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…

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 It is sad to me that much of that has been replaced by what is known generally as “social media.”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…

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…

We were so thankful for Central livestreaming its worship services this past Sunday. Let me give you the quick backstory. I preached at Central Sunday morning and then our family took off on a trip. Our elders were gracious in giving me a few days off to travel to Texas to meet our new nephew, who was born last week. Our plan was to drive about half-way, go to worship somewhere locally, and then finish our trip Monday morning. However, our “timing” was off in one place to stop for worship (partially because many congregations in that area have not restarted Sunday evening services yet) and, as we continued down…

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…

[Editor’s note: this post, as you will see, is a bit dated, but the message is timeless, so we shared it anyway. –Adam] I am typing these words just a few days after our most recent national election. As I type them, I have absolutely no idea who the occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. will be after January 20th of next year. The race for the highest office in our land and other contests are still undecided.   By the time you read this, the decision(s) may already be made. However, also by the time you read this, there may still be some repercussions from all of this. Some of…

[NOTE: This post is my bulletin article for the Central Church of Christ for this upcoming Sunday. I do not usually re-use material in this way, but I have had the idea for this post on my mind for a long time, so I decided to share it in both locations. –Adam] Just a few years ago, we never could have imagined having such a resource as social media. Though email was a big deal, the reach and impact of such sites as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is nothing short of remarkable. None of these sites is good or bad in themselves, but how they are used decides the proper…

I am writing this on Election Day 2020. Scanning social media just before I started writing, I saw post after post after post about the election (I even wrote one). It’s been that way for weeks, if not months. Additionally, there have been a slew of posts about the virus, and, in fits and starts, about social justice and unrest. If you were to think back for, say, the last 6 months, wouldn’t you agree that those topics have utterly dominated your social media timeline, as well as, likely, your face-to-face conversations? And, that’s fine. They are all huge stories and have vast importance to our personal lives as well…

Early in the pandemic in England, one wildlife park had five parrots donated within just a few days of each other. Pressed for space, the park put the five birds in the same area and the birds got along well. However, when the park recently reopened to the public, the zoo had a problem: the birds had spent the last few months alone, and had “taught” each other to use rude and profane language. So, in an attempt to keep things family-friendly, the zoo recently had to take the birds off of display. For about seven months now, we have been holed up and, even if we are out and…