Thought for Today

 1903: Iroquois Theater fire in Chicago kills 602 1922: Formation of the USSR 1924: Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other galaxies--David recognized this 3000 years earlier 1944: Corrie Ten Boom released from concentration camp. "You can never learn that Christ is all you need until Christ is all you have." 1968: Frank Sinatra first records "My Way" Born: Titus, Rudyard Kipling, Bert Parks, Jack Lord, Bo Diddley, Skeeter Davis, Sandy Koufax, John Hartford, Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Tiger Woods, LeBron James,  Died: Sonny Liston, Richard Rodgers, Saddam Hussein Thought: The last thought for 2023. Still considering Philippians 3.--The Goal of Life for 2024. Today looking at 3:10-14. Paul tells us that to be found in Christ is by faith alone. And being found in Him means knowing Him, not knowing about Him. So Paul reminds us in 3:10 that knowing Him involves three things: Knowing Jesus means I experience the power of His resurrection. In 2024, I want to know ...

  1170: Assassination of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury 1835: Treaty of New Echota begins the Trail of Tears 1848: Gas lights installed at the White House 1851: First American YMCA 1862: Bowling ball invented 1890: Massacre at Wounded Knee 1891: Edison patents radio 1952: First transistorized hearing aid offered for sale 1970: OSHA becomes law 1972: Eastern Airlines jet crashes in the Everglades killing 101 1972: Life Magazine ceases publication 1982: Bear Bryant coaches his last game Born: Charles MacIntosh [waterproof fabric--Macs], Charles Goodyear, Andrew Johnson, Pablo Casals, Billy Mitchell, PeteDye, Mary Tyler Moore, Jon Voight, Wayne Huizenga [Blockbuster, Waste Management, Dolphins], Jude Law,  Died: Philip Bliss, Thomas Welch [grape juice], Rasputin, Euell Gibbons [Grape Nuts], John Portman [architect] Some of you became disturbed yesterday when I listed Dick Van Dyke among those who died on December 28. Dick is very much alive. I intended yo say that Rose M...

 1065: Westminster Abbey consecrated [unfinished] 1612: First observation of Neptune--Galileo thought it was a star 1849: Dry cleaning discovered when a lamp containing turpentine and oil spills 1869: Chewing gum patented 1905: Intercollegiate Athletic Association founded [NCAA in 1910] 1945: Congress officially recognizes the Pledge of Allegiance 1958: "Greatest Game Ever Played"--Colts beat Giants in first sudden-death game [17 future HOF players participate] 1973: Nixon signs Endangered Species Act 1973: Solzhenitsyn published "Gulag Archipelago" 1975: First time a pass is called "Hail Mary"--Staubach to Pearson with 32 seconds left 2012: Putin bans adoption of Russian children by Americans Born: Woodrow Wilson, Stan Lee, Maggie Smith, Denzel Washington, Seth Myers, John Legend Died: Rob Roy, Maurice Revel, Bela Schick [Schick Test], Harry Winston, Denis Wilson [Beach Boys], William Demarest ["My Three Sons"], Jimmy Demaret, Clayton Moore [Lon...

1845: Ether first used in childbirth, Jefferson Georgia Carrie Nation's first smashing of a bar 1932: Radio City Music Hall opens 1934: Persia renamed Iran  1939: 20,000+ die in earthquake in Turkey 1945: International Monetary Fund established 1947: First "Howdy Doody" show broadcast Born: Johannes Kepler, Louis Pasteur, Cyrus Eaton, Marlene Dietrich Died: Stephen F Austin, Gustve Eiffel, Norman Schwarzkopf, Carrie Fisher Thought: At the end of the thought yesterday, I quoted from Philippians 3. In my Bible this chapter is titled "The goal of Life." As we get ready for 2024, what better way to prepare than to focus on the goals for next year. Many of us make resolutions, but most don't keep them and most of us cannot even remember the resolution we made last year. In fact some of us have the same resolution every year. Take a look with me at this chapter and think about your goals for 2024--what is the goal of our life for next year? What would we like to s...

