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: trials
“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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The Lord’s Presence in Our Storms
In Matthew 1 the angel told Joseph that one of Jesus’ “nicknames” would be “Immanuel”, which means, “God With Us.” That is no small thing. In fact, it means everything that God is with us. He created us originally to … Continue reading
The Father’s Pruning Work
“Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2) Christians who undergo trials or difficulties may be tempted to … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Discipleship, Uncategorized
Tagged bearing fruit, branches, discipleship, fruit, fruitfulness, holiness, John 15:2, pruning, sanctification, service, trials, vine, vinedresser
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“You Will Understand Hereafter”
“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.’” (John 13:7) Of how many things that happen to us are these words true: “What I do you do not realize now, … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged discipleship, faith, John 13:7, trials, trust, understanding, wisdom
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“Winning vs. Temptation: Jesus’ Example in Spiritual Warfare” (Matthew 4:1-11 sermon)
This last Saturday (March 18, 2017) an intruder kicked open the door of a house in Redding, California — but he picked the wrong home to invade. A California Highway Patrol Officer lived at that house, and he shot the … Continue reading
Posted in Matthew sermons, Sermons, Uncategorized
Tagged baby dedication, baseball, battle of the mind, Bible, Ephesians 6:10, Ephesians 6:17, family, God's word, goodness of God, home invasion, I Timothy 4:8, II Corinthians 10:5, Jesus example, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 4:1-11 sermon, protection, Proverbs 24:10, Psalm 119:68, scripture, scripture memory, self-defense, spiritual warfare, sports, sword of the Spirit, taking every thought captive, temptation, trials
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“Into The Wilderness”: The Principle of Spiritual Testing (Matthew 4:1 sermon)
Those of us who have children know that parenting can be a very “up and down” experience. Cheryl & I have talked about this a number of times. It’s like you never get to “sit on your laurels” — even … Continue reading
“His Marvelous Love In A Besieged City”
“Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” (Psalm 31:21) Here David praises God for ministering to him, even in an extremely difficult time in his life. He said he was … Continue reading
Posted in Devotions/Bible Studies, Uncategorized
Tagged chesed, circumstances, grace, joy, love, lovingkindness, Psalm 31:21, Psalm 4:7, Samuel Rutherford, trials, worship
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