Media · Blog

From the Central Blog

Reflections on prayer, scripture, and life together — written by our ministers and members.

Latest · September 4, 2024

New Wednesday Night Offerings

Central Church

May 28, 2024

Demons at Church

The gospel of Mark has no shortage of stories where Jesus encounters demons. Remarkably, the first time we Jesus encountering—and exorcising—an evil spirit is…at church!

February 27, 2023

Prayer and the Love of God

“The number one obstacle the modern person faces when it comes to prayer is an inability to receive the love of God.” -Tyler Staton

February 26, 2023

Deliverance Belongs to the Lord!

Today, pray through this deep prayer from the Bible…it comes from Jonah, chapter 2.

February 24, 2023

Help, Thanks, Wow

“My three prayers are variations on Help, Thanks, Wow. That's all I'll ever need, besides the silence, the pain, and the pause sufficient for me to stop, close my eyes, and turn inward.”

February 23, 2023

“If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action God will hear everything that he asks.”

February 22, 2023

Attention

I often think of prayer as “sacred attention”. Attention is at the very heart of prayer—and not just our attention.

February 20, 2023

Surrender

It is in surrendering to the will of the One with all authority we enjoy freedom.

February 15, 2023

Thank you

“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank you’, it will be enough.”

February 14, 2023

Beloved

But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

February 13, 2023

Only Loving Things

“When we pray we enter the real world, the substance of the kingdom, and our bodies and souls begin to function for the first time as they were created to function.”

February 12, 2023

Steven Hovater

Contentment is not often something that just happens to us. Nor is it like a switch that we can simply turn on when we wish.

February 11, 2023

Prayer Entry

I think for most of us, prayer is something we don’t do nearly enough

February 10, 2023

Questions

What questions do you desire to bring to God today?

February 9, 2023

Prayer and Candor

“We must lay before him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” - C. S. Lewis

February 8, 2023

Cain, Hagar, and Prayer

It is debatable as to when prayer is first mentioned or introduced in the Biblical text, but most arguments hold that the first prayers consist of humans having access to communicate with God.

February 7, 2023

Access

Have you ever had the opportunity to meet a celebrity?

February 6, 2023

Imagination and Prayer

Today, move towards your time in prayer with a moment of imagination.

February 5, 2023

US

It’s often pointed out that the the Lord’s prayer uses “our/we/us” language instead of “my/I/me” language.

February 4, 2023

An Intercession Exercise

Bring a friend before God in prayer.

February 2, 2023

Praying from the Gospel

Today, prepare for prayer by remembering the gospel of Jesus, the one who by his cross and resurrection has given you life.

February 1, 2023

Short Prayers from Scripture

“Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!”(Psalm 70:1)

February 1, 2023

Teach Us To Pray

“Lord, teach us to pray.” - Luke 11:1

December 11, 2022

The Table of Faith

The Table of Jesus is a table of faith.

December 10, 2022

What Does Patience Produce?

What benefit comes from practicing patience?

December 9, 2022

A New Heavens and a New Earth

Meditate on this text

December 8, 2022

Patient Sowing

“The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:7–8 NRSV)

December 7, 2022

Images of the Incarnation

The story of the incarnation of the son of God gives us a rich selection of imagery.

December 6, 2022

Points of Light

Sometimes we experience light from a single source, like the sun burning at midday or a lamp that can fill a room.

December 5, 2022

Psalm 130

Today, we’re praying through Psalm 130. Many of the psalms carry tones that resonate with the advent theme of waiting on God, and make wonderful companions for prayer!

December 4, 2022

The Table of Abundant-Enough

The table of Jesus is neither a table of lacking nor of excess.

December 3, 2022

Prayer from a Longing Heart

As we lean into our longings for the Lord, we come to grips with our inability to comprehend—much less control—God’s timing.

December 2, 2022

Already…and Not Yet

The church carries Christ’s presence as both “already” and also ”not yet”.

February 25, 2022

Beyond Words

When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.

February 3, 2022

Praying and Seeing

“Prayer is the act of seeing reality from God’s point of view.” - Philip Yancey