1606: First known performance of "King Lear" 1776: George Washington wins the Battle of Trenton 1799: Henry Lee eulogizes Washington with "first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen." 1805: First coffee percolator patented 1933: FM radio patented 1946: The Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas opens 1951: "The African Queen" released--one of my favorites 1963: The Beatles release "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" 2004: a tsunami kills 230,000 in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia Born: Charles Babbage, Henry Miller, Mao Zedong, Rosemary Woods [Nixon secretary], Steve Allen, Frank Broyles, Phil Spector, Carlton Fisk Died: Harry Truman, Jack Benny, Diane Fossey, Reggie White, Gerald Ford Thought: Christmas is past and we now look back at 2023 and forward to 2024. This week might be a time of reflection and evaluation for the year that is ending or perhaps a time of anticipating and pl...

800: Charlemagne crowned Roman Emperor 1066: William the Conqueror crowned King of England 1741: Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale 1868: Andrew Jonson pardons to all involved in the "Southern rebellion" 1896: John Philip Sousa writes "Stars and Stripes Forever" 1914: Christmas Truce of WWI 1962: The movie "To Kill a Mockingbird" is released Born: Humphrey Bogart, Anwar Sadat, Barbara Mandrell, Rickey Henderson, Justin Trudeau, Charlene Wilson, Brenda Hauk Died: Samuel de Champlain, Charlie Chaplin, Billy Martin, Dean Martin, George Michael Thought: Merry Christmas!  A couple of carols to celebrate Christ's birth. We sand two of these yesterday at Church. "What Child is This?"--The tune "Greensleeves" dates back to the 1500's and the words are about lost love. In the late 1800's the tune was paired with a poem by William Dix, an insurance salesman to provide the song we sing today. Think about the words--...

 1788: Maryland votes to cede 10 square miles for the District of Columbia 1815: Jane Austen published "Emma" 1823: Clement Moore publishes "A Visit from St. Nicholas" 1888: Vincent Van Gogh cuts off his left ear 1893: Opera "Hansel and Grtel" premiers 1913: President Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act1946: University of Tennessee refuses to play Duquesne because they suggested they might play a black player 1947: Transistor invented at Bell Labs 1954: First human kidney transplant 1968: Jim Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders are first men to circle the moon 1972: Immaculate Reception--Bradshaw to Franco Harris by way of either Raiders safety Jack Tatum or Steelers' receiver John Fuqua Born: Joseph Smith, Paul Hornung, Susan Lucci, Jim Harbaugh Died: John Cotton [father of Congregationalism in New England], Anthony Fokker, Jack Webb, Victor Borge, Oscar Peterson, Mikhail Kalashnikov [AK-47] Thought: Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. In 1223 Francis of ...

 1580: After 3 years of prison and torture, Julian Hernandez is burned to death for distributing Bibles in Spain 1775: Continental Navy organized with 7 ships 1808: Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies premier 1882: First string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison 1894: U.S. Golf Association forms 1932: "The Mummy" with Boris Karloff released 1937: Lincoln Tunnel opens 1944: Germans demand surrender of Bastogne. General Anthony McAuliffe replies "NUTS!" The 101st Airborne holds on until relieved on January 17. 1967: "The Graduate" released 2010: Barack Obama repeals "Don't ask, don't tell" allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military Born: James Oglethorpe, Puccini, Connie Mack, Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Billingsley ["Leave It to Beaver"], Gene Rayburn, Steve Carlton, Diane Sawyer, Maurice and Robin Gibb, Jan Stephenson, Ted Cruz Died: John Newberry [father of the children's book], Rachel Jackson...

