Friday, August 30, 2019

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Senior Adult Minister and Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. In the end of Deuteronomy, Moses is giving his final thoughts and places a heavy emphasis on passing on the faith to your children. Moses recognized a constant battle we face today: the faith we have is never more than one generation away from extinction. Moses’ words in Deuteronomy play a key role in our faith. If we aren’t investing our energy into building our children’s faith, it will end. There is a lot of concern about a decline in faith in young people, especially in millennials. Haydn Shaw, in his book Generational IQ, reminds us that young adults have often dropped out of church in their late teens and returned when they start having children. He notes that millennials are waiting longer to marry and have children than young people did twenty years ago, which means they are also waiting longer to come back to church. So don’t be discouraged, but also don’t be hindered from investing in your children’s faith! Moses is telling us in Deuteronomy to intentionally invest in children’s faith! And this doesn’t just imply your own, but all of God’s children. Intentionally sharing and living your faith is crucial so that your children and grandchildren know what you believe and how it shapes your life and so that they see a real and authentic faith in you.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

SABRINA There is something extremely calming in throwing a rock in a pond or stream and watching the ripples as they glide across the water. There can be, however, something extremely unsettling when we realize that we reflect God’s character, like the ripple effects on the water, in our daily lives. We are like rocks tossed into a pond, producing ripple effects that can inspire or break down those around us. As Christians, we are reminded that we don’t have to be famous, rich, or successful. We don’t need an impressive degree or lots of followers on social media. A specific age, nationality, or personality is not a requirement, and we are not limited by our job, location, or marital status. We have the power to positively influence others in our sphere and beyond to think and act differently. I believe within the heart of every human is the desire to be influential. It does not matter our stage in life. God uses ordinary people like us to star in extraordinary “God stories” — real-life stories of purpose and influence. Although we’re all imperfect and inconsistent, we can still be influential because of God’s grace and power in and through us. As Jesus said: “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b).

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. For a long time, the old church sat empty and abandoned in a Detroit neighborhood. The decaying building blended naturally into the whole area. Grim, unswept, forgotten—that’s how it all looked. Then one night things changed. The old church sparkled with light. Parked cars lined the streets. The sound of music filled the air. What had been dead and abandoned had come to life. I’ve seen people like that. For years they were dark and empty like that old church. There was little inside except anger, selfishness, and pride. Then one day all was changed. Suddenly the darkness was gone. It was as if someone had turned on the lights…and that Someone is God. He forgives those who come to Him through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. He specializes in giving new life to those who seem to be beyond hope. May we never lose sight of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

Monday, August 26, 2019

AIR DATE: 08/26/19 BOB Good morning. This is Bob Peden of Central, A United Methodist Community in downtown Meridian. A young mother received a letter recently. It read: "We were the best of friends. Remember? You told me your deepest secrets and I tried to tell you mine. When we were together, the world slowed down just a little. You inspired me…the way you lived life as if each day had a special prize inside. And whatever has happened to change that, it's okay. I just want to go back to the way it was when we were the best of friends. Remember? Love Always, God." If you would like to renew your friendship with God, we at Central United Methodist Church can help you find Him. Our hearts, our minds, and our doors are always open. We will gather for worship this Sunday at 8:30 and 9:45 in the Fellowship Hall, and at 10:55 in the Sanctuary. Come and meet my best friend and make Him your best friend too.

