Other

Broken But Not Destroyed

When I was sixteen years old I had a dream that has never left me even until this day. In the dream, I was sitting in a car that was on the side of a road in the low income projects area similar to the ones in Chicago. I saw the sky rise apartment buildings behind me and all of a sudden, there was gunfire shooting at me. I did not die, but drove off into the horizon. Then, that scene vanished and I saw a beautiful blue sky with clouds, and out of the sky a voice spoke to […]

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The Adult Child

It could be a result of the economy or it could be something much deeper, but more and more twenty-plus year olds seem to be living at home. Single, in or out of school or in or out of work, they are returning home to live and their parents are trying to figure out how to handle it. The whole term “Adult-child” sounds like an oxymoron, but in this case it just might be the perfect label. The offspring is over the age of twenty, so he or she wants to be treated like an adult; they want all the […]

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In Profile – Leon M. Roberts

Name:  Leon M. Roberts Birthplace:  Jacksonville, FL Job title:  Senior Pastor How and when did you come to know the Lord? It was July 14, 1974 at church camp that I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I had an awareness of the Lord all of my life and had spent a week being taught by men of God.  I knew the Holy Spirit was drawing me and so on the night of July 14, 1974 the invitation hymn was “Trust and Obey” and I put one foot out in the aisle and then stepped back in.  Brother Thompson, […]

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The gift of time

Some unexpected things happened to me at the close of 2010.  To begin with, I found myself on Christmas Day embattled with a rather aggressive stomach virus which for two days prevented me from keeping down foods or liquids of any kind.  Soon after, I learned of the untimely death of friend.  I then received the News that one of my high school teachers had finally lost his bout with cancer, leaving behind a wife and two daughters.  While my stomach flu was nothing more than a mere inconvenience, the loss of those I knew affected me deeply. Time, it […]

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Secular fundamentalists rule against public cross

The secular fundamentalists are at it again. This time it’s suing to remove a 57-year old cross in San Diego that serves as a veterans memorial. A three-judge panel in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (in the San Francisco area) has ruled the tall, concrete cross at Mt. Soledad to be unconstitutional. The ACLU filed suit on behalf of a Jewish group of veterans to remove the symbol.

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Controlling the cash flow

Cash seems so slippery these days. Didn’t you just put a $20 bill in your wallet yesterday – and now it’s gone? Well, that’s not a new phenomenon. The Bible says money takes wings like an eagle and flies away! (Proverbs 23:5)  Everyone is – or should be – concerned about controlling cash flow. It’s one thing to have a budget and make a financial plan. It’s quite another to control the flow of money in order to accomplish your plan. The only way to accomplish your long-term goals is to generate a cash flow margin – and that only […]

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Teaching my child the discipline of goal setting

It’s an interesting time watching as a whole culture seems to be paying the price of short term goals.  Live for today, buy what you want and pay for it, literally and figuratively, later.  Are we the by-product of not growing up on a farm, where the work was done with the promise of a reward in the future?  Many people in our generation have heard and seemed to believe the phrase, “Just do it!”  Too many people today have grown up with a lack of understanding about setting goals; deciding what you want and having the discipline to sacrifice […]

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Are you still hiding behind fig leaves?

(Scroll down to leave a comment on the gospel has freed you from your fig leaves.) We are heading into the second month of a New Year.  How are you doing?  Are you on track or off track in the pursuit of all that God is calling you to this year?  One of the great stumbling blocks to living the life God has called us to live is our tendency to continue hiding behind fig leaves.  Let’s take a look. Go back with me to the Garden of Eden, and with the eyes of faith, picture our first two parents […]

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Are you a lukewarm Christian?

Most Christians have heard the term “lukewarm Christian” and understand its negative connotation. In fact, a lukewarm Christian can have an interest in God, such as going to church or reading the Bible and may look spiritual outwardly, but he does not allow God to have full access to every area of his life. In many instances, Christians are blind and indifferent to God and His ways. The Bible says, “But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I […]

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Define Love

As we move into the month of February, our thoughts (and hearts) move to the subject of love. As believers, we turn to the Bible and immediately encounter questions. What does it mean when Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.” Our response is immediate and totally understandable in today’s society. Love my enemy? Won’t that leave me vulnerable? Open to actions of someone who by definition is my enemy- someone who does not have my best interests at heart. You say that you’ve been hurt before and because you have tried to […]

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