Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh again”   Our Bible verse for today: “So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” Matthew 6:31-33 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Just be faithful and trust God”   Matthew 6:25-34 is part of the Sermon on the Mount and it is one of my wife Linda’s favorite passages. In this passage Jesus assures us that we have a Father in heaven who loves us deeply, cares for us more than we can know, and who is committed to providing for us. If we will obey and honor Him, we can trust in Him to care for us. He is sovereign over the affairs of our lives, He is all-powerful, and He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.   Although I love that passage too and have always been reassured and comforted by it, my personal favorite (especially as I’ve entered the senior years) comes from Isaiah 46:4. This is my personalized translation of it: “Even to your old age and grey hairs, Jim, I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I will sustain you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”   Ever since we became Christians more than thirty years ago Linda and I have strived to be faithful to God. Of course, just like you, we have been far from perfect – but I think our hearts have been right about it. At least we’ve wanted to be faithful and we have tried. And, God has certainly taken care of us. We have never been wealthy, but we’ve also never been homeless and hungry either.   Financial and physical concerns are a common source of worry and anxiety for people. They are also a major joy-stealer. It’s impossible to be joyful and light-hearted if you’re fearful and anxious. Learning to truly trust in the goodness, mercy, and watch-care of your Father in Heaven is the key to breaking free from the bondage of being preoccupied with such matters. It will still be true that God expects you to work hard, earn a good living, be a good steward, make smart money decisions, and give generously to help support His kingdom-building work. But as long as you are doing your part, and as long as you are seeking first His Kingdom and His righteousness, He will quietly and subtly take care of the rest for you. You will be provided for.   By the way, I usually end these devotionals about “Laugh Again” with a joke or some funny observation, but today I want to ask you to pray for me. I have an important meeting at a bank later today and if everything goes right, I will be debt free and will have plenty of money for the rest of my life. I’m so excited I can hardly get my ski mask on!”   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy …” Galatians 5:22 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Cultivate joy”   In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul lists for us the fruit of the Spirit. These are character traits that the Holy Spirit develops in a Christian’s life as that person grows in spiritual maturity. The passage reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”   Joy is one of the attributes the Holy Spirit brings out in us as we mature in Christ. But we have to want it and we have to cultivate it in all the ways we’ve been considering this month – prayer, Bible reading, blessing others, surrounding yourself with happy and upbeat people, worship, counting your blessings, listening to Christian music, enjoying good clean comedy, and other activities that lift your spirit and cause you to laugh and be joyful.   Also, true joy is usually found in the simple things in life. In his book “Laugh Again” Pastor Chuck Swindoll observed, “The happiest people are rarely the richest, or the most beautiful, or even the most talented. Happy people do not depend on excitement and ‘fun’ supplied by externals. They enjoy the fundamental, often very simple things of life … they savor the moment, glad to be alive, enjoying their work, their families, the good things around them. They are adaptable; they can bend with the wind, adjust to the changes in their times, enjoy the seasons in life, and feel themselves in harmony with the world. Their eyes are turned outward; they are aware, compassionate. They have the capacity to love.”   Joyful people are usually intentional about being that way. They pursue joy rather than waiting for it to come to them. They cultivate and maintain a bright and sunny disposition. They are lighthearted and they laugh easily and often.   Also, joyful people find humor even in situations that might otherwise cause frustration or discouragement. Pastors do this all the time. We try to laugh about and sometimes make fun of the silly and frustrating aspects of church life. For instance, have you ever wondered why casual Christians even bother to change churches? I mean seriously, does it really matter which church you stay home from? (Okay, that’s a bit of dark Pastor-humor. It’s a little snarky but it’s still funny. Lol)   I encourage all of us to intentionally cultivate joy. Look for the humor in situations and make it a point to laugh a lot.