Thought for Today

1792: Cornerstone for the US Mint in Philadelphia  is laid. First US public building. 1912: Movies and photos of prize fighting are banned as immoral and violent. 1922: First water skis are used on a lake in Minnesota 1928: First women's Olympic track event--Elizabeth Robinson wins 100 meters. 1936: Gold plates with the name "King Darius" discovered.  1970: Last day of official rum ration in the British Navy--started in 1740. 1973: Delta flight hits seawall in Boston and 89 die, sole survivor dies 5 moths later 1991: Senate votes to allow women to fly combat missions 2012: Michael Phelps wins his record 19th Olympic Medal and 15th gold Born: Milton Friedman, JK Rowling, Wesley Snipes, Hank Bauer, Evonne Goolagong, Sebastion Kresge, Curt Gowdy, Bill Callahan [coach], Mark Cuban, Zac Brown, World's only known spotless Giraffe born in Limehouse Tennessee Died: Andrew Johnson, Charles Hires [root beer], Bill Russell, Ayman al-Zawahiri [planned 9/11 attacks, killed by dron...

1729: City of Baltimore founded 1792: First singing of the French National anthem 1928: George Eastman shows first color motion picture 1945: USS Indianapolis sunk by Japanese sub. 880 die 1956: "In God We Trust" adopted as official US motto 1965: LBJ signs Medicare bill. 1976: Bruce Jenner wins gold in decathlon 1990: First Saturn auto is built  2021: 1 of every 169 Americans employed by Amazon Born: Emily Bronte, Henry Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Laurence Fishburne, Lisa Kudrow, Hilary Swank, Paul Anka, Casey Stengel, Hope Solo,  O.B. Thrailkill Died: Maria Theresa, William Penn, Otto von Bismarck, Claudette Colbert,  Thought: This is my Dad's birthday. He was a pastor's son. He went to high school in Atlanta. He met my mother when they both worked for General Shoe [Genesco]  on the manufacturing line in Atlanta. After serving in the Army Air Corps during the war, he was employed by the Veteran's Administration as a clerk. When I was in the fifth grade, the VA ...

1588: Defeat of the Spanish Armada  1715: 10 Spanish teasure galleons sink off Florida in a hurricane 1835: First sugar plantation established in Hawaii 1905: Secret agreement giving Japan free rein in Korea in exchange for non-interference with US in the Philippines 1907: Robert Baden-Powell establishes the Boy Scouts in England 1921: Hitler becomes leader of National Socialist German Workers Party 1927: First iron lung installed  1938: Olympic National Park established 1954: "Fellowship of the Ring" by Tolkien published 1974: Episcopal church ordains female priests 2016: Hillary Clinton becomes Democratic Party candidate for President Born: Benito Mussolini, Dag Hammarskjold, Peter Jennings, Martina McBride,  Alexis de Tocqueville, Booth Tarkington, Elizabeth Dole, Charles Schwab, Ken Burns,  Dak Prescott Died: William Wilberforce, Vincent van Gogh, David Niven, Robert Schumann, Cass Elliot, Tom Snyder,  Thought: I am reading Mark 6:7-13 this morning. Mark is ...

1549: First Christian missionary reaches Japan--Francis Xavier  1586: Walter Raleigh brings first tobacco to England from America. On this same day in 1965, manufacturers are ordered to add health warnings to cigarette packages. 1789: Department of Foreign Affairs [State Department] created 1890: Vincent Van Gogh shoots himself, dies 2 days later 1921: Frederick Banting isolates insulin. He sells the patent to his university for $1 saying he does not own insulin. 1940: Bugs Bunny makes first appearance in "Wild Hare" Born: Maureen McGovern, Leo Durocher, Peggy Fleming, Christopher Dean, Alex Rodriguez, Jordan Spieth,  Died: Bob Hope, Gertrude Stein, Claire Chennault [Flying Tigers], James Mason, Frank Zamboni, Tony Dow [Wally on "Leave It to Beaver"] Thought: Thinking about Mark 6:6 today. Jesus went to his home town, Nazareth, and was teaching in the synagogue. The people are astonished by His teaching and miracles. Now, consider their reaction--isn't this Mary...

