Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “We need each other.”

We have a long-standing tradition at Oak Hill Baptist which has existed since before I got there (more than six years now). The first Sunday of every month is “Donut Sunday”. Beginning before Sunday school, and continuing throughout the morning, there are donuts and coffee available in the Fellowship Hall.

It’s a nice tradition and everyone enjoys it. However three weeks ago (the first Sunday in January and therefore “Donut Sunday”) we were also kicking off the Daniel Plan. And so yes, we kicked off this effort to get everyone healthier by offering them platters of gooey calorie-laden donuts.

I had so many things on my mind that weekend that I never connected the dots on that one, and neither did anyone else. It wasn’t until that morning when we were all standing there staring at the donuts and thinking about The Daniel Plan that it finally dawned on us how funny it was to be feeding everyone donuts on that day. We all got a good laugh out of it and agreed that we would have to make some changes to “Donut” Sunday.

However, it’s unlikely that I’ll remember. As the pastor I just have too many other things to think about than whether or not there are donuts being served. And so good ole Gary, always Mr. Johnny-on-the spot, stepped forward and volunteered to look after that detail for us.

That story illustrates the truth that when it comes to making important changes in our lives, two are better than one. We’ll be more successful if we do it together. The friendship or partnership element is a key part of the Daniel Plan, but it’s also true of life in general. We are always better, stronger, and more effective together than alone.

Do you have a partner or two who is committed to helping you achieve your goals?  Two are better than one and we really do need each other.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Being thankful is good for you.”

“Here’s a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note; don’t worry, be happy. In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double; don’t worry, be happy …”

That of course, is the opening stanza to Bobby McFerrin’s great little song “Don’t worry, be happy”. (You were probably bobbing your head and singing along, right? Ooh ooh ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh ooh oo-ooh ….)

In church we sometimes sing a song that’s a slightly different take on that same theme, it’s called “Count your blessings” (name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done …)

The point in both songs is that we’re to focus on the positive rather than on the negative. Yes life brings with it lots of problems and struggles, but it is also filled with lots of blessings and happiness. Way too often we tend to dwell on the bad and what’s wrong rather than giving thanks for what’s good and right. But dwelling on the negative is bad for us. It actually affects our health in a negative way.

As Rick Warren notes in his book, “The Daniel Plan”, “Every time you have a thought, your brain releases chemicals. Negative, angry, and hopeless thoughts produce negative chemicals that make your body and mind feel bad; by contrast, positive, happy, and hopeful thoughts produce a completely different set of chemicals that help you feel relaxed, happy, and in control of your impulses.”

He goes on, “Modern medical research reveals that when you consistently focus on your blessings and what you are grateful for each day, it has positive effects on your physical and mental health.”

I encourage you today to count your blessings; stay focused on the good and positive. You’ll feel a lot better if you do.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable – if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise – dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Keep your mind focused on what is good for you.”

One of the five key elements of “The Daniel Plan” approach to living a healthy and balanced life involves “focus”. We have to be thinking right in order to live right. The things we allow into our mind and the things we focus our mind on, determine how we think, speak, and act. To have a healthy life we must have a healthy mind.

That was Paul’s point in Philippians 4:8. What you think about matters – it matters a lot. Rick Warren urges his readers to “develop mastery over the quality of your thoughts.” He further warns, “Thoughts lie – they lie a lot. It is often your uninvestigated thoughts that drive depression, anxiety, fear, and overeating that derail progress toward better health.”

The good news is that to a very large degree we have the power to decide what is allowed into our head and what isn’t. Every day you make choices about what you will read, what you will listen to on the radio, what you will watch on television, what you will think about, and who you will engage in conversation with.

Additionally, you can train your mind to stay focused on thoughts that are helpful and beneficial. Concentrating on and visualizing the achievement of your God-given goals is a great way to focus your mind in a healthy direction. Memorizing, reciting, and meditating on key Bible verses is also a crucial part of maintaining a healthy thought life.

I urge all of us today to make an extra effort to keep our minds focused on things that are pure and true, lovely and commendable, things that are good for us and will help us to achieve our goals.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “As hard as it may seem, with God we can make the changes we need to make.”

When it comes to incorporating new and healthier habits into our lives, changing our diet can be one of the most difficult changes for many of us. Personally, I love to eat. And unfortunately the food I love the most is no good for me. The awareness that there is a pint of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream in the freezer is enough to get me out of bed at two o’clock in the morning. Glazed donuts call me by name and mock my lack of willpower. I can’t eat just one piece of pizza – if I have one I have to have two, or four, or six, or the whole pie.

