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Developing a Fully Generous Life

Gordon MacDonald, best-selling author and pastor emeritus of Grace Chapel in Lexington, Massachusetts, encouraged pastors that the church can impact the culture through its generosity. He shared his insights during a Church United meeting at First Baptist Church on August 25. It is always a blessing to see the diversity of pastors who are finding common ground in these quarterly gatherings. While some may be skeptical about ecumenical gatherings, Doug Sauder, pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, is quick to clarify, “It’s not just unity for the sake of unity; it’s unity for the sake of mission.” And the mission […]

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Overcoming the Challenges of Step Parenting

  Being a step-parent is very sacrificial and requires a thick skin to roll with the punches that come with the role. I always tell my friends who are dating a person with kids that step parenting can be extra hard work. Marriage is hard enough alone, so imagine adding kids, exes and brokenness into the mix! Many couples step into to a blended family ill-equipped with blinders on and unrealistic expectations about what this intricate process needs. Like me, many think they will beat the stigma of the evil stepmom Disney has unfurled and magically swoosh her new family […]

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Forgive As You Are forgiven?

  Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, I am always struck by these words: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12, KJV). Really? Do you really want God to forgive you in the same way you forgive others? I didn’t think so; neither do I! But what I do desire is to be able, by God’s amazing grace, to live out this truth in every area of my life. And this should be the desire of every Christian, because Christianity is all about forgiveness. You see, we are commanded to receive the vertical forgiveness that […]

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Is Your Heart Right, Wrong or Hurting?

I could be wrong, but it seems that over the last few years the world has made a rapid change. Many things have changed as technology advances. My husband and I disagree on this one point as I often say things got worst. He says things have not gotten worst but technology has made us more aware of things happening everywhere. I’m sure there are many supporters on both sides of this argument. Jesus said, “and because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall wax cold.” How do we protect ourselves from the negativity? I was driving recently on […]

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The Soul and the City

It’s hard not to think about politics these days. Odds are also pretty good that regardless of which side of the “aisle” you tend to favor, you’re probably not chomping at the bit for the arrival of Election Day. Such is the malaise, confusion and outright discontent expressed by the majority of Americans while reflecting upon the current events and headlines that have been surfacing from the 2016 presidential election campaign. Of course, none of this would have caught Plato by surprise. In fact, you might be astounded to learn just how relevant Plato’s take on politics actually is, especially […]

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Take a Break for Fall Colors

One of the things people who have moved from a northern area to South Florida may miss is the obvious change in seasons, as evidenced by brightly colored fall foliage. Whether a vacation is specifically timed for a fall view or takes advantage of the public school’s fall break schedule, fall foliage is not as far away as one might think. There are quite a few places in the Southeast to enjoy fall colors, see historical sights and take in local ‘color’ unique to each state.   Alabama Northern Alabama has later peak fall color times, from late October to […]

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Where is the Church in the Refugee Crisis?

More than a million refugees crossed into Europe last year, according to reports by the BBC. Millions more are crossing into Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and neighboring countries. This ongoing migration has been described as the “worst humanitarian crisis of our generation,” impacting nearly 60 million people globally. In war-torn Syria alone, more than 13 million children and their families are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Refugees in Crisis Late last month an image of five-year-old Syrian boy sitting in the back of an ambulance went viral. Images of boats overloaded with refugees seeking hope for a better life flooded […]

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Appreciating Other Church Traditions

Visitors are naturally amazed at the variety of Florida’s palm trees. There are over twenty five hundred palm species in the world and many are grown right here. They share a family resemblance, but they also exhibit an astonishing diversity. Similarly, while looking for a Christian community in South Florida, one will find a breathtaking array of traditions, denominations and styles of church life. There are family resemblances around Christ and the gospel, but the many differences are striking. Christianity’s long history has produced a range of church expressions including Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant. A collage of churches […]

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Let the World Know Why the Bible Matters to You #WhyBible

The Barna Group has recently released data that is slightly positive, but also incredibly frightening and sad. The good news is a survey they conducted shows about two-thirds of all Americans believe that the Bible is the “actual, inspired word of God.” Now for the bad news: only 16 percent of millennials believe that the Bible is actually God’s word. Because of this sad development, Wycliffe Bible Translators are initiating a month-long #WhyBible campaign “to spark discussion about why the Bible matters today and to share stories about its incredible impact on individuals, communities and the world,” according to Scott […]

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Calvary Chapel Team Ministers in Jacmel, Haiti

More than five years after a massive earthquake struck Haiti, missionary teams from Calvary Chapel continue their outreach in the impoverished nation. The quake measuring 7.0 struck on January 12, 2010 and killed over 250,000 people, leveling most of the buildings in the Port-au-Prince area, the Capital city which was home to over 1 million before the earthquake. The epicenter of this disastrous quake was near the Léogâne area, between Port-au-Prince and Jacmel, on the south coast of Haiti. After the earthquake, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale (CCFL), teamed with Calvary Chapels in Costa Mesa, California, and Old Bridge, New Jersey, […]

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