Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Do good on purpose”   We’re going to spend most of next week considering how our churches can be smart and strategic. We’ll discuss the concept of “simple church”. We’ll also think about what it means for a small church to be a “strategically” small church. We will talk about marshalling our resources and focusing our efforts in ways that are most effective and efficient. And we will consider some models of ministry which have proven effective at drawing a large percentage of the members into active service within the church.   But for today, I want us to consider being smart and strategic by taking intentional action to make the gatherings of our churches a time of nurture and spiritual renewal for everyone. In these difficult days in which we live, the meeting of the church family needs to be a refuge from the storms of life. Church should be a sanctuary, a shelter from the storm. It should be a place of nurture and renewal. We all need this. But in order for it to be that way, we have to be intentional about making it that way. I can assure you that Satan will take that away from us if we let him.   One way in which each of us can make sure the gathering of our church is indeed a time of nurture and renewal for all of us, is to follow the advice Solomon gives in Proverbs 3:27 (above) by doing good on purpose. Look for opportunities to bless and encourage your brothers and sisters. Go out of your way to do something nice for someone. You could spend some time today (Saturday) praying and asking the Lord to bring to your mind a person or two who needs some special attention tomorrow (Sunday). You might even want to bring that person (s) a small gift – like a couple of donuts, or a flower, or a card, or … well, you get the point.   I will address this issue in the sermon tomorrow at Oak Hill Baptist Church. We would love for you to join us in person for Sunday school at 9:00 and for the worship service at 10:00. The service will also be livestreamed on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, and the recorded version will be available afterwards on our website (oakhillbaptist.net).   I encourage you to intentionally do something good, something nice, for someone in your church family this Sunday. Our participation in the gathering of our church is a crucial part of our week. Let’s all go out of our way to make it extra special by doing something good on purpose.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “But know this: hard times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – “2 Timothy 3:1-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “The church must be smart and strategic”   So far in our study of being smart and strategic we have focused mostly on being smart and strategic in our personal lives with respect to spiritual disciplines, use of time, etc. Now we’re going to shift to thinking about being smart and strategic in church life. No church can do everything, nor can a church be all things to all people. This is especially true for smaller churches. So, we have to be smart and strategic about what we do, how we do it, and how much we try to do.   Being smart and strategic as a church begins with each member of the church understanding and appreciating the nature of the times we live in. We live in evil days. Our society is barreling towards the edge of a moral cliff. It’s stunning how far we have drifted from Biblical norms and traditional values – and how fast it has happened. Our society is becoming Orwellian and bizarre. The government is increasingly heavy-handed and intrusive, and the things people believe to be okay and even normal is the stuff of bad science fiction. It’s often difficult to believe this is real. But it is real. And it is the world we now find ourselves living in.   So, for starters, as individual church members we cannot be casual about our personal or corporate practice of the faith. On a personal level, we have to be firmly grounded in the faith as individuals; and together we must be smart and strategic about our corporate practice of the faith as a church. That begins by simply showing up to the regular gatherings of your church family. You’re not much help if you aren’t there. Then, we each need to be engaged in some manner in the work of the church.   In the days to come we’ll think specifically and in depth about how even the smallest of churches can be smart and strategic about how we function in the midst of these evil days, and how each of us as individuals can and must be a part of it. But for now, I encourage you to simply be there. Attend the gathering of your church this Sunday.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Guard your heart”   Increasingly many people are feeling weary and overwhelmed by the never-ending flow of information we’re exposed to on a daily basis. We live in the “information age”. Sometimes that’s a blessing, but often it’s a curse. There’s the 24/7 news cycle with all the dramatic and often exaggerated headlines screaming for our attention. There are loud and angry voices coming from all directions demanding this, and protesting against that, and declaring their offense over one thing after another. There are computer screens, smart phones, watches that talk to us, and so much more. It really does become overwhelming.   And … all of that stuff is making its way into your brain and then into your heart. Sometimes, personally, I feel contaminated, like I’ve ingested poison and it’s making me sick. My stomach gets sour, my head hearts, and I’m tired. The constant barrage of information, misinformation, lies, distortions, exaggerations, competing agendas, doomsday predictions, charges and counter-charges, make me jaded and edgy, and that has a negative impact on me.   You too? Fortunately, there is an answer.   Solomon warned us in Proverbs 4:23 that we need to guard what we allow into our heart because the heart is the wellspring of life. In other words, all the rest of life flows out of what’s in our heart. Jesus warned about this as well in Luke 6:45, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart his mouth speaks.”   