Slow down and simplify

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Slow down and simplify”
 
In 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 the Apostle Paul offers us yet another example of the theme we were thinking about yesterday, appreciating and enjoying the simple pleasures of life. In this passage he gives us an image of an entire life that is simple and quiet, focused on simply living a good life that honors the Lord and making a positive impact on those around us. There was nothing flashy or overly ambitious pictured here. Just an honest simple life.
 
I’ve already told you a bit about the story of pastor and author John Mark Comer, as described in his book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”. John was the lead pastor of a multi-site mega church. On a typical Sunday he would preach and teach five to six times in a single day. The rest of the week was crammed full of meetings, obligations, and responsibilities. He said he felt more like a high-strung stressed-out corporate CEO than a shepherd of God’s people.
 
Finally, he decided he needed to do exactly what Paul was describing in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – he needed to simplify and slow down. So, he gave up his high-profile position, became the pastor of a much smaller church, and he simplified the rest of his life as well. He said he restructured his entire life around a few basic and simple goals that involved God, family, and serving other people – and the quality of his life went up exponentially!
 
John’s story reminds me of a similar book written many years ago by another high-profile pastor about his own life. The pastor was Chuck Swindoll, and the book was called “Intimacy with the Almighty”. Chuck’s story was similar to John’s, and so was his solution. In the book Chuck quoted Ecclesiastes 7:29 which in the TEV reads, “God made us plain and simple, but we have made ourselves very complicated.” That described Chuck’s life, and it also describes many of ours. Most of us are not a high-profile pastor of a multi-site mega church, but our lives are still too busy in their own ways. We have indeed made ourselves very complicated.
 
There’s a lot to be gained from slowing down and simplifying life. Seldom if ever does life improve as it gets busier and more complicated.
 
I encourage all of us to slow down and simplify. Let’s give ourselves space in life to truly savor it.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Simple Pleasures

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Simple pleasures”
 
As I write this, it’s an early summer morning in June. Dawn is breaking, the birds are singing, and the world is quiet and peaceful. I’m on our back porch gazing at Brady Mountain just a couple of blocks from our home. The mountain is lush green, covered in trees. It’s a beautiful and peaceful scene and it’s a simple, quiet, and peaceful way to begin the new day.
 
The moment is too good to pass up so I’m just going to sit here and savor it for a while. My thoughts are also on the trip I will be leaving on later this morning. I will be going to Texas to spend a few days with my son, daughter-in-law, and my five-year-old grandson Oliver. He’s the cutest and best grandson in the history of the world (he really is) and he has a special bond with his grandpa. In the days to come we will play football and baseball, ride bikes, go for walks, jump on the trampoline, and go for pizza at Chuck-E-Cheese’s. And I know from past experience that I will be content. Deeply content.
 
In 1 Timothy 6:6-8 the Apostle Paul was teaching his young protégé Timothy (and by extension us) to learn to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Pause for them; sit with them; enjoy them; savor the moment. I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying that “The best things in life are not things.” That’s what Paul meant. The best times in life usually consist of special moments with God and with special people.
 
Yesterday I shared a little wisdom with you from one of my favorite contemporary philosophers, Snoopy the dog from the Peanuts comic strip. This morning we’ll end with a little more wisdom from him. Snoopy says: “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.”
 
Yes, godliness with contentment is great gain. Savor the moment. Enjoy the simple pleasures.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Do the Snoopy Dance

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart makes a face cheerful, but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.” Proverbs 15:13 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Do the Snoopy Dance”
 
I’m a disciple of the contemporary philosopher Snoopy. I’m speaking of course of Snoopy the dog, from the Peanuts comic strip. Snoopy is indeed wise. He is observant and insightful, an astute student of the human condition, and as a result, he often has helpful advice for Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pigpen, and me.
 
Take for instance the Snoopy Dance. Are you familiar with it? You should Google it. Seriously. Take a moment, type in the search bar “Snoopy Dance”, select the YouTube video that comes up, and enjoy. It will take less than a minute.
 
What you’ll see is Snoopy dancing. Fast. Joyfully. His little paws are just pattering away (Snoopy stands and walks on two legs like humans). His head is back, his face is lifted to the sky, his eyes are closed, his arms (front paws) are extended wide, there’s a smile on his face, and he’s just dancing. He’s doing the Snoopy Dance. He’s thoroughly happy and joyful, and he doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.
 
Now, the question is “What brought on such an expressive explosion of joyfulness?” And the apparent answer is “nothing”. In the scene there doesn’t seem to be any special reason for his joyful dancing, other than that he decided to be joyful and dance. It kind of reminds me of Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
 
Do we really need special reasons to be joyful? Can’t we simply embrace the moment and enjoy it for what it is as a gift from God? Can’t we simply choose to be joyful and then be intentional about expressing it?
 
