Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that most of Florida would begin reopening Monday, but South Florida, home to most of the state’s coronavirus cases and deaths, will remain under tighter restrictions for the forseeable future. “We’re going to treat Southeast Florida different,” the governor said, in a televised address from Tallahassee. | Read more. ... Read More
4 Options for Your Church’s VBS this Summer
The impact of a single week of VBS is almost without parallel among regular church programming. On a typical church calendar, the passage of Easter often signals the ramp up to summer activities—none more eagerly anticipated than Vacation Bible School. But this is not a typical year, is it? Church leaders are wisely reassessing their future plans and reprioritizing based on what is truly essential. But as programming needs and methods shift, one thing remains the same—people need... Read More
Coronavirus Calls for Revival of Real Pentecostalism
Despite errors, Spirit-filled theology can show us how to respond to the pandemic. It’s not exactly a secret: Many Pentecostals have responded to the current pandemic in ways that are both bizarre and troubling. These responses have overshadowed the sanity and generosity of many faithful, Spirit-filled Christians and reinforced the idea that Pentecostal theology is cheap and silly. This is unfortunate because Pentecostalism has many gifts to give. At its best, it is mystical and... Read More
Mantuvé mi distancia de los ‘Infieles’ hasta que uno oró por mi familia.
Cómo un hijo del Golfo Pérsico se encontró con el Hijo de Dios en un nuevo y extraño lugar. Mi historia comienza en la región del Golfo Pérsico, donde mi tribu me crió como musulmán devoto. Cuando era niño, mi padre me despertaba a las 5 de la mañana para que pudiéramos asistir a la oración de la mañana en la mezquita. Todos los días, me sentaba con mis tíos para leer y estudiar el Corán. A los 10... Read More
LifeWay Makes Cuts After VBS, Sunday School Sales Drop
The Southern Baptist publisher plans to restrict its budget by at least $25 million through reducing staff and salaries. LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, has announced it will cut roughly 10 percent of its operating budget through staff reductions, a hiring freeze, and salary cuts. The move comes after five consecutive weeks of steep revenue decline in the wake of the coronavirus and the expectation that sales may not rebound anytime... Read More
Chicago’s history as a sanctuary city
Chicago’s path to being a sanctuary city began more than 30 years ago. What follows is a look back at the leaders and laws that have shaped Chicago’s involvement with the sanctuary movement. July 18, 1982 Church congregation begins taking in refugees The Wellington Avenue Church congregation votes to join the sanctuary movement — becoming just the second church in the U.S. to harbor refugees who entered the country illegally. The movement, which has roots in the medieval... Read More
People begin enjoying parks on first day of reopening. ‘We’re not scared.’
Jaime Godoy, 39, of Hollywood, visited Tree Tops with his three kids, including his oldest, Jimmy, who is 20. His two younger kids, Dominick and Luna, were on scooters. Godoy was driving past the park and saw that it was open, so they turned around and seized the opportunity. “This is the first time we found a place where the kids can go and have some fun and interaction,” he said. ... Read More
Reopening Florida: DeSantis announces limited plan to open state — but not in South Florida
DeSantis said there is plenty of testing capacity at the eight state-supported sites, and he presented a slide showing five new sites coming on line, including War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale. He said the big existing site at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines works well, but it is far away for people in eastern Broward. ... Read More
GOP candidates will stay first on Florida ballots, U.S. appeals court rules
“The only voter who offered any evidence at trial was Nancy Jacobson,” Will Pryor wrote. Jacobson, an Orlando resident, “testified that she ‘always vote,’ that she ‘go out of way to vote in every election,’ and that she consistently votes for Democratic candidates. But Jacobson failed to identify any difficulty in voting for her preferred candidate or otherwise participating in the political process.” ... Read More
Florida’s senators cry foul over U.S. decision to import certain Chinese citrus
“In recent years, Florida’s citrus growers have suffered the impacts of hurricanes, unfairly priced imports, and from citrus greening, a disease which originated in China, and spread to the U.S. from imported citrus,” the Republican senators wrote.(Susan Jacobson / Orlando Sentinel) ... Read More