I served as pastor of Southern Baptist churches in Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana for almost 30 years before taking a medical leave from the pastorate in February 2013 due to dysautonomia (POTS) and moving to Norman, Oklahoma. Blessed with renewed health, I was called as Senior Pastor of Pleasant Ridge Baptist in Morganton, NC in February 2015.
In this blog I share daily devotions from my own personal Bible readings, as well as sermons, book reviews, illustrations -- and occasional humorous "peeks" at life inside this pastor's home!
Tag Archives: faith
“The Faith That Saves” (I Peter 1:8-9 sermon)
II Timothy 1:5 has one of the great Mothers Day verses. It says: “For I am mindful of the sincere FAITH within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Acts 4:12, affections, doubt, Ephesians 1:13, faith, Hebrews 1:11, I Corinthians 15, I John 5:12, I Peter, I Peter 1:8-9, II Timothy 1:5, Jack Tillery, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John 14:6, John 20, John Piper affections, John Piper Think, love, love God, love Jesus, Mothers Day, not seen, object of faith, prosperity gospel, resurrection of Jesus, salvation, saves, saving faith, sight, soul, Thomas, transplant, unseen, unseen love, Your Best Life Now
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“Tried By Fire” (I Peter 1:6-7 sermon)
Theodore Roosevelt was a man of very unique character: he gloried in facing obstacles and overcoming them. He would take his guests out on a 20-mile hike – and much to their dismay, the tougher the course, the better he … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Christianity in America, confess Jesus, confession, dark year, difficulties, distress, facing death, faith, faith proof, Garden of Gethsemane, Hawaii, I Peter 1:6-7 sermon, I Peter sermon, illness, John Calvin, John Calvin blocks of wood, joy, joy in trials, maturity, perseverance, professions of faith, real faith, refined by fire, rejoice, reward for trials, rewards, run tee shirts, salvation, saved, saving faith, temptations, Theodore Roosevelt, trials, tried by fire, various trials
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“A Living Hope” (I Peter 1:3 sermon)
(Preached at First Baptist Church, Angleton, TX Easter 2019) One of my privileges as a pastor over the last 35 years of ministry, has been to be able to hear the last words and testimonies of my church members who … Continue reading
Posted in I Peter sermons, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged Abraham Lincoln pardon, birth, But God, choice, church, David Koresh, David Koresh burial, Easter sermon, Edward Jenner, Ephesians 2:1, eternal life, faith, Gamaliel, God's mercy, hope, I Peter, I Peter 1:3, I Peter sermon, immunization, James Phipps, Jesus, Jesus Christ resurrection, John 3, just God, living hope, merciful God, mercy, new birth, pastor, Resurrection Day sermon, resurrection life, Romans 3:26, smallpox, smallpox vaccine, vaccine, you must be born again
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“The Goodness of God in the Midst of Affliction” (Psalm 119:65-72 sermon)
In February 2012, I stood to lead prayer meeting at the church in Louisiana I had pastored for 12 years, but the longer I stood the sicker I became. I had to leave during the prayer time and have my … Continue reading
Posted in Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "Fall Apart" song, affliction, attributes of God, becoming like Christ, Christlikeness, cleansing, cocoon of a butterfly, confession, conformed to His image, dysautonomia, Ephesians 6, faith, faith testing, glory, God attributes, God goodnesss, God is good, God is good all the time, god is good and does good, God's purpose, good, grace, identification, II Corinthians 12:9, it is good for me that I was afflicted, John 17:3, knowing God, lessons, life, life purpose, Matthew 13 parable of the sower, maturity, minister, ministry, My grace is sufficient, pastor, pastor Shawn Thomas, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, POTS, prayers, priorities, Psalm 119 acrostic, Psalm 119:65-72, Psalm 119:67, purification, purpose for suffering, purpose for trials, purposes for affliction, Romans 8:28-29, Ronnie Rogers Trinity Baptist Norman, salvation, Shawn E. Thomas, sin, spiritual maturity, spiritual warfare, suffering, sword of the Spirit, test, teth, theodicy, theology, theology 101, thorn in the flesh, tob good, trials, word of God, You are good, You do good
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“On The Banks Of The Promised Land” (Joshua 1:1-9 sermon)
I am so excited to share God’s word with our new church family this morning. As I thought and prayed about what to preach, SO many things came to mind. I found myself wishing I could share dozens of different … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged anchor, application, Bible, boldness, church, church transition, conditional promise, evangelism, faith, family transition, foundation, foundations, God's promise, God's word, Great Commission, James doer of the word, Joshua 1 sermon, Joshua 1:1-9, Joshua 1:9, materialism, missions, pastor transition, possessions, priorities, running, salvation, scripture, transition, transitions, trust
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