Thought for Today

 445 BC: According to This Day in History, Ezra reads the Law in Jerusalem [Nehemiah 8]; my own research says the date was October 8, 444 BC 1517: Martin Luther sends his 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz 1541: Michelangelo completes "The Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel 1731: All Lutherans are expelled from Salzburg--20,000 leave and many die during the winter.  1922: Mussolini becomes Premier of Italy 1941: Mt. Rushmore monument completed 1968: LBJ halts bombing of North Vietnam 1984: Indira Gandhi assassinated 2003: Bethany Hamilton loses her arm to a shark while surfing--"Soul Surfer" 2010: Al Qaida massacres 120 worshippers in a Baghdad church Born: John Keats, Juliette Low, Chiang-Kai-shek, Dale Evans, Dan Rather, Michael Landon, Jane Pauley, John Candy, Nick Saban,  Died: Charles Taze Russell [founder of Jehovah's Witnesses], Harry Houdini, George Halas, John Houseman, River Phoenix, Willie McCovey Thought: Chapter 3 of Second Peter contains some f...

  1768: First Methodist Church in North America [Wesley Chapel, NYC] 1873: Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth begins 1894: Time clock patented by Daniel Cooper [remember one in the cotton mill] 1938: Orson Well's broadcasts "War of the Worlds" 1944: Aaron Copeland's "Appalachian Spring" premiers 1952: Clarence Birdseye sells the first frozen peas 1954: First use of 24-second clock in pro basketball 1974: Rumble in the Jungle-Ali and Foreman 1989: Largest milkshake made---1575 gallons Born: Christopher Columbus, John Adams, Ezra Pound, Charles Atlas, Dickinson Richards [Nobel Prize for inventing heart cath], Henry Winkler, T Graham Brown, Ivana Trump, Marcus Mariota Died: Steve Allen, Robert Goulet Thought: Reading 2 Peter 2 this morning. These words make me examine myself, acknowledge sin, seek forgiveness, and praise God for His amazing grace. I have a number of words and phases underlined in red in this chapter, and this morning here is what I am hearing:...

 1492: Columbus sights Cuba 1636: Harvard University founded for the primary purpose of preparing ministers and religious educators 1646: First Protestant church for American Indians established--Massachusetts 1726: "Gulliver's Travels" published 1793: Eli Whitney files patent for cotton gin 1831: Michael Farraday demonstrates his invention, the electric generator 1858: RH Macy opens his first store on 6th Avenue in NYC 1867: Maimonides College is the first Jewish college in the US 1886: Statue of Liberty dedicated 1900: Second modern Olympics ends after 5 months--no opening or closing ceremonies 1919: Congress overrides President Wilson's veto and prohibition begins 1965: Gateway Arch competed Born: Erasmus, Eliphalet Remington, Evelyn Waugh ["Brideshead Revisited"], Bowie Kuhn, Jim Beatty [1st sub 4 minute indoor mile], Charlie Daniels, Bill Gates, Julia Roberts, Brad Paisley, Joaquin Phoenix Died: John Wallis [introduced the symbol for infinity] John Lock...

 312: Constantine has a vision of the cross before a battle victory. Some believe this led to his deathbed conversion. He called the Council of Nicaea in 325 and was responsible for building the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. 1659: Quakers, Marmaduke Stephenson and William Robinson, are hung for their faith in Boston. This date is celebrated as International Religious Freedom Day. 1682: Philadelphia founded by William Penn 1954: Walt Disney's first TV show, "Disneyland", premiers on ABC 1982: China population exceeds 1 billion 2018: Gunman kills 11 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh Born: James Cook [explorer], Isaac Singer [sewing machine], Theodore Roosevelt, Dylan Thomas, Ralph Kiner, Ruby Dee, HR Haldeman, Sylvia Plath, Floyd Cramer, John Cleese [Monty Python], Lee Greenwood,  Died: Ivan the Great, Allan Lane [voice of Mr. Ed], Joe Niekro Thought: WOW! I underlined 2 Peter 1:4. Take a look at 1:3-4 this morning.  God's power has provided to us...

