Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk according to the Lord’s instruction! Happy are those who keep his decrees and seek him with all their heart.” Psalm 119:1-2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Your best life ever!” What’s the secret to living your best life ever? The secret is that it isn’t a secret. Through the writer of Psalm 119 God told us plainly almost three thousand years ago that we would find our best life if we study His commands and keep them. God has a good and perfect plan for your life. Jeremiah 29:11-14 assures us of this: “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. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when your search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” That’s exactly what the Psalmist was expressing in Psalm 119:1-2. Make the effort to know, understand, and apply the principles for living that are found in the Word of God. Live by it. Then you will discover your best life ever. The fact is that the best life any of us will ever have will be the one lived in the center of God’s will. No matter what else you accomplish in life, no matter how much wealth and possessions you accumulate, no matter how much the world sings your praises and honors you with accolades, no life will be as good as the life you can have living in the center of God’s will for you. You will also be your most effective in life when you are in the center of God’s will. The Holy Spirit will provide you with direction and power. He will make you wise, strong, tough, and resilient as you tackle the many challenges life throws at you, and you will be at your maximum effectiveness. Let me say it again: The secret to living your best life ever is that it isn’t a secret. God has made clear how to do it. Seek Him with all your heart. Study His Word. Live by it. If you would like a little more practical help in implementing the changes needed to establish the habit of living in God’s will instead of your own, I recommend the helpful little book “The Best Possible Life: How to live with deep contentment, joy, and confidence – no matter what” by Jim Murphy. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare”   Our Bible verse for today: “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” Genesis 2:18 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Our big announcement”   The practice of selfcare can be a funny thing. Most of the time, it consists of principles and concepts that apply broadly to all of us all the time. For instance, it is always important to eat well, to exercise, and to get adequate rest. We all also need healthy relationships with God and with other people. We also need to take the steps necessary to eliminate unhealthy amounts of stress and anxiety from our lives. We all need those things all the time.   But at other times the practice of selfcare is extremely personal and unique to us as an individual. Sometimes there are things that God wants to work out in our own life that does not apply to everyone else, or to anyone else. In those instances, we must be very aware of and sensitive to how the Holy Spirit is directing and guiding us personally. This is such a time in my own life.   After my wife Linda died, I was certain I would be single for the rest of my life. But God had other plans. He introduced me to a wonderful Christian woman (Aimee) whose husband (Tim) had died six months before Linda did. Aimee also expected to be single the rest of her life. But as we got to know each other it became increasingly clear that God intends for us to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife. Today is the day we are going public with our announcement and since you, my faithful readers, are very much like family to me, we wanted to share our joyful news with you as well.   Let me also say that marriage, or remarriage, is not the right answer for everyone. Jesus was single. So was the Apostle Paul, and Jeremiah, and Anna the woman who welcomed the baby Jesus in the temple, and many others. In my book “Getting Along without Going Along” I wrote an entire chapter about the gift of being single. So, marriage is not God’s answer for everyone, but it is for us and we wanted to share our good news with you. Here is that announcement:   Hello family and friends,   We, (Jim and Aimee), are happy to announce that we are engaged to be married. (We have been engaged for a while but this is our public announcement.)   We will be having two wedding ceremonies. The first will be on Sunday June 29th. It will be a small private ceremony with only immediate family in attendance. The second will be on Saturday October 18th at 2:00 at Oaklawn Farms in Crab Orchard, Tennessee. This one is for our family, church family, and friends.   We are getting married on June 29th in a small private ceremony because time is precious and we want every day we can have in this lifetime as husband and wife. Every day that passes without us being married is a day that is lost to us and we can never have it back.   But we are having a second wedding on October 18th because we both want an autumn wedding. We love fall (it is our favorite season); we love the fall colors (they are spectacular in Eastern Tennessee); and we both love a beautiful country setting with mountains, valleys, and rolling hills (Oaklawn Farms is exactly that). Also, we are excited about having a big barn-wedding on a crisp autumn afternoon with lots of family, friends, food, music, and dancing. Invitations will be coming soon!   Thank you for sharing in our joy. We love you all!   Jim and Aimee

