A Southern Baptist pastor for almost 35 years, I currently serve as Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Angleton, Texas, and post my weekly sermons on this site, as well as a brief overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson.
Tag Archives: God’s purpose
“An Effective Witness” (I Peter 3:15 sermon)
A couple of weeks ago, a group from our church went to Houston see the play “The Hiding Place,” about how Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy were taken by the Nazis into a concentration camp during World War … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, I Peter sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged "The Weight of Glory", 30-second elevator speech, always being ready, assurance, attitude, attitude and witnessing, Betsy Ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, Corrie Ten Boom, CPR, Effective Witness, Ephesians 2 without hope, evangelism, every person you meet, Gail White testimony, gentleness, God's provision, God's purpose, gospel, gospel outline, gospel presentation, hope, I Peter 3:15, I Peter 3:15 sermon, lifestyle, lifestyle evangelism, lifestyle witness, Man's Need, Man's Response, not out to win arguments out to win people, prepared to witness, ready, reverence, Roman Road of salvation, salvation, testimony, The Hiding Place, the hope within you, witness, witness stand for Jesus, witnessing
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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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Trusting The Creator of Gender
“And He answered and said, ‘Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female …’”. (Matthew 19:4) These words of Jesus are often overlooked. But we neglect them today to our detriment, … Continue reading
Finishing His Work In You
Scripture records two responses of Job to God’s appearance to him in the whirlwind. After God first spoke, Job answers in 40:3-5. But God was not finished. He continued to ask Job questions and reveal His glory through His creation, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged God's purpose, Job 40:3-5, Job 42:6, maturity, Philippians 1:6, repentance, trials
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Psalm 3:3 “My Shield” (preached Aug. 11, 2013 at Trinity, Norman)
I wrote the much of the following message during the summer of 2012, when I was on medical leave as pastor of FBC Moss Bluff, LA with dyautonomia (POTS). I would later resign the church in February of 2013, selling … Continue reading
Posted in Home & Family Life, Ministry, Sermons
Tagged God's purpose, illness, Psalm 3:3 sermon, Romans 8:28-29, trials
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Farewell to Our Church Family
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 … Continue reading
Posted in Home & Family Life, Ministry
Tagged day by day, Exodus, farewell, First Baptist Church Moss Bluff, God's purpose, moving, pastor resignation, peace, POTS, providence, Shawn Thomas
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“Thou O Lord”, Psalm 3:3 Part I: “My Shield”
I first knew something was wrong with me physically in February 2012, when I had to go home sick from prayer meeting. I ended up having to take a medical leave from my duties as pastor, and tried to make … Continue reading
Posted in POTS (dysautonomia) articles, Sermons
Tagged Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Genesis 25:22, God's protection, God's purpose, God's purposes in trials, Henry V, intercession, Job, John Ryland, Lamentations 3:7, Life Together, My Shield, plagues and deaths around me fly, POTS, Psalm 119:67, Psalm 3:3, Romans 8:28, sermon, Shakespeare, the bulletproof George Washington, trials, We're in God's hands brother, Why am I this way?
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Why Then Am I This Way?
My Bible reading this morning from Genesis 25 was very applicable to my own personal situation, and I wonder if it might be to yours as well. The chapter says that after Isaac prayed for Rebekah, who had been … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged Genesis 25:22, God's purpose, meaning of trials, Rebekah, seeking God
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shawnethomas 