But I’m not alone. Compulsive addictive overeating is an epidemic in our society. One study cited in “The Daniel Plan” book reported:

“The National Institutes of Health spends $800 million a year trying to discover the cause of obesity. Could it be the 29 pounds of French fries, 23 pounds of pizza, 24 pounds of ice cream, 53 gallons of soda, 24 pounds of artificial sweeteners, 2.7 pounds of salt, 90,000 milligrams of caffeine consumed every year by the average American?”

When added-up like that it’s truly astonishing how much really bad food we stuff into our bodies. So it’s no wonder that so many of us are badly out of shape. And since the food that is bad for us tastes so good, and in many cases is literally addictive, cleaning-up the diet can be a big challenge.

But this is where God steps in. What seems impossible to us isn’t impossible at all when God is involved. If you’ve been following along with these daily devotionals, and/or the Sunday morning sermons and our group study of the Daniel Plan, then you know that God wants us to take good care of our bodies and doing so can be a spiritual discipline as well as an act of worship.

We need to dump the junk. We need to clean-up our diets and take better care of our bodies. God will help you to do that. Invite Him into your diet and exercise routine. Make taking care of yourself part of the way in which you practice your faith.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Serving others is one of the healthiest things we can do.”

Having the proper focus in life is one of the keys to living a life that is healthy and balanced. As we continue to work on areas in our own lives that need improvement, we must be careful not to become self-absorbed and focused exclusively on ourselves.

Let’s remember that the primary reason we are to take good care of our bodies is because Jesus wants to use our physical body as an instrument of ministry. We are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It is through the physical bodies of His followers that Jesus performs most of His ministry in the world today.

That being the case, even while our thoughts are focused on personal improvement, we must also be focused on serving the Lord by serving others. In Matthew 25:40 Jesus said, “I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me.”

In their book “Hope Again: A 30-day plan for conquering depression.” Mark Sutton and Bruce Hennigan write about how one of the most effective strategies for dealing with depression is to take our eyes off of our own problems and focus instead on being a blessing to others. They write, “Invest your time and energy on something outside of yourself … Invest your time and energy in something that is bigger than yourself.”

That is a very effective strategy for dealing with depression but it is also the basic call for the follower of Christ – serve God by serving others. The primary reason we are to take good care of ourselves is so we can be of service to others in the name of Jesus.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8 (NIV)

Our thought for today: “Physical fitness needs to be part of a healthy and balanced life.”

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time in gyms. It’s not uncommon in a gym culture to see people who exalt the physical body and almost worship it. But as Paul expresses in 1Timothy 4:8, ultimately the physical training of the body is only of limited value. It’s training in godliness that really matters.

However please note that Paul did not say, and did not mean to imply, that physical training is of “no” value. His intent was simply to keep it in its proper place. If you’ve read all the Biblical letters written by Paul then you know that he was fond of sports metaphors and he evidently admired athletes.

Too many Christians neglect exercise. Some even attempt to use 1 Timothy 4:8 as their justification for doing so, but clearly that would be a corruption of Paul’s meaning. It also would not be consistent with what the rest of the Bible teaches. Moses took care of himself to the point that at 120 his eyesight was still good and he was still very healthy. (Deuteronomy 34:7). At eighty-five Caleb was still strong, vigorous and feisty! (Joshua 14:11)

Like food, exercise is better than medicine. Moderate exercise on a daily basis does wonders for our health. Our bodies are designed by God to be active. Many of the health problems people experience today are a result of sedentary lifestyles. All of the research shows that the more we physically move our body, the better it is for our overall health. Even something as simple as a brisk walk 30 minutes a day produces substantial health benefits.

The Daniel Plan website (www.danielplan.com) offers many helpful tips to help you discover simple and fun ways to make exercise a part of your daily routine. I encourage you to check it out.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.” Daniel 1:15-16 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Taking proper care of yourself helps you to be your best.”

When we study the story of Daniel in its entirety we realize that what made Daniel and his three friends special was not just the fact that they ate nutritious food, it was the fact that they were men of deep faith and strong character who also took proper care of their bodies as an matter of how they practiced their faith.

We also learn that when they did eat healthy and nutritious food (as opposed to the rich and fatty fare everyone else was stuffing their bodies with), there was a noticeable difference. Daniel and his friends looked better, they were healthier, they evidently had lots of energy, and they were bright and sharp.

What we’re reading about here in this 2500 year old story is a basic truth that medical doctors, fitness professionals, and government agencies continue to promote even in our day: “What you eat matters.” The food you eat determines not just how much you will weigh and what shape your body will be in, but also how much energy you will have, how clearly you will think, how well you will sleep, and much more.

Also, food is medicine. Good food not only fuels your body but it heals your body. Good food provides the essential building blocks your body uses to rebuild damaged tissue, to cleanse and feed internal organs, and to heal. Countless formerly overweight and unhealthy people will tell you that once they began eating right and exercising, and once the weight came off, they no longer needed a lot of the medicine they used to take.

