Uncategorized Archives - Olive Hill Baptist Church

What Are We Training Our Kids?

Posted on Aug 9, 2018 in Uncategorized |

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. (Prov. 22:6 NKJ)

I’ve been dealing with kids since my early twenties. Miss Terri and I have been involved with youth ministries in the church ever since we’ve been married, some 35 years. I have been taking kids to church camp and teaching 10-12 year olds for the past 20 years. We’ve had great relationships with our nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. We have raised three wonderful boys who have become fine young men. And three grandchildren which are so very special to us.

Over the years, we’ve earned the confidence of so many of these kids. They have told us things about their lives, their families, their problems in life. We’ve cried with them so many times after hearing about the problems that their own families have brought them. Now I know that there are no perfect parents. I think we all having given emotional scars to our kids as well as we all have received them from our parents. The things that I am seeing in today’s world go way beyond what most of us experienced as kids.

When we bring children into this world, we are given an extraordinary responsibility. For the next fifteen (or more) years of our lives we will be training our children. The question is, what are we training them for? In the passage above, it states “in the way he should go”. What does that mean? It means that it we are to train them to go on the right path in life.

The right path. I can only be responsible for training my boys in the path that I knew was right. We took them to church. We introduced them to God. We taught them right from wrong, being responsible and to be nice, polite young men. We showed them how to truly love others. That was our responsibility. Not the church’s, not the school’s, but our responsibility.

Even parent is training their children in some way. The parents have a tremendous influence on the lives of their children. While some parents are training their children in the right paths for their lives, many others are training their children to walk in the wrong paths. You see, training children is not done by words but by actions. You tell your child, not to drink while you are drink yourself, guess what you are training them. You tell your children not to use bad language, yet you cuss like a sailor… you are training them. You tell your child not to have sex, yet you hop from one live-in relationship to the other… you are training them. You tell your child that you love them, yet you put everything in your life before them… yes, you are training them. But not in the right path.

You get the picture. Over and over, we’ve dealt with kids who hear about God and many who’ve accepted Christ. These kids hear about the right path, and many want to go on the right path, but then they go home and the parent’s “training” just continues.

I can’t even begin to relate the things that I know that have been said and done to kids that I have ministered to over the years by their parents. It’s almost like the kids don’t stand a chance in life because of the terrible influence of their own parents. Miss Terri and I have shed many tears over the fact that some of these parents are training these kids to be just like them… Godless and without any moral convictions. We worry about what the future holds for many of these children. Will the influence that we have in the few hours we are able to minister to them be enough?

If you have brought a child into this world… BE RESPONSIBLE for the right training of that child. Now this is the part where I want to rant endlessly about the selfishness of a lot of parents. How they truly never sacrifice their own pleasures in order to take care of their own children… but I will refrain. So let me give you some advice instead:

Bring your kids to church! Do not just let someone else take them to church, but go with them. We have taken so many kids to church without their parents. Do you realize how many kids want to see their parents in church with them? I have seen kids jump up and down with excitement because their mom or dad finally decided to come to church with them. Besides by coming with them you too can see how God can change lives.

Teach your kids right from wrong. The problem isn’t that parents don’t know right from wrong, but they don’t care if it is wrong, they are doing wrong themselves. They have problems in life that they believe can’t be fixed so they just continue to train their children to do wrong even if they tell their kids that it is wrong. What a mixed message. God can fix your brokenness. Show your kids the way they should go, by letting God heal and change you. What a great example you could be to your kids. Stop doing the wrong things and begin teaching them the right paths they should follow.

Love your children. Well, that should be easy. Every parent loves their kids… right? Teaching your children about love is not about saying “I love you”, but it is all about showing your child that you love them. The love that we are really talking about and the type of love that children need is the type of love that Christ had for us… His children. It is a love that is self-sacrificing. A love that we would give our lives for our kids. You might say, “I do that”. But do you really? You see, the reason kids get so messed up is that they don’t feel loved. They see their parents love drugs, alcohol, sex partners, social status, money and sometimes even church over their own children. They are not willing to sacrifice for them. Kids see that, kids know that and feel unwanted and unloved. Show your child you really love them… get right with God, get into a church family, let God take care of the brokenness within you, begin teaching them right from wrong by your actions, not your words and then spend quality time with them.

