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Jul 31

Resurrection Reverberations – Courage Corps

Key Bible Verse: While we live, we live to please the Lord. And when we die we go to be with the Lord. – Romans 14:8

Bonus Reading: Colossians 3:1-4

Tom Yoder was frustrated. For six months as a Peace Corps volunteer he’d worked diligently to earn the trust of an African tribe. He was eager to share with them plans for irrigation ditches, lessons about crop rotation, and new ways to market their surplus fruits and vegetables. But he remained a distrusted outsider.

One day a young boy came to Tom’s hut. He pointed to the far end of the village and said, “The family that lives in that hut has fallen ill. They’ve been abandoned to die. But the children are my friends. Can you help?”

Tom rushed to the forbidden hut, entered, and immediately realized that the family had contracted yellow fever. For the next six days, Yoder bathed, fed, and nursed the family until each was strong enough to be transported 90 miles to a hospital. Each family member returned later, completely healed.

The villagers then called Yoder the “great fearless one.” From then on they listened to him, accepting all his farming ideas.

Tom wrote about this amazing turn in his journal: “It’s easy to be fearless when you’ve been vaccinated against a disease.” Followers of Christ have substituted all fear of death with God’s promise of everlasting security.

—Dennis Hensley in More than Meets the Eye

My Response: Do others sense my “wonderful expectation” of my own resurrection?

Thought to Apply: It is the Devil’s business to keep Christians mourning beside the cross instead of demonstrating that Jesus Christ is risen indeed.—Ray Stedman

Adapted from More than Meets the Eye (Kregel, 2004)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 30

What do we mean by resurrection?

Metaphors for resurrection are often found in nature. Image by zhugher, courtesy of Pixabay.

United Methodists affirm the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. Our doctrinal statements express this directly.

We affirm the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

“Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took again his body, with all things appertaining to the perfection of man’s nature” (Article III, Articles of Religion).

We affirm the resurrection of all people who have ever died.

“We believe all men stand under the righteous judgment of Jesus Christ, both now and in the last day. We believe in the resurrection of the dead; the righteous to life eternal and the wicked to endless condemnation” (Article XII, Confession of Faith).

What exactly do we believe about resurrection? Or, put more directly, what is resurrection?

Want to learn more?

Find links to all articles in this series.

It is important to begin with what resurrection is not. Resurrection is not the resuscitation of a person who had previously died. Resurrection is not like zombies pushing their way out of graves and tombs and roaming the streets in hordes. Resurrection does not make people or bodies “undead.”

Resurrection makes people truly, fully, and completely alive.

In I Corinthians 15, the most extensive discussion of the traits of resurrection in the New Testament, Paul indicates resurrection does not result in the mere reviving of the physical body that was buried, but rather a spiritual body. While this newly created spiritual body is still “us” in some way, ultimately it is very different and full of far greater potential than what came before.

“What is sown is perishable,
what is raised is imperishable.
It is sown in dishonor,
it is raised in glory.
It is sown a physical body,
it is raised a spiritual body” (I Corinthians 15:42b-44, NRSV).

What is also important to keep in mind is the meaning of the term resurrection within Christian theology, and especially Christian eschatology (understanding of the last or ultimate things). Resurrection describes a form of life that is not of this present age, but rather of the age to come. The spiritual body is a new creation just as is the “new heaven and new earth” described in Revelation 21:1:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth:
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.” (NRSV).

This newly created spiritual body is created for thriving on the new earth in the new creation.

So, what does all of this mean for us now?

We can take comfort that no matter what time and decay do to our physical bodies, it is not in their physical condition that we have hope. Our hope is in the One who raised Jesus from the dead, and whose resurrection body is the first example of what ours will be, when we, too, are raised at the last day.

We can understand that neither efforts to preserve flesh destined to decay nor cremation or organ donation hinders what God will do in resurrection. Understanding the nature of resurrection helps us put any unfounded fears aside when making choices that honor our beloved dead.

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At the same time, it gives us opportunity to think carefully about what it means that even these bodies are called “a temple of the Holy Spirit” in this life (I Corinthians 6:19. NRSV). The body to come is spiritual through and through. But even now, as we await the promise of resurrection, this flesh is capable of housing the divine. So while we live, we are called to treat our bodies with reverence — our own and that of every neighbor.

“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:22, Book of Common Prayer, 1979)

Even now, in Christ we are new creations. We experience the promise of life beyond death, as well as the promise of new beginnings in our present life. And we experience a foretaste here and now of the fullness of resurrection in the age to come when God will “wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, CEB)

This content was produced by Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

Central Church

Jul 30

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 7-29-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of July 29, 2021, showing material erosions over last week.

The Incidence Rate moved up 24.4 points (142.7%) to 41.5 from last week’s 17.1 deep into the Moderate category.

The PCR Positivity Rate has moved up to 7.1% from last week’s 3.9%, back in the Moderate category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved up during the past week from 16.8 and 2.7% to 29.8 and 3.7%.)

- Beaver County is now classified as MODERATE.

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is Hybrid Learning.)

The Delta COVID-19 variant first identified in India is more contagious and can cause more severe illness than other known variants. The variant can produce 10 times the amount of virus in people’s airways as the one first idsentified in the UK. In other words, it’s more contagious than the viruses behind MERS, SARS, Ebola, the 1918 flu, and smallpox.
Vaccinated people who get breakthrough infections – an estimated tens of thousands of people in the US each week – may spread delta as easily as unvaccinated people. However, they’re less likely than the unvaccinated to get infections in the first place – or to get severely ill or die.

Of all the people who died of COVID-19 last month, 99.2% were unvaccinated, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

On April 5, the CDC issued a “Science Brief” outlining that, in addition to people becoming infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects, the principal mode by which people are infected with COVID-19 is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus.

Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 5.9, so resuming small group meetings will not be feasible until we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now in the USA.

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.

Jul 30

Resurrection Reverberations – Daring Death Defyers

Key Bible Verse: Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, so that he might be Lord of those who are alive and of those who have died. – Romans 14:9

Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

The thought of death has always intimidated. Today most people buy life insurance and try not to think about it. Marxist philosopher Ernst Bloch says secularists live on a “borrowed credit card,” glossing over the problem of death with “wishful dreams” based on inherited Christian views. But what ultimate meaning is there to an existence that after eight or nine decades passes into sheer nothingness?

Christians believe that death isn’t a passage into nothingness but a transition into a glorious eternity.

Why? Because one person, Jesus of Nazareth, has already returned from the dead. For Christians, death doesn’t terrify because the tomb was empty, because the One with whom the disciples had lived appeared to them and assured them that He is alive forevermore. So we declare with Paul, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

That’s why the Christian can act courageously. Our motto isn’t life at any cost; death for the King’s cause is no disaster. Since we await the risen Lord, we dare to face down racists, go as missionaries to danger spots, leave secure homes to join the poor in oppressive situations, and apply His call to peace and justice in our governments.

—Ronald Sider in The Gospel with Extra Salt

My Response: Am I refusing to face ultimate life-and-death issues?

Thought to Apply: The Resurrection is not only the Good News, it is the best news imaginable.—Ray Stedman

Adapted from The Gospel with Extra Salt (Judson, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 29

Resurrection Reverberations – Last Rites First

Key Bible Verse: I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. – Galatians 2:20

Bonus Reading: Colossians 2:6-12

In 1837 three young Methodist ministers—James Calvert, John Hunt, and Thomas Jagar—and their wives set out from England for the Fiji Islands. Theirs was a difficult assignment. The venture was only three years old, and the people were still cannibals. They saw hardly any fruit during their first few years of service.

Then in 1845 revival swept through the islands. Chief Thadkombau, who’d been the main opponent of Christianity, was converted. Within a few years the islands were completely transformed as the gospel took hold of the people there.

Earlier, the captain of the ship that transported the three couples from England tried to dissuade them from going to the islands. He told James Calvert, “You’ll lose your lives and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages.”

Calvert replied, “We died before we came here.”

In the previous century, the founder of their movement, John Wesley, said, “Give me a hundred men who love God with all their hearts and fear nothing but sin, and I will move the world.” Those three young missionaries were part of God’s answer to Wesley’s prayer—and a demonstration of living in resurrection power.

—Leighton Ford in Good News Is for Sharing

My Response: What have I died to for Christ? How have I drawn on resurrection power?

Thought to Apply: I became my own only when I gave myself to Another.—C. S. LEWIS (British scholar, writer)

Adapted from Good News Is for Sharing (Cook, 1977)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 28

Resurrection Reverberations – Energy Emission

Key Bible Verse: Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. – Romans 6:4

Bonus Reading: Romans 6:1-11

The New Testament says that when people believe in Jesus Christ, then the same divine power that raised Jesus from the dead now works in believers to empower them to live the way Jesus did.

Just as Christ died and was raised, so by faith we can die to the old life of selfishness and rise to a new life in Christ. “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism” (Romans 6:4).

Now that the risen Lord lives in those who believe in Him, they will for His sake live for others. This may mean rejecting or abandoning an attractive position in Toronto or Vancouver to work with the poor in the Third World. It may mean deciding to live in the scarred inner city rather than in the pleasant suburbs. It will certainly mean risking the disapproval of friends, colleagues, and parishioners by clearly and persistently announcing the biblical word that God is on the side of the poor and calls us to be peacemakers.

Because Christ lives in us, we have the spiritual energy to choose the difficult. We’ll be able to exhibit the same kind of love Christ revealed in dying for us precisely because the God who raised our Lord Jesus now raises us to a new life for others.

—Ronald Sider in The Gospel with Extra Salt

My Response: How is my resurrection life flowing out to others?

Thought to Apply: Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the Resurrection.—John Stott (British pastor)

Adapted from The Gospel with Extra Salt (Judson, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 28

Central – COVID-19 – CDC Revised Guidance – 7-27-2021

If you’ve been watching the news at all earlier today, you’ve probably seen coverage on the CDC’s revised guidance that they released today regarding mask-wearing by fully-vaccinated people.

So, if you’re wondering what that means for us in Beaver County, PA, here is the summary:

As of today, the CDC is not recommending that the fully-vaccinated in Beaver County wear masks indoors.

