Thought for Today

 1611: Henry Hudson set adrift by mutineers 1633: Galileo forced to recant heliocentric theory by the Catholic Church [Vatican admits it was wrong in 1992] 1675: Greenwich Observatory established 1874: Lawn tennis game introduced 1932: National League approves players wearing numbers 1940: First Dairy Queen 1944: GI Bill signed 1955" "Lady and the Tramp" released 1990: Florida Law prohibits thong bathing suits Born: Carl Hubbell [baseball HOF], John Dillinger, Bill Blass, Diane Feinstein, Ed Bradley [journalist], Pete Maravich, Meryl Streep, Elizabeth Warren, Cyndi Lauper, Erin Brockovich, Clyde Drexler, Dan Brown ["Da Vinci Code"], Kurt Warner, Dustin Johnson Died: Matthew Henry [commentary], David Selznick ["Gone with the Wind"], Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Pat Nixon, George Carlin Thought: Reading Psalm 124 today. Really stuck on the very first verse. "Had it not been that the Lord who was on our side." Just think about that this morning.

68: Vespasian conquers Jericho during Jewish Revolt. His son Titus would destroy Jerusalem two years later 1768: First medical diploma in America granted to John Archer, College of Philadelphia  1788: US Constitution becomes effective 1834: Cyrus McCormick patents reaping machine  1879: FW Woolworth opens his first successful "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store" 1893: First Ferris wheel opens at the Columbian Exposition, Chicago 1939: Lou Gehrig retires suffering with ALS 1948: Columbia Records unveils the 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record 1989: Supreme Court allows burning of flag as political expression Born: Increase Mather [Puritan minister], Jean-Paul Sartre, Chris Pratt, Prince William, Reinhold Niebuhr, Jane Russell, Judy Holiday, Matt Kuchar, Edward Snowden, Scottie Scheffler Died: Machiavelli, John Smith  [colonist], Santa Anna, Leland Stanford, Sukarno, Maureen Connolly, Bobby Dodd [Ga. Tech], Carroll O'Connor, Leon Uris ["Exodus"], Bob Evans [restaurant

1782: Congress approves the Great Seal of the United States with bald eagle as symbol 1819: SS Savannah is first steamship to cross an ocean--Savannah to Cork, Ireland in 29 days 1837: Queen Victoria becomes queen, reigns until 1901 1840: Samuel Morse patents telegraph 1867: Andrew Johnson announces the Alaska purchase 1911: NAACP incorporated in NY 1949: Gussie Moran shocks Wimbledon by wearing a short dress to play tennis 1975: "Jaws" released 1980: "The Blues Brothers" premiers Born: Lillian Hellman, Errol Flynn, Doris Hart, Audie Murphy, Martin Landau, Len Dawson, Brian Wilson, Anne Murray, Lionel Richie, John Goodman, Nicole Kidman Died: Bugsy Siegel, Howard Johnson, Leroy Neiman, Jim Kiick Thought: Do you need some help this morning? Is there anything bothering you, causing distress or anxiety? Do you just need some help to make it through the day? Read Psalm 121 with me this morning. Who do you need to help you? Someone with wisdom, understanding, power, pati

  1865: Juneteenth--Slaves are freed in Texas 1910: First Father's Day--Spokane 1912: Tennessee State University opens 1926: DeFord Bailey is first African American to perform at the Grand Ole Opry 1952: "I've Got a Secret" premiers 1961: Supreme Court strikes down provision in Maryland Constitution that required office holders to believe in God 1970: Jim Bouton publishes "Ball Four" 1978: Garfield first appears 1987: Supreme Court rules schools teaching evolution do not have to teach creationism 2018: GE is dropped from the Dow Jones Index--last of the original stocks in the index Born: Blaise Pascal, Charles H. Spurgeon, Wallis Simpson, Moe Howard, Guy Lombardo, Lou Gehrig, Shirley Muldowney [drag racer], Salman Rushdie, Phylicia Rashad, Tasmanian Devil [1st appearance 1954], Paula Abdul, Zoe Saldana,  Died: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, William Golding ["Lord of the Flies"], James Gandolfini Thought: This week I have been reading Psalm 119 again.

