God

The Work of Christmas Begins in January

Edwin Copeland
3 Jan 2020
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work, Christmas

Last month, at the Church United Night of Worship and Celebration we heard story after story of uncommon generosity, church unity and collaborative efforts to spread faith, hope and love across South Florida. Pastors, ministry leaders and congregants came together, putting down their logo and embracing one another as fellow believers: praying together, serving together and giving together. If you missed the service, here are a few highlights of what God did.   Little House Coin Banks Collectively we raised money to bless local schools, nonprofits, ministries and local families. When Broward County government came to us, asking that we […]

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The Origin of My Best Christmas

Bob Barnes
19 Dec 2019
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All of my life Christmas has been one of the most exciting times of the year. Beginning with intense expectancy on Christmas Eve, I anxiously awaited the gifts I would receive from my wonderfully, overindulgent parents. This excitement carried over to Christmas morning when I would open my presents. But these emotions always subsided shortly after the unwrapping of the gifts. My parents always gave me the presents I asked for. But, after we cleaned up the paper wrappings, ribbons and boxes, we all went back to business as usual. Somehow I knew there just had to be more! While […]

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What Makes Christianity So Special?

Dr. Gary Hewins
5 Dec 2019
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If Christ is the answer for the world, those that follow Christ should reflect something distinctively different than people of other faiths or those without any faith at all. In fact, if Christianity is what it claims to be as a religion, then it should be glaringly different than all other religions. But is it? Let’s evaluate Christianity in hopes that we solidify the notion that this particular faith is particularly different than all other faiths.  All faiths have an organized set of beliefs, practices and tenets, so this is not a distinctive. Many religions have a “holy” book or […]

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Occupying Digital

Rob Hoskins
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So proud of our OneHope Regional Director for East Africa, Ishmael Macharia, pioneering digital evangelism opportunities in Africa. This powerful composition applies not only to the churches in Africa, but should inspire all of us. I don’t think we fully understand the impact and opportunity that the digital disruption provides for the Church in our generation.   “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and […]

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occupy

What is True Religion?

Dr. Warren Gage
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true religion

(Scroll down to leave a comment on what makes Christianity a true religion) We have defined religion from its Latin root as our understanding which “ties or binds together” our thoughts about God. In popular usage religion means the web of beliefs that inform how we understand God. Religion “ties together” how we think about God and how we behave as a consequence. Clearly we must know what “religion” is in order to differentiate the true from the false. Where do we begin? In his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces,[1] the mythographer Joseph Campbell studied religious “myths” from […]

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Followership vs. Leadership

Edwin Copeland
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We live in a day and age that is obsessed with leadership development. We are constantly inundated with books, blogs, articles and podcasts bosting 7 secrets, 6 principles and 3 steps on how to become a better leader. We attend seminars, workshops and leadership programs looking for the latest and greatest guru in hopes that they will unlock something within us and set us on the path to greatness. However, in spite of all our efforts – reading books, listening to podcasts and attending seminars – we’re mentally and spiritually tired. The quest of chasing leadership development in hopes that […]

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followership

Listen to Linus

Dr. Tommy Boland
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“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.” – A Charlie Brown Christmas As a little boy growing up, and still to this day as a husband and father of four, of all the television specials that have aired during the Christmas season, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is my favorite. When I was a boy, my mom and I would search the TV Guide (younger readers may be surprised to learn that one actually had to consult a magazine or newspaper to see what would be on TV) to see when the Christmas special would air so we would not […]

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The Wrong Ticket

Stephan Tchividjian
4 Dec 2019
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Oops! Wrong Flight! The other day I realized that I had booked a return flight for the wrong date. Thankfully I realized it the day before I was scheduled to return. The mistake cost several hundred dollars to fix. I was bugged, to say the least, that I had made that mistake and immediately wondered why. Have you had moments like this? Your life is humming along, and everything seems to fit only to realize that it doesn’t. You forget something, you lose something, you say something, you miss something, you do something, and each one of those somethings is […]

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Are You in Reactive or Proactive Mode?

Dr. Gary Hewins
27 Nov 2019
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New Year’s resolutions can often last into early February, but intentional planning can make a huge difference. Here are some tips for you to be a more effective person and leader in 2020. Next year is going to be so great, in part, because you took some time to think through a simple personal plan for yourself and your family. Spontaneity is great, but so too, is having some sort of relationship/family plan. Good leaders make good plans that give others a real sense of purpose and accomplishment. If you asked a son, daughter or spouse what the family wants […]

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Is Gratitude Essential?

Lisa May
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The season of Thanksgiving is rooted in both religious and harvest celebrations. The Pilgrims and Indians of America celebrated in the 1600s, and George Washington declared it a national holiday in 1779. Several countries celebrate the bounty of the harvest season with a day of thanks, but setting aside periods of thanks and acknowledgment is well documented in both the Old and New Testament. Probably the most quoted verse is Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” I’ve often wondered why there are so many verses telling […]

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gratitude