The last part of our verse today is interesting. For many years, I was taught that if you raised them up right that they would not turn away from the right path. Many pastors today have children that have gone astray, yet they were taught right. Many folks will judge the pastor by the way his kids turned out. Yet, that’s not what that really means. It’s not saying that they won’t stray from the right path, but that they can never get away from the training that you’ve given them. Re-read it with that in mind. If you trained the child the right way to live, the training will always be with the child although he may not walk in it. They will forever have that training and will constantly fight against it though.

The same can be said of the child that is trained in the wrong path. He doesn’t have to follow his training. He can go the right path… but they will be fighting against the training his parents gave him his whole life in some way.

There is an old seventies song that just came to my mind. It goes like this…

I’ve longed since retired, my son’s moved away, I called him up just the other day

I said, “I’d like to see you if you don’t mind” He said, I’d love to, Dad, if I could find the time

You see my new job’s a hassle and the kids have the flu, but it’s sure nice talking to you, Dad

It’s been sure nice talking to you”

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me, he’d grown up just like me

My boy was just like me.

Teach your children well. It is your responsibility. Let them have the opportunity to know God through Jesus Christ. Show them right from wrong by your actions not your words. Really love your children by putting them before the selfish things you have been loving more. If you really love them, you will.

Give your kid a chance in this life.

Bro. Randy

The Unappreciated Freedom

Posted on Jul 4, 2018 in Uncategorized |

So also we, when we were minors, were enslaved under the basic forces of the world. But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God. Formerly when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods at all.
But now that you have come to know God (or rather to be known by God), how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless basic forces? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

(Gal. 4:3-9 NET)

I sit here in my office at home on the afternoon of July 4th, pondering the state of our nation today. So many things bother me about the tremendous changes in our society today, but one of my greatest fears about our nation is the lack of understanding among our young people (and many of our older folks) about how great this nation really is. The freedoms that we have today have been bought with a heavy price. No nation in the history of man has the freedoms that we currently have in this country. Yet, so many wrongly believe that our nation is evil and unfair. No, it’s not perfect, but no country will be until we reach the one that God has prepared for us.

There are so many complaining and whining that the government should take care of them and all their problems. They are never satisfied. They have forgotten the history of this nation and how totally different it was and is from any other nation that has ever existed. We have the freedom to live and worship the way we want.

The freedoms that we experience today are not always appreciated or even acknowledged. In fact, many people want to go back to a system that the government takes care of us from the cradle to the grave. They foolishly believe that taking away our freedoms somehow will make them more free.

Isn’t that just like us as Christians? Christ has made us His children and His heirs to the Kingdom of God. He gave His life so that we would be free from sin from the slavery of sin. We are free from the worries of this life, knowing of the forever life that is to come. We no longer have anything to fear from death!

Yet, many Christians are complaining and whining that they aren’t being taken care of. They blame their problems on others and even God Himself, while never taking responsibility for their own sin. In fact, they crave for more freedom… the freedom to sin and not be held accountable.They desire a life that God freed them from…. a life of slavery to sin.

They foolishly believe that taking away the freedom that God gave us will somehow make us more free. It doesn’t make sense, does it?

Read the verses at the beginning again. When you begin to desire to follow after this world’s sinful ways, ask yourself this, “Now that I have come to know God, why would I ever go back to the hopeless, helpless and sinful life that I had before? Do I really want to be enslaved again to them?”

It is time to really appreciate what this nation has done for us. It is time to fully understand what God has set us free from. It is time to enjoy the freedom that God has given us, instead of moaning and complaining that there is a better life out there. There isn’t. It’s a lie. When God frees you, you are free indeed!

Happy Fourth of July

Bro. Randy

Living a Full Life

Posted on Jun 7, 2018 in Uncategorized |

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
(John 15:11 NAS)

Can a Christian have fun? Does God allow us to enjoy life? I believe too many Christians believe that we can’t possibly have fun… too many “you can’t do that”. If a Christian really did have fun and joy in their lives, then they aren’t spiritual enough or they aren’t serious about their faith. Our churches, over the years, have bought into the this hogwash in some way or the other. God desires us to enjoy this life He has given us. He wants us to be joyful!

