Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We become enthusiastic by being around enthusiastic people.”

I have recently returned from leading a mission team to Haiti. Again on this mission trip I witnessed two truths that prove themselves on every mission trip. The first is that the mission often ends up being more about what God wanted to do in you rather than through you. As a team member on a short-term mission God will certainly use you to be a blessing to those He sent you to minister to. But often the greater works ends up being in your own heart as a result of what you experience on the mission trip.

The second truth, which is directly connected to the first, involves a promise that we at CERT International frequently make to pastors of churches here in the USA. “If you send your church members on a short-term mission trip with us, we will bring them back to you as better church members.”

Haiti is by far the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere, but spiritually it is rich. The Holy Spirit of God is doing a mighty work in Haiti. There is revival in the churches and spiritual awakening across the country. The churches are filled to overflowing and the Christians of Haiti are on-fire. There is a passion and enthusiasm for the things of God that is startling and exciting. And that brings me back to the two truths I referred to above, and it also brings us to the subject of our devotional theme, “enthusiasm”.

I for one was greatly impacted by the enthusiasm for God and for His kingdom-building work that I experienced in the worship services in Haiti. My heart was stirred and I was quickly caught-up in it. I myself became more enthusiastic as a result of being around all those enthusiastic people. God worked in my heart and I came home changed.

The fact is that enthusiasm is contagious. We become more enthusiastic by being around others who are enthusiastic. If you want to become more enthusiastic in your relationship with God and for His kingdom-building work, just hang-out with people who are already enthusiastic like that.

This is what the writer to the letter to the Hebrews meant when he wrote in 10:24-25 about Christians encouraging one another and spurring each other on to love and good deeds.

This Sunday morning at 10:00 at Oak Hill Baptist Church our mission team to Haiti will give their mission trip report. We’ll show pictures and tell stories of what God did, and of how we were impacted by being a part of it. If you want to be inspired and encouraged, if you want your own level of enthusiasm for God and for His kingdom-building work around the world to receive a boost, I invite you to join us.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”

Our Bible verse for today: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.” Matthew 22:37-38 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Be enthusiastic for the things of God”

The dictionary tells us that to have enthusiasm means to have “Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.” Synonyms for enthusiasm include “eagerness, earnestness, intensity, passion, and devotion.” To be enthusiastic about something means you are “wholehearted, spirited, animated, demonstrative, fervent, and all fired up.”

Reminds you of your favorite sports team, right? You put on the jersey of the best player, paint your face blue and gold, go to the stadium and spend three hours on your feet pumping your fist and shouting like a wild man. Or maybe you showed that kind of enthusiasm when you saw your favorite music star in concert. Again you were on your feet, clapping and cheering, singing along, and hoping for an autograph after the show.

Sometimes our enthusiasm for something results in a dedication and commitment that borders on compulsive. I know people who are like that about their career. Parents sometimes become that fixated on the social and recreational activities of their children. Many times it’s a hobby that captures our heart and mind like that.

But how’s your enthusiasm level when it comes to the things of God? Is your commitment and dedication to His kingdom-building work here on earth anywhere near what you give to your career? Do you worship God with the same passion and energy you have for your favorite football team? Do you give the same kind of close attention to the sermon on Sunday as you do to that television show you watch every Monday?

My friends, as Christians we should be wildly enthusiastic for the things of God. Our hearts and minds should be so captivated by Jesus, and our love for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be so all-consuming, that nothing else in life comes close to receiving the energy and passion we put into our relationship with Him.

The truth is that most of us need an attitude adjustment in this area. All too often we are much more enthusiastic and passionate about things that are much less important, and we are lukewarm at best when it comes to the practice of our faith. We need to turn that around. Our enthusiasm for the things of God should be the driving force in our lives. All this month we will consider changes we can make to ensure that it is.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Life is always better with Jesus than without Him.”

As I write this I have just returned from leading a mission team to Haiti. I had been to Haiti before and so I knew what to expect but still the sheer magnitude of the poverty is hard to take in. Over the last forty-four years, first during a career in the U.S. Navy and then from a second career as a Pastor and mission team leader, I have completely circled the globe and I have visited something like thirty-five countries – but I still find the desperate situation in Haiti somewhat startling and a bit overwhelming.

