Life

Lawfully Wedded

Patricia Hartman
8 May 2014
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I, Patricia, take you, Patrick, to be my lawfully wedded husband… While Christian marriage is a spiritual event, to be legally married according to Florida state laws, you must follow Florida Statutes Chapter 741. Accordingly, you must apply for and get a license to marry at the courthouse, documenting your identity and paying a fee which will be discounted if you can prove you took a recognized 4-hour premarital course. Your marriage must be officiated by an authorized agent of the state like a pastor or notary public. After your wedding, your officiator and two witnesses must sign your license. […]

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Christian Marketing Strategies

Bob Woods
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In this era of decreasing church attendance in many regions of the country and in various demographic segments of our society, some churches have turned to innovative marketing strategies in an intentional approach to draw the unchurched in the doors or to take the gospel to them where they are. In the eyes of some, the ends always justify the means, and these techniques are seen as cutting edge and effective tools to reach a jaded and turned-off generation. Others see these approaches as “going too far” in an effort to be “relevant” and to identify with the target audience. […]

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Breaking Free From Unhealthy Relationships

Sasha Richardson
7 May 2014
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After attending church for about 13 years by her mid-twenties, Tewannah Aman, director of Broward Right To Life and the Guard Your Heart ministry, said she felt convicted about her relationship with a man at the time. She had asked in prayer, “Lord if it’s not your will that we’re together, I need you to show me. If you make it clear, I’ll leave.” A few days later, Aman’s pastor posed a series of questions: Does he really love Jesus? Does he read the Bible on his own and live it? Does he pray about his life? Does he care […]

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Has Your Family Altar Altered Your Family?

Dr. Tommy Boland
6 May 2014
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Members of our congregation often ask me about how to have family times of prayer, Bible study, and worship in the home. What they are inquiring about comes under the heading of “family altar,” which is a “spiritual” way of referring to family devotions—Bible study, prayer and worship in the home. As a pastor I would like to tell you that this is a daily practice and routine in our home . . . but I cannot. Oh, we were quite regular when we had our first child all alone for 20 months. When our second child joined the mix, […]

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altar

Don’t become a victim of elder investment fraud

Jeff Masters
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investment fraud

Sadly, it has become increasingly common for the elderly to become victims of fraud, exploitation or just plain bad advice. An estimated $40 billion is lost every year to investment fraud with losses from seniors totaling as much as $3 billion.  One in five older Americans over the age of 65 — a total of 7.3 million older Americans — have been victimized financially, according to a 2011 survey conducted by MetLife. Factors like mild cognitive impairment, dementia and early Alzheimer’s may, in fact, make seniors more susceptible to falling victim. Fraud and financial abuse against elders is more widespread […]

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A Vision for Unity

Jeremy McKeen
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Before Jesus went to the cross, he gave the world a vision for unity. He prayed, “That they may all be one.” Yet there seems to be a lot of confusion about what this vision for unity actually is and how it should be realized in the world. For example, people can be frustrated with all the doctrinal differences and denominations in Christianity and conclude that Christians are not following Jesus’ vision for unity. But does Jesus have in mind a one-world church with no more denominations? What is this unity? And how is it realized in the world? What […]

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Why Is It So Hard To Admit I Make Mistakes?

The Good News
5 May 2014
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The following question came up on my radio program, Ask the Counselor. Q: “I have been telling myself for months now that “I had to” do something very radical in order to survive a very difficult time. Most of my trusted friends, family and counselors disagreed with my action. I felt very frustrated. Why could they not see that I had no choice and that this was the best possible solution to a bad situation? Why did they have to judge me? I was100 percent sure I did the only possible thing I could do. In the last few days […]

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A Second Chance

Chrissie Ferguson
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Daniel’s Story Not everyone believes in second chances. But Daniel Cadorette and Theresa Gold know they exist after the family’s loss eventually led to new hope for life. Cadorette, a 22-year-old Palm Beach Atlantic University student, from Snellville, Georgia, was raised in a loving home. “My mom was always very involved in my life,” Cadorette recalls of his mother with whom he had a close relationship. But life began to change for Cadorette’s family when his parents decided to file for divorce in 2004. It was an emotional year for Cadorette and his younger sister, Isabelle. “At times, I felt […]

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“Get Better” Doesn’t Work

Tullian Tchividjian
4 May 2014
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In a New York Times op-ed, Oliver Burkeman suggests something counter-intuitive, but obvious: the more you force someone to have fun, the less fun they’ll have. His piece is called “Who Goes to Work to Have Fun,” and the money quote is this one: “Psychologists have shown that positive-thinking affirmations make people with low self-esteem feel worse; that patients with panic disorders can become more anxious when they try to relax; and that an ability to experience negative emotions, rather than struggling to exclude them, is crucial for mental health. And these are just the hazards of trying to enforce happiness […]

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Regain Control of Your Child’s Education

Shelly Pond
3 May 2014
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Looking for a way to regain control of your family and put God back at the center of your child’s education? Home education may be the solution. With a focus on common core curriculum, crime in schools and the removal of God in the classroom, Mary Hood, Ph.D., author of The Relaxed Homeschooler, said she believes “we have to band together to create real options to public education.” Whether it is through private education or homeschooling, “parents must take control of their children’s education.” Speaking at the South Florida Homeschool Convention in Davie last month, Hood quoted from Martin Luther […]

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