Central Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)

Looking for Christian concerts and venues in Ohio?

Trying to keep up on new artists?

Visit http://www.itickets.com to see concert schedules for Big Daddy Weave, Steven Chapman, BarlowGirls and more.  Also, if you are looking for music, their site offers free weekly downloads for artists such as Joel Auge.

I am writing this particular column at the beginning of another week of Vacation Bible School at Central Christian Church. Every summer when VBS rolls around, I think about when I used to go to VBS – a long, long time ago. I may not remember many of the sermons that were preached back then, but I certainly remember the one week during the summer when all of the attention of the church was focused on us kids. There were always lots of grape Kool-Aid, sugar cookies, pretty teachers, and crafts to take home to mom. Some things never change! (Although I suspect the snacks are a bit healthier now than they were back then)

How wonderful it is our children will grow up knowing that it’s all right to sing and laugh and play in the church. In fact, we’d all probably be a lot better off if we could all relax and do the same.

I ran across a poem the other day that reminded me of VBS and summer. It’s called “God Laughs and Plays” by Elise Boulding:
Meister Eckhart says, God laughs and plays.
I know he’s right, all things are bright.
God’s presence near in sister deer.
God delights in the magpies’ flights.
Heaven has room for the cactus in bloom.
God loves the butterfly wings and all mossy things.
God laughs at Brer Rabbit and me.
The porcupine was God’s design.
As was Ms. Spider and the worm beside her.
And the star specked sky, where the moon swings by.
Look all around – it’s God’s playground!

Our church has certainly become God’s playground this week. Everywhere I look our church is being transformed into a space station as our children join in a “Galactic Blast: A Cosmic Adventure of Praising God.” I am so proud to be a part of a church that understands the importance of nurturing our children in faith (and having a little fun at the same time!). Keep us all in your prayers this week and join us this Sunday to hear about our “out of this world” experiences!

This Sunday is Father’s Day.  It also happens to be the Sunday in our series on the Ten Commandments when we consider the Fifth Commandment to “Honor your father and your mother.”  I wish I could say it was impeccable planning that juxtaposed Father’s Day and the Fifth Commandment, but I’m not that clever.  It is, however, a very happy accident – or providence.  Either way, it provides an opportunity to look carefully at relationships between children (especially adult children) and their parents and how we might faithfully conduct those relationships.

Like the other Commandments, there are many questions about what it means to honor fathers and mothers.  For instance, some of us come from homes that were characterized by abuse or serious dysfunction.  How does one honor parents whose lives weren’t particularly worthy of honor?  Questions like this one are “live” issues for many people.  And while the Commandments themselves are short on details, there are plenty of other places we can turn in scripture to fill in the details.

One thing the Fifth Commandment hints at is that honoring our parents is actually in our own self-interest: “that your days may be long in the land I am giving you.”  I read that: “take care of your own folks because little eyes and ears are paying close attention – someday they’ll do the same for/to you.”

Children watch as you relate to your own parents.  They listen to your opinions and beliefs.  And, whether you realize it or not, they are taking it all down.

A few years ago, I taught a class on parenting and one of the chief lessons I learned was that “new” parenting techniques and philosophies aren’t always the answer to healthier, happier children.  The only way we can achieve those results is by becoming healthier and happier ourselves.

In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with Abraham and Sarah.  He promised Abraham that if he would be faithful, God would bless him and all the generations that would follow in his line.  I believe that principle is still at work today.  The power of God at work in the life of one man or woman is enough to change a family and thereby change the world.

So, on this Father’s Day, remember your children are paying attention – not nearly so much to what you say as to what you do.  Therefore, bring your family to worship, that together we might remember the God who blesses and redeems us all.

Hiram Farm is a facility in Hiram, Ohio which is dedicated to providing meaningful work opportunities and community support for adults with autism spectrum disorders. The group is led by Disciples paster Roger McKinney and is associated with the Christian Church in Ohio (Disciples of Christ).

Pepsi is running a contest this month to give $50,000 to each of 10 non-profit groups and currently Hiram Farm is ranked 29th out of over 400 entries.  Please consider voting at the link below, you don’t need a special Pepsi account, you can log in with your Facebook account and you can vote for Hiram Farm once a day.

I just dropped my daughter off at school for her last final exam of the year. I certainly miss the prospect of summer vacation – but I do not miss taking tests or lengthy term papers. Even now, several decades after my last final exam, I still am prone to nightmares in which I show up to class completely unprepared for a test – or I have forgotten to attend the class entirely and only remember sometime during the last week. I understand this is a fairly universal dream, but it doesn’t make it any less a nightmare

Fear and anxiety are equal opportunity tormentors. Some of us seem to deal with stress more easily than others. But, anyone who ventures out of their house in the morning (and even those who do not) will inevitably bump up against fear at some point. And, of course, fear leads to all sorts of other unpleasant things, like anger and depression.

The Bible talks about “a peace that passes human understanding” (Phil. 4:7). The kind of peace that is offered to us by God is not something we can manufacture for ourselves. We can’t just say, “Okay, from now on I’m just not going to let all this bother me!” If it were that easy, we would all be happy and content all the time.