This is why we have to be smart and strategic about guarding our heart. We have to be intentional and we have to have control over what we allow ourselves to be exposed to. The fact is that we can turn off the news, shut down the computer, put the smart phone away, and unplug for a while. We can spend extra time reading the Bible, or a good Christian book. We can put the headphones on and spend an hour listening to soothing Christian music. We can go for a long walk in the woods, spend a couple of hours out on the lake, or just sit quietly doing nothing and petting the dog. We don’t have to remain constantly engaged with our loud and angry and deceptive world.   The Apostle Paul had some advice about this. In Philippians 4:8 he wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”   I encourage you to take control over your environment and guard your heart.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.” Ephesians 1:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be smart and strategic in your prayers”   As I write this it is early Wednesday morning and my thoughts have already turned to the weekly prayer meeting we’ll have at our church tonight. That reminded me of something I read recently from author John White in his book, “Daring to Draw Near”. In it he challenged his readers to consider how the Apostle Paul described his own praying for his Ephesian friends in Ephesians 1:17-21. In that passage Paul said that he prays for God to give them a spirit of wisdom, an enlightened heart, hope, an understanding of their glorious inheritance, and an appreciation for God’s power in their lives. Here’s what White wrote about that. It’s a lengthy quote but worth it: “What requests did Paul make for his Ephesian friends? Pause a moment. You are writing a letter to a friend for whom you pray fairly regularly. What will you tell him? “I do pray for you, Jack. I’m asking God to bless you and to lead you. I really pray. I pray he’ll bless you richly.”             What do the words mean? What does bless mean? Is the word an excuse on your part for not being specific? Is it too much trouble to think out a specific request? It is easier of course if Jack has pneumonia, or if Jack’s girlfriend has just been killed in a car accident. You can get your teeth into prayer under such circumstances. But if nothing dramatic is happening to Jack and if he’s a Christian who’s getting along reasonably well in his Christian walk, how are you supposed to pray? Bless comes in handy. You probably use it at different times to mean such things as, “Do whatever is best for Jack and make things work out for him. Make him a better Christian in some way or another. Make him happy,” and so on.   Often our prayers for others are pretty vanilla, and somewhat half-hearted as a result. Sometimes that’s because we don’t really know how to pray for them. But we do know they need spiritual growth and that such growth will have a positive impact on every other area of their life. White went on, “You may need to begin praying something like this, “Lord, I don’t know how to pray for Jack. I thank you for bringing him to yourself. I know you have been working in his life. What is it he most needs? What are you trying to do in him?” Then pray for them like Paul prayed for his friends in Ephesus – for deep and meaningful spiritual growth.   Paul’s prayers for his friends in Ephesus were very spiritual and very specific. They were smart, strategic, and intentional prayers. That’s how we should pray for people too. Half-hearted general prayers are easy but also somewhat meaningless and probably only marginally effective. Strategic praying for areas of spiritual growth is what’s needed most.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you …” 1 Thessalonians 3:10-11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Plain and simple can be smart and strategic”   In order to be smart and strategic in how we live our lives, there are two fundamental pieces that have to be in place. The first is our relationship with Christ and the daily practice of our faith. Everything else in life has to grow out of that. The second involves the structure of our lives. We have to be smart and strategic – intentional. This pertains to the framework of activities and daily routines within which our life is lived.   By way of example, I’ll share a bit of my personal story. I do so with the understanding that you may be in a different season of life than me, and your circumstances may be different than mine. But this is one example of a way in which my wife and I tried to be smart and strategic regarding the structure of our lives.   Almost ten years ago Linda and I came to the realization that we needed to make some strategic changes. For more than fifteen years now, Linda has bravely battled a degenerative disability, and she has needed more and more of my attention and assistance. We knew this would be the case and so we decided to structure our lives in a way that would allow us to live fully and well, while staying focused on the people and things that mattered most. We decided that Linda’s health needs would be our first and highest priority. My role as the pastor of Oak Hill Baptist Church would be second. We would focus on those two areas, and every other thing that would take us away from or distract us from those two, needed to go.   So, we simplified and downsized. Over the course of the next three years we sold our large house and bought one less than half the size, requiring much less attention and upkeep; we sold or gave away approximately 70% of our possessions; we cut our living expenses by well over one-third; I resigned from my part-time work on the staff of an international mission agency so I could focus just on the church; and we also eliminated other activities and obligations that would take us away from, or distract us from, our two main points of focus.   It’s true that in some ways our lives constricted or narrowed. But in the process, we found that life is actually richer and more rewarding because we are more focused on the people and things that truly matter to us, and less distracted by those which were less important.   That’s our story. Yours is probably different. But the point holds that in order to be most effective in life, we have to be smart, strategic and intentional. For us, at this season in life, plain and simple is smart and strategic.