Our theme for this month: “A New Year, A New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Attitude is everything”

I will be forever grateful to the United States Navy for the valuable lessons they taught me as a young man. For one thing, they taught me the importance of having a good attitude.

I entered the Navy at the tender age of 17 as a high school dropout, I didn’t even finish the 10^th grade. I therefore found myself to be at a distinct disadvantage in terms of education and life experiences when compared to my peers. However, I was quickly taught that even a pimply-faced kid like me, with no education to speak of, an IQ that was average at best, no talent for much of anything, and few life experiences, could still do well, and even excel, with a good attitude. As the years passed and I advanced up the ranks to supervisory positions, I discovered over and over again how true that is. I would rather have one worker with a good attitude and a good work ethic, than five workers who are smart and talented, but who are also lazy and undependable.

In Colossians 3:23 the Apostle Paul urges us to strive to do our best at whatever it is we are applying ourselves to. We commonly associate that verse with how we perform our job, and it certainly does apply to that, but more broadly this precept applies to all of life. Whether we’re talking about how we do our job, how we take care of our body, how we manage our finances, how we apply ourselves in our studies, or anything else we’re doing, we should do the best we can. We should never be satisfied with mediocrity. You don’t have to be a perfectionist, but whatever it is you’re doing, give it the best effort you can.

I’m an older man now, halfway through my sixth decade of life (I’m 65), and as I look back on all those years and consider all the people I’ve known and had encounters with, I’m more convinced than ever that a good attitude is one of the most important elements in living a full, rich, happy and successful life. It’s been said that in life “attitude is everything”. That may be a bit of an overstatement, maybe it’s not really “everything”, but it sure is a huge factor.

As we continue to consider areas of life that might need some extra attention and improvement in the New Year, having the right attitude about it will be a key factor in determining how successful you are. Therefore, before we move forward in our study, we will spend another day considering this important subject of having the right attitude.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “A New Year, a New Beginning”

Our Bible verse for today: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for his mercies never end. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “A New Year is an opportunity for a new beginning”

In only four weeks it will be a New Year – 2020! I always look forward to the beginning of a New Year because I view it as an opportunity for a fresh start. I approach it by first taking some time to review the year that is ending. I consider the things that went well for me, and I give the Lord thanks for those things. I also consider the things that did not go so well, and I ask God to help me see what I should learn from those events. I review the goals I had set for myself for that year and whether or not I accomplished them – and if not, why not. Then I turn my thoughts to the coming year.

I’m a big fan of New Year’s resolution and of setting goals. I believe that having goals is important, and that drawing the proverbial line in the sand, then moving forward into a new season of life with a fresh start, is also a helpful mindset. The fact is that none of us have “arrived” in life. We are all works-in-progress. Therefore, we should all be working to improve in the areas of life that need improvement. However, you won’t accomplish much if you aren’t intentional about it. You have to have goals, and you need a plan to accomplish those goals.

One of the reasons I love the passage in Lamentations, which I cited above, is because it speaks of new opportunities and a fresh start. And I love the concept of beginning fresh and new on New Year’s Day, because January 1^st symbolizes the beginning of something new. It’s a great time to draw that line in the sand, leave past mistakes and bad habits in the past, and start fresh on a new path.

All throughout December I’m going to write about areas of life that might need some attention in the New Year and which we could therefore set some goals and make some plans to improve upon. We’ll consider things like diet and exercise; spiritual growth; finances; relationships; knowledge and learning; and attitude; just to name a few.  I’ll offer some reasons why those issues or areas of life should be important to us, and I’ll suggest strategies and resources which you might find helpful.

As the people of God our goal should be to live the best, healthiest, and most productive lives we can. Every day is a new opportunity to excel, and 2020 will be full of possibilities and potential. But to get the most out of the days the Lord blesses you with, you will need to be intentional about it.

I hope you are looking forward to the New Year as much as I am!

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For by it our ancestors won God’s approval.” Hebrews 11:1-2 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Live by faith”

We live in a time when traditional values of morality and ethics are in decline, and instead a sense of relativism prevails. For many people, there are no longer absolute standards of truth and morality and ethical conduct. Instead, everything is relative and situational. As far as such people are concerned, what’s good and right depends entirely on the situation they find themselves in and on what they believe to be in their own best in interest at that time.

