Tech

  • Bible study,  Church Life,  Tech

    When “Googled” Becomes “Taped”

    It doesn’t take long in our world for something to become obsolete. I’m old enough to remember when my parents got their first television. I thought it was wonderful. The three of us could sit in front of a fairly large piece of furniture and watch comedies, westerns, sports, news, etc. in “living black and white” as long as the antenna was working properly. Back then I never dreamed that I’d ever have a color television that I could hang on a wall and have my choice of what to watch on more than three channels. It never occurred to me back then that I could choose the channel I wanted to watch, find that…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    More Christian Encouragement

    We rarely post on Fridays (unless we release a podcast…which…well…we don’t do often), but I wanted to share a rare Friday post today. The reason is to let you know about some other things in which I (Adam) am involved on a regular basis through Central that you may find encouraging. While we do other things online from Central (livestreaming services, “Central Focus” videos, and more), here are three that are fairly new that I hope you find encouraging. Central Sermons Podcast. While we have podcasted our sermons before, we have run into a lot of trouble with our feed in the past. So, recently, we relaunched our sermon podcast…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    You Say It Best…

    Several years ago, a former NFL coach became a meme when he was fuming about how many people get into trouble for things they text or share on social media. The meme was him very quickly and passionately saying, “Don’t press send!” My article today is a “backup” article. By that I mean this: I had one ready to publish (I try to have ideas done several weeks in advance in possible and then write the posts out a week or so ahead of time) and it was done except for the graphic. Then…I re-read it. While I actually think the article is true and the overall message is one…

  • Church Life,  Evangelism,  Tech

    A Tale of Two Social Feeds

    Feed #1 This is my social media. On it, I want to tell you what I have done. I want you to read what I think about things. I want you to know where I am, what I am doing, and who I am with. Through my feed, you will see who I am wishing a happy anniversary and who I am telling “happy birthday” to. On here, you will see pictures of me. You will see my new clothes and you will see me standing by my new car. You’ll know that I voted…and who I voted for (or against). Through my social media feed, you will know what…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    A Timely (and Much Needed) Reminder

    I am not sure when this will be posted, but I believe that it will be relevant regardless of when that happens. At least I hope that is the case. I am typing these words on the day after many in our nation were shocked for the second time about the same subject. Some of us, including me, are old enough to have experienced both shocks.   The first shock happened on January 22, 2026 when the U. S. Supreme Court decision known as Row v. Wade sort of “came out of the blue.” As I remember it, prior to 1973, it was almost unthinkable that there would be such a thing as…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    Media Culture vs. Christian Distinctiveness

    One of the struggles Christians in all times face is the balancing act of trying to live in a culture without just accepting anything and everything the culture throws our way. In our modern and hyper-connected world, one of those balancing acts is dealing with the media and how much it can overtake our morals sensibilities. From TV to internet to radio and beyond, we are inundated with entertainment. We can be amazed by athletic feats at all times, or we can listen to any song we want at any time. We can stream thousands of movies and TV shows for as long as we want. We can entertain ourselves nearly endlessly.…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    Can They See God Through My Feed?

    Facebook was down earlier this week. For several hours on Monday, Facebook-along with other services they own such as Instagram and WhatsApp-were inaccessible. I thought about writing this article about how the world was still able to keep spinning despite those sites being down for a few hours, but their downtime also brought to mind something I have been thinking about-and praying about-quite a lot lately. One of the main features of social media can be both a blessing and a curse. One of the things we love about Facebook and similar outlets is the ability to share pictures and other personal things with our friends and family. Pictures of…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    Sharing, Spreading, and Stirring

    I’m old enough to remember when “being social” meant that a person enjoyed being around other people. People invited others into their homes, went to “social events,” and found other ways to share in the lives of one another - in person. It is sad to me that much of that has been replaced by what is known generally as “social media.” It is also very sad to me that the media being referred to is often something other than social.   I think that I may have an account on more than one of those social media platforms, but I’m one of those dinosaurs whose primary outlet is Facebook. I know that…

  • Church Life,  Family,  Tech

    Words Are Important, But…

    Many years ago, I received a degree in Communication from Southern Illinois University. My minor was in English, and so as you might have guessed, I have always been interested in communicating. I taught basic speech and English on the High School and Junior College level for several years, and I loved it. One of the lessons I learned, which has not changed these many years later, is that words are important. We use them to express what we want others to know about us or some subject we may be discussing. I always taught that it was important to think before you speak and make sure that the words you use are…

  • Church Life,  Tech

    One of My Favorite Things on Social Media Right Now

    I almost gave this post the title “My Favorite Thing on Social Media Right Now,” but that wouldn’t be right. After all, seeing baptisms and other responses to the Gospel will-hopefully-forever be my favorite thing on Facebook and Instagram. Then, seeing family activities will, I hope, always be right near the top. However, there is something I am seeing more and more of the last few days as school years are finished and summer events unfold that I simply cannot get enough of. What is it? Youth group activities that did not happen in 2020. I am loving seeing church camps will full worship services, youth devotionals, service projects, and…