Life

Employee or Contractor? Businesses Must Beware of Changing Rules

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Paul Lopez, director and COO of Tripp Scott. When is a worker with your business an employee – or an independent contractor? The answer is critical and can vary for the same worker depending on what agency you’re dealing with, in which state or with the federal government. And oh, yeah: it’s ever-changing. On March 11, it will change again. A Biden Department of Labor (DOL) rule will take effect with guidelines on determining who […]

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How a Simple Apology Can Demonstrate the Significance of Easter

Easter is the most pivotal moment in our Faith, remembering the sacrifice our Heavenly Father made so that we may have a relationship with Him. This is an unimaginable sacrifice for us as parents to wrap our heads around. As Christians, teaching this to our children is necessary, but how? In the past we have talked about many ways for us to talk to our children about Easter. We have talked about the “Resurrection Eggs,” which help parents of small children walk through the Easter week in a creative and age-appropriate way. We have mentioned “Resurrection Rolls,” another age appropriate […]

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HopeConnect™ hides the Word of God in the Hearts of Children

You never know when God is going to bring a word or promise back to you – after all He is always writing the most amazing stories. It was back in 2018 when we were on our 4KIDS staff retreat when God began the story of HopeConnect™.   A flicker of hope At the time we had just finished the Christmas season and our church did some incredible work with Operation Christmas Child where we sent gifts to kids in crisis all over the world as we shared the hope of the gospel.  During our annual staff retreat, we always […]

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Communication, the Daily Temperature of Your Marriage

Winter in South Florida is likened to paradise: a refreshing temperature of Sunny and 72, a cool breeze that caresses our face and sunshine that captures the colorful splendor of creation in high definition. Fall in South Florida is very different: sweltering heat, the air is thick, the breeze is still and the sky is more white than blue. The temperature often determines our mood, clothing, activities and even what we eat. Think about it… a bowl of chili is less appetizing in the heat of summer.  Like the weather, our marriage has a relational temperature that determines mood, appetites […]

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Ark Encounter Brings the Epic Story to Life in Biblical Proportions

In the heartland of America, a replica of Noah’s Ark built to biblical proportions rises above rural Kentucky drawing visitors from around the world to experience a piece of the Bible brought to life. The Ark Encounter, located in Williamston, Kentucky, is one of the largest faith-based attractions in the country, drawing one million visitors to the theme park each year. Noah’s Ark Encounter Based on the biblical account in Genesis, Noah’s Ark was a massive ship, built at God’s command, to save Noah, his family and representatives of every kind of land-dependent, air-breathing animal from the global flood that […]

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Yes, Copyright Laws Do Apply to Churches (and Other Non-Profits)

The Good News provides a monthly column with important content having to do with topics from the legal community. This month features a conversation with Stephanie Mazzola, a director at Tripp Scott. Even given the growing media sophistication of people of all ages and walks of life, the assertion continues to be made: copyright laws don’t apply to churches. But they do, so let’s examine the increasingly complex application of copyright laws in the church context.   Bill Davell: Why should our church worry about copyright laws?   Stephanie Mazzola: Christians more than anyone else should respect copyright laws. The […]

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Ignite Hope in the Lives of Others

This past Christmas Season and into the New Year, I kept hearing messages of “light” and “hope.” As I sat in church for our Christmas service I was struck by the message that the light of the Holy Spirit illuminates hope all around us.    Hope that is promised  It got me thinking about hope and the differences between the hope of this world and the hope God guarantees for us. Pastor Dan Hickling recently broke this down in a poignant way when reflecting on 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who […]

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How to Keep Your Parenting Balance

Much of life is about balance, finding a balance between work and play or maintaining a balanced budget. In the Parenting on Purpose process, nothing is more important than the balance between relationship and discipline. The Right Parenting Balance The right disciplinary program gives a child the ability to discipline himself eventually. A right parent-child relationship gives the child the motivation to say “No” and makes the child feel secure even when he hears the word, “NO.”   Avoid extremes Discipline without relationship teaches a child to fear “getting caught.” At its worst, discipline without relationship teaches the child to […]

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BiG Children’s Foundation to Open Education Center for Teens in Foster Care

Thousands of teens enter the foster care system in Florida each year as victims of abuse, neglect or abandonment, or because they have run away or had run-ins with the law. Because of their age and history, their odds of being fostered or adopted are slim. The health of most teens is compromised due to the trauma and abuse they’ve suffered. A good majority resort to crime that results in arrest or incarceration, and more than half will become homeless within 18 months of leaving the system, becoming targets for sex trafficking and gang recruitment.  However, Big Children’s Foundation (BCF) […]

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AI and You: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Theology

Envision a society where machines can think, evolve and adapt — a world where artificial intelligence (AI) not just enhances work and life but augments, transforms and controls our very existence. The future we imagined yesterday has arrived, and it carries with it a profound question and concern: Are you ready for advanced Artificial intelligence (AI), and perhaps more importantly, is AI ready for you? Today, AI development is progressing at a remarkable pace, with an array of prominent companies at the helm of innovation. These include household names like Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Tesla and a host of […]

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