1775: Post Office created 1944: First V-2 rocket hits Britain 1945: USS Indianapolis reaches Tinian with the atomic bomb 1990: George HW Bush signs Americans with Disabilities Act  Born: George Bernard Shaw, Carl Jung, Aldous Huxley, Stanley Kubrick, Mick Jagger, Helen Mirren, Kevin Spacey, Sandra Bullock, Jason Statham, Dorothy Hamill Died: Sam Houston, Ed Gein, George Gallup, Sinead O'Connor, William Jennings, Bryan, Robert Todd Lincoln, Eva Peron, Mary Wells,  Thought: Pondering Mark 5:36 today. Words spoken by Jesus to Jairus, the synagogue official whose daughter was dying. Recall, Jesus’ walk to Jairus house was interrupted by the woman with the issue of blood. So now, people come telling Jairus that his daughter is dead, Jesus cannot help. And Jesus says, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe." Do you need to hear that this morning?  In my life there have been times when things seemed hopeless. I had prayed for something, but Jesus said no or wait or answered ...

306: Constantine proclaimed Roman emperor 1814: George Stephenson introduces the first steam locomotive 1897: Jack London sails to Alaska to join the Klondike Gold Rush 1946: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis have first show as a comedy team  1956: Stockholm Sweden and Andria Doria collide in the Atlantic 1978: First test tube baby born Born: Arthur Balfour, Emmett Till,  Matt LeBlanc,  Walter Payton, Iman, Bryce Young Died: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Ben Hogan, Olivia de Havilland,  Thought: Reading the end of Mark chapter 4 [35-41] and the beginning of Mark chapter 5 [1-20]. Mark relates two familiar stories from the ministry of Jesus. The first is the calming of the sea and the second the healing of the demoniac. What strikes me this morning is how the two stories are related. One calms the sea, the other calms the soul of man. One demonstrates power over creation, the other power over the spirits. Experts say that Mark's Gospel is based on Peter's accounts recorded by Ma...

1832: Benjamin Bonneville leads first wagon train across the Rocky Mountains by Wyoming's South Pass  1847: Brigham Young arrives in Salt Lake City 1911: Machu Picchu discovered by Hiram Bingham 1952: "High Noon" with Gary Cooper premiers 1959: Kitchen Debate between Nixon and Khrushchev 1974: Supreme Court rules Nixon must release Watergate Tapes 1998: "Saving Private Ryan" premiers Born: Simon Bolivar, Alexander Dumas, Amelia Earhart, Jennifer Lopez, Karl Malone, Barry Bonds Died: Martin Van Buren, Peter Sellers, Matthew Webb [1st to swim English channel unassisted],  Tony Lema, Regis Philbin Thought: Reading Mark 3:20-30. On June 16, 1858, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Illinois used this passage in a speech in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln said: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.  Jesus' own family had come to get him because He had "lost His senses."  Th...

1829: First "typographer" patented--typewriter 1925: Lou Gehrig hits his first of 23 Grand Slams 1983: An Air Canada Boeing 767 runs out of fuel at 41,000 feet. Pilots glide it to a safe landing on abandon military airport at Gimli Manitoba--Gimli glider 1984: Vanessa Williams surrenders Miss America crown after explicit photos surface 1995: Comet Hale-Bopp discovered  1996: Keri Strug completes her vault with torn ligaments in her ankle to secure gymnastics team Gold for the U.S. 2000: Tiger Woods becomes youngest to win Grand Slam 2020: U.S. Covid cases pass 4 million with 143,000 deaths Born: Anthony Kennedy, Monica Lewinsky, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Daniel Radcliffe, Alison Krauss, Don Drysdale,  Died: Sally Ride, U.S. Grant, Amy Winehouse, Isaac Singer [1st practical home sewing machine], Montgomery Clift, Eddie Rickenbacker,  Thought: Reading Mark's account of the calling of disciples in chapter 3 today. I notice, He summoned those He Himself wanted ...

 1796: Cleveland Ohio founded by General Moses Cleaveland--current spelling adopted because Cleaveland was too long to fit on newspaper. 1942: Nazis begin sending 300,000 Polish Jews to Treblinka Extermination Camp 1975: House votes to restore citizenship to Robert E Lee 2011: Two terror attacks in Norway--bombing in Oslo and massacre at youth camp  Born: Alex Trebek, Rose Kennedy, Alexander Calder, Bob Dole, Prince George, Louise Fletcher, Danny Glover, Selena Gomez, Sonny Liston Died: John Dillinger, Estelle Getty, Carl Sandburg,  Thought: Considering Mark 3:11 this morning. Jesus has taught in the synagogue, preached in villages, healed many including the leper in 1:40, the paralytic in chapter 2 and the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath in chapter 3. He has eating with Matthew and his friends and His disciples have picked grain on the Sabbath. Now notice 3:11--"Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cry out. 'You are the Son of God...

1864: Battle of Peachtree Creek--Atlanta 1876: First intercollegiate track meet--Princeton wins  1881: Sitting Bull surrenders 1921: Alice Mary Robertson is first woman to preside over the House 1940: First Billboard singles chart--Tommy Dorsey is #1 with "I'll Never Cry Again" 1944: Hitler survives assassination attempt 1976: Hank Aaron hits #755 1960; 2  dogs return from space alive; first living organisms to return from space 1968: First Special Olympics 1969: In honor of the first anniversary of Jan and Larry Thrailkill's wedding, NASA lands a man on the moon 2012: 12people killed and 59 injured when gunman opens fire in theater in Aurora Colorado 2020: Covid vaccine announced Born: Alexander the Great, George Mendel [laws of heredity], Edmund Hillary, Elliot Richardson, Mike Ilitch [Little Caesars], Cormac McCarthy, Diana Rigg, Natalie Wood, T.G. Sheppard, Carlos Santana,  Sandra Oh, Peter Forsberg, Julianne Hough,  Died: Pancho Villa, Guglielmo Marconi, Bruce L...

1692: Five people hanged for witchcraft in Salem  1848: First US Women's Right's Convention 1877: First Wimbledon Tennis Championship--Men only 1941: Churchill launches "V" for victory campaign 1984: Geraldine Ferraro becomes first female vice presidential candidate 1989: United DC 10 crashes in Sioux City Iowa killing 112 2007: "Mad Men" debuts Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas, Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Anthony Edwards, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee, Clyde Beatty, Mary Jo Kopechne, Jack Warden, Frank McCourt, James Garner, Garry Marshall,  Thought: Reading the story of the leper in Mark 1:40-45 this morning. Take a look back at Mark chapter 1. In this chapter, Mark has told us about John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism, calling disciples, teaching and miracles [casting out demons, healing sicknesses], taking time alone to pray.  Mark covers a lot of territory in one chapter.  This morning...

 64: Great fire in Rome; Nero on the throne, Christians blamed 1290: England expels all Jews, a ban lasting 350 years 1925: Hitler publishes "Mein Kampf" 1938: "Wrong Way" Corrigan lands in Ireland after leaving NY to fly to California 1976: Nadia Comaneci scores the first "10" in gymnastics 2013: Detroit files for bankruptcy Born: Machine Gun Kelly, Nelson Mandela, Hunter S Thompson, Vin Diesel, Kristen Bell, Richard Branson, Tenley Albright, Joe Torre, Nick Faldo,  Died: Jane Austen, William Westmoreland, John Paul Jones, Karl Menninger Thought: Reading Mark 1: 35 today. Asking the Lord what I should learn from this verse. It is early morning. It is dark. It is a lonely place. Jesus is praying. Now I have to say that I can relate to the setting. I like getting up early. It is quiet--no phones, no interruptions, no conversations. The best part of my day is the time between getting up and noon. My mind seems to work best then, I seem to be more productive....

 1717: Handel premiers "Water Music" on the Thames without percussion instruments due to humidity on the river 1853: Frances Havergal is confirmed at Worcester Cathedral At age 17, she sat before the painting by Domenico Feti titled "Ecco Homo"--behold the man. Under the painting of Jesus on the cross was written, "I have done this for you; what have you done for Me?" She wrote "I Gave My Life for Thee" from this experience.  Twenty years later, while staying at a house with 10 others [some saved but not fully committed and some unsaved], praying that she would be used to convert and revive her friends, she wrote "Take My Life and Let It Be" 1861: Congress authorizes paper money 1867: First dental school opens at Harvard 1918: Romanovs killed by Bolsheviks 1959: "North by Northwest" premiers 2014: Malaysia Flight 17 shot down over Ukraine killing 283 Born: John Jacob Astor, Erle Stanley Gardner, Camilla Parker Bowles, Angela M...

 622: Muhammad begins flight from Mecca to Medina 1054: Great Schism between Eastern and Western churches begins with excommunication of the Patriarch of Constantinople by the Roman Cardinal 1429: Joan of Arc and her army enter Rheims 1439: Kissing banned in England--to stop the Black Death from spreading 1519: In a debate, Martin Luther denies the divine right of the Pope 1756: John Adams graduates from Harvard 1790: Washington declared permanent capital of the US 1945: First detonation of atomic bomb at Trinity Site 1951: "Catcher in the Rye" published 1969: Apollo 11 launched to the moon 1979: Saddam Hussein becomes president of Iraq 2017: Roger Federer wins his 8th Wimbledon title Born: Mary Baker Eddy, Roald Amundsen, Orville Redenbacher, Ginger Rogers, Michael Flatley, Will Ferrell, Margaret Smith Court, Jimmy Johnson,  Died: Anne of Cleves, Mary Todd Lincoln, John F Kennedy Jr. Thought: Still thinking about Mark 1:21-28. Yesterday I was thinking about the authority and...

