Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.” Matthew 5:25 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Make an effort to understand their perspective.”   This morning I want to continue our discussion from yesterday regarding keeping things in perspective and not assuming the worst about people or situations. In Matthew 5:21-25 Jesus taught a lesson about reconciliation and resolving differences by talking to people you disagree with and making an effort to see things from their perspective. In that passage He taught that we should not allow our thinking about other people to be driven by dark emotions (verse 21), nor are we to allow anger or insults to characterize how we speak about people (verse 22), and we are to talk to them and to seek reconciliation (verses 23-25).   Making an effort to understand a situation from the perspective of the person you disagree with, can go a long way towards resolving differences and relieving tension and anxiety in everyone. In the book “The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting up a generation for failure” the authors explore the problem of the “cancel culture” and the creation of “safe spaces”, and the increasing level of intolerance for opposing ideas found on college campuses these days.   Conservatives sometimes derisively refer to those college students as “delicate snowflakes” because they come across as being emotionally fragile. And to a large extent, they are. That’s what the authors discovered in their research. The generation of young people entering college beginning in 2013 have been raised by parents and teachers in an over-protective, risk-free environment that puts maximum focus on safety. This has created a belief in the minds of the young people that they live in a dangerous world where they are always at risk and therefore in need of being protected – even from words and ideas they don’t like.     The research revealed that there are many reasons this has come to be true about them, but one of the most surprising facts that came out in the research is that in some ways it’s true that those students really are at risk of harm. The authors said they were astonished to discover how many real and legitimate threats are actually being made against college students today by alt-right and white supremacist groups on an almost daily basis. FBI files record many hundreds on instances of ugly and virulent online threats posted on campus websites, actual incidents of attacks on campuses, harassing demonstrations by armed alt-right groups on or near campuses, graffiti and posters spread on campuses in the middle of the night, and much more. It turned out that to some degree those college students really do have a reason to be concerned and to feel a dark sense of dread that there are potential enemies in the shadows wanting to do them harm.   Of course, none of that excuses the extreme excesses that we witness on college campuses these days in terms of the cancel culture and all that follows from it. But that insight does help us to gain a slightly better understanding of what’s going on inside the heads of those kids we see on the television news reports, and why they sometimes over-react to such an irrational degree. They have been poorly raised by parents, they have been over-protected by educators and administrators, but also, some of their fears are real and legitimate.     A basic truth about human nature holds that “Behind the deed there is always a need”. In other words, there’s a reason people act the way that they do. Making an effort to understand those with a different perspective than yours can go a long way towards gaining an understanding of why they’re acting the way they are, and it can help to resolve some of the differences between us.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:6-8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Keep it in perspective and don’t assume the worst.”   One of the issues we have all had to deal with lately, and which has greatly contributed to our overall sense of being drained, exhausted, edgy, and jaded, is the racial tensions that seem to be sweeping across our land right now. This morning I want to share a few thoughts with you which you might find helpful.   First, keep it in perspective. To a great degree the news media is responsible for fanning the flames of the problem and making it seem much worse than it is. It’s true that there have been large and numerous demonstrations and riots, and many of them have been violent. That’s wrong and the rioters should be arrested and prosecuted.   But most African-Americans are not involved in those things. The vast majority are opposed to the violence, and most do not want the police departments defunded or dismantled. Over these months, there have been numerous incidents of black men forming protective circles around white police officers to prevent angry mobs from harming them, as well as other acts of decency and compassion as people of color have displayed kindness and have worked for peace in the middle of all this. Unfortunately, the perception of the situation is made worse when the media over-focus on and amplify the negative, while not giving enough attention to all the good that also exists in that same situation.   