And yet, the Haitian Christians are not a defeated or despairing people. Exactly the opposite is true. Rarely have I been with a group of Christians who display more joy in the Lord, who worship Him with greater passion, or who are more enthusiastic about being involved in His kingdom-building work, than the Christians I met in Haiti.

This past Sunday I preached in a church that met in a huge tent because their permanent church building had been rendered unusable in the earthquake five years ago. It was packed to the point of standing room only and was then spilling out into the street, and then on into an adjacent building across the ally. There were probably a couple of thousand people. They were well dressed, smiling and laughing, singing their hearts out, hugging and dancing, and tears of joy flowed freely.

In the neighborhood surrounding the church (where these people live) there were tin shacks, tent homes, piles of trash everywhere, and the stench of rotting garbage. But inside the church there was joy in the Lord like I’ve seldom experienced anywhere. How can that be?

I’ve frequently used Matthew 11:28-30 to make the point that regardless of your situation in life, whether you live in a shack in remote Africa or in a mansion in Beverly Hills, life is always better with Jesus than without Him. But seldom have I experienced the truth of that lesson as I have in Haiti.

What the Haitian Christians model for us in the midst of their difficult life situations is an excellent example of the truth Jesus taught in this passage. Despite the worst of circumstances, He can and will help us to walk through life with peace and joy and with strength and hope. Your tough times can actually become the instrument God uses to help you experience His presence and power in your life far beyond what you would have experienced otherwise.

The truth is that you can get through your tough times and you can do so with peace and strength. Jesus will help you.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Take the punch and bounce back.”

In his book, “You’ll get through this”, Max Lucado shares a memory from his childhood about “Bounce Back Bozo”. ‘Bounce Back Bozo” was an inflatable clown figure which stood about five feet high. It had a heavy three pound metal weight at the base which sat on the floor and prevented it from being knocked over. Because it was made of thick but soft plastic, you could punch it with all your might and it wouldn’t hurt your fist; and because of the weight in the bottom, it wouldn’t fall over no matter how hard you punched or kicked it. It would rock and sway wildly, but it would always bounce right back up.

I enjoyed reading about this childhood memory of Max’s because as a child I also had a Bounce Back Bozo and I loved it. I would punch and kick and wail on that thing to my heart’s content and I’ll tell you what – Bozo could take a punch and bounce right back up!

This should describe us too. We need to be able to take a punch and bounce back up. We need to be able to absorb what life throws at us, maybe be staggered and rocked by it, but then bounce back up and get on with life. Unfortunately many people don’t do this. Far too many people take one on the jaw, they go down, and they stay there, bitter and broken.

It’s not necessary. Life might knock us down, for a moment, but we don’t have to stay there. This is what Paul was describing in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9. What Paul got from life is a lot like what my poor buddy Bozo got from me – sometimes life just seemed to punch and kick and wail on poor Paul. But it didn’t defeat him. He got back up. He bandaged the wounds, worked out the soreness, brushed off the dust, and got right back at it.

Paul’s secret is that he had a firm foundation that served as his anchor. It wasn’t a three pound metal plate but a strong faith in God and total reliance on the Holy Spirit. This was the stabilizing influence in Paul’s life – and it can and should be the stabilizing influence in your life and mine as well.

Life can sometimes seem like a rock’em sock’em work-out with you as the punching bag. Every once in a while you’re probably going to take one on the jaw and you might even get knocked down. But you don’t have to stay down. With God as your foundation, with the Holy Spirit as the stabilizing influence in your life, you have what it takes to bounce back up.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Pray for our mission team in Haiti.”

As I write this I am less than twenty-four hours from leaving the USA to lead a mission team to Haiti. At 2:30 tomorrow morning eighteen of us (9 from Tennessee and 9 from Indiana) will leave our homes and begin the trip. We will be there September 19-27.