 1682: William Penn founds Philadelphia 1781: 18 people, including 3 African Americans, form the first Baptist church in Kentucky at Elizabethtown 1873: Susan B Anthony fined $100 for voting in presidential election 1928: Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly across the Atlantic 1940: Churchill gives speech, "This was their finest hour" 1960: Arnold Palmer overcomes a 7 stroke deficit in the final round to win the US Open 1968: Supreme Court bans discrimination in housing 1983: Sally Ride is the first woman in space Born: EG Marshall, Red Adair, Richard Boone, George Mikan, Lou Brock, Paul McCartney, Roger Ebert, Blake Shelton, Richard Madden [Game of Thrones] Died: Jeanne Mance [founded first hospital in North America], Roald Amundsen, Jack Buck Thought: Yesterday I was contemplating the attributes of God's word as revealed in Psalm 119, today I am thinking about what those attributes compel me to do in response. God has revealed His word in scripture and in the person of

  1856: First Republican Party Convention 1863: Traveler's Insurance founded 1894: First polio epidemic--Rutland VT 1947: Pan Am chartered 1950: First kidney transplant 1956: Jerry Falwell founds Thomas Road Baptist Church 1962: Jack Nicholas wins first major--US Open 1963: Supreme Court prohibits Bible reading in public schools 1994: Great Ford Bronco chase--OJ Simpson 2008: First day of legal same-sex marriage in California 2015: 9 people shot at Emanuel AME Church, Charleston Born: Igor Stravinsky, Ralph Bellamy, Crazy Legs Hirsch, Newt Gingrich, Barry Manilow, Greg Kinnear, Dan Jansen [Olympic Gold in 3 Olympics], Venus Williams,  Died: Kate Smith, Rodney King, Gloria Vanderbilt Thought: I have reached Psalm 119. This is a psalm of praise for God's word--ordinances, statutes, commandments, precepts, testimonies, law. When I think about laws, I think about restrictions on my freedom, things I cannot do or things I must do. Think about all the traffic ordinances, the zoning l

1215: King John signs the Magna Carta 1667: First documented blood transfusion--sheep's blood 1775: Washington named commander of Continental Army 1844: Goodyear patents vulcanization of rubber process  1877: Henry Flipper is first West Point Graduate 1907: Mary Mallon identified as typhoid Mary 1911: IBM incorporated 1916: Boy Scouts of America formed 1934: Great Smokey Mountains National Park dedicated 1967: "Dirty Dozen" released 1974: "All the President's Men" published 1983: Supreme Court strikes down state restrictions on abortion 2020: Supreme Court rules gay and transgender people may not be discriminated against in the workplace Born: Rachel Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Mike Holmgren, Wade Boggs, Helen Hunt Died: James K Polk, John Connally, Ella Fitzgerald,  Thought: Still in Psalm 118 this morning. Looking at 118:22-24. Verse 24 is a verse that I try and remember to recite every morning. The verse is written in the imperative tense. Each day I am rem

  1777: Continental Congress adopts the Stars and Stripes as our flag 1847: Bunsen Burner invented 1922: Warren G Harding is first President to use radio for a speech 1940: Auschwitz opens 1942: Anne Frank begins her diary 1946: Nat King Cole records the "Christmas Song" 1954: President Eisenhower signs order adding "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance 2020: India reports 12,000 Covid cases per day Born: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Alois Alzheimer, Burl Ives, Pierre Salinger, Che Guevara, John MacArthur, Donald Trump, Pat Summit, Eric Heiden, Steffi Graf Died: Benedict Arnold, Pierre L'Enfant, Mary Cassatt, Alan Jay Lerner, Henry Mancini, Ruth Graham Thought: Still in Psalm 118 this morning. Reading one verse, 118:8. If you count all the verses in the Bible this is the center verse. The one in the middle. And perhaps it contains the truth that all the Bible hinges upon--"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." There used to be an o

