Your Labor is Not in Vain
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58b I find this to be one of the most comforting verses in all of scripture. I imagine that for most of us, we are familiar with the experience of working for some purpose, pouring out our energy and sweat and tears – laboring, as Paul puts it – and just not seeing the results. We think, “what’s
God’s Future Shapes the Present
“To be a Christian, … is precisely to live as a person for whom God’s future shapes the present.” Last night, I was sitting on my couch reading a book and came across the quote above (from Hope Against Hope: Christian Eschatology at the Turn of the Millenium, by Richard Bauckham and Trevor Hart). It struck me as the perfect quote to share with you as it intersects precisely with our Sunday series on resurrection and what we’re starting tonight on
Raising the Dead Raises Eyebrows
This Sunday, we kicked off our new series that will lead us through Easter called “Because I Live”. It’s a series that is exploring the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us. As it turns out, it means everything for us. As Jesus himself puts it, “Because I live, you also will live.” See what I mean? It means everything. This week, we’re also wrapping up the book of Acts in our 2025 bible reading plan (I hope you are reading along with us!). Over
Salt, Light, & Youth
A guest blog from our Next Generation Pastor, Rebecca DeLucia On the last Saturday of February, Central Youth had our 2nd annual One Day Youth Retreat. Over the course of the day we spent time playing games like cereal relay, Wario-Ware, life sized Candy Land, and the youth group classic, sardines. We also spent time with one another having lunch at the Atlantic Diner in town and having a blast at the Monmouth Squash and Swim Club in Sea Bright. These