Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “God sets the lonely in families …” Psalm 68:6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Eating Twinkies with friends”   Our church (Oak Hill Baptist) is a very active church. We have lots of mission trips and community service projects that take us, as a congregation, outside the walls of the church buildings to do things together for others. We also have lots of fun social activities (Shawn and Amanda Reagan are our ministers of fun. It’s their job to think up fun stuff for the rest of us to do – and they’re very good at it.) My point is that our church life is vibrant and alive – we’re actively on-mission with Jesus in the world and we have a lot of fun together.   That’s an important aspect of church life and it helps us to understand why it’s so important for every Christian to be part of a good church family. Gathering with the church family should be a time of spiritual nurture, healing, encouragement, blessings, laughing, loving, and fun. If your church isn’t like that then I encourage you to take the initiative to begin turning it into that. And if you don’t have a church home then visit with us. Very quickly you will feel right at home.   Psychologists tell us that one of the most troubling and saddest maladies that people suffer from is loneliness. Lonely people are much more likely to be unhealthy and to die younger than those who have lots of family and friends. Church should be a haven for lonely people. God leads lonely people to church so they will have friends and so they will be part of a family environment. Jesus wants His people to be upbeat, joyful, and laughing a lot. If you want a good laugh, just hang around Oak Hill Baptist Church for a little while. We’ll fix you right up!   I read a statement recently that really caught my attention and helped to convince me all over again that we all need to be part of a good church family. It was a health study conducted by researchers from the Harvard Medical School. They tracked 7,000 people over nine years, studying their overall health and evaluating the conditions that produced that health in that person. Here’s what it said, “People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity, or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated.”     That does not mean that smoking, overeating, or overdrinking are good things. It means that loneliness is a bad thing – so bad that it’s worse for you than poor lifestyle habits.   Do you realize what this means? Eating Twinkies with friends is better than eating broccoli alone! It’s true! The research proves it!   I encourage you today to find some friends, eat some Twinkies, and laugh – laugh a lot.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” John 15:11   Our thought for today: “Experience true joy”   On Friday Jesus died a terrible death on a cross. That was Friday, but Sunday was coming. On Saturday Jesus was in the grave and His followers were in mourning. That was Saturday, but Sunday was coming. On Sunday Jesus arose from the grave – and nothing has been the same since!   The resurrection changes everything. Death has been defeated and the promise of a glorious eternal life in heaven now belongs to all those who place their faith in the Resurrected Savior.   Have you experienced the joy of Jesus in your life? All this month in our devotional series we’ve been exploring the concept of “Lighten up a little”. The idea is that we often miss out on much of the joy that Jesus wants us to have. Many people have resigned themselves to simply trudging through their days, wearing life like a heavy old coat, putting one foot in front of the other and simply getting through life. That shouldn’t be, and it’s not the life the Lord intends for us to experience. As author Chuck Swindoll taught us in his book by the same name, we need to learn to “Laugh Again”.   In John 15:11 Jesus said that one of the purposes of His ministry here on earth was so that we might have His joy in our hearts. In Galatians 5:22-23 the Apostle Paul described for us what a life like that might look like. Once we embrace Jesus as Savior and Lord, and as the Holy Spirit begins to transform us more-and-more into the likeness of Jesus, we begin to experience and exhibit His personality traits. Paul described them for us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” This is the “completion” Jesus was talking about, and joy is second on that list.   Most devotionals in this series end with a joke, or a whimsical thought, or a cute story, but no jokes this morning. Instead, I encourage you to simply spend a few moments thinking about the joy of Jesus in your life. I hope you are experiencing it in increasing measure.   I also want to invite you to worship with us at Oak Hill Baptist Church. If you are anywhere near the Cumberland Plateau, please join us for Sunday school at 9:00 and for worship at 10:00. The love and joy of Jesus will be abundant! If you cannot join us in-person, then please join us online on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville.   Every Sunday is a celebration of Easter. Jesus is alive – and He wants us to be too. Not just physically alive but fully, spiritually alive, living our best lives. Jesus wants you to have a life that is filled with His joy.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Hug that porcupine”   I love John Ortberg’s book, “Everybody’s Normal – Till You Get to Know Them”. It’s a great title for a book – funny and intriguing. The title makes you grin and want to read it. And sure enough, the title is a pretty good clue about the fun lessons that lie within.   The first chapter is entitled “The Porcupine’s Dilemma”. Porcupines need love too, and they want to cuddle too, but when they get too close to each other there’s the danger of getting poked by a sharp quill. You see, if the porcupine gets a little agitated, for any reason, the quills come out and then someone is going to get poked.   Hello! Welcome to church! In fact, welcome to life. We’re all a bunch of porcupines with sharp quills. We need and want love, and we want to have good relationships with others, but if you get too close, and if someone gets a little agitated, the sharp quills might come out, and someone is going to get poked.   The answer to our dilemma is found in Ephesians 4:1-3. There Paul urges us to live with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. He wrote it again in Colossians 3:12-13. There he put it this way: “Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another.”   Rather than getting upset or annoyed at other people’s peculiar personality quirks learn to laugh about them. Find amusement in the fact that we are all a little weird. Ortberg playfully illustrates that in his book by explaining that if you were an item for sale in a department store, you would be featured on the bargain clearance table along with a sign that says “Slightly irregular. Flawed. Sold as is.” The fact is that none of us are “normal”. We’re all flawed and we’re all annoying in some way. There really is no “normal”. So, lighten up and laugh about it.   