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Busy can be close to bad”   It has often been said that if the devil can’t make you bad, he will make you busy, because busy can be close to bad. Busy isn’t the same as bad, but it can have a similar net effect for Satan’s purposes. Being bad can directly achieve an objective of Satan’s. Being busy at the wrong things, or with too many things, can limit our effectiveness for God. Either way, Satan wins.   In Ephesians 5:15-16 Paul urges us to “Be very careful then, how you live …”. He’s telling us to be smart and strategic. He’s telling us to think carefully about what we will do, why we will do it, how we will do it, and what the likely outcome will be.   “… not as unwise but as wise …” He’s referring to godly wisdom. He’s speaking there about being wise in the ways of God and structuring our lives accordingly.   “… making the most of every opportunity …” Again, smart and strategic. This involves seeing an opportunity to in some way advance God’s agenda in the situation you are in at that moment, and then making the most of that opportunity.   “… because the days are evil.” Uh huh, don’t get me started. We’ve been over this. This is an Alice in Wonderland world we’re living in – up is down, black is white, good is bad, bad is good, and some people don’t which bathroom to use.   The point is that Satan doesn’t necessarily need to get us to be bad in order to advance his purposes. It is possible to fill our lives with lots of good things – but too many good things. When that happens, we could find ourselves doing lots of things poorly rather than a few things well. That’s not smart and it’s not strategic. We have to make good choices. We have to learn to say “no”. Sometimes even to good things. When Paul wrote that we are to be very careful how we live, he wasn’t just talking about avoiding things that are obviously bad. His lesson can also be applied to too many good things as well.   Being too busy isn’t necessarily the same thing as being bad, but in some ways it can come close.  If we aren’t careful, busy can be close to bad.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t let your beauty consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and wearing gold jewelry, but rather what is inside the heart – the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For in the past, the holy women who put their hope in God also adorned themselves in this way.” 1 Peter 3:3-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Thank God for godly mothers”   When it came to being smart and strategic, my mom had it down to a science. She raised six kids in a very small house and on a very small income. My dad worked long hours as a common laborer in a smelting and refinery plant, and then he worked a part-time job in the evenings stocking shelves in a grocery store, just to earn enough to keep us all housed, clothed, and fed.   But my mom was the one who worked the magic of stretching every dollar, keeping us all clean and clothed and fed, and maintaining some semblance of order in the home – two adults, six kids, three cats, a dog, and a duck all in a small house! (The duck split her time between a pen in the backyard and long soaks in the bathtub).   But the characteristic of my mom that stood out through all those years, and which endures all these years later, was her godliness. She was the woman Peter was writing about in 1 Peter 3:3-5 (above). She was unconcerned with things like fashion, trips to the beauty shop, ornate jewelry, or other outward things to enhance beauty that women sometimes focus on excessively. Her primary concern was for matters of the heart. She loved the Lord and she lived like it – and she taught that faith to her children.   My mom went home to heaven in April of 2012. Three weeks after her death I observed the first Mother’s Day of my life without my mother being present for me to honor. So, instead, in her honor, I preached a sermon based upon 1 Peter 3:3-5 entitled “What Makes a Woman Truly Beautiful?” I then turned that sermon into an essay with the same title. Although it was written with my mother in mind, it pertains to all godly women down through the ages. If you would like a copy of that essay let me know and I would be happy to send it to you.   On this Mother’s Day 2022 I would like to wish all of the mothers out there a happy and blessed Mother’s Day. We love you and we appreciate you. Thank God for godly mothers!   God bless, Pastor Jim

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Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:33 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “If you want the one, you will have to do the other”   So far in our study of being smart and being strategic, I have focused our thinking on the first and most important thing we can be smart and strategic about – our relationship with Jesus. That’s the starting place for a life that is balanced, with our priorities in proper alignment. Jesus has to be on the throne in your heart, and all the rest of life has to revolve around Him. Next week we will move on to other applications of being smart and being strategic, but we have to get this settled first.   In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said that if we make the kingdom of God and His righteousness our first priority in life, “all these things” will be provided for us. What “things” was He talking about? He was talking about all the rest of life. I encourage you to take a moment and read that passage, Matthew 6:25-34. It’s commonly known as “the do not worry passage” because in it, Jesus urges us to stop worrying so much about the cares and issues of life, and to focus more on God and His concerns. It’s a comforting and encouraging passage and it reinforces our point about being smart and strategic with respect to how we structure our lives. Put God first and He will then help us to get the rest of life settled and in order.   