God’s men don’t always have “good news” to share. If they do, they are certainly not God’s men!
We see an example of that in Isaiah 7. God has just told King Ahaz that he does not need to fear two kings who are invading his land. God calls them “two stubs of smoldering firebrands” who are not worth fearing. But this didn’t mean that all would be well for the land of Judah. Continue reading
Just this week, the pastor who married Cheryl & I, Bill Elliff, who is now pastoring in Arkansas, shared a testimony about a man who came to their church 4 & 1/2 years ago, looking for a handout. One of their associate pastors ended up talking him, and soon the man, named Gary, found himself on the floor, crying out to God for salvation, with one pastor holding one hand, and another pastor the other. Bill said that Gary “used the only language he knew as he prayed, laced with profanity.” He said, “He’s the only man I know who literally cussed his way into the Kingdom! But God heard him and saved him from to toe.” Gary started coming to church every week, and sat on the front row — usually with 4-5 of his friends from the street that he would bring with him. As you can imagine, Gary had quite a ministry on the street from that time forward.
Bill shared this testimony because Gary passed away this week, at only 63 years old. But Bill and all those who knew Gary are comforted by the testimony he had, and how his life had been changed since the time he was saved.
That is quite a “story” about Gary, and how he came to follow Jesus. But if you are a Christian, you have a “story” too. And it is a story to which you should give some thought and attention. First of all, do you HAVE a “story”, and are you ready to share it with others? And then, do you know if the people you love have a “story” as well?
This morning, I want to introduce an emphasis we are going to be focusing on in the next few weeks here at Pleasant Ridge, called, “This Is My Story.” The title actually comes from the old hymn, “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine … this is my story …”. That hymn talks about how the person knows that they belong to Jesus, and that they are confident in the relationship they have with Him, so they can sing, “This is my story …”. I want us to spend just a few moments this introducing this series, not by focusing on any one scripture, but by thinking about the importance of having a salvation “story”, and how God can use your own “story.” Continue reading
If you have been struggling with the fear of a person or persons, God has a word for you in Isaiah Chapter 7 which will give you a better perspective:
Isaiah 7 begins by relating how how two kings, Rezin of Aram, and Pekah of Israel, went up with their armies against Jerusalem. When the king of Judah, Ahaz, heard of it, :2 says “his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”
Perhaps you have had an experience like that: you have received news that just made your heart “shake” as soon as you heard it. What kind of word does God have for you in such a time? Look at what He told Ahaz: Continue reading
One of the biggest decisions a person makes in life is whether they believe they are here by accident, or whether there is a God who has a plan for them. I think you are here today because you believe the latter — and the Bible teaches us that outlook. Continue reading
The very last chapter of Romans contains a long list of people to whom the Apostle Paul wished to send greetings. It is interesting to read the little “descriptions” that he attaches to the names of the people he was greeting: Continue reading
“… the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)
As Jesus explained The Parable of the Sower in Mark 4, He said that sometimes the word of God is “sown” into a life (:18) but that there are three things that can “choke” it so that it doesn’t bear fruit: Continue reading
“Hey, Brother Shawn, would you like to go to a Carolina Panthers practice with some of us next week?” Thus began one of the most interesting, and entertaining, odysseys of my life: an evening out with Tony Branch and friends.
Tony Branch is a member of our church in Morganton, one of the most colorful characters you will ever meet. He himself never meets a stranger, and he always has something to say. When he invited me to go to the practice, the first of the year for the Panthers, which they make a big deal of, he told me that Ivy Bradshaw, another member of our church, and others would be going as well. After checking my schedule, I accepted the invitation — and was assured by everyone who subsequently heard that I was going, that I was in for an entertaining evening. It did not disappoint, including good food, a lot of laughter, and some genuine close calls! Continue reading
“Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink.” (Isaiah 5:22)
In Isaiah 5, the prophet details many of the sins of God’s people for which He is calling a foreign nation to punish them. Among the transgressions we find in :22 “those who are heroes in drinking wine.” One application probably springs to mind — but this verse may actually condemn more of us than one might initially think: Continue reading
In February 2012, I stood to lead prayer meeting at the church I had been pastoring for 12 years in Louisiana, and the longer I stood the more nauseated I became. I had to leave during prayer and have my associate pastor take over. That was the first evidence that something was wrong with me physically, and it would just get worse from there. We cut back on my preaching to Sunday morning only, and I went to the doctor to try to find out what the problem was. But soon I could no longer preach on Sunday mornings, and the church put me on medical leave until the doctors could come up with a diagnosis and hopefully treatment. After some months of testing, they discovered that I had a little-known illness called dysautonomia or POTS: “Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.” With POTS, one’s heart rate rises whenever they stand, as if they were running in place. It causes severe fatigue, sleeplessness, nausea, migraine headaches, and more. There is no known “cure” for it; they just try to treat symptoms with whatever medication works best on the individual. But after months of trying different medications, it became increasingly evident that I was not going to get well soon. With several vacant staff positions at our church, I felt like they needed a healthy pastor, and that I should resign. I was losing my job, my career, and my ministry. As a result we had to sell our home, my wife’s dream house, along with about 2/3 of our possessions. I was so sick I couldn’t even stand to pack our belongings, and after I had pastored for 27 years I would be out of the ministry. We moved to Norman, OK, where we had a small apartment, to convalesce without any human hope for a healthy future. As many of you know, after two years in Norman, God did raise me up, and called me last March here to serve as pastor at Pleasant Ridge. We are grateful to God for His blessing in restoring my health, and placing me back in ministry.
But God’s goodness is not merely in that He brought me back. At my lowest moments during my illness God was always good. I have heard it said that there is a Psalm in the Bible for every conceivable human emotion; one which will speak to you in whatever it is you are going through. I have always believed that, and I can certainly say that is true for what our family went through over the past couple of years.
I shared once before how Psalm 3:3 was an anchor for my soul during that time. Another set of verses that ministered to me was from Psalm 119:65-72. The lessons we learned we from these verses, and what God did in our lives in and through this time, are invaluable to us. And I pray that God will use them to minister to some of you who have been, or are now, in a time of difficulty. Let’s look at what these verses teach us about “The Goodness of God in the Midst of Affliction” … Continue reading
“He will also lift up a standard to the distant nation, and will whistle for it from the ends of the earth; and behold, it will come with speed swiftly.” (Isaiah 5:26)
This verse give us one of the most vivid examples in all of the scriptures of the sovereignty and power of God. Speaking of the kingdom of Babylon, the “superpower” nation of their day, it says that God will “whistle for it” and it will come! Continue reading
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.
shawnethomas 