Pastor’s Message (Page 31)
Dear Friends, By now most of us have heard of someone we know who has suffered loss due to the “raging fires!” Questions abound when tragedies like Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Las Vegas and now Northern CA take place! Answers however are in short supply! The word “fire” is mentioned 519 times in my…
Although historians disagree on the details, most agree that President Abraham Lincoln tried to buy slaves during the Civil War in order to set them free. In one case, Lincoln personally offered to buy a slave from an owner. Kentucky was on the Union side but was unwilling to emancipate the slaves that lived there. In late…
Have you ever said, “When I win the lottery…” It has become an idiom, even for people like me who do not play, for a financial windfall that solves every problem and guarantees a happy life. This is why millions of people continue to buy their tickets, despite the fact that the odds of winning…
Dear brothers and sisters, What do these sayings all have in common? Chop your own wood; it will warm you twice. Genius is ninety percent perspiration and ten percent inspiration. Give assistance not advice in a crisis. If you want something done right, do it yourself. Never put off until tomorrow what can be done…
Dear Valley Church Family, Can you believe Summer is almost over? I hope you’ve had a chance to relax, take some vacation, and maybe even watch a baseball game! You’ve probably head of Babe Ruth, but have you heard of Ralph “Babe” Pinelli? He was a professional player for Cincinnati and then highly-regarded baseball umpire in the…
Dear Church Family, I saw this cartoon in a magazine the other day. It shows a man sitting in an office cubicle with a beard of stinging insects. Perched around him are a variety of flying creatures. His boss approaches and says: “Roger, I think it’s time we had a little talk about the birds…
How would you fill in the following sentences? Don’t bite the hand that… Where there’s smoke, there’s… A penny saved is… Even if you don’t know these particular sayings of wisdom, no doubt you grew up hearing things that were like them — practical knowledge summarized in succinct sayings, designed to be helpful and memorable.…
Dear Church Family, I like aphorisms, slogans, sayings of all kinds. One of my favorite three-part sayings relates to our faith. Here it goes: “Christianity is a venture, not an event, a process, not a point in time, a dash, not a dot.” Anyway, I took a run through my neighborhood the other day —…
Dear friends, “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.” Rev. 19:20 What is the mark of the beast referred to several times in the book of Revelation? Many…
Dear friends, What’s your brand? Do you prefer Pete’s coffee over Starbucks? When people think about you, do they immediately think of certain qualities that make you distinctive? Do family members and friends know what they can count on from you? Does your reputation extend beyond those who know you personally? About 6 weeks ago…