Friday, August 23, 2019

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Senior Adult Minister and Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. As followers of Jesus, we should take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus is our Lord and Savior. When we face times of hardship and trouble, we should turn to God for guidance. But God’s comfort isn’t just for us, but it is also for us to be able to comfort others. As second Corinthians Chapter 1 tells us, “When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.” When we find ourselves taking comfort in God, we can then ourselves offer the same peace to those around us. This can be part of our evangelistic mission as followers of Jesus. Take comfort in God’s love and grace, and then may we be empowered to share that love and grace to those with whom we interact. Verse 6 says “For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you.” Take comfort, be comforted, and offer comfort. Amen.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. His contractor was sorry to see such a good employee go and asked him if he would build just one last house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed but his heart was not in it. He resorted to bad workmanship and using cheap materials. When the carpenter finished his work, the contractor came over and handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "I appreciate all the hard work you’ve done for me all these years and I’d like you to have this house as a token of my gratitude.” The carpenter was shocked! If only he had known he was building his own house, he would have worked much harder! Now he owned a house that wasn’t built very well. We should think of ourselves as carpenters, and our lives here on earth, as our house. Each day we hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, we must build with care! It is the only life we will ever build. And what we do here will count for eternity! REFLECTIONS #44 WTOK TV: 07/08/19 AIR DATE: 09/12/19 JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. I have to admit that this is my favorite time of year. Labor is done and we will soon feel the excitement of fall. I use the word excitement because that is what these next few months will be filled with. Halloween is filled with the excitement of children as they go door-to-door receiving candy. Thanksgiving is filled with the excitement of family and friends thanking God for all that we have been blessed with. Then, of course, there will be the excitement of an unnamed heavy-set fellow that brings gifts to children as they sleep on Christmas Eve. I do believe the word excitement is the best to describe what is coming next. This excitement shouldn’t be reserved for just holidays and seasons for those of us who are followers of Jesus. We should be excited everyday as each new day brings about new challenges and new opportunities to share the love of Jesus with everyone around us. I hope you experience this excitement. I hope that you will come and share it with us at Central, because we love people filled with excitement.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

BOB Good morning! This is Bob Peden of Central, A United Methodist Community. There is a little-noted fact in the story of Moses leading the people of Israel out of Egypt. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt through stormy waters. It was clearly depicted by Cecil B DeMille. In the movie Exodus, the waters are foaming and raging on either side of the hurrying Israelites. Now, God could have just flown the Israelites over the sea. He could have raised a mile-high wall to protect them from the Egyptians. He could have kicked sand in the Egyptian bullies' eyes - giving the Israelites time to escape around the end of the sea. But He didn't. He brought them through the raging waters. Likewise, God brings us through the troubles of life. He could keep us from all difficulties, make our lives ideal. But in order to show us how much He loves us, He allows us to experience His protection in the midst of troubles. He walks with us through the shadow of the valley of death. We need fear no evil.

Monday, August 19, 2019

SABRINA Being a parent is one of the most precious gifts and toughest things in life. It’s tough when your children are tiny and sometimes even harder when they are older. Those teen years, as they go off to college, or become young adults, we often yearn for those terrible twos. We often have the tendency to blame ourselves for the choices our children make. It can be hard to try to figure out the right way to help, especially when the situation carries great consequences. What do we do in those times? WE are the parent! Ephesians 6:10 tells us: "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so you can take your stand against the devil." You see, God does not call us to find a power within ourselves to overcome the issues we face. He calls us to put on the full armor. Park our runaway minds in the assurance of God's love for our child. Walk in the assurance and peace that even when we can’t see things changing, we are to have faith in God’s timing and His ways. There will be battles our children face that we want to “fix” for them, but it is in those times of uncertainty and heartache, we simply look to the perfect example of parenting, love, and forgiveness – our Heavenly Father. Yes – parenting is tough – but oh so worth it!