 1872: Phileas Fogg completes his trip around the world in "Around the World in Eighty Days" 1891: First basketball game played under Naismith rules 1898: Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium 1914: First feature-length silent film comedy released--"Tillie's Punctured Romance" with Charlie Chaplin and Marie Dressler 1929: First group hospital plan offered 1937: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" premiers 1941: BBC airs first play in a series by Dorothy Sayers about Jesus--"The Man Born to Be King" 1959: Tom Landry becomes coach of the Cowboys 1968: First appearance of Crosby, Stills & Nash 1970: Supreme Court lowers voting age in federal elections to 18 1988: Pan Am 103 destroyed over Lockerbie Scotland--258 killed 1989: Vice President Dan Quayle sends Christmas cards with a misspelling 1995: Bethlehem passes from Israel to Palestinian control Born: Thomas Becket, Roger Williams, Benjamin Disraeli, Walter Hagen, Josh Gibson [American Negr...

 1812: "Grimm's Fairy Tales" first published 1820: Missouri imposes a $1 tax on bachelors between 21-50 1946: "It's A Wonderful Life" premiers 1957: Elvis receives his draft notice 1960: Viet Cong officially formed Born: Bonnie Prince Charlie, Harvey Firestone, Branch Rickey, Kylian Mbappe [soccer] Died: Sacagawea, John Steinbeck, Carl Sagan, Katharina von Bora Luther [wife of Martin Luther; her last recorded words were, "I will cling to my Lord Christ as a burr on a coat."--good advice] Sarah Addison Pollard died on this date in 1934. She wrote "Have Thine on Way Lord." She wanted to be a missionary to Africa, but could never raise the funds. She was very disappointed. She changed her name to Adelaide which is what you see in the hymnals. At a prayer meeting an elderly woman said, "It doesn't matter what You bring into our lives Lord. Just have Your own way with us." At home she read about the potter and clay in Jeremiah 18...

 1686: Robinson Crusoe leaves his island after 28 years 1732: Ben Franklin begins publishing "Poor Richard's Almanac" 1776: Thomas Paine begins "American Crisis" with "These are the times that try men's souls." 1843: Charles Dickens publishes "A Christmas Carol" 1910: Rayon first commercially produced 1955: Carl Pickens records "Blue Suede Shoes" 1998: House votes to impeach Bill Clinton Born: Leonid Brezhnev, W. A. Criswell, Edith Piaf, Little Jimmy Dickens, Jeanne Kirkpatrick, Cicely Tyson, Al Kaline, Janie Fricke, Reggie White, Warren Sapp, Jake Gyllenhaal Died: Emily Bronte, Desmond Llewelyn [Q for James Bond], Hope Lange, Robert Bork On this day in 1903, Sunder Singh was converted. A Sikh in India, he attended a Christian School. When his mother died, he blamed God, organized a gang and attacked Christian students. He was removed from the school, but later returned as a student asking for a Bible--which he burned. Burning t...

1538: Henry VIII excommunicated 1791: First one-way street [NYC] 1798: First impeachment trial of a senator--William Blount of TN 1862: General Grant issues order expelling Jews from TN 1900: 100,000 franc prize offered for communication with extraterrestrials, Martians excluded as being too easy 1903: Wright Brothers first successful flight of motorized plane 1964: "Goldfinger" premiers 1989: "The Simpsons" premiers Born: Arthur Fiedler [Boston Pops], Erskine Caldwell, William Saffire, George Lindsey [Andy Griffith Show], Ernie Hudson, Bill Pullman, Michele Tafoya Died: Simon Bolivar, Dana Andrews, Otto Graham, Sammy Baugh, Jennifer Jones, Penny Marshall Thought: Friday, we looked at Mary's encounter with Gabriel. Today, look at Matthew's account of Joseph meeting the angel [1:18-25] Mary is with child while engaged to Joseph. Joseph is deciding what to do and wants to let her go secretly and have the child. He will not marry her but loves her and does not ...

