My MRI Experience

Posted on 2012/04/30 by Shawn Thomas

Last Thursday I had my first MRI.  “MRI” is short for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which is the use of nuclear magnetic resonance to produce images of internal body structures that don’t show up well on x-rays.  I have had headaches and lightheadedness, which seem to be immediately attributable to my blood pressure dropping as soon as I stand up, and decreasing even more the longer I stand.  But as a matter of course, since headaches and some light facial numbness were among my symptoms, the doctor scheduled me to have an MRI of the brain, hopefully just to rule out the presence of any tumors or other abnormalities that might be the cause of my problems.  So an MRI was scheduled.  Like many people, I had heard about MRI’s, but had never had occasion to have one.  I write about my experience in hopes that it might help someone else know what to expect, and perhaps to assist somewhat in the choice of MRI machine options. Continue reading →

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“The World” (John 3:16 series)

Posted on 2012/04/22 by Shawn Thomas

     “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world; red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in His sight.  Jesus loves the little children of the world.”  Many of us have known that song since childhood.  Our children still sing that song to this day.  Where did we get such an idea that “Jesus loves the little children of the world”?  We get it from the verse we are currently studying, John 3:16.

     We have seen with the opening words of this verse (“For God”) the centrality of God, and that salvation originated with God (“For God”).  Then we saw how this God “so loved” – emphasizing that God responded to us with love instead of judgment, and with an intensity of love that is beyond our understanding.  Today, as we come to the third pair of words in this great verse, we see that this love which God has is for “the world.”  “For God so loved THE WORLD …”.  Let’s look together at what that means: Continue reading →

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Charles Dickens on Criticism

Posted on 2012/04/18 by Shawn Thomas

“ … one of the reviewers [of Dickens’ books] suggested that ‘it does not appear certain to us that his books will live …’.  But what did Dickens make of such criticism?  A few weeks later he was walking with Hans Christian Andersen, who had been hurt by the reviews of his latest book (in fact he had been found lying face down, in tears, on the lawn of Gad’s Hill place).  ‘Never allow yourself to be upset by the papers,” he told Andersen, ‘they are forgotten in a week, and your book stands and lives.’  They were walking in the road, and Dickens wrote with his foot in the dirt.  ‘That is criticism,” he said.  Then he wiped the marks with his foot.  ‘Thus it is gone.’”

(From Peter Ackroyd’s Dickens, pp. 779-780)

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Sermon Illustrations from Peter Ackroyd’s “Dickens”

Posted on 2012/04/17 by Shawn Thomas

Preachers find illustrations for sermons from every sphere of life, including their own personal experiences and, of course, the hilarious things their children say.  Many pastors also glean sermon illustrations in the course of their reading as well.  I am currently reading Peter Ackroyd’s lengthy (1083 pages!) biography of Charles Dickens, entitled simply, Dickens.  Ackroyd asserts that he has read every extant piece of personal correspondence available from the pen of Charles Dickens, published and unpublished, and that is obvious from both the length and detail of information presented in book.  It is not dry or pedantic, however, but very insightful and even entertaining reading regarding the life of the beloved author some call the father of Christmas as we know it. 

As is my custom, while reading I have been highlighting and underlining various stories and comments which might be used to illustrate a point in a sermon or devotion.  I know that finding the perfect illustration for the message one is working on for Sunday can be one of the preachers most daunting tasks, so if you find something from my gleaning in Dickens which helps you in that task, I will be most pleased!

I will begin with a few illustrations and hope to add to them over time.  I am currently (4-17-12) still reading Dickens and am “only” on page 753! 😉

The first illustration might be of use to someone for an upcoming Fathers Day sermon: Continue reading →

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“… So Loved …” (John 3:16 series)

Posted on 2012/04/15 by Shawn Thomas

     This week I read an interesting article on what the author considered to be the greatest love stories in history and literature.  There were many familiar stories listed: Romeo and Juliet of course; Lancelot and Guinevere, Darcy & Elizabeth, Heloise & Abelard, etc.  But the greatest love story of all time is not found in books by Jane Austen or Shakespeare.  It is found in the book I hope you are holding in your hand: the Bible, which tells the story of the love that God has for us.   

     As we continue our study of John 3:16, we will look at the second couple of words in this great verse: “For God SO LOVED the world …”.  Previously we saw that the opening words, “For God”, refer to a specific God: the God of the Bible; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  They indicate that it is all about Him, and that salvation originates from Him.  But now, what does the verse say that this God did?  It tells of the world’s greatest love story, and says “For God SO LOVED …”. Continue reading →

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“For God …” (John 3:16 series)

Posted on 2012/04/08 by Shawn Thomas

     In London, England there is a 70-foot high red granite obelisk called “Cleopatra’s Needle” that stands beside the Thames River.  In the 1870’s it was given to Britain by Egypt.  When it was moved to England, they put a “time vault” at the base of it, with all kinds of representative clothes, toys, etc. in it for future generations to uncover.  They also appointed a committee to place into the vault what they considered to be the single greatest verse of scripture.  The committee chose John 3:16, and put into the vault that verse, translated into the 215 known languages of that day. 