Second, understand that racism is real. It does exist and it is often a daily problem for people of color. I sometimes have difficulty fully appreciating this myself because as a Caucasian man I don’t personally experience it. However, I raised two sons who were adopted from Korea and I’m very aware of the racism they experienced as they grew up, and which they continue to sometimes experience today. I have African-American and Hispanic family members (they married into the family), and I know from them that racial injustice is a frequent reality in their lives. There are also numerous African-American leaders for whom I have great respect and whose words I trust (General Colin Powell, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, current Senator Tim Scott, just to name three), all of whom tell us racial inequality and injustice are real and serious problems. So, although I may have difficulty appreciating the depths of the problem because I don’t personally experience it, I know from the experiences of others that it is real, it is deep, and the situation does need more attention. The simple act of acknowledging the reality of the situation and the need to do something about it, can help to alleviate some of the personal stress and anxiety we feel about it.   Finally this morning, in terms of gaining some personal relief from the stress all of this is causing, and gaining a little fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls, we need to pay attention to the guidance we get from the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6-8. We need to spend extra time in prayer committing it all to the Lord, and we need to be intentional about focusing on what is good instead of just on what is bad about the situation.   Don’t allow the news media to mislead you or to jerk your emotional chain. The things you see on the news are real and they are happening, but it’s not the whole story. Seeing a situation clearly and accurately, and focusing more on the good rather than the bad, will go a long way towards relieving the tension for you.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”

Our Bible verse for today: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.” Matthew 12:25 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We need unity and a sense of common purpose.”

Division is exhausting. Strife and bickering will wear you out. Conflict and arguing and the subtle but constant sense of tension that exists when people live at odds with one another is emotionally draining and results in everyone being edgy and jaded.

That’s where we’re at as a nation today. Politically and socially we’ve been so focused for so long on the things that divide us that we’re all edgy and jaded. It’s as if each of us has one nerve left and the opposition is getting on it! As a nation we need fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls.

In Matthew 12:25 Jesus taught that there is strength in unity but weakness in division. And, no nation or city or home divided against itself can stand. Eventually the division will destroy it. A contemporary application of that truth for us is if we choose instead to focus on the things we have in common, the things that we can stand united about, the strength found in that unity can go a long way towards healing the divisions between us. Last Sunday, June 28^th, at Oak Hill Baptist Church I preached an entire sermon on this passage and much of it focused on the current social and political situation in our nation. You can listen to or watch that sermon on our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net.

On this 4^th of July weekend, I encourage all of us – regardless of race, gender, cultural background, sexual orientation, or political affiliation, to consider all that we have in common as Americans. We share a great national heritage; we enjoy the highest standard of living of any nation in the world; we have the best healthcare system of any nation in the world; we have the greatest freedoms of any nation in the world; Americans are more generous than any other people; and there is so much more. In terms of freedom, opportunity, technology, and education, we are the best there is. The rest of the world loves our fashions, our sports, our entertainments, and our diversity. America truly is exceptional among all the nations of the world and as citizens of this great land, we share in all of that!

As Americans we truly do have a lot to be grateful for and there is much that we share in common. I encourage all of us to focus more on the great things that unite us and less on the things that could divide us. Together let’s celebrate the greatness of the USA.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “God does His best work through our weaknesses.”   “Weakness” is not a virtue we tend to admire in our culture. At least, we don’t admire our understanding of weakness. When we think of weakness, we think of a Pee Wee Herman kind of guy getting sand kicked in his face at the beach by some big bully and not being able to do anything about it. But that’s not the picture Paul is painting for us in this passage. Paul was anything but a Pee Wee Herman. He was tough and resilient. He was fearless and he willingly endured tremendous hardships for the cause of Christ. Paul persevered and kept going long after the point when lesser men would have given up and quit.   The “weakness” that Paul was referring to was an inability to do the things God wanted to accomplish through him. In his flesh Paul could not keep going; he could not deal effectively with all the problems; he could not endure the hardships and the disappointments and the persecution. Taken together, it was more than he could handle by himself. But he could do it in the power of Christ. This is what he meant in Philippians 4:13 when he wrote, “I can do all things, through Christ who strengthens me.” If Paul was going to be able to deal with it all, it would only be because Jesus enabled him to, and that then would bring honor and glory to God.   