Active Faith

In Spirit and In Truth

Worship is an essential foundation to the Christian life; it binds the creation to the Creator.  Corporate worship is an abundant source of joy and encouragement, as believers gather together to lift up their praise to God. However, once the church building is empty, many Christians find themselves silently struggling with the practice of personal worship. Have you ever tried to use a spiritual “band-aid” to solve a problem that is beyond you? Maybe you’ve felt disconnected from God, so you’ve tried to “fix” it with a quick prayer for a change of heart and a joyful spirit. Or maybe […]

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The Lurk

Have you ever seen a Lurk? Lurks are common but most people won’t recognize them. A Lurk reminds me of the Mimic octopus, who has a unique way of camouflaging as it blends in with the seafloor and its surroundings by changing its skin color and the shape of its tentacles to take on the shape of other sea creatures. Perhaps many of you are hearing about the Lurk for the first time but I am here to assure you it exists, and I believe you have seen it all the while not realizing that you have. The Lurk can […]

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Surprised by Jesus

Throughout the past few months, I focused on bringing you a word of encouragement related to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic that we all have been experiencing, and your positive response has been truly heartwarming. Beginning this month, however, we will return to our specific focus on biblical apologetics and the mandate given to us in 1 Peter 3:15 — “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” For the next few months, I would like to share […]

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Peace Requires A New Heart for Our Nation

I was numb when I first heard the news. An unarmed black man, 46-year-old George Floyd, was killed while in police custody on May 25. Accused of trying to use counterfeit money when buying cigarettes at a deli, he was pinned under the knee of Officer Derek Chauvin, unable to breathe.  Just a few weeks prior, our nation had mourned the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, who was shot dead while jogging in a Georgia neighborhood on Feb. 23, but the video footage didn’t become widespread until early May.  We signed petitions, we called our elected officials, and we commemorated […]

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A Lesson Learned Amid COVID

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2 ESV). The COVID Problem After nearly four months of the most unprecedented world events any of us has ever experienced, we are, Lord willing, continuing to make our way out of this pandemic. I plan to go back to devoting these articles in the Good News to sharing truths that will strengthen our faith and prepare us to give an answer for the hope we have within us. But before I move away from sharing my thoughts on living through all the bizarre events that have taken […]

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Can You Be Trusted With Our Soul If You Can’t Be Trusted With Our Pain? Clear and Courageous Christians

The Church is meant to be a safe house for the soul. A place of social cohesion. For Black Christians worshiping in multicultural churches, the events that have unfolded around the country are profoundly troubling and show that hatred and bigotry are publicly reemerging to overtake the principles of love, kindness, honesty and civility even from some in the Church. We face negative societal views that attempt to amplify, challenge or rearrange our identities. It leads us to feel that the church is not willing to see the depth and complexity that is beyond our skin. This is important because […]

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My Faithbook Account

Both of my cars are garage dwellers. The tools needed for any project are my neighbor’s, and more often than not he ends up providing the means, the expertise and the labor, given my complete disdain for creating or putting things together. This should make me an “ideas guy,” but that’s another story. So, the box arrives, and to my concern, it necessitates some minimal assembly. Things deteriorate when the instructions are written in a foreign language; I vainly try to assemble it by sight, which only the sight of my neighbor can make right. I feel lost. Altar boy […]

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Are We Facing A Spiritual Epidemic?

A fellow South Florida pastor recently told me that, “The American Church is spiritually unprepared for this next season.” He’s right. As the country continues to grapple with the spread of COVID-19, renewed racial tension, an uncertain economic outlook, and what is assuredly to be an ugly election, the Church – God’s people – are facing something of a fork-in-the-road moment. Flattening the curve of the coronavirus is and continues to be inconvenient and painful. It has meant major changes to our daily rhythms, comfort and convenience. It has brought pain and grief to those who have lost loved ones. […]

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C.O.V.I.D.

He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5 NASB). As we are now in the midst of our third month of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to take a step back from my usual focus on Christian apologetics and encourage you with a simple COVID acronym that will help us shift our focus and strengthen our resolve during this unprecedented season of shutdowns and social distancing. For too long the word “COVID” has injected fear, confusion, uncertainty, doubt, and perhaps even anger into our hearts.  To be sure, much of the so-called […]

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One Thing is Necessary

How many things are on your to-do list right now? Go ahead, think about the pressing tasks for a moment. Stuff to do, people to call, things to fix, flabby bodies to whip back into shape (maybe just me?) — anybody else working on a little home reconstruction over the past couple of months?  Maybe you’re thinking about the many needs of the people around you. Mothers, fathers, teachers, pastors, leaders — how much have you felt the burdens of those near and dear to you recently? Worship leaders, how many setlists, recorded worship times, and team zoom calls do […]

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