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity.” Psalm 107:31   Our thought for today: “Count your blessings”   Johnson Oatman was a Christian who grew up in the 1850s, the son of the best singer in town. Johnson always had a desire to be a musician and singer, or perhaps a preacher, but he wasn’t gifted for any of those things. However, as a young adult he discovered that he did have a gift for words, specifically written words, and so he began to write songs for Christians to worship by. Johnson’s gift of writing worship songs was so strong that he averaged 200 songs per year – over 5000 in his lifetime. He wrote such classics as “No, Not One” and “Higher Ground”. But his most popular song, and the one that is still sung frequently in our churches today, was “Count Your Blessings”.   “When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.   Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings see what God hath done.”   Yesterday I wrote about church as your happy place. One of the reasons church tends to be a happy place for so many people is precisely because it is a place of giving thanks and praising God for all He has done. Laughing, joyfulness, and thanksgiving are therapeutic. An upbeat and joyful song of thanksgiving like “Count Your Blessings” lifts your spirit and helps you to remember how blessed you truly are. Come to church this Sunday and praise God for all your blessings. Doing so will lift your spirit and put a song in your heart.   By the way, did you hear about the man who counted his blessings and came to the conclusion that God had not yet blessed him with enough money? So, he decided to trick God into giving him more. He said, “God, how long is a million years to you?” God replied, “A million years to me is like a second to you.” Then the man asked, “Well, what is a million dollars like to you?” God said, “To me a million dollars is like a penny to you.” Then the guy asked, “God, can I have one of your pennies?” God smiled and said “Sure, just a second”.   Join us in church this Sunday to join in the praise, and thanksgiving, and joy, and to thank God for your blessings!   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go up to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1   Our thought for today: “Your happy place”   One of the things I love about Oak Hill Baptist Church is the sounds of laughter that ring out throughout the place. When our church family is gathered it tends to get loud because there’s always so much laughing and joking going on. There are smiles and greetings, hugs and laughing, joking and kidding. In the Sunday school classes there’s lots of good teaching, but the fellowship among the members is even better than the lessons. In our worship service the time of greeting and fellowship is happy chaos as people wander around the sanctuary hugging, talking, laughing, and greeting one another. I frequently get the complaint that I don’t allow the fellowship time to go on long enough. (I think I could skip the sermon and just let the people spend those thirty minutes greeting each other and mingling and everyone would be just fine with that!)   Church is my happy place. Whether the church is gathered for worship, study, fellowship, work projects, recreation, or for any other reason, it is always a bright spot in my week. The rest of life can sometimes get heavy and maybe even a little discouraging, but gathering with the church family is the tonic that makes it all better.   A few years ago, the Country singer Kenny Chesney had a hit song titled, “Everybody wants to go to heaven (but nobody wants to go now)”   “Everybody wants to go to heaven, have a mansion high above the clouds, Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now … I’m having fun down here, don’t you know that? Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now …”   I’m sure you probably do want to go to heaven, but not right now. Well, it’s often been said (and I know it to be true), that church done right is a little taste of heaven. So come to church instead! At Oak Hill Baptist our Sunday school is at 9:00 and the worship service is at 10:00. We’ll make you feel welcome, you’ll get your share of hugs, you’ll probably laugh a good bit, and before long church will be your happy place too!   By the way, Kenny Chesney’s song reminds me of little Johnny in Sunday school. The teacher told the children to raise their hands if they wanted to go to heaven. They all raised their hands except for Johnny. The surprised teacher asked, “Johnny, don’t you want to go to heaven?” Johnny hesitated and then said, “Well, I do, but do I have to go now? Mom said we’re having cherry pie for desert today and that’s my favorite!”   Amen Johnny. I can relate little brother. Heaven is going to be great, but I’d like a little more cherry pie before I go.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “You will keep in perfect peace he whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)   Our thought for today: “Don’t dwell in despair”   The concept of “mind control” sounds spooky to many people. It conjures up images of a diabolical genius who can control other people’s thoughts, or someone who dabbles in the dark side of the spiritual world and has learned to bend spoons with his thoughts.   But actually “mind control” is much simpler and more innocent than that. Mind control simply means having control over your thoughts. It means taking positive control over the influences you allow into your mind and the thoughts you allow your mind to dwell on.   And it’s a big deal. The things you allow your mind to dwell on determine how you think as well as what you believe to be true. It also colors your personality – thereby determining how other people view you.   