Beyond that, although some would claim there has been an evolution in our societal understanding of things like sexuality and gender, the truth is that there has been a devolution. Our standards have seriously deteriorated, they haven’t improved. We live in a “Brave New World” of twisted thinking. Values that used to be universally recognized as being good and wholesome are now denounced as being archaic and unacceptable, while things that used to be recognized as being bad and even unnatural, are now celebrated as being good and normal.

How do Christian men and women live in such a world? How do we adhere to Biblical principles, maintaining righteous character and solid integrity, in a world that doesn’t acknowledge the truths we believe or value of the principles we hold dear? We do it the same way the people of God have always done it – we live by faith.

Hebrews chapter 11 is often called “The Faith Hall of Fame”. There we read about heroes of the faith – men and women who knew what they believed and why they believed it, and who courageously stood for truth and righteousness even when doing so was difficult – even if it cost them their lives.

Often, being a man or woman of character and integrity isn’t the easy thing to do, but it is always the right thing to do. The people of God have a long and glorious history of standing strong against cultural pressures while being faithful to Biblical principles.

The way we stand strong when it isn’t easy to do so, is we live by faith. We simply do the thing we know to be right, by God’s standards, and we trust in Him. I encourage you to resist the pressures of the culture. Be faithful. Be a man or woman of character and integrity.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “The wicked flee when no one is pursing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Have nothing to be ashamed of.”

There are many individuals in the Bible whose stories are inspiring to me for various reasons. But in terms of character and integrity, there are four sterling examples from the Old Testament that stand out in my mind – Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, and Daniel.

I’m not going to attempt to retell their stories here this morning; it’s enough to say that each of them was a man of great character and solid integrity who was courageous and bold when it mattered. Each had core principles he would not compromise, and each was known for being faithful, responsible, and completely trustworthy. If one of those men told you something was true, then you could believe that it was. If he gave you his word that he would do something, you could take it to the bank that he would do it.

A man or woman of strong character and rock-solid integrity has nothing to be ashamed of. Such a person can simply be themselves, without apology, with no need to explain, and without having to doubt his or her actions. But as Solomon observed in Proverbs 28:1, the wicked person, the one without good character and who is lacking in integrity, has to constantly worry that they will be discovered to be the scoundrel they really are. They live life looking over their shoulder, always trying to remember what lie they told to which person, always wrestling with their conscience, and realizing deep-down that they are not an honorable person. What an awful way to go through life!

A person of good character has no reason to fear, or to run, or to doubt. Instead you can live life with a calm sense of confidence, and with the bold assurance that you have nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of.

I encourage you to be that person.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: Character and Ethics

Our Bible verse for today: Let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wonderous works for all humanity. For he has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Thankfulness is an important character trait.”

Here in the USA our observance of Thanksgiving Day is modeled on the event in Plymouth, Massachusetts which took place in the Fall of 1621. That was when the newly arrived Puritan immigrants from England gathered with local Native Americans for a feast of thanksgiving and celebration. For the Pilgrims it was a time of giving thanks to God for His blessings of safe travel, provisions, and the promise of a new life in a new land.

Those types of thanksgiving celebrations were a regular feature of Pilgrim life and occurred often. The Continental Congress declared a onetime national day of thanksgiving in celebration of the newly adopted Constitution. In the decades after that, days of thanksgiving continued to be observed by the individual states for various reasons, but there was no regular national day of thanksgiving until President Abraham Lincoln instituted the practice in 1863. He declared that the last Thursday in November would be “Thanksgiving Day” and it has been observed as a national holiday ever since then.

And it should be. We Americans have a lot to be thankful for. We live in the greatest, strongest, most prosperous nation that has ever existed. We enjoy more freedom than any other nation, and we have the highest standard of living, with more creature comforts and economic security, than anyone else, anywhere else, in the world.

If Americans in general have a lot to be thankful for, how much more should American Christians be thankful? We are saved, we have the promise of eternity in heaven, we have the Holy Spirit of God living in our hearts now, and we get to enjoy all the other benefits of living in the USA as well! Think about it. You could be a Christian living in a hut in Africa, or in a prison cell in North Korea, or in hiding in China. But no, God has allowed you to live here, safe and comfortable in the greatest nation the world has even known.  We have so much to be thankful for!

Join me today, Thanksgiving Day 2019, in giving thanks to our great God for His bountiful blessings. He has blessed us beyond measure. My family and I wish you and yours a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” James 3:6 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Tame your tongue”

Words are not neutral. Words have power – they can bless or they can curse, they can help or they can hurt. And once they’re spoken, they cannot be unspoken. Oh, you can apologize; you can claim you didn’t really mean what you said; but you can’t unsay what you said. Once the words are spoken, they are out there – they are in the memory banks of those who heard them and you can’t get them back.