Yet, too many believers are struggling. By the time they get to church, (if they are still coming) they are tired, weary and beaten down by this same world we are to be joyful in. For some reason, the singing, the lessons, and the message doesn’t make them joyful at all. If fact, they feel worse than they did when they first came. Now some of that can be attributed to our idea that church services are so serious and emotions have nothing to do with worship. Fiddlesticks…

Yet, the church services aren’t the real problem. Some Christians believe that their problems in life are dragging them down so that there is no way that they can be joyous. I must admit that the problems that I face in my life aren’t conducive to me jumping up and down and praising Jesus, so I understand. Yet, the Apostle Paul tells us that we are to be content in all of life’s situations. In fact, there were times when he was imprisoned, he sang praises to God. He was joyous. Hmm.

Then there are the pious believers whose life consist of nothing but church. They are so concerned about the do’s and the don’ts of life they forget to actually live. No, I’m not saying that it’s OK to sin. Nope. It’s just that they refuse to do so many things in this world that is good and pleasurable because they believe that it is sin or can lead to sin. For instance, there are believers that didn’t (and some still) watch television because there was an ungodly show on one of it’s channels. Hey, how about just not watching that program! The list of things go on and on… you can’t do that because it “might” lead to sin. The point is, I believe that these folks might be scared to live in a world that is ever changing. Look, if you think Facebook is the devil’s site, then I’m sorry, I just love keeping up with my friends and seeing all those cute pictures of my grand kids. Besides, don’t you think the Apostle Paul would’ve been all over the internet with the Gospel?

In some ways, these are marvelous times in which we live… enjoy them. We have too many folks just dredging through life without any real joy.

But back to the question… Can a Christian have fun? The answer is YES! Of course the next word is but… but, read the first part of the above verse: “These things I have spoken to you, that…” You want His joy in you? You want your joy to be overflowing? If yes, then you need to read what He said before verse 11. If you don’t want joy, then don’t.

What does He tell them so that their joy may be full?

First off, He tells them to abide in Him. What does it mean to abide? It means to remain in Him. Don’t stray from Him. Put Him first in your life. Stop putting other things ahead of Him. He talks about the vine and the branch. He is the vine and we are the branches. We have to abide in Him in order to produce fruit. Nothing is more joyous than being productive. It gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

Then He tells them to abide in His words. What does that mean? Is He talking about the ten commandments? No, that’s been tried and we failed miserably. There are two great commandments, “Love God with all your heart, body and soul” and “Love thy neighbor as thyself”

If we do that, we will have no problem with all the other commandments.

He tells them to abide in His love. Do we abide in His love or do we desire the love of someone or something else in life. When we love someone, do we love in the way that He loves us? Too many are looking for love in all the wrong places. Placing their love in all the wrong things. All of those people or things will disappoint and let you down. You need to abide or remain in His love.

Then He says that His joy can remain in us and that our joy can be overflowing. Even when things are going badly in our relationships, our work, our finances, our health… we can have joy and happiness in our lives because our happiness will not come these things, but from the Lord Himself. He will give us that peace that passeth all understanding.

I know that He wants me to enjoy this life He has given me. Each day, each breath, is a gift of God… not something to dread. We just need to abide in Him, in His words and in His love. After all, in a hundred years from now, none of these things that makes unhappy today will matter, we will be in the presence of God! So take a deep breath and and say “OK God, here I am, let’s have fun today”

Love ya,

Brother Randy

Running The Race

Posted on May 27, 2018 in Uncategorized |

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” (Heb 12:1 NKJ)

When I read that passage, I always get a picture of all the saints of God who have gone on before us all lined up at the finish line in a marathon. It is near the end and I am tired and weary. I don’t think that I can go on another step, but the encouraging saints are cheering me on to keep on going, shouting “Your almost there… It’ll be worth it!”!!!

