The Art of Holding Your Nose: Negotiation and Dealing with Those Who Foster Injustice

How should Christians engage with the “Ahabs” and the “Rehoboams” of today? Negotiating with countries on issues such as persecution and violation of human and religious rights is complicated. We are constrained or motivated by bias, which often means we end up supporting one political regime while rejecting what another is doing, when in reality, both may appear similar. Inadvertently, we choose one side in one situation, even though it is opposite to how we may have chosen... Read More

Florida’s struggling citrus growers projected to see production bump

Grapefruit production is predicted to increase from 4.31 million boxes in the past season to 4.6 million boxes. And specialty crops, such as tangerines and tangelos, also will go up from 990,000 boxes to 1.05 million boxes, U.S. Department of Agriculture State Statistician Mark Hutson said Thursday in a conference call to announce the October estimates. ... Read More

Let’s talk about it: Changing the public discourse on suicide | Opinion

“We all have a role to play in suicide prevention, and it’s time we elevated the conversation about what we can do to put an end to this public health emergency before one of us is bridled with the loss of someone we hold dear,” writes Linda Agustin Simunek, associate dean for the RN-BSN Program at Broward College and a board member of the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention. The college and community groups are sponsoring a conference, “Changing the Public Discourse on... Read More

The #EqualityTownHall Was Loud and Clear: The LGBTQ+ Community, Beto, the Equality Act, and Evangelicals

We’ve come a long way from a plea for marriage equality. Watching the Equality Town Hall on CNN yesterday was both instructive and disconcerting. It was instructive because I really did want to see where we were as a nation—and how divided we might be on questions related to religious liberty, the LGBTQ+ community, and the need for us to all live together in one democracy. I was struck by the fact the debate was regularly interrupted by protestors. What we all need to acknowledge... Read More

Announcing the GC2 Summit on Leadership, Burnout, and Mental Health

Join us December 6th as we face the hard truths and challenges of pastoral ministry. Less than two years ago I wrote an article on The Problem of Suicide. In it, I stated: Each year, 44,193 Americans die by suicide which, on average, amounts to 121 suicides per day. For many of us, these figures don’t feel too far off. We can picture the faces and remember the names of those in our own communities who’ve taken their own lives. As a young pastor, I too came face to face with the... Read More

Captain of 54-foot yacht pleads guilty to smuggling 400 kilos of cocaine

When the sun went down on July 3, 2019, the men on the yacht sprang into action, unloading large white coolers from the boat. At the sight of the coolers, the police swooped in. When they flicked on their sirens and their lights, three crewmen made a run for it. One tried to swim away. All were apprehended, along with 421 kilograms of cocaine in the yacht’s stateroom. ... Read More

He started murdering women in South Florida — then became the worst serial killer in U.S. history

Samuel Little’s murder spree began in Miami. His earliest victims included an 18-year-old woman possibly named Mary Ann or Maryanne, center, in 1971. Two other Miami victims, a 28-year-old unidentified black woman, left, and a 22-year-old black female possibly named Linda, both were also killed in 1971. The drawings were done by Little from his memory of his victims. He did not make a drawing of a fourth Miami victim, a 23- to 24-year-old black female who may have been named Emily and... Read More