The CDC recommends indoor mask-wearing by the fully-vaccinated in area of Substantial or High

In contrast, Beaver County is currently classified as Moderate.

In an interview, Gov. Wolf told KDKA Newsradio earlier today that he has no intention of bringing back a mask mandate, saying that the strategy in Pennsylvania has been the vaccine.

“If you want to protect yourself – get the vaccine. We did a masking mandate back when we didn’t have a vaccine, and back in the early days, but we’re not there now.”

He also said that everyone now has the ability to make the decision to get a vaccine.

However, in contrast, much of the rest of the USA is currently classified as High, so take precautions if you will be traveling to any of those states.

Central Church

Jul 27

Resurrection Reverberations – Energy Emission

Key Bible Verse: Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. – Romans 6:4

Bonus Reading: Romans 6:1-11

The New Testament says that when people believe in Jesus Christ, then the same divine power that raised Jesus from the dead now works in believers to empower them to live the way Jesus did.

Just as Christ died and was raised, so by faith we can die to the old life of selfishness and rise to a new life in Christ. “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism” (Romans 6:4).

—Ronald Sider in The Gospel with Extra Salt

My Response: How is my resurrection life flowing out to others?

Thought to Apply: Perhaps the transformation of the disciples of Jesus is the greatest evidence of all for the Resurrection.—John Stott (British pastor)

Adapted from The Gospel with Extra Salt (Judson, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 26

Resurrection Reverberations – The Great Omission

Key Bible Verse: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

Bonus Reading: Colossians 1:15-22

I was thrilled that our President called the nation to prayer on the Friday after the terrorist attack. The previously cynical press embraced the event like eager altar boys. Dignitaries and beltway politicians lined the front rows like approving deacons and elders.

“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” was sung with power. President Bush delivered a reverent yet moving message peppered with biblical references. Billy Graham spoke of his faith in Jesus and pointed to the cross on the wall.

But afterward, as I basked in the glow of the momentous cathedral service, a friend said to me, “Did you notice that when ‘A Mighty Fortress’ was sung they omitted the second stanza?” I hadn’t, and quickly recalled the words:

“Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing. Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He; Lord Sabaoth, His name, From age to age the same, and He must win the battle.

In post-9/11 America, God was back but Jesus was not. The thought of Jesus as the supreme and exclusive victor over evil, was too disruptive. Too divisive.

—Joseph Stowell in The Trouble with Jesus

My Response: How prepared am I to stick up for Jesus as the world’s “only way” Savior?

Adapted from The Trouble with Jesus (Moody, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 25

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 9th Sunday after Pentecost – Christmas in July – 7-25-2021

On this warm, humid seventh Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience of Christmas in July!

Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!

AND…

Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
- To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
- To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
  - A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.

To begin, simply click on one of the links below to join with the folks who have already made their way into our digital Sanctuary. You can find this week’s online worship service on both Facebook and YouTube at the following coordinates:

- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2997073237280302
- YouTube – https://youtu.be/NiEsOfzurK0

(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Jul 25

Resurrection Reverberations – Radical Redefinition

Who Said It…Ronald Sider

Ron shook North American Christians in 1977 with his book, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. Since then he’s continued to live in inner-city Philadelphia, promoting community development, writing provocative books, and publishing Prism magazine.

Sider, raised in Canada, is the professor of theology and culture at Eastern Seminary, and the founder and president of Evangelicals for Social Action.

What He Said…Radical Redefinition

Before the Resurrection, Jesus’ followers called him “Master,” “Rabbi,” “Teacher.” Afterward they called him “Messiah,” “Son of God,” “Lord.”

This word lord (Greek kurios) was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to translate the word Yahweh—the name for the one God at the center of Jewish monotheism. It became a frequently used title for Jesus.

Paul applied to Jesus the words from Isaiah 45:23, which the monotheistic prophet had used for Yahweh. After mocking the idols, Yahweh insisted that He alone was God: “Every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to my name.”

The rabbinically trained Paul—an uncompromising monotheist in his day—took those words from the mouth of Yahweh and applied them to Jesus, declaring that “at the name of Jesus every knew will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11). The carpenter is kurios—God!

Adapted from The Gospel with Extra Salt (Judson, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Please show me, Lord, how the reality of Easter should impact my day-to-day life.

Jul 24

Destiny and Detours – Navigating Through the Wilderness

The ragtag “marching army” of Jacob’s enslaved descendants abandoned the beaten travel route from Egypt to the Fertile Crescent, heading from Etham into uncharted wilderness.

That’s when the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night appeared. Forty years later, as they crossed the Jordan River into Canaan, it disappeared.

While we don’t require such visible direction, the pillar provides important clues about how God guides His children today.

Interact with God’s Word

Exodus 13:17-22

Was the circuitous route the Israelites took to the Promised Land a chance development or was it deliberately directed?
What reason for this divinely directed detour is given in verse 17?
What other reason is described at length in the next chapter (14:1-4, 19-28)?
Why would taking Joseph’s coffin with them (v. 19) reassure the Israelites that they would eventually reach their destination?
How did God give the Israelites a tangible sense of His presence (v. 21)?
How did the cloud column reveal God’s direction, timing, and protection (see also Numbers 9:15-23; 10:34)?

Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God to make you content to accept the direction in which He points you and the timing of the pauses and moves He determines for you.

Exodus 13:17-22

17 When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them on the road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led them along a route through the wilderness toward the Red Sea, and the Israelites left Egypt like a marching army. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear that they would take his bones with them when God led them out of Egypt—as he was sure God would.

20 Leaving Succoth, they camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The LORD guided them by a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. That way they could travel whether it was day or night. 22 And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from their sight.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 23

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 7-22-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of July 22, 2021, showing erosions over last week.

The Incidence Rate moved up 9.8 points (134.2%) to 17.1 from last week’s 7.3 back into the Moderate category.

The PCR Positivity Rate has moved up to 3.9% from last week’s 1.1%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved up during the past week to 16.8 and 2.7%.)

- Beaver County is now classified as MODERATE.

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is Hybrid Learning.)

Delta is already the dominant strain in the US. and vaccination rates are lagging. With summer tourism in full swing, White House health officials are reminding Americans that vaccines offer the best protection.
Of all the people who died of COVID-19 last month, 99.2% were unvaccinated, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 2.4, so resuming small group meetings will not be feasible until we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.

Jul 23

Christmas in July!

**This coming Sunday, Central will celebrate “Christmas in July”.**

Join us for our 11 am Sunday worship service to sing “Joy to the World” and “Silent Night”, and to revisit the Christmas story at an unusual time of year!

If there was any time to celebrate Christmas in July in North America, it’s with loosening restrictions on social gatherings this summer thanks to COVID-19 vaccines.

What is Christmas in July?

If you’re not familiar with the origin, it was started as a girl’s summer camp activity in South Carolina on July 24, 1935, and included an appearance by Santa, carol singing, gift-giving, and camper laundry bags filled with candy. Shortly after in 1940, the concept was popularized by a Hollywood movie comedy, Christmas in July.

The main countries to celebrate this new tradition are the USA, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Even though it started in the USA in the northern hemisphere, it’s now widely popular in countries in the Southern Hemisphere such as Australia, New Zealand.

We know it as Christmas in July, however in Australia this second celebration is called Yuletide or Yulefest. Christmas Day in December is still a national celebration, and Christmas in July does not replace this. Christmas in July is not celebrated by everyone, however it is still relatively popular in Australia.

Over the decades, it’s evolved to include annual programs such as a Christmas movie marathon on the Hallmark Channel with heartwarming holiday movies airing daily until July 26 this year. And then there’s the shopping! QVC offers a month-long sale on everything from holiday items to headphones, as well as, other promotions—great for a little summer gift-giving or getting a jump on things for this December.

Why Christmas in July?

There are a few reasons why people celebrate Christmas in July. One is that, in the USA, there are actually no holidays between 4th of July and Labor Day in September. People love a holiday and an excuse for a celebration so welcome to Christmas in July.

A big part of Christmas in July is serving the Southern Hemisphere. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand are in their summer months in December. Have you ever spent Christmas in a hot country before? It’s just not the same as a cold, frosty Christmas.

Therefore, celebrating Christmas in July, during their winter, means people can enjoy the festive, tasty treats and traditions such as eggnog, Christmas jumpers and hot chocolate whilst sitting next to a roaring fire.

So, why July, and not June when it is six months until Christmas? The 25th of July is the middle of winter for Australia and the Southern Hemisphere and therefore the coldest time of year, making it feel extra Christmassy – as it does in the Northern hemisphere.

And it’s not just Australia. Christmas in July is getting more or more popular in the USA too, with huge events taking place annually.

See you on Sunday. Merry Christmas (in July)!

Jul 23

Destiny and Detours – Plan or Presence?

Key Bible Verse: The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But sinners stumble and fall along the way. – Hosea 14:9

Bonus Reading: Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

People are constantly inquiring about how they can discover God’s plan for their lives. Years ago I began first to doubt and then to disbelieve that God has a specific plan for me because it seemed to me that would run contrary to His purpose. God’s overriding purpose is our maturity, and maturity can’t be reached by plan.

I think we North Americans are very arrogant to assume that all the principles that applied to the great leaders of the Scripture—Moses or Abraham or Joseph or David—apply to us as individuals. I don’t know why we don’t rather apply to ourselves the principles of the followers among the children of Israel.

I’m sure that God does have an overall plan and those who are specifically involved in it are going to know about it, for He’s going to tell them, even coerce them, as He did Jonah. But for most of us, His purpose is our maturity.

It has struck me that none of the saints whose writings I’ve read over the years talk about a specific plan that God has for his or her life. They talk about the presence rather than the plan. It seems that when you have a guide you don’t need a map. We often try to substitute a program for His presence.

— Sr.Fred Smith in Texas

My Response: I’ll pray to be more absorbed with the Guide than with His guidance.

Thought to Apply: The center of God’s will is our only safety.

—Betsie Ten Boom (Dutch concentration camp victim)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 22

Destiny and Detours – Malfunction Junction

Key Bible Verse: The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. – Psalm 37:23

Bonus Reading: Psalm 25:1-15

The intersection is a six-way circle of traffic confusion in the center of Missoula. Every time I approach it, my head pounds and my hands grow clammy. It is nevertheless the most direct route through the business district.

