Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “Truly I tell you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t take yourself too seriously”   In the late 1980s there was a young comedian named Dana Carvey who starred on the television show “Saturday Night Live”. As a member of the cast his job was to come up with funny characters and to put on live comedy skits. One of Dana’s most popular characters was known as “The Church Lady”. The Church Lady was prim and proper – with big hair, too much make-up (including a hideous amount of red lipstick), and a 1950s-style dress. Her cheeks were pinched and sucked-in and her lips were always puckered, making her look like she must have been weaned on a pickle. She held her little purse with both hands at waist level, and her posture was ramrod straight (her girdle was obviously way too tight).   The Church Lady would then proceed to bless us with her opinion on everything from bad boys to loose girls; from rock and roll music to bad manners; from proper etiquette at church potlucks to the awful tie the pastor wore last Sunday; and everything in-between. Just watching and listening to her, with those sucked-in cheeks and those puckered lips, you just knew that as a child she sucked every ounce of juice out of that pickle.   Many Christians back then were offended by this caricature of church people, and they thought it was terrible for Dana Carvey to make fun of them. Not me. I thought it was hilarious. I still do. And I also think it’s good for us to laugh at ourselves. We often take ourselves way too seriously. That’s one of the reasons I love the ministry of Chonda Pierce. She’s a Pastor’s kid who was raised in church, and she is hilarious in her comedy routines as she points out the silliness of church life and gets us all to laugh about it. That’s good for us.   In Matthew 18:3 Jesus was using a child as an illustration of the simple faith that is special to God. Children believe easily and completely. But another lesson we can learn from children is to stop being so darn serious about everything and just relax. Children have that unique ability to be silly and to have fun, and as adults we need more of that. We’re too uptight.   I’ll share with you one thing that makes me uptight. It has to do with how nice the people at our church are. Did you know it is possible to be too nice? It is. I have a recurring dream that I’m up on the stage on Sunday preaching my heart out, and my zipper is down. And nobody tells me!   Why? Why does nobody tell me? Because they’re so nice that’s why, and they don’t want to embarrass me. So, they say nothing.   Look, I love you all, I really do, and I’m glad you are so nice, but for goodness-sakes, don’t be that nice! Tell me my zipper is down. We’ll all get a good laugh out of it and then I’ll preach the rest of the sermon!   Now go and have a good day but remember, don’t take yourself too seriously.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   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: “Let’s be intentional about rejoicing”   I love Psalm 118:24. It’s a verse I recite to myself often. However, when I do I change it a little and I personalize it. Rather than saying “let us rejoice and be glad in it”, I say, “I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Doing so makes it personal to me, and it is also much more declarative and intentional. I’m going to do it. I’m going to intentionally rejoice, and I am going to be grateful for the day the Lord has given me.   For a similar reason, I also love Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Philippians is far-and-away the most upbeat book in the New Testament. It is known as “The Epistle of Joy” because it is positive, encouraging, and inspiring. I love reading it, preaching it, teaching it, and writing about it. More than that, I love living it.   My favorite commentary about Philippians was written by Pastor Chuck Swindoll. The title is “Laugh Again.” It’s a life-application commentary and in it, Chuck tries to help us see how we can go through life with an upbeat and positive outlook, finding joy and humor all along the way.   I especially like the back cover of the dust jacket. There we see a picture of Chuck and his wife Cynthia riding Chuck’s Harley Davidson motorcycle. (It has a personalized license plate that reads “The Sermonator!”) Although Chuck and Cynthia were grey-haired senior citizens they would often climb on his Harley, rev up that engine nice and loud, and go roaring off down the road hooting and hollering, laughing and having a good time.   I can relate. For many years I also had a Harley, and although my late wife Linda was handicapped and used a walker to get around, we sometimes would push that walker up to the Harley, get her on the back, and go roaring off down the road, leaving the walker sitting there in the driveway.   My friends, too many Christians are frumpy and grumpy. They walk around with their heads down, grousing and complaining, grumbling and mumbling into their moustaches, criticizing and finding fault with everyone and everything. That should not be. God does not intend for us to live that way. Sure, life can get hard and we all have our problems, but it’s not all bad. Lighten up man!   Psalm 118:24 reminds us that every day is a gift from God and it is filled with many wonderful things to enjoy and to be grateful for. I encourage you, as the song says, to count your blessings, name them one-by-one. Resolve to be joyful. And for heaven’s sake, lighten up and laugh a little!   By-the-way, did you hear about the pistol-packing pastor who died and went to heaven? When he got to the Pearly Gates, Saint Peter asked in astonishment why in the world any pastor would pack a pistol? In his defense the pastor cried out, “But Peter, I was a Southern Baptist Pastor!” Suddenly the expression on Peter’s face softened and with a knowing and sympathetic look he said, “Bless you, my son. Those Baptists can be a tough crowd. Enter heaven and receive your reward!”   