Copyright © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word. I have sought you will all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands. Psalm 119:9-10 (CSB) Our thought for today: “This is how we find our true north” In recent days in this devotional series, we have been thinking about priorities, focus, simplicity, and even downsizing for selfcare and to achieve a better quality of life. But how do we get there from here? I mean, we live in a loud, chaotic, demanding world filled with responsibilities, pressures, distractions, and many competing demands for our time and attention. How do we filter through all of that, distill it, eliminate the superfluous and unhelpful, and somehow achieve that better quality of life? Recently I came across an interesting observation about the nation of Israel in Old Testament times that seems to speak about our society as well. It was from the editors of the “Experiencing God Study Bible” and it was part of the introduction to the book of Ezra. Here’s what they observed about Israel in those days: “About 458 B.C, almost a century after the first return from Babylonian exile, Israel looked for identity and hope as they struggled with worship without meaning, daily living without focus, and a nation without identity, ruled by foreigners. Ezra called God’s people to find meaning and hope in renewed worship, dedication to obey God’s commandments, and separation from pagan influences. The book of Ezra seeks to encourage an indifferent community of God to find new life in their worship of God and obedience to His word, as they forged a unique identity as the people of God.” That’s pretty good advice for us too. As Christians, many of us are lost in a world of noise and distraction, and it is killing us. It is draining away our spiritual vitality and leaving us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually empty. But the answer for us is the same as it was for them: Return to God. As the editors also noted, “The world lures God’s people into doing things the world’s ways rather than God’s. The Bible presents God’s unchanging standard for his people.” That’s it right there. The Bible, along with a vibrant practice of our faith, is our true north. That’s what the Psalmist meant in Psalm 119:9-10 and that is what will keep us headed in the right direction rather than getting lost in a confusing and dangerous world. This is important and there’s more that needs to be said about it, so we will continue this discussion tomorrow but for now, I encourage you to take care of yourself by spending time in God’s Word first thing this morning. It will help to keep your focused and headed in the right direction all throughout the day. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more, to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.” 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Maybe you should downsize and simplify” In recent days we have been considering the idea that good selfcare often involves narrowing our focus for the purpose of going deep in all areas of life. Deep rather than wide, intimate rather than impersonal. I have introduced you to two great little books that will help in that effort, Chuck Swindoll’s “Intimacy with God” and John Mark Comer’s “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” And I have been sharing a bit of my personal story with you regarding my own decades-long effort to bring about quality over quantity in my own life. Today I will conclude that part of our study by sharing one more important evolution that needed to take place in my own life. It involved an intentional decision made more than a decade ago by my wife Linda (who is now in heaven) and myself regarding the need to downsize and simplify our lives. We realized we owned far too much stuff (most of which we didn’t use) and our lives were entirely too busy (filled with too many activities and responsibilities). We owned a large house that was entirely too much living space for only two people, on a large piece of property that required a lot of upkeep. So, we sold that house and bought a home less than half the size of what we had, on a smaller piece of property that required much less upkeep. We also sold or gave away approximately 75% of our possessions – most of which were going unused and sitting in storage anyway. Professionally, I narrowed my focus to being a pastor, a writer, and my jail/prison ministry, and I resigned from all other boards, committees, and ministry activities. In my personal life my focus narrowed to mostly my wife, my immediate family, and a circle of close friends. It was amazing how much space that created in my life. Head-space, for one thing, but also, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually I discovered how much more relaxed and peaceful my entire life became. My life still included much meaningful service for the kingdom of God, along with plenty of focus and interaction with the people who were most important to me. And we still owned the possessions that we needed and which were most important to us. But everything else went. And the difference was tangible. In some respects, it was remarkable how much more enjoyable our lives became. And I would not go back. That’s exactly the point both Swindoll and Comer were making in their books, and it’s the point the Apostle Paul was making in 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12. Simple is often better than complicated, small can be better than big. It’s also the point Solomon was making in the TEV version of Ecclesiastes 7:29 that we considered that other day: “God has made us plain and simple but we have made ourselves very complicated.” Sometimes an important part of good selfcare will involve simplifying and downsizing in life. Are there some ways in which you could create more space in your life? God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “Greet also the church that meets in their home.” Romans 16:5 (CSB) Our thought for today: “The strategically small church” Today is Saturday, tomorrow is Sunday. I hope everyone reading this has plans to attend church tomorrow and that it will be a healthy church in which you are fully involved. In terms of selfcare, being deeply involved in the life of a good church family is one of the most affirming and nurturing things you can do for your spiritual health. There are approximately thirty-seven million Christian churches worldwide – 332,000 in the USA. 90% of those churches consist of fewer than 150 active members. 