Approaching Malfunction Junction recently, I saw a puzzle of detour signs. It looked to me like it had become the mother of all nightmares. But I was wrong! The detour led me to discover a route to get around Malfunction Junction in the future. Although longer by distance, it’s shorter by time.

Sometimes God reroutes us as we travel the roads of life. But His detours always turn out.

King David, the author of Psalm 25:1-15 had been anointed king as a teen, but it was many years before he actually ascended the throne. As God flagged David’s life through many detours, He was building the character of one of Israel’s greatest kings.

Like David, the routes to our God-given destinies aren’t direct; they’re a tangle of detours designed to prepare us for our final destinations.

If the zigzags of God confuse you, ask Him to show you what He’s up to. David often did, and came to see how God was directing his steps. God will do the same for you.

—Mike Raether in Montana

My Response: I’ll read psalms of David and observe how he blurts out his questions to God.

Thought to Apply: The basic decision, after all, is to let God be God, to say “yes” to the work of the Lord.

—Luke Timothy Johnson (theologian)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 22

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor says hospitalized COVID-19 patients asking for vaccines

In helping make your own prayerful decision whether to be vaccinated against COVID-19, here is the absolutely heart-wrenching account of a doctor who has the unenviable task of telling dying patients with COVID-19 who are begging for the vaccine that is too late for them.

This report appeared on July 21, 2021 in The Hill. The Hill is an American digital media company, based in Washington, D.C. which began as a newspaper publisher in 1994. It is the largest independent political news site in the United States, is second in online political news readership behind CNN, and as of 2018 it was the third most-tweeted U.S. news source.

You can also view the report as a shortened, 38-second video at: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/564114-im-sorry-but-its-too-late-doctor-says-hospitalized-covid-19-patients-asking?jwsource=cl

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor says hospitalized COVID-19 patients asking for vaccines

By Lexi Lonas – 07/21/21 12:13 PM EDT

An Alabama doctor is opening up about her experience treating those hospitalized for the coronavirus amid a resurgence of cases, saying dying patients are asking her to vaccinate them.

“One of the last things they do before they’re intubated is beg me for the vaccine. I hold their hand and tell them that I’m sorry, but it’s too late,” Brytney Cobia, a hospitalist at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, wrote on Facebook this week.

“A few days later when I call time of death, I hug their family members and I tell them the best way to honor their loved one is to go get vaccinated and encourage everyone they know to do the same,” Cobia added.

Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, with only 33 percent of its population fully vaccinated, according to data from John Hopkins University.

Cobia listed all the different reasons she heard from patients and their families about why they didn’t get the vaccine.

“They cry. And they tell me they didn’t know. They thought it was a hoax. They thought it was political. They thought because they had a certain blood type or a certain skin color they wouldn’t get as sick. They thought it was ‘just the flu’. But they were wrong. And they wish they could go back. But they can’t,” she said.

Cobia told AL.com that even though she knows the people made the choice to not get vaccinated, it is hard on medical professionals watching people die from the virus that could have been prevented.

“You kind of go into it thinking, ‘Okay, I’m not going to feel bad for this person, because they make their own choice,’” Cobia said. “But then you actually see them, you see them face to face, and it really changes your whole perspective, because they’re still just a person that thinks that they made the best decision that they could with the information that they have, and all the misinformation that’s out there.”

The White House recently called out social media companies, saying the misinformation on the platforms about the vaccine has led to people dying.

The delta variant of the coronavirus is causing a new spike in cases around the country, with the vast majority of those hospitalized or dying being unvaccinated.

Central Church

Jul 21

Destiny and Detours – Destination Confirmation

Key Bible Verse: God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea. – 1 Corinthians 10:1

Bonus Reading: Psalm 32:8-11

Sometimes, in the midst of the zigs and the zags, we become discouraged. If the progress seems slow or we appear to be going in the opposite direction, we even begin to doubt whether there is a point B. Maybe that’s not God’s goal, we begin to say. Maybe I wanted it so bad I just psyched myself into it.

If God is lovingly leading us toward His intended goal, how does He keep us encouraged and affirm the direction He’s taking us?

If point B is of God, He’ll find ways of coming to you and letting you know that’s where He’s taking you. It may be that while you’re over there in this side cubicle, and nobody knows you work for the company, that somebody who phones in to do business with your company will find you at your desk, and say, “Are you still at that desk? I would think that by now with the abilities you have you’d be … ” And out of the blue, of all the positions in the company, he picks point B—and you’ve never breathed a word to anyone. In your heart you hear God saying, “I am reminding you.”

God will also give you a tangible sense of His presence. You’ll have a palpable sense of His nearness, His protection, and His guidance.

—Don Sunukjian in Preaching Today

My Response: What indicator of God’s good intentions for me can I hang on to today?

Thought to Apply: Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.—Winston Churchill (statesman)

Adapted from Preaching Today (Tape 251)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 20

Destiny and Detours – Fast Track?

Key Bible Verse: God did not lead them on the road that … was the shortest way from Egypt to the Promised Land. – Exodus 13:17

Bonus Reading: Exodus 13:17-22

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. True in geometry, but not necessarily for what God is doing in my life.

Say I’ve started work at a certain company, point A, and sense that God’s will is to take me to that corner office on the second floor, point B. I envision being assigned to lead a strategic task-group and coming in under budget and on time. This brings me to the attention of the decision makers, who start moving me to different positions to gain experience with the whole operation. When the corner office comes open, I’m the natural choice for it—a nice straight line.

Instead, I get assigned to something peripheral, working in some side cubicle, and nobody knows I work here. God in His wisdom knows that the shortest distance is a zigzag!

It may be that there’s some person who’d be envious of my rapid promotion and undercut it, and I’d never get to point B. It could be that I’ll need some skills I don’t yet possess, and God will take me on an alternate path to develop them. Perhaps some networking connections are key. Then when I’m ready, He’ll move me back into the straight-line path.

—Don Sunukjian in Preaching Today

My Response: Can I accept the alternate track God has placed me on without understanding the reason(s) for it?

Thought to Apply: I find that doing the will of God leaves me with no time for disputing about His plans.—George MacDonald (Scottish author)

Adapted from Preaching Today (Tape 251)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 19

Destiny and Detours – Calling Crisis

Key Bible Verse: We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. – Proverbs 16:9

Bonus Reading: Isaiah 42:16

3 a.m., Moscow. I helplessly watched our one-year-old struggle for each breath. We had no car. The metro shut down at 1 a.m. Even if we got a ride, reaching the American Medical Clinic across town would take at least an hour.

“Do something!” I screamed at God.

He did, but in the process He smashed the dream I thought He’d given me. The short-term answer came quickly. An American acquaintance with a car drove us to the clinic, where our son received timely oxygen treatments for his asthma.

The long-term answer proved much more difficult. Over the next few weeks, my wife and I realized that we’d need to return to the States to get our son’s asthma under control. What I considered a calling and had pursued for 14 years—teaching as a Christian professor at a university overseas—would have to wait. Perhaps indefinitely. What was God doing?

Four years later, as I teach some of my first Russian graduate students in the United States, I can begin to see God’s hand. I also sense His healing hand on our growing young boy, on a struggling marriage that needed renewal, and on my own heart that needed rejuvenation. I now thank God for His detour.

—Perry Glanzer in Texas

My Response: What detour in my life can I now thank God for?

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 18

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 8th Sunday after Pentecost – Independence Day – 7-18-2021

On this warm eighth Sunday after Pentecost, when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience!

Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!

AND…

Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
- To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
- To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
  - A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.

- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=529649214899315
- YouTube – https://youtu.be/qi4ypVa61s0

(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Jul 18

Destiny and Detours – Fog-Bound

Who Said It…Jerome Daley

Jerome Daley pursues the passion of his life—intimacy with God and people—in partnership with his wife, Kellie. Through oneFleshministries, the Daleys speak, write, and lead worship.

In a culture that says go, go, go, Jerome’s book When God Waits challenges us to wait, wait, wait, looking for God’s hand in unexpected places. Jerome likes to return—with his three children or alone on writing retreats—to the house his grandfather built in a Blue Ridge Mountain town.

What He Said…Fog-bound

As the fog hung close for two days, cabin fever struck, and I launched out for an eerie yet enticing morning walk. I could see 20 or 30 feet in front of me, enough visibility to follow the path on its circuit through woods and meadow.

I soon realized I was relying heavily on my sense of hearing to observe what was going on around me: the crows cawing obnoxiously, the wind whistling quietly along the ridges, hammers falling in the distance as work progressed on a new house, an occasional car creeping cautiously through the mist.

Funny, I thought, how much we rely on our vision when we can see, but then how automatically we listen more intently when we can’t see.

Fog, huh? Not unlike this season of waiting. I can see far enough ahead to keep walking but not enough to know what lies ahead or on either side. I can’t envision much of what lies beyond two or three months ahead. So I must listen more intentionally to all the sounds that may convey God’s voice.

Adapted from When God Waits (WaterBrook, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, decrease my preoccupation with my destination and increase my concern for the process You are using to shape my character.

Jul 17

Do United Methodists offer last rites?

In times of illness, death and grief, pastors offer the hope and peace found in Jesus Christ. Image by truthseeker08, courtesy of Pixabay.

United Methodists do not have a ritual called “last rites.” However, ministry with those who are ill and dying and with the families of those who have just died is an important part of the work of United Methodist pastors. In times of illness, death, and grief, pastors offer the hope and peace found in Jesus Christ.

Some Christian denominations offer a set of prayers and the celebration of communion with a dying person near the time of their death. While not considered essential to a person’s salvation, this can be a source of comfort to the dying and those caring for them.

When death is near, the pastor prays for the dying person and commends them to God’s care. Pastors are encouraged to provide communion for those who wish to receive the sacrament near the time of their death.

At the time of death, the pastor prays with the gathered family and friends. The prayers acknowledge feelings of loss and grief, request God’s strength in these difficult days, and proclaim our hope in resurrection and life everlasting through Jesus Christ our Lord.

