Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Esther 4:4 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Make a difference where you are with who you can.”

The story has often been told of the young boy who went for a walk on the beach and discovered that an entire school or starfish had washed up on the beach. There were hundreds of them. The fish were still alive but they were out of their element and were slowly dying. After thoughtfully considering the situation for a moment the boy began picking up the struggling starfish and tossing them back into the ocean one-by-one.

A man observing the scene chuckled and said to the boy, “Son, you’re never going to save all these starfish, there are just too many of them. Most of them will die before you can throw them back in. What you’re doing really won’t make any difference.” The boy considered that for a moment, looked at the starfish he was holding in his hand and said, “Well, it will make a difference to this one” and then he tossed it into the ocean, giving it a chance to live.

Many times when we consider a huge problem (like the toxic nature of our national dialogue), it can seem as if the problem is just too big for us to make any difference as an individual. And you would be right, in a way. No one person is going to change it all by themselves. But as individuals you and I can make a difference in our own conversations, and we can help to change the tone in our home, neighborhood, workplace, school, church, etc. The answer to the larger problem is for millions upon millions of people to make a small difference when and where they can. Millions of small differences will make a huge impact overall. But it has to begin with you and me.

It’s true – you can’t fix the problem by yourself, there are too many stranded starfish washed up on the beach of our cultural landscape. By yourself you can’t make a difference in the hundreds of millions of conversations that will take place in our country today – all the way from the halls of Congress, to the halls of school rooms, and in workplaces, and everywhere else. You can’t make a difference in all of them, but you can make a difference in some of them.

Just as God placed Esther where she was, in that place at that time for that purpose, He has you where He wants you to be, in the place you are at, at this time, for a purpose. Make a difference today where you are for the people you are with.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18 (CSB)

Our thought for the day: “Wisdom requires us to control our tongue.”

This is the twenty-third devotional message in our series “Changing the conversation”. Of the twenty-three daily Bible verses we’ve used, seven of them have been from the book of Proverbs. There are sixty-six books in the Bible but a third of our Bible verses about controlling our speech have come from just one book – Proverbs. There’s a good reason for that.

The book of Proverbs is the centerpiece of the Bible books that fall into the category of “wisdom” literature. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information. Wisdom is the ability to apply what we know in a way that leads to skillful living based upon the proper application of God’s Word. The book of Proverbs helps us to develop a proper philosophy for living. The word philosophy comes from the Greek words philo (love) and Sophia (wisdom). It is “the love of wisdom”.

The discipline of controlling our tongues and the right use of words features prominently in the wisdom of Proverbs. Therefore an important part of the wisdom Proverbs helps us to develop is using our words to help rather than to hurt, to build up rather than to tear down. It is the ability to have control over our tongue.

A Biblically wise person speaks words of life rather than death; words that help rather than hurt; words that calm things down rather than stirring things up. That’s the point being made in Proverbs 12:18 – the fool speaks rashly and their words are like a sword that stabs and pierces and causes great harm. But a Biblically wise person, the one who is spiritually mature enough to apply their faith in ways that honor God and help others, is a person whose wise words bring healing.

Here’s a short Bible study worthy of your time today: Turn to the book of Proverbs in your Bible. Start in chapter one verse one, then scroll down the verses, stopping at each one that teaches something about how we are to use our words. Just make a note of it so you can come back to it later. Continue your search through all thirty-one Proverbs. Now go back and slowly, prayerfully read each of the verses you noted. Not only will you find this helpful and instructive (maybe life-changing), but you will also be surprised at what a common theme controlling the tongue is in God’s primary book of wisdom.

Godly wisdom requires us to learn how to control our tongues.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “What good is it my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?” James 2:14 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Are you the problem or the solution?”

I read an interesting illustration the other day about the relationship between words and actions and how it is that one should fulfill the other. The writer said that words are like a check and actions are like cash. A check is a promise that there is actual money to back-up the check and in the future, if the person cashes the check, they will receive real money. Likewise, words are a promise of future action. Words are something we give to others with a promise that action will follow.

Actions on the other hand are like cash, they have immediate value. In James 2:14 we’re challenged and encouraged to back-up our words with action. Words by themselves can be insincere and meaningless – they can even bounce like a bad check. Words followed-up with actions prove that the words actually meant something.

We’re nearing the end of our study on the theme of “Changing the tone of the conversation.” Perhaps at this point you have good intentions to be a change-agent in your part of the world. Maybe you’re thinking that you will make an extra effort to be a calm and reasoned person, that you will be intentional and thoughtful as you speak to people with grace and kindness, treating them with dignity and respect even if you disagree with them. Congratulations. That’s wonderful. However, good intentions often fall into the same category as meaningless promises – they can bounce like a bad check.

What’s needed is for all of us to actually change the tone of our conversations. As I noted in the first message in this series, changing the tone of the larger national conversation will have to be a grassroots effort – it will have to start with you and me, him and her, them and us, and work it’s way up to the highest levels. The overall tone of the debate in the nation will have to be an accumulation of our individual conversations. We the people need to set the example for them the leaders, and then insist that they fall in line and start behaving themselves better.

