Allergy Alert: Continued ELEVATED LEVELS of TREE, GRASS and WEED pollen. https://www.forsyth.cc/EAP/pollen.aspx

A cosmic smile? Just before sunrise early Friday morning (around 5:30am) look Eastward for that Cosmic Smile. The planets of Venus and Saturn will align as “eyes,” with a crescent moon beneath them forming the ‘perfect grin’.  No telescope needed. It’s a rare illusion that only happens once every few decades. Praying for a clear sky…

https://www.popsci.com/science/smiley-face-triple-conjunction/

Brooker T’s Cafe in Lexington will likely re-open this Fall.

An accidental fire gutted Brooker T’s back in 2022. A promising update from the owners (according to News 2) framing, plumbing and rough electrical work is underway.

Update on that Bee Rock Creek Fire in McDowell County. The wildfire northeast of Marion in Western NC is now 94% contained. Good News: More rain showers are expected today! Follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nfsnc for additional information. https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/ncncf-2025-bee-rock-creek-fire-ncncf/bee-rock-creek-fire-42325-04-23-2025

*40 years ago this week (April 23, 1985) Coca-Cola introduced “New Coke”.  A marketing blunder! Public backlash was swift and fierce. Loyal customers flooded the company with complaints, and just 79 days later, Coca-Cola brought back the original formula as “Coca-Cola Classic.”

BTW: New Coke tasted sweeter and more like Pepsi, according to Yahoo News. Many consumers found it less flavorful and not as “punchy” as the original Coca-Cola. Some described it as tasting like a cream soda with a hint of citrus, or a diet soda without the kick. Do you remember ‘New Coke”??

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/coke-why-did-fail-spectacularly-220509598.html

MerleFest begins today (thru Sunday) at Wilkes Community College.

NOTE: NO big umbrellas allowed inside. FAQ: https://merlefest.org/festival-information/#faq

High Point Home Furnishings (Spring) Market begins Saturday and continues through Wednesday (April 26 – 30)

Max Lucado shares God’s gift of grace – and a new tattoo?

“I’m celebrating the golden anniversary of God’s great grace in my life.

50 years ago this spring, grace found me.  My testimony is interwoven with my favorite word in the Bible. The Greek word- “Tetelestai” (TAT-TELL-is-tie) or “paid in full”.

On a spring evening in 1975, I heard a preacher describe a grace that is greater than sin. On the cross Christ paid my debt. It is paid- paid in full. (Jn. 19:30)

I said “yes”. That was 50 years ago. In the intervening half century, I have failed Jesus many times, but he has never failed me.

To commemorate this anniversary, I got a (one word) tattoo (Tetelestai).

Not everyone likes the idea of a 70-year-old pastor getting a tattoo.

That’s ok. I didn’t do it for people, I did it to say thank you to Jesus who paid a debt I could not pay.”  Do you know this grace?

Check out Max Lucado’s “The Miracle of Salvation” where he shares more about God’s grace (and his new tattoo) https://oakhillschurch.com/watch

More about Max Lucado: https://www.facebook.com/maxlucado