Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.” Titus 3:8 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “A good church is an essential part of your adventure”   Over this past year, I have adopted a new resolution – a firm resolution – that I will not waste precious time or emotional energy engaging in political, social, cultural, or theological debates. Especially not on Facebook. Our society is so divided on those issues that the debates amount to little more than people shouting into their echo chambers. Maybe it makes them feel better to have had their say, and maybe others who already think like them are encouraged and cheer them on, but mostly it’s all noise that changes nothing.   It’s not that I am checked-out. Exactly the opposite is true. I am more involved and more engaged than ever before. It’s just that I have resolved to focus my full attention on preaching, teaching, and writing about the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith, and helping people to see how to apply that solid doctrine to everyday life. My goal is to help those who are already Christians to be confident and strong as we stand against the cultural onslaught we’re facing every day. I’m not going to debate anything with anyone.  I’m simply going to declare truth exactly as God gave it to us in the Bible.   That is what the Apostle Paul was calling Titus to do in Titus 3:8. Paul also gave similar instruction to another pastor, Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4:1-4, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage the people of God with good teaching. For a time will come when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”   Paul was teaching Titus and Timothy how to have a strong church. The key was teach, preach, and practice sound doctrine.   This morning, I want to encourage you to be fully involved in the life of a good church – a church that teaches and practices sound doctrine. This is important because there are many churches in our day that are not sound. They teach a watered-down faith that amounts to little more than easy-believism. A good church that teaches and practices the sound doctrines of the historical Christian faith is an essential part of your adventure of living the Christian life.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king.” Daniel 1:8 (NLT)   Our thought for today: “Just do the next right thing”   Did you know that there are only two major figures in the Bible to produce a completely positive record of their actions? It was Jesus in the New Testament and Daniel in the Old Testament. It won’t surprise you to learn that the record of Jesus is totally positive, but it is also true of Daniel too. Of course, Daniel was a flawed human being just like you and me and so he did sin. But the Bible records only positive things about him. That’s because he was a man of very high integrity and he lived a life that honored God – even in the middle of a wickedly evil culture.   Daniel modeled for us how to serve God faithfully in the middle of a culture that was extremely ungodly, and he did so at great risk and cost to himself. His obedience to God brought him into conflict with some of the most powerful people in that society, and more than once it almost cost him his life. But Daniel’s faith was such that he was confident and strong in the face of opposition, persecution, and injustice.   But that was then, this is now. Daniel lived three thousand years ago in a different time, in a different country, and in a very different culture. Does his example really apply to us today? Yes. Yes, it does. Biblical principles of honesty, integrity, righteousness, and courage are timeless and they apply to all people, in all places, and at all times.   I find Daniel’s example to be inspiring. Likewise, I have long admired and been inspired by the example of William McRaven. As a four-star Admiral, he was one of the highest-ranking SEALs in the history of the U.S. Navy. He is a courageous warrior, a man of strong faith, and he is a man of impeccable character and integrity. In his book, “The Wisdom of the Bullfrog: Leadership Made Simple (but not easy)” Admiral McRaven wrote, “Do the right things for the right reasons. Be noble when others are unprincipled; be honorable when others are shameless; live above the common level of life.”   That is one of the hallmarks of great men and women – they have the character, integrity, and courage to do the right thing, in the right way, and for the right reasons, and they do so regardless of the opposition they encounter from those around them.   As the people of God in the USA in our day, we live in an increasingly lost and wicked culture. This is a difficult time to openly and unapologetically live by and advocate for Biblical principles. But we can and we must. Daniel did it in his day and we can do it in ours.   In every situation you face today I encourage you to have the faith and the courage to simply do the right thing. Moment-by-moment and situation-by-situation just resolve to do the next right thing.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “What kind of person will you be?”   