Family

Spring Break Means More Time With the Kids

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
4 Mar 2019
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spring break

Spring Break… It conjures up different emotions for different people.  For those of us who live in South Florida, it means an influx of college students. For our kids and teachers, it is a much needed respite from a long stretch of school and testing season. A long break for parents can be a mixed bag. it can mean more time with the kids and on the other hand more time with the kids… It can also lay bare issues over parenting. If mom and dad don’t agree on issues, a long break can expose and exacerbate this.   When […]

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Fathers Teach Marriage… for Better or Worse

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
5 Feb 2019
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“Why are we washing dishes again Dad?” my young son asked me. “We always wash, Dad. Should Mom be doing this?” It was a natural question coming from a child who believed we had gone past our responsibility of service. Why are we still serving? He stopped just short of saying, “Shouldn’t Mom be doing this?” A child growing up in our culture today has no way of knowing what the marriage relationship is all about.  We have come to believe that marriage is something you “get.” You get another salary, another person to do the chores and you get […]

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marriage

Hands-On Tradition Connects With Kids

The Good News
20 Jan 2019
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The real reason for the holiday season sometimes gets lost beneath the presents, parties and pie – especially for children. But, this year, a new Christmas tradition points kids to the real reason we celebrate – Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross. A Nest for the Savior is a new children’s book about a sparrow who finds the manger empty and fills it with a nest for Jesus. After reading the short story, children flip the book over to access the activity guide which gives them instructions to build their own nest for the Savior, using symbolic elements easily found around […]

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We’re Gonna Need A Bigger Box

Stephan Tchividjian
10 Jan 2019
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Box of Mystery Years ago, when our children were younger, we used to schedule “mystery family vacations.” The idea was a brilliant one, I might add. The concept was simple. Lisa and I would devise a fun family vacation but keep it a secret. We would simply share with our children the date of departure, the date of return and provide them a packing list, inserted with a few decoys to throw them off. The first year our children complained that we were terrible parents trying our best to ruin their lives, (jury is still out on that one) but […]

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All I Want for Christmas is…What?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
3 Dec 2018
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christmas

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 things we could get for our family members – items that will not […]

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The Wonderful Things My Wife Says…

Stephan Tchividjian
12 Nov 2018
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One day, my wife Lisa said she felt that it was time we sacrifice more. I wasn’t sure what she meant. Was it time to begin to construct an altar in the back yard?  What would our neighbors think? What would we do with all the animals? Would Chihuahuas qualify? “Stephan, Stephan, Stephaaaaaaan….I think God is telling us we need to sacrifice more.” When I heard my name repeated several times, I realized that I had drifted off, probably a coping mechanism. “What do you mean?”  I asked. “I think we ought to adopt a child, and I think that […]

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Communication – The Thermometer of Your Marriage

Lisa May
2 Nov 2018
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communication

Fall in South Florida is challenging for those of us who long for the splendor of the leaves while dreaming of a crackling fire and meaningful conversations. The temperature and humidity are often smothering, so we lower the degree on our AC and light a candle to set the mood. Our health is often measured by our body temperature. When it rises above 97.8 we begin to exhibit symptoms associated with an illness, go to a physician and often begin some type of medication to treat the symptoms and the disease. When it drops below 97.8 we begin to exhibit […]

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Why is “Thank You” So Important?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
1 Nov 2018
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Understanding “Thank You” is one of the most missing elements in our culture.  “Thank you” is also one of the most important lessons a parent should teach a child. Post Katrina a group of displaced, homeless people in Louisiana had been given “homes,” albeit trailers, to live in for the past year (emphasis on the word “given”). They had also received food supplies. In any other culture, they would be left to fend for themselves.  Praise God America is a country that has a plan. Even after all the help they had received, they wanted to file suit against the […]

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Being Childlike in a Childish World

Dr. Gary Hewins
8 Oct 2018
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Imagine a humble, little first-century home existing within the New Testament era. Picture a dinner being prepared in a small, humble kitchen in first-century Palestine. A family is about to have a meal together. Out in the courtyard—outside the home—children are playing, running about and laughing. Just outside of the kitchen in the common area, there is a chair. In the chair is the head of the household, and he is sitting down after a long, hard day’s work, listening and peering out the window at his children as they play. His little girl in the front yard hears her […]

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The Power of Us: Expressing Appreciation

Lisa May
1 Oct 2018
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In the previous issue of the Good News, we shared a very common story of Zack and Ally, a couple living the Marriage Selfie life; appearances say they are amazingly happy in their marriage and successful in life. Sadly, social media has allowed us and sometimes pressures us to create “fake news” images and stories of relationship wellness and fulfillment, pictures of what we long and hope for versus the reality of where many of us live. I recently had a man share that his wife posted a picture of their family vacation that looked like they were blissfully happy. […]

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