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Faithful Leaders Are Made Not Born

We’ve all heard the popular phrase that leaders are born, not made. While I’m not going to argue whether or not that statement is true or not, I will contend that faithful leaders are made not born. The reality is that our region needs faithful leaders more than ever before. Each and every one of us stands on the shoulders of faithful men and women of God. We’d know some of their names, but the vast majority of these faithful leaders are nameless. Single mothers who prayed daily. Fathers who would awaken before dawn to meet with the Lord. Youth […]

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All I Want for Christmas is…What?

All I want for Christmas is… what? The answer to that question could determine the success or failure of your Christmas experience. As a parent, the question is: What do we really want for Christmas? Don’t we want something that will last on into generations to come? Something powered by more than batteries. I have never heard anyone say, “We have a great family tradition of giving each other video games for Christmas. It’s been an awesome part of our Christmas for generations. It’s what brings us back home each year.” There are many electronic things we could get for […]

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Giving Thanks for the True Bread from Heaven

For the last three months we have been engaged in a new apologetic focus: Surprised by Jesus: Encountering Christ in the Old Testament. I have been preaching this as a sermon series at Cross Community Church, and it is available for you to hear at sermonaudio.com/thecrosscc Because this is the month of Thanksgiving, I thought we should pause to give thanks for the True Bread from Heaven. We will continue with our three-part formula for finding Jesus in the Old Testament by using these three headings: The Problem, The Promise, and The Person. Next month we will have a special […]

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Freaking Out

I am assuming that you are either experiencing profound peace or a level of anxiety and freaking out that you find almost unbearable. Perhaps your reality is dictating these emotions. You are deeply devoted to your country, your church, your career, your circle of friends etc. However, your emotions are affected by the latest news, a text, a conversation, something you read or simply what side of the bed you woke up on. Sometimes these thoughts and feelings may vary by the hour. Therefore, how in the world are we supposed to lead a normal, healthy and somewhat meaningful life, […]

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The Mathematics of the Gospel

(Scroll down to leave a comment on Gospel Mathematics) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). This most beloved verse in all the Bible was spoken by the Savior himself to Nicodemus. As we might expect, it contains many mysteries of the faith. One of its great teachings is not apparent to the readers of its English translation, but is very apparent to readers of Greek. The original language is highly inflected, which means that it can communicate emphasis by […]

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Church Connect: A New Opportunity Emerges

Forty years ago, South Floridians across hundreds of different ethnic backgrounds, race and life stages gathered to hear one of the icon evangelical figures to this day. They listened intently as Evangelist Billy Graham passionately commanded the attention of those in Lockhart Stadium as he gracefully pointed them towards Jesus Christ. Thousands were saved. Fast forward 20 years and you’ll find over 300,000 South Floridians gathered across the beach in Fort Lauderdale to participate in one of this community’s largest evangelistic efforts to-date: BeachFest. Thousands were saved.    Church Connect: A New Opportunity Emerges Alongside hundreds of other local churches, […]

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Thanksgiving Thoughts

I get nostalgic around Thanksgiving. A few years ago, the holiday had me thinking back to my childhood on the mission field in the Middle East. Thanksgiving in Israel Those were dangerous times. We were evacuated three times amid gunfire and threats, my Dad was arrested in Iraq, and he was even kidnapped by Palestinians. We had to leave this missional minefield, but my parents figured out how to continue the ministry via correspondence courses.   The power is not in the sower, the power is in the seed This is when I began to understand the power was not […]

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How To Talk About Mental Health

We’ve all been talking about it, but not enough.   We must talk about it I lost another friend to suicide recently. This friend’s struggles with depression, public failure and the stress of being a high-profile leader were all indicative of him being a high risk person. I keep asking myself what could have, and should have, been done better. Maybe he’d still be here if things were different.   “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ― C.S. Lewis   Even though it’s been a few months, I’m still […]

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Undivided

In the midst of one of the most contentious, combative and polarized seasons our country has ever faced lies one of the greatest opportunities for the Church in South Florida. Though fear, anxiety, anger, political identity and division have become commonplace, this bleak backdrop has sent our friends, neighbors and co-workers searching for answers – for hope. Now is the time for God’s people to demonstrate that the Church of Jesus Christ stands unified and undivided. Undivided Throughout the month of November, Churches from across South Florida will be preaching through a common teaching series called Undivided. This three week […]

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Marking 60 Years of Ministry, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church Looks to the Future

Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church marks 60 years of ministry in 2020 with a rich history of evangelism and global outreach under its founding pastor for 48 years, the late Rev. Dr. D. James Kennedy and now forging ahead under the leadership of Pastor Rob Pacienza, who grew up in the church and met his wife, Jen, at Westminster Academy. “Endeavoring to be a church that eagerly ministers in the present and expectantly looks toward the future,” Pacienza said, “we like to say we’re old-fashioned in a brand new way.” Kennedy was well-known in both the church and political realms, becoming […]

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