 1492: Graphite pencil first used 1787: Federalist Papers published 1825: Erie Canal opens 1881: Gunfight at the OK Corral 1901: First recorded use of a getaway car 1950: Mother Teresa founds Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta 1970: "Doonesbury" cartoon debuts 1984: "Terminator" released Born: Mahalia Jackson, Jackie Coogan, Pat Conroy, Jaclyn Smith, Pat Sajak, Hillary Clinton,  Died: Alfred the Great, Charles Comiskey, Hattie McDaniel, Igor Sikorsky, Jackson Scholz [lost to Harold Abrahams in the 1924 Olympics, Chariots of Fire], Dottie Green [catcher for the Rockford Peaches, but not the inspiration for Dottie Hanson in "A League of Their Own"] Thought: Reading 1 Peter 5:8 today. What a vivid reminder of the enemy's tactics. Consider this reminder in view of the surrounding verses [5:6-10]. Here is what the Lord is saying to me about these words: The devil is prowling. He is looking for an opportunity. He is active in this world. And like the lion, ...

 1854: Charge of the Light Brigade 1962: At the UN Adlai Stevenson tells the Russians, "I am prepared to wait for my answer until hell freezes over" in regard to the Cuban missile bases 1978: "Halloween" premiers Born: Georges Bizet, Pablo Picasso, Richard Byrd, Katy Perry Died: Bobby Riggs, Payne Stewart, Richard Harris Thought: I have marked one verse in 1 Peter 4, 4:10. Here is what I understand this morning: I have received a special gift. And so have you. The gifts are listed in several places. Today, I just want to ask God to show me again the special gifts He has given me. I think some of those gifts are some we have all the time while others may be gifts that He provides for certain situations. We know people with the gift of hospitality, or prayer, or wisdom. We also know of situations where we seemed to have been especially equipped by God to meet a need, answer a question, speak a truth. The point here is that God gives us gifts. The gifts are not for my ...

 1648: Peace of Westphalia ends the 30 Years War resulting in equal rights for Protestants and Catholics 1818: Felix Mendelssohn performs his first public concert--age 9 1861: First transcontinental telegraph--San Francisco to Washington 1861: West Virginia secedes from Virginia 1901: First woman goes over Niagara Falls in a barrel 1929: Black Thursday begins stock market crash 1931: Al Capone sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion 1939: Nylon stockings go on sale 1948: Camera attached to a V-2 rocket makes first pictures of earth from outer space 2008: Bloody Friday as stock market loses 10% Born: Antoine van Leeuwenhoek [first to observe bacteria and protozoa], Sarah Hale [Mary Had a Little Lamb], Melvin Purvis [FBI], YA Title, The Big Booper, F Murray Abraham, Kevin Kline, Ian Baker Finch, Drake, Charlie White [Olympic and World Champion ice dancer] Died: Jane Seymour [Henry VIII], Tycho Brahe [astronomer], Ann Judson [early missionary], Daniel Webster, Louis Renault, J...

1091: Tornado hits London destroying wooden London Bridge 1941: "Dumbo" released  1981: U.S. National debt hits $1 trillion Born: Johnny Carson, Pele, Ryan Reynolds, Weird Al Yankovic Died: Brutus, W.G. Grace, Al Jolson, Christian Dior, Maybelle Carter,  Thought: Yesterday I only got through 1 Peter 3:15. Today I am reading verse 16. Recall that Peter starts by telling the readers who are suffering for righteousness sake not to fear or be troubled. [3:14] When we think we are doing right and yet suffer for it, we may hear someone whispering that God must be punishing us. Or we may doubt that God knows what's happening in our lives. Or we may simply ask why? Peter has given some advice about how to handle these situations: Set apart Christ as Lord in your heart.  Be ready for the opportunity to share why you have hope in the face of suffering.  Now he adds, keep a good conscience. Why? It will put the enemy to shame. Satan and those that persecute or slander you will ...

 1512: Martin Luther joins the faculty at the University of Wittenberg 1797: U.S. Constitution, "Old Ironsides", launched in Boston 1805: Lord Nelson wins Battle of Trafalgar 1824: Portland cement patented 1854: Florence Nightingale and 38 nurses sent to the Crimean War 1959: Guggenheim Museum in NYC opens 1964: "My Fair Lady" premiers 1975: Carlton Fisk hits famous 12th inning home run in the World Serices Born: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Alfred Nobel, Dizzy Gillespie, Whitey Ford, Steve Cropper, Judith Sheindlin [Judge Judy], Carrie Fisher, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kim Kardashian, Mark Thrailkill Died: Horatio Nelson, Jack Kerouac, John Scopes, Jim Garrison [DA in JFK assassination], George McGovern, Bud Adams, Ben Bradlee Thought: Now Peter told us yesterday how we respond to trials. Well, no good deed goes unpunished. So when we react by seeking harmony, showing sympathy, acting brotherly,  being kind and humble, and blessing rather than cursing, we may still suffer or...