On his deathbed, John Wesley’s last words are said to have been, “The best of all is, God is with us.” In ministry with those who are dying, United Methodists continue to share that good news. In our life and in our death, the best of all is, God is with us.

This content was produced by Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

The death-bed of John Wesley, 1791. Mezzotint engraving by John Sartain (1808-1897) after painter Marshall Claxton (1813-1881). Image from Wellcome LIbrary, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Jul 17

An Inside Job – Evil Desires

According to the Apostle James, all external conflict can be traced back to what he calls “evil desires at war within you” (4:1) and motives that are wrong (4:3).

For this reason, attempts at external reform will never be fully effective short of transformation of the way a person thinks. Our “self-talk” gets to the core of our spiritual state.

The passage to be reviewed today points out some characteristics of the positive and negative attitudes that drive the way we behave.

Interact with God’s Word

James 3:13-18

What sources for human attitudes are identified in these paragraphs (vv. 15, 17)?
According to verse 13, what is it that makes a person wise?
What satanic “wisdom” does James mention (vv.14-16)?
What is identified as “God’s kind of wisdom” (vv. 13, 17-18)?
What kinds of high goals is it appropriate for you to set as a believer? What kinds may draw you into greed and destructive competitiveness?

Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God to deliver you from internal turmoil because you understand His ways and are shaping your thought life to match up with them.

James 3:13-18

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise! 14 But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. 15 For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil.

16 For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere.18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 16

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 7-15-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of July 15, 2021, showing mixed developments over last week.

The Incidence Rate moved up 1.8 points (32.7%) to 7.3 from last week’s 5.5 in the Low category.

The PCR Positivity Rate has moved down to 1.1% from last week’s 1.8%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures for the past week were 10.9 and 1.9%.)

- Beaver County is now classified as LOW.

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is In-Person Learning.)

Deadlier COVID-19 variants have now replaced the original coronavirus as the predominant strains here in the United States, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 1.0, so resuming small group meetings could be feasible as soon as we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

Jul 16

An Inside Job – Passed Over

Key Bible Verses: “Riches and honor come from you alone … and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength.” – 1 Chronicles 29:12-13

Bonus Reading: James 3:13-18

When the CEO of our import-export company resigned, I believed I was the natural choice to replace him. However, another person was appointed. I was told by the board that my contributions were valuable to the corporation and that they very much wanted me to remain as chief operating officer. But for me, a dream of many years had been shattered in seconds.

Bitterness and resentment swept over me, permeating my work and everything else. I secretly applauded any slip by the new CEO. As I allowed my emotions to spiral out of control, I knew I was heading for a crash.

Six weeks after the announcement, I began to see and understand a larger question: Either I believed in God’s providence and that He was sovereign, or I didn’t! The issue was not my promotion or even the success of the company. The issue was my spiritual attitude, and that was my responsibility to correct.

So rather than continuing to grouse, I began focusing my efforts on fixing my attitude and improving my job performance. Shortly thereafter, the new CEO resigned unexpectedly, and I was promoted. With my new perspective and attitude, I was ready.

—Steve Marr in Arizona

My Response: Since God is in control, I must surrender resentment about …

Thought to Apply: Keep your heart right, even when it is sorely wounded. — J.C. Macaulay (Christian educator)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 15

An Inside Job – Attitude Saver

Key Bible Verse: “I don’t just do what I like or what is best for me, but what is best for them.” – 1 Corinthians 10:33

Bonus Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

My daughters frequently interrupted me in the fourth quarter of a crucial game or at a crucial part of a TV mystery show for something that needed my immediate attention. I’d eventually get up. But even if their request was appropriate, I’d procrastinate, moan, and glare while doing the chore.

When I finally caught sight of my poor attitude, I realized I needed a different way of reacting to interruptions. Today, the first thing I do if I’m going to watch a game or show is start the VCR. I have a blank tape labeled “Dad’s Tape: No FooFoo Shows; Sports and Guy Stuff Only.”

Now, when Cindy comes and asks for my help on something that can’t wait and there’s only two minutes left in the fourth quarter, I know the game’s being taped. When Kari calls and needs to be picked up from cheer practice, I know the mystery’s being taped. When Laura wants to shoot hoops with me and it’s the ninth inning of the playoff game, I haven’t missed a single run. I can watch it later, and fast-forward through the commercials!

Your VCR can free you to meet the needs of your family—and protect a positive attitude at the same time.

—John Trent in Dad’s Everything Book for Daughters

My Response: An adjustment I’ll make for positive interaction with my family is …

Thought to Apply: Irritation in the heart of a believer is always an invitation to the devil to stand by.—Source Unknown

Adapted from Dad’s Everything Book for Daughters (Zondervan, 2002)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 14

An Inside Job – Steamed

Key Bible Verse: “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right … pure and lovely and admirable … excellent and worthy of praise.” – Philippians 4:8

Bonus Reading: Proverbs 31:10-12

One day Corlette said something that really disappointed me. I went out to the back yard to rake leaves. For about 15 minutes I treated myself to a real “pity party,” increasingly convinced that I should go back in and let her know how hurt I was.

But then, by God’s grace, Philippians 4:8 came to mind.

Ha! I thought at first. What’s honorable, right, or lovely about the way she’s treating me?

But the Holy Spirit wouldn’t give up. Within a few moments, I grudgingly conceded that Corlette is a good cook. Then I admitted that she keeps a beautiful home, practices wonderful hospitality, and has been very kind and thoughtful toward my family. Then I remembered how much she’d supported me through some difficult times in my work. And didn’t she even take up backpacking because she knew I loved it?

Within minutes my attitude was turned upside down and I saw the offensive comment for what it was—a momentary and insignificant flaw in an otherwise wonderful person. I went back inside, but not to confront Corlette about what she’d said. Instead, I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her how glad I was to be married to her.

—Ken Sande in The Peacemaker

My Response: I’ll commit to apply Philippians 4:8 thinking to one situation today.

Thought to Apply: If I keep a green bough in my heart, the singing bird will come.—Chinese Proverb

Adapted from The Peacemaker (Baker, 1991, 1997)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 13

10 Things Every New Christian Should Know

Here is a helpful article by Brian Mavis outlining 10 things that every Christian should know.

Recently, a 20-something friend became a new Christian, and he asked me, “What are the top 10 things for a new Christian to learn within the first year?” (Apparently, he is a David Letterman fan.)

This is a wise question because if you are off by a few degrees at the start and you travel that path for a while, you will be off by miles later. I know that from experience. I have been a Christian for over 25 years, and God has had to redirect me on multiple things because of what I mistakenly believed early on about being a Christian. And it is better to learn sooner than later.

10 Things a New Christian Should Know Within the 1st Year

So here are the 10 things (not necessarily in any particular order) that I thought my new Christian friend should sink down deep into his heart, head and hands as he travels his first year with Jesus:

1. God Loves Us

The one thing that the Bible emphasizes more than us loving God and people is that God loves us. He loves us first and most. God isn’t in heaven plucking a daisy saying, “I love you” when you obey and “I love you not” when you sin. He cannot not love you (Rom. 5:8 and 1 Jn. 4:16).

2. Relationship First!

Your motivation to and the purpose of learning, serving, worshipping, giving, reaching, reading, praying, etc. is to grow relationally more in love with God and people (Mt. 22:36-40).

3. You not only are saved by grace; you grow by it, too.

A common trap for new and growing Christians is trying to clean up their lives without God’s help. This is a false equation: The less you sin = the less you need God’s grace. You can’t sin less and love more without the strength of God’s grace.

4. Don’t trample over the Great Commandment trying to obey the Great Commission.

New and enthusiastic Christians often do this. Instead, lead people to Jesus by loving people to Jesus (1 Cor. 13:1-3). If they ask you why you live the way you do, humbly and simply share with them why you put your hope in Jesus.

5. Love your neighbors—your literal neighbors.

Do this because you are a Christian, not just because you want them to be Christians.

6. It’s All About Jesus.

Focus on Jesus, His cross, His resurrection and His kingdom. When you confessed Jesus as the living Lord and Messiah, you never said—and will never say—anything more meaningful. Jesus is God with skin. No other “religious leader” (Moses, Buddha, Muhammad) is His equal. They were mere men; Jesus is God who became a man. He is the center and circumference—the hub and rim of all of life and creation. All of the world’s greatest gifts—love, life, truth, grace, etc.—have a name. Jesus.

7. God cares about your whole life, not just your “spiritual life.”

It is a mistake to think that God is only concerned about a section of your life called “your soul” or “your spirit.” God cares about and is to be Lord of all of your life—personal, emotional, social, familial, financial, physical, vocational, sexual, intellectual and so on.

8. Love other Christians, even when they are different.

Unfortunately, many Christians and churches view their “brand” of Christianity as the only true or most true type of Christianity. They may not think they are the only Christians, but they do think they are the best or most right ones. This is a prideful and sinful attitude that grieves Jesus and dismembers His body. Strive for unity in the body of Christ by praying humbly and thankfully for other Christians.

9. Pray with your Bible open.

There are many different spiritual exercises (fasting, solitude, serving, etc.), but the two most important ones are communicating and communing with God through prayer and listening to and learning about God through the Scriptures. Prayerfully read about Jesus (in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Prayerfully read about the beginning of the church in a book called Acts. Prayerfully read some letters written by Christians for Christians—some good ones to start with are James, Philippians and Ephesians.

10. Find a Christian mentor.

You will need help and encouragement in this journey with Jesus. Ask an older Christian (of the same gender as you) to mentor you. Look for someone who displays the attitudes and actions that were described above. Be a blessing to them in return.

Christianity is not a list, but a life; it’s not a chart, but a charter. But a new Christian will learn new things. Some of those things will be true but not important. Some things will be off by degrees that can lead them astray. Other things will be just plain wrong. Help a new Christian learn to follow Jesus by being their best at what matters most to Him.

Central Church

Jul 13

An Inside Job – Lord of the Swing

Key Bible Verse: “A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away.” – Proverbs 14:30

Bonus Reading: John 21:1-13

Our son Eric loves baseball and has a very good swing. But he got into a hitting slump. He worked hard to improve his game. But despite a good swing, kept striking out.

