Prayer Focus – Nigeria

Nigeria — Islamic State Video Shows Murders of 20 Christians; Dozens Killed in Attack on Church in Ondo State; Head of Methodist Church Freed by Kidnappers

The terrorist group Islamic State (IS – also known as ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) has released a video that claims to show the murders of about 20 Nigerian Christians.

The video, published on an IS-linked news outlet, shows masked and armed militants standing behind three groups of kneeling captives at an unknown location. The captives’ arms appear to be tied behind their backs.

One of the masked militants states on the video that the murders were carried out to avenge the killing of IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi during an airborne raid conducted in February by U.S. special forces in north-western Syria.

In further violence, 40 Christians were killed when gunmen opened fire on church worshippers gathered to celebrate Pentecost on Sunday, June 5, in Owo, Ondo State, south-western Nigeria. Ondo is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most peaceful states, where violence against Christians is rare.

The attack began at noon, towards the end of the service. The gunmen threw an improvised explosive device into the church before opening fire.

Meanwhile, the head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria, the Most Reverend Dr. Samuel Kanu Uche, was released after being abducted on Sunday May 29. After officiating at a Sunday service he was travelling with his chaplain, Abidemi Jeremiah Shittu, and the Bishop of Owerri, Dennis Mark, on a road in Abia State when they were kidnapped by gunmen.

The men were freed on the evening of May 30.

The Christian Association of Nigeria pointed out that ten church leaders have been kidnapped already this year, and two had been killed by their captors.

• Lift up the families of Christians martyred on the video and in Owo.  Pray that they will be comforted with the assurance that their loved ones’ deaths are precious in the Lord’s sight (Psalm 116:15).
• Ask Him to heal those wounded and strengthen their hearts through faith.
• Give thanks for Sa4muel Kanu Uche and his colleagues’ release and pray that Christians in Nigeria will not succumb to fear in the light of incidents in supposedly safer areas of the country but entrust themselves to their loving Savior whose perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18).

In God We Trust – Uptight Senior

Key Bible Verse: But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.”  – Mark 5:36

Bonus Reading:  Mark 5:21-24, 35b-43

The radio played one popular song after another from 1966—my senior year in college. I sang along, nostalgia oozing out of my pores.

But then I remembered how miserable I was that year. The girl I loved had jilted me; I’d almost gotten into a fistfight with one of my roommates; I was tired of school, uncertain of my calling, and afraid of the future.

Thinking of how good my life had been since then, I murmured gratitude to God for the woman I married, the kids we’d had together, the work He’d graciously given me to do, and the great friends I had.

All my 1966 fears had since been unmasked as frauds. What a waste it had been to be so anxious and fearful back in college. Had I only known, I could have relaxed and enjoyed my senior year. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to live that year again, I fantasized, knowing what I know now? Too bad I can’t.

But then something glorious occurred to me: I can live from now on knowing that my life is going to turn out fine. I can let God’s future dictate the terms of the present. I can give thanks indiscriminately as an act of hope, acting as though everything God promised about the future is true. Because it is.

—Ben Patterson in He Has Made Me Glad

My Response: I’ll thank God for His promises to watch over me and guarantee my future.

Thought to Apply: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.—Corrie Ten Boom (Dutch speaker)

Adapted from He Has Made Me Glad (InterVarsity, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, You’ve never let me down in my past. So help me to really rely on You for my present and future.

 

In God We Trust – Now!

Key Bible Verse: Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.  – Psalm 27:14

Bonus Reading:  Lamentations 3:24-26

Joe knew he was a fundamentally impatient person. It wasn’t that he had bad values and wanted the wrong things in life; he just didn’t know how to wait for what he wanted. And as an adult living in the real world, Joe wasn’t getting what he wanted when he wanted it the way he used to as a kid.

As Joe grew in faith, he learned about the patience of God. He learned too about the patience of faith giants like Abraham and Moses—who went to their graves not fully realizing the work of their lives. Joe realized that his impatience was the cause of many conflicts in his life and tensions in his home.

Joe’s prayer, worship, and reading of Scripture became a search for a new pattern of living. He asked God to help him gain a more relaxed attitude toward life. Gradually, this new attitude took root. Joe’s habits changed so that he began to live life instead of attacking it.

His expectations of his kids and wife became more relaxed. He gave up the notion that he knew how many decades he would live and that he knew the perfect script for his life. His family relationships and friendships developed deeper roots. As a bonus, Joe slept better and had more energy.

—Mel Lawrenz in Patterns

My Response: Is my lifestyle too driven or too relaxed?

Thought to Apply: If the door is shut, don’t put your shoulder to it. Wait till Christ takes out the key and opens it.—John Stott (British pastor)

Adapted from Patterns (Zondervan, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, You’ve never let me down in my past. So help me to really rely on You for my present and future.

 

In God We Trust – The Climber’s Protection

Key Bible Verse: “This is our God. We trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, in whom we trusted.”  – Isaiah 25:9

Bonus Reading:  Psalm 18:1-3, 30-33

Sixty miles or so up the sunshine coast from Vancouver is the Stawamus Chief, a 2,000-foot-high vertical slab of smooth granite popular with rock climbers. On summer days, they are spread out across its face in varying levels of ascent.

Looking up from the valley floor with my naked eye, the climbers appear to be improbably exempt from gravity. But with my binoculars, I can see that each climber is equipped with ropes and carabiners and pitons.

I’ve listened to my sons—both climbers—plan their ascents. They meticulously plot their route and then, as they climb, put in what they call “protection”—pitons, sturdy pegs constructed from a light metal, hammered into small crevices in the rock face, with attached ropes that will arrest a quick descent to death.

Our protection comes as we remember and hold on to times when we’ve experienced God’s faithfulness in our lives. Every answered prayer, every victory, every storm that has been calmed by His presence is a piton which keeps us from falling, losing hope, or worse yet, losing our faith. Every piton is a steppingstone in our ascent toward our ultimate goal of finishing the race and receiving the crown of glory.

—Eugene Peterson in The Unnecessary Pastor

My Response: A piton of God’s faithfulness that can anchor me as I inch upward is …

Thought to Apply: All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.—Ralph Waldo Emerson (author)

Adapted from The Unnecessary Pastor (Eerdmans, 2000).

Prayer for the Week: Lord, You’ve never let me down in my past. So help me to really rely on You for my present and future.

 

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 6-21-2022

COVID-19 Integrated County View:

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of June 21, 2022, showing Beaver County continuing in the HIGH category.

 

• The Incidence Rate decreased from 198.8 to 133.5 (an increase of 65.3, or 32.8%) in the HIGH category for the sixth consecutive week.
• The PCR Positivity Rate also decreased from 12.6 to 10.1, in the SUBSTANTIAL category.

(Allegheny County’s figures stabilized in the HIGH category during the past week, moving from 130.5 to 100.2 and from 12.6% to 13.0).

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The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:

Starting on March 3, 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)  

This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.

