Church Planting R&D: Part 3 – Small Groups, Missional Communities & Micro-Churches

Some churches are small as a deliberate decision toward the commission of disciple-making. Small churches seem to come in two basic forms: deliberate and symptomatic. Some church’s diminutive size is actually a symptom of internal and/or external factors hampering its obedience to disciple-making. Like a bonsai tree , many unnatural ecclesial forces are often inflicted on a local body in order to stunt its missionary effectiveness and perpetuate its reproductive sterility and... Read More

Jeffrey Epstein in South Florida: A constant search for new girls

“I remember one occasion or two occasions she would say to me, John, give me a list of all the spas in Palm Beach County,” said Juan Alessi, manager of Epstein’s Palm Beach house, in a sworn deposition. “And I will drive her from one to the other to PGA, in Boca; and she would go in and drop credit cards — not credit cards but business cards, and she would come out. And then we’d go to — she will recruit the girls.” ... Read More

Jeffrey’s Epstein’s victims still want justice — from everyone involved

Michael Fisten, a private investigator who works for Brad Edwards, a lawyer associated with the open case, said Saturday that he is confident the case will continue after Epstein’s death. Fisten said the case is important because it could potentially expose Epstein’s co-conspirators, who he believes need to face penalties for allowing Epstein to operate. ... Read More

Jeffrey Epstein is dead, but it could take years to unravel his vast estate

What will be interesting, Bloom said, is whether beneficiaries of Epstein’s estate are willing to do right by his victims, many of whom, she said, have suffered lifelong depression as a result of their encounters. “The damages are very real,” Bloom said. “I think its justice for his money to be used to compensate for those damages.” ... Read More

Broward Health gets it right, then gets it wrong — again | Editorial

When it became clear that that’s where they were headed, Klein packed up and left, saying he wouldn’t participate in a vote he considered illegal. Ure, who’d had to leave but was on the phone, disconnected after insults were leveled. But Marie Waugh — who was on the phone after having left to attend her birthday dinner — agreed to return to create the quorum needed to vote. ... Read More

Redeeming Rural

Regardless of how few people live in an area, every person is in search for and in need of redemption. A couple weeks ago the Laxton house couldn’t agree on a movie for family movie night, so my wife clicked on Hoosiers. Now, a movie as old as Hoosiers certainly raised my children’s eyebrows—and even complaints—since they weren’t born in the century that churned the movie. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the storyline of the 50-year old Coach Norman... Read More

Trump administration throws cold water on climate change threat to Florida’s coral reefs

“We understand that coral reefs and their ecosystems offer benefits to humankind, as sources of food, livelihood, recreation and shoreline protection,” said the official, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “Reefs are facing multiple threats including pollution, unsustainable destructive fishing practices, coastal development, and global threats such as ocean acidification and coral bleaching.” ... Read More

As white supremacy festers in America, Florida police agencies report few, sometimes even zero, hate crimes

ALACHUA Alachua Sheriff’s Office 1 ALACHUA Gainvesville Police Department 1 BREVARD Rockledge Police Department 3 BREVARD Palm Bay Police Department 4 BREVARD Titusville Police Department 5 BROWARD Broward County Sheriff’s Office 1 BROWARD Cooper City Police Department 1 BROWARD Davie Police Department 7 BROWARD Deerfield Beach Police Department 2 BROWARD Fort Lauderdale Police Department 9 BROWARD Hollywood Police Department 1 BROWARD Lauderdale by the Sea... Read More