Before Eric’s last game this season, I prayed, “Lord, give him a successful game.” I think he was praying too. He went two for four, and hit the ball hard and far. Yeah, God!

But I noticed something in his “at bats.” He quit trying so hard. The coaches say, “Let the game come to you.” Eric was more at ease, more trusting of his skills and work, and seemed simply to enjoy the game.

Several disciples went fishing (John 21:1-13), but their nets were empty all night. In the morning Jesus called from the shore, “Move the nets a few feet.” They did, and the team went two for three, catching 153 fish.

Truth be told, they didn’t need to fish at all that night. Jesus was roasting fish as they labored. He’d provided their needs, just as He’d promised. And the catch of 153 fish would fund their next day’s needs, too.

Driven workers need to relax and let the game come to them. Jesus is Lord of the “swing” as He is of the seas. We take ourselves far too seriously—and our Coach not seriously enough.

—Lonnie Allison in CenterLine

My Response: I’ve been uptight about _____. I’ll ask God to work it out His way.

Thought to Apply: Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.—John Wooden (college basketball coach)

Adapted from CenterLine (Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, fall/03)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 12

An Inside Job – Rough Day at the Office

Key Bible Verse: “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8

Bonus Reading: Proverbs 3:5-8; 18:14; 24:10

Do you allow business problems to ruin your entire day? Problems with staff, customer complaints, and difficulties in production are inevitable. At some point in your career, you’re bound to feel overwhelmed.

The key is how you respond. Wasting energy complaining won’t help to overcome the situation.

It’s like sailing on the ocean during a major storm. You can’t stop the wind or the waves, but you can bail water out of the boat.

When problems threaten to crush you, look for positive action you and your staff can take. Attack the problem where you can make the most difference.

Ask yourself what you can change with your available resources. Identify three things that will make a 50 percent difference. Then establish an action plan that involves both you and your staff.

Set other, less important, issues on the back burner, and tackle the important priorities immediately. Next, identify lesser issues that you can solve, then keep moving down your list of priorities until everything is back under control.

As you take decisive action, your problems won’t crush you, and you’ll eventually win again in your business.

—Steve Marr in Business Proverbs

My Response: One step I could take to improve my outlook is …

Adapted from Business Proverbs (Revell, 2001)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 11

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 7th Sunday after Pentecost – Independence Day – 7-11-2021

Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!

AND…

Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
- To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
- To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
  - A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.

- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=242899257394513
- YouTube – https://youtu.be/DQ7E4-DNNe0

(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Jul 11

An Inside Job – Boring to Meaningful

Who Said It…Doug Wendel

Doug Wendel is a Navigator staff representative ministering to East Asian students at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Asian Americans are the fastest growing of U.S. ethnic groups, currently numbering some 11 million. This number is expected to quadruple to 40 million within 40 years.

Doug’s all time favorite movie is Chariots of Fire. He likes to read books about the Civil War or World War II.

What He Said…Boring to Meaningful

As a 19-year-old, my self-centered life in the U.S. Air Force was characterized by dissatisfaction. I worked at a “boring” desk job and lived around other unhappy airmen who gave themselves to all sorts of sinful pleasures.

Then one night I heard a clear presentation of the gospel and placed my trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior. I asked God to take away my sinful, self-centered desires and replace them with His desires for me.

The next morning when I awoke, I was still living among unhappy neighbors and I worked at the same desk job. My outward circumstances hadn’t changed a bit, but over the weeks and months that followed, my inner attitudes changed.

My desk job became a place to learn endurance, to share my new faith in Christ, and to glorify God. I began to see my neighbors as lost people who needed to hear the life-giving message of the gospel.

God answered my cry for inner change and gave my life meaning and purpose by transforming my self-centered attitudes into God-centered ones.

Adapted from Discipleship Journal (9-10/99)

Prayer for the Week: I can cope with external challenges, Lord, if I’m internally aligned with Your will. Help me to think like a true Christian this week.

Jul 10

3 Things That Bring On Spiritual Attacks

What 3 things can the believer do that may bring on spiritual attacks from the enemy?

Obedience

Why do demons attack? What does the Bible say the reason is? May I suggest these 3 reasons that spiritual warfare happens.

Demonic or spiritual attacks come from studying the Word of God, from teaching the Word, from obeying the Word of God, from sharing the Word of God, and from growing in the Word of God. Satan and his minions don’t waste their time on those who are not making a difference in the kingdom, so if you’re under spiritual attack, that’s good! That shows you are doing something right, and that you’re on the right side. The enemy doesn’t attack those who are headed down the broad path of destruction. To be sure, we’re not battling an enemy that we can see with our eyes, because “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12).

The demons of darkness are opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and will do anything in their power to prevent people from being saved. They’ve gone so far as to have their own ministers (2 Cor 11:4), but they will do anything they can to make you lose your testimony or not share your faith. It should also be noted that demons may work through unbelievers to attack, insult, degrade, and persecute those who do believe, but that’s good because the truth is, “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). Of course, not everyone that persecutes you is under demonic influence, but no doubt, some are. The surprising thing is if someone claims to be a believer but has never suffered persecution. Something’s very wrong there, but if you receive verbal abuse for sharing Christ, then I say, “Good!” This too is a blessing (Matt 5:10-12; 1 Pet 4:14). I am not saying we should cram the gospel down people’s throat. No! Jesus never forced Himself on anyone, but if you are hated for your faith, or despised for what you write for Christ, then you must understand that they’re reading someone else’s mail.

They cannot understand the Word of God without the Spirit of God (Rom 8:5, 7-9; 1 Cor 2:14, 2 Cor 4:3-4) like the children of God can (Rom 8:5-9). All we can do…no, all we must do is to love them…pray for them, and return good for evil (Luke 6:28). Be sure of this; grow in the Word of God and you’ll experience more spiritual warfare. Obey it, and look out!

Making a Difference

We know from Scripture that only God can take or give life. Satan has no power to kill, but sometimes we fear him and give him too much credit, but God limited what Satan could do to Job, telling him, “the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord” (Job 1:12). Sometimes we think that Satan is omnipresent. Especially when people have told me that Satan is attacking them. I am leery of that because Satan is a created being, and he can only be in one place at a time, so if 10 people claim they are being attacked by Satan, and all at the same time, we know it’s not Satan because he’s not omnipresent. As a created being, he can only be in one place at a time. More likely, it’s demonic influence. We give him too much credit. First of all, He is God’s Devil.

Satan doesn’t waste his time on individual members of the church as much as he does in influencing world leaders and inspiring false teachers, prophets, and pastors to proclaim a gospel without repentance and faith. I’m not big enough of a problem for Satan to waste his time on me, but he’ll likely delegate some of his demons to harass me, but again, that’s good. They don’t waste their time on those headed down the broad path of destruction, or on those who are lukewarm believers. They make no difference in the kingdom, so the Devil most likely spends his time attacking the most effective evangelists, teachers, preachers, or missionaries, but he also spends his time on world leaders and influential people that are financing evil practices. I’m small peanuts to him, but rather, He is the prince of the power of the air (2 Cor 4:4), influencing or controlling those who are the most influential in human affairs. Demons don’t waste their time on those who are wasting their time. They go after those who are making a difference.

Prayer Time

When I am praying to God, it seems as though all kinds of unwholesome thoughts start to enter my mind. It’s almost like a full frontal attack. It becomes hard to concentrate, and my mind begins to think on things that are anything but godly, so I double down and ask God’s Spirit to protect my mind while I pray, and it does help, but it seems the more I pray, the more I struggle with thoughts that are not from God. When the enemy tries to break the lines of communication, you are under spiritual warfare. If demons can keep us from praying, then we’ve lost our most important contact in the universe. We can get too busy to pray. At other times when I pray, it seems I’m flooded with thoughts of worthlessness, feeling unworthy to even talk to God. The enemy may even send me thoughts where I doubt my own salvation, but then I return to the Word and to prayer. It is warfare my friends. Like the movie War Room, there’s an invisible war going on, and what makes it most deadly is that the enemy is invisible. We don’t think about what we don’t see…and that’s just what they want. To unbelievers, an enemy that doesn’t exist is no enemy at all, but for believers, they are all too real.

If they can make you feel like you’ve never really been saved, then you’ll feel it’s useless to pray to God. The enemy hates the idea that believers are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb forever, and that Satan and his demon’s fate is sealed forever, so when you’re under spiritual attack, do what Dr. Irwin Lutzer said: “When the enemy reminds you of your past, remind him of his future” (Rev 20:9-10). Quote that Scripture if necessary. We know the end…but so does He! They cannot rob anyone’s salvation, but they can rob the joy of your salvation. This happened to King David, but for a very good reason (Psalm 51:12-14). When a believer feels condemned and has lost their joy, they’re less likely to witness for Christ, but they are also less likely to pray to God. That vicious cycle repeats itself until the lukewarm believer makes no difference at all. That kind of believer will experience fewer spiritual attacks because they live the Christian life in a way that makes little or no difference to God. They may lose their assurance and their joy. If that happens, you can be sure there will be less witnessing, and there will be less prayer. All of these things will keep you from spiritual attacks, but being under spiritual attacks is good. It shows you’re making a difference, and being in the battle, you know you’re on the right side, so when you feel least like praying, is the very time you need it most!

Conclusion

The Bible speaks about leavening as representing sin because it puffs up and grows, and leavening works best in lukewarm water, so the more a believer sins, the more lukewarm they become…and they may reach a point where even the demon’s won’t waste their time because they’re no longer effective for Christ. The way to stop spiritual attacks is to stop obeying Christ, stop making a difference for Christ, and stop praying to God through Christ, but if you do these things, then you will be under spiritual attack…and contrary to how we might think, that’s actually a good thing. As Paul Chappell once said,

“The devil doesn’t persecute those who aren’t making a godly difference in the world.”

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is a writer at Christian Quotes and also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Central Church

Jul 10

Double Exposure – Teaching Your Children

Today’s scripture passage was written by Asaph, one of King David’s temple musicians, to introduce a long song he composed.

He wants us to know that he wrote it as a memory aid. Singing it would help the Jewish nation grasp and retain key lessons from its history.

