Life

Motherless

John Hawkins, Sr
1 May 2015
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motherless

Mother’s Day is a time when we remember and celebrate mom. However, for many people this day is rather difficult. For some it is a reminder of a broken dream of being a mother. For others it is bittersweet as they remember a loving mom who is no longer with them. But there is another group for whom the day triggers pain and resentment. Their mother is alive, but the relationship is broken or superficial at best. I call this group the motherless. They do not feel they have ever had a true nurturing mother. How do you survive another […]

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Life Lessons Learned While Camping

Blackstone Grif
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Family vacations are always a great opportunity to learn and grow together. During a Spring Break Family Getaway with other families to Camp Kulaqua in April, I learned three important lessons about life.   Working together is necessary and rewarding When doing things together or with other families, we call our family Team Blackstone. This last camping trip we got to do one thing we love doing a lot, canoeing with large squirt guns and other families we know, or kind of know. With a family of six, you have to have two canoes, which is great for flanking other […]

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Lessons Learned While Camping

Tokens of Love on Mother’s Day

Gabriella Morris
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Mother’s Day

As Mother’s Day approaches, offspring often fear finding the perfect gift to fit the perfect mom. Every year many ask themselves, what could I possibly get the woman who did so much for me? Never fear, there are gifts for all mothers whether they already have it all, are super picky or refuse to even hint at what they would like. For over one hundred years people have thought long and hard about what to get the most important woman in their lives.   History Many people believe that Mother’s day was devised by Hallmark and other retail companies as […]

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Do It for Denmark

Patricia Hartman
3 Apr 2015
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Denmark is asking couples to take a romantic holiday vacation and enjoy the benefits of marriage. They hired a travel company to come up with the advertising campaign “Do It For Denmark.” Couples who register, fly to a romantic city (which statistically improves the chances of conception) and conceive a child become eligible for prizes. That’s right… Denmark wants their Danes to make babies. Why?   Countries are dying With few exceptions Total Fertility Rates (TFRs) are dropping, causing population declines. The economic health of countries is endangered anytime its fertility rate drops below the replacement level of 2.1 children […]

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do it for denmark

The Open Door is Working to Break the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy

Terry Morrow
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teen pregnancy

Teen pregnancy is an issue in the U.S. that wounds teen mothers, their children and taxpayers. The Open Door is building partnerships in South Florida to address the needs of the teens and their children while saving tax payer’s dollars. The guiding verse undergoing The Open Door is Revelations 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.” Deana Cernaglia, founder and president of The Open Door believes, “It is not the government’s responsibility to take care […]

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Frugal is Back in Fashion

Jeff Masters
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The Great Recession of 2008 seems to have turned many Americans into lasting coupon-cutters, scrimpers and savers. Consumers dug a debt hole over the past decade from which there’s no easy climb out. This age of frugality seems to be in fashion, and the new normal ushered in by the recession has become the norm. Americans today are even more likely than they were a couple years ago to say that they are saving more and being more frugal. Cost-conscious is now a way of life. The hard financial times apparently taught many Americans a lesson: hope for the best; […]

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frugal is back

Saying Something… by Saying Nothing

Steve Davis
2 Apr 2015
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saying something

Accusers were lined up before Pontius Pilate, all false witnesses telling stories meant to condemn Jesus to death. There was no one to defend Him, no advocate. This was legal murder. “But Jesus answered him not one word”(Matthew 27:14). His personal defense was…to say nothing. Jesus could see four crowds surrounding Him. The first was this religious clique of pitiful accusers and liars. Another was the cloud of witnesses in the heavenlies, watching, listening. The third was a massive activation of more than ten thousand angels ready to instantly rescue Him if He would just ask. The fourth crowd consisted […]

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Unexpected Betrayal and Forgiveness

Julie Woodley
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I recently took an incredible trip to the Appalachian Mountains. As I was listening to the wind in the leaves and the pine needles, I was in awe of this beautiful day on a winding mountain path. The view of the mountains was beyond stunning, bathed in brilliant sunlight with a dusting of snow. I wanted to soak up the beauty, store its lushness in a container and keep it deep in my hurting heart. I had come to the mountains to enjoy and celebrate the majestic beauty in front of me and to experience the glory of God. But, […]

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unexpected betrayal and forgiveness

What is the Optimal Age for Marriage?

Patricia Hartman
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optimal age for marriage

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. (Proverbs 5:18) What is the optimal age for marriage? 18 – 22 – 25 – 30 – Later – Never? Our first day at college, my roommate introduced her 18-year-old friend along with her two babies. She had married at 15 – a common practice in her hometown. Was that too young?   What people say to marrying teenagers – Are you pregnant? – Is this one of those religious things? – Shouldn’t you test the waters before you settle down? – Are […]

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Focusing on What Really Matters

Blackstone Grif
1 Apr 2015
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Happy anniversary and thank you to all of our readers over the past 17 years. Sometimes I feel like Time magazine looking back over all the years with all the stories, all the ministries and all the church events we’ve covered. If you were to look in the office of our editor, Shelly, you would see a shelf of the archived Good News that goes back through most of our spiritual lives. I want to thank the people of South Florida for all they have done over the years. We are blessed to be a part of reporting truth from […]

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what really matters