Tag Archives: trials

Teacher’s Overview of Acts 27:31-44 “Trust” Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson for 11/24/24

Posted on 2024/11/16 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Acts 27:31-44, for Sunday, November 24, 2024, with the title, “Trust.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Acts, Acts 27:31-44, Apostle Paul, Bible study, Book of Acts, C.S. Lewis, caring for others, Cheryl Thomas stroke, crisis, eternal soul, Euraquilo, evangelism, example, Explore the Bible, food, lead by example, Lifeway, Luke, Mediterranean Sea, mere mortal, ministry, missions, nap, people, practical, rest, Richard Foster, Rome, soul, spiritual thing take a nap, storm, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday school teacher help, trials, trust, U.S. Grant, U.S. Grant memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant, Weight of Glory | 7 Comments

“Stories From The Stroke: The Lighter Side”

Posted on 2024/10/17 by Shawn Thomas

On Saturday, August 31, my wife Cheryl suffered a massive stroke that crippled her left side, leaving her at least temporarily unable to use her left arm or leg. This was totally unexpected, and was devastating to us. As with … Continue reading →

Posted in Home & Family Life | Tagged Bible, bruise, Cheryl Thomas, church, doctor, Encompass Pearland, faith and family, First Baptist Angleton, for better or worse, God, humor, marriage, pastor's wife, rehab, romance, Servando Gonzalez, Shawn Thomas, short-stories, stroke, stroke recovery, therapist, trials | 8 Comments

“When Tragedy Strikes”

Posted on 2024/10/06 by Shawn Thomas

About five weeks ago, tragedy struck in our home. My wife of 42 years, Cheryl, suffered a massive stroke that left her paralyzed on her left side. Leaving the ER in Angleton, she was sent to Jenny Sealy Hospital in … Continue reading →

Posted in Discipleship, Home & Family Life | Tagged Baptist, Bible, Cheryl Thomas, Christian life, Christianity, church, church membership, discipleship, First Baptist Church Angleton, First Baptist Church Harrah, God, God's word lamp, gospel, hope, Isaiah 58:11, Jesus, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 118, Psalm 23, Psalms, salvation, scripture memory, Shawn Thomas, stroke, stroke victim, tragedy, trials | 6 Comments

“What Real Faith Looks Like: The Blame Game” (James 1:13-16 sermon)

Posted on 2024/06/03 by Shawn Thomas

On our trip to see our grand daughters baptized, Cheryl & I stopped to see a couple of Presidential libraries, including Jimmy Carter’s in Atlanta. I had to chuckle when we stopped there, because we have an ongoing joke in … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged A.T. Robertson, ABCs of salvation, accountability, Adam & Eve, alpha privative, blame, blame God, blaming God, Book of James, born this way, C.S. Lewis, Calvinism, Charles Guiteau, Clint Hill, David and Bathsheba, Dwight D. Eisenhower, excuses, first step to salvation, free will, Gary Powers, genetic predisposition, God, God author of sin, Greek grammar, habits, homosexuality, how to be saved, James, James 1, James 1:13-16 sermon, James sermons, Jesus, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, King David, lust, Mere Christianity, peirazo, President Eisenhower, Psalm 51, responsibility, Ronald Reagan, salvation, sin, temptation, temptations, The Blame Game, trials, trials vs temptations, Westminister Confession, What Real Faith Looks Like | Leave a comment

“What Real Faith Looks Like: Perseverance” (James 1:12 sermon)

Posted on 2024/05/20 by Shawn Thomas

We’ve got one of my very favorite family pictures to put up on the screen: In 1998, I ran the Tulsa Run road race with Paul, David & Libby, our three oldest kids. Cheryl took this picture of the four of us at my … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like | Tagged A.T. Bobertson, acid test, acid test gold, approval, approved, assurance, assurance of salvation, Book of James, crown of life, dokimos, eternal security, family, gold, gold test, I Corinthians 13, I Peter 1:6-7, if saved always saved, James, James 1:12, love, Matthew 13, once saved always saved, Parable of the Sower, perseverance, perseverance of the saints, Romans 16:10, seal of approval, stephanos, tested like gold, tests, trials, Tulsa Run, What Real Faith Looks Like | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 45:1-15, “Reconcile” for 5/19/24

