Central Christian Church(Disciples of Christ)

We are two Sundays into our sermon series “Becoming the Best You.” (Sermons can be listened to online – just click play) Why is it important that each of us work on becoming the people God created us to be? Let me count the ways!

A few years ago, I led a discussion group for members of different churches around Ohio that were seeking to make their churches more vital places of mission and ministry. Many of these churches have watched their memberships slowly decline for decades and are interested in attracting new members, particularly young families. But there are [...]

On Ash Wednesday evening, following the 6:00 p.m. service (and soup and sandwich supper) we will begin the first of seven Bible studies on the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s Gospel gets down to business very quickly, skipping over the stories of Jesus’ birth and childhood and beginning right away in the wilderness outside of Jerusalem [...]

Last fall, some of our High School age youth said they wanted to learn more about who God is calling them to be. It didn’t take long for our Christian Education ministry to identify a curriculum written by John Ortberg called “The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You.” Melissa Moody, [...]

What do you fear most? For some people, the fear of public speaking is near the top. Having to prepare and deliver a sermon every week would be a nightmare to someone like my father – who prefers to serve in the background (but has been known to be more “out front” when duty calls). [...]

I think the writer of Psalm 90 must have been a homeowner. He seems to capture the futility of fighting the eventual decay of everything when he writes, “A thousand years in your sight is like a watch in the night… they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning and [...]

In less than a week, we celebrate Valentine’s Day. Love is in the air! Unfortunately, the kind of love idealized in Valentine’s Day is one that seems beyond the grasp of many. Even our concept of God’s love is often twisted around until it looks unlike anything described in the Bible. Many believe (or act [...]

I just read “The Christian Caller” from First Christian Church in Wauseon and liked the pastor’s column so much I thought I’d pass it along.  I believe Rev. Mary Jo Bray addresses current events in a thoughtful and prophetic way: I have been trying to decide whether to give in to, or continue ignoring, this [...]

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal and a bottle of wine they lay down for the night and went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replied, “I see [...]

I remember the first time I experienced the wonder of “progressive resistance” and the impact it can have on the human body. I was working at a summer camp and once or twice a week would find myself in the basement of a building with rafters that were just the right height to jump up [...]