1631: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing around 3000 1773: Boston Tea Party 1811: New Madrid Earthquake 1897: African American delegates gather at Shiloh Baptist Church in Washington to organize the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention. Their work continues today evangelizing Africa i the name of Christ. 1908: First credit union in the U.S. 1930: Bobby Jones wins the Sullivan Award as the best amateur athlete.  1946: Dior Fashion House founded 1951: "Dragnet" premiers 1953: First White House press conference 1970: "Love Story" released 1972: Dolphins complete undefeated season 14-0 Born: Catherine of Argon, George Whitfield, Beethoven, Jane Austen, Noel Coward, Margaret Meade. Arthur C Clarke ["2001, A Space Odyssey"], Leslie Stahl, Don Meyer [basketball coach], Yosemite Sam, Refrigerator Perry Died: Wilheim GrimmBetsie Ten Boom [sister of Corrie, in a concentration camp], Somerset Maugham, Colonel Sanders, Lee Van Cleef, Dan Fogelberg, Ray Price Thought: Yester...

 1791: First U.S. Law School established--University of Pennsylvania 1791: Bill of Rights ratified 1792: First life insurance policy in U.S. issued 1864: Battle of Nashville 1938: Groundbreaking for Jefferson Memorial 1939: "Gone with the Wind" premiers 1941: USS Swordfish is first U.S. sub to sink a Japanese ship 1944: Glenn Miller lost over the english Channel 1979: "Trivial Pursuit" developed 1997: Joe Montana's jersey retired by the 49ers Born: Nero, Gustave Eiffel, Henri Becquerel [radioactivity], J Paul Getty, Jeff Chandler, Tim Conway,  Died: Vermeer, Anthony Wayne, Sitting Bull, Charles Laughton, Walt Disney, Oral Roberts, Blake Edwards, Bob Feller, Joan Fontaine Thought: Yesterday, we read that God sent a child to meet the needs of the world. But not just any child! The child was special. Isaiah 7:14 tells us a virgin will bear a son and His name will be Immanuel--God with us. Recall that this prophesy was given to Isaiah when King Ahaz refused to ask G...

 1900: Max Planck presents a theoretical derivation of his radiation law beginning the study of quantum physics 1901: First table tennis tournament 1903: Wright Brothers make first attempt at Kitty Hawk 1911: Roald Amundsen beats Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole 1916: America's first board certified doctors--ophthamalogists---certified at UT Medical School Memphis 1947: NASCAR founded at DAytona Beach 1961: Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" is first country record to get Gold Record 1981: Israel annexes the Golan Heights 2012: 28 people shot at Sandy Hook Elementary School Born: Nostradamus, Tycho Brahe, Jimmy Doolittle, Spike Jones, Charlie Rich, Lee Remick, Ernie Davis, Stan Smith, Bill Buckner,  Died: Vlad the Impaler, George Washington, George Gipp, John Harvey Kellogg, Dinah Washington, Roger Maris, Myrna Loy, Peter O'Toole, Bess Myerson,  Sorry I  missed a couple of days. Spent Monday night through last night in the ER with Afib. In rhythm this morning. God i...

 1844: First dental use of nitrous oxide 1913: Mona Lisa recovered 2 years after it is stolen from the Louvre 1919: Boll Weevil monument dedicated in Enterprise Alabama 1967: "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" premiers 1980: Superfund Act passed by Congress 1981: Ali's last fight--a loss to Trevor Berbick 1990: 13 die in an 83 vehicle accident in Chattanooga 2019: Greta Thunberg named Time Magazine Person of the Year Born: George Mason, Charles Wesley, David Brewster [kaleidoscope], Hector Berlioz, Walter Knott [Knott's Berry Farm], Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Doc Blanchard, Rita Morena, John Kerry, Brenda Lee Died: Oliver Winchester, Sam Cooke, Ravi Shankar, Lars Olsen [missionary to India, translated Bible into Santal] Thought: Everyone is putting up Christmas decorations. Of course, the commercial businesses began this in September. Now that Thanksgiving is past, we can begin to think about Christmas and our sermons series tend to turn to a Christmas theme. This mornin...

