ROB BELL: Does Love Really Win In The End?

Anitra Parmele
11 May 2011
no comments

Is Rob Bell a Universalist? Is the recent cyber maelstrom ignited before the publication of his latest book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived, an indication of the resonance this topic inspires or of the dangers of reviewing a book you haven’t read? Can a loving God condemn billions of people to a literal hell? Is the instruction of Matthew 18 applicable when the perceived “sin” is committed by way of a promotional video on YouTube? Can posing everything as a question protect the poser from ever having to lay […]

-Read More

Songs of the Revolution

Anitra Parmele
27 Apr 2011
no comments

Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, Kelly Williams displayed talent at a young age. “When I was only three or four years old, I would sit on the floor and bang on the pots and pans,” he explains. A good student, Kelly’s parents got called to school only when Kelly was acting up for his classmates. It would be a talent that would he would capitalize on at the tender age of seven. “The Gong Show held auditions at my school and I was selected.” Kelly became the youngest contestant to win the popular television talent show. “I knew that […]

-Read More

Welcome in God’s House

Anitra Parmele
21 Apr 2011
no comments

This article is part of an ongoing series spotlighting Hope South Florida, a unique collaboration of city officials, social agencies and the faith community with a single purpose – to end family homelessness in Broward County. A father moves to correct his 12 year old son’s spelling. He fears the day when his son’s questions will outpace his knowledge even as he dreams of his being the first to walk across the stage to receive a high school diploma. A mother tucks the blanket around her eight year old daughter’s legs. The night has turned cold and her daughter often […]

-Read More

Finding Jesus Among the Familiar

Anitra Parmele
8 Apr 2011
no comments

Regardless of our spiritual background, few Americans are totally unfamiliar with the events commemorated during Easter. Perhaps it is this widespread familiarity that threatens to detract from the depth of the celebration. In an article published in Christianity Today, John Witte Jr. contrasts the circumstances of the birth of Christ with the accounts of his death and resurrection. Where prophets, angels, wise men and shepherds are all a part of God’s proclamation of his son’s birth, the accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection seem positively subdued. Aside from the violence of the temple veil being torn (Matthew 27:51) and a […]

-Read More

Coming Live to a Venue Near You!

Anitra Parmele
2 Mar 2011
no comments

Florida is known for its vibrant music scene. With all the top touring acts insisting on making a South Florida stop, we have access to the best music available. This month you’ll have a chance to bang your head and lift your hands as some of the most popular artists in Christian music appear in concert. From a fairground to an elegant theater, where the concert is held is as much a part of the experience as the artists who are appearing. There is nothing like experiencing music live. Grab your wife, your kids or your neighbors and make plans […]

-Read More

New Warriors of Worship – Two Artists To Watch

Anitra Parmele
no comments

Glance down the latest Christian music charts and you’ll see that a disproportionate number of artists hail from our fair state. The Sunshine State’s rolls include Francesca Battistelli, Jonny Diaz, Anberlin, Flyleaf, Submission Red, Fireflight and Group 1 Crew to name a few. In addition to all of these amazing musicians and groups, you can now add two new artists to that list – Kerrie Roberts and Andrew Ehrenzeller. Andrew Ehrenzeller: Beauty is What Remains It all began with praying for a drum set at the age of seven. This one instrument would begin a lifetime romance intertwining his love […]

-Read More

All About Florida – Land of Sunshine

Anitra Parmele
1 Mar 2011
no comments

Remember the tourism campaign from years ago- Florida- See It Like A Native? Like the New Yorkers who never make it to the Empire State Building, too often it takes a visit from out of towners to encourage us to sample all that our state has to offer. Maybe the slogan should have read- See It Like A Tourist. For instance- the beach. None of us are much more than an hour away from the coast but when was the last time you went? Have you ever had­ a yen to take a detour on the way home from work […]

-Read More

The Corruptible

Anitra Parmele
2 Feb 2011
no comments

Ray Quinn is cynical, bitter and somewhat aimless. You can’t really blame him. Crippled by a gunman’s bullet, Ray was forced into retiring from his life as an Orlando homicide detective. His new life is bookended by his two “friends” Jim and Joe. Ray relies on Jim Beam to get him to sleep and a “cup of joe” to wake him up. That bullet that crippled Ray? There were more where that came from- one of which struck and killed his partner, Tricia, with whom he had just begun to express his tender, and tentative, love to. Lost in the […]

-Read More

Define Love

Anitra Parmele
1 Feb 2011
no comments

As we move into the month of February, our thoughts (and hearts) move to the subject of love. As believers, we turn to the Bible and immediately encounter questions. What does it mean when Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.” Our response is immediate and totally understandable in today’s society. Love my enemy? Won’t that leave me vulnerable? Open to actions of someone who by definition is my enemy- someone who does not have my best interests at heart. You say that you’ve been hurt before and because you have tried to […]

-Read More

To Write Love on Her Arms

Anitra Parmele
no comments

It all started with a simple act of love. The messy, inconvenient kind of love that doesn’t fit easily onto the stiff pink and red cardboard of a Valentine’s Day card, but rather  the risk-taking, obstacle clearing, no man left behind kind of love for which we all secretly hunger. We spend our lives desperately looking for someone to demonstrate that kind of all out, no holds barred intensity towards us while overlooking the validity of the adage, “To make a friend, you have to be a friend.” First Steps In 2006, Renee was living in Cocoa and caught in […]

-Read More