Our ministry site will be in the Carrefour region northwest of the city of Port-au-Prince. We will be working in partnership with a Haitian Christian ministry called Grace International. Our team will be working on construction projects to help complete a new building on the Grace International campus for young adult women who grew up in one of the orphanages, but who cannot stay there any longer because they are now too old. This transition home we will be working on will serve as a safe haven for the young women to live in until they are married. Our team will also be conducting daily Vacation Bible Schools for children in the orphanages and in the surrounding communities, and we will be helping to provide a hot lunch for over 2000 children every day.

There is currently a great spiritual awakening and revival taking place in Haiti. The Holy Spirit is doing a tremendous work there. The churches are full, Christian schools are being established all across the island, and even the secular television and radio stations broadcast Christian programming. We’re excited about being a part of it.

But at the same time the situation in Haiti is desperate. It is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (the poverty is overwhelming). There is also still a lot of rubble and destruction from the great earthquake which occurred more than five years ago. And there is a lot of crime. Armed gangs of thugs continue to be a problem. (Our team will be staying in a walled missionary compound and we will have armed guards 24/7).

Haiti also has a long history of political instability, especially around election time. While our team is there, the country will be preparing for the next Presidential election which is scheduled for early October. Although the last two election cycles have been fairly peaceful, the potential does exist for demonstrations and unrest.

However our team members are not fearful in the least, nor should we be. Our Haitian partners at Grace International are very experienced at hosting mission teams from the USA, and they have the logistics well developed in order to ensure the safety of the team. But more importantly, we are going in the power and the protection of the Holy Spirit. This is a humanitarian mission in the name of Jesus Christ and we have faith that He will protect us.

I tell you all of this so you can pray for us. This will be the last devotional message in this series until Monday September 28^th. Therefore I want to ask you to hold onto this one and use it in your daily quiet time to pray for us every day while we’re in Haiti.

I’ll be sending reports and pictures all throughout the course of the mission and will post them on the Oak Hill Baptist Church Facebook page, the CERT International Facebook page, and on my personal page as well.  I look forward to telling you all about the wonderful things God is surely going to accomplish through the work of our team.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God brings good things out of bad things.”

Returning to the story of Joseph as recorded in the book of Genesis, one of the things that stands out to us is that Joseph endured so much that could only be described as “bad”. His brothers threw him into a pit and then sold him into captivity. He was a slave first of Ishmaelite traders and then in Potiphar’s house. He spent years in prison. For thirteen long years his life was characterized by unfair and brutal treatment, a complete loss of freedom, and an uncertain future.

I don’t believe that God actually caused those circumstances. I simply cannot fathom God inciting the brothers and the traders and Potiphar’s wife to engage in those evil and sinful activities that resulted in Joseph’s pain and hardships. But God was there, and He was at work, and He did use those bad things to bring about good things.

In his book, “You’ll get through this” Max Lucado wrote, “The devil had Joseph right where he wanted him. So did God.”

Yes, I think Satan was the cause of those bad things that happened in Joseph’s life, but it was God who used them for His purposes and for His glory, and for Joseph’s ultimate good.

This is the great truth the Apostle Paul was teaching in Romans 8:28. Not all things are good. Some are bad – very bad. But God is there and He is at work in the middle of those bad situations and in His own way, and in His own timing, He will bring good things out of bad things for the benefit of those who belong to Him.

Joseph couldn’t see the future, but God could. Joseph didn’t know what was ahead of him and therefore he didn’t what to prepare himself for or how to do it. But God knew. And so God used those thirteen years to prepare Joseph for the work he was to do for the rest of his life. And that turned out to be very, very good.

This is true in your life too. You can’t see your future. But God can. You don’t know how to best use your current tough times to prepare yourself for a better future. But God does. So turn it all over to Him. Claim the promise of Romans 8:28. Cling to it. Ask God to use it to give you hope and strength, insight and wisdom, and ask Him to help you faithfully persevere.

God brings good things out of bad things. He did it for Joseph, and you can believe He is in the process of doing it for you too.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son – except the Father only.” Matthew 24:36 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Do not fear the end times.”

Of all the tough times individual people and the entire human race have endured throughout history, none will be tougher than the years, months, and days leading up to the end of time. As the human race gets closer and closer to the end, evil will become much more pronounced and the world will descend into chaos.