It has been said that “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.” I think that’s true. In his book, “Fresh wind, Fresh Fire”, Pastor Jim Cymbala wrote, “I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit their need for him.” Yes. It’s when we humbly and honestly admit how much we need him that God’s power can really kick in and take over. In fact, our weaknesses make room for His power. Our limitations bring us to the point of handing the situation over to Him and then relying on Him to enable us to deal with it and to keep going.   If you’re feeling as if you have reached the end of yourself and you’re not sure how you’re going to keep going, congratulations! You’ve come to the point when God can now do His best work in you! Turn your situation over to Him, rely on Him, trust Him, stay close to Him, and then lean into it and keep going. It really is true that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness. He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I’m no better than my fathers. Then he lay down and slept under a broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” 1 Kings 19:3-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Sometimes you just need a nap.”   I have always secretly envied school teachers. They get two months off from work every summer. Granted, they need it, but still, two months off every year sounds pretty appealing. My oldest son was an elementary school teacher in inner-city Los Angeles for more than twenty years. It was tough duty and by the time the school year ended he was ready for some extended downtime.   Elijah was a mighty prophet of God. He worked long and hard for years and years under very difficult and challenging circumstances. To make matters worse, the King and the Queen hated him and were out to get him. In 1 Kings chapter 18 we read of a time when Elijah engaged in a tremendous spiritual confrontation with a horde of priests of the pagan god Baal, who were there on behalf of the evil king Ahab. For Elijah it was 450 against 1 and the great struggle went on for an entire day. Finally, it ended with God moving in a mighty way on behalf of Elijah, and the 450 priests of Baal were executed. Elijah had won an astounding victory!   But Queen Jezebel was furious and sent word that she was sending soldiers to capture and kill him. So, Elijah ran away in fear. He fled to the wilderness, hid in a cave, and, as we read in 1 Kings 19:3-5, he plopped down on the ground and declared “I’ve had enough!” Then he told God he wanted to die. (I think that may be how my school teacher friends feel at the end of the school year!)   What happened to Elijah? How did he go from being the powerful prophet of God in chapter 18 (the one who singlehandedly defeated 450 priests of Baal), to the cowering and whiny man we see in the cave in chapter 19? He was exhausted! He was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually spent. And he needed rest.   If you read the rest of the account, you’ll find that an angel of God came to Elijah and ministered to him as he rested and recuperated. Then, after a good rest, Elijah was recharged and ready to get back at it. He had fresh wind in his sails and fresh fire in his soul. Proving once again that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap!   At the end of chapter 18 Elijah was no longer any good to anyone. He had given all he had to give and until he took some time to recharge, he wouldn’t be very effective at anything else. The same is true for you. If you’re feeling exhausted and drained, I encourage you give yourself a break and get some rest. Sometimes you just need a nap.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “Youths may become faint and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:30-31 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “We need fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls.”   Are you tired? I am, I’m tired. Actually, that was a rhetorical question because I already know the answer. I’m in contact with a lot of people every week through posts on social media, and in-person, via email, the telephone, and at church, and I hear what you’re saying. Between the COVID 19 pandemic, the social shut-down, the economic meltdown, the increasing social unrest resulting in riots and all sorts of violence, and a nasty political season, these last five months in our nation have been brutal. Add in a few murder hornets, a delayed baseball season, a shortage of toilet paper, and a run on 9mm ammunition, and most of us are longing for the rapture!   So yes, we’re tired. Back in March I had hoped that the stay-at-home orders and self-quarantine time would lead us all to get some extra rest and more time with the Lord. It seemed like that could be the silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud. But here we are in July and my own experience, as well as what I’m hearing from many of you, is that the combined impact of all the events of these recent months has led many of us to feeling physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained.   