1621: Deacon Robert Cushman preaches the first recorded sermon in America and the first one printed.  1854: Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade" publshed 1907: First Christmas Seals sold 1926: USGA legalizes steel shaft golf clubs 1941: Hitler orders U.S. ships torpedoed 1946: Communist burn a group of Christians in a seminary at Xiwanzi China 1965: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" premiers 1990: Lech Walesa wins Polish Presidency Born: John Milton, Joel Chandler Harris, Clarence Birdseye, Emett Kelley [clown], Margaret Hamilton [Wicked Witch of the West], Grace Hopper [Navy Admiral, computer pioneer, coined "debugging"], Broderick Crawford, Tip O'Neill, Kirk Douglas, Redd Foxx, Judi Dench, Dick Butkus Died: William Harvey Carney [1st Black Medal of Honor recipient], Ralph Bunche [1st person of color to win the Nobel Prize], Leon Jaworski [Watergate prosecutor], Mary Leakey [earliest human footprints], Archie Moore Thought: Reading Revelation 22:20 ...

 1813: Beethoven's Seventh Symphony premiers with Beethoven conducting 1886: American Federation of Labor [AFL] forms with Samuel Gompers as president 1903: Vladimir and Alexis Korotkov enter service in a monastery. Tortured and killed by the Soviets in 1918. 1915: Poem "In Flanders Fields" published anonymously [John McCrae] 1931: Coaxial cable patented 1941: Roosevelt's Day of Infamy speech 1952: First television acknowledgement of pregnancy--"I Love Lucy" 1966: Inspired by Billy Graham, Luis Palau leads his first crusade in Bogota Columbia Born: Horace, Mary Queen of Scots, Eli Whitney, Clinton Bowen Fisk [endowed the university], William Durant [founded GM and Frigidaire], James Thurber, Lee J Cobb, Sammy Davis Jr., Flip Wilson, James Galway, Gregg Alman, Ann Coulter Died: Tris Speaker, Golda Meir, John Lennon, John Glenn, John and Betty Stam [missionaries to China by the Communist for having Christian materials in their home] On this date in 1649, Marti...

1787: Delaware is first State to ratify the Constitution 1934: Wiley Post discovers the jet stream  1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor 1963: First use of the instant replay machine--Army Navy football game 1967: Otis Redding records "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" 1985: Bo Jackson wins Heisman Born: Madame Tussaud, Eli Wallach, Ted Knight, Ellen Burstyn, Harry Chapin, Johnny Bench, Larry Bird, Terrell Owens, Luke Donald Died: Cicero, William Bligh, Thornton Wilder, Beatrix Loughran [3 Olympic Gold Medals in Figurte Skating], Leroy Yarbrough, Harry Morgan [Dragnet and MASH], Four Medal of Honor recipients at Pearl Harbor [Mervyn Bennion, Herbert Jones, Thomas Reeves, Franklin Valkenburgh] Thought: Reading Revelation11:15-19 today. I have to turn on the "Hallelujah Chorus" as I read, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." What a day that will be! King Jesus reigns in heaven an...

 1865: Thirteenth Amendment is ratified abolishing slavery 1877: Thomas Edison walks into the office of Scientic American and turns the crank on his phonograph--"Good morning. How do you do? How do you like the phonograph?" All are astonished. 1884: Capstone set on the Washington Monument making it the tallest human built structure in the world. The aluminum capstone says "Laus Deo"--praise be to God. Jan and I had the same words placed over the door of Thrailkill Hall. 1992: Jerry Rice catches 101st TD pass--a record. 2006: NASA releases photo of Mars that raises the possibility of liquid water. Born: Agnes Moorehead, Baby Face Nelson,  Died: Saint Nicholas, Jefferson Davis, Honus Wagner, Pete Rozelle Thought: During the holiday season, many of us will be baking ad cooking. For most of us, a favorite memory is the smells of the holidays. The pine trees and wreaths gave a wonderful scent to the air. Cookies and cakes cooking in the oven. Turkeys and hams roasting. A...

