Dear Saints of Valley Church, One of my Christian heroes is C.S. Lewis. From being handed a copy of Mere Christianity as a young believer to reading his later reflections on suffering and pain, to my reading of The Chronicles of Narnia to my children, I believe that the writings of Lewis are among God’s…
Posts from 2025
Dear Saints of Valley Church, In the corner of the Palatine Museum in Rome hangs an etching on part of a plaster slab discovered as part of the Roman school on the Palatine Hill. This etched graffiti, dating back to around A.D. 200, known as the Alexamenos Graffito, is one of the earliest artistic representations…
We live in a world captivated by survival. Shows like Survivor echo a deep truth: we all face challenges that test our limits—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But while reality TV focuses on alliances, eliminations, and endurance, Psalm 30 points to a deeper narrative: the movement of the heart from independence to dependence, from pride to…
Dear Saints of Valley Church, For most of my life, I’ve lived in California. Our family has been evacuated due to quickly moving fires, I’ve felt my chair rocking back and forth during an earthquake, and we’ve all experienced years of droughts. However, it wasn’t until I was flying back and forth to my seminary…
Dear Valley Family, Thank you for your prayers for a safe return of my wife Grace and my younger son Daniel. They finally flew back from China last Friday after a 5-month separation due to a huge delay of their Visa processing. It is always challenging or sometimes even frustrating to wait “patiently” for God’s…
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Sunday is FAMILY WORSHIP and unless your kids are very little (three years and younger) they’ll be in the Worship Center. Sunday is also Father’s Day! How thankful we are for our dads and the men who have invested in us. Please come at 10:00 AM so your kids can make…
Dear Saints of Valley Church, What comes to your mind when you think of the word “delight”? Do you delight in the smell of fresh-baked cookies, or the taste of your favorite dish, or a perfect cup of coffee? Do you delight in your child’s laughter, or a well-timed joke from your best friend, or…
Dear Saints of Valley Church, On July 20, 1969, the whole world held its breath as it watched Neil Armstrong descend from the Lunar Module and take the first human steps on the surface of the Moon. His words became etched in history: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” While…
Howdy! I got a story for ya’, Valley Family! Our son Ethan is in the Corp of Cadets at Texas A&M. (Gig ‘Em!). Texas Aggies all wear a special ring. That’s how Aggies recognize each other all over the country and do their weird cheers, whoops and hand motions. I think Rita Hanna’s grandson goes…
Dear Saints of Valley Church, Before winning eight gold medals (and breaking seven world records) at the 2008 Olympics, Michael Phelps made a life-altering commitment: he would train every single day, with no exceptions, for five years straight. He didn’t skip practice for birthdays, vacations, or even Christmas. The pursuit of his life’s goal was…