Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “The one who walks with the wise will become wise…” Proverbs 13:20 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Walk with the wise and become wise”   I have always remembered a statement I read many years ago written by Billy Graham’s brother-in-law, Leighton Ford. Like Billy, Leighton was also an evangelist and author. Writing about his own discipleship habits and the ways in which he learned some of his most important lessons, Leighton wrote, “I surround myself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.”   What he meant was that he read and studied lots of books, devotionals, articles, and sermons from great men and women of God, and he learned much from them. He also wrote down important truths and inspiring quotes and kept them close. He carried them in his pocket, or he used them as bookmarkers, or he taped them to his bathroom mirror. His intent was to surround himself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God.   Fred Rogers (of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fame) was like that too. In the introduction to his book “The World According to Mr. Rogers” (which was written for adults not children), Fred’s wife Joanne wrote (after his death) “There were always quotes tucked away in Fred’s wallet, next to his neatly folded bills, or in the pages of his daily planner book .. he liked having words of wisdom close to him, as if he wanted – or needed – to be constantly reminded of what was important in life … those close to him knew that he was constantly striving to be the best that he could be.”   These last few days I was on a personal retreat, alone in a cabin in the woods, just me and Jesus, and my journal from the last year. As I reviewed the 365 daily entries from my year of healing, renewal, and restoration, I was struck by how many books I had read regarding how God works in our lives to bring us through the valleys and then into the next new season of life. The pages of my journal are filled with quotes and excerpts (pearls of wisdom) from men and woman who have thought much about God and His ways.   That is precisely the point Solomon was making in Proverbs 13:20. We learn from and become like those we associate with. Our association with them may be in-person, or it may be through the written word, but we learn from and become like those we associate with. If you want to become wise, spend lots of time with those who are wise.   For the sake of good selfcare, I encourage you to surround yourself with the thoughts of those who have thought much about God. If you walk with the wise you will become wise.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Endings are often new beginnings”   Today will be the last daily devotional you will receive from me until Friday August 29th. The reason is that I am going to practice what I preach (write) about selfcare and I will be going away on a three-day personal retreat. It’s a retreat that I’ve been planning for more than a year.   As I explained to our congregation in my sermon this past Sunday, in August 2024 the truth expressed in Isaiah 43:19 became especially real in my own life. I sensed that God was on the leading edge of ushering me into a brand-new season of life. After the deaths of my wife, son, and daughter, followed by a long season of grieving, it became clear to me that God was about to do some new thing in my life. So, I gathered up some devotional books about the grieving process, and the healing, renewal, and restoration that should follow at the end of it; I got myself a brand-new journal; and I went off for a personal retreat, just me and Jesus. The purpose was to try to get a sense of what the Lord was about to do in my life.   Every day during that year I studied, prayed, watched, and listened. I also made an entry in my journal each day to record what God was showing me. Now that year of healing, renewal, and restoration is within days of being completed and it’s time for me to get away with the Lord again to prayerfully and thoughtfully review the entire year.   I told you in a recent devotional in this series about a wonderful little book I came across written by Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood fame). The title is “The World According to Mr. Rogers” and it was written for adults not children. Here is one insightful thought he shared that really resonated with me: “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”   That is so true! Often, the ending of one thing is the beginning of something new. That’s especially true with respect to the seasons of our lives. The end of one season is the beginning of the next. In terms of selfcare, it’s very helpful if we view our endings that way and instead of allowing ourselves to get mired in grief for what has ended, after an appropriate and healthy period of grief and adjustment we must turn our attention to the new thing God is beginning for us. “Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.” (By the way, as the past year unfolded God brought Aimee into my life, and she has now become my wife.)   I’ll be back with you on Friday. In the meantime, I encourage you to prayerfully consider what new thing God may be preparing you for in your life.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “If only you had paid attention”   How well do you pay attention to God? In Isaiah chapter 48 the Lord was using Isaiah to force the people of Israel to consider “what if?” Through Isaiah God was reminding them about their long history of disobedience to His commands and all the pain and suffering they had brought on themselves because of it. All they had suffered and all they had missed out on was a direct result of doing things their way instead of God’s way. So here in this passage he said to them, “I am the Lord your God who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands. Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”   So, there it is: “What if?” And, “If only …” What if I had simply paid attention to all God has tried to teach me over all these years? If only I had lived His way instead of my way how different and how much better would my life have been over all those years? How much different and how much better would it be today?   Of course, we can’t change the past. But we can learn from it. We can ask and answer the “what if” and “if only” questions and then we can resolve that we will be a better disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ today and going forward than we were yesterday, or last week, last month, last year, ten years ago.   