  1817: First Mississippi River Showboat leaves Nashville 1864: Lincoln establishes Thanksgiving as a National Holiday 1924: First Negro League World Series 1949: Last Thursday meeting of the Inklings 1967: All white jury convicts 7 in the murder of 3 civil rights workers in Mississippi 1973: OPEC oil embargo begins 1973: Nixon fires Archibald Cox and accepts resignations of Elliot Richardson and William Ruckleshaus 1983: DOS 2.1 released 1992: First World Series Game outside the U.S.--Montreal Born: Christopher Wren, Bela Lugosi, Jelly Roll Morton, James Chadwick [discovered the neutron], Arlene Francis, Grandpa Jones, Art Buchwald, Mickey Mantle, Kamala Harris, Snoop Dog Died: Grace Darling, Mary Lathbury ["Break Thou the Bread of Life"], Eugene Debs, Anne Sullivan, Herbert Hoover, Burt Lancaster, Jane Wyatt, Max McGee [Green Bay Packer], Muammar Gaddafi, Oscar de la Renta I have written before about Grace Darling. When a ship hit the rocks near her home in 1838, she and he...

 1512: Martin Luther becomes Doctor in Biblia 1781: Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown 1901: Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March" premiers 1914: Post office uses a car to collect and deliver mail for the first time 1917: Love Field opens in Dallas 1960: Martin Luther King arrested in Atlanta sit-in 1971: Last issue of Look Magazine 1987: Black Monday as Dow closes down 22% 2003: Mother Teresa sainted 2005: Saddam Hussein goes on trial Born: Hal Wallis. Robert Reed, Peter Max, Evander Holyfield, Amy Carter,  Died: King John [Magna Carta], Jacobus Arminius [opposed Calvin's doctrine of predestination], Jonathan Swift, George Pullman, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elizabeth Arden, Martha Raye, Mr. Blackwell, William O Cushing ["Ring the Bells of Heaven"] Thought: Yesterday, we looked at girding our minds in times of trial. In chapter 2 of First Peter, Peter tells us how keeping our mind right should be reflected in our actions. If you get your m...

  1009: Church of the Holy Sepulchre destroyed by Islamist 1776: First use of "cocktail" for a drink--customer at a bar decorated with feathers in Elmsford NY orders "a glass of those cocktails." 1867: U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska 1922: BBC formed [British Broadcasting Company] 1931: Al Capone convicted of tax evasion 1962: James Watson and Francis Crick win Nobel Prize for Medicine for determining the structure of DNA Born: Pierre Trudeau, Chuck Berry, George C Scott, Lee Harvey Oswald, Martina Navratilova, Jean Claude Van Damme Died: Charles Babbage, Thomas Edison, Colin Powell Thought: Reading 1 Peter 1:13-25 this morning. First Peter told us that we are chosen, sanctified, born again, awaiting an inheritance at Jesus return. Then he reminded us that while we wait there will be trials--various, temporary, with purpose. Now he tells us how we should live as we experience trials and wait on the Lord: Gird your mind for action [1:13] Perhaps putting on the...

1831: Felix Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto premiers 1860: First British Open 1904: Bank of Italy opens in San Francisco--now Bank of America 1919: Radio Corporation of America [RCA] formed as subsidiary of General Electric 1933: Einstein arrives in the U.S. as a refugee 1963: Beatles release "I Want to Hold Your Hand" 1968: "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen premiers--and the wild car chase begins. The Mustang sold at auction a couple of years ago for $3.4 million 1979: Mother Teresa wins Nobel Prize 1989: 6.9 earthquake cancels game 3 of the World Series--67 killed 2017: George Soros contributes $18 billion to the Open Society Foundation Born: Arthur Miller, Rita Hayworth, Jim Gilliam, Jimmy Breslin, Evel Knievel, Mae Jemison [1st African American woman in space], Alan Jackson, Ernie Els, Eminem Died: Frederic Chopin, Julia Ward Howe, Ralph Abernathy, Ernie Ford Thought: Reading 1 Peter 1:6-9 today--I have underlined part and written notes in the margin of my Bib...

