day song, India persecution of Christians, interim, Jesus Christ is Lord, John Quincy Adams, King John on England, Matthew 22:43-45, Matthew 24:45-46, Messiah Jesus, nedabah freewill offering, Paradise Lost, peace on earth good will to men, people volunteer freely, Philippians 2, Psalm 110, Psalm 110:1, Psalm 110:3, race, racial tension, return of Christ, return of the King, Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Romans 12:1, servants, service, slaves, Son of David, Son of God, there is no peace on earth I said, Tiglath Pilezer, U.S. Civil War, until every knee bows, Vichy French, volunteer, willing servants | Leave a comment

“Our Assurance of Glory” (I Corinthians 15:1-4 sermon Easter 2020)

Posted on 2020/04/12 by Shawn Thomas

Easter 2020 “Our Assurance of Glory” Last week I mentioned Charles Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight to Paris in 1927. Not long after he landed, Lindbergh visited nearby … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Current Events, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "Sovereignty of God", A. Scott Berg Lindbergh, Adam and Eve, C.S. Lewis, Charles Lindbergh glory, Christ cross, Christians and COVID-19 virus, contamination, coronavirus sermon, COVID-19 heroes, COVID-19 origin, COVID-19 sermon, creation groans, do this in remembrance of Me, Easter 2020, Easter COVID-19 sermon, Easter sermon, evangelism, fear, Garden of Eden sin, God foreknowledge, gospel, heroes, hope, I Corinthians 15 gospel, I Corinthians 15:1-4, I John 1 blood of Jesus, I Peter 2:24, I will go straight to glory, Jesus cross, Jesus death, Jesus resurrection, Kimberly Lopez nurse COVID-19, Lord's Supper, Lord's Supper sermon, pandemic, Peter Brown Augustine, resurrection of Jesus, Revelation 13:8, Romans 5:12, Romans 5:8, Romans 8:22, sacrifice, salvation, Salvation A B C, sin, sin and creation, St. Augustine devil, St. Augustine quote, substitutionary atonement, The Facts Brazoria County news, there are times when a man is his own devil, virus cure | 4 Comments

“Faith In Crisis” (Psalm 74 sermon)

Posted on 2020/04/06 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 74 “Faith in Crisis” (COVID crisis Sunday #4, 4/05/20) The verses we find here in Psalm 74 are not going to make many “verse-of-the-day” Bible calendars: “O God, why have You rejected us forever?” “The enemy has damaged everything … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Current Events, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged A. Scott Berg Lindbergh, Asaph, Babylonian Captivity idolatry, C.S. Lewis Screwtape Letters, Charles Lindbergh 1927 flight, commitment, commitment to Jesus, coronavirus, COVID-19, COVID-19 crisis, COVID-19 prayers, crisis, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily worship, Daniel 4:17-18, devotional time, faith in crisis, forsaken, girl praying, girl praying for Lindbergh, ICU doctor St. John's Tulsa, intercession, Jeremiah 7:4, Jesus is King, Jesus is Lord, Job 13:15, obedience, perseverance, prayer, Psalm 22:3, Psalm 74, questioning God, Romans 10:9, salvation, seeking God, The Temple of the Lord, theodicy, trials, Tulsa World, Why have you rejected us?, Yet, yet You are my King from of old, Yours also is the night | 2 Comments

“A Christian Response to the Coronavirus Crisis” (II Timothy 1:7 sermon)

Posted on 2020/03/15 by Shawn Thomas

How many of you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? I do … I was in my office at First Baptist Church Moss Bluff when someone told me to look at my computer … and those horrendous scenes … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged "In Christ Alone" song, 9/11, Back-2-Back missions, coronavirus, coronavirus and church, Dan Shuman, Facebook, faith, fear, fear not, fear not 365 times, fear of death, Galatians 5:22-23, gospel, hoarding, Holy Spirit, I Corinthians 13, II Timothy 1:7, Kim Eaves, Kyle & Jackie Chamblin, love, Martin Luther and plague quote, Mazatlan, Meredith Shuman, panic, pray and watch, Psalm 5:3, Puritans in London plague, salvation, selfishness, sensible, September 11 2001, sound mind, spirit of fear, the world | 2 Comments

“Culture-blind” — or Cowardly?

Posted on 2018/08/13 by Shawn Thomas

In Washington Irving’s delightful The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, the author journals about his attendance at a venerable English country church: “The congregation was composed of the neighboring people of rank, who sat in pews sumptuously lined and cushioned, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Devotions/Bible Studies, Ministry, Sermon Illustrations, Uncategorized | Tagged C.S. Lewis, church, compromise, courage, cowardice, culture, culture blindness, favoritism, James 2, James 2:1, James 2:1-6, Lesslie Newbigin, partiality, poor, preaching, reform, rich, The Country Church, The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Washington Irving | 2 Comments

“In The Beginning, God” (Genesis 1:1 sermon)

Posted on 2018/01/08 by Shawn Thomas

Some books have such famous opening lines that many people can name them just from hearing the first words of the book. See if you can name some of these books from their first lines: — “It was the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Sermons | Tagged bara hebrew, Bertrand Russell life purpose, Bible, Bible genealogies, centrality of God, creation ex nihilo, cross of Christ, Deuteronomy 18:15, doctrine, egocentrism, Genesis, Genesis 12, Genesis 1:1, Genesis 3:15, Gregory of Nazianzus when I say God, heliocentrism, I Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53, John 1:3, John 3:16, Nietzsche deny God, protevangelium, Psaalm 110:1, Psalm 139, redemption, resurrection of Christ, Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life not about you, salvation, seed of woman, spontaneous creation, Stephen Hawking Grand Design, theocentrism, Trinity, Triune God, when I say God I mean Father Son Holy Spirit | 1 Comment