Author: njumcadmin

Scripture:  Acts 8:26-40 When the very first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, fencing was one of the sports included and it has been part of every Olympiad since.   Fencing only really coalesced as a sport shortly before those first Olympics.   The first officially recognized fencing tournament was not held until 1880, and it … [Read more…]

It seems that Spring might finally have arrived.  The signs are all around.  Grass is growing and needs to be mowed.  More and more bugs are out buzzing, and dandelions are starting to burst out of the ground.   To most people dandelions are weeds.   They are botanical pests that are very hard to get rid … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Acts 4:5-12 The late John Lewis, ordained Baptist minister and congressman, once famously said, “Never be afraid to make some noise and get into good trouble, necessary trouble.”  Lewis was speaking from experience.   As a young man inspired by Martin Luther King, he became extremely involved in the civil rights movement. He found himself … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Acts 3:12-19 The feats of athleticism that the human body is capable of truly are amazing.  Athletes are constantly able to push themselves to set new records in how fast they can run, how fast they can swim, how far they can jump, or how much they can lift.  The accuracy with which a … [Read more…]

Scripture: 1 John 1:5-2:2 After almost eighteen years of marriage, I have learned that the way my wife and I interact with the world around us is fundamentally different.   We just do not approach stuff in quite the same way.  For instance and using pie as an example, she will take any given pie and … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Mark 16:1-8 According to the story, Dr. Bonk was a beloved chemistry teacher at Duke University.  One year two young men, who were doing well in the introduction to chemistry class, decided they did not need to take the final too seriously, so the night before the test they decided to travel several hours … [Read more…]

Given by The Gardners in memory of Bob, Betty and Jim Gardner, Bob Griese and Cyndi Kuehl. Given by Paul & Carola Forsythe in memory of Cora Forsythe and Mr. & Mrs. Elmer E. Marks. Given by The Born & Stalbaum Families in memory of Perry & Marian Lucas. Given by Sean & Abigail Johnson … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Mark 14:12-26 It seems every generation or so there is a watershed, defining moment.  These are event that burn themselves into our brain, so that even years later we feel like we can recall the details of exactly where we were when we first heard the news.   Even though the event is almost twenty … [Read more…]

It used to be when a movie ended and the credits started I would turn it off or pack up to leave the theater.   However, thanks in large part to the Marvel super-hero movies, post-credit scenes have become more and more common.  It is not unheard of for a movie to have multiple post credit … [Read more…]

Scripture:  John 15:9-17 On September 2nd, 1945 after six long years of global conflict, World War II officially ended with the formal surrender of Japan.  However, even though the war was officially over the fighting did not stop for everyone.  Across the Pacific as Japanese forces were forced to retreat they were given order to … [Read more…]