 1847: Charlotte Bronte publishes "Jane Eyre" 1859: John Brown leads a raid on the arsenal at Harper's Ferry 1875: BYU founded in Provo Utah 1913: George Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion" premiers 1916: Margaret Sanger opens the first birth control clinic 1923: Disney Brothers cartoon studio formed 1946: 10 Nazi leaders are hung at Nuremberg 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis begins 1968: John Carlos and Tommie Smith raised the Black Power salute on the podium in Mexico City 1984: Desmond Tutu wins Nobel Prize 2016: Ed Whitlock becomes the oldest person to complete a marathon in under 4 hours [age 85] Born: Noah Webster, Oscar Wilde, David Ben-Gurion, Eugene O'Neill, Angela Lansbury, Charles Colson, Suzanne Sommers, Jim Ed Norman, Sue Bird, Naomi Osaka,  Died: Marie Antoinette, George Marshall, Gene Krupa, Moshe Dayan, Shirley Booth, James Michener, Deborah Kerr, Barbara Billingsley [Leave it to Beaver] Thought: Reading the first five verses of First Peter this morning...

  1066: Battle of Hastings 1322: Robert the Bruce defeats Edward II giving Scotland independence 1586: Trial of Mary Queen of Scots begins 1892: "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" published by Arthur Conan Doyle 1926: AA Milne releases "Winnie the Pooh" 1939: Broadcast Music formed [BMI] 1962: U-2 planes locate missile launchers in Cuba 1964: Martin Luther King wins the Nobel Prize 1968: First live broadcast from a U.S. spacecraft--Apollo 7 1979: First gay and lesbian civil rights march in Washington 1980: Reagan promises to name a woman to the Supreme Court 1986: Ellie Wiesel wins Nobel Prize Born: William Penn, Dwight Eisenhower, EE Cummings, John Wooden, Roger Moore, John Dean [Nixon White House], Ralph Lauren, Beth Daniel, Frank Wycheck, Natalie Maines,  Died: Erwin Rommel, Errol Flynn, Bing Crosby, Leonard Bernstein Thought: Yesterday we were looking at James 5 and the prayer of Elijah. Think for a minute about how God used this prayer for His glory--1 Kings 17-18...

 54: Nero becomes Emperor 1792: "Old Farmer's Almanac" first published 1864: Battle of Harper's Ferry 1884: Greenwich established as the universal time meridian of longitude 1941: Nazi's kill 11,000 Jewish children and old people 1960: Bill Mazeroski hits homer in bottom of the 9th in game 7 of the World Series 2010: 33 Chilean miners rescued after 69 days 2019: Simone Biles wins her 25th medal at the World Championships -- and still going strong Born: Horace Hayden [1st American licensed as a dentist], Margaret Thatcher, Jerry Jones,  Desmond Wilson [Fred's son on Sanford and Son], Jerry Rice, Sasha Baron Cohen,  Died: Claudius, Milton Hershey, Bea Benadaret [Petticoat Junction], Ed Sullivan, Stephen Ambrose,  Thought: Thinking about James 5:16., and this sentence: "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." And then James adds, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it ...

 539: Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon [Writing on the wall] 1492: Columbus lands in the Bahamas--Columbus Day 1740: George Whitfield preaches to 30,000 in Boston 1792: First celebration of Columbus Day 1823: Charles McIntosh begins selling raincoats--Brits wear Macs 1892: Pledge of Allegiance first recited in public schools 1901: Theodore Roosevelt renames the Executive Residence--the White House 1928: First use of the iron lung 1931: Christ the Redeemer Statue opens overlooking Rio 1960: Khrushchev bangs his shoe at the UN Born: Lyman Beecher [father of Harriet Beecher Stowe], Dick Gregory, Luciano Pavarotti, Sam Moore [Sam & Dave], Chris Wallace, Hugh Jackman, Nancy Kerrigan Died: Robert E Lee, Johnny Olson [Price is Right announcer], John Denver, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Shoemaker,  Thought: Reading James 5:7-12 and considering the notes I wrote in my Bible years ago. My note about these verses says: "Trust the Lord--for His timing; His triumph; and my security." Lookin...

