Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be a light in the darkness”   I recently came across two short stories shared by Robert Wicks in his book “The Simple Care of a Hopeful Heart”, which touched my heart. The first was about Gerda Weissman Klein, a holocaust survivor. She told of something a friend in the concentration camp did for her: “Isle, a childhood friend of mine, once found a raspberry in the concentration camp and carried it in her pocket all day to present it to me that night on a leaf. Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry and you give it to your friend?”   What a tender expression of love and kindness! In the middle of that dark and sinister world in a concentration camp, Isle was a ray of light and love for Gerda. This is the kind of act Jesus was referring to in Matthew 5:16 in the Sermon on the Mount. There He urged His followers to go out into this dark world of ours and to be a ray of light and love – to shine the light of God’s love into the dark places of the world. And please note that He said to do it through good works, through simple acts of kindness and love.   The second story came from the same book. It too came from a scene in a concentration camp, and it too had to do with shining light into dark places – only this time, the act of simple love and kindness came from a surprising source. This story involved a group of men who had adopted a stray dog that had somehow wandered into the camp and taken up residence with them in their bunkhouse. One day, as the group was returning after an impossibly long day of brutal labor, the dog greeted them as they returned. The pup was vigorously wagging his tail, yipping and yapping, and even spinning in circles in joy at the return of his friends. The men said that dog brought indescribable joy into their otherwise dark lives.   As a dog owner and dog lover, I can especially relate to the dog story, but both of them remind me of a challenging statement I came across one time, and which I wrote down and keep in my Bible. It reads, “As I go through life, do I leave blessings in my wake; do I leave a trail of gladness behind? Let it be said that, ‘He went about doing good and blessing people.” This is what Jesus calls us to. In a dark world, we are to shine the light of the love of Jesus – and we are to do it through our good works.   I encourage you to be steadfast and resolute in your determination to be a force for good in our broken and bleeding world.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of horseman, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.” Isaiah 31:1 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Don’t look to Egypt”   Currently, in my personal Bible study, I’m using “The Every Man’s Study Bible” and I’m reading through the Old Testament book of Isaiah. In one of the side articles to go along with the text, the editors noted that Isaiah ministered at a time when the Israelites were experiencing great material prosperity, but also even greater spiritual apathy. They were safe, secure, and affluent, but their thoughts were focused on enjoying a life of ease rather than on honoring God and blessing others.   In those days, Egypt was the dominant regional power both militarily and culturally, and for the most part, the Israelites had a comfortable relationship with them. They thought they could rely on Egypt for protection, and they were also indulging in many aspects of Egyptian culture. That’s what Isaiah was referring to in chapter thirty and thirty-one. And as a result, as a nation they were rapidly descending into spiritual decay.   The situation for the Jews in the days of Isaiah is not so different from the situation we find ourselves in today in our nation. Many Christians are way too comfortable with the culture we live in. We’re looking to the things of the world for joy and fulfillment far too much, rather than to God. As a result, there’s great spiritual decay in our land. But not just in the nation, not just among “them out there”, but in our churches and in the personal lives of individual Christians. The spiritual decay is taking place among God’s people. In many cases and in many ways we, the people of God, are looking to Egypt rather than to God.   For the remaining two days of our series on being steadfast and immovable, I want to return us to the subject of serious discipleship. Our nation, our communities, our churches, and our families need Christians who are passionately committed to following Christ, and who have incorporated the full range of spiritual disciplines into the daily practice of their faith. You know what those are. We’ve thought about them throughout this month. At a minimum such practices include prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians, service in ministry, and full participation in the life of a good church. There are more, but those are the basics.   We need to do this. The allure and the influence of Egypt (the culture) is subtle but strong. If we aren’t intentional and determined in the practice of our faith, steadfast and immovable in our determination to faithfully follow Christ, then we will end up, over time, looking more to Egypt than to God.   