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A Story Worth Living

Eric Purtic
1 Aug 2016
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I was up early one morning recently, and I rode my bike over to the local spillway to try out my new four and a half-inch mullet lure. To my shock, on the third cast I hooked into a giant Snook! It was so big that at first I thought I snagged a boulder on the bottom of the canal. I was so excited that I tried to pull him in too soon instead of letting him run for a bit. Then, one minute later…snap! The nightmare. Broken line. On the surface the story above doesn’t have much to do […]

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Practice Love, Grace and Truth

Shelly Pond
1 Jul 2016
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Americans awoke to news of the deadliest terror attack since 9/11 on the morning of June 12th after 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub, killing 49 and injuring 53. In a 911 call, Mateen claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, but the investigation continues into whether he had any real ties to ISIS, was inspired by their propaganda or was motivated by his own inner turmoil. The answer to those questions perhaps matters little to the grieving loved ones of the 49 people, created in the image of God, who lost their lives. The news was […]

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Keep Calm and Go Big!

The Good News
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The place was packed and spirits high as Christine Sneeringer stepped onto the stage.  Her comedy show, Not PC To Be Me, was spot on. As a former lesbian, she certainly is not “politically correct” to be doing Christian comedy. The applause grew in volume. This was it. This is what she had been hoping and actually (literally, yes) praying for. A crowd, a pack-the-house, fill-every-seat crowd. And she got it, over 500 assorted bodies. Christine was definitely going BIG. She did a slow turn to show off her large bedazzled rhinestone belt. Then she confessed it was borrowed and […]

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Should We Have Higher Standards in Musical Tastes?

Chris Alexander
3 May 2016
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  Consider the age-old question:  Should Christians have a higher standard in their musical tastes than non-believers?  Actually, it probably is not ‘age-old’ because in ancient times there was not the onslaught of different musical genres or questionable lyrics that we are faced with today. Even looking at church worship, we see in recent decades division among congregations based on contemporary songs vs. traditional hymns. Though both praise our Lord and have edifying lyrics, we still find partiality.  Some argue traditional hymns are more reverent and holy than the upbeat worship songs while others argue the hymns don’t invoke a […]

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Christian Pop Rock duo LoveCollide to Appear at Elev8Life Summer Music Jam in June

The Good News
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Nashville-based duo LoveCollide, comprised of sisters Lauren and Brooke DeLeary, who were featured in the recent movie God’s Not Dead 2, will perform at Abundant Life Church in June at Elev8Life Summer Music Jam. Featured as artists of the month in May by Newreleasetoday.com, LoveCollide’s mission is to “awaken a movement and ignite a wildfire passion for Jesus in the hearts of this generation and those to come.” That is exactly what these young women have been doing ever since their debut CD was released to rave industry reviews in April 2014. Elev8Life Summer Music Jam LoveCollide will be one […]

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Downton Abbey: Classical Ideas for a Contemporary Culture

The Good News
5 Apr 2016
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“Downton Abbey,” a British period drama that portrays the decline of the British aristocracy in the early 20th   century modern world, just closed the curtain on its sixth and final season. If you have yet to enjoy this show, you are most certainly missing out.  Written by Cambridge educated British producer Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey” has boasted tremendous popularity in America arguably competing with primetime television shows on America’s main networks while “The Abbey” remains televised on the modest public broadcasting stations.  Ironically (and if you have watched it you are aware of this) it is unlike anything produced for prime […]

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The Passover Lamb

Dr. Susan Michael
1 Apr 2016
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Passover is known as the Festival of Redemption because it commemorates the children of Israel’s freedom from slavery in Egypt some 3,500 years ago. We know the story in Exodus well: God chose Moses and sent him to tell Pharaoh to “let My people go.” Pharaoh refused and Egypt was visited with ten different plagues that practically destroy the nation. The last plague was the death of the firstborn male of every family. The Lord used this plague to teach the children of Israel the principal of redemption through a substitute. He instructed them to choose a young male lamb […]

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African Children’s Lives Changed Through Music

Carone Gordon
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It’s amazing how a simple act of kindness could inspire a lifelong ministry that helps thousands of children. Very often we meet people in our day to day life and activities. Some lead to long term friendships, business opportunities, jobs and in Ray Barnett’s case it led to more ministry.  Ray Barnett, founder of African Children’s Choir, had a very unique experience. “Ray affectionately called Daddy Ray had visited Uganda some years before on a humanitarian trip to assist persecuted Christians in the time of Idi Amin’s brutal rule. While on this trip he and his traveling companions gave a […]

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Jesus’ Final Days in Jerusalem

Dr. Susan Michael
1 Mar 2016
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One of the most memorable moments of any tour to Israel is standing on the Mount of Olives and looking across the valley at the Eastern Gate of the Temple Mount. One can’t help but imagine the magnificent Temple of King Herod standing there or Jesus walking through the Eastern Gate as He most assuredly did, and according to scripture, He will most likely do again. But, any casual observer will notice that the Eastern Gate has been sealed shut. Almost 500 years ago, when the Turks conquered Jerusalem under the leadership of Suleiman the Magnificent, he commanded that the […]

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New Churches Embrace Downtown Fort Lauderdale

Edwin Copeland
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Our world is changing. The way people live, work, play, and worship is changing. For the first time in history, the world as we know it is 50 percent urban. An estimated 5 million new people a month move to a city. Some have projected that by 2050, 75 percent of the world’s population will live in a city. While the implications of our changing landscape are vast, one thing is clear: God seems to be moving the world towards cities. Could it be so they can hear the gospel?According to the church planting team at Redeemer City-to-City, a leadership […]

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