 1525: Martin Luther marries Katherine von Bora in violation of rules requiring celibacy of priests 1805: Meriwether Lewis reaches Great Falls of the Missouri River 1922: Longest recorded hiccups attack begins--lasts 68 years 1920: Post Office says children may not be sent by parcel post 1966: Miranda v. Arizona establishes Miranda Rights 1967: Thurgood Marshall appointed to the Supreme Court 1971: NY Times publishes the Pentagon Papers Born: Red Grange, William Butler Yeats, Martha Washington, Tim Allen Died: Alexander the Great, Benny Goodman, Tim Russert, Chuck Noll, Cormac McCarthy On this date, I posted the first thought to this blog. Over 600 have been posted so far.   Thought: How rich is Psalm 118? It starts with that bold proclamation--"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." What a way to start the day! Just stop, clear my mind and give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness is everlasting. If we do nothing else today, pray nothing else, read nothing else, speak

1859: Comstock Lode discovered in Nevada 1923: Houdini frees himself from straight jacket while suspended upside down 40 feet above ground 1935: Huey Long speaks 15.5 hours in filibuster 1942: Anne Frank receives her diary as a birthday present 1944: First V-1 rocket attack on London 1954: Bill Haley releases "Rock Around the Clock" 1981: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" premiers 1987: Reagan says, "Tear down that wall." 2016: Gunman opens fire at Orlando night club killing 49, injuring 53 Born: George HW Bush, Anne Frank,  Johanna Spyri ["Heidi"], Jim Nabors, Died: Medgar Evers, Gregory Peck, William Cullen Bryant, Jimmy Dorsey, Milburn Stone ["Gunsmoke"],  Thought: Take a look at Psalm 117 with me this morning. Only 2 verses. My thought is on verse 2--"the truth of the Lord is everlasting! Praise the Lord!" Think about that with me today. I am praising the Lord today because His truth is eternal, A few weeks ago, our pastor preache

  1770: Captain Cook discovers the Great Barrier Reef 1935: First public demonstration of FM radio 1936: Presbyterian Church of North America founded by people who thought United Presbyterian Church too liberal 1939: King and Queen of England taste their first hot dogs at party hosted by FDR 1950: Ben Hogan wins Miracle at Merion 18 months after severe injuries in a car wreck 1977: First Main Street Electrical Parade at Disney World 1982: "ET" released 2002: American Idol premiers 2009: Swine flu declared a pandemic Born: Richard Strauss, Jeanette Rankin, Jacques Cousteau, Vince Lombardi, Brother Dave Gardner, Gene Wilder, Joe Montana, Hugh Laurie Died: John Wayne, DeForest Kelley [Bones McCoy], Timothy McVeigh, David Brinkley, Ruby Dee, Jim Ed Brown Thought: Pondering Psalm 116:12 this morning. "What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me." Yesterday we were asking what we would say if someone asked what is God like? How did you answer that quest

1692: Bridget Bishop is the first of 19 people executed as a witch in Salem MA. 1752: Benjamin Franklin flies a kite with a key attached and collecting an ambient electrical charge. 1845: At the funeral of Andrew Jackson, his pet parrot "got excited and commenced swearing so loud and long as to disturb the people and had to be carried from the house." 1898: US Marines land in Cuba during Spanish American War 1925: Tennessee adopts textbook denying evolution. A statute had been passed in March that made teaching evolution a crime. This led to the "Monkey Trial" in Dayton TN. In May, the Southern Baptist Convention adopted its first "Baptist Faith and Message" stating that man was the unique creation of God. 1935: Alcoholics Anonymous founded in Akron Ohio. 12-step method published in 1939. 1963: John Kennedy signs the Equal Pay Act 1977: Al Geiberger shoots 59 at the Memphis Classic Born:  Hattie McDaniel, Prince Philip, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Hurley, Clyd

