When you’ve predominately operated two- and four-seat single engine training aircraft, the opportunity to get your teenaged hands on an eight-seater twin-prop plane boosts the feeling of being a “real” pilot. I say “real” because this particular flight I was about to fl y was not a training flight, but for actual passenger transport. (Nothing like pretending to be in the big leagues.) I was crushed when my father informed me that my long-awaited trip was most likely canceled —something about all flights being grounded. Impossible. The date was Sept. 11, 2001.

We turned on the television moments before the second tower was struck by a plane. Weeks would pass airing stories of incomprehensible loss contrasted by unimaginable courage. Never before had I seen America, or even our allies for that matter, become so unified. Why does it take an immense tragedy for this level of cooperation to exist?

The nation tabled their political views and rallied behind President George W. Bush as he and Mayor Rudy Giuliani led the country through a time of mourning and rebuilding. Because of their leadership and resolve, as a teenager, I gained a new perspective on what it meant to be one — one nation under God, that is.

Fourteen years later and the unity has seemingly dissolved. Our America has become my America where we define patriotism in the same way Burger King takes our order: have it your way. This is a far cry from where we were when a packed stadium of fans, in unison, began chanting over and over “U-S-A!” following a ceremonial first pitch by Bush during game three of the 2001 World Series.

So what happened? When did our nation begin to divide like cells? When we made sin a thing to be tolerated, not eradicated. That’s right. We took things like anger, hate, lust, idolatry, greed, jealousy, selfishness and drunkenness and hid them behind a cause, not realizing they are all tools in the devil’s arsenal of division — perfect if you’re trying to keep the body from becoming one.

It’s time for a revival. Now, I’m not talking about pitching a big tent, getting the local hipster musicians together and preaching with extra syllables when you say “Jesus.” I’m talking about a revival of the heart — your heart, my heart.

The change we pray for in our nation isn’t going to come solely through a worship music rock concert or some fancy social media hashtag campaign. True change and restoration will occur when each of us clears our heart like Jesus cleared the Temple area of merchants. In John 2:15-16, Jesus says, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” He knew the Temple area was a sacred spot reserved for God. Don’t believe me? Go check out the moment in Genesis when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son — one he had waited his whole life to see born. Though God was not actually going to have Abraham take his son’s life, He did want to test Abraham’s heart, see if he was willing to clear the “Temple” space.

So there it is. To take from the Tim Timmons song Starts with Me, the change we seek begins when we Christians hit our knees.

We must clear our hearts as Jesus cleared the Temple so that, when we stand, we are ready (and filled with courage) to be the light in a country plagued with brokenness dividing us from being what we’re called to be: one nation under God.

C.J. Wetzler is the Next-Gen pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments he can be reached at cj@deerfieldfirst.com.

To say that I was an excellent middle school football player would be a lie. Frankly, I stank. But I kept trying — mostly because scorching summer afternoon practices were followed with a refreshing ice cold carbonated beverage: the Slurpee.

I can remember one day, having been completely consumed with my Slurpee that I hopped in the wrong car, going so far as to buckle my seatbelt! It wasn’t until I heard from the driver, “Well, who are you?” before I realized my embarrassing mistake. I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, tucked my tail between my legs and dashed back to my actual ride.

I suppose we all have similar mesmerizing Slurpee moments. In fact, I believe there is a pandemic of such infatuation moments happening today. Kids’ eyes are affixed to screens, teens to themselves via the selfie-stick (don’t get me started on that one) and adults to their work. At best, children are quiet, teens look their best and adults are efficient; at worst, children lack time-management, teens mask insecurities and adults neglect their responsibilities. But amidst such duplicity, I’d like to focus on one particular affixation as we prepare for back-to-school: grades.

It’s Cameron Dallas’ character Felix, in the movie Expelled, who says it best about grades, “Straight As, [they’re] the Holy Grail of Academia … catnip for parents” and the “reward for properly raising your kid.” But is it? Should it be? Will high marks keep your child from living in a van down by the river? Hardly.

As a former high school teacher, I’m not implying parents abandon their concern for the report card. All I’m suggesting is that we re-evaluate our obsession or, dare I say, all-consuming search for the “Holy Grail of Academia.” Here’s why: because grades (the end), have increasingly become more valuable than the effort to obtain said grades (the means), which has opened the door for grade inflation in both the high school and college realms.

It’s become a simple business transaction. The academic institution is looked upon favorably due to a booming population of students with high GPAs and parents are satisfied because of their child’s seemingly exceptional performance. Win-win, right? Except that such an emphasis drives students to judge their self-worth based on a letter (rationalizing whatever means necessary, like cheating, to achieve those high marks — the worldly standard by which they are measured.) I’m sorry to say, but straight As might mean nothing more than your child knows how to work the system.

