I'm a retired Southern Baptist pastor of almost 40 years. My wife Cheryl & I moved to Norman, OK in March of 2025. I share a weekly overview for Sunday School teachers of the weekly Lifeway "Explore the Bible" lesson, as well as texts of my sermons and other articles.
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Top Posts & Pages
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 2:1-12, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson, "Worship the King," for 12/21/25
- “Immanuel: God With Us” (Matthew 1:23 sermon)
- "The Example of Joseph" (Matthew 1:18-25 sermon)
- "He Will Save His People From Their Sins" (Matthew 1:21 Sermon)
- "The Greatest Verse in the Bible?" (John 3:16 sermon)
- “Building Your Life On The Rock” (Matthew 7:24-27 sermon)
- "A 'Real Life' Christmas" (Luke 2:1-11 sermon)
- "Your Response to Christmas" (Matthew 2:1-12 Sermon)
- Teacher's Overview of Matthew 4:12-25, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson "Invitation," for 12/14/25
- "God's Purpose For Your Life" (I Peter 2:4-5 sermon)
Categories
- "The Disciple's Character" series (Beatitudes Mt. 5:3-12)
- "The Disciplines of Disciples" series
- "This Is My Story" sermon series
- Beatitudes Series 2020 FBCA
- Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like
- COVID-19 crisis assorted messages
- Current Events
- Devotions/Bible Studies
- Discipleship
- Discovering FBCA Membership class lessons
- Doctrine/Theology
- Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
- Explore the Bible Sunday School lessons
- Habakkuk "Find Us Faithful" series messages
- History
- Home & Family Life
- I Peter sermons
- India Mission Trip 2011
- Isaiah 53 sermon series Suffering Servant Glorious King
- John 3:16 sermon series
- Luke 10:38-42 Mary & Martha series
- Luke 2 Christmas series
- Matthew sermons
- Ministry
- missions
- Music
- Philippians sermons
- POTS (dysautonomia) articles
- Psalms studies and messages
- Revelation sermon series
- Reviews
- Sermon Illustrations
- Sermons
- The Model Prayer Series
- The Model Prayer series (FBCA 2020)
- This Week In Paradise (pastors family blog)
- Travel
- Uncategorized
- worship
Tag Archives: stress
“For You Are With Me” (Psalm 23:4)
(Testimony shared 10/27/24; the Sunday Cheryl & I first returned to church after her stroke) August 31, 2024 is a day that Cheryl & I will never forget. It’s the day when after a week of Cheryl having unusual physical … Continue reading
Posted in Discipleship, Home & Family Life, Sermons
Tagged Bible, care, Cheryl Thomas, Christianity, church, circumstances, dysautonomia, Encompass Pearland, faith, First Baptist Church Angleton, forgiveness, God, God's purpose, God's will, God's word, James 4, Jesus, life, ministry, pastor, prayer, Romans 8:28, Romans 8:29, salvation, scripture memory, Servando Gonzales, servant of God, Shawn Thomas, sin, stress, stroke
3 Comments
Teacher’s Overview: Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson, John 13:31-14:6, “I Will Come Again”
A brief overview for Sunday school teachers and Bible Study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of John 13:31-14:6, with the title, “I Will Come Again,” scheduled for Sunday, March 19, 2023. A video version of this overview is … Continue reading
Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews
Tagged Acts 4:12, C.S. Lewis heaven, disappointment, discouragement, Explore the Bible John 14 teacher help, Falls Creek story, glory, Hadrian Aristides quote, heaven, heavenly minded earthly good, I John 5:12, Jesus only way, John 13 Sunday school lesson, John 14 SS lesson, John 14:6, Joplin tornado testimony, Lifeway Explore the Bible lesson John 13 and 14, love, Oliver Wendell Holmes heavenly minded, Psalm 16:11, Richard Feynman love, salvation, sin, stress, Sunday school lesson help, Sunday school teacher helps, they love one another quote
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This Is Not Mine
“He said to them, ‘My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” (Matthew … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged anxiety, control, controversy, faith, Matthew 20:23, responsibility, stress, trust
1 Comment
Dealing With A Hostile Environment
Today we call it “living with stress.” In Nehemiah 6:17-19 the godly governor Nehemiah lived in a very difficult environment: the very nobles of Judah who were at court with Nehemiah were in constant communication with his enemy Tobiah; they … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies
Tagged dealing with stress, ministry, Nehemiah 6, stress, workplace
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A Stress Reliever
Psalm 127:2 almost seems fatalistic: “It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.” Some may wrongly think that this … Continue reading
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