Welcome to my first post on my first blog: pastorandylangford!
At a Spring 2010 meeting at Central UMC, several members urged me to consider new ways of sharing my thoughts, and especially my sermons, with members of our congregation and maybe even a wider community. They urged this old dog to try a new trick.
I thank my daugther Ann Green Langford Duncan for setting up this site for me, and for you.
Each week, I hope to share the Scripture for my next sermon, some initial thoughts about how to hear and respond to this Word of God, and maybe even some art to stimulate our thoughts.
I then invite you to share your comments and responses to help me prepare for preaching the Word. Where does the Scripture intersect with your life? What is happening in our community that this Word addresses? What does the congregation at Central need to hear this week? Together, we will find an authentic Word for all of us in these days.
This fall, I will be working through key stories from the Bible that shape our journey with God: our creation, the call by God, the exodus, etc.
To participate fully, I invite you to either subscribe by email (there is a link right under my picture on the right-hand side of the home page), or add my blog to your feeder (a little click at the top-right-hand side of the home page).
I expect to be stretched by this process and by you. You may also engage with God, others in our community, and me in a new way. May we together grow as the Word of God guides us in our spiritual journeys.
Pastor Andy Langford's Blog 
YAY! Pastor Andy!!
This is a GREAT idea. Can’t wait to see where this takes you.
Congrats Pastor Andy! Happy to see you branching out in a new way, and look forward to reading your blog and having this new avenue to communicate with you and other members of Central. Thank you!
I will definitely be an avid reader of your blog. I am super excited!
I am really excited about this new addition to your ministry. (Look out information super highway, Pastor Andy is merging on!)
Thank you so much! This will be a wonderful way to get more insight from your messages on Sunday.
Your question is that of many people. In our increasingly secular culture, how do we “make time for God.?” In the history of monotheistic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all set aside one day for rest and worship. When I grew up in the South, Sunday was the day for worship and quiet rest. No mowing of the lawn, no loud games, no movies, and an opportunity to visit with family and friends. Today, things are too busy. To respond just to your situation, the question is whether you and your family make time for worship, for rest, and for each other. I truly believe that children learn from their parents. Worship does not need to happen just on Sunday. Maybe 10 minutes to read a Bible story and reflect on it each day may work. Or read in the car on the way to the game. It is significant that setting aside a day for worship stands as the bridge in the Ten Commandments between loving God and loving other people; without some time apart we neither love God nor others as well as we might.