Tag Archives: schedule

“Putting God First” Matthew 6:33 (2024 New Year Message)

Posted on 2024/01/08 by Shawn Thomas

President Lyndon Johnson’s wife Lady Bird once gave a speech to wives of congressmen. She told them she had once asked Lyndon what he felt were the three most significant priorities in his career, and he named what he felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Sermons | Tagged calendar, chief end of man, commitment, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, decision-making, decisions, discipleship, Exodus 20:2, first, first commandment, garden of Eden, Gibeonites, giving, glorify God and enjoy Him, Hebrews 10:25, Jesus Lord, Jesus operating system, Jonathan Edwards heaven, Joshua 9, Katherine Graham's Washington, Lady Bird Johnson, Lord's Day, Lordship, Lyndon Johnson, Mark 1:35, Matthew 6:33, morning priority, New Year, no Bible no newspaper, prayer time, priorities, Proverbs 3:9, Psalm 5:3, putting God first, rich young ruler, Sabbath, salvatiion, schedule, sin, spiritual warning light, Sunday worship, Ten Commandments, tenth, tithe, Westminster Confession, worship | Leave a comment

“The Maladies of Martha” (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)

Posted on 2020/08/17 by Shawn Thomas

A few weeks ago I read Joseph J. Ellis’ book on President Thomas Jefferson, entitled American Sphinx. In it, he discussed, among other things, the men who influenced Jefferson and made him the kind of president that he was. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged accusing God, busy-ness, Christian growth, consecration, COVID-19, daily Bible reading, daily devotions, daily prayer time, daily quiet time, devotions, discipleship, does God care?, egocentrism, Ephesians 2, example, Exodus 2:24-25, God, God mercy, God who sees, God's will, Hagar in the wilderness, It's not about you, Job 38-39, John 21 you follow Me, John Adams, Joseph J. Ellis American Sphinx, log out of your own eye, love, love of God, Luke 10:38-42 sermon, Maladies of Martha, Mark 4:38, Mark 5 Gerasene demoniac, marriage, Martha, mercy of God, morning prayer time, negative example, others' shortcomings, others' sins, our will, prayer, priorities, relationships, Rick Warren Purpose Driven Life it's not about you, salvation, sanctification, schedule, self-centeredness, selfish, selfishness, sin, spiritual growth, telling God what to do, Thomas Jefferson, Thy will be done, time, time with God, what's in it for me? | Leave a comment

“Martha & Jesus: A Christian Allegory” (Luke 10:38-42 sermon)

Posted on 2020/08/03 by Shawn Thomas

One of the most famous allegories in history is John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. An “allegory” is where some character or symbol represents something else. In Pilgrim’s Progress (which is perhaps a rather “thin” allegory) the main character of Bunyan’s novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged allegory, analogy, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Jackson baby christening, asking Jesus in your heart, attitudes, Augustine conversion, Augustine spiritual growth, baptism, busy-ness, Christian allegory, consecration, conviction of Holy Spirit, daily devotions, daily quiet time, devotions, discipleship, Holy Spirit, home remodeling, infant baptism, Jesus in your life, Lazarus John 11, Luke 10:38-42, Martha and Jesus, Mary and Martha, personal salvation, Peter Brown Augustine, Pilgrim's Progress, priorities, process of sanctification, relationships, Saint Augustine, salvation, sanctification, schedule, sinners prayer, worship | 2 Comments

“The Refiner’s Fire” (Malachi 3:1-4 sermon)

Posted on 2020/04/20 by Shawn Thomas

Ruth Bell Graham was the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham. Billy had of course garnered so much world-wide attention, having been seen on tv, and having written so many books, and so on — but after some years, … Continue reading →

Posted in COVID-19 crisis assorted messages, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Babylonian Captivity, Billy Graham, Bishop Moule no situation so chaotic, Brass Bell Milwaukee, busy-ness, C.S. Lewis, circumstances, coronavirus crisis, COVID-19, daily Bible reading, devotional time, devotions, Ephesians 1:11, finances, financial crisis, fuller's soap, Genesis Joseph, God, God's purpose, growing through trials, Hebrews 13:5, holiness, holy, II Corinthians 12 Apostle Paul, It's My Turn Graham, Italy doctor COVID-19 atheist, Malachi 3:1-4 sermon, money, normal, offerings in righteousness, pandemic, Peter Acts 2 sermon, predestined plan and purpose of God, purification, purpose, refiner's fire, relationships, rest, Romans 8:28, Ruth Bell Graham, sacrifice of praise, sanctification, schedule, sickness, Thanksgiving, thorn in the flesh, time, trials, worship | 1 Comment

“Our Greatest Priority” (Matthew 22:34-38 sermon)

Posted on 2019/02/25 by Shawn Thomas

I have to admit: I was kind of disappointed last Sunday after we came home from church and eating out, that there wasn’t a football game on tv that I could fall asleep to. Can’t wait till next September — … Continue reading →

Posted in Ministry, Sermon Illustrations, Sermons, Uncategorized, worship | Tagged Acts 2, busyness, calendar, church, church calendar, church priorities, corporate worship, daily quiet time, devotional time, distractions, ecclesiology, evangelism, fill up the calendar, first business of the church, fundamentals, Great Commandment, greatest commandment, Isaiah 59:2, John 17:17, knowing God, left your first love, letters to the churches, life purpose, loving God, Luke 10:38-42, Mark 1:35, Matthew 22:34-38, missions, morning prayer, morning worship, personal worship, prayer, priorities, purpose, revelation, Revelation 2 & 3, Romans 3:23, running, salvation, salvation purpose, schedule, sin, Sunday, tithe, tithing, Vince Lombardi gentlemen this is a football, worship, worshiping God | 2 Comments

“Seeking Him First” (Matthew 6:33 sermon)

Posted on 2017/09/18 by Shawn Thomas

This week I finished reading a book I had always heard about, but had never read: Herman Melville’s The White Whale or Moby Dick. In it he tells the story of Captain Ahab, who was obsessed with killing the great … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Home & Family Life, Matthew sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Acts 16, anxiety, calendar, capitalism, church services, conversion, decision making, desperation, devotion time, dsicipleship, Eric Metaxas podcast, families, family first, finances, first fruits, follow Me, God first, home life, I Kings 3 Solomon, Islam, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kids baseball, kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven, Larry Burkett, Matthew 10:37, Matthew 5:48, Matthew 6:33 sermon, Moby Dick Herman Melville, money, Philippian jailer, Philippians 2:21, priorities, quiet time, religion in America, repentance, salvation, schedule, seeking, tithe, worry, worship attendance | 6 Comments

“Weary, Yet Pursuing: Obeying God When You Are Tired” (John 4:6-7 sermon)

Posted on 2017/03/30 by Shawn Thomas

During the Civil War, the 20th Massachusetts regiment found themselves in combat day after day after day for almost 2 solid months. And it wore them down physically, emotionally, in every way. At the end of June 1864, Captain H.L. … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Sermons, Uncategorized | Tagged Civil War, discipleship, evangelism, exhaustion, Jesus, John 4:6-7, Judges 8:4, obedience, prayer, priorities, schedule, time management, tired, weary, weary yet pursuing | Leave a comment