Friday, August 16, 2019

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. Researchers at the University of Virginia have found that most people perceive a hill to be steeper than it really is, especially if they’re tired or carrying a heavy load. When asked to estimate the slope of a hill, test participants consistently misjudged it by nearly 15 to 20 degrees. When we’re burdened and exhausted, even a minor problem can seem too big for us to handle, and we can become convinced that the grade is too steep for us. That is why we need the encouragement of God’s Word. It draws our attention to our untiring God who knows our needs. Because we so easily misjudge life’s difficulties, we need the courage to keep going when we are tempted to quit. Take a step of faith today and join those who depend on the Lord, who run and are not weary, who walk and do not faint (v.31). In His strength, you can conquer any difficult hill.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. When the twelve spies were sent into Canaan to spy out the land, ten returned with a bad report. Their assessment was that it was impossible to conquer the land that God had promised them. Forgetting how God had led them with a pillar of fire by night, and fed them manna from heaven during the day, brought forth water out of a rock, and parted the Red Sea, they saw the situation with only their natural eyes. They failed to walk by faith and succumbed to fear. Joshua and Caleb, however, returned with a good report. Refusing to be discouraged by what they saw, they fully trusted that their supernatural God was not going to break His promise to His people, Israel. We are living in days where the world looks bleak, and the evils seem to grow more threatening and dangerous. How will we react? Will we be devastated and terrorized like the ten spies with a bad report? Or will we do something extraordinary and walk by faith like Joshua and Caleb– trust in the love and power of our God and seize the opportunities that are at hand? The choice is ours.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

SABRINA When I was younger, I used to listen to those around me who had that “Damascus Road Experience” and yearn for a better story. I grew up in a loving home and was in church since before I could even remember. I often thought my story could never compare to the one who, after years of issues and bad choices, suddenly came into realization of God’s forgiveness and unending love. Some of us hear those stories that make us cry or leave us speechless, and we fight the lies that say our story won’t make a difference. But each of our stories matter. Hebrews 10:23 reminds us “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” Unswervingly. That means without getting distracted by drama, glamor, or wishing your story were someone else’s. That means staying true to the perhaps mundane but important work of being faithful. Ordinary living is not easy. It requires dedication, perseverance, and faithful obedience to God’s call. It requires hope in the sometimes hard, everyday experience of following Jesus even though it doesn’t always make for an exciting story. No matter what that little inner voice says, yours is a story worth sharing.

Monday, August 12, 2019

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Senior Adult Minister and Sanctuary Choir Director at Central. We all know the story of Jonah, right? He ran away from God, got swallowed up by a fish; finally followed God’s command and lived happily ever after, right? Not exactly… Jonah went to Nineveh, but he delivered what might be considered the shortest and worst sermon ever. He uttered one single sentence: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. What did Jonah do after God decided to spare Nineveh? He went and sat on a hill angrily that God spared the city of Nineveh. Then he got mad about a plant that was conveniently providing him some shade. Verse 10 says: “The Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant…but Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness.” God’s love should be written on our hearts, and we should be preaching the word from our hearts. We shouldn’t be like Jonah who delivered his message out of obligation. We should desire that the word of God should spread to the ends of the earth and change lives. Learn from Jonah’s mistakes…share the message of the Gospel passionately out of love for God and neighbor, not out of obligation.

Friday, August 9, 2019

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter only two words every five years, and those two words had to be spoken in the presence of the abbot. One of the monks, when give his opportunity to speak, said “Bad food!” Five years later, his two words were, “Bed hard!” When given his third opportunity to speak five years later, he said, “I quit!” “Well,” said the abbot, “you might as well quit. All you’ve done since you’ve been here is complain!” While I’m not sure I would call this monk a heavy complainer, I know that complaining seems to be a part of human nature. We all tend to want what we want when we want it. And when our needs aren’t met on our time schedule, we tend to complain. Gratitude for and awareness of one’s blessings is the best remedy I know of for a serious case of chronic complaining. Gratitude leads to a change of attitude. I bet when you add it all up you have been blessed beyond your needs. Come visit us at Central where we believe that life is better connected.

