Church Life

  • Church Life

    My Favorite Championship Memory

    If you are a fan of sports, the chances are pretty good that, by the time you read this, the college football championship game will be a distant memory for you. After all, they’re already playing baseball. For just a few moments, though, I would like to share with you my favorite memory from that football championship game. It involves what seem to be two very contradictory factors. The first of those factors is that the memory involves a player who is one of the (if not the) most overlooked players on any team. The second, and seemingly contradictory factor, is that the argument could be made that this player is the most…

  • Church Life

    A Funny Story — A Serious Thought

    Several years ago, my mother was living in an assisted living home located very close to where Jim and I lived. It was wonderful because it allowed at least one of us to visit her almost every day. On one particular day I went to visit her in the early afternoon and I could tell from how everyone was acting that something special was going on. I found Mom sitting in a little alcove just outside of her room and next to the beauty shop. Her hair had been done (even thought it wasn’t her regular day), and she had on one of her nicest outfits. Then I noticed that the beauty shop…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    May I Ask a Favor?

    Today’s post is a simple request, but hopefully one you find benefit from. The request is this: please subscribe to Central’s YouTube channel. Now…why would you want to do that? In other words, what is there for you? Currently, we have four major things that you can expect on a regular basis: All worship services (as you would expect). We stream our entire service, so you can join in from home, go back and watch later, or simply find a sermon and watch the lesson.Adult Bible classes. Currently, all our adults are meeting together for class and that is also streamed, then archived. Hopefully, when we open up more, we…

  • Church Life

    Is It Still Happening?

    When the wise men were seeking Jesus after His birth, who was it that told them where He would be born? What group became some of the fiercest enemies of Jesus during His ministry on earth? What group leveled accusations against Jesus and also helped to incite people to demand His crucifixion? As many who read this probably already know, the answer to all of these questions is the chief priests. On some occasions, these men were also joined by others, but that was not always the case.   The purpose of this post is not to get into a detailed discussion of who these men were, how they came to their position, or…

  • Church Life

    The First Rooster

    I’m sure we have all heard the story about the man praying for God to save him from the flood who continually turned down everyone who tried to help him. He sent the early responders away, then the rescue boat, and finally even the helicopter. When he reached heaven he was confused and asked God why his faith wasn’t rewarded for he had told each of his would-be rescuers that he had prayed and he knew God would save him. The story says that God simply asked, “What was wrong with the helpers, boat, and helicopter I sent?” We all usually chuckle and make a promise to ourselves that we…

  • Church Life,  Family,  Marriage

    ReConnect: A Retreat for the Preacher and His Wife

    In the Fall of 2019, we were honored to help host the first ReConnect retreat, along with our friends Josh and Amanda Ketchum. The attendance was very small (our two couples and four others, plus one additional speaker) but those who came were greatly encouraged. The plan was to have the retreat annually… …then 2020 happened. Of course, we had to cancel. But we are so glad to let you know that ReConnect is back in 2021. In fact, we wanted so much to have it that we are not waiting for the Fall. Instead, we have moved this year’s retreat up to May! Already, we have more couples registered…

  • Church Life

    Wisdom and Knowledge

    Various attempts have been made to distinguish between wisdom and knowledge. I suppose that one of the more common efforts is to suggest that knowledge is the acquiring of information while wisdom is understanding how to use that knowledge. This may be the reason for one of my favorite illustrations between the two: Knowledge is understanding that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting a tomato in a fruit salad. While what I write here will by no means settle all of the questions that may come to mind about the difference(s) between wisdom and knowledge, I think that one passage of scripture may provide a good starting place for…

  • Church Life,  Family,  Legacy of Faith Podcast,  Parenting

    Episode 147: Building an Active Youth Group Calendar with Families in Mind [Podcast]

    https://media.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/content.blubrry.com/faughnfamily/Legacy_Podcast_147.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS (Player not displaying or working? Click here to listen.) Having a youth group schedule is never easy, and there is no way to have one that will make everyone happy. However, using experience both in youth ministry and as parents, Adam and Leah take this week’s episode to talk about how a congregation of any size can build a basic yet active youth ministry calendar without straining the schedules of families. Find our podcast on… Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Spotify Stitcher TuneIn Radio RSS

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  • Church Life

    Declutter and Organize

    I don’t know about you, but I have seen article after article and post after post about the title of this post – declutter and organize. I understand that at this time of year, many think that the first of the year is the time to declutter your house and organize your belongings. After all, it’s been cold outside and many of us have spent the bulk of our time indoors. When ice and snow and below freezing temperatures were added to the mix, we all hunkered down in our homes. Added to that, during this last year the Coronavirus has kept us at home even more. The thought of contracting Covid-19…

  • Church Life,  Family,  Parenting

    It Sticks With the Kids

    Last Sunday evening, we restarted Pew Packers. Well, we actually started what we are calling “Pew UNPackers,” in an attempt to remind the young people to not crowd up on the seats as we continue to do what we can, but to do so safely. For just 10 minutes before services, our younger children meet down front. We spend about 5-6 minutes singing Bible songs (some more “fun,” but some more “informational,” such as the books of the Bible), and the remainder of the time is spent learning Bible facts. (More about that in a moment.) I hadn’t realized how much I missed Pew Packers until we were involved in…