Life

Mid-Life Collision

We may have heard the term “mid-life crisis” and thought as believers we were in the clear. Yet, surprisingly, there is a similar phenomenon that happens within Christian circles. It is the timely collision of the old and new — who we were in the past is now conflicting in an implosive manner with who we are now. Interestingly, the results can be likened to the Scripture in Mark 2:22 about putting new patches on an old wineskin. After a certain amount of time, the wineskin can’t help but bursts at the seams. Let me explain; to one degree or […]

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Love Makes a Difference in Public Schools

After working as a basketball coach and athletic director at Palm Beach Atlantic University, Jack Wells began visiting public schools in Palm Beach County as a recruiter and discovered something that surprised him. “Everywhere I went I was finding seasoned teachers wanting to leave public education. It was only September or October, and they were already wanting out due to the frustrations they faced,” said Wells. Having been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in the past, Wells said, “I felt God calling me to do something, but I asked, ‘What can one man do to make a difference […]

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The History of Diamond Engagement Rings

Summer is the season for weddings, and today, having a diamond engagement or wedding ring is virtually a given. But, it wasn’t always that way. The custom and use of engagement rings dates back to the ancient Romans and Greeks. The rings were placed on the fourth finger as it was once believed that it contained a vein that led directly to the heart. First made of iron to withstand everyday manual and household labor, engagement rings eventually were made primarily of gold—even if only to be worn out on public occasions. It was during the Middle Ages that the […]

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Transition of a Growing Child and Mom

Picture yourself sitting at the table with your now grown-up daughter as she plops down a packet of information with the title “Peace Corps” on front. Your mind drifts to the first time you ever held her as a precious baby in your arms—then quickly rushes to images of hostile foreign people groups trying to pry her from your grasp (while in the Peace Corps, of course). All at once you reel in your imagination and regain your dignified, yet slightly shaken, composure. She looks at you, “Mom, are you okay?” These are the many crazy feelings and emotions we […]

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Effects of the Student Loan Bubble

Americans owe $1.2 trillion in student loan debt, a number that has tripled in the last decade, according to a recent NY Daily news article. Student debt now exceeds the total of auto loans, credit cards, and home-equity debt balances, making student loans the second largest debt of U.S. households only following mortgage debt. Nearly 20 million Americans attend college each year; of those close to 12 million, or 60 percent, borrow annually to help cover costs. There are approximately 37 million student borrowers with outstanding student loans today, and only 37 percent of federal student loan borrowers (between 2004-2009) […]

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The Holy Estate of Matrimony

Installment five in the marriage vows series. “I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together in the holy estate of matrimony…” The word holy means divine, set apart, sacred. Estate is a state of being, and matrimony is, of course, marriage. Marriage was the first institution that God set apart for his good purposes. The other two were government and church, which powerfully indicates the importance he places on marriage. Where dreams come true However, our expectations of marriage may resemble a fantasyland. Supercharged young children surrounded us as we rode our Disney bus […]

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Finding God After Trauma

On a cold Friday night, Shawn volunteered to pick-up a pizza for dinner. When he left the house, he told Susan, his pregnant wife, and their two-year old son, “Hey guys, I’ll be back in twenty minutes with the pizza.” He never came back. Another driver slammed into his car instantly killing Shawn. Susan was suddenly a widow, a trauma survivor and a single mother. Immediately after the accident our church, including our pastors and our women’s ministry leaders, surrounded Susan with love and support. We helped her and her extended family make it through Shawn’s funeral. We brought meals […]

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Get Involved With Vacation Bible School

Because I am a seminary professor, I live most of my life in the ivory tower of academia. In spite of that, I love Vacation Bible School! Despite the fact that I teach New Testament Greek as my vocation, I have no greater privilege than helping children to understand the gospel. In my life I have been a worker or attendee at well over two hundred Vacation Bible Schools. Learning to love the Gospel Because I spent a good part of my life as a professional juggler/ventriloquist and have used these skills to pay my way through graduate schools, I […]

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Health Insurance for College Students

Sending your child off to college has enough challenges; college health insurance doesn’t have to be one of them. In-state college Your child can either be on your family plan (until they are 26) or you can get them their own policy. Some colleges have special plans for their students that make sense, and you can choose from three different options: Buy a short term insurance plan to keep costs low and cover them for up to a year at a time. This may be the lowest cost option but it does not cover pre-existing conditions or preventative care. Choose a […]

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Vows: To Live Together Forever

This is the fourth installment in a study on marriage vows.  “I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband, to live together…” No, this is not an article answering whether Christians should live together before marriage. As my friend Pastor Tommy Boland, says, “There are some things you need to pray about and seek God’s direction. But when the Bible is clear, what is there to pray about?” In the case of living together before marriage, God calls it fornication, and the Bible says, “No.” The questions we should be asking are: What does God expect of […]

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