Family

Parenting On Purpose By Being Your Child’s First Date

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
31 Jan 2018
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  Your child’s first date is probably one of the most significant events of his or her life…and it should be no different than any of these other “teachable firsts.” It’s the parent’s privilege to be the other half of the child’s first date. How can a teen know how to handle dating properly if a parent doesn’t choose to be the instructor? Your child’s first dates should be with you. Communication Dating your child has so many advantages. First, it allows a parent to get to know their children one on one. It sets up time for you to […]

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Embracing A Pro-ABUNDANT-Life Viewpoint

Nancy McDonald
5 Jan 2018
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  As the President/CEO of Hope Women’s Centers, you might find it surprising for me to say that it’s time for the pro-life community to move beyond focusing on saving unborn babies. Now, don’t panic – I believe that saving babies is a noble, God-honoring cause, but pro-life pregnancy centers have been doing that for almost 45 years – ever since the Supreme Court legalized abortion on January 22, 1973 – and we still see over a million abortions in the United States annually. Focusing on the negative aspects of abortion is not bringing a culture of life to America. […]

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Eight Strategies to Strengthen Your Marriage

Terry Morrow
1 Jan 2018
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Recently, our community experienced the outer bands of Hurricane Irma. Though we didn’t suffer a direct hit, as expected, we spent the days before the storm preparing for the winds and rain that were threatening our homes and families. I began to wonder, “Do we spend the same amount of intentional energy on protecting and safeguarding our marriages?” Though the news doesn’t cover it, and it is unlikely that we will see hourly visual updates on the projected paths of the storms brewing in our lives, threatening winds and rains threaten our marriages on a daily basis. God promises protection […]

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Good News Wants to Know

The Good News
11 Dec 2017
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During this holiday season, we continue our conversation with community and business leaders who are impacting South Florida in profound ways. We want you to get to know them on a more personal level. So this month, Good News Wants to Know… What was your most meaningful Christmas memory or present?   My most meaningful Christmas memory was, and is, taking my girls yearly to buy our annual Christmas Tree. Over the last 21 years of marriage, we have always bought a ‘live’ tree – Fraser fir – in honor of my wife. The tradition she was raised on is […]

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Christmas Rehab

Anitra Parmele
6 Dec 2017
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  We’re all familiar with the underlying wisdom behind the instructions to place the oxygen mask over our face even before reaching over to help our child in the case of an in-flight emergency. How can we truly be prepared to assist others if we are on the verge of unconsciousness? If the Christmas season leaves you gasping for air, Melissa Spoelstra’s Total Christmas Makeover might be the perfect gift. Whether you spend the season terrified that you are always one tray of cookies and a secret gift short or you wonder why your holiday doesn’t come close to the […]

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Give Your Kids and Teens What They Really Want This Christmas

C.J. Wetzler
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In 2015 IKEA, the Swedish ready-to-assemble furniture and home furnishings retailer, asked “Why do we insist on not giving our children the gifts they really want for Christmas?” To answer this question, IKEA created an experiment in which children from 10 different families were asked to write two separate letters: one to Santa Clause and the other to their parents. As expected, to Santa Clause, kids requested everything from the latest tech to a unicorn. In the other letter however, the one to their parents, kids wrote, “I want you to spend more time with me… that we do more […]

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Meet the Twins

Stephan Tchividjian
1 Dec 2017
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Meet My Twin, J I have a friend named J.  He is always good for a great story.  J comes from a large family and has an influential father.  J grew up as the youngest child.  I come from a big family too; however, I am the oldest.  The oldest is the test case; the youngest is often the most spoiled. I also know the drama that exists with large families, but I would not want it any other way. There is always a good story in the making. I have always admired J because whatever situation he is in […]

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4KIDS will Celebrate 20 Years with a Family Festival Featuring Hawk Nelson

The Good News
19 Oct 2017
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In the 1990’s, South Florida was a dark place to be a child in foster care. A broken system led to national news headlines of children suffering from abuse, starvation, disappearance or death in the very homes that were supposed to be safe. Then one bright woman began knocking on doors pleading for forgotten kids. One church listened, and in 1997 Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale caused this little spark of hope to spread like wild fire. It developed into what we now know as 4KIDS of South Florida. Now celebrating 20 years, 4KIDS of South Florida has been a beacon […]

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Smart Financial Moves for New Parents

Edward Jones
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If you’ve just had a new baby, your life is filled with more joy (but less sleep). You’re probably already aware of the time and effort you must invest in raising your child, but you may not have thought as much about another aspect — the financial one. Consider this: The average cost of raising a child to age 17 is now $222,360, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on how much middle-income, two-parent families spend on their offspring. And this is the amount you might spend before your son or daughter heads to college. Clearly, you need […]

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When Storms Hit Hard

Terry Morrow
12 Oct 2017
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Last month, South Florida experienced the effects of what many expected would be a devastating hurricane. As we prepared for a direct hit from a category 4 or 5 storm, schools and businesses closed so we could prepare for the wind and potentially flooding rain. Prayers were lifted for the storm to move and spare us. . .  and, almost miraculously overnight, the path of the hurricane shifted west to stay mostly in the ocean. Our prayers had been answered. While we were still impacted by the outer bands of the hurricane, most homes and families weathered the storm relatively […]

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