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Our Single Focus

Allen Baumgarten
25 May 2012
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Jesus’ earthly ministry was anything but predictable. Religious leaders were often rebuked for their hypocrisy while the hurting were healed supernaturally. But it is in the unexpected that God often teaches us some of the more profound truths about His nature and character. This is also true of Jesus’ ministry. In Luke 5:12-16, Luke records that “While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy” (vs. 12, NIV). Interestingly, Luke, a practicing physician, omits the name of the town in which this healing would take place but does report the severity of […]

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A Blessed Bunch of Believers

Dr. Tommy Boland
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blessed

At The Cross Community Church we are in the middle of a sermon series I am teaching on The Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians.  Right at the beginning of the letter we read that we are “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing” from adoption, to the forgiveness of sins, to the gift of eternal life.  In addition to every spiritual blessing, we have the great blessings of the gift of the church.  When we are saved we are indeed saved individually.  But we are saved to community and that community is the church made up of every tongue, […]

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Contentment vs. Complacency

Jeremy McKeen
25 Apr 2012
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I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and to make matters worse, I didn’t know how to respond at the time. I was talking with a Christian friend of mine who was in his early 30’s. He was well educated, intelligent and healthy. Yet, he happily lived at home with his parents, worked a low-paying part-time job and did nothing with his free time except watch movies and play video games. When I confronted him about his use of time and resources, he said, “I’m content with this lifestyle, and doesn’t the Bible say that I should be content?” Like […]

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Can guys and girls really be friends?

Cory Nickols
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Since the beginning of the world, God created men and women with an innate desire for companionship and the means to fulfill that need in the context of marriage. The Bible says, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 AMP). God wired us to pursue and long for an intimate relationship with a member of the opposite sex and cleave to him or her. With that said, having friendships with members of the opposite gender can be extremely rewarding, but […]

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Sexual Baggage

Justin Young
7 Mar 2012
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Last year, TLC released a new one-hour reality TV special called “The Virgin Diaries.” Purporting to be an objective documentary on those who have chosen to save themselves for marriage, the show ended up being a thinly-veiled mockery of virgins as unattractive, naïve freaks who are missing out on “all of the fun” the rest of the world is having.  Indeed, virginity is the exception and not the rule in 2012. According to a Guttmacher Institute study released in February 2012, the average American loses his/her virginity at age 17.  According to the same study, 70 percent of Americans, both […]

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The Rules of Responsible Financial Parenting

robertaudet
18 Feb 2012
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Today, many families are concerned about the potentially adverse effect of wealth on the financial values of their younger generations. The goals that many affluent parents and grandparents have set for their children or grandchildren reflect core values, an honest work ethic, and a desire to “give something back” to the greater community. The skills and knowledge needed to help children adhere to these values should be developed early in life and into adulthood. The following strategies can assist older family members in becoming positive financial role models. 1. Start early According to recent research, parents can start talking to […]

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Heavenly Bits – Good News Food Review

Marisa Zeppieri Caruana
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Guido’s Restaurant & Pizzeria 1860 North Nob Hill Road Plantation, FL 33322 954-476-5840 www.guidosonline.com Open for Lunch & Dinner $$-$$$ Many people who relocate to South Florida from the Northeast are on the hunt for a few specific food items after they make the move; bagels, pizza and good Italian food. While the jury is still out regarding great bagels, I can tell you where to find the other items. My chance encounter with Guido’s happened a few weeks ago. Busy running errands, I quickly peeked into the window of the restaurant’s new location in Plantation. Something immediately caught my […]

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Scandalous Love

Dr. Tommy Boland
17 Feb 2012
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scandalous

The message this month is about a love so scandalous that it was willing to leave the court of heaven and the throne of grace, take on human flesh, dwell among us, live a perfect life, be ridiculed, slandered, falsely accused, betrayed, abandoned, condemned to death, beaten, nailed to cross beams, and forsaken by His Father in heaven.  In the gospel of Luke chapter 7, verses 36-50 we read this: “One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with Him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who […]

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How to Pray Effectively

Cory Nickols
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Have you ever wondered why God was not answering your  prayers, or at least not as quickly as you would like or not in the way you expected? I have on many occasions. There are several things to consider when praying. 1.God answers prayers in ways we do not expect. God’s ways are not our ways. God sees the end from the beginning and knows what is best for us. The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you […]

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Healthy Relationships 101

Marisa Zeppieri Caruana
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I was really excited about the chance to write this month’s article on relationships. I love relationships. They are both complicated and essential. Whether it is your relationship with a spouse, parent, in-laws and so on, managing those relationships year round can be nerve-wracking at times. I’ve learned a few survival tips along the way that have helped me maintain peace (and sanity) in otherwise treacherous water. Tip 1.  Never engage in gossip Whether you’re the one doing the gossiping or the one being gossiped to, try to remember the old Spanish proverb, “If they’ll gossip to you, they’ll gossip […]

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