Jesus is Looking All Around!

Posted on 2012/09/02 by Shawn Thomas

A little phrase in Mark 11:11 is a curious one, and one which I had I never really pondered before. After Jesus came to Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry, it says He came to the temple, “and after looking all around” He then went to Bethany. But isn’t that an interesting phrase? WHY was Jesus “looking all around”? WHAT was He “looking all around” for? Continue reading →

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An Ounce of Prevention

Posted on 2012/09/01 by Shawn Thomas

It is easy to miss the timing involved in Proverbs 17:14, where it says “abandon the quarrel BEFORE it breaks out”. “BEFORE” — THAT is the time to stop a quarrel. Not “shortly after”, and certainly not “after it has gone a long way” – it is MOST difficult to stop then! No, abandon it BEFORE it breaks out! Have the foresight to see that what you are about to engage in is going to be contentious, and DO NOT START down that road in the first place! Don’t say that controversial thing! Don’t RESPOND in a way that you know is going to promote a quarrel. Abandon it BEFORE it breaks out! It is just like the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The best time to end a quarrel is not to get involved in it in the first place! “Abandon the quarrel BEFORE it breaks out”!

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Love in a Besieged City

Posted on 2012/08/31 by Shawn Thomas

In Psalm 31, David was in the midst of some pretty bad days, but surrounded by trouble, he could write in :21, “Blessed be the Lord, for He has wondrously shown His steadfast love to me when I was in a besieged city.” (ESV)  Notice what we can learn from this verse about how God’s love can minister to us in our most difficult times: Continue reading →

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A POTS Analogy: My Life in Miniature

Posted on 2012/08/30 by Shawn Thomas

Some moments in time can serve as a picture of your life in miniature, as a kind of analogy. Today (Thursday, August 30th 2012) was one of those days.

Like most other residents of Louisiana, we spent yesterday at home, keeping our eyes on Hurricane Isaac. The church office had been closed, and I had felt pretty well — I even made a video which parodies melodramatic weather reporters. (I will try to link it here.) I got up this morning and felt pretty well. I was in the office by 9:00, and was looking forward to finishing my Sunday morning message. I remarked to myself how well I felt — pretty much like “normal”, I thought; not sick at all. I wondered if we were getting this dysautonomia under control at last. I was planning for what I might do in the afternoon, once I had finished the message prep. But in a moment, it all changed. Continue reading →

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The God Who Sees

Posted on 2012/08/30 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 33:13 says: “He sees ALL the sons of men.”  

That is a pretty inclusive statement!  There is no one who flies “under His radar”.  God sees us all.  This is true for better and for worse: Continue reading →

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Our Limited Plans

Posted on 2012/08/29 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 33:7-8 speaks of how it is God who gathers the waters in a heap, before whom all the peoples should stand in awe. That same Psalm then immediately goes on to point out the limited nature of the plans which we make. Verse 10 says: “The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”

We have seen this in a concrete fashion this very day, as so many of us here in Southwest Louisiana had plans this Wednesday for our schools, churches, and businesses — and yet those very plans have been cancelled or postponed due to the threat of Hurricane Isaac. We had made our plans, but with a very little effort on His part, the God who controls the winds nullified them all!

Continue reading →

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Take Courage

Posted on 2012/08/29 by Shawn Thomas

In Mark 10, Blind Bartimaeus had been crying out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” But no one thought there was a chance that Jesus would respond to him; they all told him to be quiet. But in :49 Jesus told them to call Bartimaeus to Him. The crowd told the blind man, “Take courage” because Jesus did indeed respond to his cry for help. Continue reading →

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What God Tests

Posted on 2012/08/28 by Shawn Thomas

A race tests your speed.
Weight lifting tests your strength.
Achievement exams test your mind.
Elections test your popularity.

But none of these things is what God tests. Continue reading →

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Your Focus in the Storm

Posted on 2012/08/27 by Shawn Thomas

It seems like the eyes of everyone on the Gulf Coast are glued to the Weather Channel, with the rapid approach of a potential hurricane. It’s good to stay informed, but our constant focus should be where it is always best directed: to God in heaven. Psalm 33:7-8 says, “HE gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap … Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of HIM.”

Continue reading →

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This Week in “Paradise” August 27

Posted on 2012/08/27 by Shawn Thomas

Wonderful Windshield Wipers

A couple of weeks ago, Cheryl had gone to Advance Auto to get a couple of things for her car, including new wiper blades. The original blades on her car were not cleaning the windshield well, so she paid a bit extra to get what promised to be a very nice new set. As usual, one of the helpful folks at Advance put the wipers on for her for free.

But unfortunately, Cheryl was disappointed. In fact, she told me that these new ones didn’t seem to work much better than the old, worn ones. Why had she bothered to pay so much?

Then Friday, she drove us to Lake Charles to pick up a couple of things, and as it was raining, she had the windshield wipers going.   Suddenly, she exclaimed, as she saw pieces coming OFF of her new wiper blades! She couldn’t believe it! She had just bought those, and now they were already coming apart. But when we came to a stop, she began laughing – what was coming off of the blades was the plastic covering of the PACKAGING that was never taken off the blades when they were installed!

Cheryl was excited now. The new blades worked like a charm with the covers off! “It’s like getting new glasses!” she said.

I guess sometimes with “free installation”,  you get what you pay for! 🙂 Continue reading →

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