After two weeks in the HIGH category, the CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” remains in the LOW category for the third consecutive week.  This metric was adopted on March 3, 2022, reflecting on the potential availability of hospital beds for new COVID-19 cases. 

CDC-Recommended actions when in the HIGH level:

• Wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation.
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.

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• At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View” to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.

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• 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 19.0, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the immediate future.

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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 have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!

• In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.

• (5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches. )  
  

Central Church

In God We Trust – Buc Up!

Key Bible Verse: Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. … Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.  – Psalm 37:3, 5

Bonus Reading:  Psalm 37:1-40

When Tony Dungy was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach back in January 2002, the media marveled at how he responded to the decision with class, integrity, and faith.

Tony’s wife, Lauren, says that she and Tony have their disappointments and hurts but experience God’s grace and strength in the storm. “When our family, friends, and the community see that we face difficulties like anyone else, then we can communicate how our personal relationship with Jesus Christ sustains us … how God’s Word encourages us in trying times.”

The night after Tony was fired and before he signed as the new Indianapolis Colts head coach, Tony and Lauren invited the Bucs’ staff to their home. The Dungys shared from their hearts what they were going through and distributed copies of Psalm 37 to each person. “Be still in the presence of the Lord,” Tony read, “and wait patiently for him to act.”

While the sports world swirled around them, full of worried ponderings about what they would do, the Dungys calmly read Scripture and trusted God.

—Roxanne Robbins in Sports Spectrum Power Up!

My Response: When adversity strikes, do I panic? Or does reliance on God’s power sustain me?

Thought to Apply: And this be our motto, “In God is our trust.”—Francis Scott Key (in U.S. national anthem)

Adapted from Power Up! (Sports Spectrum, 5-6/02)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, You’ve never let me down in my past. So help me to really rely on You for my present and future.

 

In God We Trust – Whose Problem?

Who Said It…Todd Wilson

You may have already met Todd, his wife Debbie, and their six kids through his humorous “Familyman Weekly” column. At Purdue University, Todd told God, “I’ve run the first 20 years; you’ve got the rest.”

After 12 years as a youth and associate pastor, he decided to go with his passion to serve families. To encourage home-schooling parents, Todd spends several months each year traveling with his family in a 30-foot, gas-guzzling RV.

What He Said…Whose Problem?

My friend Kevin stands out—not because he’s tall, thin as a rail, and looks like a misplaced cowboy here in the Midwest, but because of how he trusts God.

Most people pray but trust in hunches. Kevin prays against the odds and, when the situation looks bleak, simply believes God is going to do what’s best for his family and for His own glory. At times I thought he’d have to show at least a little concern, but he didn’t. When he was suddenly laid off from work, he just grinned and said, “Well, I guess God’s going to have to provide in a different way.”

Most people panic, throw all they say they believe about God’s provision out of the window, and scramble to make it happen. Not Kevin. He doesn’t force the issue, rush in to take care of it himself, or throw up prayers of panic. He works hard, does the best he can, and then waits on God to make it happen. And God has never let him down.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, You’ve never let me down in my past. So help me to really rely on You for my present and future.

 

To the Frontlines of Faith – Personal Evangelism

Involuntarily thrust into a pagan culture, Joseph decided to engage it. He served his owner so well that he became “quite a favorite” with him (Genesis 39:4-6).

Then, after being unjustly imprisoned, he earned a position of trust while bringing God into his conversations (40:8).

So when summoned before Pharaoh, he was divinely prepared to exert influence on a national scale.

Interact with God’s Word

Genesis 41:14-16,Genesis 41:33-40

1. To whom did Joseph give credit for the interpretation of the two dreams?
2. But whose thinking was behind the famine survival strategy that Joseph sketched out?
3. What do you think so positively impressed Pharaoh and his advisers in this initial interview?
4. Do you think your relatives, neighbors, and co-workers perceive you as a person in whom the Spirit of God lives?
5. Joseph didn’t resist assuming an Egyptian name or taking an Egyptian bride (v. 45). How much of your culture can, and should, you assimilate as you represent Christ in it?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to guide you to know how to positively and effectively represent Christ to those you interact with in your social setting.

Genesis 41:14-16,Genesis 41:33-40

14 Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was brought hastily from the dungeon. After a quick shave and change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh’s presence. 15 “I had a dream last night,” Pharaoh told him, “and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you.” 16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease.”

33 “My suggestion is that you find the wisest man in Egypt and put him in charge of a nationwide program. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. 35 Have them gather all the food and grain of these good years into the royal storehouses, and store it away so there will be food in the cities. 36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise disaster will surely strike the land, and all the people will die.”

37 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his advisers. 38 As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, “Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God.” 39 Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land! 40 I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours.”

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

To the Frontlines of Faith – Jocks for Jesus

Key Bible Verse: “Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here.”  – Acts 17:6

Bonus Reading: 2 Corinthians 2:14b-16

There’s a dynamic Christian presence within organized sports.  Why?

Because Christians decided years ago to infiltrate that community with the salt of the gospel.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes has a ministry in almost every high school and college in America. Athletes in Action provides a way for Christian athletes to win a hearing for the gospel.

Every team in Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA has a chaplain, who provides for weekly chapel services and disciples team members and coaches.

The World Series, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, All-Star Games, major coaching conventions, and NCAA meetings all have prayer breakfasts, luncheons with Christian speakers, or special Bible studies. Many well-known stars make their commitment to Christ very public.

Faith is present in the sports community because believers didn’t run away the minute alcohol was served in a stadium, when games were played on Sunday, when gambling entered the picture.

Instead, they reasoned that because these troubling elements were a part of sports, that was all the more reason for Christians to stay and add as much salt as possible.

—Bob Briner in Roaring Lambs

My Response: How could a similar visibility of respected Christian leaders alter my field?

Thought to Apply: Salt retards spoilage. It doesn’t prevent it. I shudder to think about the condition of sports without Christian influence.—Bob Briner

Adapted from Think Before You Look (Living Ink Books, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

To the Frontlines of Faith – Why Not?

Key Bible Verse: “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven.”  – Matthew 10:32

Bonus Reading: Daniel 5:1-17

What if a senator or congressman appearing on Meet the Press would say on camera, “Tim, we’re going to be discussing some vital and sensitive issues. I wonder if we could begin with a word of prayer.”

Would CBS pull the plug on the show? Would his constituents immediately mount a recall campaign?

What if you were watching C-Span when your own congressman got up to address the House of Representatives, openly based his remarks on scriptural truth, intelligently delineating how this persuaded him to vote a certain way, and urged his fellow representatives to vote the same way?

Would you say, “Whoa! I believe in the Bible, but this is going too far”?

Well, why should we consent to keep the most important aspect of our lives in a closet?  Gays don’t.

The “politically correct” position is that a person’s religion is private and shouldn’t be publicly displayed.  But is this scriptural?