I then realize that I can go on if I can get rid of the excessive weight of sin that I am carrying. So, while the saints who have run this race before us are encouraging me, I decide to lay aside the sin that besets me and take the next step in my journey. What a difference it made. Then before I knew it, I crossed the finish line, exhausted, and there my Jesus was there to personally welcome me. He tells me, the race is over, your labor is finished, abide in my rest.

We all have those who have run this race before us and finished it. They know what lies ahead for us at the finish line. Sometimes, we forget what’s ahead for us. Sometimes we fall in love with the race and not the One we are running to. We need to be reminded that this life is not our goal or purpose, but it is just the means to get where we are supposed to end up. We get distracted by the things along the race that we think are great or wonderful. We begin to think the places that we stop to rest as good enough or maybe even better than the place we are running to.

We also run this race with the idea that we can take on all the garbage (sin) of this world and still run this race. It is amazing how when times get tough along the way, we tend to add to the weight instead of shedding it. How we entangle ourselves in sin that trips us up.

Then we want to give up… We can’t… there is a prize that awaits us at the end of this life. This is all worth it.

When this happens to me, I imagine looking ahead and seeing, Abraham, David, Paul, my grand-parents all cheering and yelling at me to get up and keep moving. Take the next step. Get rid of that burden, that sin and keep going. We’ve got Someone waiting for you.

Don’t give up… but give in to God. Pray for strength to finish running the race.

May '18

No Other Gods…

Posted on May 17, 2018 in Uncategorized |

May '18

Exodus 20:3-5

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

This passage is the first two of the ten commandments. It is probably the most overlooked commandments simply because most people don’t believe that they truly worship any other gods. They certainly don’t bow down to some funky little statue and chant. Yet, it would be a mistake to believe this. Although there is only one true God, the idea here is that there are many gods that we put before God.

Four and a half years ago, we started Brokenness Aside, a support ministry for those who are broken by addiction (as well as other things). In that time, my life outlook has underwent a change. I began to see real, hurting people who were in need of help. People who were drunks, addicts and who were losing at life. The greatest lesson that I’ve learned was that the addiction was only a symptom of the real problem… something inside needed fixed and until that got fixed, then nothing would change.

We use a biblical twelve step approach which helps a person come to the only One who can truly fix the brokenness within us… Jesus. We’ve helped many, but too many never understood how or really ever wanted to get fixed.

It is a helpless feeling when I watch people’s lives being destroyed and consumed by their addiction. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. The lies they tell themselves, like, I can handle this. I can manage this. They destroy not only their lives, but the lives of their families and those that love them. Their addiction causes them to become the ultimate in selfishness. From the outside, looking in, I want to scream… Stop! Wait! Why????

The answer to why is found in the first commandment… Thou shalt have no other gods before me. They have made the alcohol, the drugs, ect., their god. Not only have they put these things before God, but they put it before everyone and everything else in their lives. It is an evil god.

This doesn’t only apply to addictions, but to many other things in normal, everyday life in which we place ahead of God. These things become idols to which we bow before and worship. Yes, there are too many that are breaking the first and second commandments.

Do you want to get better? Do you really want to get fixed? If the answer is yes, then you must put God first in your life. You must realize your brokenness and the insanity of your life. You must realize that you can’t fix yourself, but there is One who can. You must give all of yourself to Him and give Him your life.

You might say, I’ve tried to get better. I’m trying to stay clean. I can manage this. The problem is, you will never get well until you reject the god of alcohol and drugs and bow before the Almighty God who truly loves you enough to fix you, instead of the god who wants to destroy your life.

You can get rid of the drugs and booze, but until what’s broken inside is fixed, you will just find another god to serve.

If you ready to place God first in your life and ready for Him to fix the brokenness within you, then allow Him to have your life today. Trust Him with your life. Ask Him to fix the brokenness within you. He can and He will… if you let Him.

Call me…

Bro. Randy

New Website

Posted on Apr 4, 2018 in Uncategorized |

God is so good! He is changing hearts and lives here at Olive Hill. Despite the attacks on our church by Satan, we continue to preach His word, teach his disciples and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. This post is really just a test, but I hope and pray that this website and this app will be a blessing and help to someone.

May God Bless

Bro. Randy