The words of warning from Isaiah to the Jews pertains us much to us today as it did to them back then, “Don’t look to Egypt!”   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.” Genesis 25:8 (NIV)   Out thought for today: “Make the most of it”   I recently had another birthday. I turned sixty-eight. Birthdays always put me in a reflective mood. I find myself thinking back over the years, savoring the life the Lord has allowed me to have, and looking forward to what lies ahead.   In Genesis 25:8 we read of the death of Abraham. He died at a good old age, an old man full of years and content with his life. How fortunate he was. So many people don’t get to live a long life. I have a nephew who was killed at the age of five and a younger brother who died at the age of only sixty. I’m so grateful for the sixty-eight years I’ve had, and I pray that maybe my life can end as Abraham’s did, an old man full of years and content with his life. Abraham made the most of the life God gave him.   Doing so is not always easy. It takes intentionality and steadfast determination. I have a friend who turns sixty-three today. He’s had a few health challenges in recent years, including cancer and a couple of other surgeries. But today he is once again healthy and physically fit. He takes care of himself, works out, and plays basketball in a senior men’s league. He even competes in the Senior Olympics. When faced with his health challenges he simply got the treatments and surgeries he needed, did what he needed to do to recover, and got on with living a full and robust life. The point is, my friend lives his life. He makes the most of it – and he does it despite occasional health issues and other obstacles and challenges life typically brings from time to time.    The singer Jimmy Buffet once sang, “I’d rather die while I’m living than live while I’m dead.” Yes. Too many people live as if they’re more dead than alive. They shuffle through their days, moaning and groaning, always seeking and taking the path of least resistance, and just sort of surviving. What a shame. Each day of life is a gift meant to be embraced, enjoyed, and lived to the fullest.   Every day that you’re alive is one more day than many other people were granted. Don’t waste it. I encourage you to be steadfast in your resolve to make the most of your life.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “Here I am today, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me out. My strength for battle and for daily tasks is now as it was then.” Joshua 14:10-11 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Growing older but not old”   A few weeks ago, I ran into a friend who I hadn’t seen in a long time. He is ninety-three but looks and acts like a healthy and vibrant seventy-three. He is healthy and physically fit and very active. A few years ago, at the age of ninety, he got married to a woman who is probably ten or more years younger than him and who is also healthy and fit. They’ve been acting like newlyweds on an extended honeymoon ever since. They’ve been on a trip to Israel, and on a Caribbean cruise, and this summer they’re going on an extended tour of northern Europe. My friend looked at me with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye and he said, “Jim, I spent my whole life earning all this money, now I’m going to have a lot of fun spending it before I die.”   Right on, brother! Three cheers for old folks who are young at heart!   In his book, “No Wrinkles on the Soul: A Book of Readings for Older Adults”, Richard Morgan explains that all of us are actually three different ages at the same time. First, there is our chronological age, which is measured by years on the calendar. Then there is our biological age, which is a factor of our overall health and fitness. And then there is our psychological age, which is a measure of how old a person feels and acts.   Our chronological age is fixed and there’s nothing we can do about that. Obviously, there are things we can do to impact our biological age; but it’s our psychological age that we have the most control over. That’s a matter of attitude and perspective. It’s the understanding that you may be getting older but you don’t have to get old. You don’t have to retire to a rocking chair and long naps. You don’t have to think of yourself as infirm and incapable. You can work to stay as healthy as you can for as long as you can, and you can make it a point to stay as active as your circumstances allow for as long as you can. Some people age faster biologically precisely because they think and act old psychologically.   There’s something winsome and appealing and fun about a newlywed ninety-three-year-old with a grin on his face, a twinkle in his eye, on an extended honeymoon, and thoroughly enjoying life. The artist Pablo Picasso once quipped, “It takes a long time to become young.” – meaning that older people who have learned to relax, enjoy life, and live each day to the fullest, are younger at heart than many people half their age.   You may be getting older but you don’t have to grow old. I encourage you to embrace life with joy and eager expectation, and then live each day to the fullest.