Many Christians today believe we are extremely close to the end of time. There are numerous modern-day prophets making all sorts of predictions and issuing warnings for Christians to prepare themselves for a coming apocalypse. Some are saying the stock market will crash and there will be economic chaos. Others predict there will be a nuclear exchange in the Middle East which will spark a world war. Still others are worried (of all things) about Federal Armed Forces invading Texas – and the list goes on.

So what’s a Christian to do? Should we stockpile food, water, and ammunition and head for a bunker in the hills? Some seem to think so. But a better approach would be to consider the teaching of Scripture, along with 2000 years of Christian history.

A study of Christian history reveals that every generation of Christians, since the time of the Apostles in the book of Acts, believed they were living in the end times. And, there always seemed to be world events which supported that belief. But as it turned out, they were all wrong. They weren’t living in the end times.

There have always self-proclaimed prophets who professed to have received divine enlightenment which gave them special revelation regarding end times issues. Some of them purported to have identified the Antichrist as being a prominent individual who lived in their day. Others pointed to significant events occurring in the world at that time as evidence that the end of time was upon them. Some even claimed to have been able to calculate the exact day and hour for the return of Christ. And of course, they were all wrong.

The lesson of history is that the prophets of doom and gloom who are making so much noise in our day are almost certainly wrong too. Now granted, someday they will be right. Eventually the end of times will be upon us and the prophets of that day will turn out to have been correct. It is even possible that we are living in that time right now – but historically speaking, statistically, probably not.

So how then should we live? Surely we can’t discount the possibility that these days could be the end times. But at the same time, we have no Biblical model for Christians to adopt a survivalist mentality, hording food, water, guns, and money, and building bunkers in their backyards.

With the Great Commission Jesus told us that we are to be on-mission with Him in the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). The example of the early church is that we are to fearlessly wade into the mess that is the world and boldly proclaim Christ (Acts 5:29). And of course, the Apostle Paul modeled evangelism and church planting in the face of great opposition, persecution, and abject evil (Acts 26:19-20).

I believe there is an intentional tension and balance established for us in the New Testament which provides a reasonable approach to this issue for all Christians, regardless of the age of history we live in. We are to live as if Jesus could come back today, but we are to plan as if He won’t come back for another 100 years.

We are to live as if He could come back today. In other words, we are to live with an urgency that today is the day of salvation. We need to share the Good News of the Gospel and lead others to faith in Christ today, with an urgency that understands that today could be the last day.

But we are to plan as if He isn’t coming back for another 100 years. We are to start new churches, fund Bible colleges, send out missionaries, and do all the other things necessary to ensure that the work of the Kingdom continues. Because if we don’t – if we act as if the Lord is about to come back any day now and therefore the churches and colleges and mission projects no longer really matter, then if we’re wrong there will be churches that never got planted, young people who never got a Bible education, mission projects that never got started, etc.

The bottom line is that we are to simply “be” the church – whatever the conditions in the world happen to be. We are to boldly and fearlessly wade into the mess that is the world and simply be on-mission with Jesus, helping to build His kingdom.

Do not fear the end of time. This probably isn’t it anyway but even if it is, don’t fear it and don’t become preoccupied with it. Just be the church and trust the Lord.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “This sickness will not end in death but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God can be glorified by how we handle sickness.”

Serious illness is one of the most difficult things any of us will ever have to deal with. There are few things in life that affect us as deeply as how we feel. It’s hard to be active when you don’t feel well. Being bright and bubbly takes extra effort when you’re exhausted and hurting. Our natural inclination is to focus our attention on our aches and pains, talk about them a lot, and expect everyone around us to be interested in hearing about how we feel.

I know this to be true on a personal level. I’ve been blessed with good health. I come from pretty hearty stock to begin with, but then I’ve also made it a point to take good care of myself. Therefore I seldom get sick. And that being the case, when I do get sick I’m not good at it. I’m a little bit of a baby about it.

My wife on the other hand handles sickness extremely well. Over the years she has had more surgeries than I can keep track of. She lives everyday with aches and pains and physical limitations. But for the most part she just shrugs it off and gets on with life. She does it with determination and a good sense of humor (she uses a black walker on wheels that is decorated with Harley Davidson stickers and flames).

