I dare you to follow Christ! I dare you to take up your cross! I dare you!  

Jesus' Ministry Begins - Matthew 4 Now that Matthew's introduction of Jesus and he shares evidence to establish Jesus as the Messiah, Matthew moves into events from Jesus' early ministry. One would think a story like Jesus' would start smoothly and slowly. But that is not the case. Apparently, Satan has plans to stop the … Continue reading Matthew and the Messiah – 4

One of my favorite things at Central is when we celebrate communion each Sunday. You may do that were you assemble. You may not. We choose to do so because of the example of the early congregations we read about in the book of Acts. It appears in Acts 20 that the company with Paul … Continue reading Take a Look

I have a challenge for you. You. And I dare you to pass it along to others. Today, use social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, etc) to post only positive and encouraging messages. For today, stop posting what is wrong with the world, America, your city, your church, your spouse, and teenagers. Today use technology … Continue reading A Challenge

Every Family has that One Relative: Matthew 3 Matthew continues to narrate the story of Jesus by jumping ahead to his adulthood. We are not given many details about Jesus' youth other than His birth and his family moving around to avoid Herod. Luke, in his account of Jesus, does give us a glimpse of … Continue reading Matthew and the Messiah – 3

Matthew 2:1-23 - The Young Messiah of Promise A group of wise men, most likely stargazers who read the stars to predict weather patterns, seasons, and more for kings and rulers, come from east of Judea to learn more about this new start that appeared and the king born under that star. They come to … Continue reading Matthew and the Messiah – 2

No, please, no. Not again! Those were my thoughts as I turned on the news yesterday afternoon (February 14, 2018). The news coverage was live from Parkland, Florida where they were covering an active shooter incident at a large high school. Almost immediately social media lit up with people sending their thoughts and prayers to  … Continue reading No, Please, No. Not Again!

A few years ago, we took a Journey Through Mark spending a day in each chapter. You can revisit that Journey starting HERE. Last week I began looking at Matthew and think we can take a similar journey as Matthew introduces his readers to the Messiah. I hope you will join me on this journey. … Continue reading Matthew and the Messiah – 1

On May 18, 1980 Harry Truman died. Now, you might realize that President Truman has died in 1972.  But I'm not talking about Harry S. Truman, the president, but Harry R. Truman, the stubborn old resident who refused to leave his lodge by Spirit Lake in Washington, near Mt. St. Helens, despite orders from the sheriff's department. … Continue reading Respect the Warnings

Monday I wrote about three Old Covenant passages that are often taken out of context. You can read about them HERE. I said then that I would share more. This time I have three from the New Covenant that are also often taken out of context and misapplied. As I said then, I repeat, "Every … Continue reading You Keep Using That Verse, Too . . .