Active Faith

The Privilege of Partnering with God

God in His sovereignty has chosen to partner with man in the execution of His will. What a humbling and convicting thought that is. He is certainly not limited by man and can execute His will quite on His own, yet He has elected to work through and in partnership with us. C.S. Lewis once wrote concerning this partnership with God: “For He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye.” This helps to […]

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Patriots Who Stood Firm in the Lord

The Founding Fathers were a diverse group; some signed the Declaration of Independence, some did not, but all had a part to play in the new nation. Abeka’s books, Of America, reveal much concerning the hearts of Nathan Hale and Samuel Adams. Hale Nathan Hale, in acccepting an undercover operation to obtain information from the British, knew well the consequences. A good friend, Captain Hull, begged him not to go as a spy, arguing, “Your nature is too frank and open for deceit and disguise! Neither General Washington -nor any commander- has any right to ask you to assume the […]

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Ministering Beyond The Four Walls

The Refuge Ministry, Calvary Chapel, is an outreach program that has been ministering to the homeless in Broward County since 2006. The program was started by Jym Kaye, then pastor at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, about eight years ago. Dirk Ruyf took up the challenge to oversee the program about a year now since Pastor Jym left to overseer the satellite churches. Lifenet4Families provides meals at its facility located at 1 NW 33rd Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, from Monday to Saturday. This leaves Dirk and his very able volunteer staff to fill in the gap on Sundays. It is heartwarming to […]

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Banning The Bible From Schools

In our own backyard, at Park Lakes Elementary in Broward County, has arisen a disturbing story of a twelve year old boy (Giovanni Rubeo) getting in trouble with his teacher for having the audacity of reading the Bible to himself during free time when the children were free to read whatever they wanted. But his fifth grade teacher, Swornia Thomas, singled out the Bible (a Christmas gift Gio treasures) because it was allegedly inappropriate to read in the school. In her own words, it was “the book he’s reading as opposed to the curriculum for public school.” Again, this was […]

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Finding Wisdom in Calamity

 Easter is a reminder for us all that even when darkness seems to be winning, light will prevail. When we make a big mistake or we see our leaders losing their personal battles, we are reminded that God is ever-present and bigger than our mistakes, misgivings or moral failures.  In John 16:33, after sharing with his disciples that he would soon be leaving them, Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but take heart, because I have overcome the world” (NLT). […]

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God’s Warrior Princess

At 21 years old I heard God speak to me in my dreams. He came to my rescue. It was the night I planned to take my own life. I was ready to end it all. And then, God shouted to me “I love you! I love you!” I was consumed. His love rendered me speechless, and he put a new song in my heart. He replaced the lies my father told me about myself. I was completely redeemed the night I planned to take my life. My addictions, the men, the drugs and alcohol were now replaced with a […]

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Want To Get Into Full-time Ministry?

Every week no matter where I go, I hear business men and women that want to make the jump from full-time work to full-time ministry. What does that really mean? What is full-time ministry? Doesn’t Jesus want us all in full-time ministry? Some say, “I feel called to devote my whole life to telling others about Jesus and can’t wait till I can do it full time.” Others say, “I feel called to be a pastor so I can help others know Christ more.” And the best is “I just want to work at my church. I’ll do anything.” Here […]

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Encountering the Homeless

People frequently ask me, “How should I respond to the homeless I encounter?” If you live in or around South Florida, interacting with a homeless person is almost unavoidable. Gas stations, grocery stores, street corners and medians — just to name a few — are all common places many of us encounter persons experiencing homelessness. Some hold up signs asking for work, money, or food; others appear at park benches, bus stops or outside the doors of your church or business — all looking for some type of help. Do I talk with them? Do I lock my doors? Should […]

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Loving the Wounded

The grief and trauma of abortion surrounds us daily—one out of every three women in the United States has experienced an abortion, and some have experienced repeat abortions. According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, “Women who have undergone an abortion experience 81% increased risk of mental health problems and nearly 10% of the incidence of mental health problems was shown to be attributable to abortion.” The great calling for Christians is to bring the presence of Christ to those with wounded hearts. How glorious it is to help women and men speak the unspeakable and voice what they have […]

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The Isaiah 61 Christian

Are you an evangelist? Evangelism means sharing the euangélion—the gospel or the good news. When Jesus began his public ministry, he referred to the call in Isaiah 61 to preach the good news to the poor, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, and renew our cities. There is power within each of us who call ourselves Christ-followers to be Isaiah 61 Christians. It is up to each of us to find our calling or pathway to serve, renew, bind up, and proclaim freedom. Below is a sample of organizations and initiatives promoting compassion and service in our […]

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