It was the early 1800s when Charles Barbier responded to a call from Napoleon Bonaparte to develop a way for his military units to communicate at night without light. Barbier modified a technique originally developed by the ancient Greeks, but his attempts were deemed impractical. It wasn’t until 1824 when Barbier employed the help of…
Posts from 2022
Why do we love Christmas lights so much? Somehow they communicate joy and festivity around our celebrations of the birth of Jesus. Considering that yesterday was the shortest (and darkest) day of the year, who wouldn’t want more light? Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition in the 16th century when devout Christians…
As a senior in Bible college, I had the opportunity to live with a retired gentleman and his wife, Vaughn and Helen Terrell. When I met him, he and Helen were serving as volunteers in a local ministry and renting rooms of their small home out to college students like me, especially those headed for…
Dearly Beloved, Most of you have not heard of the old game show called “Truth or Consequences.” On the show, contestants received two seconds to answer a trivia question correctly (usually an off-the-wall question that no one would be able to answer correctly, or a bad joke) before “Beulah the Buzzer” sounded. On the rare…
Hey Church Family, I have a number of things on my mind as I sit in my office on this rainy Thursday night. First, do you need a gift for that impossible-to-buy-for person? Don’t worry – I got you covered! I have the perfect item (just $15.00 bucks). I’ll tell you about it on Sunday.…
Happy Thanksgiving! Do you know what year the first black and white film came out? According to my Google search it was 1888! What was the year of the first color film? The generally accepted answer to the first film shot in color was “Cupid Angling” made in 1918. You can see that the answer…
Despite what the movies tell you, most criminals really aren’t that smart. I verified this truth on my first (and last) venture into the world of shoplifting at the tender age of 9 years old. Although I successfully walked out of the store with a box of the noisiest candy known to mankind in my…
Hotly contested topics being adamantly discussed, often with incomplete information in an environment of fear and distrust. Does that sound familiar? Surprisingly enough Jesus wasn’t afraid to make groups of people confused and conflicted. Their opinions about what he said ranged from mildly interested to totally ignorant to angry. John 7:43 says, “So a dissension…
Hey Church Family! Here’s the pastor’s weekly executive summary for you busy Valley Church-ers. Let’s worship Jesus the King on Sunday with our voices, Scripture, and ultra-warm connection with our brothers and sisters. Please don’t come late and don’t rush off! (Cecil C. says we shouldn’t do that. We’re a family.) Let’s elevate Jesus by…
Dear Aliens, Do you consider yourself to be an “alien?” I was chatting with a young man at 24 Hour Fitness recently and our conversation drifted into how the universe came into existence in the first place. I said to him, “Who made this iPhone?” His response was, “an alien.” Well, he did answer my…