Thought for Today

 1521: Martin Luther excommunicated 1777: Washington wins the battle of Princeton 1977: Apple Computer incorporated 1987: Aretha Franklin is the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1996: Motorola StarTAC clamshell flip phone goes on sale Born: Cicero, JRR Tolkien, Mel Gibson, Greta Thunberg Died: Jack Ruby, Joy Adamson, Josiah Wedgwood, Conrad Hilton, Phil Everly,  Thought: Thinking about the New Year led me to look at the word "new" in the Bible. As we start the new year, maybe the Lord has something to tell me about how He makes all things new [Revelation 21:5] Today I am looking at Deuteronomy 32, the Song of Moses, and particularly 32:17. As you know, the Song of Moses tells the story of God's faithfulness to Israel and Israel's unfaithfulness to God. The first 14 verses recall the might, power and blessings of God--His creation, His provision for Israel, His protection over Israel, and the blessings of the Promised Land. Beginning with verse ...

1833: Louis Aguirre makes first photograph of the moon 1906: Willis Carrier receives patent for  air conditioner 1921: First religious service broadcast in the U.S.--Calvary Presbyterian, Pittsburgh 1935: Bruno Hauptmann trial begins 1942: Japanese occupy Manila 1943: Kentucky begins 129 game home winning streak in basketball--ends 1955 1944: First use of helicopters in war 1965: Jets sign Joe Namath 1966: First Jewish child born in Spain since 1492 1974: Nixon imposes 55 mph speed limit Born: Isaac Asimov, Dabney Coleman, Roger Miller, Jim Bakker, Jack Hanna, Edgar Martinez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Taye Diggs Died: Ovid, Guccio Gucci, Dick Powell, Tex Ritter, Alan Hale, Little Jimmy Dickens, Sabine Baring Gould [wrote the words to "Onward Christian Soldiers" as a children's marching tune, music by Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan; also wrote "Now the Day is Over"], Edward Perronet [wrote "All Hail the Power of Jesus Name"], Edward Caswall ["When...

 45 BC: Julian Calendar becomes effective 630: Muhammad sets out for Mecca 1519: Swiss Reformation begins as Huldrych Zwingli becomes priest of Zurich and begins preaching through the Bible. I visited his church in Zurich last Spetember. 1660: First entry in Samuel Pepys' diary 1700: Most of Europe begins using the Gregorian calendar 1724: Daniel Fahrenheit proposes a temperature scale 1801: United Kingdom forms 1802: Thomas Jefferson responds to a letter from the Danbury Baptist Association expressing concern about being forced to belong to a State established church. Jefferson replies, "there is a wall of separation between Church and State." 1818: Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" published 1847: Michigan is first state to abolish capital punishment 1863: The Emancipation Proclamation 1880: Construction of Panama Canal begins 1890: First Rose Parade 1892: Ellis Island opens 1896: Rontgen announces discovery of x-rays 1916: First blood transfusion using stored...

 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...