This morning, I want to take us back to the quote I cited yesterday from Congressman Dan Crenshaw in his book, “Fortitude”: “We have to figure out who we want to be; not just what we want to do, but who we want to be. When we decide who we want to be we are identifying the character traits that we want to have define us.”   Yes, we have to decide who we want to be (or what we want to be like), and then we have to do the things necessary to become like that. How we see ourselves and how we want to become, and then what we decide to do about that, goes a long way towards determining the kind of person we will be. And it does have to be intentional. It requires a decision and action on our parts.   In Galatians 5:19-23 the Apostle Paul created a stark contrast designed to illustrate this very point. In verses 19-21 he wrote, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar.” Then in verses 22-23 he listed the fruit of the Spirit. Two different lifestyles, two different outcomes, two different kinds of people.   Have you ever had the pleasure of knowing someone whose life overflowed with the fruit of the Spirit and those virtues just seem to radiate out of them? How do you suppose he or she became that way? It was by means of an intentional decision to develop a life of discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those are character traits the Holy Spirit develops in us and then brings out of us because the person continuously places him or herself in a position before God, every day, whereby the Spirit can mold and shape them, growing them in spiritual maturity and making them more like Jesus.   An essential part of the adventure of living the Christian life is growing in spiritual maturity and progressively becoming more and more like Jesus. So, what kind of person do you want to be? And then, what are you doing to help bring that about?   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good …” Titus 2:7 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “What kind of example are you setting?”   I believe the year was 1993. I was serving as the part-time Minister of Education at Hilltop Baptist Church in Chula Vista, CA. One Sunday we had a visit from a couple who were sent to us from the California Baptist Convention. Jim was a former pastor. His wife Kay was in failing health and had suffered a series of debilitating health issues that left her confined to a wheelchair. But they had a wheelchair-modified van and together Jim and Kay traveled the state of California on behalf of the California Baptist Convention, visiting and encouraging churches.   There was something about that couple that deeply impacted Linda and I. The obvious deep love Jim and Kay shared, and the way they handled Kay’s disabilities with dignity, grace, and a positive can-do spirit, moved us. We shared a meal with them that day and we had a little follow-up correspondence with them in the months following, and we never forgot their example. Little did Linda and I know that fourteen years later, in 2007, Linda would suffer a stroke and undergo brain surgery that would leave her seriously disabled for the last seventeen years of her life. But when that did happen, we both remembered Jim and Kay and we resolved that we were going to strive to handle our situation like they handled theirs. Their example became an inspiration and guide for us.   In his book “Fortitude” Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a combat-wounded Navy Seal wrote this, “We have to figure out who we want to be; not just what we want to do, but who we want to be. When we decide who we want to be we are identifying the character traits that we want to have define us.”   Linda and I saw something in Jim and Kay that we wanted to be true of us too. So, we strived to follow their example. Years later God would bring another couple into our lives with a similar story and who set a similar example – Steve and Jacki Tate. When we met them, Jacki had been battling cancer for close to fifteen years and was within a couple of years of the end of her life. Steve cared for Jacki the way Jim had cared for Kay, and they approached it with the same great attitude. Steve and Jacki’s example was inspiring for Linda and I at the very time we needed it, just as Jim and Kay’s had been years earlier.   As was noted in yesterday’s devotional, sometimes the adventure of living the Christian life is not fun. Life is filled with adversity and challenges. How we handle those hard times matters, and others notice. God can use your example as a means of teaching, encouraging, and inspiring others.   I encourage each of us to consider what kind of an example we are setting for others. Let’s make sure it’s a good one.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Changed and getting better”   The other night I had dinner with a man I have been visiting in prison for more than five years. However, this time we were in a restaurant in Crossville, rather than in the visitor’s center of the prison. He is a free man – out of prison and ready to putt his life back together. He is middled-aged now and has had a lifetime of substance abuse, crime, and time in jails and prisons. But that was then, this is now. He is a changed man.   During this stint in prison my friend truly surrendered his life to Christ. He became involved in Bible studies; attended multiple worship services every week; and he became a certified “Peer Recovery Counselor” with a paid job in the prison serving as a counselor to other prisoners who were attempting to overcome substance abuse and turn their lives around. Also, our church paid his tuition so he could participate in a special correspondence Bible college program. He has now completed more than two-thirds of his Associates Degree in Biblical Studies and he will continue that course of study now that he is out of prison.   My friend has turned his life around. But like the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 (above) he will be the first to tell you that he is far from perfect. He is not perfect but he is changed, and he is headed in the right direction, and he is getting a little bit better every day. There’s a lot of truth in the old saying, “I know I’m not yet the man I should be, but thank God I’m no longer the man I used to be.”   That truth pertains to all of us. None of us are perfect. We are all works in progress. If we’re doing it right, then every day we grow a little more in our spiritual maturity and therefore, we are a little better today than we were yesterday. But still, none of us has arrived yet. Not one of is the person we are intended by God to be and we won’t be that person until the day we arrive in heaven.   An important part of the adventure of living the Christian life is the never-ending opportunity for spiritual growth – to be just a little better today than you were yesterday.   We will think more about this in the days to come. For this morning, spend some time reflecting on what you used to be like and how much the Holy Spirit has changed you. Then give God thanks for the changes He has made in you. You may not be perfect, but you should be changed and getting better. It’s part of the adventure of living the Christian life.     God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “When the adventure is no longer fun”   Sometimes the adventure of the Christian life is not fun. Instead, sometimes it is hard, dark, uncertain, and maybe painful. The Christian life is not all lollipops and gumdrops, pretty flowers and puppy dogs. Sometimes there is sickness, death, job loss, rebellious children, difficult work situations, traffic accidents, broken relationships, and more. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes it hurts. What do we do when the adventure is no longer fun? How do we handle that?   Carol Kent is a Christian author, conference speaker, and thought leader. She and her husband Gene had one child – a son named J.P. He was a model child. He had strong faith in Jesus, he was an outstanding student, and a leader of the student body at school and of the church youth group. After high school he went to the U.S. Naval Academy and then he went on to have a career as a Naval Officer. He was married and had two children.   Then he committed murder. Not manslaughter. It wasn’t an accident. It was premediated, cold-blooded murder and he was sentenced to life in prison without parole.   Carol and Gene were crushed. They did everything they could to help their son, but he is in prison and will remain there for the rest of his life. Carol ended up writing a book about their ordeal and the lessons they learned from it. The title of the book is “When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable faith in unthinkable circumstances.”   Carol wrote, “There are some tragedies that are too big for the heart to hold and they defy any description that makes sense. Time weaves its way through the shock, the hurt, and the inexpressible feelings, and one day you discover that in the process of daily survival, you have instinctively made decisions (good and bad), defined your theology, formed an opinion about God, and determined that you will either curl up and die emotionally or you will choose life.”   Ultimately, that’s the crossroads we must all come to when tragedy strikes. We must decide if we are going to shrink from it, withdraw from life, curl up and die emotionally, or if we are going to rely on faith, embrace God, and choose life. If we choose life, we must acknowledge it will not be the same life we had before the tragedy struck. Things will be different now, but life can still be good again – different but good.   We will all face trouble in this life. Jesus told us so. During those times, the adventure of the Christian life probably won’t seem like much fun. The only answer that makes sense though, is to lean into the pain and grief, trust God, push through it, and choose to live. I encourage you to choose faith and to live life – and to do it despite the pain and heartache.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39 NIV)   Our thought for today: “Lost or found?”   If you think you have found your life you will have lost it, but if you lose your life for the cause of Christ you will have found it. What could Jesus have meant by that? It must be an important concept because He said it twice, once in Matthew 10:39 and again in Matthew 16:25. If Jesus teaches something even once it’s obviously important and therefore, we should learn the lesson and obey it. But if He says it twice, that should certainly get our attention.   