My POTS experience: Peaks and Valleys

Posted on 2013/02/16 by Shawn Thomas

Although POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) varies greatly from individual to individual in the type and severity of symptoms, one of the signature features of it in my own personal experience is the almost daily fluctuation of my symptoms. Journeying with POTS is like traveling in the mountains: a continual series of peaks and valleys.

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The Fifteenth Day of the Second Month

Posted on 2013/02/15 by Shawn Thomas

Exodus 16 opens in :1 by saying that it was “the fifteenth day of the second month” – i.e., about 6 weeks into the journey of the people of Israel in the Exodus. It is notable that the chapter goes on to say that it was then that the people began to grumble. The journey was not new anymore by that time, the initial “excitement” had worn off, and it was becoming a “grind” already. I believe there is a “heads’ up” in this passage for many of us: Continue reading →

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His Rest

Posted on 2013/02/15 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 95:11, God said of the rebellious people of Israel in the wilderness: “they shall not enter My rest.” God’s “rest” is the goal for mankind. This is what we long for! But we need to realize that ultimate rest is only found in heaven with the Lord. God’s “rest” is a picture of the eternal state with Him. We have heard the expression: “rest in peace”, or “he is at rest now”. We need to recapture the concept of heaven as a state of rest with the Lord. It doesn’t mean that we will be in eternal unconscious slumber, but rather engaged in ceaseless worship, which will give us true rest in the joy-filled, sustaining presence of the Lord.
This also instructs us as to where we will find rest — to the extent that we can find it — here and now.

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You Who Love The Lord

Posted on 2013/02/14 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 97:10 speaks of “you who LOVE THE LORD”. In this verse, “you who love the Lord” is a synonym for the people of God, those who are what many of us would call “saved.” We see a similar appellation for God’s people in the familiar Romans 8:28, where it says that God causes all things to work together for His people, but it calls them, “those who love God.”
These terms, “you who love the Lord” and “those who love God” are not insignificant.

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Commitment to Praise

Posted on 2013/02/13 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 108:1, David says: “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises.” What David was expressing here was not a ritual, but rather a heartfelt commitment to praise, regardless of his circumstances. Continue reading →

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Prayer Warriors

Posted on 2013/02/12 by Shawn Thomas

I Timothy 5:5 tells us that widows in the church are commanded to do two things:
1) “fix (their) hope on God”
2) “continue in entreaties and prayers night and day”
This verse gives direction not only for widows, but also for all who are homebound or limited in their activities for whatever reason. What are you to do when you are “stuck at home” while sick, or incapacitated for hours and days on end? Continue reading →

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Sing to the Lord

Posted on 2013/02/11 by Shawn Thomas

Exodus 15:1 says that after the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea and the Egyptians were drowned: “Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord …”.

Notice that the RECIPIENT of their song was THE LORD. Continue reading →

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Our God Does Whatever He Pleases!

Posted on 2013/02/08 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 115:2-3 says: “Why should the nations say, ‘Where now is their God?’ But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” Just like in Israel’s day, there WILL be times in ours when those who do not trust our God will ask: “Where now is their God?” If our God is real, why does He not act? When we are ill, they might ask: “Why doesn’t his God heal him?” And the same with a multitude of other cases. “Why doesn’t their God do anything?”

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“Paradise”: The House Showing

Posted on 2013/02/06 by Shawn Thomas

Following my resignation at First Baptist, Moss Bluff, last Sunday, our house went on the market this week. We will not be able to live at 954 Mission Lane with me being unable to work full-time (or at all, presently) so we needed to plan on selling. In God’s providence, a few years ago we bought a small apartment in Norman, Oklahoma, and although there were times when we wondered why we had it, we are now grateful that we do. We hope it will be just the place for me to be able to rest and hopefully, in God’s time, get better, and possibly return to preaching. But first, we needed to get our current home ready to sell. As many of you know, that is no small task.

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Letter To My Church Family (2-03-13)

Posted on 2013/02/03 by Shawn Thomas

We are fast approaching one year since I first went home sick from prayer meeting on a Wednesday night with what came be to diagnosed as dysautonomia, or POTS. We have employed a wide array of medications and exercises, and of course sought the Lord in prayer for my healing over the past year. As of yet, these prayers have not been answered — or at least the answer has been “no”, or “not yet.”

In light of the extended nature of my illness, and the fact that there is no imminent cure on the horizon, I believe this is the right time for me to step down as pastor of First Baptist Moss Bluff. The church needs an active pastor to lead her in these trying days, and I am not physically able to provide that leadership at this time. We are short several members on our ministerial staff, but it is difficult to call staff members without a stable senior pastor in place. After much prayer, deliberation, and seeking God in His word, I believe it is in the best interest of the church, and also God’s will at this time, that I submit my resignation today, effective in two weeks, Sunday, February 17. Continue reading →

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