Vinko Bogataj probably isn’t a name you recognize. But for millions of people, Vinko is the symbol of all who have tried to do something and failed spectacularly. In 1970 the young Yugoslavian competed in a ski flying event where he hurled out of control off the end of the ramp, tumbling and flipping wildly,…
Church Blog (Page 9)
Dear Friends, Do you believe in destiny? How about a destination when you die? What do those two words mean and is there any connection? The word destiny refers to the predetermined course of events or the inevitable outcome of a person’s life. It often implies a sense of fate or predestination, suggesting that certain…
Hey Family, I met with Elena J. and Dave C. last week to talk about Valley’s new partnership with Foster the City. God stirred Elena’s heart to drive this for us at Valley. She’s our Advocate. FTC is about equipping churches to provide loving homes for children in foster care and to create supportive teams…
I recently reconnected with an old friend at the Perspectives class being hosted by Valley Church on Sunday nights. Among other things, Dan Lagasse is a seasoned global worker in nine different countries, an effective missions mobilizer, and an amazing horn player in the Sons of Jubal. On top of that, we’ve been friends for…
At some point most of us have been through an identity crisis. The dictionary defines it as “a period of uncertainty and confusion in which a person’s sense of identity becomes insecure, typically due to a change in their expected aims or role in society.” For me, it was during my high school years and…
Dear Saints, Is it possible for a saint to be deceived? A former Pharisee by the name of Paul who knew God’s law backwards and forwards thought so: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh…
Dearly Beloved, Have any secrets? Anything you are hiding from the One whose eyes behold the evil and the good in every place? The prophet Jeremiah put it this way, “Can a person hide himself in hiding places so that I do not see him?” declares the Lord. “Do I not fill the heavens and…
Dear Teammates, Your greatest challenge in life is ____________? Only you can fill in the blank, but a definition might prove helpful. Webster says a challenge is – to dispute, to confront, to call out, to question, or to invite into competition. As Christ followers we are not to be in competition with one another…
Like many of you, we’ve received a number of Christmas cards with beautiful calligraphy, profound Bible verses, and lovely poetry. But many are also filled with inaccurate historical representations of what the Bible tells us about the birth of Christ. For many of us, our understanding of the events around Jesus’s birth have been shaped…
It didn’t matter if it was in the heart of metro Manila or out in the jungles of Northern Luzon, as an American missionary in the Philippines, I knew I could always count on hearing “Hey Joe”, at least once a day. Due to the high numbers of American military personnel in the country after…