His introduction stresses a truth as valid now as then: Our children cannot be expected to assimilate our faith unless we make an effort to articulate it to them.

Interact with God’s Word

Psalm 78:4-8

What characteristics of our generation—and those that preceded ours—do we want to spare our children from (v. 8)?
If they are to be spared from repeating the same mistakes previous generations made, what is required of their parents (vv. 4-5)?
How might the truths of God’s Word that we treasure remain “hidden” from the perspective of our children?
What positive results can we expect when we succeed in communicating our faith to our children (v. 7)?
What deliberate steps are you taking to convey God’s requirements and your own faith to the next generation?

Spend Time in Prayer: Name any sins you are aware of to God so that in spite of His holiness He can forgive you on the basis of Jesus’ sacrificial death, and restore your fellowship with Him.

Psalm 78:4-8

4 We will not hide these truths from our children but will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the LORD. We will tell of his power and the mighty miracles he did. 5 For he issued his decree to Jacob; he gave his law to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, 6 so the next generation might know them—even the children not yet born—that they in turn might teach their children.

7 So each generation can set its hope anew on God, remembering his glorious miracles and obeying his commands. 8 Then they will not be like their ancestors—stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 10

Perfect Practice Makes Sorta Closer to Perfect

Here is an article by Jonathan Aigner describing his efforts during the global pandemic to become a better church organist.

In describing the work he has to put in to improve, he also makes the broader point to everyone who attends a worship service that worship is a discipline to which we subject ourselves out of reverence and obligation. It’s not about us. We are there to worship our Creator, not to be entertained. It’s a point well worth remembering every week as we meet God in worship.

During Covidtide, my professional project has been improving my organ playing. So I found me a good teacher and a couple of churches to let me practice on their organs. It’s fun, but it’s hard. I’m no spring chicken. My bad keyboard habits have been reinforced by years of lousy Billy Graham Crusade-style piano playing. The neuroplasticity is at an all-time low. But still, it’s important for any serious liturgically-minded church music director.

So I sit and practice.

And practice.

One measure.

Then another.

Then back to the first.

Today I was working on a new-to-me piece. It’s one of my favorite voluntaries, and I’d give anything to be able to play it well.

I had already been at it for quite some time, building it from the ground up.

Pedal, left hand, then left hand and pedal together. Penciling in fingerings and pedalings, then erasing those and writing in new ones. Metronome app open on my phone, tick-tocking away.

Then the custodian enters, sweeping, mopping, tidying, tending to God’s house with diligence and care. All while I keep hacking away on the little 30-year-old digital number. At some point I began to ponder what she was probably thinking. I was playing the same bit over and over, de- and reconstructing. It didn’t sound much like music. It wasn’t beautiful. It wasn’t the thrilling end result I want to achieve.

She didn’t say anything, of course, but I was thinking that if it were me, I would have lost patience within the first five minutes of listening to me playing. “Are you ever going to finish,” is probably what I would say out of annoyance.

I’m not finished, of course. I’m a long way from being where I need to be.

But this is my work, and though there is often joy to be found, today it feels especially like work. It isn’t fun right now. I’m doing it purely out of discipline and hope.

And so it is with worship.

Friends, if you find yourself in a church that is all fun, one that seeks to be relevant to you and your wishes, one that never feels like work, you’re in the wrong place. Worship is a discipline to which we subject ourselves out of reverence and obligation. And if you’re in a church that does liturgy well, that prays with intention and sobriety, that proclaims the Gospel diligently in Word and Sacrament, you will likely find yourself stirred and lifted at times. In fact, you probably should sometimes.

But it’s hard work. We aren’t finished yet, thanks be to God. Not only are our lives not “performance ready,” we can barely make any music on our own.

We need the practice of liturgy, to submit our will and affections before the Gospel of Christ. He’s the only one who can make us perfect. He will make us performance ready, sinful and undeserving though we be.

The seeker movements of the past half century have been disastrous for evangelicalism. Worship that is human-centric, a carefully-crafted theatrical performance designed for a target audience, cannot bear fruit. It cannot build a healthy church. Jesus, not people, must be at the center.

Lukewarm Protestant worship, bearing some semblance of historic worship but that reads like a seminar on how to behave ethically according to some vague Judeo-Christian standard cannot cut it either. Such churches should change their name to the United Way and be done with it. Jesus is more than a model of nice behavior.

Neither one of these models can fully enculturate people into Gospel people.

It’s like practicing the wrong notes, or playing through a piece once and putting it away.

In worship, we must be fully submitted to the gospel, to praying it, singing it, listening to it, and allowing it to soak into our hearts and minds. And the liturgy we practice must be true, it must be rigorous, it must be bathed in Holy Scripture. It must be a ritual worth doing.

We may never play the piece very well. But we must practice it the best we can.

Central Church

Jul 9

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 7-8-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of July 8, 2021, showing minor improvements over last week.

The Incidence Rate moved down 0.6 points (9.8%) to 5.5 from last week’s 6.1 in the Low category.

The PCR Positivity Rate has moved up to 1.8% from last week’s 1.1%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved down during the past week to 5.5 and 1.4%.)

- Beaver County is now classified as LOW.

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is In-Person Learning.)

Delta is already the dominant strain in the US. and vaccination rates are lagging. With summer tourism in full swing, White House health officials are reminding Americans that vaccines offer the best protection.
Of all the people who died of COVID-19 last month, 99.2% were unvaccinated, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 0.8, so resuming small group meetings should be feasible as soon as we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

Jul 9

Double Exposure – Hashing It Over

Key Bible Verses: Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it. – Proverbs 22:6

Bonus Reading: Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Hey, sport, heard a couple of guys got kicked off the team for testing positive for drugs. Wasn’t one of them your friend Matt?”

“Yeah. I think the school overreacted. Matt’s a senior, Dad. Probably going to lose his athletic scholarship.”

“He had a lot to lose. Why do you think he risked it?”

“It was that party at Charlie’s house. Someone showed up with a lot of beer and weed. It just got out of hand.”

“The Smiths allowed drinking and marijuana?”

“Duh! Dad. Charlie’s parents were out of town.”

“So, why didn’t Matt just refuse?”

“It’s not easy when everyone else is doing it.”

“How could Matt have avoided what happened?”

“He could’ve left when the booze and blunts showed up.”

“What other choices did Matt have?”

“Well, not go to the party.”

“Was that the only alternative?”

“Have the party where the parents were home?”

“Or … ?”

“I know what you’re driving at, Dad. I invited Matt to shoot some pool over here and he turned me down. So he had some choices.”

“Right. And choices have consequences.”

—Ricky Byrdsong in Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life

My Response: What could I use as a teaching tool?

Thought to Apply: The gift of learning to make good choices is the most valuable and long-lasting gift a parent can give a child.—Pat Holt & Grace Ketterman

Adapted from Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life (Bethany, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 8

Double Exposure – Listen Up!

Key Bible Verse: A word to you Fathers. Don’t make your children angry by the way you treat them. – Ephesians 6:4

Bonus Reading: Psalm 78:4-8

Most fathers complain that their sons don’t listen to them. But we have it backward.

As we’re leading them to view God as intimately safe and entirely faithful, we’re called to be listeners. Listening is a powerful relational tool. If you commit to being physically present and listen with undivided focus, your son will eventually believe you actually care about him—what he thinks, what concerns him, and how he sees and experiences life.

At first this may be tough; we’ve been conditioned to think our role is to direct and define our sons’ lives. But if you steadfastly “waste time” with your son, you’ll soon find opportunities to connect with him. He’ll begin to sense that you have his best interests at heart, and you can season your listening with words of encouragement to trust God.

It’s as if Ephesians 6:4 is saying to Christian dads, “You want to create an environment for your son to discover and experience me? Treat him with respect, love, and tenderness. Correct him with great care, and appropriately discipline him with specific and clear reasoning. Do what you can to affirm his basic manhood. Then … step back and watch me work.”

—Chap Clark in From Father to Son

My Response: Could ways I correct or push my kids be exasperating them?

Thought to Apply: We cannot overestimate the power of an active, engaged parent and what that can mean to a child.—John Ashcroft (former U.S. Attorney General)

Adapted from From Father to Son (NavPress, 2002)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 7

Double Exposure – Red Alert

Key Bible Verse: The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. – Psalm 103:13

Bonus Reading: Proverbs 10:1; 23:15; 27:11

Being observant means being sensitive to your children’s words and moods, respecting their worries and concerns. It means getting to know their friends. It may mean watching some of the TV shows they watch, and even (yikes!) listening to some of their music.

Once when my son Joel (then an eighth-grader) came home from school, I was in my den and heard him slamming doors and speaking rudely. At the dinner table he was cranky and sarcastic. Later I again heard him angrily slam the door to his bedroom.

Finally a glaring light went on in my mind: Something important must be bothering Joel. For the past four hours he had been visibly upset. I went to his room and said, “Joel, I just realized that you came home in an irritable mood. Is there something that happened at school that you’d like to talk about?”

My son began to weep. He poured out his hurt concerning an incident that had happened in the classroom. He’d been embarrassed and misunderstood by a teacher. Not knowing how to process it, he carried it home, and it kept leaking out in his negative behavior. I’m thankful the message got through to me.

—Norm Wakefield in The Father Connection

My Response: Am I a shelter my kids can turn to when things get rough?

Thought to Apply: Our children give us the opportunity to become the parents we always wished we’d had.—Louise Hart (author)

Adapted from The Father Connection (Broadman & Holman, 1996)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 6

How Dangerous Is Your Money?

Here is another insightful article by Paul David Tripp about the spiritual dangers of focusing more on our money than on God.

Money will either bless you or curse you.

It can be a rescuing blessing in the hands of your Savior. Your desires for and use of money can reveal what is ruling your heart (see James 4:1–3, Deuteronomy 15:10).

Money can also be an invitation to experience blessing by being a blessing. Generosity allows us to respond to others’ physical needs, and as we do, participate in activities that are literally of eternal consequence (see Acts 20:35, Malachi 3:10).

