Do you recognize this distinguished looking man? I used to be a betting man, but I will make a wager that you are stumped? This is a picture of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830). I typed this sentence in Google, “Who is the greatest Liberator of all time?” Answer – “There can be no doubt about #1…
In 1936 the Queen Mary was the largest, fastest, and most luxurious ocean liner ever built. She was unsurpassed, with the furnishing of the finest hotels, beauty salons, air conditioning, two indoor swimming pools, and telephone connectivity to anywhere in the world. But in World War Two, because of her record-breaking size and speed, she…
Dearly beloved, Having any problems breathing? Have you found some “cool” places to hang out? My simple mind tells me that breathing is more important than finding some “cool shade.” I was reminded afresh in the last 3 days that by “God’s Word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for…
Dear friends, Have you made any resolutions since COVID 19? If so, what are they and have you broken any? Many “New Year’s Resolutions” do not even make it until the end of January, but why? It normally is not due to “bad intentions.” Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Protestant…
Dearly beloved, In March of 1996 I was holding my dad’s hand in our bedroom surrounded by 2 of my sisters, Patty, Kelley, and Glen when he took his last breath on planet earth. It was a painful separation from the father who I had known and loved for 53 years. He was suddenly gone!…
When is the last time you googled something? if you are like most people, you probably consult the internet search engine numerous times every day. In fact, in 2019 Google received over 63,000 searches per second on any given day. That translates into 3.8 million searches per minute, 228 million searches per hour, 5.6 billion…
Most of the time I’m happy to be ignorant of the latest fads, celebrity news, sports, movies, music, and the like. But I’m concerned about a trend that appears to be taking over. It’s the “cancel culture”. While there may be different definitions, it’s the phenomenon of promoting the “canceling” of people, institutions, brands and…
Dearly beloved, There are so many idioms in the English language. I honestly feel sorry for people coming to the US who have to try to decipher what a particular phrase means. Take for example the phrase, “I wash my hands – or I’m washing my hands.” It can mean to: Renounce Abandon Distancing oneself…
Dear beloved friends, Kurt reminded us on Sunday about “loving one another” amidst pain and disillusionment. There are over 50 “one another” exhortations in the NT. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we need one another especially in providing comfort! This “isolation” that we have and are experiencing should never be the “new normal” for…
Dear Valley Church family, As most of you know I’ve got leaky eyes. It doesn’t take much to get tears started for me. This Sunday I’ll be preaching on one of my favorite Bible texts. It’s just two words – “Jesus wept”. No, it’s not my “life verse”, but it certainly seems appropriate for these…