Life

The Best Time To Invest

Rob Hoskins
5 Mar 2020
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invest

From the day a child is born until they turn 18, there are about 940 weeks. When they’re little, the days seem long, but as they grow time seems to speed up. Our influence lessens and grows with the passing of each week. We recently did a major study with Barna on the major factors influencing the spiritual growth of a child during the formative ages of 6 to 12 years old. We found that where a child and family spend their time plays a major role in determining the child’s future. “The key is in not spending time, but […]

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Take Out the Trash

Lisa May
4 Mar 2020
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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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trash

An Open Letter For Parents

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
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parents

To my teenager, I just finished reading about another victim of our social media era. You don’t know her, but you probably know other girls like her. Jessica was a teenager in Ohio who texted a photo of herself naked to her boyfriend. This photo was forwarded to other students in other high schools in her city. Jessica was so humiliated and so devastated by the violation that she committed suicide. She felt she couldn’t go on living with that photo of her naked body posted on the web for all to see for the rest of her life. As […]

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Communication, Communication, Communication

Norm Wise
20 Feb 2020
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“Let your speech always be with grace, [as though] seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col 4:6 NASB).   “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ” (Ephesians 4:15 NASB).   They say that the three most important things in having a healthy relationship with another person is communication, communication, and communication. What makes communication to another person so hard? The first problem is that most people are not good listeners. We don’t really focus and really […]

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How to Teach Your Child to Love

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
4 Feb 2020
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child

This being the “Love Month” the topic of love is worthy of discussion … even in a parenting article. In fact, teaching children the proper understanding of love might be one of the most neglected areas of parenting. And, that neglect might be very damaging for a child’s future success in life. At first glance it sounds very worldly to challenge a parent to raise a child to “be a great lover.” But should we let our children gain this expertise by encouraging them to watch television shows like The Bachelor or The Bachelorette? This is what the world around […]

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What’s Love Got to Do With It?

Robyn Wilk
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February is the month of love. There are more songs written about love (or the lack of love) than any other subject on the planet. In the 1980’s, Tina Turner sung, “What’s Love Got to Do With it?” That is a very good question. The celebration of love on Valentine’s day is typically seen as a “couple’s” holiday. We express our love for another person by giving them cards, candy, flowers, candy hearts, taking them out to dinner or maybe just staying home and cooking them a nice meal. When we think about love and who we love, most of […]

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Stop, Look And Listen = You Matter

Lisa May
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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

Shelly Pond
3 Feb 2020
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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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calvary house

Maintain And RECL(AIM) Your Relationships

Lisa May
15 Jan 2020
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maintain

(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

Dr. Gary Hewins
7 Jan 2020
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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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