But money can also be spiritually dangerous and should be handled with extreme caution. Here are four reasons why:

1. Money can cause you to forget God. Physical neediness prompts us to cry out to God for help, and in so doing, we remember that we’re spiritually needy. A pastor of a church in an extremely affluent community told me that since his people can spend their way into or out of just about anything, it’s hard for them to think of themselves as spiritually destitute.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

2. Money can change the way you think about you and cause you to look down on others. What’s the difference between a billionaire and a person in poverty? God made both in his image, both are sinners in need of redemption (which cash can’t purchase), and both are reliant upon God for daily breath and sustenance.

So why do those with money often look down on those without? There are too many answers for us to consider here, but generally speaking, money can redefine your identity outside of Christ and stimulate a prideful prejudice that lurks somewhere in the heart of every sinner.

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. (Proverbs 16:8)

3. Money can weaken your resolve to fight temptation. For years, a friend told me that he prided himself on being committed to a simple, God-honoring lifestyle. Then he stumbled into a small fortune, and it quickly revealed that he wasn’t satisfied in God’s glory alone; he was living “content” because he couldn’t afford anything more!

Money can be dangerous because it removes a restraint—affordability. Most of us can’t afford to pursue every desire that pops into our hearts. It’s typically not because we have such a strong commitment to fight temptation and choose instead to live for the Kingdom of God.

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

4. Money can finance your allegiance to the kingdom of self. There is no neutrality when it comes to your finances; what you are doing is worship. I have rarely misused money because I was ignorant or without a budget. No, I dishonored the Lord with my wallet because, at that particular moment, I didn’t care what God or anyone else said. I wanted what I wanted, and if I had the resources to chase it, I did.

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24)

Now, it must be stated that there is no teaching in Scripture that would lead us to believe that poor people are better off spiritually than others. The Bible also emphasizes the tremendous good that can be done with accumulated wealth.

But in our daily experience with money, the Word of God alerts us to the many dangers that it poses. Our only defense is the powerful grace of the Redeemer. He comes and lives inside of us so that when desire within meets temptation without, we will have just what we need to fight the battle.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. When was the last time you asked God for provision or healing for a physical need or ailment? How can this prompt you to cry out to God regarding your spiritual poverty and sickness?

2. Is there someone (or a group of people) you look down on now, regardless of financial reason. What does this prejudice reveal about your spiritual pride?

3. What about this person (or group of people) makes you look down on them? How are you more like them than unlike them?

4. Regardless of your financial position, what rabbit trail of selfish desires have you gone down recently? How did Christ face similar temptation and defeat it on your behalf?

5. How can you steward the money God has entrusted to you—no matter how much—to serve him this week? Get specific in the ways that you can connect financially with the move of the Kingdom of God.

This article originally appeared here on PaulTripp.com.

Central Church

Jul 6

Double Exposure – Talk of the Town

Key Bible Verse: His father … had never disciplined him … even by asking, “What are you doing?” – 1 Kings 1:6

Bonus Reading: 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-34; 3:11-14

When the drug movement spread through Johnson City, my friend Dave was one of the men who swapped stories in the coffee shop and barbershop about which kids had recently been picked up for drug possession. They laughed about one teen, on an LSD trip, found wandering around the city park chasing imaginary lions.

Though the school administration was trying to deal with the problem, most fathers in the community, Dave included, never stopped to consider that their son or daughter might be involved.

Dave, a real-estate agent, was a good provider and disciplinarian for the family. But perhaps he was too busy at work or didn’t know how to deal with the issues confronting his son, John. After all, drugs weren’t around when he was growing up. Dave never asked John about the drug situation at school.

It was three years after John started using drugs regularly that Dave found out his son was addicted to cocaine! If Dave had sought to know his son’s difficulties and the struggles with self-identity that led him into the drug culture, it might have saved 15 years of John’s life—the time it took him to kick the drug habit.

—Ken Canfield in The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers

My Response: Have I just assumed my kids are “clean”? Can I afford to?

Thought to Apply: A father ought to help his son form the habit of doing right on his own initiative, rather than because he’s afraid of some serious consequence.—Terence

Adapted from The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers (Tyndale, 1992)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 5

6 Ways We Make Life Harder Than It Needs to Be

Here is an insightful article by Paul David Tripp on how to avoid unnecessary difficulties in our lives.

This is an oversimplification, but I believe the following statement is true: if Christians lived as if eternity were real, many of our problems would disappear.

Each week at church, you and I affirm our belief in heaven and hell, but there is a significant difference between our confessional theology and our functional living.

How often did you think of eternity last week, and how did it impact your decisions? If I’m honest, not very much. What about you?

Consequently, our lives are much more complicated than they need to be. Our struggles reveal more about our eternity amnesia than it does about the world around us.

Let’s consider some of the ways that forgetting about Forever complicates today:

1. We focus too much on self. God created us to live with more in view than just the present moment’s comfort, pleasure, and happiness. Add the fact that we are not in charge, we do not live in the center of the universe, and life moves by the will and purpose of Another! When we shrink our existence down to momentary wants, feelings, and needs, we’re fighting against God’s sovereign narrative and intended design for our joy.

2. We ask too much of people. If we try to make today our paradise, we unwittingly ask the people around us to provide that paradise for us. How tremendously unfair! They cannot give us the constant inner peace and satisfaction that we can only ever experience in eternity. It will only end in disappointment, frustration, conflict, and division.

3. We are too controlling and fearful. At some point, everyone will feel like life is passing them by; unfulfilled dreams are inescapable. Instead of chasing them in futility, view them as alerts that God designed us for another world. If you live with the coming world in view, these will be gentle (but still painful) reminders.

4. We question the goodness of God. If we don’t understand God’s eternal narrative, we will doubt his character. God’s promises only reach their fulfillment in the world that is to come; if we forget, we will feel that we have been hit with a divine bait and switch. Life in a fallen world is enormously more complicated when you don’t have confidence that you have a loving Father.

5. We are more disappointed than thankful. Many of us are unthankful, not because God has failed us, or we have suffered much, or the people around us have been particularly challenging to live with, but because we approach life hoping that it will deliver to us things that we can only experience in eternity. Grumbling people don’t have much joy and miss out on the gifts God provides today!

6. We lack motivation and hope. When life inevitably disappoints, you will either lose enthusiasm and optimism, or remember that God’s plan is marching toward a moment when he will restore all that the fall has broken. Yes, life is hard, and you will experience things you never imagined, but eternity fills you with a reason to get up in the morning and press on.

Do you want to experience life to the fullest today, as you wait for paradise? Remember that today is never meant to make you complete—it’s a preparation for a final destination.

You are not living in the final chapter of the story. What is broken will be fixed, what has been bent will be straightened, and what has decayed will be restored. Eternity will give you a reason to continue, be thankful, and find joy, even when nothing right now seems as if it is working.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. How often did you think of eternity last week, and how did it impact your decisions?

2. Think of a God-honoring decision that you made recently because you remembered eternity. What might you have done differently had you neglected to consider Forever?

3. Which of the six reasons can you identify most with? How have you complicated your life recently because of it? Be specific.

4. Consider that same area. How can you practically live with heaven in view, and what difference might that make moving forward? What steps will you take today to remember eternity?

5. Do you want to be known as a thankful, joyful, motivated, and hopeful person? What difference will that make in your relationships with non-believing neighbors? How does living in light of eternity make you a better evangelist for the Gospel?

This article originally appeared here.

Central Church

Jul 5

Double Exposure – Spot Check

Key Bible Verse: Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. – 2 Timothy 2:22

Bonus Reading: Matthew 6:22-23

Benjamin was standing in the kitchen, nibbling on some barbecue potato chips. Just to stay connected with a 14-year-old boy going through puberty, I asked, “You been keeping your mind clean at school, son? You know, pornography—the kind of sleazy stuff boys pass around and look at?”

He looked me straight in the eye with a half-grin, like I’d been reading his mail. “Funny you should ask,” he said. “Today at school a friend brought a Penthouse magazine into the locker room. But I didn’t look at it. I just turned and walked out.”

“Good for you! Good for you!” I said. The big grin that spread across his face told me he was proud he’d done what was right.

Many parents don’t have the nerve to ask teenagers such an intrusive question. It’s as if something happens to parents when their kids become teenagers, and they don’t know how to talk to them.

Adolescence is the age when kids should be learning how to bring their Christian faith into the realities of everyday life. It’s one thing to teach your kids about God, but it’s quite another thing to teach them how to walk with God and avoid temptations.

—Dennis Rainey in Moments Together for Parents

My Response: How am I doing at discussing critical issues with my kids as they grow?

Adapted from Moments Together for Parents (Regal, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 4

Central Church – Online Worship Service – 6th Sunday after Pentecost – Independence Day – 7-4-2021

On this warm sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when we also celebrate Independence Day, and when the coronavirus prevents many of us from gathering in Central Church’s Sanctuary to worship in body, let us join together in spirit for with our online worship experience!

Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along!

AND…

Both the video on Facebook and the video on YouTube now have closed captions (if you turn them on) so you can read along with the spoken words during the service!
- To activate captions in Facebook, click on the Settings “gear” symbol in the bottom right corner of the image, and then click on the “Off” button to change it to “On” for “Auto-Generated Captions”.
- To activate captions in YouTube, click on the “CC” icon in the lower right corner of the image to toggle captions On and Off.
  - A brief comment on our new closed caption capability – The closed captions on our videos use voice-recognition software similar to that used on Television broadcasts, and with similar accuracy! Sometimes, the captions are not entirely accurate, so if you read something incongruous, back up the video a few seconds and listen carefully for what is actually being said.

- Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=138730094950679
- YouTube – https://youtu.be/hJOsz0bd3wU

(If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.)

Jul 4

Freedom is a Choice

Key Bible Verse: Choose you this day whom ye will serve . . . as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. – Joshua 24:15

Bonus Reading: Joshua 24:1-28

In America, every year July 4th brings with it festivities, fun, food, family and friends, and fireworks—all as a celebration of national freedom. But even with all the celebrating and fun, many Americans are still caught in the web of bondage on a mental, emotional, relational, financial, vocational or spiritual level. Most often, we ourselves create the chains that bind us by making poor or sinful choices.

The longer I live, the more convinced I am that life is a series of choices, each choice has a consequence, and we must live with the consequences of our choices.

