Good Morning Everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Fresh wind, fresh fire”   Our Bible verse for today: “He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.’” Mark 6:31 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Come apart and rest, or you might just come apart.”   In Mark 6:31 we read of a time when Jesus and His disciples had been engaged in an extended time of intense ministry activities. Large crowds of people were milling around, others were coming and going, many needs were being met, and there was no sign that things were going to let-up for them. Finally, Jesus called a halt to it all and told His friends that it was time for a break, they were going off to a remote place to get some rest. The verse says that He invited them to “Come away …” The King James version translates the invitation as “Come apart …” I like that better only because it lends itself to a nifty and lyrical thought for the day, “Come apart and rest, or you might just come apart.”   Sometimes we push ourselves too hard for too long. That’s why God instituted the concept of Sabbath and He made it one of the Ten Commandments. We are to do all of our work and chores in six days, but on the seventh day we are to gather for worship and then rest.   This is important. We need it. We need to be together for group worship with our brothers and sisters. That’s why the New Testament instructs us not to skip the gatherings of our church family (Hebrews 10:24-25). And, we need the rest. That’s why there are still Ten Commandments instead of just nine. Observing the Sabbath day of rest is a God-given mandate that still applies to us in the New Testament Age.   Periodically we also need other, and sometimes longer, periods of rest. That’s what was happening in Mark 6:31. There’s no indication in the passage that this break of theirs was on a Sabbath day. It was an extra period of rest to compensate for the extraordinary workload they had been under. Sometimes we need those special extra times of getting away and decompressing. We also need our vacations – those extended periods each year of a week or more, when we just relax and play. I encourage you not to skip your vacation time. You need it.   When it comes to getting some fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls, we often need time apart. There’s a lot of wisdom in the old time-honored saying that sometimes we need to come apart and rest, or we might just come apart. I encourage you to get plenty of rest and relaxation during these difficult days we are living in.   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: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:3-4 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Do you have resilient faith and a living hope?”   The other day, as I was preparing the Bible study to go along with our Wednesday evening prayer meeting, I came across two terms that I like very much and which I plan to hang onto. One was “resilient faith” (used by a Bible commentator), and the other was “living hope” (used by Peter in the passage above).   Faith is defined for us by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 11:1. In the Amplified Bible it reads: “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen (the conviction of their reality – faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.)   Resilience is the ability to endure stress and strain without breaking. A resilient person can endure a lot and recover quickly. Resilient faith then, is the firm conviction and absolute trust in God and His promises that enables us to endure stress and strain without breaking and to recover quickly.   Hope, as used by Peter, is more than just wishful thinking. Peter used “hope” in much the same way that the writer of Hebrews used the word “faith”. It’s the confident expectation of good things to come, as promised to us by God. The “living hope” that Peter tells us we have been “born into” as a result of our faith in Christ, is something that’s alive and vibrant. It provides us with a sure promise of a glorious eternity in heaven, but it also has great meaning for this lifetime. Our living hope is the key to our resilient faith. This is the truth we sing about in the old Baptist hymn “Because He Lives”, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know, He holds the future; and life is worth the living just because He lives.”   Do you need some fresh wind in your sails and some fresh fire in your soul? Spend some time this morning thinking and praying about the living hope you have been born into and the resilient faith such hope provides. Our faith is based upon our confident assurance that because He lives, all fear is gone …   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: “Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “How would you handle it if it was you?”   In the winter of 1984, there was a terrible famine in Ethiopia. Millions of people were starving and dying. The country was so poor and the resources were so scarce that there was little the average person could do to help themselves or their families. If humanitarian relief from the rest of the world didn’t arrive quickly the death toll would be catastrophic.   At Christmastime that year musicians from across Europe formed the supergroup “Band Aid” to perform a huge benefit concert to raise money for the famine. From it they released a song entitled “Do they know its Christmas?”