Thursday, August 8, 2019

SABRINA We have all been there whether in a classroom, sports field, workplace, neighborhood or even church - power plays, unfairness, cruelty, politics, popularity contests, adult cliques, and those who pit people against one another happen far too often. When other people hurt us, especially when it’s intentional, it can cause us to become bitter. It is easy for resentment to take root. In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus was asked “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” It’s hard to forgive people who hurt and betray our trust time and time again — especially if they don’t admit fault or show remorse for their wrongdoing. Jesus stated, “seventy times seven” just to make the point that forgiveness is ongoing.” It is not about others’ hurtful behavior but rather the joy and ability to love life that is robbed by our unforgiveness and anger. We cannot change the behavior, opinions or actions of others, but we can ask God to change ours. Forgiveness is necessary to release us from bitterness. Through the choice to forgive, even if the problem remains, the poison does not – and with that, the prisoner has been set free.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. In ancient times, foot washing was something that was done by a slave for his master, or by a child for this parent, or even a disciple for his teacher. It wasn’t something a master ever did for anyone else. However, this is exactly what Jesus does in John chapter 13. The scene is so bizarre, that when he was finished, Jesus had to explain what He had done. Within the act of washing this disciples’ feet, Jesus levels the playing field. His actions show us that masters are no more important than slaves in His kingdom; that disciples are no less important than teachers. In the kingdom of God, all ought to serve each other in humility. May we all make it a point to serve others with gladness; because according to Jesus, serving others is beneath no one.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

GLENDA Good Morning! School starts back this week for most of the school systems in our area. As you know, I am Director for the preschool program at our church, Central United Methodist Church. We, as teachers, are getting excited by preparing our rooms, gathering supplies, and looking forward to meeting all our children. At Central, we have a wonderful half-day preschool, serving children who will be 1 by September 1 through four-year-olds. We have a wonderful facility, bright and happy and welcoming. We have a dedicated group of teachers who truly enjoy what they do. Our school is a Learning Center. Every moment is a learning experience while we are preparing them for kindergarten. We still have a few openings and would love to welcome your child to our program. Just call the church office for information. I would love to give you a tour. We believe children are special and that specialness comes from God. Come see us!

Monday, August 5, 2019

BOB Good morning, this is Bob Peden of Central a United Methodist Community here in Meridian. In the latter part of the fourth chapter of Acts, we met Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus whom the Apostles called Barnabas - which means son of encouragement. Here was a man who spent so much of his time encouraging others in their work in the Lord that encouragement became his nickname. We all need to hear words of encouragement from others. We need to know that others recognize what we accomplish as valuable and worthy. In the 15th chapter of Romans, we learn that God gives us endurance and encouragement. Often times that encouragement comes in the words of those around us. When was the last time you have spoken a word of encouragement to one of your coworkers, friends or family? Next time you see someone doing a good deed, take a moment to praise them. It will cost you nothing, and the pleasure you receive from encouraging another will last you all day long. Be a Barnabas - a son of encouragement - today.

Friday, August 2, 2019

MATT Good Morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. Most people have an opinion as to who God is and how He acts in this world. Historically, many people have distorted who he is and have used His name as license for doing terrible things that have tarnished the image of God and the reputation of His followers. Because of this and a lack of understanding of God’s word, many today do not have a clear understanding of who God really is. In John 14, Jesus made it clear as to how we should discern the true image of God. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus identified himself with the Father, and he is a perfect reflection of God because He was fully God in human form. Jesus’ words and actions are perfectly unified and together they define the very nature of God. Jesus is our true, exclusive window into God’s heart. As you seek to know God, look towards His son Jesus. His life and actions show us who God is as well as how much the Father loves each and every one of us!

Thursday, August 1, 2019

JOHN Good Morning! I’m John Branning the Lead Pastor of Central United Methodist Church. Things are not always the way they appear at first glance. I read a story the other day that told of a crowded day on a golf course. The first tee was loaded with players and spectators. Over the PA system came these words, “Would the man in the green slacks and the white hat respect the tee markers? Please get behind them.” The player stopped his address and looked around in disgust, and then stepped up to the ball again. Again, the PA system announcer said, “Would the man in the green slacks and white hat respect the markers?” The player stopped, turned around and shouted, “Will someone please tell the jerk on the PA system that this is my second shot!” We’re all guilty of sometimes rushing to a conclusion or making a judgment before we have all the facts. We’ve all felt the embarrassment of speaking first and getting the true picture later. Let’s get the whole picture before we speak. We would love to have you be a part of our Central family. Come visit us this week.