The reality is life can be stressful. Work, family, relationships, money – all these things add up. We sometimes wonder how we even manage to keep our sanity. And yet, in the midst of all this, Jesus says to us, “Be not anxious about these things… Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

One of the ways we seek God’s kingdom is by following a pattern established in the very creation of our world: honoring the Sabbath. One day a week is set aside for rest and worship – even as God himself rested on the seventh day. Interestingly enough, seven days of work and worry are actually less productive than six with one day of rest. God intends for us to rest in him and to find our peace and strength in that relationship.

The worship of God in the community of the faithful and the study of God’s word are the primary ways we have each week of remembering the Sabbath. As we enter into the summer season, may we do so even more committed to maintaining our connection with God and with the peace only God can provide.

Starting this Sunday, June 6th our 9:00 a.m. Morning Watch Service will meet in the smaller and more intimate setting of the chapel. This service is especially popular in the summer, when families often have plans for the later in the day. Morning Watch includes prayers, scripture reading and sermon and communion and runs about 45 minutes each week. We look forward to a great summer of worship!

With school coming to a close for many this week, I am reminded of my own summer vacations – way back when I was a kid, before dad said, “Okay, this summer you’re not going to sleep all morning and spend the rest of the day at the pool – you’re going to go to work with me!” Summer vacations were never the same after that.

But fortunately I still remember those magical days of summer in my old neighborhood – when I was still too young to be expected to do anything but play. We spent hours climbing trees, playing in “the crick,” and riding bikes. And when the sun would go down, all of the neighborhood kids would gather on the steps of my best friend’s house and we would play hide-and-go seek until the street lights would come on and mom would yell for us to come in for the night.

Summer is a wonder-full time. And for those adults with eyes to see, it still is! When we get out of our sterile, air conditioned homes and offices, we can still breathe in all of the intoxicating sights and smells and sounds of summer. Life is blossoming and bursting all around us! No one is too old to experience wonder at the beauty of God’s creation.

Thousands of years ago, the Psalmist looked around himself and saw God’s handiwork everywhere. In Psalm 8, the Psalmist wrote, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! … When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?”

It seems to me that wonder and reverence are natural responses to God’s creation. It would also seem to me that those whose eyes are closed to beauty and wonder have in some way closed their eyes to God. Albert Einstein once said, “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed.”

This summer, as you travel or simply work in your yard, I would encourage you to stop and truly appreciate the mystery and beauty that surrounds you. Perhaps, when you see the flowers blossom or smell the lilacs or see the stars strewn across the night sky, you will join the Psalmist in proclaiming, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

SUNDAY – MAY 23^rd 2010 at  12:30 pm

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH in the Chapel

ALL ARE WELCOME!

As many of you know, Sam Byers and his wife Jan were injured while riding to the Blessing of the Bikes last Sunday.  His friends wanted to hold a service for Sam to share their faith, offer thanks and share in prayers for a complete and speedy recovery.  Rev. David Turner of the Central Christian Church in Kettering will conduct the service and then offer the Blessing of the Bikes in the parking lot following the service.  Come as you are and join us for this service, blessing and fellowship.  All ages and faiths are welcome.

I have been doing a lot of reading preparation for the sermon series on the Ten Commandments which begins this Sunday. The more I think and pray about it, the more obvious the need to hear these words again becomes. I am excited to begin this journey with you as we explore the Ten Commandments and see each one in its original context and meaning, and also through the person and teachings of Jesus.

This Sunday we will consider the first – and arguably the most important commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Indeed, some would say that much of the Bible is an exposition on this one idea.

In his book, Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll includes a fictional letter that I think is a good reminder of how silly it really is to have more than one god in our lives. It is a fictional letter written by a woman to a man who had proposed marriage. The letter begins:
Dear Floyd, I would love to marry you. It’s a dream come true. There are a few minor details, though. I have a couple of other boyfriends – well, ten to be exact. Most of them don’t mean much to me, but can I keep Fred and Dennis? I must be in love, because I’ve never before been willing to give up so many boyfriends! Mom says you’re a lucky man! There’s one other thing. I will accept your proposal on the condition that I can stay in Texas and live with my parents. I love them.

They have done so much for me that I couldn’t dream of leaving them. You wouldn’t want me to hurt their feelings, would you? However, you can visit whenever you want. I’m sure you’ll understand. I look forward to setting the wedding date! Yours in undying love and devotion, Dorothy

Now, most of us have a pretty good idea how we would react if someone greeted our proposal for marriage in such a way. We would say “forget it.” And yet, too many of us do the very same thing in our relationship with God – partially committing our life and our service, but not really wanting to go all the way. If you can imagine how a husband or a wife might feel about sharing their spouse with two or three other lovers – then you can begin to understand how God feels when we refuse to put Him first in our lives.

God calls us to make a decision. God has promised he will love and provide for us all the days of our lives. All God asks of us in return is that we covenant to love him and serve Him in whatever ways He calls us.

I once heard someone describe a covenant (like marriage or our relationship with God) as a promise we make in times of strength so that it can carry us through in times of weakness. The time has come for us to renew our covenant with God. May a part of that covenant include our worship together each Lord’s Day. I look forward to gathering with you once again in worship and praise of the One, True God.