We are heading into a season of opportunity. For some families Thanksgiving and Christmas can help define who they are. For others these holidays are little more than eating and expense. Where do family traditions fit in? Traditions might just be the most important part of this holiday season. In fact, Tevye, in “Fiddler on the Roof,” kept singing that traditions were the signposts that kept a family going in difficult times. Where did our traditions go? For some reason many homes left the traditions at grandma’s house. Traditions are the repetitive activities that can help children feel as if […]

As we head into the primaries every eye is on candidates. This is important!  The election of a leader is very important, and we should all be involved. Having said that let me also say that what is really important is not the next leader, but leadership. Training Leaders We need to be training leaders. We can’t elect and then sub-contract out the leadership of our future to an elected official. We need to be leaders, and we need to train tomorrow’s leaders. It’s the job of every parent to train their children to become leaders rather than followers. No […]

It’s no secret that fall is my absolute favorite season.  In college I had the opportunity to live in a state that experienced all the beautiful changes that fall brings with it.  It starts with a chill in the air at night, then you can see the leaves begin to turn.  In South Florida, we open the season by celebrating with all things pumpkin and enjoying the humidity starting to lift.  We love the opening of football season and focus on “back to school rhythms.”    Cycles So many areas of scripture point to the fact that God has created […]

Names often carry great significance and are an important part of our identity. This month Good News Wants to Know… If you had to change your name or could pick your own, what would your new name be and why would you choose that name? My name is Debra. I have always wanted my name to be the biblical Deborah. Deborah was an amazing woman, way ahead of her time, not afraid to be a judge, advisor, and leader in a time when no women were in such a role.  Yet she followed where God led. Dr. Debra A. Schwinn, President, Palm Beach Atlantic University I […]

When Torrey, my oldest child, began school, somehow I felt she no longer needed my approval as much as before. She was older and other people, like her teachers, were in charge. Because Daddy was so busy, I began to miss key events in her life, such as her kindergarten play.  Absent Parents Leads to Low Self-Esteem Not long after that, I was walking in my neighborhood and heard the shouts of six-year-olds playing soccer. I sat down to watch the game and noticed that of the thirty boys on the two teams, only four parents had taken the time […]