Oak Hill Baptist Church

We learn from bad examples too

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz of Judah began to reign … Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after him.” 2 Kings 18:1;8 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “We learn from bad examples too”

Sometimes bad examples become something of a generational curse in families. We see it over and over again. Grandma lived on welfare, mother lived on welfare, now the adult grandchildren live on welfare. Or, the father was a violent criminal who spent years in prison, then his son was a violent criminal who is currently in prison, and now the son’s son is a gang member terrorizing the neighborhood and surely headed for prison himself.

We see the same kinds of patterns or cycles played out in families with respect to drug abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, and much more. It’s a cycle, a generational curse that gets passed along from generation to generation until finally, somebody breaks the chain. Someone finally decides that life is going to be different for him or her, and they make an intentional decision to break the chain.

Hezekiah was one of the greatest and godliest kings of ancient Judah but interestingly, he was raised by one of the worst and least godly kings, his father Ahaz. The example set for Hezekiah by his father was one of paganism, debauchery, and even human sacrifice. But when Hezekiah became an adult and ascended to the throne, he determined to be the exact opposite of his father. As a result, Hezekiah became a shining example of godly leadership.

Throughout this month of devotionals regarding the influence of a mentor, we have considered many lessons we can learn from the good example of a good mentor. But it’s also true that we can learn from bad examples, just like Hezekiah did. We can observe someone else’s bad conduct, note the negative impacts they experience from that bad conduct, and make a decision that our own life will be different.

I encourage you to spend some time today considering the people in your life who have in the past, or who are now, setting bad examples. Pray for those people, and then resolve that you won’t be like them.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Less is more

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38-39 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Sometimes less is more”

The phrase “Less is more” has been around for a long time. It means that sometimes simple and less is better than more and complicated. The phrase was coined in 1947 by the minimalist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose building designs were simple and basic, with clean lines and uncomplicated structure.

“Less is more” is a concept that can be applied to many areas of life. For instance, as a military officer I was trained to evaluate situations, make decisions, and take action. As a result, I was uncomfortable leaving issues or situations unresolved. But when I retired from the Navy and entered the world of pastoral ministry, I discovered that a different approach is sometimes wiser and better. I noticed that my pastor and mentor, Oren Teel, would often not make a decision and he would sometimes not take action. Instead, unless the situation was such that immediate action was required, he would sometimes put a decision off and take a “wait-and-see” approach about it.

He once explained to me, “I’ve discovered that many times God is already at work in a situation, bringing it to the conclusion or resolution that He wants – and that usually takes time. Therefore, the best thing for me to do is to just stay out of God’s way. I’ve found that if I will just stay out of the way and wait, God will often work the situation out for Himself.” Over more than twenty-five years since then, I’ve often found that to be true too.

That’s the advice the Pharisee Gamaliel was giving to his fellow Pharisees in Acts 5:38-39. In that case, he was referring to the activity of the disciples of Jesus and he was cautioning the pharisees that rather than precipitously acting and maybe getting in the way of God, in this case they needed to be patient and let the situation unfold for awhile to see how it worked out. And he was right. It was good advice.

The concept of “less is more” is also becoming increasingly popular with the minimalist movement in our day, which includes tiny homes, small cars, and getting rid of things that aren’t really needed. A few years ago, my wife and I went through a period of downsizing and simplifying like that. It turned out to be a blessing for us and it improved the overall quality of our lives.

The concept of “less is more” was something my mentor, Oren Teel, modeled for me with respect to leadership and problem-solving in ministry. It also applies to the accumulation of possessions, cluttered schedules, and many other areas of life. Perhaps the idea of “less is more” would be helpful in some area of your life too.

I encourage you to spend some time this morning considering if perhaps some areas of your own life are too busy, too cluttered, or maybe too complicated, and would benefit from some clearing out and simplifying. Sometimes less really is more.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Is your soul tired?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” Mark 6:31 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Is your soul tired?”

The book, “The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart: Mentoring Yourself in Difficult Times” is all about taking care of yourself. It’s written specifically for those who tend to push too hard, especially while taking care of others, and in the process, they neglect taking care of themselves.

In it, author and counselor Robert Wicks tells the story of a fellow counselor who came to him for professional advice about a difficult case she was dealing with. When she sat down in Robert’s office, he immediately saw in her face and mannerisms that she was exhausted and stressed. So, he said to her, “Before we get into the case you wanted to discuss, how are you doing? You look drained.” In return, she got teary-eyed and said in a quiet voice, “I think my soul is tired.” To that, Robert smiled and wisely responded, “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” He then led her to put aside her concern about the case and to talk about herself for a while instead. He helped her to consider some ways she could care for herself before she returned to caring for others.

