What do you want to accomplish in the year ahead? January is a great time to start a resolution – Time magazine says nearly half of us will. So use this week to start the resolution you made last week. Perhaps you have listed goals you would like to accomplish. The following list discusses Internet sites that may help. Space ManagementA sign in my office proclaims, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, what is the sign of an empty desk of?” For positive organizational steps, LifeOrganizers.com has tips by category, while Unclutterer.com and Organized Home […]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has launched “Hidden in Plain Sight,” an initiative aimed at educating people about human trafficking. Linda Smith, former congresswoman and president of Shared Hope International, said most people don’t realize middle-school children are being sold every day in the U.S. “These kids are hidden in plain view,” she said. “They are in our foster care system. And they’re in the strip club or the adult venues where they sell sex or produce pornography.” Billboards will be put up in 14 cities across the nation, with a toll-free number for people reporting possible trafficking victims. Smith […]

As we put away the Christmas decorations and head into the New Year, we should remember that this is a great time to renew our commitment to the wise management of the resources that God has entrusted to us.  As caretaker of God’s resources on this earth, “it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (I Corinthians 4:2).  Even though you ultimately are looking to God to make the achievement of your goals possible, He expects you to make reasonable plans.  Take a look at the seven suggestions below and consider their role in […]

Back in January, President-elect Barack Obama invited the Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Those on both sides of the political spectrum took notice. Conservative evangelicals, most of whom did not vote for Obama, didn’t criticize him, so much as they did Warren, for accepting the invitation. Outrage from the homosexual-activist community, most of whom did vote for Obama, criticized the invitation, because Warren had actively campaigned for traditional marriage during California’s Proposition 8 campaign. And, of course, atheist Michael Newdow has organized a group of 11 atheist and humanist groups to file suit against the […]

The Florida foster care system holds 1,000 children in their arms who are awaiting adoptive families to open their arms and homes to them. For families that have felt a tug on their heart to learn more about adoption, Focus on the Family has just the right event for you. They will be bringing their Wait No More conference to Florida on Saturday, January 30th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. The conference brings together representatives from the government, churches and placement agencies to educate potential adoptive parents. Groups such as 4KIDS, Florida Baptist Children’s […]

As I grow older, the years seem to go by faster. I’m still in disbelief that 2010 is here already! Each year, as Christmas ends, I know I will soon be in the midst of hearing scores of New Year’s resolutions from friends, families, and even myself. As we each replay the past year in our minds, we pull out certain events or memories that spring from a desire to change something about our lives or ourselves. We look forward to the new year, because it gives us an opportunity to wipe our slate clean and start fresh. It instills […]

Growing up, many of us create an image of what our lives will be like when we are older. We imagine the type of career we will have, who our spouse will be, what hobbies we will pursue, etc. We have dreams, and we set future goals to achieve them. If we haven’t become believers in Christ when we are setting up our plans for the future, we haven’t yet realized that no matter what dreams and goals we have for ourselves, God ultimately has the perfect plan for our lives. When we turn our lives over to God, and […]

What is the connection between childhood faith and adult religious commitment? The Barna Group asked adults to think back on their upbringing and to describe the frequency of their involvement in Sunday school or religious training. More than 80 percent remembered consistently attending Sunday school, or having some other religious training, before the age of 12. Seven out of 10 said they attended religious programs weekly as young children. About 70 percent also recalled going to Sunday school or to other religious programs for teens, at least once a month. And half indicated they had gone to such teen programs […]