Enjoy your day my Baptist friends. Rejoice and be glad in it. And be sure to find plenty of things to laugh about.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “Lighten up a little”   Our Bible verse for today: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Let’s all lighten up a little”   I think of the month of February as the dog days of winter. On the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, it’s the coldest month of the year – often bitter-cold with snow and ice. It is dark and dreary and seems to drag on forever. As I write this (on a Saturday afternoon for distribution on Monday morning), it is eight degrees outside with a windchill of minus four. There is an inch of snow on the ground on top of a quarter inch of solid ice. Tomorrow we might have to cancel church for the second Sunday in a row because the roads will be too dangerous to travel on. Did I mention that I’m not fond of February? Baby, it’s cold outside!   On top of that, right now, our world seems to be on fire. There are protests and riots in our city streets; we are into the mean season of an election year; and the government is on the verge of shutting down again because of a budget fight. Internationally there are multiple wars on multiple fronts, and it seems like nobody likes anybody anymore. The World Health Organization says that chances are good there will be another pandemic of some sort soon, and there is talk about putting tariffs on dark chocolate from Germany (tragic!)   Fortunately, Jesus is still on the throne, I’m still saved, and if you have read the last chapter of the Bible, then you know that we win in the end. In fact, despite how bad things sometimes look, God is sovereign over it all. He is at work in the middle of it all bringing good things out of it (Romans 8:28), and we as the people of God have every reason to be optimistic and joyful. So, let’s all lighten up a bit. Let’s introduce some lightheartedness into all the dreariness. Let’s spend the dog days of winter laughing and smiling and sharing the joy of Jesus.     Sometimes life gets heavy. Many of us are way too serious. We all know people who trudge through their days, wearing their circumstances like a heavy old coat, seldom smiling, much less laughing. But that’s not how we’re supposed to live. It’s not what God intends for us. Like Solomon tells us in Proverbs 17:22, joy is good medicine, but a heavy spirit dries up the bones. A heavy spirit makes us sour, grumpy, and difficult to be with. Laughter lightens things up. It makes us feel better, it makes us nicer to be around, and it causes other people to want to be with us.   All this month we will make a concerted effort to lighten things up a bit. We will consider what the Bible has to say about laughing and being joyful, and we will also think about the importance of intentionally expressing joy. Laughter and being joyful is good for us. By the way, did you hear the one about the feminist who demanded to know why we always say “Amen” at the end of a prayer rather than “Awomen”? The Pastor told her it’s the same reason that we sing “Hymns” instead of “Hers”.   May your day be filled with joy and laughter and may you help others to lighten up a little.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they had won over the crowds and stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. After the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.” Acts 14:19-20 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Just get back up and keep going”   In 1923, at the Polo Grounds Arena in New York, in a boxing match for the heavyweight championship of the world, the heavyweight prizefighter from Spain, Luis Angel Firpo, also known as “the Wild Bull of the Pampas” threw a crushing left cross that caught the champ, Jack Dempsey, square on the chin. The punch hit Dempsey so hard that it knocked him backwards through the ropes and completely out of the ring. Dempsey ended up crashing on top of the newspaper reporters sitting on the side of the ring, and then he was sprawled on the floor. The back of his head had hit the metal edge of a report’s typewriter, opening a large gash from which he was bleeding profusely.   It was the most vicious knockdown Dempsey had ever experienced in his long boxing career. It was one of the most dramatic that anyone had ever seen in any professional boxing match. But Jack Dempsey won that fight. He got up off the floor, climbed back into the ring, and though wobbly, he managed to protect himself through the rest of that round. During the short break between rounds he gathered himself, steeled his resolve, and at the ringing of the bell to start the second round he came charging out of his corner, unleashed a flurry of tremendous punches, and in 57 seconds Firpo was unconscious on the canvas. The fight was over and Dempsey was the world champion.   The Apostle Paul experienced something like that in Acts 14:19-20. His enemies beat him so badly they thought they had killed him. They dragged his inert body outside the village and tossed it in a ditch. But Paul regained consciousness, mustered the strength to get up, and went right back into that same town. Not only was he not dead, but after that incident he went on to have the most successful and fruitful years of his ministry.   Nothing is over until you give up. If you don’t quit, then you’re not done. Sometimes life will hit you with a vicious left cross. Sometimes you will take it on the chin and end up on the floor. But you don’t have to stay there. You can get up. And if you do, then you’re not done – and it’s entirely possible that the best and most successful years of your life are still in front of you.   