We need to earn the right to be heard, choose our battles wisely, and be sensitive and respectful.  But can we be the salt He commands us to be if we refuse to acknowledge His ownership of our lives?

—Bob Briner in Roaring Lambs

My Response: Does being openly who I am sound farfetched? If so, why?

Thought to Apply: If India is the most religious country on our planet, and Sweden is the least religious, America is a land of Indians ruled by Swedes.—Peter Berger (sociologist)

Adapted from Think Before You Look (Living Ink Books, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

To the Frontlines of Faith – Rub It In

Key Bible Verse: “The Kingdom of God … is like yeast [that] permeated every part of the dough.”  – Luke 13:20-21

Bonus Reading:  1 Corinthians 9:19b-23

Keeping Christ bottled up in the churches is keeping salt in the shakers. Salt must penetrate the meat to preserve it.

Being salt isn’t nearly so much about having more pastors and missionaries as it is about having many more Christian laymen thinking strategically about and acting on ways to build the kingdom in such areas as public policy, advertising, media, higher education, entertainment, the arts, and sports. They must penetrate key areas of culture to have a preserving effect.

That doesn’t mean standing outside and lobbing hand grenades of criticism over the wall. It means being inside through competence and talent, offering scripturally based alternatives to what is corrupting and evil.

When Christians carp and complain but offer no alternatives, the world rolls its eyes and snickers. Only if we offer a “more excellent way” do we command or deserve attention.

I’m calling for a radically different way of thinking about our world. Instead of running from it, we need to rush into it. Instead of hanging around the fringes of our culture, we need to be smack dab in the middle of it.

—Bob Briner in Roaring Lambs

My Response: A believer I know who wields respected influence with his colleagues is …

Thought to Apply: The world we confront is aggressively pagan. The only adequate answer is for Christians to recover the New Testament power of spiritual aggression.—Karl Barth (Swiss theologian)

Adapted from Roaring Lambs (Zondervan, 1993)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

Central Church – 2021 Apportionments – Paid More Than 100%!

Well done again in 2021, Central Church!

Central Church

Five video games to enrich your faith

Games can provide an awareness of God’s movement.

For nearly two years now Nathan Webb has had the privilege and joy of serving Checkpoint Church, the church for nerds, geeks, and gamers. From the onset of this vision, one of the major goals was to make use of the medium of the video game in order to explore the Christian faith.

Since he was a child, he’s felt that video games were a medium that told the most powerful stories. He was impacted by games at a much greater level than by any other form of story-telling. Thus Checkpoint was designed as a space where they might explore these stories in a familiar small group setting–much like what churches have utilized for book studies.

He doesn’t believe Checkpoint is the only place where these conversations should be happening however. Whether you are a pastor, parent, spiritual seeker, or serious gamer, Nathan Webb is willing to wager that you could find a wealth of meaning from the world of video games.

But where to start?

Video games for a spiritual journey

He could recommend excellent story-rich video games for days on end, but he’s crafted a list of five viable book-club-like video games that he thinks would serve the nerds in your life very well. With the exception of the first entry, these are in no particular order nor is this list a be-all, end-all. This is the tip of the iceberg, but kudos to you for being curious enough to take the plunge!

Here’s brief descriptions in Nathan’s own words:

Undertale

There are few games that hold as dear a place in my nerd heart as this one. Despite some toxicity in the community and being the butt of some jokes, “Undertale” is the absolute king of games with a deeper meaning. It’s also the only video game that I know of which has been given to the Pope, so there’s that.

This game guides the player through a familiar retro fantasy-land. Only this game presents you the option to choose whether or not to end the lives of the monsters you fight. Nothing has to die in this game – but you can choose to destroy, if you wish. The story will cleverly adapt itself to your choices and, with enough tact, you may land yourself in the Pacifist mode of the game… or the Genocide mode. (Yeah – this one gets pretty dark.)

With the powerful theme of life and death, this game allows for a truly novel exploration of the toughest stories we might read in our Bibles – with a retro flair!

Before Your Eyes

This game takes an unconventional gaming concept and runs with it. When you start the game, you are prompted to connect your webcam. This allows for the game to track your eyes and only progress the story forward when you blink. As if that isn’t enough to bring a tear to your eye, the game then presents you with a positively heartbreaking story of a family dealing with growth, loss, and new life.

While this one does get pretty weird and would present some interesting religious questions regarding the afterlife, the gist of the story is one that is familiar enough to all of us that it will provide a place for our more personal questions, too.

What first comes across as a cheeky gimmick pays off in dividends by the end of the story. Grab some eye drops, you’ll want to keep yourself from blinking as long as you can to get as much out of this story as possible. If you want a preview, we have a full playthrough of this game on our YouTube channel.

Life Is Strange

In a similar vein to the prior entry, “Life is Strange” tells a story that cuts straight through to some of our toughest questions – but with a twist. The player controls the main character, Max Caulfield, as she searches for the missing girl Rachel Amber in the small, barely-fictional town of Arcadia Bay. Max discovers that she has the power to turn back time and try things a second time when they don’t go her way.

Even though you play as a super-powered person, you feel very human. as you deal with the consequences of your choices. The game also reveals that controlling time isn’t as peachy as it’s cracked up to be. This game explores relationships better than most I’ve played and I end each playthrough feeling like I’ve become real friends (or enemies) with these fictional characters.

Ultimately, this game presents tough questions around death, choices, control, sexuality, and the infamous trolley problem. Just like the butterfly batting its wings, your life will be irrevocably changed after exploring this world.

Road 96

If you have trouble starting up tricky conversations regarding issues like immigration or police brutality, then this is the game for you.

“Road 96” tells the story of a country run by a dictatorship. Rather than experience it from a position of authority, the player experiences this corruption through the lives of several hitchhiking children who are attempting to flee the government.

Some of your journeys to the border will result in a successful crossing, others will result in the death of yourself or others. By the end of the game, however, the accumulation of your decisions will result in the revolution of the country or continued iron fist of the dictator.

It’s an emotional and all-too-familiar journey and allows for the player to truly make their own choices to impact the future of the lives of an entire nation. Good luck playing through this one and not facing some of the toughest choices you’ll ever make.

It Takes Two

Okay, this game is a sort of bonus answer. “It Takes Two” is best played by two people at once, also known as co-op. The two players will control a soon-to-be divorced husband and wife whose souls have been sucked up into toy dolls after their daughter makes a wish that they would get along.

The players then get dragged through a charming series of adventures as a husband and wife in an effort to learn to get along and work together. While the story is a good story, the real reason this game ought to be played in a community of faith is because we really should do all that we can to learn how to work together a bit better. Surely it only takes a quick glance at the fracturing of the church to see that it is vital to the future of the Body of Christ.

The adventure is yours

Central Church

To the Frontlines of Faith – … or Salt?

Key Bible Verse:  You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?  – Matthew 5:13

Bonus Reading:  Genesis 41:14-16, 33-40

Could the most critically acclaimed director in Hollywood one day be a layman active in his church? Could the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting go to a Christian journalist on staff at a major daily newspaper?

