Dave W. Jacobs

Our Lord‘s love letters often come to us in dark envelopes. (Charles Spurgeon)

God will lead you, almost without you knowing it, if you will be faithful to come before him quietly. (François Fenelon)

Historybook: Sharpshooter Annie Oakley born (1860); Florence Nightingale, pioneer of modern nursing, dies (1910); Fidel Castro born (1926); Construction of the Berlin Wall begins (1961); Baseball great Mickey Mantle dies (1995); Celebrity chef Julia Child dies (2004).

Former Pastors Share Reasons Behind Their Ministry Exit - Lifeway Research As former pastors reflect on their time in the ministry, they highlight areas of concern and offer suggestions for current pastors.

research.lifeway.com/2025/08/12/f...

Helping Bill Stretch The Tape. “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was taken, on that same day the hand of the Lord was upon me and ...

Helping Bill Stretch The Tape. open.substack.com/pub/davewjac...

While you live on earth you can understand only in part. (François Fenelon)

Historybook: Egyptian queen Cleopatra dies by suicide (30 BCE, estimated); James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies (1964); IBM personal computer is released (1981); Sue, largest-ever Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, discovered (1990); Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall dies (2014).

If you pick fruit before the fruit ripens, you will spoil it completely. (François Fenelon)

Solomon was right when he said that there is nothing new under the sun. The wrapping of the box might be different but the content of the box is the same.

Never make important decisions in a state of distress. You just are not able to see clearly. When you are calm and collected, you will find the will of God more clearly known. (François Fenelon)

Historybook: Author and historian Alex Haley born (1921); Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak born (1950); Actress Viola Davis born (1965); Final US ground combat troops leave South Vietnam during Vietnam War (1972); Robin Williams dies by suicide (2014).

Historybook: Shakespeare's 11-year-old son Hamnet dies (1596); Frederick Douglass gives Nantucket speech that launches him as a public lecturer (1841); Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak born (1950); Painter Jackson Pollock dies in a car accident (1956); Minnesota's Mall of America opens (1992)

Cultivate silence as much as possible. Be in no hurry to judge. Hold back your decisions, your likes and dislikes. Stop at once when your activity becomes too hurried. Do not be eager, even for good things. (François Fenelon)

Historybook: The US drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing over 40,000 (1945); Singer Whitney Houston born (1963); Actress Sharon Tate, four others murdered by Manson Family (1969); Gerald Ford becomes US president as Richard Nixon resigns (1974); Musician Jerry Garcia dies (1995).

Historybook: Thomas Edison patents the mimeograph (1876); Writer Shirley Jackson dies (1965); President Richard Nixon announces his resignation (1974); Roger Federer born (1981); Olivia Newton-John dies (2022).

4 coaching calls today: 3 Vineyard and 1 UMC.

Just arrived.

Two coaching calls today: 1 UMC and 1 Presbyterian.

"If you look at how flawed you are, you will upset yourself and interrupt the presence of God and his perfect work within you. The embarrassment you feel at seeing your own faults is a greater problem than the original fault." (François Fenelon)

Historybook: Actress Lucille Ball born (1911); Pop artist Andy Warhol born (1928); "Little Boy" atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, killing more than 70,000 (1945); Actress Michelle Yeoh born (1962); Voting Rights Act signed (1965); Curiosity rover lands on Mars (2012).

When Pastors Reach Their Limit: Reflections From the Pulpit - Lifeway Research Pastor attrition is more than a number. What do pastors say about why they left their previous church? What's the story behind their move?

research.lifeway.com/2025/08/04/w...

3 coaching calls today...love it.

Historybook: Space pioneer Neil Armstrong born (1930); Marilyn Monroe found dead in her Los Angeles home (1962); The US, the UK, and the Soviet Union sign Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963); Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison dies (2019)

3 coaching calls today: 2 Vineyard, 1 UMC.

Historybook: Jazz legend Louis Armstrong born (1901); Anne Frank and family are captured after two years hiding from Nazis (1944); President Barack Obama born (1961); Meghan, Duchess of Sussex born (1981); Rwanda peace treaty signed (1993).

Ministry Lessons from the Bottom of the Cave - Christianity Today Elijah’s greatest lesson came not from fire on the mountain, but from a whisper in the dark. When pastors feel like quitting, God may be just getting started.

www.christianitytoday.com/2025/08/mini...

In 2023, one in eleven people around the world faced hunger. In Africa, it was one in five. The UN reports that over 2 billion people live with moderate or severe food insecurity despite the fact that today's global food production is enough to feed everyone on the planet.

Historybook: Declaration of Independence is signed (1776); American actress Myrna Loy born (1905); Alexander Graham Bell dies (1922); Author and activist James Baldwin born (1924); Iraq invades Kuwait, leading to Gulf War (1990).