A Doer’s Prayer

Posted on 2013/02/21 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 119:34 the writer prays: “Give me understanding, that I may KEEP Your Law”! The understanding of God’s word that we are to seek is not merely for intellectual enlightenment or academic achievement.

Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Grant Me Your Law

Posted on 2013/02/20 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 119:29 the Psalmist prays: “graciously grant me Your Law.” It should be challenging to many of us that when he makes his request to God, he asks for His Law. When many of us ask God to “graciously grant me” something — if we were honest, we would admit that it is rarely the words “Your Law” which follows!

Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Day’s Portion Every Day

Posted on 2013/02/19 by Shawn Thomas

In Exodus 16:4, God instructed the people of Israel regarding the gathering of the manna that would feed them during their wilderness journey: “The people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.” God did not give the people a week, or a month, or a year’s worth of manna in advance, but each day, the food they would need for that day. And He specifically said that this was to “test” them. It was a test of their faith and obedience.

This Exodus experience has meant much to me the past few weeks, as I have faced resigning a full time pastorate due to health issues. At first the thought of what was happening to me, all the issues involved, and hurdles we faced, seemed insurmountable and overwhelming.

Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Farewell to Our Church Family

Posted on 2013/02/18 by Shawn Thomas

Our hearts are filled with gratitude for the past 12+ years of service with our church family at Moss Bluff. It would be almost physically impossible for me to write a personal note to everyone who has blessed my family and I in some special way these past several weeks. “Thank you” will have to suffice; although please be assured that it comes from a full and truly grateful heart.
The fellowship at our home yesterday was so sweet and special: so many hugs, so many tears, so many smiles, gifts, and words of appreciation … it is a day I will never forget. Special thanks go to the team of ladies who completely took care of the food, decorations and serving for us: Mona Mouhot, Kathy Bushnell, Judy Wood, Venita Barton, Sammy Miller, Chancey Mouhot, and Merci Dixon, as well as Rick, Dalton, Thomas and others. You took the burden for us and made the special day possible.

Although I had not planned for it to happen, I found myself sharing some things repeatedly with the individuals and small groups who congregated around my recliner yesterday afternoon. I realized later that this was perhaps my final, informal “message” of sorts to my congregation. These are things I want each of our church members to know:

Continue reading →

Posted in Home & Family Life, Ministry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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.

Continue reading →

Posted in POTS (dysautonomia) articles | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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 →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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.

Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment