A Gift to the Church: International Students at Our Doorstep

God’s gift to us is the opportunity to touch the nations and be touched by them in a very warm, close, and personal way. It was an unusual opportunity. A new role, just ten hours a week, had been created at my local church and now it was my job to help our congregation welcome the nations through a ministry to international students. We began with a small group of volunteers and students. Sixteen years later, in cooperation with other local churches, we offered friendship, practical helps,... Read More

First 3 Super Bowls here weren’t allowed on live TV (and other facts you’ve forgotten)

This Super Bowl between New Orleans and Indianapolis might be the last one at — what’s it called? — Sun Life Stadium, Sun Sentinel reporter Sarah Talalay wrote. The league has made it clear that sun, beaches, nightclubs and high-end hotel rooms “are not enough.” New or upgraded stadiums in Dallas, New Orleans, and Glendale, Ariz., had set a new standard of luxury. Among the proposed upgrades proposed by the Dolphins to lure the event back was a 621,000 square-foot canopy that would... Read More

London Leads UK in Prayer. But Only 1 in 10 Brits Prayed for Brexit.

Survey finds very few respond to #PrayFor… hashtag campaigns. The Bible repeatedly instructs on the value of regular prayer. “Pray continually,” Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray “in every situation,” he advises the church in Philippi. And to the church in Colossi he says, “Devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2). The message is largely lost in Great Britain, however, where nearly three in five adults (57%) now say they never pray, up from 49... Read More

Why Consider a Formal Education for Ministry?

An intentional degree is one in which people who have gone before you have thought deeply on it and created a curriculum to give you greater direction. I write often about movements that are lay led and not requiring formal theological education. I though it might be helpful to explain that, in many circumsances, it is exactly what you might need. You will probably not be surprised that I think thing. I’ve earned two master’s degrees and two doctorates, with much of my programs... Read More

Would you like to spend the night with Jim Carrey?

“Memoirs and Misinformation” is a book written by actor/comedian Jim Carrey in collaboration with author Dana Vachon. The book is described as a “semi-autobiographical deconstruction of persona” and will be the topic of “An Evening with Jim Carrey,” which will take place May 9 at the Arsht Center’s Knight Concert Hall. Carrey’s appearance is part of the Miami Book Fair. (Photo courtesy artist management / Courtesy) ... Read More

The power of a single lawmaker, for better and for worse | Steve Bousquet

Too much power is in too few hands in Tallahassee. It’s not democratic (with a small d), it makes life easy for lobbyists, which is wrong, and it’s often not in the public interest. But that’s how it works, and it’s why elections for every seat in the Legislature matter and why it’s important who chairs every legislative committee. Two developments this week illustrate the situation. ... Read More

‘A huge step backward’ for the death penalty in Florida | Opinion

The requirement that a jury unanimously recommend a sentence of death comports with the overwhelming majority of states that have the death penalty. At the time that Hurst v. Florida was decided, of the 31 states that legalized capital punishment, only three states — Florida, Alabama and Delaware — did not require that a unanimous jury recommend the death penalty. Since that time, the Delaware Supreme Court declared the state’s capital sentencing statute unconstitutional, and we held... Read More

Is Attorney General Ashley Moody fighting for all Floridians? Sometimes. Too often not | Editorial

When she took office a year ago, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody pledged, “I will fight for all Floridians.” She challenged the media to hold her accountable. Our first-year assessment: Moody has made some positive steps, but she is too often guided by partisan politics, rather than the greater good. ... Read More