In James 3:3-12 the Apostle gives us a pretty damming assessment of the human tongue. He starts out in verses 3 and 4 by illustrating how it is that small things can have big impacts. The small metal bit that is placed in the mouth of a powerful horse can cause that horse to obey the slightest tug on the reins by the rider. Likewise, a small rudder can turn and direct a huge ship which weights many thousands of pounds.

The tongue is like that too except that whereas the bit in a horse’s mouth and the rudder on a ship always have a good effect, the tongue can be an evil little thing that often causes great damage. James goes on in that passage and compares the tongue to a small spark which creates a raging fire that destroys an entire forest. Can I get an “Amen!”? How many times have careless and angry words, driven by hot emotions, sparked raging fights that ultimately destroyed relationships? We’ve all been involved in situations like that. At one time or another we’ve all been the victim in such situations, and at other times we’ve been the perpetrator.

We need to watch our words. That’s especially true when we’re angry. Don’t let your anger drive your words. When your mother taught you to count to 10 before responding, she knew what she was talking about. Always, always, always, calm down and think through what you plan to say before you say it. And then make sure your words are going to be helpful rather than hurtful.

So, tame your tongue. Surrender it to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Words are not neutral, they are powerful. Men and women of character and integrity learn to control their words.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.” James 1:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Control your anger”

I once knew a man who was prone to explosive outbursts of anger. He had a very short fuse and could be easily set off. And when he was, look out! He would roar in fury, he would pound the table, he would throw things, slam doors, punch walls, and sometimes hit people. He was a menace to be around and he made life uncertain and unsafe for his family.

A person like that has a deep character flaw at least, but probably serious psychological problems as well. Uncontrolled anger isn’t normal. It’s also not scriptural. The Bible teaches us to control our anger. In fact, the more spiritually mature you are, the better able you will be to control your anger.

When James writes that “human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness”, he’s drawing a distinction between “human anger” and “righteous anger”. Anger isn’t always bad. Some things should make us angry. Exploitation of the poor; child molestation; abortion; human trafficking; elected officials violating the public trust. There are things that should make us angry. But in such cases, our anger should be under our control and properly channeled. Jesus was angry that the money changers had defiled the house of the Lord (Matthew 21:12-17). But He controlled His anger and channeled it in a proper and constructive way by overturning the tables and clearing the flea market out of the Temple. This was righteous anger. It was anger for an appropriate reason, but under control and properly channeled.

Inappropriate human anger manifests itself in many forms. It can be explosive, as in my example above, but it can also be silent and seething. It can involve outbursts and shouting, or it can take the form of sullen withdrawal and resentment. “Human anger”, as James meant it, is always inappropriate and sinful. “Righteous anger” is always for an appropriate reason, and it is under control and properly channeled.

From time to time we all struggle with the various forms of human anger. It’s a character flaw that we all share to varying degrees, and it’s also a deficiency in our spiritual maturity. Therefore, it’s something that a growing and maturing Christian will want to get a handle on and learn to overcome. The best resource I have ever found to help with anger management is the Bible study called “The Anger Management Workbook” by Les Carter and Frank Minirth. You can order it online and I’m certain you will find it to be informative and helpful.

I encourage you to learn the difference between human anger and righteous anger, and then learn to properly control your anger.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “Mankind, he has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

One day last week I had the privilege of speaking to the “Crossville Breakfast Rotary Club”. They invited me to speak to them about the El Arca Children’s Home in the Amazon Jungle of Peru.

El Arca is located in a remote location of the southern Amazon basin of Peru, near the Bolivian border. It is 110 acres of jungle land and there are few modern conveniences. A couple of years ago some Rotary Clubs in Canada donated money to purchase a basic solar power system for the home so they would at least have enough power to run a refrigerator and freezer 24/7. Reliable refrigeration has improved the quality of life at the home exponentially. The Crossville Rotary Club is now considering a proposal to help complete the system in order to more fully meet all of their electricity needs.

One thing that struck me about the Rotary Club, and something that many people don’t know about them, is how committed they are to making a meaningful difference in the world through acts of humanitarian aid, kindness, and consistently maintaining high ethical standards. This commitment is expressed nicely in their mission statement which reads:

“Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.”