When it comes to our theme of “Laugh Again”, what you allow your mind to dwell on will determine if you are happy or sad, upbeat or depressed. If you allow your mind to dwell on negative thoughts and depressing situations, you will be negative and depressed. But if you focus instead on positive and upbeat things like encouraging Bible verses, or humorous thoughts and jokes, you will be positive, upbeat, and maybe even funny.   “Mind control” is what Isaiah was referring to in Isaiah 26:3. Those who choose to keep their minds focused on God and on the things of God, will find themselves to be at peace. You can accomplish that by memorizing and reciting encouraging passages of Scripture; you can do it by means of listening to uplifting Christian music; and yes, it can happen through comedy and laughing and surrounding yourself with Christian friends who encourage you and lift you up.   All of us have times when we feel down, but we don’t have to dwell there. We don’t have to remain depressed and discouraged. We can be intentional about taking actions that will move us up out of despair. There’s a general principle about human behavior that applies here. It says, “All of my problems become smaller when I take action to deal with them.” That applies to problems of all kinds, but especially to despair, discouragement, and depression. The dark cloud of despair and negativity begins to dissipate when we take positive and intentional action to deal with it. You don’t have to stay there. You can control your mind.   And also, if you know someone who is struggling with this issue help them, but be sure your help is actually helpful. Don’t be like the church that started a support group for depressed people but then put a notice in the church bulletin that read, “The Low Self-Esteem support group will meet on Thursday at 7:00 PM in the church basement. Please use the back door.”   Lol. That’s not helpful, and you can do better.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Keep it clean”   The other night Linda and I pulled out the TV trays, cooked ourselves a pizza, and sat down to watch a movie we had been eager to see for some time. The name of the movie was “Stan and Ollie” and it’s about the real-life story of the famous comedy team Laurel and Hardy. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were the most popular slap-stick comedy act for much of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. They were hilariously funny, but in an innocent and clean way. The movie was a heartwarming behind-the-scenes look at their personal relationship as close friends and partners.   So much of what passes for “humor” in our day is dark and dirty and mean. It doesn’t uplift, edify, or enrich the minds and lives of the audience. Instead, it has the opposite effect. It plants dark, dirty, and mean thoughts in the minds of those who listen to it. Worse, getting enjoyment from that kind of filth poisons a person’s personality. Fill your mind with dark, dirty, and mean thoughts and soon you will become a dark, dirty, and mean person. Comedy shouldn’t have that effect on people.     Ephesians 4:29 is one of several passages found in the New Testament which reminds us that as the people of God we should not use foul language. That would include telling or listening to dirty jokes. As a child of the 50s and 60s I grew-up on the comedy of Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals, The Bowery Boys, Leave it to Beaver, and the Andy Griffith Show. I’m so glad I did because it conditioned me to appreciate and enjoy good clean comedy.   The good news is that there’s still plenty of clean comedy around today that will help us to laugh at life and to enjoy ourselves. Chonda Pierce, Jeff Foxworthy, and Louie Allen, are just a few examples. In our region of the country, we also have The Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, TN. There are actually more choices for clean comedy than you might realize. The reason is because many people prefer it to the dark, dirty, and mean-spirited stuff that passes for comedy in our day.   By the way, did you hear about the 17-year-old boy who was in rebellion to his father? He insisted on wearing his hair shoulder length. His father wanted him to get a haircut. One day the boy came to his father and asked to borrow the car. The father said, “You can borrow the car when you get a haircut.” The boy replied, “You know Dad, Moses had long hair, Noah had long hair, the Apostle Paul had long hair, and even Jesus had long hair.” To which the father replied, “Yes, and they WALKED everywhere they went!”   I hope you enjoy some good clean fun today and that you laugh a lot.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “A happy heart make a face cheerful …” Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Being happy makes you smile, and smiling makes you happy”   It comes as no surprise to us that when we’re happy we smile. But did you know that smiling also makes you happy? It does. There’s an old saying that goes, “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile is the source of your joy.” The truth of this has been scientifically proven in numerous psychological and neurological studies.   