 1799: Rosetta Stone discovered 1869: Margarine patented 1912: Jim Thorpe wins decathlon Gold Medal after finishing in the top 4 in each event.  1933: Wiley Post begins the first solo around the world flight--less than 8 days. He later died in a plane crash in Alaska with Will Rogers 1937: Buchenwald opens. "Medical Experiments" were conducted on prisoners--infected with typhoid, cholera, diphtheria. Liberated April 11, 1945, feeing 21,000 emaciated prisoners. 1948: Alcoholics Anonymous founded 2009: "Harry Potter" movie premiers Born: Rembrandt, Arianna Huffington, Linda Ronstadt, Forest Whitaker, Diane Kruger Died: Ponce de Leon, Anton Chekov, John Pershing, Gianni Versace Thought: Pondering Mark 1:21-28 today. I love Mark's account because it is said to be based upon Peter's preaching. Once Peter is called by Christ, the next thing he reports through Mark is that Jesus took them to church. When people tell me they are spiritual but not religious or say th...

  1832: Source of the Mississippi River discovered--Lake Itasca Minnesota 1837: Queen Elizabeth moves into Buckingham Palace 1865: Horace Greeley says "Go west, young man" 1898: San Francisco Ferry Building opens 1923: "Hollywood" sign officially dedicated 1942: Nazis execute 5,000 Jews in Polish Ukraine 1956: "Hound Dog" released as a single 1978: Lee Iacocca fired by Ford 2016: Theresa May elected British Prime Minister Born: Julius Caesar, Nathan Bedford Forrest, John Jacob Astor IV, Dave Garroway, Bob Crane ["Hogan's Heroes"], Jack Kemp, Patrick Stewart, Harrison Ford, Erno Rubik, Cheech Marin, Tony Kornheiser, Louise Mandrell, Michael Spinks,  Died: John C Fremont, Alfred Stieglitz, Frida Kahlo, Grantland Rice, Leslie Groves [Manhattan Project], Red Button, George Steinbrenner,  Thought: Reading Mark 1:16-20 today. Other gospels tell us more information about Jesus calling His disciples. Look at Mark's account: The invitation--follow...

1843: Joseph Smith says God allows polygamy  1862: Congress authorizes the Medal of Honor 1901: Cy Young wins his 300th game 1909: Congress passes 16th Amendment--income tax 1916: Final shark attack in series on the Jersey shore over 12 days--Jaws 1957: Eisenhower is first President to fly in helicopter 1970 Thor Heyerdahl arrives in Barbados crossing the Atlantic on RA II 1976: "Family Feud" debuts 1984: Mondale selects Geraldine Ferraro as Vice-Presidential candidate Born: Henry David Thoreau, George Eastman, Milton Berle, Bill Cosby, Kristi Yamaguchi, Inbee Park, John Wedgwood,  Buckminster Fuller [geodesic dome], Pablo Neruda, Van Cliburn, Cheryl Ladd,  Died: Erasmus, Alexander Hamilton, Charles Rolls, Alfred Dreyfus, Alexander Cartwright ["father of baseball"], Lon Chaney, Ted Mack "Original amateur Hour"], John Chancellor,  Thought: As I read Mark 1:14-15, I think about the simplest sermon. Jesus is preaching the gospel of God--God's good news. T...

 1533: Henry VIII excommunicated 1798: US Marine Corps formally established 1804: Hamilton-Burr duel 1900: Charlotte Cooper is first female Olympic champion [Tennis] 1905: Niagara Movement organized for civil rights 1934: FDR is first President to travel through the Panama Canal 1955: Congress authorizes currency to say "In God We Trust" 1960: "To Kill a Mockingbird" published 1967: "The Newly Wed Game" premiers 1981: Neva Rockefeller is first woman ordered to pay husband alimony Born: Robert the Bruce, John Quincy Adams, E.B. White, Giorgio Armani, Yul Bryner, Leon Spinks, Caroline Wozniacki Died: George Gershwin, Lawrence Olivier, Lady Bird Johnson, Michael DeBakey [artificial heart],  Thought: In the translation I use [New American Standard], Mark 1:9-45 uses the word "immediately" at least 9 times. Sounds like Mark was in a hurry to tell this story. But recall his source--Peter. Peter was a man of action. He was quick to speak, quick to grab ...