In order to have true freedom in your life, then, you must make wise choices.

Will you choose:

Good over evil (Psalm 34:14; Romans 12:21)?

Obedience over rebellion (Proverbs 10:8; Hebrews 13:17)?

Truth over deceit (Colossians 3:9; Proverbs 12:22)?

Kindness over dishonor (Ephesians 4:32; Proverbs 14:2)?

Every day you make hundreds of choices and these form the basis for your lifestyle.

Seek God’s wisdom in all of your decisions, not the wisdom of the world, the flesh or the devil (James 3:17).

Take the sometimes difficult step of saying, “I’ll do it God’s way!” even though it may mean avoiding the easy road. In the long run, the freedom that comes with making godly choices is definitely something to celebrate!

– Ann Shorb

Prayer for the Day: Lord, we lift to You our praise and adoration for the blessings You give us each day as we choose to walk Your way.

Jul 4

Happy Independence Day!

Jul 4

Double Exposure – Scouting and Cheering

Who Said It…Ricky Byrdsong

Ricky Byrdsong played basketball at Iowa State, moved up the coaching ranks, and became the first African American head coach at Northwestern University. He led the Wildcats to their first winning season in 11 years. But after three less successful seasons, he was fired.

Ricky remained a popular motivational speaker, and developed programs to help underprivileged youth reach their potential. In 1999, at age 43, he was fatally shot by a white supremacist.

What He Said…Scouting and Cheering

Rocky Jr.’s teacher called and said he wasn’t behaving in class. Sherialyn and I let Ricky know we were concerned and wanted to stay on top of what was going on. So we asked the teacher to give us a day-to-day evaluation of his behavior. When we got the daily note she sent home, we discussed with Ricky what she considered to be bad behavior and why it was unacceptable.

I told Ricky that if his reports were consistently negative, he’d lose some privileges—watching TV or playing with his PlayStation. I didn’t enjoy taking away his fun. So how, as his biggest fan, could I encourage him to do better?

So in the morning, when he was getting ready to go to school, I’d say, “Hey, good luck today. I’m pulling for you. I hope the teacher thinks your behavior is acceptable so that you can do the things you want to do.” And when he came back with a good report, we said, “We knew you could do it.”

Adapted from Coaching Your Kids in the Game of Life (Bethany, 2000)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to stay connected with the children you’ve entrusted to me, and to steer them away from the dangers they’ll encounter.

Jul 3

Church to start counting non-binary members

During a June 25 online meeting, the General Council on Finance and Administration board voted to update local-church statistical forms to include the option of non-binary under the category of gender. This change only affects the U.S. Excerpt of the current church statistical form highlighted for emphasis by UM News.

Key points:

• The board of The United Methodist Church’s finance agency approved adding the term “non-binary” alongside “male” and “female” on church statistical forms.

• The change only affects U.S. congregations.

• The board vote was not unanimous.

United Methodist congregations in the U.S. will soon have a new way to break down the gender of its members.

By a voice vote June 25, the General Council on Finance and Administration board approved revising local-church statistical forms to include “non-binary” alongside the categories of “male” and “female.”

The change will take effect with forms for the 2021 collection year and will only affect the denomination’s data collection in the U.S.

“We currently only collect local-church statistics in the U.S.,” explained Rick King, the agency’s chief financial officer.

GCFA also plans to ask U.S. annual conferences — church regional governing bodies — to include the number of non-binary clergy in their Business of Annual Conference records. The finance agency expects to send information on these additions to church data collectors in July.

GCFA’s data includes totals — not individuals’ names.

“Non-binary” is a commonly used term for people whose gender identity falls outside the man-woman binary. A study published this month by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that about 11% of the LGBTQ adults, ages 18 to 60, identify as non-binary. That translates to about 1.2 million U.S. adults.

The current United Methodist statistical forms ask pastors to tally the number of female and male members and then give a total membership for the two. However, those gender categories have left some members feeling counted out.

The board made the change after hearing from U.S. annual conference treasurers who have responsibility for collecting membership data from local churches.

“We are having issues reporting people with pastors calling our office and saying: ‘What do I do here?’” said Christine Dodson, North Carolina Conference treasurer and the GCFA board’s vice president.

“Quite frankly, I’ve had a pastor tell me, ‘I’m not going to force a person to choose one or the other when they have told me how they identify.’”

Sharon Dean, GCFA’s chief communications officer, said that the agency gets requests for information from various United Methodist groups about gender distribution.

“We’ve also heard from around the connection that some annual conferences and some other organizations are already using a third choice,” Dean said. “And so to be consistent with requests that come in, we might include this additional selection.”

Of the 18 GCFA board members present, only one board member voted no to the change.

“I’m appreciative of the recognition of all God’s people, but I am also cautious that we are making a decision that appears to affect less than half our global constituency,” said the Rev. Steve Wood, who is also lead pastor of Mount Pisgah United Methodist Church in Johns Creek, Georgia.

“I’m just wondering if we are creating more angst than we are creating benefits, so I have to speak against it.”

Per-Endre Bjørnevik, a board member from Norway, is chair of the Connectional Outreach Committee that recommended the revision. He as well as board members from Côte d’Ivoire and the Philippines voted for the change.

The statistical-form revision comes as The United Methodist Church faces a possible split after decades of intensifying debate over same-sex weddings and the ordination of “self-avowed practicing” gay clergy.

The Book of Discipline, the denomination’s policy book, says all people are of sacred worth but states that “the practice of homosexuality” is “incompatible with Christian teaching.”

However, GCFA staff confirmed that adding non-binary to the forms does not conflict with any paragraph in the Discipline. Board members also concluded the change is not in conflict with any legislation related to sexuality heading to the pandemic-delayed General Conference, now scheduled for 2022.

The Discipline takes no stance on the ordination of non-binary or transgender people. In 2019, the Rev. M Barclay became the first openly “non-binary trans person” to be ordained a United Methodist deacon, according to Reconciling Ministries Network. The network advocates for full inclusion of LGBTQ people in the life of the church.

“While it will take much more substantial change in policy and practice for the UMC to be a positive force in the lives of queer and/or trans people, I celebrate the effort of those who are striving to honor the existence of non-binary people in their communities,” Barclay said by e-mail. “Lives depend on this seed of change being nurtured in all contexts.”

Non-binary identity is still a new concept to many people, acknowledged California-Nevada Conference Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño. In the spirit of learning together, she suggested adding a commonly held definition of what non-binary means to statistical forms.

“I know for me, it’s been a journey of learning,” she said.

Dean said she would work with the agency’s data services department to add the definition.

Dean and others cautioned that whenever a form change takes place, it takes a while for church leaders to send in additional data.

Ken Ow, a board member from the Baltimore-Washington Conference, also cautioned that pastors should not try to guess how people identify as they report local-church data.

Board members largely spoke with support for the change.

“I think it reflects that the church is aware that it’s a reality,” said the Rev. Sandra Olewine, who starts July 1 as a district superintendent in the California-Pacific Conference. “And it is a way for the church, even in its forms, to begin to acknowledge more of the fullness of who we are as human beings.”

Hahn is assistant news editor for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.

Jul 3

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 7-1-2021

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of July 1, 2021, showing additional improvements over last week.

The Incidence Rate moved down 2.4 points (28.2%) to 6.1 from last week’s 8.5 in the Low category.

The PCR Positivity Rate has moved down to 1.1% from last week’s 1.3%, in the Low category.

(Allegheny County’s figures moved down during the past week to 5.5 and 1.4%.)

- Beaver County is now classified as LOW.

(If both metrics are Moderate, the PA Dept. of Health’s recommended school instructional model is In-Person Learning.)

Deadlier COVID-19 variants have now replaced the original coronavirus as the predominant strains here in the United States, making it more important every day that we do all that we can to protect the people who come to our Church.

Small Group Meetings (Sunday School, AA, other meetings):

The current guidance on when and how gatherings can take place is based upon the threshold of infection rate.

For Indoor meetings/Sunday School to resume, the 7-day average of daily cases for gatherings that include unvaccinated folks should be:

- 1.5-2.0 – for everyone except those at high risk; and
- Less than 1.0 for those at high risk.
- Our current level is 0.8, so resuming small group meetings should be feasible as soon as we can provide sufficient active air filtration in light of the latest CDC guidance and the deadlier variants now moving into the USA.

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

Disinfect Central Church prior to every worship service and feeding ministry event using EPA-registered products in compliance with CDC standards to kill germs and reduce the risk of spreading infection, and in compliance with EPA criteria for use against SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and
We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

a community of caring believers located in Beaver Falls, PA sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through worship, celebration, and service.

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Want to learn more?

Have questions? We have answers!

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.

AND…

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.

This coming Sunday, Central will celebrate “Christmas in July”.

What is Christmas in July?

Why Christmas in July?

See you on Sunday. Merry Christmas (in July)!

‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor says hospitalized COVID-19 patients asking for vaccines

AND…

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

10 Things a New Christian Should Know Within the 1st Year

1. God Loves Us

2. Relationship First!

3. You not only are saved by grace; you grow by it, too.

4. Don’t trample over the Great Commandment trying to obey the Great Commission.

5. Love your neighbors—your literal neighbors.

6. It’s All About Jesus.

7. God cares about your whole life, not just your “spiritual life.”

8. Love other Christians, even when they are different.

9. Pray with your Bible open.

10. Find a Christian mentor.

AND…

Obedience

Making a Difference

Prayer Time

Conclusion

Article by Jack Wellman

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

AND…

As the pandemic continues, we are continuing our efforts to:

We are also employing HEPA-13 air filtration equipment to help reduce any airborne coronavirus in our Sanctuary.

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Contact Us: 1227 Sixth Avenue P.O. Box 311 Beaver Falls, PA 15010 Pastor: Rev. Janice C. Davis Phone: 724-846-3474 E-mail: centralumchurch@gmail.com

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**This coming Sunday, Central will celebrate “Christmas in July”.**

Contact Us:

1227 Sixth Avenue

P.O. Box 311

Beaver Falls, PA 15010

Pastor: Rev. Janice C. Davis

Phone: 724-846-3474

E-mail: centralumchurch@gmail.com