Although I’ve never experienced anything as dramatic as the scenes with Jack Dempsey or the Apostle Paul, I have had plenty of times when life has knocked me down – and so have you. When that happens (and it will) it is vital that you get back up and keep on going. Get right back into the fight.   Hopefully 2026 is going to be a great year for you. But inevitably, life will throw a few left crosses thrown at you and probably you are going to get knocked down once or twice. When that happens, don’t quit. Don’t give up. Get back up, shake it off, and get going again. Nothing is over until you give up.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “The boundary markers have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” Psalm 16:6 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Relax and enjoy life”   In the Old Testament world land was a major indicator of wealth and blessings. Boundary markers identified the extent of your land. The term “boundary markers” was used to describe a tangible physical reality (the scope and limits of your land), but the idea of boundary markers was also a metaphor used to describe the blessing of God upon your life and it also described the circumstances of your life.   This is the way in which David was using the term in Psalm 16:6. God had given him a good life, and he was happy with it. His profession, his home, his family, his talents, his hobbies, his friends – all of it made up the structure of his life and he found it very pleasant indeed. I hope that’s true for you too.   But there’s also another way in which we can think of the boundary markers which God has established for us and that’s in terms of Biblical boundaries. In the Bible God has given us the behavioral boundaries within which he wants us to live. Those boundaries are quite wide, and there’s a lot of room for some very good living within those boundaries, but there are boundaries, and we do have to stay within them.   However, as I said, within those boundaries there’s a lot of room for some very good and enjoyable living. God is nowhere near as restrictive as we sometimes imagine Him to be. Dallas Willard once used the example of his young children at play in the backyard. The backyard was fenced-in (boundaries), and he expected his children to stay within those boundaries. But as long as they were within the boundaries, then he didn’t care if they were swinging on the swing set, playing in the sandbox, playing fetch with the dog, lying in the hammock reading a book, or sitting at the picnic table enjoying a snack. All those activities (and others) were just fine with him as long as the kids stayed within the boundaries of the fenced-in backyard.   Sometimes we make the idea of obeying God seem as if it takes big effort on our parts. We grit our teeth and resolve to obey whether we want to or not, “I’m going to do this even if it kills me!” Well, stop that. It’s a big backyard and there’s a lot of very good, very enjoyable life to be lived within the boundaries of it.   Enjoy the life God has given you. Be grateful for it. Just stay within the boundaries, relax, and enjoy.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Don’t settle for less than your best”   Recently I was reminded of the inspiring example set by the great British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. Nelson was arguably the greatest of all the British Admirals. It was his leadership during the Battle of Trafalgar that turned the course of the war against Napoleon.   What made Nelson such an inspiring leader was that he would settle for nothing less than excellence in his own life and in the lives of others. He believed that God has assigned each of us a role to play in life, some larger and some smaller, and that each of us has a responsibility before God to play our part to the absolute best of our ability.   If your role in the story of life is to play the part of a British Admiral, then be the best British Admiral you can be. If your part is to be a shoemaker, then strive to make the best shoes that have ever been made. If you are a butcher, baker, or candlestick maker, a stay- at-home Mom, a truck driver, a schoolteacher, an accountant, a doctor, nurse, student, or preacher, be the best one you are capable of being.   Also, as the seasons of life change and as your abilities change, continue to settle for nothing less than your best – whatever “the best” is under the prevailing circumstances.   That attitude right there, the attitude of continuing to excel despite changing circumstances and limiting factors, might be the most inspiring part of Admiral Nelson’s story because at one point Admiral Nelson lost his left eye in battle. Shortly after that he lost his right arm in battle. But even without his left eye and right arm he continued to serve and he continued to excel to the best of his abilities. And as it turned out, his greatest achievements in life occurred in the seven years after he lost his eye and arm.   You see, it wasn’t the healthy and whole Lord Nelson who is remembered as a hero, it was the maimed and disabled Lord Nelson who achieved the greatest victories. The reason that was true was because he refused to give up and he refused to use his disabilities and limiting circumstances as an excuse to do less than his best.   In Colossians 3:23-24 the Apostle Paul calls all of us to strive for excellence in whatever we are called by God to do. Your station in life is not the issue – your attitude about it is. Never ever settle for mediocrity. Never do less than your best. It’s beneath the dignity of a child of God.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery – Christ. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.” Colossians 2:2-3 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “What’s your attitude about your faith?”   What was your attitude about your faith like in 2025? Are you satisfied with the way you practiced your faith last year? What will be your attitude about your faith in 2026 and what will that lead you to?   Maybe in 2025 you were a little complacent in the practice of your faith. Maybe you skipped church a lot, didn’t pray or study your Bible consistently, weren’t very faithful participating in ministry activities. Would you like your faith to be stronger and more dynamic in 2026?   Whatever your attitude is about your relationship with the Lord will determine what your relationship with the Lord will be. You will be stagnant and stuck in the spiritual mud, or you will be growing and learning and excited about it, based upon your attitude. Your attitude about your faith will determine almost everything else about the condition of your faith – including the amount of spiritual growth you experience.   In Colossians 2:2-3 Paul was describing mature Christians who have tapped into the deep well of spiritual understanding and knowledge. They have uncovered treasures of spiritual understanding, and things that used to be mysteries to them have now been revealed and explained. That then leads to a mature life in Christ. It comes from an enthusiastic pursuit of spiritual growth. It’s like King David wrote in Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God; renew a steadfast spirit within me.”   Please note that David didn’t pray that God would revive the person sitting next to him in the pew. No, David was seeking revival in his own heart. That’s what we need as well. This isn’t about God reviving your husband or wife, your sister or brother, your kids or your church. It’s about renewal in your own heart first.   So, what’s your attitude about your faith? Are you learning and growing and are you excited and enthusiastic about it? A good attitude is the underlying motivator that leads to sustained spiritual growth. I encourage all of us to ask the Holy Spirit to give us significant spiritual growth in 2026. Then do the things necessary to place yourself in a position before God every day so the Spirit and do the work necessary in your life to achieve that spiritual growth.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: ““But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit – the Father will send Him in My name – will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. “John 14:26 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Learning to think it through”   A common complaint I hear from Christians, especially Christians who have yet to grow deeply in spiritual maturity, is that they are unable to hear God or to get clear direction from Him regarding important decisions. It’s almost as if they’re expecting to be able to sit down with a paper and pencil to take dictation as God verbally recites for them, item-by-item, step-by-step, what He wants them to do. But that rarely happens.   Instead, what does happen is that over time God develops us in spiritual maturity so that we’re able to think things through and make good decisions of our own, decisions that honor and please Him. An example would be how, as a parent, we don’t want to be constantly giving our children detailed instructions about every decision that needs to be made in their lives. Instead, we want to train them to be able to think things through, evaluate the situation for what it is, and then make a good decision of their own (one that we as the parent would be proud of and pleased with).   That’s exactly what God does with us. He doesn’t want to have to dictate every step we take. Instead, He wants us to use our spiritually mature brains to think it through and to then make a decision that pleases Him.   Welcome to the world of spiritual maturity! I know, this is hard. In one respect, life in the Old Testament world was easier because you simply had a long list of rules and regulations to obey. You could just go down the list checking them off one-by-one and you were good to go. But in New Testament times we’re required to think. It almost makes my brain hurt.   But God has not left us to figure this stuff out for ourselves. It’s the job of the Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us, and to help us make those good decisions. That’s what Jesus was explaining in John 14:26.    Would you like to feel better about your ability to make good decisions in life that truly do please and honor God? If that’s your attitude God will honor it, and He will bless you with greater understanding and increased ability to make good decisions. But you must do your part too. You must do the things that will bring about that spiritual growth.   This requires committed discipleship. It is through the disciplines of prayer, Bible study, faithful attendance at worship services, involvement in ministry activities, sitting under the teaching of good preachers and teachers, and by practicing the other fundamental disciplines of the Christian faith that we become increasingly spiritually mature.   God wants you to be able to think Biblically so you can then act Biblically. Therefore, a great goal for 2026 would be to dial up the intensity and commitment level regarding being a true disciple of Jesus. Place yourself in a position before God every day whereby the Holy Spirit can mold you and shape, transform you and develop you, as you grow in spiritual maturity.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?”   Our Bible verse for today: “Don’t set foot on the path of the wicked; don’t proceed in the way of the evil ones. Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it and pass it by.” Proverbs 4:14-15 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Avoid even the appearance of impropriety”   As we continue to think about the fact that God brought us through 2025 and we now have an entire new year of opportunities before us. As we consider how we can make good choices that lead us to good outcomes, we come to the excellent advice given by King Solomon over three thousand years ago in Proverbs 4:14-15. Please read it again.   Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil.” That’s exactly what Solomon meant in Proverbs 4:14-15. Don’t even start down that path! Even if you think you can get away with it, even if you think nobody will ever know, don’t even start down that path.   I once heard a security expert in a television interview make this statement, “Nowadays every person should assume they are always being watched.” What he meant was that there is surveillance everywhere – even in places we would never expect it to be. We are “alone” and “unobserved” much less frequently than we think we are, and therefore we need to give extra thought to the things we do and say when we believe we are alone and unobserved.   But that’s really nothing new. Our actions have always been under constant observation by God. In Luke 12:2-3 Jesus said, “There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.” The author of the letter to the Hebrews reminded us that we are “surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.”   That being the case it should be our desire to always conduct ourselves in such a way that it would not cause us to be embarrassed before people or before God. Now granted, that’s a high bar. None of us is perfect and none of us would be comfortable living under a microscope of constant observation. Being that squeaky clean is virtually impossible. But it’s a good goal to strive for. The desire to be that good is a good attitude to have.   Billy Graham established a personal standard for himself and for his closest associates that in both their public and private lives they needed to strive to “avoid even the appearance of impropriety.” Now again, none of us is perfect (least of all me) (and least of all you), but we should have high standards that we strive to meet – and avoiding even the appearance of anything inappropriate is a pretty good goal to have.     That’s true for all of us. We should strive to conduct ourselves in such a way – in public and in private, that we avoid even the appearance of impropriety.   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

Good morning everyone,   Our theme for this month: “You made it! Now what?   Our Bible verse for today: “But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head – Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 4:15 (CSB)   Our thought for today: “Never stop learning and growing”   Do you remember Navy Admiral James Stockdale? He was the highest-ranking prisoner of war held by the Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. He spent eight years in captivity, four of them in solitary confinement, two of them in leg shackles. He was tortured fifteen times, and he was permanently disabled because of it.   Despite his years of captivity in horrifying conditions, and despite the repeated brutal torture, Admiral Stockdale never gave in to his captors. He also assumed command over the other POWs and served as an inspiration to them. After being released at the end of the war Admiral Stockdale was awarded the Congressional Medal Honor. He also continued his career in the Navy – ultimately being promoted to Three Star Admiral before retiring.   I met Admiral Stockdale in 1996. My old friend Sam Tangredi was assigned to be the Commanding Officer of a ship in San Diego. Sam asked me to attend the change-of-command ceremony as his guest. The guest speaker that day was Admiral Stockdale. Sam’s family had been friends with the Stockdale family as Sam was growing up and so Sam had known Admiral Stockdale for many years. At the reception afterwards, Sam introduced me to the Admiral. I got to shake the great man’s hand and spend a few minutes speaking with him.   Admiral Stockdale wrote in one of his books about four attributes that he had observed in the life of virtually every successful person he had ever known – attributes which in his experience are essential elements in any life lived well. When I read what he wrote, I immediately realized that the Apostle Paul teaches these same lessons in his writings:   1. “A successful person is committed to continual self-improvement in all areas of life. Such a person never stops learning and is always striving to improve.” Admiral Stockdale considered this commitment to continual growth and personal improvement the most important element in a successful life.  (Ephesians 4:15). 2. “A successful person is known for his or her integrity. This is a man or woman who has learned to be honest, trustworthy, and dependable, and they diligently practice those virtues even when doing so isn’t easy.” (2 Timothy 1:13) 3. “A successful person never gives up, especially in the face of adversity, setbacks, and failure”. (Galatians 6:9) 4. “A successful person is willing to be seen as a leader, and they set a good example for others”. (2 Timothy 2:2)  I’ve said it before and I want to repeat it again this morning, “Attitude is everything”. How we think about life, and how we approach it, determines almost everything else about us. But developing a good attitude and the virtues that comprise it is a continual process of learning and growing, of developing and transforming. I encourage you to never stop growing. Make it your goal in life to learn new things every day and to keep improving in all the ways that really matter.   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