Is it too much of a stretch to think that a major exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art could feature the works of an artist on staff at one of our Christian colleges? Am I out of my mind to suggest that your son or daughter could be the principal dancer for the Joffrey Ballet Company, leading a weekly Bible study for others?

I don’t think so.

Why should we be so ready to encourage our children to become ministry professionals but stand in the way of their becoming journalists, actors, photographers, and painters? Do we believe God is strong enough to take care of His own only as long as they stay within the safety of the Christian ghetto?

The Bible is filled with examples of people like Joseph, who not only served as adviser to the “president” of his day, but used that position to influence the entire land. If we’re obedient to our Lord’s call to go into all the world, we’ll begin reentering the fields we’ve fled.

—Bob Briner in Roaring Lambs

My Response: What field am I equipped to penetrate with Christian values?

Thought to Apply: [Christians] must plunge into social and political problems in order to have an influence on the world, not in the hope of making it a paradise, but simply in order to make it tolerable.—Jacques Ellul

Adapted from Roaring Lambs (Zondervan, 1993)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

 

To the Frontlines of Faith – Scorekeepers…?

Key Bible Verse: I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin.  But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers. … You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that.  – 1 Corinthians 5:9-10

Bonus Reading: Romans 12:14-21

Our responsibility isn’t to keep score. The ultimate victory will be ours, but it won’t happen here.

If we’re effective, we’ll thrill to see the Holy Spirit turn our efforts into positive benefits in the lives of some around us, but evil will survive, even prosper. We’re to keep living for Christ and leave the results to Him.

The scorekeeping mentality is most pervasive in our approach to television. Well-meaning but ineffective Christians spend much of their time monitoring telecasts to tell us how many acts of violence, sexually explicit scenes, and anti-Christian plots are seen on the nation’s networks.

Our job, it seems to me, isn’t so much to monitor evil as it is to provide alternatives to evil.

If the resources used to survey all those hours of television, report those results, and organize a boycott had been used to produce and distribute even one quality national program that pointed viewers to the more excellent way, that would be of more value than all the scorekeeping.

Participating in a boycott of products of companies sponsoring trashy TV programs might make us feel righteous, but has little to do with real influence.

—Bob Briner in Roaring Lambs

My Response: Do I tend to protest or seek to provide better alternatives?

Adapted from Roaring Lambs (Zondervan, 1993)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

Happy Father’s Day

To the Frontlines with Faith – The Amateur Edge

Who Said It…Bob Briner

Bob Briner was a leading figure in professional sports management, an Emmy Award-winning producer, and president of ProServe Television. He wrote regularly for the New York Times and Sports Illustrated.

With Michael W. Smith, he co-hosted the nationally syndicated radio show Roaring Lambs. Bob wrote a book with the same title, and while battling cancer in 1999, struggled to finish one more book during his final weeks on earth—pulling it off just in time.

What He Said…The Amateur Edge

The conventional wisdom says that Christianity’s best spokespersons are the Chuck Swindolls and the James Dobsons of the church. But guess what.

Out where I spend my professional life—in the headquarters of the television networks and in the advertising agencies in New York and in the offices of the professional sports leagues—people have never heard of either one. They are both extraordinarily effective at speaking to and equipping Christians. But we are not applying what they are teaching us.

It is my firm belief that the most effective spokespersons for Jesus Christ in the public arena will:

• Have never asked for money on radio or television.
• Not be on the payroll of any Christian organization.
• Through competence and class in their own “secular” profession, have earned the right to be heard.
• Be a superb communicator.
• Know and love God’s Word.
• Understand that Christianity is relevant to life.

Adapted from Roaring Lambs (Zondervan, 1993)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me to penetrate my corner of Your world with the salt of the gospel.

 

This Fathers’ Day – Be a Better Man!

All of us, men and women know we aren’t all we want to be in our Christian lives.

To help us along, here are some links to a variety of resources to help men grow in their spiritual lives.  Such contemplation might not be a cuddly, upbeat way to celebrate Father’s Day, but it might have an eternal impact that is far more important.

Be a better man

Explore or start a personal relationship with Jesus

http://www.whoisjesus-really.com/

http://www.needhim.org/who-is-jesus

http://goingfarther.jesus.net/

 

Grow in the Basics of Christianity

http://christianity.about.com/od/newchristians/p/christianbasics.htm

http://bible.org/

http://www.keepbelieving.org/resources.htm

http://goingfarther.jesus.net/

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/dr-ray-pritchard/five-excellent-bible-study-websites-11633090.html

 

 Start or become involved with a Men’s Ministry

http://www.menoftheword.org/starting_mens_minist.html

http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/161203-yvon_prehn_dont_kill_your_mens_ministry_before_it_starts.html

Learn to defend the Christian faith

Two great sites that will answer your questions and prepare you to answer others

http://www.str.org/

http://www.equip.org/

Recover from an addiction

Alcoholics Anonymous

http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=1

Celebrate Recovery

Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits, please note that the current website status is not reflective of the quality of the ministry.

http://www.celebraterecovery.com/

Overall resources for recovery, good explanation of Celebrate Recovery

http://www.drug-rehab-center-hotline.com/celebraterecovery.html

 

Pornography, sexual addition, related issues

http://www.pureintimacy.org/pornographyaddiction/

 

Download an ap with daily Bible encouragements and other resources

http://www.join1millionmen.org/resourcesorder-today/

 

Help with internet filters, accountability, online help

http://www.mensministry.info/pornography.html

http://www.menofintegrity.org/porn.html

 

 

 

 

Grace for the Other Guy – Loving Our Neighbor

This passage is part of the much-loved climax to Paul’s explanation of forgiveness of sin through Christ and of freedom from sin’s grasp.

It sets these realities in the broader context of God’s purpose for all who’ve responded to His call through the gospel, and the Holy Spirit’s role in shaping the desired result and assuring our solid standing into eternity.

 

Interact with God’s Word

Romans 8:29-34

1. Have you thought of yourself as chosen by the eternal Father to be a brother to His Son?
2. How does knowing you are chosen make you feel?
3. Why, according to verse 29, has God called you to come to Him?
4. What does verse 30 tell you God gave you when He included you as a brother of Christ?
5. What did Jesus do in the past (v. 34) to secure your right standing?
6. What is He doing now to sustain that standing?
7. Who is the guarantor (v. 33) of your right standing?
8. What is the future for Jesus’ brothers and sisters?
9. How should you value brothers and sisters whom Jesus died for and the Father chose?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Thank God for choosing you and the brothers you relate to. Ask Him to make you each more like the divine Brother you seek to follow.

Romans 8:29-34

29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

 

Grace for the Other Guy – Sinner Saint

Key Bible Verse: The Father … has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.  – Colossians 1:12, NIV

Bonus Reading:  Col. 1:9-14

Ryan and Sam shrank from disclosing reality in their lives to each other. Although saved, they instinctively knew they’d still be condemned as sinners. But after connecting with the truth of grace for the first time, the two walked up to me.

