The Back-to-School Speech

Posted on 2011/08/11 by Shawn Thomas

 It was August 2004, and like children all over the country right now, our kids were getting ready to go back to school.  Our oldest, Paul, was going to be taking his first classes at McNeese State University in Lake Charles.  Our second son, David, would be a junior at Sam Houston High here in Moss Bluff, and our daughter, Libby, was starting her freshman year there.  Michael, the baby, and 9 years younger than Libby, was beginning kindergarten at our church’s First Baptist  Academy.  Before we just sent them blindly into this important year of their education, Cheryl & I decided that we should gather the kids together, and that I should give them each a talk, to prepare them for the special challenges that each would face.  The appointed time came, and our whole family gathered in the living room.  I can remember parts of it as if it were yesterday. Continue reading →

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Some Running Advice Is Best Taken With a Grain of Salt

Posted on 2011/08/08 by Shawn Thomas

In one of my very favorite movies, “Chariots of Fire”, the great British runner Harold Abrahams is asked if he enjoys running.  He responds, “I am more of an addict.”  I fall probably somewhere in between those two categories.  Sometimes I might say that I “enjoy” running: when I am in shape, and the weather is good, and I finish a run with a burst — “like a strong man running his course”, as Psalm 19 says.  But many, many times running is nothing but an exercise of the body and of the will – especially in the smothering heat we have had in Louisiana lately. 

I have run off and on for most of my adult life, and over that time I have had many “learning” experiences.  One reads or hears of different “helps” for runners, but obviously some pieces of advice are better than others.  Some have led to downright embarrassing moments for me.  Since I am in a self-deprecating mood, I will share a couple of them. Continue reading →

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Ungodly Appetites

Posted on 2011/08/08 by Shawn Thomas

Habakkuk 2:5         “Ungodly Appetites”         8-07-11 a.m.

      In Leonia, New Jersey, back in 1995, a man was arrested for stealing a truck full of Snapple.  It turns out he had previously worked for Snapple, and had been fired from his job for stealing and drinking the beverages.  Undaunted, he dressed up as a Snapple delivery driver and made off with a whole truckload of it.  The police officer who reported on the crime made the statement: “He just has an uncontrollable appetite for Snapple beverages.” 

     Well, we may shake our heads and laugh at that, but the truth is, there are many such uncontrolled appetites running rampant in America today, leading to the demise of many individuals and families – and they are about to put our whole nation under! Continue reading →

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“Seeking God In Days of Judgment”

Posted on 2011/08/07 by Shawn Thomas

Zephaniah 2:1-3   “Seeking God in Days of Judgment”    Aug. 7th, 2011 p.m.

    A couple of days before we went to Houston for The Response last Saturday, I was reading in the Book of Zephaniah in my quiet time, and my reading began that day at Chapter 2.  I marveled at how what I read there was so applicable to our times: Zephaniah 1 concludes with a prophecy of impending judgment.  It was to be a judgment on the nation of Judah, but  I also believe that this scripture is a foreshadowing of the larger judgment to come at the end of the age, for the chapter ends by saying: “For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.”  Many of us believe that last day of God’s wrath may be soon approaching.  If not, then at minimum there is coming for our nation a time of that same type of wrath which Judah endured 2600 years ago — and for the very same type of sins. 

     It is in that context, then, that we find the opening words of Chapter 2.  It calls the people of God together before His anger comes.  These words just jumped off the page when I read them; they could have been written as much for us today as they were for the people of God in Zechariah’s time.  I believe that indeed they were! Continue reading →

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I’m Going.

Posted on 2011/08/03 by Shawn Thomas

The list of those lining up in opposition to The Response, the day of prayer and fasting for our nation that Texas Governor Rick Perry called for in Houston’s Reliant Stadium this Saturday, is growing:

–The LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender) Texans Against Hate is organizing a statewide protest against The Response, calling The Response “anti-gay.”    

— The “Freedom From Religion Foundation”, a coalition of atheists and agnostics, filed suit earlier this month, to prevent The Response from taking place, because they claim it is a violation of the separation of church and state.  “The answers forAmerica’s problems won’t be found on our knees or in heaven, but by using our brains, our reason and in compassionate action,” said Dan Barker, a co-director of the foundation.