Seriously, take a moment and watch the Snoopy Dance. You’ll be glad you did. And if you’re having a down day and it’s tough to be joyful right now, then go one step further and watch the follow-on clip “Snoopy dances with the bunnies”. Snoopy was having a down day too but some dancing bunnies helped to draw him out of it. Maybe they’ll help you too. Or maybe, by doing your own version of a Snoopy Dance (you don’t really have to dance, just be joyful and express it in some manner), you will end up being someone else’s dancing bunny and you’ll help them to be joyful too.
 
I encourage you to choose joy today. Do your version of the Snoopy Dance.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

You need the Sabbath

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “That Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” Marck 2:27 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “You need the Sabbath”
 
I love Sundays. Sunday is the best day of the week. It’s the day that God’s people gather for worship as the whole church family comes together in one place. The day is filled with love, joy, happiness, good fellowship, singing, teaching, and preaching. It’s uplifting, encouraging, and spiritually rich. It’s a time for healing and growing and renewal. The Sunday gathering is one half of a good Sabbath – the other half is to go home and rest.
 
In his book, “The Relentless Elimination of Hurry”, Pastor John Mark Comer includes an excellent chapter about the value and importance of observing the Sabbath. He points out that the word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat” and literally means “to stop”. It means that we are to cease normal activities and to instead worship and rest.
 
Doing so is so important that God commanded us to do it. Comer points out that observing the Sabbath is the only spiritual discipline included in the Ten Commandments (it’s the fourth). There God commanded us to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. It’s the only spiritual discipline that made it onto the list. Not fasting or Bible reading or even prayer. “Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.”
 
We are to work six days and to observe the Sabbath on the seventh. God Himself modeled it for us in Genesis 2:3 when He took the seventh day to rest and admire His creation. But of course, God wasn’t tired. He didn’t need to rest. He did it as an example for us. Stop your labor, your chores and errands, your relentless rushing through life, and just worship and rest. That’s what the Sabbath is for.
 
What Jesus was teaching in Mark 2:27 is that God created the concept of Sabbath for our benefit. The Sabbath was made for man. We need it. The regular rhythm of our lives needs to include coming to a full stop once a week for the specific purpose of worshiping God and resting our body. Comer writes, “The Sabbath is how we fill our souls back up.” That’s true because observing Sabbath is renewing and refreshing. It’s how we recharge our physical and spiritual batteries, so we’ll be at our best the rest of the week. This is why God called the day blessed and holy.
 
Think of Sabbath as a weekly holiday. It’s Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, or Labor Day once every week. It’s a special day for celebrating, feasting, resting, and for company. It’s filled with worship, rest, and fun. So don’t miss it! You need your Sabbath!
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Three miles an hour is a good pace

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.” 2 Peter 3:8 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Three miles an hour is a good pace”
 
This morning I want to continue our thinking from yesterday regarding the pace of our lives. I noted that too often we blow through our days, just skimming the surface of life rather than slowing down, going deep with people and situations, and savoring the moments of our lives.
 
I also want to return to an illustration I used in a previous devotional recently from the Japanese Christian and professor of theology, Kosuke Koyama. In that devotional I told you about a book he wrote with the title “Three Mile An Hour God.” The title comes from the fact that the average human, when not in a hurry, walks at a speed of approximately three miles an hour. That’s the average speed of a leisurely but steady stroll. It’s the speed at which we notice, appreciate, and enjoy our surroundings. We’re moving, but we’re not rushed.
 
Koyama’s premise is that God Himself is never in a hurry, and He seldom pushes us to hurry either because under normal circumstances, hurry is neither necessary nor helpful. Instead, He walks with us through life at the speed that is best for us – three miles an hour. Moving, but relaxed and enjoying the trip.
 
That should describe us most of the time – relaxed and enjoying our trip through life. Read the Gospels. Jesus was never in a hurry. If our Lord didn’t allow Himself to get frantic and agitated and rushing from here to there, and if our goal is to be more like Him, then perhaps we need to slow it down a bit.
 
Peter’s point in 2 Peter 3:8 (above) is that God is outside of time. Time doesn’t apply to Him. Time is a construct God created within which human affairs unfold and are measured, but God is eternal and He is unaffected by time. Therefore, a day is the same as a thousand years to Him and a thousand years is like a day. God has eternity to work with and therefore He doesn’t need to rush. And the same is true for us as well – we have eternity to work with too.
 
So, do we really need to rush so much? Since God walks with us, and since our best speed under normal circumstances is a leisurely three miles an hour, I can picture God with His hand on my shoulder saying, “Whoa, slow it down a little, Jim. What’s your hurry?”
 
Good question. What is my hurry? A leisurely three mile an hour stroll through life is a good pace.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Are you just skimming the surface of life?