 65: Jews in Jerusalem revolt capturing Fortress of Antonia 452: Attila the Hun invades Italy 1786: Commercially made ice cream first advertised 1824: Washing machine patented 1861: Tennessee votes to secede 1869: Vacuum cleaner patented 1896: First auto theft--Peugeot in Paris 1920: Edd Rush ejected for falling asleep in center field during an extended argument in the infield 1953: 113 killed by tornado in Flint MI 1958: Mickey Wright wins first of thirteen major LPGA titles 2020: Kathy Sullivan [1st woman to walk in space] is first woman to reach deepest point in the ocean--Marianas Trench Born: Robert Schumann, Frank Lloyd Wright, Francus Crick [DNA double helix], Byron White, Robert Preston, LeRoy Neiman, Barbara Bush, Joan Rivers, Nancy Sinatra, William Calley [My Lai], Julianna Margulies, Kayne West Died: Mohammad [approximate date], Thomas Paine, Andrew Jackson, Cochise, Satchel Paige, Anthony Bourdain, Bonnie Pointer Thought: Today is National Best Friends Day. "What a Fri

 1099: First Crusaders arrive in Jerusalem 1769: Daniel Boone begins exploring Kentucky 1893: Gandhi's first act of civil disobedience 1929: Vatican City becomes a sovereign state 1941: Whirlaway wins Belmont and the Triple Crown 1942: Battle of Midway ends 1946: Supreme Court bans discrimination in interstate travel 1969: "Johnny Cash Show" premiers 1977: Anita Bryant leads successful march against gay rights in Miami 2020: Covid death toll passes 400,000 Born: Beau Brummel, Paul Gauguin, Jessica Tandy, Dean Martin, James Jude [developed CPR], Virginia McKenna ["Born Free"], Tom Jones, Muammar Gaddafi, Liam Neeson, Prince, Mike Pence, Bear Grylls Died: Robert the Bruce, Franz Gruber ["Silent Night"], Jean Harlow, Alan Turing, Dorothy Parker, EM Forster, Henry Miller, Bill France Sr., Jim McKay, Christopher Lee Thought: Reading Psalm 107 today, the first psalm in the last of the five books of the psalms. Back on July 3, 2022, I used this psalm as the s

  1391: 5000 Jews massacred in Seville Spain 1716: French transport first African slaves to Louisiana 1816: 10 inches of snow in New England--year without summer following eruption of Mt. Tmbora 1844: YMCA formed in London 1862: Battle of Memphis 1912: Eruption of Novarupta in Alaska--largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century 1925: Walter Chrysler founds automobile company 1933: First drive-in movie 1944: Operation Overlord--D Day 1960: Roy Orbison releases "Only the Lonely" 1966: Merger of AFL and NFL announced 2002: Asteroid explodes over the Mediterranean--30 feet in diameter releasing more power than Nagasaki bomb Born: Nathan Hale, Robert Falcon Scott, Tommie Smith [Mexico City Olympics], Bjorn Borg Died: Robert Kennedy, Anne Bancroft, Hiram Bingham [discovered Machu Picchu] Thought: I am stuck on Psalm 100:2  this morning. Of course, this is a great psalm and we have several songs based on its text. But as I read this morning, my heart stopped at verse 2--"serv

70: Titus breaches the middle wall of Jerusalem  1661: Isaac Newton admitted to Trinity College Cambridge 1851: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in serial form  1946: Virginia Thrailkill has a baby boy; father says, "ugliest baby I've ever seen."  1947: Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe outlined by George Marshall 1967: Six Day War between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria begins 1968: Sirhan Sirhan kills Robert F Kennedy 1981: Centers for Disease Control reports pneumonia affecting 5 men in LA--AIDS Epidemic begins 1985: Steve Cauthen wins at Epsom Downs to become only jockey to win The Derby and the Kentucky Derby Born: John Maynard Keynes, Breonna Taylor, Mark Wahlberg, Elena Cornaro Piscopia [first woman to receive academic degree from a university], Thomas Chippendale, Jay Hardwick, Tony Slayden, Bill Moyers, Robert Kraft [Patriots], John Carlos [Mexico City Olympics], Suze Orman, Kenny G,  Died: O Henry, Ronald Reagan, Stephen Crane, Bill Tilden, Conway Twitt