In terms of selfcare (simply in terms of doing what was in their own best interest), the ancient Israelites would have been so much better off if they had just paid attention to God and done things His way instead of their own.   Us too. We’re no different or better than they were. What if you had paid attention? What if you had done it differently. Well, do it now. Pay attention now. Do it differently now. That was God’s point to them and it’s His point to us.   We should ask “What if?” And we should conclude, “If only …” However, and unfortunately, you can’t have a do-over for yesterday – but can start doing it right today.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Do you structure your life around good soul-care?   In yesterday’s devotional we thought about the importance of soul-care as a means of selfcare. We also came to understand that the soul serves as an interface between our physical body and our spirit. The soul is the seat of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even our subconscious mind, and it has a direct and powerful impact on both our body and our spirit.  If it is well with your soul everything else about you will be better too because your soul is healthy.   Taking good care of the soul is a matter of good discipleship. It’s a matter of developing a close relationship with Jesus and then caring for and nurturing that relationship every day. This is not about following a bunch of religious rules, or going through the motions of religious rituals, or saying lots of religious-sounding things. That’s religion not relationship. Discipleship is about developing a close relationship with Jesus. It’s about knowing Him well, following Him closely, and becoming progressively more-and-more like Him.   John Eldredge once wrote, “You might recall the old proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” The same holds true here. Teach a man a rule and you help him solve a problem; teach a man to walk with God and you help him solve the rest of his life… Only by walking with God can you hope to find the path that leads to life. That is what it means to be a disciple.”   Soul-care is not something most people structure their lives around. If they pay attention to it at all, it’s mostly hit-or-miss. Maybe semi-regular attendance at a worship service; perhaps a quick prayer sent in the direction of heaven as you’re running out the door in the morning; maybe even a quick dip into your Bible from time-to-time. If a healthy soul is your desire then hit-or-miss discipleship won’t suffice. You need your soul to be healthy and strong not weak and weary, but you will have to be intentional about making it healthy.   What things feed your soul? Certainly prayer, deep Bible study, worship, fellowship with other Christians, and the other basic disciplines of practicing the Christian faith. For me it’s those things as well as good music, nature, beauty, sufficient sleep, exercise, a good book. Things that don’t help (and actually hurt your soul) are negative people, too much news, social media, worrying about things I can’t control, and anything that drains you emotionally.   Remember the rule of thumb, “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” Apply that principle to an intentional routine of good soul-care and it will make everything else in your life better.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you..” Psalm 116:7 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “This will make everything else better”   Soul-care is selfcare. Taking proper care of your soul is the most important way in which you can take care of yourself, and doing so will make everything else better. Let me explain.   First, what is the soul? That has been debated by theologians for thousands. Sometimes “soul” is used interchangeably with “spirit” but in the Bible there is a distinction. Although there is no single verse or passage that definitively defines the distinction between soul and spirit, the body of Biblical literature about the two seems to suggest this:   The soul and spirit are both part of the person’s non-physical being but they are different. The spirit is the breath of life breathed into your mortal body by God and which will exist with Him in heaven for eternity. It is the animating force within the body and it connects a person to God. The soul is non-physical as well but it is an integral part of the body in that it is the seat of thoughts, feelings, emotions, and the unconscious mind. In that way, the soul interacts with the physical body and it also serves as the interface between the physical body and the spirt – thereby establishing a connection between the whole person and God.   When you take care of your soul you are taking care of your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and even your unconscious mind, and doing so also benefits the body and spirit. So, soul-care is selfcare and your whole person is better and healthier when you take care of your soul.   In Psalm 116 the Psalmist records that because his relationship with the Lord was strong and good, his soul was at rest. You can read that as a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside. He was at peace. He was happy. He felt safe and secure. His soul was at rest and life was good.   Doing the things necessary to take proper care of your soul will make all the rest of life better. Regardless of any other circumstances you are dealing with, if your soul is at rest everything else about your life will be better than it would be if your soul was not at rest.   This is important and so we will come back to it tomorrow. For now, I encourage you to spend some extra time with the Lord this morning thinking about your soul and your need for good soul-care. Ask God to help your soul to be at rest. It will make everything else better.   God bless, Pastor Jim     (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “One man was there who had been disabled for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and realized he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well?” John 5:5-6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Do you really want to get well?   It was an odd question for Jesus to ask this man, “Do you want to get well?” They were in Jerusalem at a pool called Bethesda. Periodically the waters of the pool would begin churning and it was believed by the people that an angel was stirring the waters and at that time, the waters held magical healing powers. The first one to enter the waters while the angel was stirring would be healed. Therefore, many sick and lame people crowded around the pool every day waiting for the waters to stir and then there would be a mad dash to see who could enter the waters first.   