So the question, the challenge, is, “Are you part of the solution or are you part of the problem?” Good intentions are nice, that’s the starting place, but good intentions need to result in better conversations. You have to follow through and actually do it. I encourage you to be part of the solution.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest”, replied Paul, “For it is written, ‘You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” Acts 23:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Do not engage in character assassination”

I’m currently reading Senator John McCain’s new book, “The Restless Wave: Good times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations”. Senator McCain has terminal brain cancer and is nearing the end of his life. He wrote this book as a means of reflecting on his long career in the military, and on his decades of public service in politics.

I have great admiration and respect for him. He’s a military hero and a committed and passionate public servant. I know he’s not conservative enough for some on the far right of the political spectrum. They call him a “Rhino” – “Republican in name only”, but I disagree. He’s a principled and fair-minded moderate who understands that getting anything done in the world of politics requires the ability to get along with others and to negotiate compromises.

One of the things I admire and appreciate about Senator McCain is his ability to get along with, and to speak respectfully of, those with whom he disagrees. Politically he had ferocious battles with Ted Kennedy and Barak Obama. But Ted Kennedy was also one of his best friends, and although they were on opposite sides of the politically, they spent time together socially and they treated each other with respect. John McCain also disagreed with Barak Obama on almost every important issue of our day, and yet he still spoke respectfully of the man as a person.

One of the most damaging and problematic elements of our national conversation today is the poisonous, mean-spirited, disrespectful, and even hateful personal attacks that take place on a daily basis. Not only are people disagreed with, but they are viciously attacked, on a personal level, as individuals. The object is to disparage, destroy, and crush. It is character assassination and it is wrong.

In Acts 23:5 we find the Apostle Paul on trial before the Sanhedrin, the religious court of his day. In a fit of anger Paul made a disparaging remark about one of the authority figures present, who turned out to be the high priest. Realizing that what he had said was inappropriate, Paul apologized. It was wrong of him to speak in a disrespectful manner of an authority figure. He still went on to state his case. He still told the high priest and the rest of the religious court why he thought they were wrong, but he did it in a respectful manner, as he should have.

As Christians we need to be careful about how we say things. We are free to disagree with others. We are free to explain to them why we think they are wrong, and we can even state our case strongly. But we are not free to engage in character assassination, or in other unkind, disparaging, or mean-spirited talk.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:11 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “We have to speak-up”

In Ephesians 5:11 the Apostle Paul gives us two directives regarding our response to things that are obviously dark, evil, sinful. First, we are not to participate in such things. Second, we are to expose them for what they are. We have to speak-up.

“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” That quote is commonly attributed to the philosopher Edmund Burke and it speaks to a growing problem in the Christian world. Christians are becoming increasingly fearful and timid about speaking-up, so they are remaining silent. Because the cultural landscape today seems to be super-charged with anger, animosity, and even outright hatred, and because you can probably count on receiving a fair amount of blowback if you publically proclaim unpopular views, many Christians are choosing instead to remain silent.

In their great little book “Redeeming How We Talk”, authors Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda write about how in ancient times, maps designated unexplored regions of the world with the phrase “Here be dragons”. It was a warning to sailors and explorers not to go to those regions because dragons and other monsters were rumored to live there. It was safer to just avoid those places and stick to the areas known to be safe.

Many Christians today view some regions of the cultural landscape in our society with the idea of “Here be dragons”, and it’s safer to just avoid those areas. But Biblically we aren’t free to do that. We have to go there and do battle with the dragons. We have to contend for Biblical truth.

My new book, “Getting Along without Going Along: Biblical Sexual ethics in an age of controversy and conflict” was written to help equip Christians to speak to the difficult issues of our age with boldness and confidence, but also with kindness and grace. The book has now been released and is available for sale at Oak Hill Baptist Church. Soon it will also be available for purchase online as well. If you would like to purchase a copy before then, and if you are not near Oak Hill Baptist Church, you can send a check for $12.95 plus $2.95 shipping and handling to Oak Hill Baptist Church, 3036 Genesis Road, Crossville, TN 38571. Be sure to include a note that the check is for a copy of the book.

As the followers of Jesus we do have to speak-up for the cause of Christ and for Biblical principles. Lies need to be exposed. Truth needs to be spoken. We are to do so boldly and with confidence, but also with kindness and with grace.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. 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. Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:5-8 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “The tongue is powerful.”

The reason we’re spending an entire month discussing the way in which we speak to each other is because words have such power. Wars have been started by words. People die because of spoken words. Look at the passage from James 3:5-8 again – the spoken word can be like a little spark that sets an entire forest on fire.