“Sam here and I’ve been close friends for years,” Ryan said. “Over lunch we did the exercise about choosing to believe that we’re each saints. And I learned something about Sam that he’s kept hidden from me.” Ryan turned to Sam. “Why don’t you tell Bill what you just told me?”

Sam said, “I told Ryan that a while back I acted out an unhealthy behavior, and that right now I’m deeply tempted to do so again. In fact, I just wish someone would hit on me.”

Ryan responded, “You’ve lied to me for years, Sam. I feel hurt and confused. Before, if you’d told me the stuff you just did, I’d have rejected you. But today I’m proud of you for telling me. I don’t have a clue how to help you. But I know you’re a saint, Sam—one with deep issues that are freaking me out right now. But I’ll stand with you.”

Now the masks were off. Each saw the other as a fragile and compromised, but dearly accepted saint.

—Bill Thrall in TrueFaced

My Response: What mask must come off if I’m to reach out to others?

Thought to Apply: If we don’t accept Jesus in one another, we will not be able to give him to others.—Mother Teresa (Albanian missionary to India)

Adapted from TrueFaced (NavPress, 2003)

Prayer for the Week:  Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

Grace for the Other Guy – Convicted Convict

Key Bible Verse: Now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.  – Hebrews 2:11

Bonus Reading:  Romans 8:29-30

The third day I was at the federal prison at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, it rained.  The groundskeepers work detail to which I was assigned was excused from duty.  Finding an empty spot in the dayroom, I read my Bible and came across the Key Bible Verse for today.

That verse hit me hard. I suddenly saw life differently. The men around me weren’t “murderers,” “armed robbers,” and “drug dealers.” They were brothers, human beings just like me.

Some of them had done terrible things, sure.  But so had I.

I might have some talents that society rewarded more highly than it did the talents of these men, but those abilities had been given to me at birth. I’d nurtured them, it’s true, but I’d also misused them time and again. Anything that might distinguish me from these other men, I realized, was a difference in degree, not in kind.

We were all gifted and flawed people, and I could no longer pretend I was qualified to judge anyone.  Who was I to place myself apart?  I became convinced—no, convicted—that in God’s eyes, I was fortunate to be someone, like my fellow prisoners, of whom Jesus was not ashamed.

—Charles Colson in The Good Life

My Response: Colson says, “I never truly understood people until I was crushed.” I think the reason for that is …

Thought to Apply: Be as patient with others as God has been with you.—Source Unknown

Adapted from The Good Life (Tyndale, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

 

Beaver Falls Police Issue Community Notice Advising Residents to Take Precautions in Their Home Security

Grace for the Other Guy – Attitude Check

Key Bible Verse: So why do you condemn another Christian?  Why do you look down on another Christian?   – Romans 14:10

Bonus Reading:  Romans 14:11-13

I had never liked “Jerry,” a Christian leader in my community.  True, I’d never met him.  Yet I “knew” that Jerry oozed arrogance—and I “knew” that he didn’t respect me.  Why would I want to meet a person so stuck-up and judgmental?

One day as I filled my plate at a local diner, I turned and came face to face with Jerry.  Flustered, I said, “Hello, Jerry. I don’t think we’ve ever met. My name is Matt Woodley.”

Jerry’s eyes lit up. “Oh, my goodness,” he effused. “I’m so happy to meet you, I’ve heard so many good things about you and your church.  I hear you’re having such a positive impact on this community.  I even hear you’re a writer.  I have so much respect for you.  It’s good to meet you!”

I felt myself shrinking in shame. I had assumed that Jerry’s heart seethed with noxious attitudes toward me. A stingy spirit entraps us in suspicion, self-righteousness, and misery.

But people like Jerry reveal a Christlike commitment to see the best in other people, until it’s proven otherwise. They refuse to rely on hearsay or assumptions; instead, they base their opinions on face-to-face and heart-to-heart conversations. Generosity of spirit makes us and God very happy.

—Mathew Woodley in Discipleship Journal

My Response: When in doubt, do I assume the best or the worst? Why?

Thought to Apply: Generosity of spirit builds Christlike relationships; stinginess of spirit undermines and eventually shatters them.—Mathew Woodley (New York pastor)

Adapted from Discipleship Journal (7-8/05)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

 

Grace for the Other Guy – Pecking Order

Key Bible Verse: “Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”  – Matthew 7:12

Bonus Reading:  Romans 13:8-10

When I was in fifth grade, nobody hung out with two boys: Ted, a geek who wore thick glasses, talked with a high-pitched voice, and wasn’t very athletic; and Johnny, who was overweight and older, because he’d failed fifth grade twice.

One spring day our teacher sent Ted and Johnny out of the room on an errand. Then she said to the class, “Before recess twice a day, you choose sides for kickball; and every time Ted and Johnny are selected last.  Why not try something different?  Why not do for them what you’d want them to do for you?”

The next day, I was captain for one of the kickball teams. If I close my eyes, I can still see the joyful surprise on Ted’s face when I chose him first for my team. And I’ll never forget the excited expression on Johnny’s face when the other captain selected him first.

Was this a big thing?  No.  We’d merely treated them with dignity and respect.

And that’s all we need to decide to do as we encounter waiters and cashiers, blue-collar laborers and white-collar executives, neighbors and friends, children and parents, people in trouble or just muddling through life.  As we do, they’ll be impacted.  And so will we.

—Lee Strobel in God’s Outrageous Claims

My Response: This is Lee’s clearest memory from fifth grade. I think that’s because …

Thought to Apply: Love stretches your heart and makes you big inside.—Margaret Walker (African American poet)

Adapted from God’s Outrageous Claims (Zondervan, 1997, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

 

 

Church Office Upgrades!

As part of our continuing effort to maintain and improve our Church, we now have exciting new equipment in our Church Office!

Recently, our old color laser copier has required a series of increasingly expensive repairs and replacement parts in order to continue operating, and the decision was made to retire the copier in the face of more major and expensive repairs.

During the period that the old copier was down for repairs, we have relied on our inkjet printer to meet our weekly demands, such as printing the bulletins for our in-person worship service, but ink for the inkjet printer is considerably more expensive than toner for a laser copier, so using our inkjet printer to fill the gap was a short-term solution at best.

Thanks to two donations, our Church Office now features:

• a new color laser copier; as well as
• a new black-and-white laser copier,

to handle our routine printing and copying needs.

The Trustees have installed and configured both copiers, and they are now set-up in the Office, ready to serve our printing and copying needs this week and into the future.

With thanks for these donations, our thanks also go to our dedicated Trustees for their tireless work to maintain and improve our Church!

Central Church

Grace for the Other Guy – “I Knew It!”

Key Bible Verse: So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.  – Romans 15:7

Bonus Reading:  Romans 15:2-6

As volunteers in the local Young Life club, Mike and Karla Yaconelli befriended a student whose father, an alcoholic, had emotionally and physically abused his entire family. They worked with the young man for six months.

