Active Faith

Sing to God… to One Another

Ryan Brasington
5 Mar 2020
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I had hardly finished speaking the words of benediction one Sunday morning before a man from the congregation appeared on stage to ask me why so many of the songs we sing in church use plural pronouns like “we” and “our.” Referencing a chorus we sing often, “It’s your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise,” he said that the words “we” and “our” felt cold and impersonal, disconnected from “my” relationship with God as an individual. “Why not change the words to ‘my lungs’ and ‘my praise?’” he suggested. “The worship,” by which he meant the […]

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Nests in Your Hair

Stephan Tchividjian
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My grandmother used to have a saying, “You can’t keep birds from flying over your head, but you can certainly keep them from making nests in your hair.” The imagery was a warning of how sin creeps into our lives. May I illustrate this by telling a story of a friend?   My Friend James My friend, I will call him James (not his real name), was riding high… everything he touched turned to gold.  He had influence, wealth, community, toys, a large family, health…. basically everything.  He also really loved God… I mean loved God.  He often talked about […]

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Women Engage In Radical Generosity With StrikeForce421

Shelly Pond
4 Mar 2020
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women

There is a movement of radical generosity building in South Florida and it’s being led by women. By pooling their resources together, women have found they can make a greater impact in meeting the needs of our community, and they’re doing it through a giving circle called StrikeForce421. Women coming together StrikeForce421 was founded by a group of four women as part of a larger generosity movement happening in the South Florida community.  JoAnne Daudt, Esq. and former NCF South Florida Relationship Manager, is the President of StrikeForce 421 and invited the others to form the organization. It is now […]

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Stay Close

Stephan Tchividjian
6 Feb 2020
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The Quality of Life I have been pondering lately on the quality of life, not the quantity.  The theme is common in many of my conversations.  Perhaps it’s the season of life I am in, perhaps it’s the influence of my own legacy, perhaps it’s watching my children and grandchildren growing up.  We often define this as legacy, which is important. We think about legacy when we are sitting with our estate attorney, and we begin to think about assets and who owns them now and who should own them later. Sometimes we think about legacy in our charitable giving. […]

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Mr. Rogers Beat Me Up

Dr. Gary Hewins
5 Feb 2020
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In the post war 1940’s and 1950’s people sat on front porches and conversed with their neighbors. Today we hide from one another on our back decks, behind pressure treated screens. Families collectively ate something called “dinner” together around a table of some kind. People had something called “verbal conversations” inclusive of complete sentences, body language and eye contact. Back then there were “emoji-less smiles” and something akin to real laughter. If I could time travel, I would visit this era just long enough to enjoy it but not long enough to suffer through the absence of air conditioning. In […]

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An Awakening

The Good News
4 Feb 2020
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There is an awakening move of the Spirit happening right now on the earth. At any given point in time and history this phrase has been true. But we, the generation chosen by God to steward His presence on the earth in this day, must realize that we are standing in a specific and appointed time, which is connected to a specific and appointed move of the Spirit in our lifetime.  It is very easy to see that there is a need for a move of God in this hour. This time in history and culture is marked by chaos […]

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Thoughts From Recovery

Rob Hoskins
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Last month I had to have a total knee replacement. Being in recovery means I have had a lot of time to think as I anticipate a full return to health and my regular work schedule. One thing I’ve been thinking about is this Twitter thread:   Random Tweet: If you quit your job tomorrow, a month from now your bosses/coworkers will act like you never worked there and not waste a minute thinking about you. My friend’s response: So true. The loyalty mismatch between company and employees damages a lot of employees. Not for me personally, but I see […]

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South Florida’s Faith Is Your Problem Too

Edwin Copeland
3 Feb 2020
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From the very beginning, the vision of Church United was beyond any one church, key leader or organization. In order to see South Florida become known as a place of faith, hope and love it will take a movement of the Church, united together for the sake of Kingdom mission. We believe as more and more people are awakened to faith in Jesus, the narrative of our neighborhoods, workplaces and cities will begin to change.  South Florida United Just a little over two years into our Vision 2023 journey, one thing has become abundantly clear: this isn’t pastors united, church staff […]

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How To Set Kingdom Focused Goals

Norm Wise
8 Jan 2020
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“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 NASB). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6 NASB). Many of us make “New Year Resolutions,” but we rarely keep them or even take them all that seriously. Some of us set goals. Mainly in for our career or business. Few of us have ever set “Kingdom Focused Goals” in a careful, prayerful and methodical way. Yet, that would seem to be the first step in making the Kingdom of God our […]

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Discovering Yeshua

Robyn Wilk
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I grew up in upstate New York. My parents are both Jewish, and from early on, I was taught that one could not be Jewish and believe in Jesus. So, I accepted that without question. In high school, I decided that my life would be complete if I could become the world’s greatest flute player! I studied at Wichita State University. My flute instructor seemed to have “something” that I didn’t. I knew she was a believer, but I wasn’t ready to connect that “something special” to her beliefs. About this time, a girl in my dorm named Janice told […]

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