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “If you don’t stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “There’s a strong spiritual current working against you”   Last year a couple of friends and I were kayaking in whitewater. At one point, I hit a particularly rough patch of rapids and I capsized. Suddenly I was underwater being dragged along the rocks by a very strong current, while my kayak and paddle were swept away downriver. Fortunately, although I’m a strong swimmer, I always wear a lifejacket, and therefore I was only underwater for a moment before the buoyancy of the lifejacket brought me to the surface. But still, I couldn’t get my footing. The current was so strong and the rocks were so slippery that every time I tried to stand up, I got knocked right back down. The only thing I could do was let the current carry me downriver until it finally let up enough for me to stand, move to the bank, and go retrieve my kayak and paddle.   What I experienced physically in that river on that day is true for all of us spiritually all the time. There’s a strong spiritual current rushing through this world that is swift and potentially dangerous. It’s a cultural current propelled by Satan and if we aren’t careful, it will sweep us up and carry us away. The only way to protect ourselves from that happening is to heed Isaiah’s words of caution in Isaiah 7:9 (above). If we do not stand firm in our faith – if we don’t have a strong and secure footing, we will not stand at all.”   Oh, I know we think we can get away with being only marginally faithful, sorta-kinda active in the practice of our faith, and that will be enough. But no, that’s not true. If you aren’t standing on solid ground, firmly rooted and secure, you will be carried along by the cultural current. It could be in some dramatic fashion, like my experience in the whitewater; or, even more likely, it could be subtle and therefore much less noticeable. But you will be carried along nonetheless.   My experience in the whitewater happened on a Monday, a workday for most people, and aside from myself and my two friends, there was nobody else on the river who could have helped us if we had needed it. Fortunately, I was prepared (lifejacket), and my friends were experienced kayakers, and I recovered from my momentary loss of stability just fine. Likewise, God has provided similar help for us in life. It’s called Christian community. Sometimes we all hit the rapids of life and get caught up in the whitewater, sometimes we even capsize. Dependable Christian friends and a good healthy church are provided for us by God to help us through the turbulent times in life.   There’s a strong spiritual current working against you in this world, and you cannot be steadfast and immovable, standing securely with firm footing, on your own. If you try to, you will be swept up and carried away. Therefore, I urge you to maintain firm footing on solid ground in a good church and with dependable Christian friends.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep …” Acts 13:36 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Serve God’s purpose in your generation”   I’ve preached a lot of funerals over more than twenty-five years as a pastor, but as far as I can remember, I’ve only used Acts 13:36 as my text on one occasion. It was for the funeral of Dick Foster. Dick was a member of our church for most of his adult life. He served as a deacon for decades, and as Chairman of the Deacons for many years until his death.   The thing that Dick is remembered for most in our church, is his strong and steady leadership during numerous difficult years of church life. Sadly, as is true in many churches, there were some turbulent times in the history of Oak Hill Baptist, sometimes with rapid turnover of pastors. But through it all, Dick provided the steady hand of leadership which helped to hold the church together through the worst of times. He loved the church and he served it well, right up until his dying day. By then, things had settled down considerably. The church was stable, there was an entirely new leadership team in place, and so, like David, Dick had served God’s purpose in his generation and it was time for him to go home to heaven. He had been steadfast and immovable in his resolve to serve and protect the church.   Dick’s story has been repeated multiple millions of times down through the ages. Christian history is built upon the faithful service of determined Christians who were steadfast and immovable in their resolve to just hang in there and do what God had called them to do.   How about you? Are you serving God’s purpose for your generation? Are you firmly rooted in a place of service, steadfast and immovable, weathering the storms, and doing your part to pass The Christian faith and a strong church on to future generations? I hope you are.   Let me say it again, Christian history is built upon the faithful service of multiple millions of Christians who just hung in their and did their jobs. May you be remembered as having been one of those.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “And it came to pass …” Luke 2:1 (NKJV)   Our thought today: “In time, all things come to pass”   “And it came to pass …” is one of the most oft repeated phrases in the Bible. In the New King James Version, it appears 120 times and is applied to many different people and in many different situations. In Luke 2:1 it was used in reference to the birth of the long-awaited Messiah. The Jews had waited patiently for over 1000 years and finally, in those days, it came to pass …   In time, all things come to pass. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, months turn into years, and over time, all things come to pass. Are you anxious and impatient because your political party isn’t currently in power? Me too. But time will pass, new elections will be held, and power will change hands. It always does. Are you going through a difficult season in your personal life and you’re eager for some relief and resolution? I can relate. In time, that too will pass. Nothing lasts forever. In time, circumstances will change and life will be different. That’s not meant to diminish or minimize the importance or severity of current events, it’s only meant to illustrate that nothing lasts forever.   When it comes to being steadfast and immovable – especially when times are hard or things aren’t as we would like them to be, the most important thing we can do is to just keep on keeping on. Hang in there, don’t give up, and just outlast the thing. Also, if you are a resilient and determined person, the kind of person who simply will not give up or give in, that will be evident not just with respect to difficult times, but it will be a character trait that is evident in all aspects of your life. And that’s a good thing.   As a Pastor, I see and value this in our church life. There are people who have stuck with the church for decades, through thick and thin, hanging in there no matter what. They’re people who are consistently present, always ready to help, reliable and dependable, rock solid, steadfast and immovable. They’re a large part of the reason our church is now into its ninth decade of faithful witness and service in our community.     Likewise, I interact with tough and durable people all the time who have difficult life situations but who refuse to give up or to give in. Marriage problems, health problems, wayward children, the list goes on. Christians who are steadfast and immovable work through such things knowing that time will pass and things will change.   If you’re dealing with a situation that just seems to be dragging on and on, and you wonder if it is ever going to change, I encourage you to grab a Bible concordance (or even Google the phrase “Bible verses that say, “and it came to pass …”) and note all the instances when something did indeed come to pass. Soon you’ll realize that eventually all things pass, and therefore your situation will as well.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Nothing is over until you give up”   I recently read a quote that struck me as both clever and whimsical, but also profound and thought provoking. It went, “The future isn’t what it used to be.” That observation is sometimes attributed to Aristotle, as an example of deep philosophy, but also to baseball great Yogi Barra, who was known for the odd and often humorous things he said.   But for many people it can also reflect a sad loss of hope. In the past they looked forward to the future with eagerness and expectation, but now the future just looks bleak and hopeless. In that sense, the future isn’t what it used to be. It used to look a lot better, but it now appears less promising for them than it did at one time.   However, if you are a Christian, then the actual truth is that your future is bright – probably in this lifetime, but certainly in the next. And the Lord will walk with you every step of the way into that future. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote in Philippians 4:13 “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Paul wrote that as an old man, in prison, probably facing execution, and what he meant was that there wasn’t a thing he was facing that he couldn’t handle, because Christ was right there with him helping him and strengthening him. And also, Paul knew what the future held for him. Just a bit earlier, in this same letter (1:21-24) he had said that he was willing to go on living and working if the Lord willed it, but he was also prepared to pass from this life and go to heaven because he knew how much better that would be.   The same is true for you. The Lord will strengthen you and walk with you through whatever you are dealing with, and there are almost certainly many blessings and joys waiting for you along the road as you continue through this life. But there is without question a glorious future waiting for you in heaven as well.   If you’re going through a tough time and you’re thinking “I just can’t handle this”, I want to say to you “Yes, you can. With Christ you can handle all things.” And if you could use a bit of extra musical encouragement this morning, then take a moment to Google the music video “Move (Keep Walking)” by Christian artist TobyMac. It will lift your spirits and get your blood pumping, and it will encourage you.   And remember, nothing is over until you give up.