Some of you know my mom and dad, Jack and Jo Popjes. His latest book was just published and it covers our family’s life with the Canela people in the Amazon Valley area of Brazil. He tells of a letter they received in 1967 from Ireland when they were just starting their work. “Dear Brother…
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Dear Family, I love stories about journeys, whether aquanauts exploring the depths of the ocean, or pioneers going across the plains, or polar explorers battling the ice and cold. Journeys always leave the journeyers changed. Here are some journey books from our shelves. Why do I mention journeys? Because the middle section of Luke (chapters…
We are very excited about Craig Shigyo and his family joining our VC family. It is understandable that some of you might have questions about this change. For those of you who don’t know, the elders unanimously agreed to invite Craig, out of over 100 applicants, to be our next Lead Pastor. Rest assured Craig…
Dear Friends, I have 2 questions for you! “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7) Can you? My answer, “I am just scratching the surface.” Here is another question, “Are you able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and…
We were at a friend’s house on Christmas Day, and I was soaking in the scene. There was a table full of food, Christmas décor, discussions and laughter between friends and family, and a brightly burning fire in a beautiful and ornate fireplace set in a cabin in the snow. Except… we were in San…
Did you know that in Mexico many Christians put on Shepherds’ plays to retell the Christmas story and a favorite Christmas food is tamales? Did you know that in Egypt many Christians celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6 with a 10 pm church service after fasting for Advent? Did you know that some Syrian Christians…
Dearly Beloved, Do you know the origin of this quote? “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” This famous quote is from the movie, It’s A Wonderful Life. It’s catchy, but is it true? How many of the following statements are true: Angels are human beings who have died All Angels have…
Dearly Beloved, “Go figure!” Do you know the origin of the phrase? Guess what? It is not known, but it likely stems from colloquial American English in the 20th century. It is thought to have originated as a shortened, casual form of saying, “Go and figure that out,” meaning, “Try to make sense of that…
In 1847, a French parish priest asked a local poet to write a Christmas carol, which quickly spread throughout France. The hauntingly beautiful “Cantique De Noel” was an instant hit. Fast forward several decades to America when John Sullivan Dwight discovered the carol. A fiery abolitionist, Dwight fell in love with the song, especially the…
In 1904 James Barrie wrote a story about a boy who never grew up and an ordinary girl named Wendy in a place called Neverland, along with a group of children named “The Lost Boys.” In Barrie’s original works, the Lost Boys leave Neverland and grow up, while in the Disney films they are merely…