The fact is that we can’t take care of others if we don’t first take care of ourselves. Or at least, we won’t be able to do it for very long. For instance, those who are caregivers for sick loved ones often allow themselves to get so preoccupied with caring for their loved one that they forget to take care of themselves. Then, the more worn out the caregiver gets, the less effective their care for their loved one will be. Likewise, those, like Robert Wicks’ co-worker, who are in the helping professions, can easily get burned out if they’re not careful. A good mentor will recognize this and help you to take steps to deal with it.

In Mark 6:31 (above), we read about a time when Jesus and His closest disciples had been involved in a prolonged time of intense ministry and they needed a break. So, Jesus called a time-out and took them all off for a short retreat. It was exactly what was needed.

Let me ask you, is your soul tired? Are you taking care of yourself? If you aren’t hearing it from anyone else then please hear it from me, “give yourself a break”. Maybe this weekend is the perfect time to get some rest and to recharge your soul.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Mentors are only helpful if you learn from them

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’, and don’t do the things that I say?” Luke 6:46 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Mentors are only helpful if you learn from them”

In Luke 6:46 Jesus asked a group of followers why they called Him their Lord but then didn’t actually accept and practice much of what He taught them. Words are cheap. Actions matter. Calling Him ‘Lord’ but then not doing what He said was rather meaningless and certainly not helpful to them. The same applies to what we learn from a mentor. Calling the person a mentor and seeking their advice is an important first step. But the relationship is only helpful in actual practice if you do the things your mentor has suggested.

Yesterday we considered the case of Saul and his mentor Samuel. What if Saul had done the things that Samuel said? Would his life have turned out different and better? Yes, I’m sure it would have. What if Lot had learned from Abraham? He probably would not have been living in a place like Sodom and maybe his wife wouldn’t have ended up as a pillar of salt. What if Judas had truly followed Jesus? What if I had been more attentive to some of the wise advice I’ve received from my mentors over the years? And you can ask the same question of yourself.

The Bible is filled with examples of mentees who didn’t follow the advice and teaching of their mentors, and who paid a terrible price for it. I have a friend who has spent decades working with the homeless population. He runs a rescue mission which also offers transition services designed to help the homeless person get back on their feet with a job and housing. My friend has been doing this for a long, long time and he knows what he’s doing. He is able to lead a person step-by-step through the process of professing faith in Christ, becoming a disciple, learning new life-skills, getting off of drugs or alcohol, improving personal hygiene, applying for a job, getting an apartment, learning basic financial skills, and then walking it out over the long-term.

He knows what he’s doing. Those who accept his good counsel and guidance, and actually do the things he teaches them to do, end up with a fresh start in life. And, there are success stories. Many of them. But sadly, there are also many examples of those who disregarded my friend’s advice, tried to do it their own way, and are back on the streets today.

Mentors are only helpful if you learn from them and actually do what they say. I encourage you to spend some time today thanking God for your mentor(s) and then, consider how often and how well you actually follow their advice.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Advice is only helpful if you take it

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Advice is only helpful if you take it”

One of my favorite mentor/mentee stories comes from the movie “The Karate Kid”. Ralph Macchio played a teenage boy, Daniel LaRusso, and Pat Morita played the elderly karate expert Mr. Miyagi. In the movie, Daniel was being tormented by a group of bullies who kept beating him up. My. Miyagi took Daniel under his wing and not only taught him how to defend himself by using karate, but also how to be a cool and calm young man of character and integrity.

However, Daniel was impatient and over-eager, and therefore needed to learn the discipline of patience as he slowly developed his new skills. One of the great lines from the movie came from Mr. Miyagi when, with a long look and a bit of a sigh he would say to Daniel, “Patience, Grasshopper, patience.” Well, Daniel did learn patience, as well as many other skills from Mr. Miyagi – because he listened to him and took his advice.

As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, not all advice is good advice and therefore we do need to be thoughtful and careful about who’s advice we accept. But if you have entered into a mentoring relationship with someone, then your default mode should be to accept their advice. Sadly, sometimes we don’t. Such was the case with King Saul. He was being mentored by the prophet and teacher Samuel. But Saul was headstrong and impatient and he sometimes disregarded important lessons from Samuel. Ultimately that led to Saul’s downfall. That’s what we’re reading about in 1 Samuel 15:22 (above).

Samuel isn’t the only example of this in the Bible. Tomorrow we’ll consider some others. For today, I encourage all of us to prayerfully consider who our mentors are, and how seriously we take their advice. Advice is only helpful if you take it.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Consider carefully the advice of your elders

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” 1 Kings 12:7 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Consider carefully the advice of your elders”

I once read a great statement that’s worth remembering: “Never despise the counsel of those who have lived longer than you.” That doesn’t mean you must accept the counsel whether you agree with it or not. But if you’re going to reject it, you should at least give it careful, thoughtful, and prayerful consideration first. Don’t despise it and reject it out of hand.

