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Announcements (Page 9)
Desolation Wilderness is a beautiful but remote region of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Over the years, Valorie and I have enjoyed backpacking there, including several times with our girls when they were younger. One particularly dry and hot summer, water was scarce; our bottles were empty, and we were thirsty. We came upon a dried-up…
Hey Family! VBS starts on Monday – the greatest week at Valley Church all year. I saw Sonja Tillman in the classroom across the hall from my office working on T-shirts earlier today. When she left I sneaked in and held up one to my chest. Ah, to be a kid again! I loved VBS…
November 7th, 1995 ended the longest three days of our lives. We had been happily expecting our first baby to arrive sometime around the end of October. But she had other plans and didn’t even begin to arrive until almost a week later. After 30 hours of labor she was finally in our arms, healthy…
Hey Family, Like you, I’m feeling low about this latest school shooting. More on that below. But first, something cheerful. I walked out of the restroom in building three last week and got a delicious surprise. My buddy Nathan was standing there with a big box of donuts, just waiting for me to take my…
Hey Church Family! Hands down, the high point of my week was the Sparrows Mother’s Day Celebration on Wednesday in the Student Center. I wish you could have attended with me. Sparrows gives teens and adults with special needs a chance to have fun, make friends and learn God’s Word. They have worship, movement, fields…
Most of us probably don’t use the word “diaspora” in our everyday conversations, but ALL of us are familiar with the concept. It’s any people who have moved from their original homeland. In a nation of immigrants and in Silicon Valley with its unusual diversity and people “…on the move…” we all have experienced “diaspora”…
The life of Carol Swain is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever heard. Born into a family of 12 children in the backwoods of Virginia, Carol grew up without adequate food, clothing, education, indoor plumbing or running water. Eventually she dropped out of school in the ninth grade, was married at 16, had…
By any objective standard Cooper Kupp should be one of the most “fulfilled” people on the face of the earth. I freely confess I’m no sports fan, but we have kind and generous friends who let us watch the Super Bowl with them (and eat their snacks) while they patiently explained the game and the…
Dear Worshippers, Jesus’ resolution to die was not some whimsical decision that He made on the spur of the moment. On the contrary, it was foretold by the prophets and thus a necessity. Doctor Luke put it this way, “As the time approached for Him (Jesus) to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set…
Dear Friends, “Contents under pressure. Handle with care” – Have you ever felt like that warning label applies to YOU? For the last five weeks we’ve been talking about living under the pressures of being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. We’ve learned that through our deep faith, we can trust God and His promises.…