This man was one of those. He was there because he had been disabled for thirty-eight years and he was obviously hoping for healing. So, why would Jesus ask such a question? It was because the man might not really want to be healed. On one level he did want healing or he would not have been there. But if the healing did come, it would bring many dramatic changes. Up to this point, nothing much was expected of or required of the man because he wasn’t able to do much for himself. So, everything was done for him. But if he was healed he would incur the responsibilities of a healthy person. He would have to get a job; he would have to provide for himself and for his family; he could no longer rely on everyone to have pity on him and to do things for him. Jesus was asking, “Are you really ready for the change? Are you ready to incur the responsibility that comes with being well? Do you really want to get well?”   The question is for us too. In the case of this disabled man at the pool that day with Jesus, the question pertained to physical healing. For many of us it pertains to mental, emotional, or spiritual healing. As was noted in the two previous devotionals, sometimes we cling to our old emotional wounds and come to treat them like old friends, even like a little lap puppy that we pet and stroke and keep close to us. The person becomes comfortable in their victimhood and relies on it as an excuse for not living a full, rich, productive life.   The first step to getting well is to truly want to get well. Really. Truly. Want it. And then be willing to embrace all that the healing will bring with it. Tomorrow we will consider the next step in the process of letting it go and moving on with life. For today, spend some time allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you about this thing you have been holding on to. Ask Him to bring you to the point of really being ready to let it go.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for today: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Let yourself be healed”   A person I was once counseling said to me, “I think I have probably spent most of my adult life trying to get over my childhood.” It wasn’t the first time I had heard that remark. I have heard other people say it as well. I have also read it in books and articles, and I have heard the truth of it talked about by college professors teaching courses in psychology and counseling. I know it by personal experience as well. Parts of my childhood were traumatic and therefore formative in a negative way.   But isn’t that true for all of us? We have all been emotionally wounded and scarred in some way and we all carry those old wounds with us. As we discussed in yesterday’s devotional, life is cumulative and the events of life are formative. All of it has played a role in making us into the person we are today. It’s important for us to know that and to understand how the events of our past have formed us into who we are today.   That kind of reflection and self-awareness is needed and helpful – if we use it in a positive way. We are to learn from our past, adjust to it as necessary, and use it as a bridge to the future. But we are not to live in the past. However, that is precisely what has happened to those who spend years and decades wrestling with events from the past and who, in many cases, have never healed from those wounds and who have never moved on from them.   I have known and do know many people who cling to old wounds and never really let them heal. In some cases, the old wounds have become old friends. The person has revisited it so much, ruminated on it, relived it, and clung to it to the point that they don’t allow themselves to heal from it. In some cases, they treat the old wound almost like a lap puppy that they hold close and cling to and stroke. It is such a familiar part of them that they won’t let go of it. Often they then use the old unhealed wound as an excuse for inappropriate, harmful, or unhelpful behavior.   Jesus wants to heal us from the wounds we continue to carry, but we must let Him heal us. We must be willing to let it go. We need to come to the point where we decide, “I have given this thing more than enough attention and emotional energy, and the wound is as healed as it is ever going to get. Now it’s time to get tough, put on my big girl panties (or big boy pants), suck it up, lock this memory up in a mental drawer, and get on with life. No more excuses!” You must be willing to let yourself be healed.   I encourage you to spend some time with the Lord and ask Him to show you if you are clinging to unhealed wounds that He is ready to heal for you but which you need to fully surrender to Him. Tomorrow we will think about one of the best ways to accomplish this.     God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit; if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.” Proverbs 9:12 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Life is cumulative”   This morning, I came across a great pearl of wisdom from none other than Mr. Rogers. Yes, that Mr. Rogers. Mr. Rogers of “Mister Roger’s Neighborhood,” the long-running children’s program. Fred Rogers was an intelligent, talented, and impressive man. He had a graduate degree in Childhood Development from the University of Pittsburg; he was an ordained Presbyterian minister; he was a concert pianist, a songwriter, a singer, and a puppeteer; and he was the creator, screenwriter, and actor for one of the most successful children’s programs of all time.   He was also a very wise and insightful man. He once wrote a little devotional book entitled, “The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember.” The book is for adults not children. Here’s the quote I referred to: “All life events are formative. All contribute to what we become, year by year, as we go on growing. As my friend the poet Kenneth Koch once said, “You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!””   “You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you have ever been.” In other words, life is cumulative. It builds on itself and it all adds up. Life is also formative. Who you are today is a result of who you have been all the previous days of your life. Every lesson, every experience, every life event, every memory, all of it contributes to who you have been, to who you are today, and to who you will be in the future. It all builds on itself and it all combines to make you who you are. The good, the bad, and the ugly – all of it – it all matters.   