80% have fewer than 100. Large churches are the exception rather than the norm. The Holy Spirit intentionally forms small church families because spiritually, small is better than big. Intimate is better than impersonal. Even in the early church in the book of Acts, when hundreds and then thousands were coming to faith in Jesus, they quickly discovered that they had to divide up into smaller groups and meet in homes because the larger group wasn’t effective for deep discipleship. This is not a criticism of mega-churches as we know them today. Some of the greatest and most spiritually powerful churches in our day are large. But the mega-churches that are most effective are those that focus heavily on small-group discipleship. Within the large church there are multiple small churches that meet in homes because that small-group dynamic is essential to good spiritual growth. In my own journey in the pursuit of going deep in all areas of life (as discussed in the past two devotionals), as a pastor I had to apply that to church life as well. My desire became to go deep with a small group rather than wide with a large group. I wanted to interact deeply with a smaller group rather than superficially with a larger group. Therefore, of the three churches I have been the pastor of during the last thirty years of ministry, Oak Hill Baptist is the smallest but it is also the best (the most spiritually healthy). That is true precisely because our focus is on going deep rather than wide (going deep with God and with each other). Two of the most helpful and insightful pastor/church-leadership books I have ever read and which has helped me to lead our church in being healthy even though we are small are: “The Strategically Small Church” by Brandon J. O’Brian and “Simple Church” by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. Both of those books provide valuable guidance about how a small church can leverage their smallness into being their greatest strength. In this era of church life that typically emphasizes big numbers and numerous activities (and which is often therefore over-busy and even stressful as members try to keep up with it all), the strategically small church is content to be simple but deep, and focused on the things that truly matter most. This is selfcare for churches. I encourage you to find a church that is truly healthy and then sink deep and fully into that church life. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …” Jeremiah 29:13-14 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Sink deeply into your relationship with God” Over the next several days I want to share a personal story with you about my own decades-long journey of pursuing depth over superficiality in all of life. Please note that I do not claim to have arrived or to be a particularly deep person. Just like you, I am very much a work in progress. Also, this journey has been an evolution that has progressively unfolded over the course of decades, and it is still unfolding today.   I’m simply sharing with you part of my journey, just as Chuck Swindoll shared about his pursuit of depth in his great little book, “Intimacy with God.” In fact, it was Chuck’s book that inspired my own pursuit of depth over superficiality – and maybe something in my story will be helpful to you just as his was for me. After reading Chuck’s book, I realized I had to begin with God. My personal relationship with God must be deep and rich. Then, everything else will flow from that. So, I resolved to engage in serious discipleship by means of daily Bible study, lots of prayer, reading many good Christian books, spending time with other Christians more advanced in the faith than myself, full involvement in the life of my church, and lots of contemplative and reflective time with God. This is what God was saying to us in Jeremiah 29:13-14. If you will put the time and effort into seeking Him, He will be found by you. And the more you seek Him, the more of Him you will discover. King David was described by God in 1 Samuel 13:14 as being “a man after My own heart.” That was David’s legacy – he sought God in deep ways. About that personal experience David told the rest of us in Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!” David was saying that the more you experience of God, the more of Him you will want. He found that to be true in his own life, and he was certain we would find it to be true as well. This is the starting place for a life of depth rather than superficiality – seek God with all your heart. Be deep in Him. All the rest of life will then flow from that. This is the most important and helpful thing you can do in terms of selfcare: sink deeply into your relationship with God. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “God has made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 (TEV) Our thought for today: “Deep rather than wide” Almost thirty years ago, I came across a little book that was ultimately to change my life in profound ways. The title is “Intimacy with God” by pastor and author Chuck Swindoll. It’s a tiny book that chronicles lessons Chuck learned personally during a time in his life when he withdrew, slowed down, and spent extended time reflecting and renewing. To give you a taste of the kinds of insights the book contains, this is how Chuck begins chapter one: “Deep things are intriguing. Deep jungles. Deep water. Deep caves and canyons. Deep thoughts and conversations… There is nothing like depth to make us dissatisfied with superficial, shallow things. Once we have delved below the surface and had a taste of the marvels and mysteries of the deep, we realize the value of taking the time and going to the trouble of pluming those depths … This is especially true in the spiritual realm. God invites us to go deeper rather than to be content with surface matters.” That thought changed my life. I decided I wanted to go deep instead of wide in all of life. Rather than doing lots of things in a superficial manner, I wanted to do fewer things but go deep with them. First, in my life with God I wanted to spend the time to go deep with Him. Second, in my life as a husband and as a father I resolved to simplify and slow our lives down to increase the quality of our family life. Going deep also involved my life as a pastor. I starting asking God for a smaller church with fewer people so rather than touching a lot of people a little, I could go deeper with a smaller group. I wanted to go deep instead of wide in all of life, beginning with God and then extending out to everything and everyone else. Doing that requires slowing down and simplifying across the spectrum of life. The more we are involved in and the faster we move, the more superficial we must be to fit it all in. This is about selfcare, but it’s also about everyone-else-care too. Everyone else in your life, especially those closest to you, will benefit from you going deeper instead of wider. We will explore this idea more tomorrow and I will describe for you a few very large changes I made in my own life thanks to this concept of deep rather than wide. But as we close this morning, I want to share with you an admission from Pastor John Mark Comer which he shared in his book “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” “All of my worst moments come when I’m in a hurry.” In other words, that faster he goes and the more he tries to do, the less effective he becomes in all of them. How about you? Are you moving too fast through life, trying to do too much? Do you need to slow down a little and go deeper rather than wider? God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV) Our thought for today: “Slow down and relax” I love the way King David began Psalm 23 – with words of rest and restoration. God is his shepherd and the first thing David tells us about his shepherd is that the shepherd leads him to rest. It’s a tranquil picture of calmness and serenity. Actually, the point David makes first, and as a prelude to the part about resting, is that God as the shepherd is also the provider, therefore, “I shall not be in want” and therefore “I can simply lie down in green pastures and rest beside quiet waters as my soul is restored. “In other words, “God has this.” And since He does, David can slow down and he can even stop for a while. Interestingly, in the Bible Jesus is never depicted as being in a hurry. Also, there are no instances of Him urging His disciples or us to be in a hurry either. Instead, as Psalm 23 so beautifully depicts, we are to follow Him, at His pace, and trust that when we are resting, He is still protecting and providing. But this is a tough concept for many of us to believe and embrace. We believe we have so much to do that we can’t stop and we can’t even slow down. Instead, we have to rush to get this thing done so we can then rush to get the next thing done. As author and pastor John Ortberg playfully wrote, many of us act as if the Psalm says, “The Lord is my shepherd, therefore I gotta run faster.” But good shepherds don’t run. They walk and they lead their sheep at a relaxed pace. That’s what Jesus does with us and that’s what David was depicting in the beginning verses of Psalm 23. We need to slow down. We live life at a frantic pace that isn’t good for us – or for those around us. Instead, we need to be intentional about choosing a simpler, slower, unhurried life that nourishes our soul rather than drains it, and which allows us to fully focus on the things in life that truly matter most. In the days to come, I will share with you some of the very wise insights contained in John Mark Comer’s excellent book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry.” For now, as written by John Ortberg in the introduction to that book, “Take a deep breath. Put your cell phone away. Let your heart slow down. Let God take care of the world.” God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Self-care” Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Jesus wants you to rest” Up to this point in this devotional series on selfcare we have dedicated more than a week to the subject of taking a break and getting some rest. It’s because most of us try too hard to do too much for too long and we end up physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually empty. Am I speaking to anyone? Is this hitting home? We live in a society where everyone is busy, busy, busy – many are stressed and on the edge of burnout. I’m not going to get into whether or not you are too busy, but I am going to say that all of us need more time for resting, renewal, and restoration. Just in