Through Daniel and his three friends God gave us an inspiring example about taking care of the body as a matter of how we practice our faith. Here we are thousands of years later and the truth hasn’t changed. In order to be your best you must take care of your body.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Take it one day at a time.”

His name was Dr. George Hodkoppolis and he played an important role at a crucial time in my life. Dr. Hodkoppolis was the Director of the George Washington University extension campus on the Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk,VA. I was a twenty-four year old who had dropped out of High School without even completing the 10th grade. A few years earlier I had gone to three weeks of night classes to earn my G.E.D. but still, my scholastic skills were weak to say the least.

At this time I had just struggled through my very first college class. I think it was college-level multiplication, or some ridiculously low level class like that. My final grade was a D+ but the teacher graciously gave me a C-. Before I left the classroom on that last night of class she quietly advised me, “Jim, not everyone is supposed to be in college. Maybe college isn’t right for you.” So the next day I went to the office to withdraw from the program.

But Dr. Hodkoppolis was having none of it. He put his arm around my shoulder, congratulated me on completing my very first college class, and urged me to get busy on the next one. He said, “Jim, you have completed the first step, now take the next one. Don’t worry about your 10th class or your 20th class or any class except your next one. Take it one step at a time, always focusing on just the next step. If you keep doing that, one day you’re going to wake up and discover that you are a college graduate.”

Thirty-six years and four college degrees later, I thank God for putting Dr. Hodkoppolis in my life at that crucial time. His wise advice was exactly what I needed.

One of the primary reasons people give-up and don’t achieve their goals is that the end result – the ultimate achievement – seems overwhelming and unachievable. But the key to success is to focus just on the next step. Successfully complete your goal for today and then turn your attention to the goal for tomorrow. Just walk it out step-by-step, one day at a time. If you do that, one day you will wake-up to discover you have achieved your goal.

“Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself.” Just stay focused on what you need to do today.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

Our Bible verse for today: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)

Our thought for today: “Change how you think and you can change your life.”

How we think determines what we say and what we do. Ultimately it will also determine what we believe to be true – about the world, and about others, and about ourselves.

What does that have to do with healthy living? Everything. As Rick Warren put it, “You may think transformation of your health begins with physical effort, but the truth is, if you want lasting change in your life, you need to refocus your mind. When you trade old thinking for new thinking, that’s when transformation starts to happen.”

World-class athletes have a secret to their success that we average people typically don’t employ. They call it “visualization”. They create and maintain a vivid image in their mind of the physical condition they want to achieve; or of them using the perfect golf swing; or hitting the homerun; or throwing the touchdown pass; or being awarded the gold medal. In their mind they see that image, they meditate on it, they enter deeply into it, and they experience it in their mind long before it ever becomes a physical reality.

Although most of us will never be world-class athletes the concept of visualization is the same principle behind setting any goal. We envision the thing that we want to achieve and then we keep that image before us as we continue to make progress in that direction.

Prayerfully consider the changes which need to occur in your life. Set goals to achieve those changes. Then develop new daily habits which bring you step-by-step closer to that new reality. Doing that is a crucial element in your growth and transformation. Then visualize those changes happening and you are well on the road to success. Change how you think and you can change your life.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Healthy Living”

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 (HCSB)

Our thought for today: “Keep your eyes on Jesus and just keep moving forward.”

In the book, “The Daniel Plan”, Rick Warren shares this startling statistic:

“We spend almost three trillion a year in our healthcare system and almost 80 percent of that is for chronic lifestyle preventable and reversible disease.”

Preventable and reversible lifestyle-related health issues are the number one health problem faced by Americans today. Unfortunately for many of us, gaining victory over those lifestyle issues seems like an insurmountable task. In our culture we are conditioned to over-consume. Manufacturers and advertisers utilize advanced and subliminal psychological tricks to condition and manipulate consumers. The bad habits we develop become long-term and deeply engrained –and therefore difficult to break free from.

But the good news is that there is hope and there can be victory over these difficult challenges. Hope’s name is Jesus Christ and He makes it possible for us to overcome every challenge. If we honestly and accurately identify the areas of weakness which we are wrestling with, and then prayerfully ask Jesus to help us, He will. He will lead us to develop a plan for dealing with it; He will surround us with other Christians who will encourage and support us; and His Holy Spirit will guide and direct us.

I invite you to join us at Oak Hill Baptist this Sunday morning and evening as we continue our study of healthy living. The sermon on Sunday morning at 10:00 will be “Biblical Principles for Lasting Change”, and on Sunday evening at 6:00 our Daniel Plan support group will meet. We would love to have you join us.

God Bless,
Pastor Jim