That mission statement reminds me of the mission statement given to God’s people through the Old Testament prophet Micah: “Act justly, love faithfulness, walk humbly with your God.” That commission is expressed numerous times in many different ways throughout both the Old and New Testaments but the meaning is always the same: “Go into the world and make a difference for good, blessing people in the name of Jesus.” That’s it. Just go and bless people. Go out into this broken and bleeding world and bless people with acts of kindness, compassion, justice, and love.

Do you think the world is messed up? Do you think things need to change? Then go be the change you want to see in the world.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them …” Matthew 5:1-2

Our thought for today: “Invest in people”

I became a Christian and learned how to be a Pastor in the supercharged Christian environment of Southern California in the early 1990s. I say the environment was “supercharged” because it was a time in that region of stadium crusades and mega-churches, and there was a very heavy emphasis on big numbers. Success was measured by how big your church was and how many people you had baptized. No other metrics of healthy church life seemed to matter very much.

Not surprisingly, but sadly for me, that mindset governed my approach to being a Pastor for quite a few years. It was a high-pressure and often frustrating way to approach church life – always striving to somehow someway produce bigger numbers. It was stress-producing, it was often frustrating, and it was also diametrically different from how Jesus did it.

At Oak Hill Baptist Church I’m currently preaching through the Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings. The way that Matthew structured his Gospel helps us to understand that most of Jesus’ ministry was focused on training the twelve Apostles, and then a slightly larger circle of followers. Occasionally crowds of people got to listen-in (such as during the Sermon on the Mount), but first and foremost, Jesus focused most of His ministry efforts on training the twelve.

That was a lesson I needed to learn. It was an example I needed to be following. Fortunately, in time, I learned to adjust my model of ministry to be more like that of Jesus. I developed a different and better way of being a Pastor which I call “Pastoring deep instead of wide.” In other words, instead of touching a lot of people a little, I focus on going deep with a smaller group. To confirm and to help me along in that new approach, from time-to-time the Lord makes me aware of helpful insights from other people who have learned that same lesson. One such insight was, “Focus on building into individual lives. The Lord isn’t giving you big crowds, instead He’s giving you individual people.” Another goes like this: “If you want to make a difference in the world, it will happen not by multiplying programs, but by investing in people.”

The Lord works in each of our lives to develop the character traits He wants to see in us. Then He calls us to model and teach those lessons to others. That seldom happens, or happens well, in large crowds. It happens most and best one-on-one or in small groups. And it’s not just Jesus, the Apostles, or Pastors who are called to do this. It’s all of us. God intends for each of us to learn and grow, and to then model and teach those lessons to others.

Who are you learning from? Who are your mentors and teachers? And then, who is learning from you? I encourage you to invest in the lives of others.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our theme for this month: “Character and Integrity”

Our Bible verse for today: “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We learn by doing.”

Being a military man myself, I’ve always admired and been influenced by the examples of great military leaders, past and present. Cato was a Roman General during the time of Julius Caesar. It was said of him, “He was physically tough, intellectually brave, unflinchingly principled, and beloved by his people.” Robert E. Lee was known as a great military leader and as a dignified man of character, integrity, and virtue. Omar Bradley was a World War II General who was a brilliant tactician and warfighter, but with a kind and calm grandfatherly demeanor – and his troops loved him. Modern military leaders I have great admiration for include Generals Colin Powell, Paul Kelly, and Jim Mattis, and Admiral William McRaven.

What distinguishes all of those men in my mind is their strong character and absolute integrity, which grew out of Christian faith (with the exception of Cato), and lifelong military discipline. In his book “Call Sign Chaos” General Mattis writes,

“Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it. People come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players, by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just, by doing self-controlled acts, we come to be self-controlled, and by doing brave acts, we become brave.”

In terms of character and integrity, we learn to be a man or woman of strong character and unshakable integrity by actually doing the things that men and women of character and integrity do. At first, we have to discipline ourselves to act that way but soon, it becomes second-nature. We learn by doing. Learn it, do it, practice it over and over again, and soon it becomes who you are.

Christian maturity is an interesting mix of God’s work in our life along with our cooperation.   It’s the work of the Holy Spirit that transforms us from the inside out, but we have the responsibility to learn the lessons of Scripture, intentionally apply the principles taught there to our lives, and then keep doing so over and over again until it simply becomes who we are. The Holy Spirit doesn’t simply wave a magic wand and “presto-changeo” now you’re Robert E. Lee. Transformation takes time. It occurs progressively and it is the result of both His transforming work, and of your disciplined cooperation with Him.

We learn by doing. I encourage you to learn the traits of godliness taught in Scripture, and then be very intentional about incorporating them into your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim