Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “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 3:13-14 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Embrace what is, rather than lamenting what isn’t”   Recently a friend recommended a great little devotional book which I bought and am being blessed by. The title is “Treasures in the Dark: 90 reflections on finding bright hope in the hurting” by Katherine Wolf.   In her twenties, Katherine was a Hollywood actress and a model. She was beautiful, elegant, articulate, and confident. Then, at the age of only twenty-six, she suffered a brain stem stroke that came very close to taking her life. She lived, but only after spending months in a medically induced coma. Then, she endured years of rehabilitation and multiple surgeries. But despite the rehab and surgeries, Katherine remains severely disabled. Her face is twisted, her speech is impaired, she relies on a wheelchair for mobility, and she requires a lot of assistance for daily life tasks that the rest of us take for granted.   It shouldn’t surprise us that Katherine went through a period of depression and questioning God as she tried to come to terms with her knew reality. But God helped her to see that He had a new life for her that could be beautiful and productive despite her infirmities. A guiding life verse that emerged for her out of this trial is Isaiah 45:3, “And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness – secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”   That’s what her devotional book is all about – finding those treasures from God that are there in the darkness of her trial. Katherine realized that if she handled her trial well, God could use her to inspire and encourage others. So, she and her husband developed a ministry designed to do exactly that. She has written books, spoken at conferences and workshops, and even started a family camp for those dealing with significant trials called “Hope Heals Camp”   Too often we allow our trials and losses to define us, and we waste years of our lives looking backwards and wishing things were as they used to be. But the truth is that the past is past and often cannot be retrieved. So, it is a waste of time and emotional energy to excessively focus on what used to be.   Whether our dark trial came to us because of a medical issue, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a financial setback, or any of life’s other many trials and tribulations, instead of lamenting what was, we must embrace what is, and then seek out God’s treasures in what seems to be the darkness of our present trial. Romans 8:28 is still true, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”   Achieving and maintaining good emotional health despite difficult trials requires us to embrace what is rather than what was, and focus on moving forward in life. We will think more about this in the days to come.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “I have had enough! Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers. Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.” 1 Kings 19:4-5 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Feeling like Elijah (after he rested)”   If’ you’re familiar with the story of Elijah in 1 Kings chapters 18 and 19, then you know that in chapter 18 Elijah engaged in a great ministry battle with 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Literally, it was 450 against 1, and Elijah won. (Well, it was 450 against 1 + God, so Elijah did have a little help.) But just the same, it was a tremendous spiritual battle and a great victory for Elijah and for God.   But as the story unfolds from there, we find that Elijah was physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually drained and as a result, his follow-on ministry after that great victory was not so good. Read about it in 1 Kings 19. Long story short, Elijah melts down and runs away from everyone and everything and he ends up in a cave in the desert. An angel of the Lord then appeared to him and made him sleep and eat. Then, rested and refreshed, Elijah had a very special encounter with God which fired him up and prepared him to get on with his ministry. The entire episode proves once again that sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to take a nap!   Fortunately, my story is a little less dramatic than Elijah’s. For one thing, I did not do battle with 450 prophets of Baal, nor did I have a spiritual victory of Biblical proportions – but I also didn’t melt down and run away to a cave in the desert. Instead, I just went away on a two-week family vacation. Now I am back and yes, I do feel a little like Elijah after-the-fact in that I am renewed and refreshed and ready to get back to work.   I hope you have allowed yourself some downtime recently, or you plan to do so soon. We all need to do that periodically. Sometimes we are reluctant to take that time because we have the mistaken belief that we will miss too much, or that the world will stop turning without our active participation. But the fact is (as I discovered), the world will go on just fine without us while we are resting, and we will actually be more effective carrying out our role in it once we are well-rested again.   Thank you for your patience over these last two weeks while there have been no daily devotional messages from me. For the rest of this month, we will continue exploring this subject of taking better care of ourselves.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “I’m going to follow my own advice”   Recently a friend commented about how personal many of my daily devotionals are. What she meant is that I tend to be somewhat transparent in my writing of them and I often include examples from my personal life. I explained that for me writing is therapeutic and therefore I have always had the habit of writing about my thoughts, feelings, and experiences – usually in my private journal.   Originally, I wrote these daily devotionals for myself and God only. It wasn’t until thirteen years ago that I began sharing them with others via email reader groups, Facebook, and on the church website. But almost always, these devotionals pertain to things that I’m personally working through with God, and then I share those lessons with you hoping that you might find them helpful too.   For the month of June our theme has been “Take care of yourself.” It is a topic that’s important to me personally, for myself, but I also care very much about all of you and I want you to take good care of yourselves too. However, my advice carries much less weight if I don’t practice what I preach, and since an important part of taking good care of ourselves involves sometimes putting work aside and completely shutting down, I need to do that sometimes too.   Today I will begin two weeks of family vacation. And so, I will be turning off and shutting down in terms of ministry, and that will include these daily devotional messages. This will be the last one for a couple of weeks. The next daily devotional should appear in your inbox or Facebook newsfeed on Monday July 15th.   Rest and relaxation are an important part of maintaining a healthy balance in life. The great writer T.S. Eliot once observed that, “Time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted time.” In other words, if you come out of it rested, renewed, and refreshed, then it was time well-spent, not wasted time. I’m going to do that now, and I encourage you to make plans for your own rest soon as well. It will be time well-spent.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “On the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” Genesis 2:2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Sabbath rest and Sabbath thinking”   I love the idea of “Sabbath rest” and “Sabbath thinking.” Sabbath rest is what God calls us to do on the sabbath – to worship and then to rest. It is a time of renewal and there should be one day out of our week set aside specifically for it. Worship can of course happen anywhere, at any time, and in many forms, but is most common when we gather in our churches on Sunday. Rest is when we cease from work and other strenuous activity for the sake of renewal and rejuvenation. Sabbath rest should be restorative and nurturing.   Sabbath thinking is applying the concept of sabbath rest to all of life, not just to one day out of the week. One of my favorite definitions of sabbath thinking reads like this: “Sabbath thinking includes intentionally rejecting that which drains you and embracing that which gives life.” Sabbath thinking leads us to reject people and things which drain us, and instead we fill our lives with the people and things that enrich and renew us.   Resting, being restful, and maintaining a rested and un-anxious mindset is something I’m trying to get better at. I’m a doer by nature. I go from early in the morning till late at night, day after day, and I often wear myself out. Being intentional about sabbath rest and sabbath thinking helps me maintain a better balance in life.   Sabbath Rest and sabbath thinking is a crucial part of staying healthy and balanced. I encourage you to incorporate both sabbath rest and sabbath thinking into the regular rhythm of your 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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts … Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where happiness is found … Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.” Psalm 119:1-2; 35; 50   Our thought for today: “A life centered around the Word of God”   I love Psalm 119. It is the longest chapter in the Bible and it is all about the Bible. The Psalm consists of 176 verses, all of which attest to the wonder, splendor, and beauty of God’s Word. Even more than that, the Psalmist stresses, over-and-over again, how essential it is for a wise person to center their life around the Word of God.   Many years ago, the ministry Campus Crusade for Christ published a popular evangelistic tract known as “The 4 Spiritual Laws”. To illustrate the difference between a life centered around God and one that is not, they showed two pictures of two thrones. In each case the throne represented the center of a person’s heart, and everything around the throne represented all the circumstances, issues, activities, and priorities, that make up that person’s life.   In one picture, self is on the throne and all around the throne is a chaotic and disordered blizzard of circumstances, issues, activities, and priorities. It’s a mess. In the other picture, Christ is on the throne in that person’s heart and everything else around the throne is in perfect alignment – orderly and properly organized, all pointed towards the throne. It is a beautiful illustration of a life that is in correct balance and alignment.   That is what a Biblical worldview achieves for us. When Jesus is on the throne of our heart, and we compare everything we are seeing and hearing in the world to the truth of God’s Word, and then making our decisions in accordance with the Bible, our lives will be balanced and properly aligned in the best possible way. This is what the Psalmist meant when he wrote in verse 105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”   When the Word of God is your guide, it makes a difference in how you think, speak, and act. It makes a difference in your perspective, in your emotional condition, and in your spiritual health. You will be calmer, less stressed, more certain of your decisions, and you will have a better outlook on life in general. In short, your quality of life will be much better.   I encourage you to keep your life centered around the Word of God.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content – whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:12-13 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Attitude is everything”   I recently read a great book with the title, “How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents” by Talmage Boston. The book explores the character traits and leadership strategies that made our eight greatest Presidents so successful. The great eight, as rated by presidential historians (listed chronologically not by ranking) are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.   The one I want to comment on this morning is Franklin Roosevelt. Although FDR is considered to have had many outstanding traits that helped to make him a great president, the one that stands out the most is his amazing ability to push through personal adversity and his refusal to be defeated by it. Most of you probably know that during the entire thirteen years of his presidency FDR had polio and was very disabled by it. He wore heavy metal braces on both legs, he could not walk or stand without assistance, he spent most of his time in a wheelchair, and he lived with almost constant pain.   But despite that, his bright countenance, good humor, strong work ethic, and his unfailing optimism was legendary. Roosevelt never gave-up and he never gave-in. Boston writes, “FDR projected himself to the world as a robust, eternally optimistic, and cheerful man – always smiling, eyes sparkling, cigarette holder tilted upward – a man who gave every appearance of having the world by the tail.” Boston goes on, “… he stayed in a mode of beaming his contagious optimism while fearlessly taking on the challenge of turning the country around from the Great Depression and then leading it in World War II.” “What he had was a serene sense of himself that polio count not diminish.” In other words, FDR refused to let polio defeat him and he always kept a smile on his face.   The Apostle Paul conveys a similar courageous resolve in Philippians 4:11-13. Paul wrote those words as an old man, in prison, facing execution for his faith. The entire letter of Philippians is one of great joy and optimism, despite the author’s desperate personal circumstances.   When it comes to living our best life, attitude is everything. Circumstances will wax and wane, we will have good days and bad, hard times and easy times. But a solid faith in Jesus and an optimistic attitude can carry us through the worst of times.   Whatever it is you are facing today, I encourage you to face it with faith, courage, and optimism. A good attitude will carry you through and beyond even the worst of circumstances.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.” Genesis 25:8 (NIV)   Our thought for today: “Lessons from the blue zones”   The other day a friend from church paid me a high compliment. She was encouraging me to take good care of myself and she said, “We want you to live to be 105, like Ms. Teresa, and to still be preaching too! Ms. Teresa is a lady in our church who is 105 and she is as sharp and spry as can be. She is in Sunday school and worship service almost every Sunday, smiling, participating in lively discussions, and generally being a blessing to everyone she encounters. She still lives independently in her own home and she only stopped driving about ten years ago.   In 2008 National Geographic magazine commissioned researcher Dan Buettner to travel to the top four “blue zones” in the world (Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica). A blue zone is a region of the world where lots of people live healthy lives well into their 90s and 100s. The four zones mentioned have the highest concentration of healthy 90 and 100-year-olds anywhere in the world. Dan’s mission was to find out why. He ended up writing a fascinating book about it entitled “Blue Zones: Lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest.”   Dan discovered that there were multiple factors that seemed to contribute to longevity but there were a few that were common among all those who had lived long and well. The most common factors were faith, family, productivity, and moderation. In this devotional series we have already considered the impact that faith has on well-being. People with strong faith tend to be happier, better adjusted, and they experience less stress than those with no faith.   Healthy family relationships play a big role in overall well-being too, as does being productive (it is very important to live with a sense of meaning and purpose). Then there is moderation. Healthy people tend to exercise discipline in all areas of life including diet, exercise, sleep, number of hours spent working, and they avoid allowing others to place excessive demands on their time. Moderation in all things contributes to a more relaxed and less stressful life.   You may recall that we began this series by stressing the importance of maintaining a healthy balance in life between our physical, mental, and spiritual selves. God created us with a body, soul, and spirit and we must take care of all three parts of ourselves to be truly healthy. The better balance we maintain the healthier we will be and the longer we are likely to live.   Those are just a few lessons from the blue zones. I encourage you to read the book.   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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.” Isaiah 55:1-2 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Your best life ever”   So, what do you think, in Isaiah 55:1-2 was the prophet really writing about water, silver, wine, milk, and food? No, he wasn’t. It was a metaphor. It was an allusion to something else, something more important than food, wine, and money. In those verses Isaiah was painting a word picture for us. He was using physical symbols to illustrate a spiritual truth and it is this: Everything we need is found in Jesus. True joy and fulfillment in life comes from a rich and deep relationship with God, not from an abundance of material possessions.   In Isaiah’s word picture the one who is thirsty is spiritually thirsty. The water they receive is the Living Water (John 4:10), which satisfies their thirsty soul. Those without silver are not truly poor, because they have God (Matthew 6:33). And the choicest of foods is the Bread of Life (John 6:35).   Research consistently shows that Christians who are serious about their faith and who regularly practice the basic disciplines of the Christian faith have a higher quality of life and report more satisfaction in life than is true of the general population. One study, published in the British magazine “Premier Christianity” reported that on average, committed Christians reported being 20% more satisfied with their lives than did the general population. And that average held true across the range of quality indicators that were measured.   Another study by the Mayo clinic found that those who were serious about their faith consistently measured better in health outcomes including longevity, coping skills, health-related quality of life, and less anxiety, depression, and suicides.   The fact is that the best life you will ever have, is the one that is lived in a deep and rich relationship with God. And that will be true regardless of any of the other challenging and difficult factors or circumstances of life that might exist.   So, the lesson is this: trust Jesus; be a committed disciple of His; and then enjoy your best life ever. The best life any of us will ever have, is the one that is lived right in the middle of God’s will.     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: “Take care of yourself”   Our Bible verse for today: “Let your “yes” mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’.” Matthew 5:37 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Be a man or woman of your word”   On June 24, 1978 Linda and I said “I do”. And then for more than forty-five years we did. Today would have been our forty-sixth wedding anniversary, our forty-eighth year as a couple. On that day in June 1978 when we said “I do” we were affirming that we would be true and faithful to each other through good times and bad, in times of prosperity and poverty, in sickness and in health, until death do we part. We kept that promise to each other right up until the moment Linda breathed her last breath and went to heaven on November 30, 2023.   We live in a society today where many people seem to believe promises are conditional and made to be broken. Once upon a time honesty and integrity were virtues that were highly valued, and men and women were judged based upon their proven dependability. “My word is my bond” was a claim the man or woman of integrity wanted to be able to make and mean. Sadly, that isn’t as true today as it once was.   In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:37, Jesus taught that you are to say what you mean, mean what you say, and keep your promises. Be a man or woman of your word.   What does this have to do with taking good care of yourself? A lot! For one thing, men and women of integrity tend to be much more settled and stable in life than do people who lie, cheat, and manipulate.  Additionally, people who are dishonest with others are always worried that others are being dishonest with them – and rightly so! What goes around comes around. Lie to others and others will lie to you. Break your word to them and they will break their word to you. That kind of a life produces stress and anxiety.   An honest person tends to be much more relaxed and assured, and that is certainly a more pleasant and healthier way to live. Also, if your spouse is a man or woman of integrity, and therefore a person who can be counted on to keep their word, that is a much better situation than to live with a dishonest schemer who you can’t really trust.   Honesty, integrity, and dependability are essential virtues for the person who wants to be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy.  I encourage you to be a man or woman of your word, and then fill your life with others who are as well.   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: “Take care of yourself”

Our Bible verse for today: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he (Jesus) got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.” Mark 1:35 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Don’t forget to take care of yourself too”

In the weeks after my wife Linda had a big stroke and then brain surgery, two things became apparent. One was that she was going to live. The second was that she was going to be very disabled. One day, when she was still in the rehab center, a counselor took me aside and explained how important it was going to be for me, Linda’s primary caregiver, to also take care of myself. She told me about how common it is for caregivers to get burned out because they are so focused on providing care for their loved one, that they neglect their own well-being. She stressed the truth that if I didn’t take good care of myself, I wouldn’t be able to take good care of Linda.

In the years that followed, I made it a point to follow that counselor’s advice. Fortunately for me, Linda was also very aware of and concerned about my well-being. She paid attention to how I was doing and she was always encouraging me to take a break and to do things to take care of myself.  

Caregiver burnout is a common problem, and good selfcare is the answer. But that’s true not just for those who are taking care of a sick loved one, it’s true for all of us. Good selfcare is a critical aspect in our effort to stay healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We need to pay attention to how we are doing. We have to be realistic about how much is enough and how much is too much in terms of how hard we push in life, and we need to give ourselves regular breaks.

Jesus did. In Mark 1:35 we read of just one of the occasions when Jesus took time for Himself. In a previous devotional in this series, which focused on a scene out of Mark 6:31-32, we read of a time when Jesus called a timeout from intense ministry, rounded up His entire group of disciples, and took everyone off to a remote place for a time of rest. And He did it while the crowds were still coming to them and there was still a lot of work to be done. Despite the pressing needs, Jesus and His disciples were exhausted and needed a break; and if they didn’t take that break, they would have become increasingly less effective the more tired they became.

Good selfcare is a crucial factor is staying healthy and being at our best. Take care of others, but be sure to take care of yourself too.

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