  1138: Earthquake in Aleppo Syria kills an estimated 230,000 1883: Railroads in the US and Canada agree to use 5 time zones 1890: Daughters of the American Revolution founded 1922: First female FBI agent--Alaska Davidson 1929: JC Penney opens a store in Delaware giving it a store in all 48 states 1939: Einstein tells FDR about the possibility of an atomic bomb 1975: "Saturday Night Live" premiers Born: Eleanor Roosevelt, George Williams [founded YMCA], HJ Heinz [food],  Fred Trump [father of Donald], Daryl Hall [Hall & Oates], Steve Young,  Luke Perry, Michelle Wie,  Died: Meriwether Lewis, Angela Lansbury, Huldrych Zwingli [Reformation leader, saw his church and statue in Zurich],  Joe Morgan,  Thought: I have underlined James 4:17 and placed marks beside it in my Bible, Why? This is such a profound and simple statement of sin. Recall that this chapter began with the question about what causes conflicts and quarrels. The chapter ends with this stateme...

 1780: Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1780 kills 20,000-30,000 in the Caribbean--deadliest Atlantic hurricane. 1845: Naval School opens at Annapolis 1886: First dinner jacket worn to an autumn ball in Tuxedo NY--the tuxedo is born 1954: Ho Chi Minh enters Hanoi 1961" "The Bob Newhart Show" premiers 1966: Beach Boys release "Good Vibrations" 1973: Spiro Agnew resigns 2018: Hurricane Michael [Category 4] makes landfall at Mexico Beach FL Born: Henry Cavendish [discovered hydrogen], Giuseppe Verdi, Helen Hayes, Thelonious Monk, Frank Sinkwich [Heisman], John Prine, Nora Roberts, Tanya Tucker, Brett Farve Died: Abel Tasman, William Seward, Adolphus Busch, Billie Thomas [Buckwheat of Our Gang], Orson Welles, Yul Bryner, Christopher Reeve, Alex Karras, George Bennard [Wrote "The Old Rugged Cross" and on this day exchanged his cross for a crown], Edith Piaf Thought: Yesterday, we looked at the causes of my internal and external conflicts. Today, in James 4:5-12...

 768: Charlemagne crowned King of the Franks 1000: Leif Ericson discovers Vinland 1635: Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts; founds Rhode Island  1701: Collegiate School of Connecticut founded [Yale University] 1888: Washington Monument opens to the public 1915: Woodrow Wilson is first President to attend World Series 1941: FDR approves project that would become the Manhattan Project 1969: Supremes release "Someday, We'll Be Together" 1986: "Phantom of the Opera" premiers in London 1997: Dean Smith retires from UNC Born: Mary Ann Shadd Cary [first black newspaper publisher], Aimee Simple McPherson, John Lennon, Bill Lee [TN Governor], Annika Sorenstam Died: Che Guevara, Oskar Schindler, Aileen Wourmos [seriel killer] Thought: Reading James 4:1-4. Have you ever thought about what causes conflicts and quarrels? Have you pondered the things that cause you internal conflicts--arguing with yourself about what to say, do, be? Ever feel like you have an angel on...

 3761 BC: Beginning of the modern Hebrew calendar 1806: Carbon paper invented 1857: Charles Spurgeon preaches to 23,000 at the Crystal Palace 1868: Cornell University opens 1873: Lottie Moon arrives in China 1916: John Heisman leads Georgia Tech to a 222-0 win over Cumberland 1952: First broadcast of "Bandstand." Dick Clark joins in 1955. 1959: Far side of the moon seen for the first time. 1965: Robert Mitera uses a 50 mph tailwind to ace the 447 yard 10th hole at Miracle Hills in Omaha 1985: PLO seizes the Achille Lauro 1991: Anita Hill accuses Clarence Thomas of inappropriate comments 1996: Fox news begins 2001: U.S. operations in Afghanistan begin Born: Martha Berry [founded what is now Berry College], Niels Bohr, Heinrich Himmler, Elijah Muhammad [Nation of Islam], June Allyson, Desmond Tutu, Vladmir Putin, Yo-Yo Ma, Jane Torville, Simon Crowell Died: Edgar Allan Poe, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Christy Mathewson [refused to pitch on Sundays], Willis Carrier [AC], Clarence...

 1536:William Tyndale is strangled and burned for his Protestant views and for translating the Bible into English 1871: Fisk Jubilee Singers begin first national tour 1889: Moulin Rouge opens in Paris 1889: Thomas Edison show his first motion picture. 1927: "The Jazz Singer" released--first film with a soundtrack 1939: Adolph Hitler announces plans to regulate the Jewish problem 1945: Billy Goat Sianis buys a World Series Game 4 seat for himself and his goat. He and goat are ejected and the curse of the goat is placed on the Cubs. 1951: Stalin announces that Russia has the atomic bomb 1952: "Mousetrap" by Agatha Christie opens in London where it is still playing. 1960: "Spartacus" premiers 1979: Pope John Paul II is first to visit the White House Born: George Westinghouse, Helen Wills Moody [19 tennis Grand Slam Titles], Carole Lombard, Thor Heyerdahl, Tony Dungy, Rebecca Lobo,  Died: Alfred Lord Tennyson, Walter Hagen, Anwar Sadat, Bette Davis, Eddie Van ...