King Rehoboam of Judah was a foolish young man who did exactly that – he rejected the advice of his elders. Rehoboam was the son of Solomon. For much of Solomon’s long reign he had taxed the people heavily and worked them like dogs to further his massive building programs. After he died, the people were weary. They needed tax relief, and they needed a break from all the building projects.

So, a group representing the people approached Rehoboam, presented their case to him, and asked for some relief. The elder advisers counseled him to grant the request and thereby win the hearts of the people. We read their wise words of counsel in 1 Kings 12:7 (above).

Unfortunately, Rehoboam had also surrounded himself with another group of counselors – some brash young bucks whom he had grown up with. This group advised him to be tough with the people instead, thereby presumably demonstrating and firmly establishing his authority over them. They advised him that rather than decreasing the taxes and backing off on the projects, he should ramp it up and make them give more and do more. That would teach them a lesson about who’s in charge around here!

Rehoboam despised and rejected the counsel of the elders and instead went with the advice of his impetuous young friends, and the result was a disaster. The people rebelled, there was a civil war that split the nation, and Rehoboam’s entire seventeen-year reign as king was marked by trouble and failure. All because he despised the advice of his elders.

Older folks aren’t always right, but many times they are. Their advice is at least worth careful, thoughtful, prayerful consideration. We’ll think more about this tomorrow.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Choose your mentors well

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Our thoughts for today: “Choose your mentors well”

For many years, I have had a ministry working with young men who have serious problems with drug and alcohol abuse. Most often they’re in jail, prison, or a rehab center, and they’re desperately trying to break free from addiction and reestablish some sort of a normal life.

The good news for them is that there can be victory over substance abuse, and a person can go on to rebuild and live a great life. Two of the Bible verses I often share with them are from Old Testament prophets. One is from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” The second is from the prophet Joel in Joel 2:25, “I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten.” And then one from Jesus in the New Testament in John 10:10, “I have come so they may have life, and have it to the full.”

There is hope for the recovering addict, but there are two essential steps they must take. The first is to give their life over fully to Jesus, and the second is to choose good friends and mentors. It’s a well-proven fact of human nature that over time we become like those we associate with. If you hang around with bank robbers, you too will probably end up robbing banks. If your surround yourself with those who use profanity, soon you too will be cursing. If you associate with drug users, it’s just a matter of time before you will be using too. We become like those we associate with.

But those are negative examples. The opposite is true too. If you spend a lot of time with people who love to fish – who talk about fishing, who go fishing, and who encourage you to fish with them, before long you will be out there fishing too. If you hang around with people who are active in church, soon you probably will be too.

One of the strategies I encourage those young men in jail, prison, and rehab to employ as they work to stay clean and to rebuild their lives, is to find people who already have the kind of life they would like to have, and then spend lots of time with those people. Because, over time we become like those we associate with.

This is why it’s so important to choose good friends and mentors. Tomorrow we will look at a Biblical example of a young man who chose his friends and mentors poorly, and who paid a terrible price for it.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

A “thin place” moment

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us watch out for one another to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A “thin place” moment”

By the time I became a pastor I was already a retired naval officer with multiple college degrees, including a seminary education. But I was new to the field of being a pastor and lacked experience leading a church. Fortunately, at my first church, the Lord had a very wise mentor waiting for me. His name was Dick DeGrow and he was himself a retired pastor. Dick was also a soft-spoken, mild-mannered, humble man who was very wise in the ways of the Lord.

There was also another man waiting for me when I got there who was not humble, wise, or spiritually mature. And unfortunately, long before I arrived at that church, this man had been placed in an important and influential ministry position. He was relatively young for the position, and his nature was such that he was head-strong, outspoken, aggressive and assertive, and something of a bull in a China shop – he tended to thrash around making lots of noise and breaking things. He was a problem for me from the start.

Dick quickly became my “go-to” guy for counsel and advice regarding all sorts of issues, including dealing with my bull in the China shop. We would often sit in my office discussing issues and praying together.

Finally, the situation with the bull became intolerable and was going to have to be dealt with, but it was clearly going to be messy and had the potential to damage the church. It was the first major conflict I was going to have to deal with as a pastor and I was a little uncertain of how to go about it. My natural inclination was to let my inner military officer come out and just go to battle stations all over this guy. But then we would have had two bulls butting heads. What I really needed was a good dose of Dick’s calm, patient, and steady demeanor.