The Yaconellis were remodeling their house and needed new kitchen tile laid. The only professional available was the young man’s father. Reluctantly Mike agreed to employ him—but only after obtaining a legal bid.

The boy’s father performed the work. On his last day, Mike asked him to drop by his office later for his check. He replied that he would because he needed to talk to Mike about the money. “I knew he’d try to cheat us,” Mike muttered to Karla. He braced himself for a confrontation.

At the end of the day, the boy’s father entered Mike’s office and began to talk as he wrote out his bill. He acknowledged that he’d abused his family. He told how he’d observed Mike’s involvement with his son change the boy’s life.

After seeing his son’s change, he said, he’d gone to AA and remained sober ever since. He handed Mike the bill, saying, “I’ve never been able to thank you, but I’m thanking you now.” It showed the agreed-upon bid price, and was marked “paid in full.”

—Howard Butt Jr. in Who Can You Trust?

My Response: Given the same situation, would I even have hired the father?

Adapted from Who Can You Trust? (WaterBrook, 2004)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time! Help me to dish it out to others.

 

 

Central Church – Online Worship Service – Central Church – First Sunday after Pentecost 1 – Trinity Sunday – Peace with Justice Sunday – 6-12-2022

On this first Sunday after Pentecost, on which we celebrate Trinity Sunday, 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 with our online worship service. Today’s online worship service includes a favorite HYMN with lyrics so you can sing along! Our prior online worship services are available in our online library, and can be viewed on demand, and be sure to join us in worship, either online or in person, every week!    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.  Also, it takes a while to generate the captions after the videos are published, so if the captions are not available immediately after the video is published, just check back a little later. 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=425570102750871 YouTube –    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJvZVgQUuQg (If the video doesn’t come up after clicking on the link, just copy and paste the address into your browser search bar.) Central Church

Grace for the Other Guy – God’s Penetration Play

Who Said It…Mike Singletary

Mike Singletary is one of the most determined and accomplished players in NFL history. In the 12 seasons (1981-1992) that “Samurai” Singletary played linebacker for the Chicago Bears, he was twice named NFL defensive player of the year, and named ten times to the Pro Bowl team.

Mike is outspoken about his faith and family (he and Kim have seven children). In 2005, he became the assistant head coach and linebacker coach for the San Francisco 49ers.

What He Said…God’s Penetration Play

While speaking in prisons, I urged inmates to reconcile with their fathers.  Kim called me on it: “Mike, how can you tell other people to reconcile with their loved ones when you won’t call your dad? Are you going to forgive him or is the blood of Jesus going to be in vain?”

My parents got a divorce when I was a kid. I’d sided with my mom, refused to forgive my dad, and hadn’t talked to him for years. God finally made it clear that I had to act. I made the call. There was screaming and crying. We both almost hung up. But we stayed with it, and talked for three hours. I forgave my dad, he forgave me, and we started a new relationship.

A couple of months later, I visited my dad. We hugged, and for the first time in my life, I told him I loved him.  As we talked, I began to understand the dynamics that shaped him.

Now he’s bedridden.  It’s a good thing we got our relationship right while we could still enjoy each other.

Adapted from Mike Singletary: One-on-One (Regal, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I’m on the receiving end of Your grace big time!  Help me to dish it out to others.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – Spiritual Vigilance

King Solomon, who collected and arranged most of the sayings in the Book of Proverbs, was a brilliant thinker. But he didn’t consistently model for his own children what he advocated.

Our kids, too, will pick up our values more from what they observe us read, listen to, and view, than from the values we recommend. So we need to be on constant guard duty.

 

Interact with God’s Word

Proverbs 4:18-27

1. Since we usually find time to do what we enjoy, what do your leisure activities say about your affections?
2. What is the goal of guarding your heart?
3. What actions that help guard your heart are listed in verses 24-27?
4. How can you “stick to the path and stay safe” (v. 26)?
5. What are some assumptions in the media (v. 19) that could easily trip you up?
6. How can you reinforce your confidence that the “way of the righteous” (v. 18) is the only way with a truly bright outlook?

Spend Time in Prayer: Ask God for a firm resolve to honor Him in all that you allow yourself and your family to be exposed to.

Proverbs 4:18-27

18 The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like complete darkness. Those who follow it have no idea what they are stumbling over. 20 Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully.

21 Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, 22 for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.

24 Avoid all perverse talk; stay far from corrupt speech. 25 Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26 Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. 27 Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – Spectator Sport?

Key Bible Verse: We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  – 2 Corinthians 10:5, NIV

Bonus Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Is TV viewing a spectator sport?  Hardly.  With split-second accuracy, you must change channels, zap commercials, or even shut the whole thing down.

This year I was with a group of friends watching the Super Bowl.  My pastor, C.J. Mahaney, had the remote.  As soon as commercials came on he’d switch to C-SPAN, possibly the safest channel available.

Why does he practice “active remote” television viewing?  Doesn’t he know how entertaining the Super Bowl commercials can be?

Yes, and he also knows how often they use sex to sell their products.  He knows that nothing he might miss is worth exposing himself to lustful images.

Well, it’s just a commercial, I’ve rationalized.  It’s going to be over in a few seconds.  It can’t be that bad.  But that’s a lie.  A sinful image can lodge itself in my mind in much less than 30 seconds.

At times when I’ve traveled and stayed at hotels, I’ve sinned against God by mindlessly surfing through the channels, knowing there’s a good chance something will flash before my eyes.  This is an expression of lust.  Because of my poor track record, I no longer turn the TV on in a hotel.

—Joshua Harris in Not Even a Hint

My Response: I’ll agree with my wife on what will automatically trigger termination of a show or commercial.

Thought to Apply: In Beverly Hills they don’t throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows.—Woody Allen (director, comedian)

Adapted from Not Even a Hint (Multnomah, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – Where Did They Get That Idea?

Key Bible Verse: These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away.  – Isaiah 29:13

Bonus Reading: 1 John 2:15-17; 24-27

A dozen years ago, Bob Briner wrote in Roaring Lambs about his experience trying to get a New Year’s Eve concert on the air.  The concert featured several Christian stars, many of whom were also popular in the secular market.

Although he had 20 years of experience in program distribution, he couldn’t get one network to air the program.  Briner commented, “The main over-the-air networks do not believe that Christians in America are an identifiable, reliable audience.  Their view is that Christians protest against bad programs but watch them anyway.”

If the lambs of today are letting themselves be shepherded into the TV industry’s neat and tidy little demographic categories with everyone else, is it any wonder that popular culture is rapidly sliding into the sewer?

What has happened to our mission to challenge cultural assumptions from a Christian point of view?

We tend to blur the old line between “in the world” and “of the world” until it’s almost unrecognizable, and we’ve stopped pushing the media to produce something better, instead trying to make the best of what’s already there—or worse yet, thoroughly enjoying it.

