On Sunday, June 19, we are honored to be welcoming Bent Oak Church and their pastor, Chase Replogle, to join with us for a combined Father’s Day service at 10:00am. Pastor Chase is a former employee of Central and a close friend of Dr. Jim Bradford’s, and they team up regularly for conversations about faith and leadership on The Jim Bradford Podcast.

Chase recently completed a book titled “The 5 Masculine Instincts: A Guide to Becoming a Better Man”, which will be available in the foyer on Father’s Day for a donation to the Pregnancy Care Center. In the book, Chase writes that “masculine instincts are neither curse nor virtue. They can not be ignored nor indulged. They are the raw material and experiences by which you develop a new and better instinct—an instinct of faith.”

In a recent article, Chase addresses the responsibility of fatherhood:

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“The first key to fatherhood is not a head full of answers and advice, it’s simply being there. Responsibility is first presence.

As a pastor, one of the things I often say to my congregation is that the greatest spiritual discipline I know is simply showing up. So much of what God does in our lives is through our willingness to show up, usually not knowing exactly what to do or how to do it. We show up to church each week. We show up to the word and to prayer. Faith itself is a kind of showing up, a raising your hand even when still somewhat uncertain. We live by faith because there are things unseen, things we do not control, and things we do not yet understand. Faith compels us to show up anyways.

All of life’s most meaningful things are like that. They require the responsibility of showing up more than knowing exactly what to do. Who is an expert at love or faith or hope? What can we do but keep showing up, keep responding?

C. S Lewis explains, “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.”

That is it. We show up knowing we will fail and be hurt but knowing the alternative is far worse.

Fatherhood is a responsibility in which we respond to the complexity and the possible tragedy by persistently accepting it. And out of this commitment comes something which can be found in no other way: love, relationship, meaning, joy.”

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Join Central Assembly and Bent Oak Church on Father’s Day at 10:00am. Donuts With Dad kicks off at 9:00am before service, where we’ll have donuts, milk, coffee, and more to make your morning at church with dad a special one.

Chase Replogle holds a degree in Biblical Studies and an M.A. in New Testament from The Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is currently a D.Min. student in The Sacred Art of Writing at Western Theological Seminary.

Chase’s work draws from history, psychology, literature, and a rich narrative approach to Scripture to help readers think more deeply about faith and life.

He has written for Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, Ekstasis, Bible Engagement Project, and Influence Magazine. In addition, he hosts the Pastor Writer Podcast (pastorwriter.com), where he interviews Christian authors on writing and publishing.

A native of the Ozark woods, he enjoys being outdoors with his wife and two kids, sailing, playing the mandolin (badly), and quail hunting with his bird dog Millie.