Men

Pause or Pursue

It’s Fall! A glorious season full of family, celebrations and romance! Hannah Felding, a romance novelist, recently sent out a survey polling the readers’ choice for the most romantic season of the year. Fall came in at 43 percent, followed by Spring at 31 percent. Of all the brides surveyed, a whopping 28 percent got engaged on a holiday or other special occasion. So while others are thinking about pumpkins and turkey, I’m encouraging those that are hoping this will be a season of romance to pursue clarity in your dating relationship so you’ll have discernment regarding whether to hit […]

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CBMC Fosters Authentic Relationships in the Marketplace

Men are challenged in the marketplace and often struggle to find community. The Christian Business Men’s Connection (CBMC) provides that community to help men grow professionally, spiritually and personally, explained Steve Solomon, area director of South Florida CBMC. Founded in Chicago in 1930 just two years into the Great Depression, CBMC expanded to Fort Lauderdale in the 1950’s to present the Gospel and develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission. In recent months, South Florida CBMC has expanded to include groups in 22 cities reaching from Fort Pierce to South Miami. Perhaps their most well-known […]

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Take Out the Trash

One of our most provocative communication tools is Taking Out the Trash. I’ve hesitated to share it in this format because it is also one of the most emotional tools. The Dialogue Guide was designed to facilitate disagreement. It comes with relational intensity, but it doesn’t necessarily generate the same level of emotional depth that the Trash Can tool elicits.   Swimming Laps versus Scuba Diving My reason for swimming toward deep waters is due to several evaluations we received from our recent RECL(AIM) marriage workshop. Several couples, with tears, shared that they wished we had started with the Trash […]

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Stop, Look And Listen = You Matter

Whether you’re talking to a child, a co-worker or the love of your life, when we stop, look and listen to them, we’re giving them our full attention, which says YOU MATTER! All three actions are keys to having meaningful, connected conversations which in turn leads to significant, connected relationships.   What does it mean to stop? Stop means purposefully ending whatever you’re doing to give someone undivided attention. Close the laptop, lay down the phone, put it on silent, remove the earbuds, stop folding the clothes and turn off the television. STOP means to remove yourself from anything that […]

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Calvary House Restores Men Struggling With Addiction

For Americans under 50 years of age, drug overdose is the leading cause of death, above firearms, motor vehicle crashes or HIV/AIDS. And according to the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association, the number of incidences in Florida surpasses the national average. Most everyone knows someone who struggles with addiction, a family member, coworker or neighbor. “Addiction does not discriminate; anybody and everybody is susceptible,” Antony Tchividjian is quick to point out. Coming from a 16-year-addiction to drugs, Antony finally achieved sobriety through Calvary House, a residential recovery program affiliated with Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale where he is now on […]

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Maintain And RECL(AIM) Your Relationships

(Scroll down to leave a comment on how you maintain your relationships) The Christmas season is over, and the challenge of mastering our New Year Resolutions is upon us. Every year I take some time to reflect on the previous year; my accomplishments, failures, and all that I have to be thankful for. Then I begin my list of aspirations for the coming year. What do I want to accomplish, what do I want to do differently, what new leaf will I turn over, and what do I want to continue? Without fail, every year the same three things make […]

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Be Refreshingly Uncommon

My dad told me a long time ago, “Find out what everybody else is doing and don’t do it.” I have found this little bit of advice to be beneficial at times. As a pastor sometimes I observe other pastors and preachers and I read about church leadership, church growth, vision-casting and fundraising, and I do the exact opposite. Be refreshingly uncommon at times. For example, my wife and I see a marriage counselor and have no problem sharing that publicly. How can I counsel couples on the importance of checking in with a counselor when I’m not willing to […]

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Cohabitation Versus Marriage

Last month we explored the trend of Christian couples living together from a faith perspective.  We know what Jesus says about premarital sex…. it’s a big no; it’s a sin. The assumption is if you’re living together, you’re having sex. Let’s explore what the secular, academic communities research reveals versus what we choose or want to believe because it’s convenient and culturally accepted.  Cohabitation has been practiced for generations but for a variety of reasons. In colonial days ministers and officiates were less available, so couples formed homes and families without a legal declaration. This was the birth of common […]

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The Magnitude of A Man

In the wake of the #MeToo Movement and the empowerment of women over the decades, it appears that the value and esteem of males are diminishing. Young women under 30 in 147 U.S. cities now out-earn our boys. Single young women are buying homes at the rate of two and a half times the rate of single men. In one generation, young men have gone from 61 percent of college educated to a projection of 39 percent. It’s the opposite for young women. Today young men between 25 and 31 are 66 percent more likely than their female counterparts to […]

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Veterans Honored with Quilts of Valor

United Way of Broward County’s MISSION UNITED, in partnership with the South Florida Coalition of Quilts of Valor Quilters, comprised of members of Gold Coast Quilters Guild and Quilt Guild by the Sea, honored 44 veterans who have been touched by war at the Welcome Home Ceremony and Quilts of Valor Presentation on March 21 at the Pompano Beach Cultural Center. The 44 military veterans were presented with a locally-made quilt. These veterans have all had at least one deployment to a wartime theater or combat zone and represented multiple eras including WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Bosnia, Gulf War, Iraq […]

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