By-the-way, speaking of people with porcupine personalities, if you’ve had to stand in a grocery store check-out line recently then perhaps you have seen the glaring headline on the front cover of a popular women’s magazine that reads, “Totally Normal Women Who Stalk Their Ex-Boyfriends!” Seriously? They stalk their ex-boyfriends but they’re totally “normal”? Women like that scare me!   Fortunately, I have a sweet little wife who is anything but a porcupine. She is soft and cute and easy to cuddle with, and she doesn’t stalk me. Even though I sometimes am a bit of a porcupine, she graciously makes allowances for it, and she loves me anyway.   I encourage you to take a chance and hug someone today – even if they sometimes seem like a porcupine.     God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “Make room for us in your hearts …” 2 Corinthians 7:2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Take care of your relationships”   I once taught a marriage enrichment study for couples in our church. Eight couples met every Thursday night to watch the DVD series “Love and Respect” by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs, followed by a time of group discussion. The DVD was helpful and funny, but the group discussion was the best part. Because of the fun and lighthearted way Dr. Eggerichs presented the material, it encouraged fun and lighthearted interaction among the spouses. It was good to see them laughing and joking with each other and it helped to strengthen relationships.   Although that study was specifically about helping husbands and wives to maintain a strong marriage relationship, the principles taught really pertain to all relationships. The primary lesson is that we must be intentional about nurturing and caring for the relationships that are most important to us because if we don’t, they won’t be healthy (and life is miserable when our most important relationships are not healthy).   That’s also true of life in general. If your life is filled with broken relationships, with conflict and tension, yours will be an unhappy life. The best way to keep relationships healthy is by being intentional about nurturing them.   It starts with simply making room for people to be in your life, and then intentionally interacting with them in a way that builds and strengthens the relationship.  In 2 Corinthians 7:2 Paul urged his readers to make room for him in their hearts. In other words, “Make room for me in your life. Give me some of your time and attention and do it in a manner that communicates love and respect.”   That’s certainly important regarding your most important relationships, but it’s also true about the more casual relationships we have, such as with coworkers, neighbors, and church members. Give people a little bit of your time, do it with a sense of love and respect, and not only will you make them feel better, but your life will be better too. Healthy relationships are light and fun. Broken relationships are emotionally draining. You are taking care of yourself when you take care of your relationships.   And be sure to keep it lighthearted and fun when you can. Doing so makes everyone’s day better. That’s one of the reasons I have been including some jokes and funny stories in these devotional messages. It’s to help all of us begin our day with a chuckle and a smile and to share that laughter with others.   Did you hear about the man who sat down next to a nun on a bench at a bus stop? After a moment of silence, the man turned to the nun and said, “I don’t mean this disrespectfully, but I have always had a desire to kiss a nun. I mean just a friendly peck on the cheek. Would it be okay if I gave you a little kiss?   The nun thought about that for a moment and then said, “Well, I suppose it would be okay, under two conditions. One, you must be a single man. And two, you must be a Catholic.”   Without hesitation then young man said, “I am single. And I am a Catholic.” Then nun then said, “Well, okay. You may kiss me then.”   At that the young man placed both hands on the nun’s cheeks and planted a big sloppy kiss right on her lips. Then, laughing, he said, “I tricked you! I’m really married and I’m a Baptist.” The nun smiled and said, “Actually, I tricked you. My name is Kevin and I’m on my way to a costume party.”   By-all-means, my friends, keep it light and have some fun today, it will be good for your relationships. But don’t go kissing people strange to you.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “You attitude is your choice”   Charlie “Tremendous” Jones was a popular motivational speaker and author. He was hired by companies and organizations to speak to their employees to help motivate them and to help them develop and maintain positive attitudes about their work and about life in general.   Charlie was so upbeat and positive that his attitude was contagious. But it was a lot more than just ‘rah-rah” cheerleading stuff. The reason his books and seminars were so popular is because his message resonated with people and his strategies worked. Deep inside, most people really do want to be positive and upbeat. People want to feel good and they want to enjoy life. Charlie was effective at helping people achieve that. Your life is better when your attitude is right. More than thirty years ago I bought one of his books called “Life is Tremendous!” and I still have it on my bookshelf today. I have it in front of me right now as I write this.   When it comes to having a good attitude, I have always been inspired by God’s command to Joshua recorded in Joshua 1:9 above – choose to be strong and courageous, push back against discouragement. That command fits hand-in-glove with a similar command given by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy recorded in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (or timidity), but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”   Your attitude and your overall outlook on life is one of the most important things about you. A pessimistic person with a bad attitude is destined for a life of misery and failure. A positive person with a good attitude is much more likely to have a happy life. And your attitude is your choice. You decide how you are going to approach life. You decide whether you will be downcast and miserable or upbeat and positive.   Personally, I choose to believe that life is tremendous and full of fun and adventure, because that’s a better way to live than being pessimistic. Likewise, living with a sense of being empowered by God to accomplish meaningful things is so much better than being fearful or timid.   