the Gospel of Mark, Mark records five separate instances when Jesus gathered up His disciples and took them aside to a quiet retreat so they could recharge their batteries and deepen their relationships. In the days to come I intend to focus our attention on three very helpful books that I have personally used in my own life to gain a better perspective and a better balance in this area, and which I believe could prove helpful for you as well. 1. “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer. It is all about slowing down, simplifying, and refocusing on the things that matter most in life. 2. “The Rest of God” by Mark Buchanan. “Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath” In this book Mark writes about the value of setting aside that one day of the week for rest and renewal and worship, but also, and even more so, developing a Sabbath mentality that we apply to life in general. This is a mindset that is intentional about carving out time specifically for healing, rest, renewal, and restoration every day. Buchanan counsels us to “Reject that which drains you; embrace that which gives life.” 3. “The Christian at Play” by Robert Johnston. God is playful and He has created us to play. Playing and having fun is God’s idea and we see it among His people all throughout the Bible – times of feasting, fellowship, celebration, play. Johnston writes, “The person at play is expressing his or her God-give nature.” And, “The Christian is called to work; but he is also called to play.” This book is all about developing a personal theology of play. In other words, playing and having fun as a matter of how you practice your faith. Many of us are guilty of trying to do too much for too long and we end up on the edge of burnout. Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap. We need to be intentional about healing, renewal, and restoration. Jesus wants you to rest. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 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: “Selfcare” Our Bible verse for today: “But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’, and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’.” Matthew 5:37 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Sometimes you have to say ‘no’”. When it comes to good selfcare sometimes you have to say ‘no’ when the other person wants and expects you to say ‘yes.’ In Matthew 5:37, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus was essentially telling us to speak plain truth. Just say what it is. And sometimes, “what it is” is “no.” I remember an incident that occurred to me almost twenty-five years ago. I was the pastor of a church in the California desert. Ministry in those days was demanding and busy. Also, the desert is a brutal climate – hot, barren, dusty, and that can be a hard place to live if you’re not used to it. So as a family, we would periodically drive west over the mountains into San Diego to enjoy a few days at the San Diego Marriot on the bay. It was expensive and we really couldn’t afford it, but we did it anyway because we needed the break from the desert and from the pressures of ministry upon us as a family.  We were in a time when it had been hard to get away. Twice before we had our getaway planned but something came up at the last minute to scuttle it. But this time, we were going to go! I promised Linda and the kids that this time we would not allow anything to derail it. So, we were in the car driving west through the desert. The mountains were in front of us and right on the other side of those mountains, San Diego waited for us and that great hotel room in the Marriot on that beautiful bay. But you can guess what happened. My phone rang. It was an elderly lady in the church. Her husband was terminally ill and had been slowly dying at home for months. I had visited with them in their home multiple times as death was approaching but now, he was close to death and she wanted me to come and sit with them. I explained to her that I was with my family in the car headed for a family getaway that had already been canceled twice and I needed to keep my promise to my family. There was silence for a moment and then she said, “Well, will you please turn around anyway and come and sit with us?” My heart sank and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I looked at my wife and children and wondered what I should do. And then I heard the words coming out of my mouth, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. However, I will have one of the deacons come and visit with you.” There was more silence for a moment and then in a cold, flat tone she said, “Okay, that will be fine. Thank you.” And she hung up. Well, the deacon did go over and the man did die that night, and right after the funeral that woman left the church and I never saw her again. I did call her in the weeks afterwards and I asked her to come back to the church but she was cool in her manner as said, “No, I don’t think so. I’ve been attending another church with some friends and I think I’ll continue to do that.” And I never saw her again. That was almost twenty-five years ago and not only do I still remember it, but it still bothers me. I do think I did the right thing because my family needed me to keep my promise to them, but I still wish it would have turned out differently. However, the fact is that you cannot say ‘yes’ to everyone and to everything all the time. Sometimes you have to acknowledge that it’s time to stop and so you have to say “no.” God bless, Pastor Jim  (If you like what you’re 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 © 2025 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571