What we need is fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls. Some of you will recognize the theme for this month, “Fresh wind, fresh fire”, as having been the title of a 1997 book by Pastor Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. It was a great title and it was also a great book. I’m stealing his title for this devotional series, and throughout the month I might even borrow a few of his ideas from the book. The book was almost exclusively about renewal through prayer (which we will talk about), but we will approach the basic premise about being in need of fresh wind and fresh fire from multiple different angles.   I look forward to exploring this theme with you because I believe we can all use a little fresh wind in our sails and some fresh fire in our souls.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (He has given us a spirit) of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control).” 2 Timothy 1:7 (The Amplified Bible)   Our thought for today: “Be antifragile.”   In their book “The Coddling of the American Mind”, Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt make the case that in the last decades parents and colleges have produced a generation of young people who see themselves as being fragile and easily hurt. This has happened because parents and educators have worked hard to protect them from every conceivable risk, to the point of overprotecting them. The most extreme way in which we see this sense of fragility being manifested, is in the way those students believe that they should be protected from speech and ideas that express beliefs different from their own. The students have been taught that such speech is hateful and damaging, the equivalent of physical violence against them, and they should therefore be protected from it.   This is how college campuses have ended up with an oppressive “cancel culture” that shuts out and shuts down any speech that is in any way contrary to what students want to hear. It’s where the safe-space echo chamber concept came from. And it has led to acts of violent protest that include rioting, damaging property, and even physically attacking opponents.   Lukianoff and Haidt make the case that we have to counter this growing sense of emotional fragility in the younger generation by teaching instead “antifragility”. We have to teach them how to be emotionally strong. Surprisingly, former President Barak Obama and various former members of his administration have been very vocal about the need to teach “antifragility”. One of his closest advisors, Van Jones, was recently quoted making this statement to college students:   “I don’t want you to be safe ideologically. I don’t want you to be safe emotionally. I want you to be strong. That’s different. I’m not going to pave the jungle for you. Put on some boots, and learn how to deal with adversity. I’m not going to take the weights out of the gym; that’s the whole point of the gym. This (college) is the gym.”   You may remember from a previous devotional that I said sometimes we conservatives are equally guilty of creating our own safe-space echo chambers by shutting out and shutting down opposing points of view, rather than carefully considering them and then engaging with our opponents in respectful and constructive dialogue. Shutting down and shutting out creates a degree of fragility in our own thinking and in our own emotional state. We become as fragile and as easily triggered on the right as the others are on the left.   I encourage you to reject fragility in your thinking. Be “antifragile”. Be the man or woman of God described by Paul in 2 Timothy 1:7 – strong, courageous, confident, and calm.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “A gentle answer turns away anger; but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Proverbs 15:1 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Change the tone”   Many of us today are just plain weary of all the anger, bitterness, and hatefulness that has come to characterize our national dialogue on many issues, including politics, race, and numerous social issues. Much of it is driven by out-of-control emotions; some of it is born of the mistaken assumption that the louder we get the more convincing we are (but anger drives people away instead of drawing them in); but a lot of the hot rhetoric is also just outright meanness.   In his book “Thou Shalt Not Be A Jerk” Eugene Cho tells the story of Ann Coulter and Frank Stephens. Ann Coulter is a far right political and social commentator who is known for her harsh and abrasive style. Her speech is often belligerent, intentionally provocative, and sometimes mean and insulting. For a while she had the unkind habit of publicly labeling her opponents and critics as being “retarded”. Frank Stephens is a polite and soft-spoken young man with Down syndrome. Frank decided it was time to take issue with Coulter’s continued use of the R-word and so he posted a response to her on the Special Olympics website. Here’s what he wrote:   “Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult? I’m a 30 year-old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact, it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.”   Frank’s response to Ann Coulter went viral. He was interviewed on numerous television programs and he testified before a Congressional committee regarding people with disabilities. It was immediately obvious that Frank is intelligent and well-informed, and he is also unfailingly polite and pleasant to everyone. He is engaging and confident and interesting. Frank quickly gained a lot of fans and changed a lot of hearts. But sadly, Ann Coulter never apologized or responded in anyway.     