Posted on 2024/05/11 by Shawn Thomas

An overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Genesis 45:1-15 for Sunday, May 19, 2024, with the title, “Reconcile.” A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged "Reconcile", all things work together, Bible, Divine Providence, divine purpose, Egypt, Explore the Bible, family reunion, forgiveness, Genesis 45, Genesis 45:1-15, God, God sovereign, God's purpose, God-centered, gospel, grace, grief, Jesus, John Rahm, Joseph, League of Nations, Lifeway, loss of loved one, Pharaoh, providence, Providence of God, Psalm 119:71, purpose, reunion, revenge, Romans 8:28, salvatiion, sovereignty, Sunday School, Sunday school lesson, Sunday School teacher, teacher help, trials, Woodrow Wilson | 2 Comments

“Real Faith Seeks Wisdom” (James 1:5 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/29 by Shawn Thomas

Sometimes when a pastor preaches verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible, he might come to a passage which he’s really not sure will apply to anyone in the congregation that day. I can assure you that the scripture we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged A.T. Robertson, ask for wisdom, ask of God, Bible, Bible Reading, Bible study, Book of James, chastisement, daily Bible reading, doers of the word, If any of you lacks wisdom, James, James 1, James 1:5, James sermons, James wisdom, Job, Mark Dever, maturity, perseverance, prayer, purpose for trials, Rebekah Genesis 25, salvation testimony, seeking wisdom, sophia, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, trials, where is wisdom found, wisdom, wisdom in trials | 3 Comments

“What Tested Faith Looks Like” (James 1:2-4 sermon)

Posted on 2024/04/22 by Shawn Thomas

John & Abigail Adams are one of my favorite couples from history. He was, of course, the 2nd President of the United States, and they were both Christians. He was away from home a lot, either serving in Congress or … Continue reading →

Posted in Book of James Sermons: What Real Faith Looks Like, Sermons | Tagged Abigail Adams, Book of James, C.S. Lewis, Christian growth, Christian life, count it all joy, Ephesians 4:13, faith, glorifying God, hupomeno, I Peter 1:6, I Peter 4:12, I walked a mile with pleasure, James, James 1:2-4, Joe McKeever, John & Abigail Adams, John Adams, John Newton, My Dearest Friend, persecution, Philippians 1:29, Psalm 4:7, purpose of suffering, Robert Browning Hamilton, Romans 5:3, Samuel Rutherford, spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, suffering, temptations, tested faith, testimony suffering, tests, The Cocoon, trials, trials purpose, various trials, What Real Faith Looks Like, when sorrow walked with me | Leave a comment

Teacher’s Overview of Genesis 22:1-14 “A Substitute” Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson for March 3, 2024

Posted on 2024/02/24 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders of Lifeway’s Explore the Bible lesson of Genesis 22:1-14 “A Substitute”, for March 3, 2024. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRODUCTION: Gene Kranz, … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged a test, Abraham, atonement, children, Chuck Colson, cross, Explore the Bible, Failure is not an option, faith, Father Maximilian Kolbe, Gene Kranz, Genesis, Genesis 22, Genesis 22:1-14, Hebrews 11, I Samuel 15:22, Isaac, Isaiah 53, Jehovah Jireh, Jesus, Lifeway, Luke 6:46, Mt. Moriah, NASA, obedience, obey, sacrifice, Sarah, substitutionary atonement, test, testing, the cross, the Lord the Provider, trials, Yahweh Jireh | 5 Comments

Teacher’s Overview of Lifeway “Explore the Bible” lesson of Mark 14:32-42, “Willing”

Posted on 2023/11/04 by Shawn Thomas

A brief overview for Sunday School teachers and Bible study leaders, of Lifeway’s “Explore the Bible” lesson of Mark 14:32-42 for Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023. A video version of this overview is available on YouTube at: INTRO: ??? Ask your … Continue reading →

Posted in Explore the Bible SS lesson overviews | Tagged Abba Father, Alexander Whyte, an ounce of prevention, battle, Christ, disciples, Explore the Bible, forgiveness, Garden of Gethsemane, God's will, help my unbelief, I Peter 2:24, Jesus, John Jellico, lead us not into temmptation, Lifeway, Mark 14:32-42, Mark 7:25, Mark Sunday school lesson, model prayer, Mount of Olives, olive oil, olive press, prayer, Romans 3:19, salvation, sin, spiritual warfare, Sun Tzu, the cross, three strikes and you're out, Thy will be done, trials, William Manchester Last Lion, Winston Churchill | 3 Comments