Life

Politics and Faith

Tami Gomez
29 Jun 2016
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With the Republican and Democratic Conventions coming up in late July, many people are starting to watch the news a little more closely and trying to better understand this political process. Others are wondering what their place is, if any, as Christians in the political sphere. Still others are just staying out of it, feeling that God is in control and Christians have no place in politics.   Political conventions Conventions were originally closed to the public and were places where the leaders of a political party could gather to debate and discuss their platform as a party and where […]

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Teach Your Kids about Money

Jeff Masters
7 Jun 2016
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Most parents make exceptional efforts to train their kids in sports, academics and social activities not realizing the great effect of the neglect of early training in the disciplines of finances. A recent survey by TrueCredit.com found that about 20 percent of parents, nearly one in five, had never spoken with their kids between the ages of 4 and 18 about money basics. To raise money-smart kids, parents should start at a young age and regularly reinforce money lessons as children grow up. According to research from Cambridge University, money habits start to form by age seven. To neglect this […]

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Teach Your Kids about Money

Jeff Masters
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  Most parents make exceptional efforts to train their kids in sports, academics and social activities not realizing the great effect of the neglect of early training in the disciplines of finances. A recent survey by TrueCredit.com found that about 20 percent of parents, nearly one in five, had never spoken with their kids between the ages of 4 and 18 about money basics. To raise money-smart kids, parents should start at a young age and regularly reinforce money lessons as children grow up. According to research from Cambridge University, money habits start to form by age seven. To neglect […]

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Help for Dads and Moms to Change Kids’ Behavior

Steve Davis
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  “I’ve tried everything!” said Maria. “Discipline plans, behavior methods, every program I can find, but the kids are still not well behaved! What’s the secret? Can you help me, please?” In this case Maria was a teacher. Dr. Pearson, our visiting professor and a successful principal in K-12 education, responded, “Tell me what you’re doing now with your kids and how well it’s working.” Maria shared; she used a large chart posted up front with the kids’ names listed. Each student was given 10 points in the morning. During the day, points were taken away for misbehavior. “And how […]

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Ways Students Can Use Summer Vacation to Prepare for the Future

The Good News
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Is your family thinking about the skills and experience your child needs for college and future success? The majority of college admission officers recommend that students start preparing before or by ninth grade. Yet, more than half of middle level students haven’t started prepping for college, according to statistics from the National Honor Society (NHS) and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS). Experts say that summer is the perfect time for children to get ahead in building skills and experience for the journey to and through college and lifelong success. “It’s never too early to start building your future,” says Jonathan […]

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The Incredible Shrinking Spouse

Patricia Hartman
1 Jun 2016
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You’ve met them — men/women who over twenty years of marriage lose their joy and wither at the hands of their biggest critic  their spouse. Is this you? Picture it. Joe comes home after working all day in the heat at a job he really doesn’t like. He took it after he got laid off from a job he worked faithfully for twenty years. His wife yells, “Wipe your feet; you always track in mud. And you smell. You have the worst body odor. Kids, tell your father to go get a shower. What a pig!” Or Melissa, who worked […]

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The Legacy of a Godly Father

Bob Woods
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As I contemplate the upcoming Father’s Day and my reflections on my first year of this day since the passing of my father, I would like to commemorate a life well lived and the legacy that he has passed on to his seven children. From this point forward we are trying to continue the heritage as patriarchs and matriarchs of our own clans.   If the Lord comes tonight This incredible story actually begins with my grandfather, my Dad’s father, who was born in Vermont before the outbreak of the Civil War. He and his family attended the Advent Christian […]

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Partnerships Promote Educational Success

Shelly Pond
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While we celebrate those who have graduated from area high schools this month, there are some who have been left behind. In Florida, the public high school graduation rate is only 71 percent. If you do the math, this means that 29 percent of Florida students drop out without obtaining a high school diploma. And graduation rates ultimately impact the health of a community, its unemployment and financial stability. Following this year’s Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, CityTalks brought together business, civic, church and community leaders to discuss these felt needs, including ways we can creatively partner to impact education. “We wanted […]

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“Parent Compass” Series Shows Real Families Overcoming Real Problems

Michael Foust
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The social media age has helped families build relationships with new friends and re-establish contacts with old ones, but it also has had an interesting side effect: Everyone’s life on Facebook and other platforms seems, well, perfect. It is rare, indeed, to read about a person’s struggles at work or at home. Instead, we see pictures of smiling parents and happy children, living their seemingly seamless lives. It is enough to make families wonder: Does anyone else share our struggles? A new 12-episode Christian family series seeks to break through the façade, showing real families facing real challenges in life […]

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Exploring the Body Art Craze

Andrea Goff
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A popular British newspaper recently published an article entitled “These awful tattoos show we’re turning pagan.” It was written by Oxford-educated, Jewish journalist Melanie Phillips, and it quickly got me researching. Nobody can dispute the fact that since the economic downturn of 2008, while small businesses are disappearing, tattoo parlors seem to be appearing on every block. Indeed, statistics show that one in every five Americans now have at least one, if not multiple, tattoos. On learning that tattoo dye had been discovered, during surgery, in the lymph nodes of a friend’s tattooed daughter, I was intrigued to explore this […]

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