In his book, “James: Guidelines to a happy life” Pastor John MacArthur shares this thought about the power of the tongue:

“The tongue is you in a unique way. It is a tattletale that tells on the heart and discloses the real person. Not only that, but misuse of the tongue is perhaps the easiest way to sin. There are some sins that an individual may not be able to commit simply because he does not have the opportunity. But there are no limits to what one can say, no built-in restraints or boundaries. In Scripture, the tongue is variously described as wicked, deceitful, perverse, filthy, corrupt, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, blasphemous, foolish, boasting, complaining, cursing, contentious, sensual, and vile. And that list is not exhaustive. No wonder God put the tongue in a cage behind the teeth, walled in by the mouth!”

As we have learned this month, the tongue can be used to speak words of peace and blessing. If we use it correctly and Biblically, the tongue can speak words of life to hurting people. But the tongue can also be a little monster that is evil and vile, causing pain, heartache, even wars and death.

James tells us that the tongue can’t be tamed, but that’s hyperbole. He said that just to illustrate what an evil little thing it can be. All of the other Bible verses we’ve considered so far this month, and those yet to come in this series, tell us that the tongue can be tamed, but only by bringing it into submission under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Your tongue is small but powerful, and it is either evil or good (probably a little of both). But it can be tamed by being trained. I encourage you to train your tongue to be a blessing rather than a curse, good rather than evil.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

Our Bible verse for today: “When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent.” Proverbs 10:19 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “There are too many people doing too much talking.”

In yesterday’s message I pointed out that God created humans as relational beings and that we need positive and encouraging interactions with other people. I also noted that we can use our words to help or to hurt, to bless or to curse.

God created words. The ability to communicate with each other is intended by God to enhance our relationships and to meet that deep need within each of us to be nurtured by others in positive and encouraging ways. So you would think, since we live in “the information age”, with our 24/7 news cycles and social media platforms that provide us with near instantaneous communications with almost anyone else anywhere on the planet, that we would be awash in good, positive, affirming communications. Yes, you would think that. But the exact opposite is true.

The overwhelming volume of constant and instantaneous communication with others is, for the most part, not bringing us joy and adding meaning to our lives. Instead, sadly, texting, tweeting, and posting seem to have opened the floodgates for a tsunami of loud, angry, and highly opinionated voices. Suddenly everyone is a talk-radio host. Anyone with an opinion and a keyboard can gain an audience 24/7.

In their book, “Redeeming How We Talk” Ken Wytsma and A.J. Swoboda write, “The ability of humans to talk in dignified and respectful ways has fallen on hard times. It isn’t that the amount of information or words has declined, but rather that deep, transformational, and redemptive communication has fallen victim to the new realities of modern culture.” As Christians we need to prayerfully consider why God has given us the ability to communicate to begin with. Why did He make words so powerful and how does He intend for us to use them?

I stated in “Our thought for today”, that too many people are doing too much talking. It would probably be more accurate to say that too many people are doing too much talking that is not redemptive, nurturing, or encouraging. What if today everyone started to use their social media platforms for good instead of for bad? What if all of that constant and instantaneous information flow was lifting people up and blessing their socks off instead of provoking them and making them mad?

What if you and I were the ones to start that?

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is:

Our theme for this month: “Changing the tone of the conversation”

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 (Amplified Bible)

Our thought for today: “Be kind but be bold”

The Amplified Bible is a very helpful translation because the translators use all the English words necessary to capture the full meaning of the original Biblical language. Doing so sometimes results in long and awkward sentences, and it can make for difficult reading, but it does capture the full original meaning for us. Such is the case with 2 Timothy 1:7.

Timothy was a young pastor and a protégé of the Apostle Paul. He had been assigned to lead the rambunctious and unruly church in the city of Ephesus. Not only were the non-Christians in that city resistant and even opposed to the Gospel, but the Christians in the church were a pretty tough crowd too. So Timothy had his work cut-out for him as he attempted to speak truth to a sin-filled culture. He got a lot of blowback.

So in 2 Timothy 1:7 Paul reminded him that thanks to Jesus we do not need to be timid or fearful as we face such challenges. The Holy Spirit gives us a spirit of power, love, sound judgment, discipline, self-control, a well-balanced mind, and a sense of calm confidence. It’s in that frame of mind that we should approach our encounters with those who might disagree with us, or who might be unreceptive and even hostile to our message.

In previous devotional messages in this series we’ve discussed ways in which this calm sense of confidence and courage is developed and nurtured. It comes from doing your homework so that you are sure of what you believe and why you believe it. It also comes from taking the time to understand the other person’s position so you are then prepared to speak about it in an intelligent and rational manner. And most importantly, it comes from bathing the entire situation in prayer before you begin speaking.

When it comes to speaking a message of Biblical truth to people who disagree and who might not want to hear what you have to say, your situation might be challenging, but it probably won’t be as challenging as the situation Timothy faced. And if the promise of 2 Timothy 1:7 was helpful for him, it will certainly be helpful for you and me too.

You can be kind but bold. God will help you. Fearless and confident, calm and self-controlled, you can make your case and you can make it well.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Our mailing address is: