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What Does the Bible Say About Santa Claus?

Jim Denison
17 Dec 2020
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Santa Claus

Christmas Is a Holiday . . . and a Holy Day   With the Christmas season upon us, Jim Denison, co-founder of Denison Forum, pastor, author and digital-ministry leader, offers surprising insight on Christmas traditions and Santa Claus. “What does the Bible say about the jolly old man we see every Christmas in malls and advertisements? The short answer, of course, is nothing,” Denison said. “But there’s more to the story about Santa, just as there is more to the many other traditions associated with Christmas.” “There is also a contentious debate over the secularization of Christmas, and as a […]

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Back to the Present

Lisa May
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Back in Time Family, the stuff we’re made of. Where do we come from? Where do you feel most at home? “The Hillbilly Elegy” is the top 10 movie on Netflix.  It’s a story of a Yale law student that receives an urgent phone call that pulls him back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his future. The movie opens with a cast of characters such as Glenn Close, Amy McAdams, and the first words are “it’s the year of our Lord.” We all have a story.   The family system Dr. […]

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Jesus Our Emmanuel

Julie Anne Vargas
10 Dec 2020
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There are so many wonderful things that come with the Christmas season, and Christmas music about Jesus has to be top of my list. I have to admit that I started streaming Christmas as my life’s soundtrack starting mid-November. I just can’t help myself. There’s something about the words of Christmas hymns and ancient chant-like melodies that stir my soul and wrap me up in wonder. It’s almost as if time stands still and calls us to remember, to reflect, and to ponder the goodness of God in His incarnation. As the weather changes outside and it gets (slightly) cooler, […]

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Band of Brothers Complete Boot Camp

The Good News
4 Dec 2020
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Approximately 275 Mighty Men gathered in Lake Wales, Florida, at Masterpiece Gardens for the “Band of Brothers Boot Camp.” The days were filled with activities that included a shooting range, sports, games, good food, huge fire pits and candid testimonies. CEO Guy Shashaty said “Most men are stuck and confused and cannot find their way. The Band Of Brothers gives them the answers, equips them for battle, trains them up and sends them to battle with confidence.” Ephesians 6:13-17 Band of Brothers brings healing Band of Brothers focuses on God’s divine plan in creating a masculine man that is designed […]

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Boot Camp

Faithful Leaders Are Made Not Born

Edwin Copeland
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faithful

We’ve all heard the popular phrase that leaders are born, not made. While I’m not going to argue whether or not that statement is true or not, I will contend that faithful leaders are made not born. The reality is that our region needs faithful leaders more than ever before. Each and every one of us stands on the shoulders of faithful men and women of God. We’d know some of their names, but the vast majority of these faithful leaders are nameless. Single mothers who prayed daily. Fathers who would awaken before dawn to meet with the Lord. Youth […]

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Honor Those in Need with Gifts that Give Back

The Good News
19 Nov 2020
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Families living in poverty throughout the Caribbean and Latin America are enduring even more hardships as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Food For The Poor’s Christmas Gift Catalog is filled with gift ideas to ease their suffering and continue giving long after the holidays have passed. As the global pandemic makes finding food difficult in the countries where the charity serves, a gift of rice and beans can be lifesaving. For $40, you can provide 100 pounds of rice and beans or feed a child for a year for $73. For $114, you can provide a family with a […]

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Giving Thanks for the True Bread from Heaven

Dr. Tommy Boland
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bread

For the last three months we have been engaged in a new apologetic focus: Surprised by Jesus: Encountering Christ in the Old Testament. I have been preaching this as a sermon series at Cross Community Church, and it is available for you to hear at sermonaudio.com/thecrosscc Because this is the month of Thanksgiving, I thought we should pause to give thanks for the True Bread from Heaven. We will continue with our three-part formula for finding Jesus in the Old Testament by using these three headings: The Problem, The Promise, and The Person. Next month we will have a special […]

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Operation Christmas Child Drop-Off Sites Are Now Open

The Good News
17 Nov 2020
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As Thanksgiving Day approaches, many families are already thinking about Christmas. For those who are including Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts as part of their holiday, more than 4,000 drop-off sites are now open. Volunteers are collecting shoebox gifts during National Collection Week, Nov. 16–23. Operation Christmas Child has been collecting and delivering shoebox gifts—filled with school supplies, hygiene items and fun toys—to children worldwide for more than two decades. This is a project that everyone can still be a part of, even with COVID-19 restrictions. Children Need to Know God “In the midst of the pandemic, the needs are greater […]

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Freaking Out

Stephan Tchividjian
12 Nov 2020
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freak

I am assuming that you are either experiencing profound peace or a level of anxiety and freaking out that you find almost unbearable. Perhaps your reality is dictating these emotions. You are deeply devoted to your country, your church, your career, your circle of friends etc. However, your emotions are affected by the latest news, a text, a conversation, something you read or simply what side of the bed you woke up on. Sometimes these thoughts and feelings may vary by the hour. Therefore, how in the world are we supposed to lead a normal, healthy and somewhat meaningful life, […]

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