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Stay focused on the goal and keep moving forward”   Last Saturday our Youth Department sponsored a 5K run/walk at the Cumberland Mountain State Park (a big “thank you” to Shawn and Amanda, Josh and Shelby for your excellent leadership in planning and supervising it. You did a great job!) It was a fun event complete with business and family sponsors, tee shirts for all the participants, water stations, music, and hot dogs on the grill at the end. There was also a park ranger with a gun. (I wasn’t sure if the gun was because of the possibility of bears or if he had heard that Southern Baptists can sometimes be stubborn and difficult. Either way, I felt safe).      The course was over a moderately difficult unpaved hiking trail with inclines and declines, small streams to cross, and other obstacles to navigate. It wasn’t particularly difficult but then again, I’m not twenty-five anymore. Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to be a jogger. I was never fast but I could jog a long time and cover a lot of distance. I once completed a half-marathon (13.1 miles). But that was then and this is now. I walked this course (meandered), and a six-year-old finished thirty minutes ahead of me (true story).   The key for me, whether I was jogging a half- marathon or meandering through at 5K while being beaten by a six-year-old, has always been to do what Paul wrote about in Philippians 3:13-14 (above), stay focused on the goal and just keep moving forward. My thoughts were on the finish line and I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got there.     That’s a good strategy for a run/walk event, and it’s also a good strategy for life. Stay focused, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop. It has been rightly said that “many people leave the dock five minutes before their ship would have come in.” I’ve shifted metaphors but I think you see the point. Most people stop way to soon when they should keep going. It’s the primary reason people fail instead of succeed – they stopped when they should have kept going.   If something is worth starting then it’s worth completing. I encourage you to stick with the things you start. Stay focused on the goal and just keep moving forward.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Steadfast and immovable”   Our Bible verse for today: “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win Jews; to those under the law, like one under the law – though I myself am not under the law – to win those without law. To those who are without the law, like one without the law – though I am not without God’s law but under the law of Christ – to win those without the law. To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every means possible save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Steadfast and immovable does not mean rigid”   There’s an age-old fable told, about a mighty oak tree and a willow tree standing in the same field. The willow tree envied the strength, power, and sheer majesty of the oak tree. One day a storm with great winds and torrential rains blew through the field. After the storm was over the willow tree saw that the mighty oak had fallen over. In confusion, she asked the farmer who owned the land what happened to the mighty oak. “How did the storm blow the oak tree over and yet I’m still standing?” asked the willow.  The farmer explained that although the oak was mighty and solid, it was also rigid and inflexible. So, when the winds became too much for it to resist, it broke and toppled. The force of the wind and the pressure of the storm was just too much for the oak to withstand and so, it collapsed. By comparison, the willow was flexible and adaptable and was therefore able to bend with the wind and weather the storm.   Please note that the willow did not become uprooted – she held her ground and was immovable from the place she was planted, but she was flexible enough to bend as necessary and to do so without giving ground. Steadfast and immovable does not necessarily mean rigid and inflexible.   There’s a lesson in that for us. There is a lot to be said for the formidable strength of the oak, but there’s also great danger in being rigid. Often being flexible will be of much greater advantage – it allows us to bend while still holding our ground.   This is important. We Christians can often be rigid when we should be flexible. It is possible to be faithful to the Lord, true to our doctrine, and firm in our positions, while still being flexible enough to adjust ministry methods and practices as necessary according to the situations we find ourselves in. There’s a rule of thumb which applies to this. It reads, “The message never changes, but the methods must.”   That’s the lesson Paul modeled in his own life and ministry, as described in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22 (above). Paul was rock solid in his faith. He was a pillar of strength and courage and fortitude and he never budged an inch in his doctrine. But he was also flexible in the way he interacted with people and in the ways in which he conducted his ministry among them. Therefore, he was about to adjust to the cultural settings he found himself in.   Paul had the strength of the oak, but the flexibility of the willow. That’s a pretty good goal for us too. Being steadfast and immovable does not mean being rigid.   God bless, Pastor Jim

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