—Gina Dalfonzo in BreakPoint WorldView

My Response: To what extent are the network assumptions justified judging by my Christian friends?

Thought to Apply: Why should people pay good money to go out and see bad films when they can stay home and see bad television for nothing? —Samuel Goldwyn (film producer)

Adapted from BreakPoint WorldView (12/02)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – Familiarity Breeds…Acceptance?

Key Bible Verse: I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.  – Psalm 101:3

Bonus Reading: Matthew 6:22-23

The first time you heard a curse word, saw a sex scene, or witnessed a televised kiss between two people of the same sex, you likely reacted with disdain. But the more you’re exposed to things that you may consider wrong, the less negative reaction you’ll have to them.

If these subjects are presented in a favorable, acceptable manner, you may begin to accept them as the norm and possibly even decide to indulge in such acts yourself.  Our initial reaction of being repulsed by something can change with oversaturation and move us to acceptance, and, even worse, make us approve.

The phenomenon of oversaturation changing the views of the public about what’s considered normal, tolerable, and appropriate can be easily seen in the difference in today’s television, movies, magazines, and advertising as compared to just a couple of decades ago.

Overexposure to the many vices of the world through the media has caused our views of what’s right and wrong to dim to the point that today those views are barely visible. As our views of right and wrong change, we find ourselves experiencing appetites for things that just a few short years ago we’d have run away from.

—Debra Cherry in Feeding Your Appetites

My Response: One thing I’ve begun to tolerate that used to be off limits is …

Thought to Apply: We Americans have always considered Hollywood, at best, a sinkhole of depravity. And, of course, it is. It is not a Protective Monastery of Aesthetic Truth.—David Mamet (playwright)

Adapted from Feeding Your Appetites (Integrity Publishers, 2004)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – Why TV Threatens Families

Key Bible Verse: We are … fighting against … the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world.  – Ephesians 6:12

Bonus Reading: Psalm 128:1-6

What societal threat poses the greatest threat to Christian families?  According to a survey of FamilyLife Conference guests we conducted, it’s television.

Why?  Because …

• TV replaces real relationships.

Communication ceases when the TV is turned on. Who can compete with million-dollar commercials, and programs that parade sexy bodies in front of us? I agree with Erma Bombeck, who said that if a woman has a husband who watches three consecutive TV football games on a Saturday, she should have him declared legally dead and have his estate probated!

• TV often undermines the commitments and moral integrity that bind a family together.

Shows that honor the family have been replaced by sitcoms that glorify adultery, premarital sex, and perverted behavior.

• TV robs families of time—both in quality and quantity.

After attending a marriage conference, one dad went home, unplugged the TV, and lugged it to the garage. In its place he hung a picture of the family. Their five-year-old-son stared at the portrait; then he looked up at his dad and asked, “Does this mean we’re going to be a family now?”

—Dennis Rainey in Moments Together for a Peaceful Home

My Response: A positive alternative to tube time I could lead my family in is …

Thought to Apply: It is not that [TV content] is always directly hurtful. The evil lies rather in the forfeiture of what the child might be doing if not watching. —George Kennan

Adapted from Moments Together for a Peaceful Home (Regal, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – TV Takeover

Key Bible Verse: Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.  – Proverbs 4:23

Bonus Reading: Proverbs 4:18-27

For years Barb and I had two TVs in the home—the family room and the master bedroom. We’d routinely invite the kids to plop on our bed just before bedtime. On occasion, if there was something interesting on, we’d watch TV together.

When Scott turned 15, he asked if he could have a TV in his bedroom. Because I wasn’t as sensitized to this issue as I am now, I discounted Barb’s concerns and told Scott he could get a TV as long as he bought it with his own money.

What a mistake!  That TV was like a large magnet for Scott, who was sucked into his bedroom about 15 seconds after he finished his last bite of dessert, and we wouldn’t see him again until the next morning.

It pulled him away from our family, and we had no idea what he watched. I have a sneaking suspicion Scott succumbed to the temptation to watch late-night television shows on school nights, which cut into his sleep time and made him more tired in the morning.

Allowing teens to watch what they want when they want is like inviting a total stranger who doesn’t share your values to spend a lot of quality time with them.

—Walt Larimore in God’s Design for a Highly Healthy Teen

My Response: How am I exercising spiritual leadership of my family’s viewing habits?

Adapted from God’s Design for a Highly Healthy Teen (Zondervan, 2005)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

Tackling the TV Threat – 3 Entertainment Industry Lies

Who Said It …Michael Medved

Michael Medved is a radio talk show host and veteran film critic.  After his Hollywood vs. America was published in 1992, the entertainment establishment denounced him as “a Nazi” and “a fundamentalist Christian fanatic.”

That, says Michael, is “no way to talk about a nice Jewish boy.”  As a Yale freshman, he suffered frostbite in Omaha while hitchhiking home to California in tennis shoes. By the time he graduated, Michael had hitchhiked more than 80,000 miles!

What He Said …3 Entertainment Industry Lies

1.  It’s only entertainment; it doesn’t influence anybody.

Advertisers wouldn’t be paying multiple millions of dollars airing commercials and supporting programs that influenced no one. Networks wouldn’t be pulling out all the stops to increase their shows’ ratings if it truly were “only entertainment.”

2.  We just reflect reality.  Don’t blame us, blame society.

About 7 of the approximately 350 characters appearing on primetime television each evening are murdered. If this homicide rate reflected the real world, then in less than two months every person in America would be killed and the last left could turn off the TV.

3.  We give the public what it wants.  If people don’t like it, they can turn it off.

For over two decades, G- and PG-rated films for family audiences have earned twice as much as R-rated films. But instead of increasing production of lower-rated films, Hollywood has upped the number of R-rated films to nearly two-thirds of all releases. Many of these R titles never even earn a profit for their producers.

Adapted from Reader’s Digest (10/95)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, when I relax, it’s easy to let my guard down. Please keep me spiritually vigilant all the time.

 

COVID-19 – Beaver County Metrics – 5-31-2022

COVID-19 Integrated County View:

Here are the weekly COVID-19 statistics for Beaver County, PA as of May 31, 2022, showing Beaver County continuing in the HIGH category.

• The Incidence Rate was constant from 208.2 to 203.7 (a decrease of 4.5, or 2.1%) in the HIGH category for the fourth consecutive week.
• The PCR Positivity Rate also increased from 16.6 to 23.5, in the SUBSTANTIAL category.

(Allegheny County’s figures increased in the HIGH category during the past week, moving from 253.0 to 200.2 and from 20.1% to 23.5).

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The new “COVID-19 COMMUNITY LEVEL” index:

Starting on March 3, 2022, for hospitals and healthcare systems, the CDC is also issuing a new “COVID-19 Community Level“ index that measures the “current potential for strain on the health system” (in other words, the ability of hospitals to take in and treat additional folks with COVID-19.)  

This new index is in addition to the CDC’s “COVID-19 Integrated County View” which they continue to publish each week.