 1360: French franc created 1492: Columbus discovers Hispaniola 1525: Anabaptist Hans Schlaffer arrested for refusing to recant his opposition to infant baptism-burned at the stake. 1776: Phi Beta Kappa forms at William & Mary--proud member 1854: Folding theater chair patented 1893: Electric car built with range of 15 miles 1932: Einstein receives a visa to enter the US 1933: Prohibition ends 1955: Birmingham bus boycott begins 1992: First SEC championship game--Alabama 28, Florida 21 2008: OJ Simpson sentenced to 33 years for kidnapping and armed robbery Born: Martin Van Buren, George Armstrong Custer, Walt Disney, Otto Premingerr, Little Richard, James Cleveland [gospel singer], Jim Messina [Loggins & Messina] Died: Mozart, Alexandra Dumas, Claude Monet, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Al Gore Sr., Don Meredith, Dave Brubeck, Nelson Mandela,  On this date in 1907, Priscilla Jane Owens died. She was a school teacher in Baltimore for 49 years and a committed member of the Method...

 1093: St. Anselm consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury--he was the first to present the ontological argument for the existence of God 1154: Adrian IV elected as the only Englishman to be Pope 1619: 38 English colonists land in Virginia and give thanks to God--some call this the first Thanksgiving 1861: First edition of the LA Times published 1952: Killer smog in London results in the term "smog" 1961: A work by Matisse is hyng upside down in the Museum of Modern Art--not discovered for 47 days. 1982: Herschel Walker wins the Heisman--Go Dawgs 1991: The Judds final concert 1991: Terry Anderson released after 6+ years as a hostage Born: Thomas Carlyle, Crazy Horse, Pappy Boyington [Combat pilot, Medal of Honor, Blasck Sheep Squadron], Robert Adler [TV remote control], John Portman [architect], Wink Martindale, Max Baer [Beverly Hillbillies]. Jeff Bridges, Bernard King, Jay Z, Tyra Banks, Wanda Smith Died: Thomas Hobbes, Charles Dow, Christine Keeler Thought: Still looking at...

 1697: St. Paul's Cathedral in London dedicated 1804: Napoleon crowned Emperor of France 1823: Monroe Doctrine presented 1859: John Brown hanged 1901: King Gillette begins selling safety razor blades 1927: First Model A sold [$385] 1942: First self-sustaining nuclear reaction--Enrico Fermi at the University of Chicago 1969: First public preview of the Boeing 747 1970: Environmental Protection agency begins operating Born: George Seurat, Charles Ringling, Maria Callas, Alexander Haig, Dan Jenkins [sports author], Ed Meese, Gianni Versace, Ann Patchett, Monica Seles, Brtiney Spears, Aaron Rogers Died: Herman Cortes, Marquis de Sade, John Ringling, Desi Arnaz, Aaron Copeland, Charlotte Tucker [missionary to India] Aaron Copeland wrote one of my favorites--"Fanfare for the Common Man." I have urged you before to Google it and play it to start your day--it makes me think of the creation. Written for the Cincinnati Symphony for the 1942-43 season in tribute to those fighting in...

 1521: Pope Leo X dies, Pope when Luther separated from the Catholic Church 1878: First telephoned installed in the White House 1887: Sherlock Holmes first appears in print 1896: First CPA's receive certificates [NY] 1909: First Christmas Club payment made 1917: Boys Town founded 1929: Bingo invented 1953: First edition of Playboy Magazine--Marilyn Monroe centerfold 1955: Rosa Parks arrested  1982: Barney Clark gets first artificial heart 1994: Jim Bakker released from jail 2001: Last flight of TWA 2019: First traceable patient develops Covid-19 symptoms--Wuhan China Born: Robert Welch [John Birch Society], Walter Alston, Mary Martin, Woody Allen, Lee Trevino, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler,  Died: George Everest [surveyor for whom Mt. Everest is named], David Ben Gurion, Ernesto Maserati, Bobby Lane, Pat Sullivan On this day in 1881, Tito Coan died. He was a missionary to Hilo Hawaii. Upon arrival, he visited all 16,000 residents personally, offering to pray for them. His c...