Amarillo Central

06.13.21 - Please read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18 this week. Then join us at 10:15 this Sunday morning June 13 as Allan delivers his farewell address to Central after serving for ten years as our Senior Minister. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

06.06.21 - David at once inspires us and disgusts us. David is both a man after God’s own heart and a king after another man’s wife. We have some idea of his greatness and we are also very aware of his flaws. Let’s consider David’s mafia-style protection racket and God’s gracious work through an unlikely source to redeem a difficult situation. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

05.30.21 - David’s life is tangled up with women and wars, with family drama and national politics. It’s complicated. How can this man who is so driven by his mixed motives and so controlled by his own desires be considered a man after God’s own heart? Speaker: Allan Stanglin

05.23.21 - How can a guy who so ruthlessly massacred his enemies and so easily lied to his friends be called a “man after God’s own heart?” How can someone betray his country, commit murder to cover up a sexual affair, run a mafia-style protection racket, and still be “beloved” by so many? Let’s consider together the complex life of David that leads us to careful personal reflection and points us to the enduring love and power of God. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

05.16.21 - No one gets out of this life without enduring some kind of crisis. It's not a matter of "if," it's only "when." When the money runs out, when the spouse runs out, when your health runs out, or, sometimes, when the wine runs out. When the crisis comes, how will you respond? Will you react by instinct, will you fly by the seat of your pants, or will you lean into your relationship with God in Christ? Speaker: Scott McDowell

05.09.21 - Today we look at Mary the mother of Jesus. In many ways, yes, she is the model mom. But in several other ways, she’s less than perfect. Mary made her share of poor decisions she wished she could do over. Not all her interactions with her holy Son were perfect. But God’s grace is sufficient for her and for her children. Just as it is for you and yours. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

04.18.21 - We shouldn’t really begin a Re|Start as a church family until we’ve first reflected on where we’ve been and where we are. Even as individual disciples of Jesus, we can’t really turn the page on something new, something post-pandemic, until we have taken a hard look at what God has done during the pandemic. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

04.18.21 - The resurrection and ascension of Jesus did not end the Gospel practice of eating and drinking with our Lord. Everything Jesus did around the table in Luke – revelation, redemption, relationship – he is still doing today. By the power and mystery of the Holy Spirit, disciples of Christ are still sharing meals with God and with one another. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

04.04.21 - The stories of the resurrection meals in Luke 24 perfectly mirror our experience as Christians. We go through seasons of dismay, frustration, and doubt. Then we take our places at the table and we realize that Christ Jesus himself is with us. He warms our hearts with his truth, he comforts us with his presence, and he assures us with his peace. Jesus’ presence with us at the table is the proof that God’s promises are true. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

03.28.21 - Jesus served a Passover meal to his disciples on the night he was betrayed. And if we’ll look more closely at that Passover context, our weekly communion meals will take on a whole new depth of richness and meaning for our Christian transformation and ministry. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

03.24.21 - Howard Griffin, the Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church, joins Allan for a conversation about the upcoming 4Amarillo Maundy Thursday worship service. What does Maundy mean? Why are we serving communion on a Thursday? Why do we leave the service in silence? Allan and Howard break it down in bite-sized chunks on the latest episode of the Central Podcast. Speakers: Allan Stanglin & Howard Griffin

03.21.21 - God alone through Christ has paid the price for the great feast. He alone has made the arrangements, prepared the table, and provided the meal. “Come to the feast!” he says. His invitation is for you. It’s for everyone. And the time to accept it is right now. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

03.14.21 - When Jesus is invited to a Pharisee’s house for dinner, our Lord uses the occasion to insult everybody around the table. He lays into the religious leaders, calling them hypocrites and attention-seekers, accusing them of doing more harm than good to God’s people. It’s not that Jesus is merely calling out the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law for their hypocrisy. It’s that Jesus clearly sees where this kind of behavior leads, and he wants it to stop before it destroys everybody. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

03.07.21 - Jesus is teaching and healing the crowds in the middle of the wilderness. All these people are hungry with nothing to eat, and Jesus tells his apostles, “You give them something to eat.” Let’s consider together the revelation, redemption, and relationship experienced in this important meal with our Lord. And our response to God’s gracious provision. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

03.03.21 - The latest episode of the Central Podcast has just dropped. Valerie Gooch, the Executive Director of Panhandle Adult Rebuilding Center, joins Allan to discuss how The PARC is impacting the lives of those experiencing homelessness in Amarillo. Valerie shares some of the more recent success stories and recounts how she has seen our God at work during the pandemic. Speakers: Allan Stanglin & Valerie Gooch

02.28.21 - There are four words every man, woman, and child need to hear. They are the four most important words ever spoken in any language. They have the power to comfort and to heal, to inspire new possibilities and to create new life, regardless of your station in life, your blurry past, your uncertain present, your perceived future, or your own views of yourself and your world no matter how accurate or distorted they may be. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

02.21.21 - Meals are important as a place to experience and express community, acceptance, unity, and fellowship; for sharing, for getting to know other people, and for passing on and receiving wisdom. Together we are exploring seven meals that Jesus shared with others in the Gospel of Luke. This week we consider the meal at Levi’s house, during which our Lord refers to himself as a doctor who has come to heal the sick. Speaker: Allan Stanglin

02.10.21 - All Central members are receiving a package from the church in the mail this week to connect us through the Lent season that begins next Wednesday and runs through Easter Sunday. Central Communications Director Hannah McNeill joins Allan in a conversation about those packages and our Ash Wednesday Drive-Thru event on February 17. What is Ash Wednesday? When did Lent start and why? And what good does it do to engage these ancient practices? Speakers: Allan Stanglin & Hannah McNeill

02.07.21 - Guest speaker Dr. Jerry Taylor joins us from Abilene Christian University this morning. From the words of scripture found in Colossians 3:15-17, he leads us to consider together living into the peace that Christ brings. Speaker: Dr. Jerry Taylor

02.04.21 - This episode features Craig Gladman, representing Central’s COVID team, as he joins guest host Greg Dowell. Together they address the fact that people are actively receiving the vaccine as we continue in this pandemic. What does that mean for us as a church? When is it safe to come back to in-person worship? Listen in as they dive deeper into the coronavirus, the vaccine, and our church community. Speakers: Greg Dowell & Craig Gladman