God

Bringing Clarity to 21st Century Missions

“When everything is mission, nothing is mission.” This Stephen Neill quote elicited a positive wave of wows, yesses, and amens from a ballroom full of ministry partners as I delivered our State of the Ministry address. It resonated with the room full of partners, pastors, missionaries, staff and friends because we can all see that each generation, denomination, and region the Church is operating under a different definition of missions. We’re passionately working to try and serve all the people and meet all the needs. The truth is, while we can do anything, we can’t do everything. Jesus made it […]

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Bad News Before The Good News!

(Scroll down to leave a comment on what the Good News means to you.) “The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21 ESV). One of the fundamental biblical doctrines that creates some confusion for those who are unfamiliar with it is the doctrine of Total Depravity, which concerns mankind’s guilty inability to stand before God and claim any sort of inherent righteousness. The bulk of the confusion about this doctrine centers on the name: Total Depravity. “Wait a minute!” both Christians and unbelievers alike will protest. “Are you saying that someone who doesn’t know Christ as […]

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Ice Cream and Golf

One of my daughters, when growing up, had a difficult time making decisions. I can remember distinctly the challenge we had as a family going to get ice cream. We quickly learned to order first because if we waited for her to decide, the chances of the ice cream shop closing its doors before we ordered became a real possibility. The ice cream choices when I was a child were simple… chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. However, then some old chap named Baskin and his wife named Robin (I may have made that up) decided to add many, many, many, many […]

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An Uncommon Partnership

  For Church United, connect, collaborate and celebrate are more than just taglines. They serve as the framework for spreading faith, hope and love throughout South Florida. We believe that as pastors and ministry leaders connect together and link arms for the sake of God’s kingdom, collaboration becomes a reflex rather than a forced activity. As deeper friendships are formed and trust is built, we believe that stories like the one below will become more and more commonplace.   Brian Burkholder, Lead Pastor, Hollywood Community Church: Hollywood Community church has had a Christian school on our campus for 58 years. […]

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Historic 50th Class Urged to “Dream Big” at Palm Beach Atlantic University

Last August, Palm Beach Atlantic University started the semester in a seemingly typical way. Hundreds of new students arrived with their parents, moved into their dorms and wore the traditional sailor hats personalized to help “break the ice.” Professors resettled in their offices after the summer break and the buildings on the east side of campus looked fresh with a new coat of paint, a signature blush-beige that complements the terracotta barrel tile roofs. Focused on upcoming classes and getting the hang of college life, most students didn’t realize that they were making history as the 50th entering class to […]

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Why Are We So Slow to Fast?

If you were preparing your first sermon in a series of sermons that would revolutionize the current and future generations of the world, what would you say? What would you not say? Jesus had to consider these two questions as he prepared His “Sermon on the Mount.” In that first public sermon, He chose to emphasize the blessedness of the Beatitudes, the way to pray, the kingdom of God, and the three hallmarks of a disciple. Those who follow Him in the manner He desires actively give, pray and fast anonymously, so as not to draw attention to themselves. We […]

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Freaking Out

I have fond memories of a slightly chaotic situation. We were enjoying an evening with some friends at our home, which at the time had a small dock on a canal. The evening was pleasant as evenings with friends can be. The moon was full, and the tide was high. The children were playing outside, around the pool and down by the dock (supervised I might add). We heard some commotion and my youngest daughter came running through the house yelling at the top of her lungs, “I’m freaking myself out, I’m freaking myself out, I’m freaking myself out!” Running […]

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Faith Compels Us To Value Every Human Life

As a Christian, the inherent value of life is fundamental to my understanding of what it means to be a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ. James 3:9 and Genesis 1:26 remind us that every human life is created in the image of God and bears His likeness. Life is sacred, and we must seek to protect all human life: children (both born and unborn), youth, adult and elderly. Many more Bible verses can be referenced to speak to the sacredness of life and the subject of abortion itself. For decades we’ve seen the legislative stalemate that the topic of […]

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The Greatest Of These Apologetics . . . Is Love

February is generally thought of as “the month of love,” highlighted by Valentine’s Day on the 14th. We made Valentine’s cards for our classmates and teachers when we were in grade school, and we continue the tradition as adults, adding flowers, candy and a variety of gifts to the cards we give to those we love. February is a good time for remembering the importance and value of love in our lives and the lives of others. For the Christian, every moment of every day is a time for remembering the importance and value of love in our lives because […]

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All the Good News

Reflecting on the close of 2018, this C. S. Lewis quote comes to mind: “There are far better things ahead, than anything we leave behind.” If you watch the news, follow social media or plug into the Twitter-sphere you would think everything in our world was going to hell; that  bad news is everywhere. Even the Christian news cycle seems to be loaded down with doom and despair. Indeed, 2018 has had a fair share of heartbreak and devastation.  However, no matter how grim the headlines, what we need to remember is that Christ has come in power and victory, […]

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