 1040: Lady Godiva allegedly rides nude through Coventry 1553: Lady Jane Grey begins her 9-day reign as Queen 1775: Blacks excluded from the Continental Army 1890: Wyoming becomes the44th state and the first with women's suffrage 1919: Treaty of Versailles signed 1925: Jury selection in the Scopes Trial  1940: Battle of Britain begins 1985: Important announcement for Jan Thrailkill, Coke will resume old formula Coke 2015: Confederate Flag removed from SC Capitol grounds Born: John Calvin, William Blackstone, Nikola Tesla, Adolphus Busch, Mary Bethune [Bethune-Cookman College], David Brinkley, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, John Bradley [raised flag on Mt. Suribachi], Arthur Ashe, Virginia Wade, Arlo Guthrie, Urban Meyer, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Simpson,  Died: Hadrian, El Cid, Louis Daguerre [photographer], Arthur Fiedler, Mel Blanc, Omar Sharif, Jim Bouton,  Thought: Reading Mark 1:4-8 today. Asking the Lord, what I should take from these verses. We are all familiar with th...

 1877: First Wimbledon Tennis Tournament--Men only 1918: 101 killed and 171 injured in train wreck in Nashville. Two passenger trains operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga  and St. Louis Railway collide head on at Dutchman's Curve near Belle Meade [White Bridge Road] at 7:20 a.m. Track still in use near St. Thomas Hospital. 1956: Dick Clark’s first appearance as host of American Bandstand 1981: Donkey Kong game released 2018: Brett Kavanaugh nominated to the Supreme Court Born: Elias Howe, Tom Hanks, Courtney Love, OJ Simpson Died: Zachary Taylor, King Gillette, Rod Steiger,  Thought:  Back in Mark 1 this morning reading verses 2-3 quoting Isaiah 40. Flip back to Isaiah for a moment and look at chapter 40. This chapter is a hinge chapter that begins with "Comfort my people." Why? The warfare has ended [40:2]. Jesus is victorious. The glory of the Lord is to be revealed and we will see it together [40:5] Things of earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord stands...

 1099: 15,000 starving Crusaders march around Jerusalem. The city falls a few days later. 1680: First confirmed tornado in America--Cambridge MA 1731: Jonathan Edwards preaches his first sermon--"God Glorified in Man's Dependence" Think about that this morning. 1741: Johnathan Edwards preaches "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"  1776: First public reading of the Declaration of Independence 1777: Vermont adopts constitution forbidding slavery 1797: First US Senator expelled by impeachment--William Blount  of TN 1800: First cowpox vaccination in the US to prevent smallpox 1889: Wall Street Journal begins publishing 1913: Patent for erector set issued 1941: Jews in Baltic States required to wear Jewish Star 1949: South Africa prohibits mixed race marriages 1969: Troops begin withdrawal from Vietnam 1999: Third Harry Potter book released Born: John Pemberton, Ferdinand Zeppelin, John D Rockefeller, Roone Arledge, Anjelica Houston, Toby Keith Died: Vivien Leigh, ...

1527: During dinner, Martin Luther hears a buzzing in his left ear and calls out "water or I'll die." This event leads to depression, but when he comes out of depression he writes "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" based on Psalm 46  1535: Thomas More beheaded for treason 1785: Congress resolves to name US currency the dollar with decimal coinage 1854: Republican Party organized 1885: Louis Pasteur administers first successful rabies vaccine 1957: John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time 1970: California adopts the first no-fault divorce law 2016" Pokemon Go is released Born: Frida Kahlo, George W Bush, Janet Leigh, Sylvester Stallone, Kevin Hart, Bill Haley,  Died: Georg Ohm, Guy de Maupassant, Louis Armstrong Thought: Looking at Psalms 146-150 this morning. As we thank God for our freedom this week, remember His many blessings, prepare to join together tomorrow for worship, reading these psalms are truly appropriate. Just look at all the reasons...