I’ve always admired people who handle sickness well – especially Christians who use their illness to bring glory to God. Yesterday I performed a funeral for an 84 year old man who had struggled with multiple health problems for many years. But he did so with grace and good humor. He used his sicknesses to be a bright spot in the day of the healthcare workers who attended to him. He would laugh and joke with them, tease them and compliment them. And he would tell them about Jesus.

God can be glorified in how we handle sickness. We can be intentional about surrendering the issue to Him and then inviting Him to use it for a greater good.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through the tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.” Jeremiah 18:6 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “God is using your tough times to mold you and shape you.”

I know a man who spent years in prison. They were awful years – hard and lonely. Once he was released he went through more difficult years of transition as he tried to overcome his record as a convicted felon and establish a new life for himself. But he did do it and now God uses him to help other convicted felons get back on their feet.

I know another man who succumbed to alcoholism and lost everything – his job, his wife, his children, his home, all of his possessions, and his health. His fall was devastating, but he recovered and now God uses him to help other men recover from addiction as well.

You’ve heard of similar stories: a woman who was a victim of domestic violence and rape, now she works as a counselor at a women’s crisis center. The veteran who lost his legs in Iraq but now he helps other injured veterans make the adjustment and get on with their lives. The young couple who made terrible financial decisions, went through personal bankruptcy, but learned their lessons and now they teach a class at church on Biblical principles for good financial management.

God usually doesn’t cause our tough times – usually they come as a result of our own actions or because of the actions of someone else. But God does use our tough times to mold us and shape us into the men and women He wants us to be. God wastes nothing. Every tear, every struggle, every hurt and pain, God can and will use it to teach us, mold us, shape us, and prepare us for something good in the future.

I don’t know what difficult issue you’re dealing with at the moment but I do know that God wants to use it in your life for some good purpose. I encourage you to consider what God might be teaching you through this, and how you could potentially use your tough time to be a blessing to others in the future. Like a potter shaping a lump of clay into a useful vessel, God will use your tough times to mold you and shape you into the man or woman He wants you to be.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”

Our Bible verse for today: “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “The church should be an oasis of comfort for those who are struggling.”

In the days after September 11, 2001 the area around the World Trade Center in New York City looked like a bombed out war zone. The devastation was mind boggling. The rubble, concrete, twisted steel and broken glass we piled many stories high. There were shattered windows on buildings for blocks around ground zero. Thick dust and soot covered everything.

Rescue workers toiled for hours on end removing the rubble and looking for bodies. It was hot, dirty, grueling work that was both physically and emotionally exhausting. It was the toughest thing any of them had ever had to do and because the job was so immense, it was going to take months and months to complete it. All they had to look forward to every day was more of the same.

In the midst of all that devastation the workers from the Salvation Army set-up aid stations. They were air conditioned tents offering cold drinks and food, eye wash stations and clean rest rooms, and they were staffed by kind compassionate volunteers. There was also a corps of Salvation Army Chaplains who offered counseling and prayer, and they were kept constantly busy.

Observing this scene, author Philip Yancey described these aid stations as “An oasis of compassion in a wilderness of rubble.” I think that’s an apt description and I think it should also describe the church.

People all around us are struggling with big problems and small ones. Broken marriages, rebellious children, unemployment, mental illness, and chronic health problems are just some of the things people face every day. Life is often hard and the church should be the place people can come to for respite, care, compassion, and kindness. The church should be an oasis in the midst of the turmoil of life. I think that pretty accurately describes Oak Hill Baptist.

This Sunday (September 13, 2015) is “Friends Day” at our church. It’s a special day when we’re asking all our members to bring friends, family members, neighbors, and co-workers to Oak Hill Baptist. Especially bring those who are currently going through tough times because at Oak Hill, they will find that oasis of kindness and compassion.

Join us this Sunday. From 8:30 – 9:00 we will have an early morning fellowship with coffee and donuts. Sunday school is 9:00-10:50. The worship service begins at 10:00 and we will have a potluck lunch together after that. We look forward to seeing you there.

God Bless,

Pastor Jim