Now, you don’t have to do this. You do not have to be smart and strategic in the ways I’ve been writing about. You can continue living in whatever way you are currently living, giving your first and best attention to whatever other things are most important to you. However, if you want to be living in right relationship with God; if you want your life to be unfolding according to His plan rather than your own; if you want to experience the full blessings of God in your life; then you will have to do this. You will have to really put Him first.   Author Annie Dillard once observed, “You don’t have to stand outside in the dark. If, however, you wish to look at the stars, you will find the darkness necessary.”  Likewise, you don’t have to wisely and strategically structure your life in such a way that God and His ways are your clear number-one priority. However, if you want the life God wants to give you, then you will have to do that. There’s no getting around it, if you want the one, you will have to do the other.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Put first things first”   Back in the 1990s the #1 self-help book in the nation was “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. It was not a Christian book but it was insightful and it was helpful. According to Covey, habit number three of highly effective people is that they have learned to put first things first. In other words, they have identified those things in life that are most important to them, and they make sure those things get their first and best attention. Everything else comes after that.   In 2002 the best-selling self-help book was “The Purpose Driven Life” by Pastor Rick Warren. This was a Christian book, and it too was based upon putting first things first, but this one identified for us what the most important thing in life is (or “who” it is). The most important person in our life is Jesus Christ, and the most important thing in life is our relationship with Him. Everything else comes after that. Everything else comes out of that. It’s not until Jesus is first in our life that everything else in life will find its proper place.   For decades the most popular evangelistic tract was “The Four Spiritual Laws” published by Campus Crusade for Christ. That tract used an illustration of a circle, representing the human heart, with a throne in the center of the circle. In one example we see “self” on the throne in the heart, and all the rest of the things in life (illustrated by small dashes) were depicted in an unorganized and chaotic swarm all around the throne. In the second example we see Christ on the throne in the heart, and all the other things of life are surrounding the throne, but now aligned in perfect order. The lesson was that when Christ occupies His proper position on the throne in your heart, all the rest of life can then assume its proper place.   If you’re simply seeking worldly success, then Stephen Covey’s book might be all you need. But if your desire is to have the life that God wants for you, then you need Jesus. This is the first thing. Get this right and all the rest of life can then assume its proper place.   I encourage you to put first things first. Put Jesus first.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Be smart, be strategic”   Our Bible verse for today: “But the Lord replied to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered and anxious about so many things; but only one thing is necessary …” Luke 10:41 (Amplified Bible)   Our thought for today: “Sometimes you just have to say no”   I was in a conversation the other evening with a young Christian couple who are strong in their faith and enthusiastic about being on-mission with Jesus. They’re faithful in their church attendance, they participate in several small group Bible studies, and they are active in multiple ministry activities. In our conversation the young woman said that they had gotten so busy that they realized they had to cut a few things out, but they had trouble deciding what to cut. With a laugh she asked, “I mean, how to you say no to “Jesus things”?”   It was funny but also true. It is easy to fill our lives up with good things, to the point that the good things are spilling out over the edges of our lives. We then become overwhelmed and worn out. I once wrote an essay about this entitled “Room for the Singing of Angels”. The point of it was that if we aren’t careful, we can fill our lives up to the point that there’s no room left for quietness and relaxation. We have to leave room in our lives so we can hear the singing of angels. If you would like a copy of that essay let me know and I will be happy to send it to you.   How do we say “no” to good things? Well, the fact is that the world is full of good things we could be involved in, but there’s no way any of us can be involved in all of them, or even in a lot of them. Nor does the Lord expect us to.  And so, we have to set boundaries. We have to be smart and strategic about what’s enough and what’s too much. One of the best resources I’ve ever come across to help us establish healthy boundaries in all areas of life is the book and workbook series “Boundaries: When to say yes, and how to say no to take control of your life” by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. I recommend it to you.   You’ve probably heard the phrase, “I have too many irons in the fire.” Do you know where that phrase came from? It’s from the days before electric irons when people used to use a “flatiron” to iron clothes. It was like a modern-day iron but in order to heat it you would place it in the fireplace close to the flames. Then, when it was good and hot, you would take it out and use it to iron clothes until it cooled. Typically, a housewife would have multiple irons in the fire so when one cooled, another would be ready. Sometimes she would overestimate how many irons she needed and she would end up with leftover heated irons. Therefore, she had too many irons in the fire.   Many of us today have too many irons in the fire and we need to remove some of them. We do that by setting better boundaries. You don’t have to say yes to everything – not even to “Jesus things”. It’s okay, and good, and necessary, to set good boundaries. Sometimes you just have to say no.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2022 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.