As we sat in my office and talked about it, Dick got quiet and thoughtful for a moment and then he said, “Pastor, not only do we need to pray about this, but we need to get on our knees and pray about it” (usually we prayed sitting in our chairs).”

As we knelt together fervently praying for wisdom and guidance, I sensed the presence of the Lord in that room in a more powerful way than I ever had before. I actually had goose bumps on my skin. From that time of prayer, I went to meet with the bull. The situation did end up being a bit dramatic and it did cause some ripples in the church, but nothing like it could have. The bull ended up leaving the church, but his wife and children stayed, and everyone else quickly shrugged it off and just got on with church life.

Yesterday I told you about the Celtic concept of “thin place moments” when for just an instant, the veil separating the physical realm from the spiritual world is parted and you get a glimpse or a sense of interaction with the other world. That’s what happened to me during that prayer session with my friend and mentor Dick DeGrow in my office that day – and I still vividly remember it more than twenty-five years later.

A good spiritual mentor can be helpful like that, and we usually find them in church. That’s another great reason to obey Hebrews 10:24-25 and not neglect the gathering together of your church family.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Have you had a “thin place” moment?

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “Elisha said, ‘Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed, ‘Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.’ So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Have you had a “thin place” moment?”

In 2 Kings chapter six the prophet Elisha was in a bit of a tough spot. The king of Aram had sent an entire army to track him down and either capture or kill him. When Elisha’s servant got up in the morning and stepped outside, he discovered that they were surrounded by this large army that was ready to move in on them. In despair he rushed to Elisha and said, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

To that Elisha replied that there was no need to despair because there was actually a great spiritual army of angels surrounding the physical army that was surrounding them, and therefore they were going to be just fine. Elisha prayed and asked God to open the servant’s eyes to the spiritual reality around them, and when He did, the servant had a glimpse of the spiritual reality that existed just on the other side of the thin veil which separates the physical world from the spiritual world.

In Celtic culture they teach of “thin places” where, perhaps only for a moment, the veil between this world and the other is parted and a glimpse can be caught into the spiritual realm. Such times are stunning and they help us to understand and appreciate the presence of the holy all around us. Those experiences can change a person and last a lifetime. The servant of Elisha had such an experience but for Elisha, it wasn’t new. Elisha knew of the existence of “thin places” and had apparently had such experiences before. The servant got to experience it because he was with Elisha at the right time.

One of the things I love about church life is that it puts me in the presence of mature Christians who are aware of and who have experienced “thin place” moments. They have had those times when the veil seems to have parted, they realized that they were in the presence of the holy, and it changed them. I love to be with people like that. They have sometimes helped to usher me into such experiences as well.

Tomorrow, I will tell you about one such moment when a mentor of mine helped me to have a “thin place” moment. For now, I want to encourage you to be preparing yourself for your group worship with your church family this Sunday. Perhaps the Lord will have a “thin place” moment for you.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

A little light chases away a lot of darkness

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The influence of a mentor”

Our Bible verse for today: “You are the light of the world” Matthew 5:14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A little light, chases away a lot of darkness”

Have you ever experienced darkness so deep that you literally cannot see your hand in front of your face? You can have that experience in Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. Once you are deep in the cavern the lights are extinguished and you will experience darkness so complete that you might become disoriented, perhaps feel claustrophobic, and you may panic as you reach out trying to grab onto some solid object for reassurance.

But if at that time you were to strike a match, you would be amazed at the difference that little light would make. That’s because just a little light, chases away a whole lot of darkness. That’s true in the physical world but it’s even truer in the spiritual world. That’s the point Jesus was making in Matthew 5:14 in the Sermon on the Mount. As His followers we have the Holy Spirit in us and working through us shining spiritual light into a dark world. And just a little bit of spiritual light chases away a whole lot of spiritual darkness.

In recent days we’ve been considering the impact mentors make in the lives of at-risk children who live in dark, difficult, and sometimes even dangerous home environments. I’ve told you about the difference mentors make in the lives of those children through ministries like Kids on the Rise and the Lighthouse Christian Camp. But you might wonder how much of a difference can really be made in just one hour of mentoring a week (KOTR), or through an occasional camp experience (Lighthouse Camp), especially if those children are living the rest of their lives in darkness. The answer is found in the illustration above. Just a little light, chases away a whole lot of darkness.

That’s true for all mentoring relationships regardless of the ages of the persons involved. People thirst for positive, encouraging, and uplifting interactions. Love, encouragement, and positive reinforcement all make a big difference in the life of a struggling person. Those words and actions will be remembered for a long time, and will continue to have a positive impact in that person’s life long after the event itself has ended.

With just a little time and effort mentoring relationships can make a big difference in a life. It really is true that a little light, chases away a whole lot of darkness.

God bless,
Pastor Jim