Pastor John’s Blog

It’s the start of a new year, and what better time to try and build a new habit to help you grow closer to Christ in the coming year? 2023 was an amazing year and we saw God do so many powerful things at Valley View. I believe God has positioned us to be a part of reaching our community for Christ in powerful new ways in 2024!

No matter what you’ve been through in life, no matter what mistakes you’ve made, you can find a fresh start, a new beginning in Christ. 

“The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot
grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will
yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will
be, by the better angels of our nature.”

I Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up.” Sometimes we don’t realize how our words might land on others. It helps to take a step back and think it through beforehand. As Christians we are called to work hard to be kind and encouraging to others in our relationships. I know that’s not always easy, but that’s when we’re called to be most intentional, especially when it’s not easy.

It has often amazed me how some people can be super competitive, while others couldn’t care less. For instance, Millionaire Richard B. Mellon famously said on his deathbed, to his brother, “Last Tag. You’re it.” Thus completing their seven-decade game of tag. That’s some dedication. Contrast that with those that quickly realize some things aren’t really worth competing over. It took me a while to realize this.

Queen Elizabeth was known for her deep and sincere faith. In a conversation with her chaplain, she said, “How I wish the Lord would come in my lifetime.” “Why?” asked the Chaplain. The Queen replied with a trembling voice full of emotion. “I should so love to lay down my crown at His feet.”

I started taking guitar lessons in middle school. I liked the teacher, the guitar shop, the musicians always lingering in the hazy room laying down their rock riffs, the rows of lacquered guitars whispering “buy me.” All of that was great, but what I enjoyed most was sneaking over to the donut shop next door before the lesson and buying two cream horns, one for me, and one for my teacher. And what made the cream horn glorious was the amazing creamy center. 

It was another early morning in the early 2000s. A co-worker picked me up for our regular trip to the gym. Our goal was to get in our workout and get back home before most had fired up their coffee pots. In hindsight, we both would have been better off to get more sleep and workout later in the day. 

I was listening to an interview with a former Green Beret and he said one of the things they did to get ready for real combat was to try and simulate the chaos of the moment. So when they practiced shooting, they didn’t just calmly go out to a nice quiet gun range and take each shot with measured precision. Instead they would run five miles hard with full gear, then plop down and shoot.

This past Sunday Eddie Lee Brooks, our Children’s Minister for 44 years, shared that her time leading our children is coming to a close. I’m honored that I have been able to serve alongside Eddie Lee for the last two years. She began investing in me when I was six years old, a hyper-active kid in her first year of Children’s Ministry. Now I’ve had a chance to watch her be an integral part of the Church Staff. She is always quick to invest in others, eager to serve, very patient, humble, and kind, with a heart for loving the needy.