One thing many people discovered through that story was that they liked Frank Stephens and his ways a lot more than they liked Ann Coulter and her ways, and many hearts were changed for the better.   Solomon was right when he wrote in Proverbs 15:1 that a kind word is more effective than an angry one, and that more people will be persuaded with reasoned and respectful dialogue than with angry and insulting rants.   I encourage you to be part of the solution in our country. Help to change the tone. Be calm, kind, and respectful, rather than angry, mean, or insulting.     God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “My son, don’t forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commands; for they will bring you many days, a full life, and well-being. Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.” Proverbs 3:1-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Find the balance between your head and your heart.”   As we conclude our discussion about how it is that a cult of personality mindset can have a negative impact and lead us to poor decision-making, we also need to appreciate the need for balance between our mind and our heart. On the one hand, it is important to consider how our closest and most trusted friends and associates think and feel about a subject. If they’re good people with strong minds and they are spiritually mature, then how they see the situation does matter and should be considered. However, on the other hand, that still doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility to think for ourselves by engaging in critical thinking.   Last Sunday at church the lesson in the adult Sunday School Quarterly was about this very subject. The writer of our lesson quoted Proverbs 3:1-4 and then observed:   “Solomon urged his son: don’t forget my teaching. This was a call to use the mind and intellect. Then he added, let your heart keep my commands. Added to the call to exercise the mind is the call to heart (the will and emotion). Both the mind and the heart matter. The mind without the heart characterizes a person who is unfeeling and dispassionate. The heart without an informed mind can lead to experiential chaos. Solomon’s injunction to be wise combined both the head and the heart, the intellect and the will, thought and emotion. Jesus made the same connection between the head and the heart when He said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37, see also Deut. 6:5).   The connection between the head and the heart is vital to good decision-making. We need to pay attention to both. Feelings and emotions do matter, but so do thought and intellect. As has already been noted in previous devotionals, our feelings and emotions are often heavily influenced by those around us, sometimes for good but also sometimes for bad, and therefore they need to be balanced with good critical thinking skills.   Don’t ignore what others are thinking and feeling, but also don’t allow yourself to be swept up and carried away by it either. Think for yourself. Find the balance between your head and your heart.   God bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Think for yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be careful that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elements of the world, rather than Christ.” Colossians 2:8 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Check it out for yourself”   In a cult of personality, the followers tend to feed off of everyone else’s fear and emotions. If everyone else in the group is expressing anger, then this person expresses anger too. The person may not even fully understand what the anger is all about. All they know is that everyone else in the group is angry about this, that, or some other thing, and therefore they conclude that they should be angry too. If others are engaged in heated and frenzied rhetoric about the issue, then this person shouts with them. And again, often without even fully understanding why.   The group dynamic of a cult of personality is such that everyone’s thinking and emotions are keyed to everyone else’s thinking and emotions. Sometimes this is referred to as a mob mentality. In the corporate world it’s called “group-think”. Several persuasive people promote an idea to the group and they slowly persuade others to believe it too. Then, as more and more people join in that thinking, the sheer numbers of people in agreement becomes convincing. The holdouts then begin thinking, “Well, everyone else in the group thinks this way, therefore it must be right and I guess I should think that way too.” And soon everyone is in agreement, even if the initial premise is completely wrong.   A cult of personality, by definition, revolves around the influence of a charismatic leader. However, the “group-think” or “mob mentality” characteristic that is found in cults of personality also infects other group situations, even if the group doesn’t revolve around a single charismatic leader. It’s simply human nature to be influenced by the thinking and feelings of the people around you. This can be either good or bad – but often it is bad. That’s why independent critical thinking is so important.   I encourage you to check things out for yourself before you come to conclusions, form judgments, and take actions. Don’t allow yourself to be triggered by the fear and emotions of those around you. Thoughtfully consider what the actual facts of the situation are and then come to your own conclusions based on good judgment and sound reasoning. In other words, think for yourself.   God Bless, Pastor Jim

Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.