July 9, 2026

Dear Central Church,

Today is my birthday. I've spent part of the day responding to texts, phone calls, and kind messages from friends and family. I'm deeply grateful. One of life's greatest gifts is discovering that we don't make the journey alone.

I remember hearing an older gentleman sum up birthdays with a smile: "I'm older than I want to be, but not as old as I hope to be." I laughed when I first heard it. Now I find myself nodding along.

Birthdays have a way of slowing us down. They remind us that time keeps moving whether we pay attention or not. Another year has passed, another begins, and we are given the opportunity to ask a simple question: What kind of person am I becoming?

The psalmist offers a beautiful answer: "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) 

Those are not the words of someone arguing a theological point. They are the words of someone who has lived long enough to know that God's goodness is not merely an idea to believe but a reality to experience. David doesn't say, "Study and see," or even, "Think and see." He says, "Taste." Come close. Receive. Pay attention. Discover for yourself that the Lord is good.

The rest of Psalm 34 reads like wisdom gathered over a lifetime: fear the Lord, speak truth, turn from evil, do good, seek peace, and then don't stop—pursue it. Chase after it. Build a life around these things because they are the things that last.

As I begin another trip around the sun, I find myself wanting less of what fades and more of what endures. Life is too short to spend it endlessly chasing the next accomplishment or living as though I were the center of the story. I want to steward my time on earth carefully, refusing to live as though my next birthday is guaranteed. 

I can say with David that I have tasted and seen. The Lord has been good. Not because every day has been easy, but because His presence has been constant. Looking back, I see His faithfulness woven through every season of my life. “Lord, help me to notice people more carefully, love more generously, pray more faithfully, and help others discover your goodness that has sustained me all these years.” 

Perhaps that's the invitation for all of us today.

Chances are, you're not as old as you hope to be. Which means today is still full of possibility. Today you can seek peace and pursue it. Today you can offer forgiveness, encourage a friend, serve a neighbor, or simply pause long enough to recognize the goodness of God that has been present all along.

May we never lose our appetite for the goodness of the Lord.

I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series entitled, “Watch and Pray.” As Jesus called his disciples to pray with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, we are reminded to devote ourselves to prayer, as this connection with God shapes who we are and how we live.

Always Hopeful,
Pastor Mark