. It was a haunting melody with compelling lyrics. The main point of the song was that while all the rest of us were carefree and going about our business, enjoying the holiday with our families and friends, feasting and exchanging gifts, the people in Ethiopia were huddled together starving to death. Did they even know it was Christmastime? Did they even care?   That song has caused me to consider my own situation in the USA right now. Along with all of you, I’m just trying to push through the pandemic, the economic meltdown, the social chaos, the political ugliness, and all the normal issues of everyday life. Sometimes I feel a little weary; sometimes I feel a little sorry for myself; and sometimes I wonder when it’s going to end so things can get back to normal. But I do know that it will end, and I know that life will return to some semblance of normalcy soon.   But what about our Christian brothers and sisters all around the world living in much worse circumstances, some of which will never get better? How would you like to be a Christian living a miserable existence in a labor camp in North Korea, knowing that you will probably never get out of there alive? Or maybe you could be living under the heavy hand of communism in China, with the full knowledge that the oppression will probably never end in your lifetime and therefore you just have to live the best life you can under the circumstances as they are. How do Christians in circumstances much worse than ours handle it?   The answer is found in Hebrews 12:1-2. They do in their circumstances the same thing we need to do in ours – keep your eyes on Jesus and keep moving forward. Stay focused on what truly matters. Improve your earthly situation as you can, but don’t lose sight of your higher calling and your eternal destiny.   When kept in perspective, we realize that our current circumstances here in the USA (as bad and uncomfortable and inconvenient and worrisome as they may be), are light compared to what many others are facing – but ours are temporary. In time, this too shall pass.   If their situation was your situation what would you do? How would you handle it? The answer is that you would keep your eyes on Jesus and you would keep moving forward. So, let’s do that now in our current circumstances.      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: “…but our citizenship is in heaven.” Philippians 3:20 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Stay focused on what really matters.”   As we continue to consider our need for fresh wind in our sails and fresh fire in our souls, and as we discuss some of the reasons so many of us are feeling physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained, we need to think about what’s going on inside our own heads. What are you thinking about? What issues and events are you dwelling on? To what are you assigning the most importance and the highest priority in your thought life?   At the moment we’re all caught-up in a series of cascading events which are all difficult by themselves but when taken together, are a bit overwhelming. The COVID 19 pandemic, the economic meltdown, the social unrest resulting in riots and increased danger for all of us, along with a very nasty political environment, along with all the regular issues of life  – all going on at the same time – has all of us exhausted, edgy, and maybe a little cranky. That then can easily lead us to overreact to situations and to make a big thing out of little things. Psychologically and emotionally we can easily be triggered by things that normally wouldn’t bother us too much, and we can end up reacting in ways that are inappropriate or not helpful.   A big part of the problem revolves around what we choose to allow our minds to focus on. Many people are consumed with thoughts about the economic damage that has been done to our economy, and they are angry about the protests and the riots, and they’re irritated by the constant attacks and criticisms of their favorite political candidate. If we’re not careful we can end up brooding about those issues, steaming and stewing, thinking about all we believe to be wrong with other people’s motives, and basically allowing ourselves to be sucked into a sense of anxiety and despair.   Well, those issues are all important, and they do deserve our time and attention, but they’re not the most important. As Christians we are citizens of heaven first, citizens of the USA second. We are to be concerned about the kingdom of God on earth first, and the situation in our country second. We are to be guided by Biblical principles first, and concerns about current events second. As children of God we have a higher calling here on earth that demands our first allegiance and our full attention. Those are the things we should be focused on first and foremost. That’s where our thoughts should primarily be – on the things of God and on His work on earth.   Too often Christians allow themselves to get so involved in, concerned about, and wrapped up in the events of the world around us that we lose sight of what’s truly most important. Worse, sometimes we allow our thoughts and concerns for the issues of the day to infringe upon and even damage relationships.   We need to keep first things first. We do need to pay attention to the issues of our day, but we need to pay more attention to the things of God and to our part in His work here on earth. Thinking a little more about the work of the kingdom, and a little less about the political, social, and economic issues of the day, will go a long way towards giving us a sense of fresh wind inour sails and 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: “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.