This is why self-awareness is so important. We must understand our past to understand our present. Past events in your life were formative and led you to who you are today. Much of that will have been good, some of it will have been bad, but it all matters. To truly understand who you are today and why you are the way you are today, you must have an understanding of your past and the role all of that has played in bringing you to where you are today.   With respect to good selfcare, we need to take the time and do the work to understand our past. We are not to live in our past, but we do need to understand it, learn from it, and then build on it in constructive ways. This is important, so we will think more about it tomorrow. For now, I encourage you to spend some quiet time with the Lord reflecting on your past. Ask Him to help you see how it all has added up to make you the person you are.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord has given them special skills as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet thread of fine linen cloth, and weavers. They excel as craftsmen and as designers.” Exodus 35:35 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “God designed us to be creative”   I believe God created humans to be creative. God Himself is creative and He designed us to be creative too. Therefore, being creative is part of living a rich and full life for us.     My wife, Linda, was a very creative individual. Her field was arts and crafts – especially for children. She was still creating children’s crafts just three days before she left us and went to heaven. God then blessed me with Aimee. Not only is Aimee a beautiful person and a great wife, but she is also very talented and creative. She plays the piano and she sings; she spent years in the world of theater and has appeared in many stage productions; she is also an artist who draws and paints beautiful pictures and as such, she is doing the cover art and interior illustrations for my next book (which is almost ready to be sent to the publisher.)   I have a friend who is a retired pastor. He is a talented woodworker and he is spending his retirement years creating beautiful works of art out of carved wood. Then there is Shawn and Amanda. I affectionately refer to them as our ministers of fun at games at Oak Hill Baptist Church. They plan and lead Christmas parties, valentine banquets, classic car shows, Hawaiian luaus, movie nights, Vacation Bible School, and much more. It’s amazing to me how creative they are with respect to games, contests, prizes, decorations, and publicity. Their creativity in this area is great fun for the rest of us and serves to strengthen the fellowship in our church.   For most of my life I have thought that I am not creative. I can’t sing, dance, or play the tuba. The best I can manage for art is stick figures and kindergarten pictures. In terms of building skills like carpentry, design, fabrication, even plumbing, I don’t fix things I break them. Then I pay others to fix what I broke. I’m not even creative in terms of gardening. My specialty is plastic flowers – everything else dies a fast and ugly death.   But one day I came across this statement written by pastor and author Eugene Peterson and it changed my entire perspective regarding whether God created me to be creative too: “I am a pastor and I am a writer. Those are not separate vocations competing for my time and attention, they are both part of a unified calling. I am a pastor and I am a writer – it is a single coherent identity. My artistic medium is words, written and prayed and preached.”   “My artistic medium is words, written and prayed and preached.” Suddenly I understood: God equips all of us in some special way to be creative for Him and to bless others. And we need to do it. God is creative and He created us to be creative too and therefore we each need to find our own creative outlet in order to be living our best life.   In terms of selfcare, you will discover that being creative is therapeutic. It is relaxing, renewing, and fulfilling. There are many ways to be creative and I encourage you to find and develop a creative outlet of your own. God designed us to be creative.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Do more of this”   In Nehemiah 8:10, when Ezra and Nehemiah told the people “Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength,” they were not telling them that they shouldn’t experience normal heartache and regret over things that should cause heartache and regret. Instead, they were cautioning them not to allow themselves to sink down into despair and get mired in it.   The implication in this verse is that they were to be intentional about shifting their focus onto the things they had to be grateful for and which the Lord had given them to be joyful about. If they would do that, they would feel renewed and restored in spirit; they would experience a resurgence of strength and vitality; they would discover that the joy given to them by the Lord is indeed their source of strength.   It’s true. Think about it. Isn’t it true that when your heart is overflowing with joy that is when you feel most alive? Isn’t life at its best when you are filled with joy? Of course it is. And that’s what God wants for you. In John 15:11 Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” In John 17:13, on the night before He was to be crucified, as one of His last acts on earth, Jesus prayed for us and He said to the Father, “Now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy completed in them.”   Joy is a gift from God. It is beautiful and powerful and Jesus wants you to have a lot of it because when you are joyful you are fully alive, and at your best, and you are strong in the Lord.   I have written before about one of my guiding life principles which I think about, pray about, and even meditate on almost on daily: “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” That precept guides my thinking and my choices. I still have to deal with unpleasant people and unpleasant situations, but I’m intentional about minimizing negative influences and maximizing the people and things that fill me with joy.   Church is one of those things. Sunday is the best day of the week because that’s when my church family is gathered for worship and fellowship. It’s a day of spiritual nurture, healing, encouragement, singing, feasting, laughing, and fun. Tomorrow, August 17th, after Sunday school and worship, we’re even having a Hawaiian Luau complete with food, music, games, and lots of fun. Join us at 9:00 for Sunday school, 10:00 for worship, and 11:00 for the Luau.   The joy of the Lord is your strength and you, like the rest of us, need more of it. Do more of this: be intentional about embracing the joy God wants you to have.   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.