     On this week when people all over the world are celebrating the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, there is perhaps no greater passage of scripture for us to turn to than John 3:16.  We introduced this verse with a message last Sunday, and now today we are going to begin to go word by word, and phrase by phrase through this great verse for the next several Sunday mornings.  It proclaims the message of Jesus, as we saw last week, in a succinct and yet marvelous way.  And it begins with these important words: “For God …”.  Continue reading →

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Rigor Mortis: “The Stiffness of Death”

Posted on 2012/04/02 by Shawn Thomas

     I petted our dog Percy’s head for a few minutes, gave him what would become my final blessing to him – and left for a few moments to go to the store.  While there I received a tearful call from Cheryl: Percy had just passed away.  Minutes later I was back home, and we were preparing for his burial in the woods behind our house.  I don’t want to offend the sensibilities of my readers, but quite frankly I was surprised at how stiff Percy’s body had become already – just a few short minutes after his death.  That stiffness – “rigor mortis” is the term for it; it is Latin for “the stiffness of death” — is a sure sign of one’s demise.

      Later that evening, I thought some more about that “stiffness of death.”  Elasticity, flexibility, growth – these are signs of life.  When something is alive, it bends, grows, changes.  When there is total stiffness, inflexibility, there is no life; it is a sign of death.

     This is true mentally and spiritually as well as physically.  When a person is SO rigid and inflexible that they have ceased in their ability to grow, there are in a very real sense dead – or at least dying – in that area of their life. 

     This is good reminder – especially for those of us who are creatures of habit – that we must make continual efforts to grow: Continue reading →

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“Introduction to John 3:16”

Posted on 2012/04/01 by Shawn Thomas

     Last January, Focus on the Family produced a commercial, featuring a group of children quoting “John 3:16″.  The commercial ends with a little girl saying, “Wow!”  I literally laughed out loud for joy when I watched that for the first time – John 3:16 really IS a “wow!”  It is surely the greatest message in all the world! 

     For many of us, John 3:16 is not only the greatest message in all the world, it is also a most familiar message.  Many of us can quote it from memory.  And yet as sometimes happens when something is familiar to us, it is easy to take its truths for granted. 

     That is why in this season in which we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, I wanted to begin a series today on John 3:16.  Beginning next Sunday, we will look word-by-word and phrase by phrase through this verse.  Many of us “know” this verse – but have you really thought about what it means?  Today I want us to look at it just by way of introduction: WHY would we do a several week study on just ONE verse?  Why is this so important?  For several reasons: Continue reading →

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“Our Incarnate God” (Philippians 2:5-11)

Posted on 2012/03/25 by Shawn Thomas

     Just after the Civil War, Mark Twain embarked on a voyage to the Holy Land, which he chronicled in his book, The Innocents Abroad.  The work was largely humorous and ascerbic – typical Twain – but he did occasionally wax philosophical, and in the Holy Land itself particularly:

“It seems curious enough to us to be standing on ground that was once actually pressed by the feet of the Savior … I cannot comprehend yet that I am sitting where a god has stood, and looking upon the brook and the mountains which that god looked upon, and am surrounded by dusky men and women whose ancestors saw Him, and even talked with Him, face to face, and carelessly, just as they would have done with any other stranger.  I cannot comprehend this; the gods of my understanding have been always hidden in clouds and very far away.”  (Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad)

     Twain’s feeling about God is how many picture Him yet: “hidden in clouds and very far away.”  And indeed, in some sense, He is.  Jeremiah 23:23 asks: “Am I a God who is near … and not a God far off?”  He is, as we have seen, everywhere.  And yet Isaiah says, “Your iniquities have caused a separation between you and your God.”  (Isaiah 59:1)  God who made us to know Him has, in a sense, been “far away” from us.  But as we saw last week, He is gracious to us, and loves us, and wants to have a close relationship with us.  That is why He came, as God the Son, to this world to save us.   

     This morning, as we conclude the series, “Our Great God”, we want to see one more fact about God.  We have seen that He is Triune (three in one), holy, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, just, and gracious.  The fact is, we could go on and on forever and never encompass all His attributes.  Do not be surprised if there are things you do not understand about God.  Someone has well said, If you could fully comprehend God, then you would be greater than He is!  You are NOT greater than He is, and you will NOT be able to fully understand the infinite God with your very finite mind.  Do not be surprised at this.  We will spend all eternity and not exhaust His glories.  But we will end this series for now by looking at one more quality of God: He is also “Our Incarnate God.”  Philippians 2:5-11 tells the story: Continue reading →

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“Ministering to the Multitude” (Mark 6:34-44)

Posted on 2012/03/18 by Shawn Thomas

     Last Sunday night we looked at how when Jesus and His disciples were trying to get away from everyone, the crowd in ran ahead of Him to meet Him.  Then :34 says that when He saw the large crowd, “He felt compassion for them” – and we asked the question: “Do you love the multitude?” like Jesus did. 

     I think it would be appropriate for us to follow up that message this evening by going on to the next verses in Mark 6, and see what Jesus and His disciples did after that, because we find there are some things that are instructive to us as we would seek to “love the multitude” and minister to people in Jesus’ name. 

 I.  The Lesson of Personal Responsibility Continue reading →

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