​Everything that we encounter in life leads to a response.  With that in mind, these responses can be both good and bad.  But no matter the case, something happens.  So it is with matters pertaining to the church.  For centuries, the church has been placed in countless moments where there has been an opportunity to respond or react to all sorts of things.  One example comes to us from Acts chapter 8.  Acts chapter 7 ends with the persecution of the Apostle Stephen.  Such a trying time for the movement of the early church.  Then, chapter 8 introduces us to a man named Saul.  A man who was there at the stoning of Stephen and a man who was determined to end the movement of the early church.  So how did the church respond?  How did they respond to Saul giving approval to the execution of Stephen and his full commitment to dragging off God-fearing men and women to prison?  Acts 8:4-5 says this from the ESV, “4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.”  The early believers were scattered because of the great persecution that was taking place, but they still stayed on point.  They continued to live out the mission that they were commissioned to do.  How about you?  How would you respond?  My hope, for all of us, is that we would stay on task.  That we would continue to live out the mission that we were commissioned for.
 
Think about it.  Pray about it.  God bless.

​Men Follow Men
 
This past Sunday, some of the men of Central came together to enjoy a meal, spend some time in fellowship, and to also spend some time connecting through discussion.  The opening thoughts that I gave to our time were those three words you see above, MEN FOLLOW MEN.  The desire of the leadership here at Central is to see our men, and our women, rise up to be the church that Jesus died to save.  We can all look at the status of our society when it comes to the state of kids and families and churches.  Then, for us to understand that leadership is a God-given gift that all of creation is blessed with in one fashion or another, what we do next matters.  So then, please pray as we take our steps forward into ministry over maintenance.  Please pray as we move into this exciting new adventure that God has prepared us for and is continuing to prepare us for.  These are exciting times at Central.  Good things, Godly things, are happening.  We just find ourselves where a lot of our churches have been throughout the history of Christianity; we need leaders to rise to the occasion.  Godly men and Godly women.  No age requirement has been applied.  Passion and determination and patience a must, but make no mistake, we can’t do it without you.  Men follow men.  Women follow men.  Christians follow Christians.  Disciples follow disciples.  So, who’s in? 
Think about it.  Pray about it.  God bless.

​As I watched the faces of those in the audience, I found myself experiencing moments of joy of what is and what is yet to come.  This is what is exciting about new adventures.  I am one of those that likes to be as prepared as I can going into different situations, but as usual, God reminds me to keep the faith.  You see, the unknown can be scary.  The unknown can be, well, unknown.  And, with that, the very thought of experiencing joy with certain adventures that we are not privileged with knowing all the details, seems such a foreign thought.  In many occasions, joy is the last thing we would experience.  As a matter of fact, we would feel some completely different emotions.  Those emotions could be fear, anxiety, an uneasiness, loss of control, etc.  But, when it comes to our walk with Christ, we understand what it means to experience joy as we venture into unknown seasons of life. 
You see, it was persecution that set all this into motion.  The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and then the 40 days that He spent with the disciples after His resurrection is what lead some ordinary followers to deliver a Spirit inspired message that could be heard and understand by everyone within earshot.  It was a persecution experienced by Stephen that helped to spark a movement that began in Samaria and continued on to the ends of the earth.  No matter what, where we go next (we being Central), we go with a Spirit inspired message.  A message that leads to unity.  A message that leads the lost and the saved to Christ.  But make no mistake, it is a message that needs to be told.  And, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news (Romans 10:15)!”  So, are you ready to be difference makers?
Think about it.  Pray about it.  God bless.

​“For the past hundred years in some theological circles, resurrection has been misrepresented as a doctrine that promotes indifference.  Somewhere along the way this core truth of Christianity changed from a revolutionary story to one that maintains the status quo.  We started hearing the resurrection of Jesus presented as a way of saying, ‘If you just wait ’til you die, things will get better.  So, don’t rock the boat now.’  But Acts offers us a different idea about what resurrection means. It’s not this idea that endorses the way things are. Instead it is a story about a person, and a hope that what God did for that person is going to happen for the entire world.  Some of the riots in Acts are directly tied to Jesus’ followers preaching the resurrection.  Because the resurrection isn’t always seen as a good thing.  If the status quo works for you, if the world benefits you, you might not like the idea of a God who is turning the world upside down.”  (From, “How to Start a Riot” by Jonathan Storment)
Starting Sunday the 10th, we are going to begin a journey through the book of Acts with a series titled, “NEXT.”  NEXT is about seeing things the way they are and discipling in those moments.  NEXT is about understanding where we came from but seeing what needs to be or what must be done in order to take that NEXT step into being the church that Jesus gave His life for.  So, who’s ready to take that NEXT step?  Who’s ready to start a riot?  As Storment puts its, Support Your Local Jesus Revolution.
Think about it.  Pray about it.  God bless.