 1070: Roquefort cheese created in a cave 1789: Noah Webster announces his intention to compile a dictionary of American English. Bernard Shaw called the Americans and Brits “Two people separated by a common language." 1792: George Puget claims Puget Sound for Britain 1896: Henry Ford drives his first Ford through Detroit 1919: Congress passes women's suffrage bill 1927: First Ryder Cup 1940: Miracle of Dunkirk concludes--338,226 troops evacuated 1942: Capitol Records opens for business 1973: Patent issued for ATM 1990: Jack Kevorkian assists woman to commit suicide Born: George III, Noah Wylie, Angelina Jolie, Russell Brand, Rosalind Russell, Robert Merrill, Bruce Dern, Robert Fulghum ["All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten"] Died: Casanova, Clete Boyer, Bill France Sr., John Wooden, Dwight Clark, Clarence Williams III ["Mod Squad"] Thought: Reading Psalm 90 today. This is a prayer of Moses placed among the song book of the children of Israel

  1098: First Crusade seizes Antioch. 1851: First baseball uniforms--straw hats, white shirts, blue pants 1888: "Casey at the Bat" published 1916: ROTC established 192: Sudden cloudburst kills 120 near Pikes Peak 1946: First bikini displayed 1965: Ed White makes the first American space walk 1968: Andy Warhol shot 1972: First female rabbi in the US installed 1976: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen goes gold 1988: "Big" premiers 1989: Beginning of Tiananmen Square massacre Born: Jefferson Davis, George V, Josephine Baker, Raul Castro, Rafael Nadal Died: George Bizet, Franz Kafka, Pope John XXIII, Ayatollah Khomeini, Muhammad Ali I posted a thought yesterday. Rarely post on a Sunday but had something on my mind.  Thought:  Reading Psalm 84 this morning. This psalm reminds me of Psalm 42--as the deer pants for the water. In verse 2, the writer is yearning to be in the house of the Lord. I notice that three times in this psalm we read, "how  blessed." [84

A special edition for today! 1862: Robert E Lee takes command of the Army of Northern Virginia 1896: Marconi applies for a patent for a system of wireless telegraphy in the UK 1935: Babe Ruth announces his retirement 1953: Queen Elizabeth coronated in Westminster Abbey 1962: Ray Charles hits #1 with "I Can't Stop Loving You." 1989: "Dead Poets Society" premiers 2004: Ken Jennings begins his 74 game winning streak on 'Jeopardy" Born: Marquis de Sade, Edward Elgar, Johnny Weissmuller, Abby Wambach Died: Lou Gehrig, Rex Harrison, Bo Diddley Thought: Back in 2000, I wrote about "Dead Poets Society" because of its local connection. Robin Williams starred as professor Keating at an exclusive boys' school in Vermont. The film is based on a book by Thomas Schulman of Nashville. Schulman based the character Keating on a professor he had while attending MBA, Sam Pickering. We probably recall from the movie the boys saying "carpe diem". The

 1638: First recorded earthquake in US--Plymouth 1796: Tennessee admitted as the 16th state 1813: Captain John Lawrence says "Don't give up the ship"--now Navy motto 1881: Iroquois is 1st American owned/bred horse to win a European race [Epsom Derby]; Nashville's Iroquois Steeplechase is named for him. 1924: Ji Wang is secretly baptized in Taiwan. After receiving religious training, she leads 5000 head hunters to Christ over 20 years. 1925: Lou Gehrig begins his streak of 2130 consecutive games 1946: Assault wins the Belmont to complete the Triple Crown 1958: Charles De Gaulle is elected premier of France 1974: Heimlich Maneuver published in Emergency Medicine Journal 2009: GM files for bankruptcy Born: Brigham Young, William Sloane Coffin, Andy Griffith, Marilyn Monroe, Alan Ameche, Pat Boone, Morgan Freeman, Jeffrey Hawkins [invented Palm Pilot], Heidi Klum, Amy Schumer Died: James Buchanan, Lizzie Borden, Leslie Howard [served in WWI and suffered shell-shock; took