Psychologically, there’s a theory known as “self-perception theory”. It holds that acting as if you feel something will eventually lead you to actually experience that feeling. If you act like you are brave, soon you will begin to actually feel brave. If you act like you love someone, and if you continue in those actions, eventually you will begin to experience true feelings of love for them. Likewise, if you act happy, soon you will begin to actually feel happy.   Most of us acknowledge that if we feel happy, we will act happy. But it’s also true that if we act happy, soon we will feel happy. Smiling is a major part of the happiness equation. When you’re happy you smile. So conversely, if you smile you will begin to feel happy. The self-perception theory proves it over and over again. If you want to have something to smile about, just go ahead and smile, and soon you will be smiling because you feel like it and not because you are trying to.   There’s also a neurological element to this smiling business. Smiling results in the secretion of endorphin hormones in the brain. Endorphin has an opiate effect on us in that it makes us feel good. The physical act of smiling releases endorphins in the brain, and that in turn makes us feel good, which gives us even more reason to smile, which then releases more endorphins, which make us feel even better, which makes us smile even more … and on it goes. So, smiling is essentially a drug that makes you feel good, and it’s legal! You can get high on endorphins and there’s no law against it! Beyond that, it’s actually good for you. The more you smile the better you feel and the better you feel the more you smile.   Smiling is also contagious. If you smile at other people other people will smile back at you. Then they will experience the release of endorphins, which will make them feel better and happier and they will smile even more, which will cause yet more people to smile, releasing endorphins in them, causing them to smile at other people and who will then get an endorphin high, and they will smile at other people and … This stuff could change the world!   The fact is that joy causes us to smile but also, a smile causes joy. So, smile today! Smile a lot.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be joyful, and let it show”   I once heard it said that “The Christian should be one big “hallelujah!” from head to toe!” It’s true. Nobody has more to be grateful for than Christians. Your sins have been forgiven; you have the Holy Spirit of God living in your heart; you have a loving Father in heaven who is always looking out for you and who is committed to meeting your needs; you get to experience the Fruit of the Spirit in your life in increasing measure. And, when this life is over, you have a wonderful eternal home waiting for you.   Yes, the Christian should be one big “hallelujah!” from head to toe!   I love the scene depicted for us in Psalm 126. It’s known as “A song of ascents”. It was sung by the Israelites as they marched up to Jerusalem to worship. Jerusalem sat on a hill, which is why it is commonly referred to in song as “a city on a hill”. As that large throng of Israelites ascended the hill, with the city of Jerusalem in sight above them, they were laughing, singing, rejoicing, and calling out praises to God. It was a great scene of joy.   Our theme this month is “Laugh Again” – with an emphasis on “again”. The implication is that long ago we stopped laughing enough. The joy of life drained away and many of us simply resorted to getting through our days. May I politely suggest that you knock it off? To borrow a phrase from Sergeant Hulka in the movie Meatballs, “Lighten up, Francis!” Life is not as hard as you make it out to be. Go back and read the previous devotional about the 80/20 rule. You have been blessed beyond measure and there is much more good in your life than bad. Life is meant to be enjoyed not just endured. There’s plenty to be thankful for and happy about. And there are lots of reasons to laugh.   Did you hear about the little boy who was invited to say the blessing at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner? He thanked God for his mother, father, brothers and sisters. He thanked God for their guests, and for the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and even for the Cool Whip. Then there was an extended silence until finally the mother looked up and saw the boy with his eyes open, looking at her, and in obvious distress. He whispered to her, “Mom, if I thank God for the broccoli won’t He know I’m lying?” Everyone at the table burst out laughing and they all agreed it was the best Thanksgiving prayer any of them had ever heard.   Make it a point today to look for things to be grateful for and to be happy about. And laugh. Laugh at lot. Go ahead and be one big “hallelujah” from head to toe!   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. Indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Remember the 80/20 rule”   An important key to having a light-hearted and joyful demeanor (the kind of outlook that allows you to laugh easily and frequently), is learning to appreciate what you have.   