  1687: "Principia" by Isaac Newton published 1852: Frederick Douglas delivers the "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July" speech. 1865: US Secret Service begins operation as part of the Treasury Department 1994: Amazon.com founded by Jeff Bezo  2017: Followers of Ashutosh Mahara win a court case to keep his body in a freezer in case he should return to life. Still waiting. Born: David Farragut, PT Barnum, Cecil Rhodes, Edie Falco, Huey Lewis,  Died: Ted Williams, Chester Greenwood [invented earmuffs],  Thought: Reading Genesis 32 this morning where Jacob wrestles with God and is renamed Israel. Larry, why would you jump from Psalms to Genesis? An event that occurred on July 5, 1863, made me think about wrestling with God. Have you ever wrestled with God? Back in 1980, I vividly recall a night wrestling with God. When I left the Air Force and returned to Nashville in 1975, I began practicing law with an experienced lawyer that I had clerked for during law school. ...

  1776: Declaration of Independence 1803: Louisiana Purchase announced 1831: First public performance of "My Country Tis of Thee"--Park Street Church Boston 1855: "Leaves of Grass" published 1862: Charles Dodgson [Lewis Carroll] tells the story of Alice and the Rabbit Hole for the first time. Told while on a rowing trip on the Isis River with the three daughters of the Dean of Christ Church College at Oxford, Alice, Lorina, and Edith Liddell. 1939: Lou Gehrig's #4 is first MLB number retired Born: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Calvin Coolidge, Rube Goldberg, Neil Simon, Geraldo Rivera, Stephen Foster, Al Davis [Raiders], George Steinbrenner,  Died: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, Marie Curie, Barry White Thought: As noted above, three presidents died on July 4, two of them died on the same July 4 in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence--John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. At the time of their deaths, they were close f...

1864: Battle of Chattahoochie River  1930: Veterans Administration created 1962: Jackie Robinson inducted into the Baseball HOF 1985: "Back to the Future" released 1989: Supreme Court rules that states do not have to fund abortions 1996: Parliament announces that the Stone of Scone [Stone of Destiny] will be returned to Scotland after 700 years in Westminster Abbey Born: Samuel de Champlain, Franz Kafka, Julian Assange, George M Cohan, Tom Cruise, Dave Barry,  Died: Jim Morrison, Lew Hoad, Joel Chandler Harris [Uncle Remus stories],  Rudy Vallee, Don Drysdale, Boots Randolph, Andy Griffith,  Thought: Some of us have trouble sleeping. A few days ago I was reading Psalm 127:2--"He gives to His beloved even in his sleep." Have you ever considered what keeps you from falling asleep, what wakes you in the middle of the night? A few years ago, one of my class gave me the book, "Valley of Vision"  which is a collection of Puritan prayers. The language is a little...

  1776: Continental Congress resolves "these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent States ." 1839: Slaves aboard the Amistad revolt 1843: Alligator falls from the sky during a thunderstorm in Charleston, SC 1863: Battle rages at Little Round Top 1865: William and Catherine Booth found the East London Christian Mission--Salvation Army 1881: Charles Gaiteau shoots President Garfield 1964: LBJ signs Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act 1989: Steve Cauthen becomes the first jockey to win the 4 major derbies--Kentucky, Epsom, French and Irish. Born: Thurgood Marshall, Medgar Evers, Imelda Marcos, Larry David, Lindsay Lohan, Margot Robbie, Rene Lacoste, Richard Petty, Jose Canseco, Alex Morgan Died: Ernest Hemingway, Betty Grable, James Stewart, Elie Wiesel Thought: I'm not sure I have ever paid close attention to Psalm 145. I know I have read it, but maybe I have not really heard it before today. What a powerful psalm. Look at what David says: Wha...

1858: Darwin presents his paper on how natural selection accounts for the evolution of species to the Linnaean Society in London   1863: Battle of Gettysburg begins 1898: Charge up San Juan Hill 1903: Geronimo baptized in a Methodist Church in Oklahoma 1908: SOS becomes worldwide call for help 1941: Bulova pays $9 for the first network television commercial 1963: Zip code introduced 1997: Hong Kong returned to China Born: Rochambeau, Estee Lauder, Diana Spencer, Charles Laughton, Olivia de Havilland, Dan Aykroyd, Liv Tyler, Carl Lewis Died: Harriet Beecher Stowe, Juan Peron, Michael Landon, Marlon Brando Thought: Reading Psalm 144:1-2 this morning. Thinking about whether I approach every day as a day of battle. Certainly Paul's letter to the Ephesians reminds us that we are in a battle, that we need to put on our armor, pick up our sword and then stand fast and steadfast against the enemy. David had fought many battles---some as a boy against animals that attacked his flock---...