1864: About 60,000 die in a cyclone in Calcutta  1914: First aerial combat resulting in a "kill" 1921: First World Series radio broadcast 1925: WSM radio begins transmission 1931: First non-stop trans-Pacific flight 1945: "Meet the Press" premiers on radio 1947: Harry Truman makes the first televised Presidential address from the White House 1956: "Ten Commandments" is released 1962: James Bond in "Dr. No" premiers in London Born: Jonathan Edwards, Chester A. Arthur, Robert Goddard, Ray Kroc, Bill Dana, Kate Winslet Died: Charles Cornwallis, Tecumseh, Louis Brandeis, Rodney Dangerfield, Steve Jobs Thought: Reading James 2:1-13 today where I have marked several words and phases. My Bible says the subject is the sin of partiality. Apparently there was a problem in the body. The wealthy and powerful were receiving special treatment and respect while the poor were being looked down upon. What does James say about partiality? Start with the great comm...

  1537: First publication of a complete English-language Bible. Matthew's Bible translated by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale 1582: Spain and Portugal adopt the Gregorian Calendar--skip 10 days so tomorrow will be October 15 1883: First official run of the Orient Express 1927: Gutzon Borglum begins sculpting Mt. Rushmore [finishes in 1941] 1957: Soviets launch Sputnik 1 2006: WikiLeaks launched by Julian Assange Born: Rutherford B. Hayes, Damon Runyon, Buster Keaton, Charlton Heston, Anne Rice, Susan Sarandon Died: Rembrandt, Frederic Bartholdi, Janis Joplin, Secretariat, Loretta Lynn Thought: Today I am looking at a passage we all know, James 1:21-25. Two related concepts here. Put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. This reminds me that confessing, repenting, changing requires affirmative action on my part. I have to lay aside, cast off, remove the old sins of self. They do not go away without effort, intentionality on my part. And I am struck by the fact...

 1863: Lincoln designates last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving 1872: Bloomingdale's opens in NYC 1908: Leon Trotsky founds "Pravda" 1913: U.S. Income Tax Law signed by Woodrow Wilson [1%] 1941: "Maltese Falcon" premiers 1951: Bobby Thompson hits the shot heard round the world as Giants beat the Dodgers 1954: "Father Knows Best" premiers 1955: "Captain Kangaroo" and "Mickey Mouse Club" premier 1995: OJ Simpson found not guilty of murder. On this date in 2008 found guilty of kidnapping and armed robbery 2003: Roy Horn [Siegfried and Roy] attacked by tiger. Born: Thomas Wolfe, James Herriot, Gore Vidal, Ken Berry, Chubby Checker, Dave Winfield, Al Sharpton, Fred Couples, Gwen Stefani Died: Cassius, Francis of Assisi, Myles Standish, Elias Howe [sewing machine], John Heisman, Woody Guthrie, Harriet Nelson, Janet Leigh Thought: Reading James 1:20-21 today. Two short verses packed with wisdom I need to hear and heed. Notice: James sa...

1187: Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders 1789: Bill of Rights submitted to the States for ratification 1792: Baptist Missionary Society forms in London 1871: Brigham Young arrested for bigamy 1872: Phileas Fogg begins his around the world journey, according to Jules Verne 1895: First comic strip published in a newspaper 1902: Beatrix Potter publishes "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" 1950: First Charlie Brown comic strip [called "Li'l Folks", later "Peanuts"] 1959: "Twilight Zone" premiers 1967: Thurgood Marshall becomes the first black Supreme Court Justice Born: Nat Turner, Mahatma Gandhi, Groucho Marx, Bud Abbott, Graham Greene, Robert Henry Lawrence [first black astronaut], Johnnie Cochran, Don McLean ["American Pie"], Donna Karan, Kelly Ripa Died: Samuel Adams, Tom Petty Thought: Reading James 1:12-18 today. What a great and much needed reminder we find in these verses. Look at verse 12--Blessed are you when you persevere under...