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Are you just skimming the surface of life?
 
Do you collect things? Many people do. I have known people who collected baseball cards, coins, figurines, art, guns, cars, motorcycles, and much more. I collect books. I love books. I love to read and I keep all the best books. At this point I have a couple of thousand of them in two libraries (one in my home office and one in my church office). Aimee and I also have bookcases filled with books throughout our home. I just love books.
 
I have a special section in my library for “the best of the best”. This is where I keep my favorites of all time, the ones I have probably read multiple times. One of those “best of the best” books is “The Relentless Elimination of Hurry” by Pastor John Mark Comer. I have read it four times and will probably read it again soon. It’s very good. And helpful.
 
The basic premise of the book is that hurry is a thief. It distracts us from the things that are most important. Hurry causes us to miss precious moments in life, and it steals our joy. Hurry makes it impossible to truly savor moments, people, and events that should be special to us. Hurry also makes us insensitive to other people, and it causes us to miss telltale verbal clues that might have alerted us to the fact that someone else is having a bad day or is need of a hug or a kind word. Speaking of himself Comer wrote, “All of my worst moments happen when I’m in a hurry.”  
 
Amen brother.
 
Philosopher David Zach once referred to such a life as “hyper-living” or, “just skimming the surface of life.” We move through life at such a pace that we just blow past people and situations that really do deserve and should receive our focused attention. We greet people and ask, “How are you?”, without really listening to how they are. We speed past a beautiful view of meadows and mountains without actually seeing the meadows and the mountains. We’re just in too much of a hurry. We’re skimming the surface of life.
 
I love the picture Solomon paints for us in Ecclesiastes 3:1. There’s a time for everything and a season for every activity. It’s a picture of a leisurely stroll through life, stopping to smell the roses and to talk to the neighbors, and to pet the puppy. No hyper-living in that picture.
 
I encourage all of us to slow it down. Take a breath and enjoy the moments of your life today. No hyper-living. No skimming the surface of life. Instead, take the time to pay attention and to go deep with people and situations. Truly appreciate and enjoy the gift of this day that the Lord has given you. Savor it.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Life is short and time is precious

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Life is short and time is precious”
 
My wife, Aimee, lost her late husband Tim to a sudden heart attack. He died on the side of the road in front of their house while walking the dogs. My daughter Tracy died from cancer. From the time she was diagnosed until the morning she died in my home was only one week. My wife Linda died from COVID only three days after she was diagnosed with it. My son Rick died suddenly from a heart attack.
 
Many of you reading this have also experienced the sudden loss of loved ones. Over my decades of ministry as a pastor, I have performed more funerals than I can remember. The truth is that life is short and death is certain. There’s a thin line between life and death and one day, we will all die. Maybe sooner than we think.
 
That’s what James was referring to in James 4:14. Death can come at any time. Life is fragile, unpredictable, sometimes short, and it often ends abruptly. Therefore, we must savor, guard, and cherish the time that we have. Time is precious and shouldn’t be wasted. That’s why one of my favorite sayings about time, and one which I often think about, write about, and use in my preaching and teaching, is the one from Benjamin Franklin which, when rephrased in contemporary language says, “Do you value your life? Then value your time. Because time is the stuff that life is made of.”
 
Too many of us waste our time; or we rush through our lives allowing ourselves to be so busy that we don’t really enjoy it; or we don’t give our time to the people and things which are most important. The older I get the more I appreciate and value my time.
 
All this month I would like to explore with you the idea of slowing down, focusing on the people and events that matter the most, and truly savoring this gift of life the Lord has given us. Let’s learn together how to truly savor our time. For today, let’s remember life is short and time is precious.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Slow down, relax, enjoy

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Slow down and savor the moment”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “Slow down, relax, enjoy”
 
I love summertime. I’m an outdoors person all year round, but that’s especially true in the summer. Summertime is also vacation-time. It’s an opportunity to unplug, relax, recuperate, and renew.
 
One of my favorite summertime memories, one that I come back to frequently, is of a time more than thirty-five years ago. It was July. The previous year had been especially busy and trying, but I was on vacation now. My family and I had traveled from our home in Southern California to my parent’s house in New Jersey for a family reunion. On the day I’m thinking about I was in their backyard (which was bordered by woods), lying in a hammock in the shade of a tree. There was a gentle breeze blowing, birds were singing, and I was reading a good book. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was as relaxed and stress-free as I could remember being in a long, long time. It seemed as if all the stress and all the tension had been drained out of me. I was serene, comfortable, and content. I remember thinking “This feels soooo good …” and I savored the moment – I sank into it and thoroughly enjoyed it – so much so that I clearly remember it now, more than three decades later.
 
