Tom Hendrikse never imagined the word “pastor” on his resume let alone the designation of Senior Pastor of Rio Vista Church, a Presbyterian church planted in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale in 1941. Tom was a counselor of a different kind as a personal injury defense attorney, defending insurance companies like State Farm. “In Boynton, we attended a small Baptist church led by a dynamic pastor, John Hawkins. His first assignment was for me to teach a Sunday school class. I guess it went well, so I ended up running the Sunday school program with probably 500 adults, recruiting, […]

This story was especially meaningful for me to write. It’s personal; my wife, Christina, and I had a front-row seat to Ashley’s journey through Calvary House. Christina had the privilege of mentoring her, and they built a close, meaningful relationship along the way. My prayer is that Ashley’s story clearly shows how relentlessly God pursues us even when we relentlessly run from Him. His love and mercy are not something we can outrun.   Brokenness Ashley’s story is one of deep brokenness, but even more, it is a story of relentless redemption. Ashley was born in Broward County into a […]

Generational wealth is commonly described as “financial assets passed down from generation to generation with the primary goal of providing family members with a financial future.” This is customarily accumulated through long-term investing, building equity, business ownership and life insurance, among others. In my case, I received “generational liabilities” from my parents, but thankfully today Julianne and I are very intentional in creating a plan that provides assets for our children, which we believe is a noble cause. Our battle cry is found in Proverbs 13:22 where King Solomon stated that “a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s […]