–The Houston Clergy Council published a letter June 13th opposing The Response.  The letter said they oppose the rally because it is only for those who will pray in Jesus’ name, and does not include Hindus, Muslims, etc. — and because the American Family Association, which is co-sponsoring the event, is intolerant of gays & lesbians, and has spoken stridently against Muslims.  The Council’s letter was signed by pastors of several Unitarian Universalist churches, among others, and by pastors bearing the first names Becky, Lori, Beth & Ginny, among others. 

Ya know … sometimes you can figure out where you should stand on an issue, just by looking at who is standing on each side.  Looking at the list of those who are opposing The Response only confirms my previous opinion.

Yep; I’m going!

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The Righteous Will Live By His Faith

Posted on 2011/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

Habakkuk 2:1-4   “The Righteous Will Live By His Faith”     7-31-11 a.m.

     In the early 1500’s, young Martin Luther had felt the burden and weight of his sin before a God whom he knew was holy; he knew that he was not right with God.  He went to some of his church leaders for counsel, and they prescribed to him the works of the church as a cure, and so he went about doing those works with a fervor few could rival: Continue reading →

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Notes on Repentance and Forgiveness from Psalm 51

Posted on 2011/08/01 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 51   “Notes on Repentance & Forgiveness”         Sun PM 7-31-11      

Over the past months, we have spoken often of the crisis that our nation is facing, and the need for us to turn to the Lord in a fresh way.  This must especially be true of those of us who are Christians.  I Peter 4 says that judgment will begin with the household of God; we as God’s people are first and foremost responsible to cleanse our lives from sin and return to Him, if there is to be any hope of God’s working in our nation.

In line with that, there may be no portion of scripture better to address our need for cleansing than Psalm 51.  Psalm 51 says in the subtitle (which is part of the inspired text, by the way) that it was written after the prophet Nathan had confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba.  It expresses David’s confession of sin, and how he called on God to forgive him, and cleanse him and ready him for God’s work again.  We can all, as God’s people, learn some important lessons from this Psalm about the forgiveness and cleansing we need, so that God might work in our church, our town, and our nation.  We could literally spend weeks on a series in Psalm 51 – and we may do that some time – but tonight I want us to just look at some highlights from this Psalm which can help us get ready for what God wants to do in our lives, and in His church.  Continue reading →

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The Response

Posted on 2011/07/30 by Shawn Thomas

Next Saturday, August 6th, there is going to be something bigger than an NFL game in Hosuton’s Reliant Stadium.  Texas Governor Rick Perry has called for a day of prayer and fasting in response to the crises that our nation is facing.  This gathering of believers has been entitled “The Response.”

Skepticism abounds.  Some on the left have criticized it as a violation of the separation of church and state, and filed suit to shut it down.  Others on the right are leery of associating with Christians of different backgrounds and beliefs, or question Perry’s motives, since he has been mentioned as a Presidential candidate. Continue reading →

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Samuel Rutherford’s Five Lessons From the Furnace

Posted on 2011/07/27 by Shawn Thomas

In 1636 Samuel Rutherford, pastor of the Scottish church of Anwoth, was removed from his pulpit during a time of religious persecution.  Sent into exile into Aberdeen, Rutherford, at first despondent, found grace that gave him a seldom-equaled walk with the Lord.  During his exile, Rutherford ministered to many of his church members through his correspondence, much of which has been preserved in The Letters of Samuel Rutherford.  In one of his letters, written to a Mr. Carletoun, Rutherford shares five distinct lessons he had learned during his time in exile in Aberdeen.  As the Lord in His purposes leads each of us into similar times of difficulty, we may learn from one who has gone before us.  Following is Rutherford’s introduction, and then excerpts from each of the five lessons contained in his letter: Continue reading →

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“The Root of All Evil”

Posted on 2011/07/24 by Shawn Thomas

Habakkuk 2:4a                “The Root of All Evil”                  July 24, 2011

      There is a verse of scripture that is often misquoted; virtually everyone here has heard it: “Money is the root of all evil.”  But I Timothy 6:10 actually does NOT say “money is the root of all evil.”  What it says is, “the LOVE of money is a root of all KINDS of evil” (NASB).  There is a big difference.  Money itself is not the root of all evil.  Loving money can lead to all kinds of ill effects. But money is not the root of all evil.

     There is another sin, however, that I would suggest to you IS the root of all evil.  I believe a strong scriptural argument can be made that the root of all evil is the sin of pride. Continue reading →

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