I also love the idea of savoring special experiences. One definition of “savor” is: “To relish; delight in; enjoy; to appreciate fully.” But if we’re going to be able to savor the moment – especially our special moments – we will have to slow down and truly focus on the person before us, or enter deeply into the event we’re participating in, so that we can fully enjoy and delight in the moment. But how often do we do that? How often do we truly sink into and savor the moments of our lives like that?
 
The moment I described from my parent’s backyard thirty-five years ago involved a very simple event, lying in a hammock in a backyard – yet it turned into one of the special moments of my life. It’s one I try to recreate as often as possible.
 
Vacation times can provide lots of special moments like that, but every moment has the potential to be savored. We can choose to pay attention, appreciate, savor, and sink down into any moment. In Psalm 118:24 the Psalmist reminds us that every day is a gift from God and if properly handled, it can be embraced, enjoyed, and savored.
 
In our previous devotional series of the last two months, we focused on living long and living well. But what’s the point of living long if we are not living well? If we’re unhappy and not enjoying life, why would we want to extend it? But that should never be the case for God’s people. Every day of life is a gift and as the Psalmist says, we should learn to rejoice and be glad in it. We should savor it, sink down into it, and truly enjoy it.
 
Let’s learn to slow down and savor life. Let’s relax and enjoy it. If we don’t, we will miss the best moments in life.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

You are amazing, so take care of yourself

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “For it was you who created my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you because I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)
 
Our thought for today: “You are amazing, so take care of yourself”
 
Dr. Francis Collins is the Director of the Human Genome Project, and he is one of the world’s leading scientists. He led a team of more than two thousand other scientists from around the world to collaborate on unraveling and learning to read the three billion letters in the human genome – which has been called our DNA instruction book. It was thought that learning to read the DNA code would help to unravel the secret of life.
 
After years of study and shifting through the research produced by the leading scientists from around the world, Dr. Collins arrived at this conclusion regarding the origins of human life: “I cannot see how nature could have created itself. Only a supernatural force that is outside of space and time could have done that.”
 
Human beings are God’s highest form of creation – a miracle like none other! That’s you. You are God’s highest form of creation. Your very existence is a miracle. You are an amazing and wonderful creation of the Creator of the Universe; a composite being, made up of body, mind/emotions, spirit/soul. All three parts of you are connected and interrelated and all three combine to make you the person you are.
 
Since you are His highest form of creation, and since He lovingly knit you together in your mother’s womb, He loves you and cares for you more than human words can express. And He wants you to live your best life – your best life in all the ways we have talked about over the course of this two-month devotional series.
 
As we bring this series to a close, I urge you to take good care of yourself – your whole self. May you live long and live well as you bring glory to God and show the world all that God can do in and with and through a person who is fully and wholly devoted to Him.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571

Family is important

Good morning, everyone,
 
Our theme for this month: “Live long, live well”
 
Our Bible verse for today: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12 (NIV)
 
Our thought for today: “Family is important”
 
It’s amazing how often “family” or an associated term like “relatives” or “kin” is mentioned in the Bible. The count varies by translation, but the idea of family appears more than six hundred times. That’s because the family unit is the foundational structure God created for human relationships. From there it blossoms out to community, state, nation, world – but it begins with the family unit. Unity and cohesiveness in the family is so important to God that He made it the fifth of the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:12 above).
 
When it comes to living long and well, a strong family connection is a vital element. In the National Geographic study on longevity in the geographic Blue Zones where people commonly live to be 100 or more, they found that the stronger family connection and support an individual has, the longer and better they tend to live.
 
“How does this contribute to longevity? By the time centenarians become centenarians, their lifelong devotion has produced returns: their children reciprocate their love and care. Their children check up on their parents, and in three of the four Blue Zones, the younger generation welcomes the older generation into their homes. Studies have shown that elders who live with their children are less susceptible to disease, eat healthier diets, have lower levels of stress, and have a much lower incidence of serious accidents. The MacArthur Study of Successful Aging, which followed 1,189 people between the ages of 70 and 79 for more than 7 years, showed that elders who lived with their families had much sharper mental and social skills.”
 
Study after study shows that the more family interaction you have, the longer and better you will likely live. Unfortunately, the study also revealed a disturbing trend in American society:
 
“America is trending in the opposite direction. In many busy families with working parents and active kids, family time can become rare as everyone’s schedules become more and more packed with things to do. Shared meals and activities can drop off the daily routine, making time together difficult to come by.”
 
A strong and healthy family structure has been proven to be a key element in longevity. That shouldn’t surprise us – strong families have been God’s plan from the very beginning.
 
Whatever the structure of your family looks like, I encourage you to nurture it and to maximize your family time. You will be happier and healthier, and you just might live longer.
 
God bless,
Pastor Jim
 
(If you like what you are 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 © 2026 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved.


Our mailing address is:
Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571