The CDC currently reports that current “COVID-19 Community Level” is, for the second time since this metric was adopted on March 3, 2022, HIGH, reflecting on the potential availability of hospital beds for new COVID-19 cases. 

CDC-Recommended actions based on current level:

• Wear a mask indoors in public and on public transportation.
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.
• Get tested if you have symptoms.
• If you are at high risk for severe illness, consider taking additional precautions.

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• At Central Church, in order to look out for our older folks, as well as the unvaccinated or immunocompromised, we are continuing to look to the CDC’s“COVID-19 Integrated County View” to evaluate which protective measures and protocols that we should observe to protect all of the folks who come through our doors for in-person worship or for other reasons, such as to participate in our community feeding ministry outreach.

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• 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 29.1, so resuming small group meetings may not be feasible for the immediate future.

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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 have significantly expanded our new medical-grade HEPA-13 air filtration equipment in our Sanctuary, which is rated to remove COVID-19 from the air, which now provides 10.7 complete air changes every hour in our Sanctuary (every 6 minutes)!

• In addition, our Parlor, Church Office, Pastor’s Office, UMYF Meeting Room, Fellowship Hall, and Nursery all offer even higher levels of air changes per hour using HEPA-13 or HEPA-14 filtration.

• (5 air changes per hour is the EPA’s general recommended standard, and the EPA now recommends 8-15 air changes per hour in Churches. )  
  

Central Church

A Relationship Redefined – Loving Spouse and Family

The religious experts arrived from the big city to check out reports of irregularities in the hinterland.

But in response to the first question on their checklist, Jesus countered with a more basic question: what was the basis for the checklist itself?

He then condemned their nifty attempt to checkmate the clear teaching of the law by misapplying another regulation (Numbers 30:2).

Interact with God’s Word

Matthew 15:3-6

1. What are some traditions that add richness and meaning to life?
2. When do traditions cross a line from good to wrong (v. 3)?
3. Is the biblical concept of “honor” limited to showing love and respect (v. 5)?
4. Does our society’s tradition of living in nuclear rather than extended families release us from an obligation to care for them personally?
5. Do our society’s “traditions” of corporate and governmental pension and health care provisions release us from an obligation to provide financially for our parents?
6. Can you think of other ways in which we may have substituted man-made expectations for God’s commands?

Spend Time in Prayer:  Ask God to help you determine how you should observe the Fifth Commandment in a manner that honors Him, as well as your parents.

Matthew 15:3-6

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God? 4 For instance, God says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to death.’

5 But you say, ‘You don’t need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.’ 6 And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God.

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I realize that honoring my parents is a part of fully honoring You. Help me to lovingly fulfill this obligation.

 

Pentecost Sunday – 6-5-2022

A Relationship Redefined – Softened “Fence Post”

Key Bible Verse: His father said to him, “Look, dear son, you and I are very close … ”  – Luke 15:31

Bonus Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Running a Kansas farm with his parents and six brothers and sisters taught Marvin solid values that would serve him well as a surgeon. But after he left the farm for college, Marvin began to feel an elusive void. It gradually took the shape of a simple sentence he and his father had never spoken to each other: I love you. Marvin knew his father loved him. But his love was understood, not felt. And it was something, like respect, to be earned. As he learned of better, deeper relationships, Marvin longed for more.

On a break from college, Marvin spoke those three words, “I love you,” and hugged his father. His father remained silent—cold yet compliant, unsure of what to do with his emotions. “It felt like hugging a fence post,” Marvin recalls.

But he repeated the scene during the next six months. The response to his words and hugs was always an unbroken silence. But after the tenth time, Marvin’s father looked his son in the eyes and said, “Son, I love you, too.”

This turning point “opened up unexplored territory in our relationship,” Marvin says. Over time, he and his father were able to share heart-to-heart their dreams, failures, and joys.

—Ken Canfield in The Heart of a Father

My Response: What “unexplored territory” do I need to probe with my father?

Thought to Apply: Love cures people—both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.—Karl Menninger (psychiatrist)

Adapted from The Heart of a Father (Northfield, 1996)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I realize that honoring my parents is a part of fully honoring You. Help me to lovingly fulfill this obligation.

 

A Relationship Redefined – Pumping Positives

Key Bible Verse: May God … give you grace and peace. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to God.  – Philippians 1:2-3

Bonus Reading: Proverbs 23:22-25

How many of us thank God every time we remember our parents? Almost everyone has negative memories of his childhood. But you can balance this with positive memories of your home. Here are pump primers to get these positive thoughts flowing:

• Where did your parents take you on vacation, and what did you do?
• What did you most enjoy doing with your dad? With your mom?
• What was your favorite family tradition?
• What were the family jokes?
• What special phrases or nicknames did your family invent?
• What was your favorite Christmas? Your favorite birthday?
• What problems did your parents help you through when you were a teenager?
• What values from your childhood home are you trying to pass on to your children?

As you think about these questions, thank God for the positive memories and their power to give your own home strength and stability. Write some of your thoughts down and send them in a letter to your parents. It’s a tangible way to let them know you wish them “grace and peace.”

—Dennis Rainey in Moments Together for Growing Closer to God

My Response: What are the positive childhood memories I’m grateful for?

Thought to Apply: The real histories of families aren’t the records of births, deaths, and marriages. They are the stories told after dessert.—Frederick Waterman (writer)

Adapted from Moments Together for Growing Closer to God (Regal, 2003)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I realize that honoring my parents is a part of fully honoring You. Help me to lovingly fulfill this obligation.

 

A Relationship Redefined – Dad’s Mistake

Key Bible Verse: You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you.  – Colossians 3:13

Bonus Reading: Colossians 3:12-14

My love growing up was baseball. Dad worked long hours and didn’t come to my games. But my last year in Little League, we played the league-leading team in a real stadium! I was so proud to have Dad finally see me play center field. I got two hits off one of the league’s best pitchers. The game ended. I felt good, ready for Dad to congratulate me on my hitting. Instead: “You missed that fly ball. You should have charged it. You could have caught it.” I was devastated.

I held it against him for years. But then I started going to my son Sam’s games. As we’d drive home, it would take everything in me to not say, “You took a called strike three.” That’s when I really forgave Dad. Now I see that Dad saw the potential and wanted me to be better. He knew I could have caught that ball if I’d charged it. But all I could see back then was that I was a failure in his eyes.

Loving our parents means we quit holding their humanness against them. We let them be fallible, like us. God wants your parents to experience forgiveness from any place they can get it—especially from you.

—Paul Tokunaga in Faith on the Edge

My Response: I’ll ask God to dissolve resentment for how I may have been hurt by my parents.

Thought to Apply: Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them.—Oscar Wilde (playwright)

Adapted from Faith on the Edge (InterVarsity, 1999)

Prayer for the Week: Lord, I realize that honoring my parents is a part of fully honoring You. Help me to lovingly fulfill this obligation.