On numerous occasions I have made mission trips to various areas of the Amazon Jungle in Peru, sometimes spending a week visiting with missionary friends who run the El Arca Children’s Home (www.elarcafam.org). The home sits on 110 acres of land in a remote area on the edge of the Rainforest. It is primitive and the living is hard. They only have power a few hours a day when they run the generator. They have indoor plumbing, but only in some of the buildings. They raise cattle and poultry, and they grow a lot of their own food. It is hot and there are lots of bugs, snakes, and wild animals. I always enjoy my time there, but after a week I’m usually ready to come home.   Over the course of the last forty-eight years, first in the Navy and then as a short-term missionary, I’ve traveled to thirty-four countries – the majority of them very poor countries, and I can tell you that most of the rest of the world is not like the USA. Most of the rest of the world is like that situation in the Amazon Jungle, or worse.   Therefore, every time I return home I do so with a new appreciation for how much God has blessed me. I may only have a simple middle-class lifestyle (by the standards of the USA), but I am blessed beyond measure compared to people in most of the rest of the world. I have a comfortable home; I have plenty of food; I have a good income; I have access to good healthcare; I have a loving family and good friends; I live in one of the most beautiful locations in the country; and on and on the list goes. Shame on me if I could have all of this but still not be happy and satisfied!   One of the biggest reasons people are downcast instead of upbeat, complaining instead of thankful, and frowning instead of laughing, is because their thoughts are focused on what they don’t have rather than on what they do have. In Psalm 16:6 King David was reflecting on the contours of his life and he was giving thanks to God for his blessings. The boundary lines of his life had fallen in pleasant places and he had much to be grateful for. I’ll bet the same is true for you. If you think about it you will have to admit that you are blessed in more ways than you have time to count this morning.   Today’s devotional isn’t funny like the others have been. But in order to have a sunny and upbeat disposition, and to be a lighthearted person who can laugh easily and frequently, we need to be people who recognize and appreciate just how blessed we are. There’s an 80/20 rule that can be applied to most people’s lives. It maintains that 80% of the things in our lives are good, and only 20% (or less) are in some way negative. Yet many people focus on the 20% that is negative rather than the 80% that is good.   I encourage you to spend some time today considering how blessed you are. Enjoy the warm sense of being watched over and provided for by a Father in Heaven who loves you very much and who blesses you beyond measure.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again”   Our Bible verse for today: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say, ‘The Lord is my portion therefore I will put my hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Choose joy”   Have you ever known a person who seems to be an expert at finding something wrong with everything? If you say it’s a beautiful sunny day, they’ll point to the one dark cloud in an otherwise clear sky. If you tell them they look nice today, they’ll respond by saying they recently put on five pounds. If you tell them the glass if half full, they’ll tell you that it’s also half empty.   Do you remember “Eeyore” the donkey from the Winnie-the-Pooh books? Winnie is always upbeat and positive but Eeyore is always pessimistic, gloomy, and depressed. No matter how good things are, Eeyore always finds something wrong. We all have encounters with the Eeyores in life, and they’re not fun to be around.   I saw a cartoon recently of two women talking. One was babbling on and on. We the readers get the conversation in midstream, “… and then I caught the flu, the house burned down, our car was stolen, George had to have an operation, the cat got the flu …” The other woman, looking trapped, is thinking to herself “Dear Lord just take me now!” You’ve been in that situation. You’re trapped in a conversation with a narcissist who drones on and on about all her misfortunes (real and imagined) and there seems to be no way out. And you’re thinking “Just shoot me now!”   Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said that “Most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” That’s a great truth. You can choose to see the glass half full instead of half empty. You can choose to see the sunshine rather than the cloud. You can choose to thank God for what you have rather than complain about the things you don’t have.   In the book of Lamentations, Jerusalem had been completely destroyed and was in ruins. The people had been taken into captivity and the situation seemed hopeless. In the middle of the destruction and desolation the prophet Jeremiah uttered that wonderful statement of faith and praise that we just read in 3:22-24 above. He found reasons to praise God, to trust Him, and to live with joy. I encourage you to read the passage again now.   How about you? Do you choose to live with joy? Do you laugh easily and often? Going back to our consideration of Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore, which are you? If the choice in your life is between Winnie or Eeyore, be Winnie my friends, be Winnie.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2021 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.