The Santa Rosa County School District has drafted a policy that prohibits students from asking God’s blessing during high school graduations. The policy also prohibits district employees from participating in privately sponsored off-campus religious events or baccalaureate addresses.  Moreover, faculty and staff are required to stop prayer at privately sponsored after-school clubs. The ACLU drafted the model policy, which was agreed to by the district and entered into the legal record by a federal court. Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, said his group has filed a preliminary injunction to stop the order.  He said the policy violates the free […]

  Talk to one writer about the process of writing and you’ll think that it is an incredibly difficult undertaking, with every word on the page the result of painful deliberation. You’ll learn that novels must be painstakingly outlined in advance with nothing left to chance, and that a blank page is a daily affront that must be addressed. Corner another writer and it becomes just as clear that words simply flow out onto the page as if inspired by another.  Characters spring forth as virtual strangers who say and do things that are a total surprise to the author. […]

  Personal infomation Birth Place:  Miami, Florida Marital status:   Married to Jeanette Children:  Four Home church:  Christ Fellowship – West Kendall Occupation:  Attorney Family/human interest Q:Who has most shaped you as a leader – your mother or your father? Why?   A:I think both.  I strongly believe that the ideal setting to raise a child and for a child to grow up is in a stable home, not a prosperous home, not a rich home, but a stable home where their mother and father are in love with each other and they make it their joint mission to raise […]

  I was recently invited to take part in what I believe has been the most rewarding outreach event I have ever attended. Led by Steven and Cheryl Price, Military Outreach Life or M.O.M., is an outreach not only dear to their hearts, but is one that affects the hearts of all who become involved. M.O.M was started several years ago when Cheryl’s son, Brian, who serves as an avionics technician in the Air Force, asked for some homemade treats from back home.  Cheryl, who is the Missions Leader at First United Methodist Church in Coral Springs, began doing small […]

  Neighbors are people that we see every day. If you think about it, they do a lot for us. They keep us from being the only house on the street. They fill up the mall and the grocery store so we don’t have to shop there alone. But they affect our lives in bigger ways than that, making a difference in ways that tend to go unnoticed. Because these are behind-the-scenes heroes. We’re talking about the homemakers whose full-time job is to bring up children who will know God and serve Him with all their heart. The quiet folks […]

There are a few common threads which have become noticeable to me over the years, working with local businesses. Some companies pride themselves on running “By the Book”, whereas others make it apparent that they do not share this same philosophy. Due to the choices made by these companies in terms of how to run their businesses, the differences in the success levels of each company is amazing. Integrity The Good News has a terrific computer database. Not only does it record each phone log and allows staff to leave notes for every incoming or outgoing phone call, it also […]

States increasingly are enacting legislation to opt out of a provision in the new federal health care law that would require coverage for abortion in “insurance exchanges.” For Planned Parenthood in Michigan, however, the health care law is playing a role in the opening of a Detroit-area clinic where abortions likely will be performed. Regarding the “insurance exchanges,” the health care reform measure signed into law by President Obama in March requires each state to offer at least one plan that covers abortions and one plan that does not. The law, however, allows states to opt out and bar insurance […]

Fewer things influence our children more than the people they hang out with, their friends. Friendships have a powerful impact. Kids want to go where their friends want to go, do what their friends do, and think the way their friends think. Knowing the impact friends have on our children, you would think parents would want to be more proactive in the “friend selection process.” I can hear a parent groaning, “I’d love to help select who my kids befriend; but where do I begin? My kids are so private about their friends.” Friendships are environmental. Whether it is physical […]

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released its final price tag for health care reform, and it’s at least $115 billion more than projected. Much of that is due to authorizations for discretionary spending put in the legislation by those drafting the bill. The Obama Administration said it would cap spending on the initiative at $1 trillion over 10 years. The new numbers will break that unofficial promise. Jennifer Hing, a spokeswoman for Republican members of the House Appropriations Committee, said the president has a responsibility to his constituents to keep that promise. “If Congress were to approve all of […]

  The University of California Hastings College of the Law case, which the U.S. Supreme Court heard on April 19, has its share of absurdity, but what’s missing, is outrage.  This case is about the school denying recognition to a Christian Legal Society campus chapter because it will not have atheists or homosexuals as officers. Yes, I know it’s absurd on the face of it. It’s like insisting that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals be forced to install meat-lovin’ rocker Ted Nugent as the executive director.  It’s bad enough that a prestigious law school committed unconstitutional discrimination against […]