God

Church Community Responds to Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting

  I’ve always thought of God’s people as hardwired “first responders.” Where there is chaos, God’s people bring peace. Where this is pain, God’s people bring healing. Where this is brokenness, God’s people bring restoration. Where this is hopelessness and despair, Gods people bring hope. It is every Pastors dream to see their people live out their faith. From connecting the intersection of faith and vocation, taking in a foster child, sharing a meal with the marginalized, or simply taking a moment to emphatically listen and pray with someone who is hurting — the journey from head to heart to […]

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Abide in Me

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4). It was never designed as an entry in the “have to” category, but we shoved it into that column, making it a chore rather than the grand adventure it was intended to be from the beginning. Spending time alone with the Father, carving out a sliver of the day to hear his voice and respond to his word, should always be firmly fixed in the “I-can’t-believe-I get-to-do-this” frame of […]

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Uncovering the Truth That Walked Among Us

  As part of the church plant team at New City Fellowship, Ozzie and I often go to Hollywood Beach to share the Gospel with people as they stroll down the Broadwalk. Using an engaging story, Ozzie unpacks how Jesus’ death on the cross pays the moral debt that people owe God, which gets them talking about their own spiritual beliefs. I’ve gone with Ozzie several times and heard a lot of different beliefs. What strikes me more than what people believe is how they believe. People now care less about whether their beliefs correspond to reality, and many do […]

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Launch Your Leadership in 2017

10 – 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – Liftoff! Have you ever witnessed the launch of a rocket from the Kennedy Space Center on the coast of central Florida? It is a magnificent sight! I spent many years working as an aerospace engineer designing and developing rocket engines. When launch day arrived, there was always some excitement and a tangible anticipation of success. Your leadership launch day is Jan 1, 2017. Please think of yourself perched on the leadership launch pad of 2017. You are now completing the […]

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United For Religious Freedom

On January 16, people nationwide will commemorate two important things: National Religious Freedom Day and Dr. Martin Luther King Day. In essence, these two are connected. Dr. King fought for racial equality and opportunity for all Americans to have equal rights, and National Religious Freedom Day is designed to acknowledge the free exercise of religion so that students and teachers can be comfortable sharing their beliefs. Discrimination, hatred and violence against those exercising their religion often generates negative news stories. It’s often been said that religion and politics are two topics to avoid simply because of the many differences someone […]

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Women Called To Be Salt and Light In the Workforce

Behind every powerful male figure in history there has been a woman; there have also been women who have risen above all odds and wielded tremendous power. Queens, princesses, presidents, ambassadors, heads of state, successful business women, wives, mothers — all running, organizing, informing or supporting some type of organization or institution. Indubitably, God has given women a certain type of wisdom mixed with deep emotion and spiritual ability that gives us the capacity to influence and change people’s lives while making our mark in history — good or bad. Women have helped define some workplaces with our beliefs, intelligence, […]

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Love SFL Impacted the Community in a Big Way

Church United, a collaborative movement with over 50 churches from various denominations committed to mobilizing the Church to serve South Florida, spent the entire month of November successfully executing an initiative called “Love South Florida.” Congregants of participating churches were challenged to “Love, Give + Serve” in support of this never before seen outreach to demonstrate the Love of God all across our region. Love Across the Community Kicking off the weekend of October 29, congregations were challenged to LOVE by participating in random acts of kindness — paying it forward in a drive through, inviting a new neighbor over […]

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What’s So Great About Heaven? 3 Things To Consider

A few months after my older sister died, I found my mother crying uncontrollably. The tears where not only for my sister, but they were also about heaven and Dad. Mom blurted out, “Will your father still be my husband in heaven?” She could not imagine a life without him. Like Mom, most of us have heartfelt questions about heaven. While we do not have all the answers, we do know that it will be inexpressibly beautiful and joyous. It will be so great that the deepest and best longings of its residents will be wonderfully satisfied. Throughout church history, […]

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Run Your Race

You stand at the starting line of the year 2017. If God is so pleased to give to you the next 12 months of life, how are you planning to run your race? How different would you like your race in 2017 to be from the race you ran in 2016? Remember, nobody plans to fail, but far too many people simply fail to plan. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked […]

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Slavery at Your Doorstep

The word “slavery” usually conjures up images of a time long past where people were forced to labor for free simply because of the color of their skin. While we read about slavery in times past, it’s easy to wonder how such awful things happened and moralize about how we would never allow such things in our present world. Unfortunately, slavery is not just something we can read about in history books. While you sit reading in the comfort of your warm, safe home, there are over 20 million men, women and children to whom slavery is a very present […]

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