Hello Central Baptist Church, I hope this post finds you well. I have something exciting to share that isn’t exactly new – but that we just have not yet ‘formally’ announced: Rebecca DeLucia has joined our staff as our new Next Generation Pastor. She was officially voted into this role at the Quarterly Business Meeting on July 23, and she began in this new role on August 1. Please join me in extending to her a heartfelt and joyful welcome!  I have worked

Today, I opened up my bible app to my daily readings, and the first verse of today’s Psalm just jumped off the page at me: Unless the Lord builds the house,    those who build it labor in vain.                     Psalm 127:1a The Psalm writer speaks of building a house. Unless it’s God who is doing the real building, our ‘building’ will just be labor in vain. Labor that is real, labor that is hard, labor that is,

Good morning from warm, sunny (and humid) Florida!I hope you’re well today. We’ve enjoyed our vacation very much so far, and it’s been good to spend time with my dad and my mom (who you’ve been praying for as she goes through cancer treatments…she thanks you!). As I opened my bible app to read today’s readings, it opened to Psalm 107  – another one of my favorites. It pictures people of the world who are in all various kinds of troubles, and when

I hope you’re enjoying this BEAUTIFUL day here on the Bayshore. Get outside, walk the block, say hello to a neighbor, enjoy God’s good creation!In today’s Central Thoughts, we’re continuing our Psummer Psalm Pslam (good name, right?!?). In my daily reading for today was one of my absolute favorite Psalms, Psalm 86.  Read the whole Psalm right here, or check out this central line:8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,    nor are there any works like yours. It is true: there

A few weeks ago, I told you how I started the Psalms in my yearly bible reading plan (it's turning in to a Psalm Psummer!). As I read a few Psalms every morning, I find myself being drawn into them as they have a unique way of speaking into my life - and our life together as a church.Yesterday I opened my bible reading app, and the Psalm was one of my favorites.  Psalm 62. In fact, with those who gathered with me to pray for the

Two weeks ago, I told you how I started the Psalms in my yearly bible reading plan. As I read a few Psalms every morning, I find myself being drawn into them as they have a unique way of speaking into my life.Today I opened my bible reading app, and the first Psalm for today was one that I think we all need to hear, and to know, and to have rooted deep in our hearts - especially, as we’re talking about on Sundays,

Last week, I told you how I started the Psalms in my yearly bible reading plan – and I encouraged you to read Psalm 1. Today I opened my bible reading app, and the Psalms for today were 22, 23, and 24.  Dynamite Psalms. Psalm 22 – for anyone who is (or has been or will be) struggling with God – is an amazing Psalm for you. In fact, when Jesus struggled MIGHTILY with God (on the cross, no less), he found the opening words of Psalm 22

I love the bible. I hope you do too.  It’s possible you don’t, which I totally understand.  After all, it is an ancient book from another culture that is thousands of years old, written in different languages to different people, and on a good day, can still be very hard to understand.  But I still love it. And for as difficult it is to ‘get’, and for all of the amazing reading aids that are out there, nothing replaces simply reading it.  Each year, I

Last week, Amanda and I had a chance to go to the American Baptist Church’s Biennial Conference in Puerto Rico. It was an excellent trip.  After what my family and I had been through with the loss of my sister, it was a perfect few days away for us to rest, recover, explore, and learn. We loved our time in Puerto Rico, especially the rain forest there (it was seriously great!). The beauty of it reminded me of how beautiful our