It has often been said, and I know it to be true, that a bad attitude is like a flat tire – you won’t get anywhere until you change it. So, if your attitude needs changing don’t wait until you’re bumping along on the side of life’s road like a car with a flat tire. I encourage you to change it now. Lighten up. Your attitude is your choice.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   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”. 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 has committed to providing for us. If we obey and honor Him, we can trust 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 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 I became a Christian more than thirty-five years ago, I have strived to be faithful to God in acts of service, financial stewardship, and in overall lifestyle. Of course, just like you, I have been far from perfect, but I have tried.  And God has certainly taken care of me. I have never been wealthy, but I’ve also never been homeless and hungry either.   Financial and physical concerns are a common source of worry and anxiety for people. They steal our joy. 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. You still must do your part. 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 if 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.   So, don’t resort to extreme measures like wasting money on lottery tickets, or gambling at the casino, or running drugs for the Mexican cartels. Also, don’t be like the guy who called and asked me to pray for him. He said, “I have an important meeting at a bank later and if everything goes right, I will be debt free and I will own everything I have. I’m so excited I can hardly get my ski mask on!””   Don’t be that guy. Just be faithful and trust God.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   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 what he termed “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 full 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 develops in us as we mature in Christ. But we must want it and must cultivate it. This involves being intentional 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.   True joy is usually found in the simple things in life. In his book “Laugh Again” Pastor Chuck Swindoll observed that:   “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 who laugh easily and often are usually intentional about being that way. They pursue joy rather than waiting for it to come to them. I encourage you to pursue joy. Be intentional about cultivating a bright and sunny disposition. Be a lighthearted person who laughs easily and often. Find humor even in situations that might otherwise cause frustration or discouragement.   Pastors do this all the time. We make it a point to laugh about the sillier aspects of church life. For instance, have you ever wondered why casual Christians even bother to change churches? I mean, does it really matter which church you stay home from?   Sorry, that’s a bit of dark Pastor humor early on a Monday morning – but it’s meant in fun. After all, it was raining yesterday. But by-the-way, the devil loves it when the rain makes people stay home from church – because dry people burn better! (Okay, Okay, enough of the dark humor. Have a nice day but come to church next Sunday! Lol.)   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   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 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Count your blessings”   Johnson Oatman was a young Christian man 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 two hundred songs per year, over five thousand 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 the 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 concluded 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”.   The truth is that God has already blessed you in more ways than you can probably count. Join us in church this Sunday to thank God for your blessings!   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   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 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Where’s your happy place?”   For many years Disneyland has laid claim to the title “The happiest place on earth.” Well, I’ve been to Disneyland and I’m unconvinced. Although there is some fun to be had there, there are also crushing crowds, long lines, high prices, crying kids, and exasperated adults.   I have happy places, but Disneyland is not one of them. I love being at home on the porch with my wife. Or hiking on a trail in the deep woods. Or sitting on a beach with sunny skies and crystal-blue water. Or, in church. Church is without question a happy place for me. That’s what King David was thinking about when he wrote Psalm 122:1.   One of the things I love about Oak Hill Baptist Church is the sounds of laughter that ring throughout the place. When our church family is gathered it tends to get loud because our people enjoy being together so much. 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 great too. In our worship service the time of greeting and welcoming one another 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 before I call the people back to continue singing.   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 my 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 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. I promise you will feel welcome. You will also 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   (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning, everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)   Our thought for today: “Use some mind control”   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. This is a bigger issue than you might realize. The things you allow your mind to dwell on determine how you think and what you believe to be true, and it also colors your personality – thereby determining how other people see you.   When it comes to our theme of “lighten up a little”, 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 make yourself 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 listening to uplifting Christian music; and 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 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. It all begins to dissipate when we take intentional actions to deal with it. You don’t have to stay there. You can control your mind.   Also, if you know someone who is struggling with this issue, please be sure the help you offer really is helpful. Don’t be like that church that started a support group for depressed people with poor self-esteem issues but then put in the bulletin, “The Low Self-Esteem support group will meet on Thursday at 7:00 PM in the church basement. Please use the back door.”   God bless, Pastor Jim    (If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571