The passage in Matthew 16:25-26 gives us a little fuller context: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Of what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”   There’s a double meaning to Jesus’ lesson here. First, foremost, and most importantly, this pertains to eternal life. If a person doesn’t have the assurance of eternal life in heaven it doesn’t matter how much he or she achieves and accumulates in this life, ultimately it will all have been a great loss.   But the lesson also pertains directly to how we invest our time, energy, and resources in this life. Ultimately, pursuing the things of this world simply for their own sake proves to be an empty and fruitless pursuit. “You can’t take it with you!” and “I’ve never seen a hearse towing a U-Haul!” are true observations and it’s what Jesus meant. Conversely, if you invest your life in pursuit of the kingdom of God, helping others to come to faith in Christ and to then live as His disciples, your life will have been invested in things that have eternal value. You will also experience a lot more joy and satisfaction in life now from doing those things than you will if you are simply building a big bank account, accumulating lots of expensive toys, and spending a lot of money on your own entertainment and pleasure. In the long run, those things don’t really satisfy.   The adventure of the Christian life is found in serving Jesus and serving others in His name. Going on mission trips, serving a meal at a homeless shelter, doing yardwork for an elderly shut-in, spending time with at-risk children, delivering a meal to a family who just lost a loved one and a thousand other acts of mercy and kindness, all done in the name of Jesus, that is the path to true fulfillment in life.   The best life you will ever have is the one lived in the center of God’s will honoring Him and blessing others. If you are living for yourself your life is lost. If you are living for Jesus and for others, your life has been found. It’s an important question of lost or found.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “What makes you come alive?”   There are so many things about our church that I love. Our Acts 1:8 model of ministry helps to keep us focused on being on-mission with Jesus outside the walls of the church. (To read a full description of the Acts 1:8 model of ministry please go to our website at www.oakhillbaptist.net). That focus on missions is the heartbeat of our church and virtually everyone in the church is enthused about it, committed to it, and involved in some way in much of our mission work.   Something else I love about our church is how everyone volunteers for at least one or more ministries within the church. We are about to begin the new church year in September. Therefore, this Sunday we will vote on the new slate of ministry assignments for the new church year. What we do is in the late spring of each year we publish a list of all the ministry positions in the church and we ask people to give us feedback regarding how they would like to serve in the church in the new church year. Then we ask them to make a one-year commitment to that ministry. Choices range from leadership positions, to Sunday school teacher, to ushers and greeters, to the kitchen and decorating committees, and much more.   It’s amazing to me as the pastor to see the level of enthusiasm with which our people approach the decision-making process regarding how they would like to serve. They get excited about it and there is genuine eagerness and anticipation surrounding the new church year and their ministry assignments.   The Christian author Gil Bailie once wrote, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive because what the world needs is more men and women who have come alive.” There is great wisdom for all of life in that statement and it certainly can be applied to church life. What do you love to do? What excites you and gives you a sense of pleasure and accomplishment? That’s an indication of how God has wired you, and it points you to the activities you will most likely do the best and enjoy the most.   That’s what Paul was getting at in 1 Corinthians 12:7 when he wrote that a manifestation of the Spirit has been given to each of us. What he means is that God has given us skills, abilities, talents, and spiritual gifts that He wants us to use in His service and to bless others. The things He has wired you for are the ones you will enjoy the most and do the best.   So, what excites you? What are you most interested in? What makes you come alive? Identify those things and then do them for the Lord, and do them with enthusiasm.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Trust God and keep moving forward”   I love mementos. I always have. Mementos are items which remind us of something special. As I sit here right now in my office at home, I am surrounded by mementos. Just to mention a few, there is the shadow box and various articles from my career in the Navy. Off to my right, up on a shelf, I see a carved soap-stone statue I bought in Mombasa, Kenya in 1985. There are bows, arrows, and spears from deep in the Amazon Jungle. There is a small carved wooden treasure chest from Haiti; a coffee mug from the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.; many family pictures spanning decades; and of course, books, books, and more books.   Each of those mementos reminds me of something special and I love to sit here and savor the memories associated with the mementos. But there is one that is especially meaningful and helpful to me. It is a small rustic wooden box just 4 inches x 4 inches x 2 inches high. Inside it contains two things – a small brass compass and a brass medallion with the inscription, “Life is a journey not a destination.” It sits on the corner of my desk within my line of sight because I want to see it and be reminded of that truth frequently.   It’s an important perspective. Each day is another gift of life from God and it is another day on my journey through this world towards my real home in heaven. But as I approach each day, I realize that it is filled with unknowns. We never know for sure what a day will bring and therefore we must walk forward into it in faith.   Proverbs 3:5-6 is my primary life-verse. It is how I try to approach every day – seeking God, framing everything I see and hear in the context of a Biblical perspective, striving to stay in the center of His will, and then trusting Him to lead me – even when I don’t understand and even when the way forward seems uncertain. Then, if I combine Proverbs 3:5-6 with the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 (For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future), I have confidence and an eager expectation of adventure and discovery. My goal is to simply trust God and keep moving forward.   That truth has been especially important and helpful for me in the months since my wife Linda died. This has been the hardest season of life I have ever experienced. Even at this point, almost nine months later, I still approach most days by simply putting one foot in front of the other and walking it forward, trusting the Lord to lead me. The future is unclear and uncertain – I don’t know what it holds. But I do know that God is sovereign over it and that I can trust Him.   For all of us, whatever the situation is, the answer is always the same – trust God and keep moving forward.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “The Great Adventure”   Our Bible verse for today: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Encountering God in the silence”   I love the lesson of Psalm 46. It’s so calming, so reassuring. In this Psalm the writer depicts a world in chaos. He describes natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, as well as wars and nations that are in uproar. We get the sense of noise and confusion; threats and violence; fear; and of frantic people who don’t know what to do or where to turn. But in the middle of it all God says in verse 10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The writer goes on in verse 11, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”   This applies to us in our world today. The world is in chaos and people don’t know what to do or where to turn. Noisy, fearful, and frantic are good descriptors of our society. This adventure of the Christian life takes us through a world that is dangerous terrain with many challenging situations.   But God is sovereign over it all. And therefore, we Christians should not be running around like a bunch of Chicken Littles wailing that the sky is falling. The sky is not falling. The Lord Almighty is with us. So, we need to stop, chill, sit still, and know that He is God. This is the deep spiritual water we were thinking about in yesterday’s devotional. Let’s take a look again at Ian Morgan Cron’s definition of a pilgrimage:   “A pilgrimage is a way of praying with your feet. You go on a pilgrimage because you sense there is something missing inside your soul, and the only way you can find it is to go to a sacred place.”   “Go to a sacred place.” In other words, withdraw for a while from the noise and chaos. Potentially that could be anywhere. It could be somewhere far away and very special. Personally, I have always loved visiting great cathedrals. I have visited many of them around the world. I love to sit in the silence gazing at the stunning architecture and the beautiful artwork, all created to celebrate the glory of God. Doing that is a significant pilgrimage. But your pilgrimage could also be close to home. I like to go hiking in the deep woods alone and just sit with God. Sometimes my journey to a sacred place involves nothing more than going and sitting quietly in the sanctuary at our church and gazing at the large stained-glass window in the front that depicts Jesus with His arms spread wide and saying “Come to Me …” Sometimes, the pilgrimage to quiet time involves nothing more than going into my bedroom, closing the door, sitting in a comfortable chair, and being quiet before the Lord.   An important part of the adventure of the Christian life involves sitting quietly before the Lord. What are some of your favorite ways of doing that? I would like to hear from you.   God bless, Pastor Jim   (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571