How to Change a Life

Justin Young
25 Jul 2012
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There is always a flurry of activity surrounding Matt & Lisa Hickman. With four boys ages eight, seven, four, and two, life rarely slows down for this family. However, the Good News got them to slow down long enough to share a little bit about the triumphs and challenges of their journey through fostering and adopting their now seven-year-old son, Shawn. Good News (GN): What made you open to fostering in the first place?  Lisa Hickman (LH): We always talked about one day adopting but we never knew when or how God would direct us. One Sunday, one of the […]

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10 Growing Job Markets

Justin Young
3 Jul 2012
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Today’s job market can be brutal.  Whether you are a high school student strategizing which educational track to take or an adult seeking a career change, there are career paths out there with a promising future.  In fact, several jobs—particularly in the health care and technology industries—are expected to grow steadily through the year 2020.  Here are a few that may pique your interest. Registered Nurse 26 percent growth expected Median Wage: $64,690 Postsecondary education required: 3-4 years If you can handle medical situations without losing your lunch and enjoy caring for others, you may make a great nurse. Nursing […]

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Thinking About Getting Your Masters?

Justin Young
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Good News recently had a chance to sit down with Scott McClelland, Executive Director and Associate Dean at Trinity International University Florida, to talk about education, faith and the unique and exciting things happening at the school. The Good News (GN): Scott, you have a very impressive background in ministry and education. Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.  What is your role at Trinity International University Florida? Scott McClelland (SM): Thanks for the compliment. I feel blessed to have been involved in a number of roles as a professor, pastor, and administrator in places as far flung […]

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Can You Defend Your Faith?

Justin Young
2 Jul 2012
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Have you ever felt ill-equipped when discussing your Christian faith with a skeptic, atheist or follower of another religion? Do you spend time actually studying why you believe what you believe, or do you settle for taking someone else’s word for it? While Christianity is absolutely a walk of faith, being a Christian does not require you to check your brain at the door. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. In 1 Peter 3:14-15 (ESV), the Bible says,“Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make […]

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Dinosaur Excavation with CSI

Justin Young
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Did you know that one of the nation’s leading Creation science research and educational organizations is right here in South Florida? Now, if you hear “CSI Miami,” your first thought probably involves murders, David Caruso, and really bad acting. However, the real CSI close to Miami is the Fort Lauderdale-based Creation Studies Institute. Founded in 1988 by researcher and author Tom DeRosa, CSI’s mission includes “…promoting the biblical foundation of creation so that, ultimately, the lost will be led to their Creator and Christians will become stronger in their faith.” CSI accomplishes this mission through a multifaceted ministry model. DeRosa […]

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Charlie Sheen vs. Jesus

Justin Young
5 Jun 2012
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Last year, actor Charlie Sheen suffered an infamous, extremely public meltdown. Sheen took the media by storm; flaunting his sexual escapades, self-proclaimed superhuman ability to ingest massive quantities of drugs, and extreme hatred toward those who opposed him. One could barely turn on a television in early 2011 without seeing Sheen’s face on nearly every channel. True to form, Sheen’s antics only further solidified his long-standing image as a bad-boy icon. But during Sheen’s public tirade of self-destruction, a very intriguing thing happened. Rather than pitying, vilifying or rejecting Sheen, the American public fell in love with him. Hanging on […]

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Meth to Missions

Justin Young
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Meet Jeff Stone. Home in Fort Lauderdale for a brief missions respite. Nothing about Jeff’s warm demeanor and clean-cut appearance give any hint of the life that he once lived back in Las Vegas. However, once Jeff sits down and begins to open up, he tells an intriguing and powerful story of his transformation from crystal meth addict to Christian missionary. Jeff begins, “As a young boy, my dad would bring me along to his baseball games where most of the guys were drunk most of the time. From an early age I saw alcohol as a normal part of […]

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The XXX Problem

Justin Young
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In December 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy magazine from his home kitchen. Approximately 50,000 copies were sold at a price of 50 cents each; the black and white images of Marilyn Monroe inside revealed little more than what can be seen in a grocery store checkout line today. Fast-forward 60 years and the pornography industry has literally exploded into an international moneymaking empire. According to compiled numbers from respected news and research organizations, annual worldwide revenues from pornography amount in the hundreds of billions of dollars, with revenues in the United States alone exceeding those of […]

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Social Media Mistakes

Justin Young
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It is difficult to find a corner of the universe today that is not being impacted in some way by the phenomenon of social media. With over 800 million active Facebook users and over 100 million active Twitter users, everyone from tweens to grandparents are getting in on the social media frenzy. While social media sites can be powerful communication tools, they can also provide plenty of opportunity for embarrassment, temptation and even compulsive or addictive behavior. Keep the following in mind as you tweet, post, share, comment and like to help make the most out of your social media […]

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Legalism vs. Freedom in Christ

Justin Young
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I had an interesting experience a couple of weeks ago, one that really got me thinking. A friend of mine was excited about his new tattoos and decided to post some photos of them on Facebook. Within a few minutes, a mutual friend commented on the photos saying, “The Bible says that your body is a temple and that you shouldn’t put tattoos on it.” Never mind that these tattoos were words from the Bible, or that my tattooed friend, along with the pictures, posted how happy he was to be using his body as a tool of evangelism to […]

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