I don’t mean to imply that all students with straight As are system manipulators. It’s this: Straight As or not, stop measuring your student solely by four letters. Understand that not all students are “A” students, and that’s okay. I can’t tell you how many times I watched academically-gifted students “earn” high grades with little effort and be praised, whereas students who busted their butt only achieved a “C” accompanied by little to no recognition (now that’s a tragedy).

And understand that when we receive something, like high letter grades, for something we didn’t work hard to obtain, that’s when entitlement rears its ugly head. So let’s change the paradigm.

Here’s my professional recommendation: Praise your student’s effort and help them understand their identity in Christ, because in all honesty, does anything else really matter? You can personalize Matthew 16:26 to read “And what [does your child] benefit if [they get straight As] but lose [their] soul?”

You know why being a terrible football player didn’t matter to me? Because I knew God had a different path for me — an awesome one and something only He could equip me to begin. So, this school year, let’s go #BeyondTheLetter when evaluating growth.

Look to Galatians 5:22-23 for the standard: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.”

Is your student understanding what it means to love unconditionally? Finding joy during trials? Developing patience? Kind to others? Seeking a deeper understanding of faith? Gentle and exhibiting self-control?

If so, rest assured that no letter grade is going to stop the plans God has for your child — even should they fail a course or two along the way.

CJ Wetzler is the NextGen Pastor at First Baptist Church of Deerfield Beach. Before transitioning into full-time ministry, CJ was a commercial airline captain, and high school leadership and science teacher. For questions or comments, he can be reached at cj@deerfieldfirst.com.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach Middle School eighth-grader Shariff Rodriguez couldn’t have picked a better time to perform his best.

Rodriguez, 14, bettered his previous best throw by nearly 11-ft. in winning the discus event (109-02.50) to take first place in the recent Broward County Middle School Track and Field championships at Coral Springs High School.

His performance helped the boys’ team place third with 30 points.

“It was my greatest throw I made in track ever,” said Rodriguez, of Pompano Beach, whose previous best was 98-ft., 6-in. “When I heard the total, my heart was just pounding. I was happy they had to get another measuring tape because the first one had run out.”

“My nerves struck, threw me, and my right arm just felt like Superman,” Rodriguez said. “I just got in the circle and all my nerves filled me up while I was throwing and all of a sudden I just let the disc go and it did its job. That surprised me a lot. This is really big. It is a blessing to be here.”

It was redemption for Rodriguez, who thought he had won the regional competition last year; however, his throw of 87- ft., 9-in. didn’t count because he was disqualified.

“I threw the game-winning throw and stepped out the front (of the ring) and got disqualified so I couldn’t get to county’s last year,” Rodriguez said. “So, this year, I kept reminding myself to go through the back.”

Rodriguez, who hopes to throw in college, said he is unsure why he was able to better his mark so substantially this year.

“I don’t really know,” Rodriguez said. “Every sport I do, the nerves fill in my stomach before I compete. I was about to fall apart because it was county meet and the nerves just went through me, and I just threw and went as far as I could.”

Other top performers for the Bengals included: Pompano Beach Middle’s Joshua Scott, who was fourth in the high jump (5-04); Jovan Williams, who took fifth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.92); Tosheum Meade, who was fifth in the boys 200-meter dash (24.48), and Brian McClain, who captured seventh in the boys 800-meter run (2:20.39).

The Pompano boys’ 4×100- meter relay took third with a time of 46.41, while the Bengals’ 4×400-meter boys’ relay was fourth with a time of 3:52.81.

The girls team took sixth with 20 points led by Jaleah Williams, who finished third in the girls’ 400-meter dash (59.81). The girls’ 4×100-meter relay was second with a time of 51.27, while the girls’ 4×400- meter relay was third with a time of 4:23.88.

MIDDLE SCHOLAR ATHLETES

For the first time ever, the Broward County Middle School Athletic Association (MSAA) handed out Scholar/Athlete Awards. Every MSAA middle school was eligible to select students to receive this award.

The awards ceremony was held at the Plantation High School Auditorium on May 28. Each student named by a middle school was recognized and presented with a scholar athlete medallion.

Local middle school scholar athlete award winners included: Rodriguez from Pompano Beach Middle for the boys and Allegra Allen (girls). Deerfield Beach was represented by Claire Ries (girls) and Zacharie Saint Victor (boys).

“Each member school was eligible to select a male and female from their school to receive this award,” said Michael Roland, student activities liaison for Broward County Public Schools.

“To be eligible, a student must have an unweighted 3.0 GPA, have no ‘U’s for the entire year and have participated in two sports.”

By Gary Curreri

Gaspar Cecchi can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

The 12-year-old from Miami Beach has been playing beach tennis for the past two years and he was one of an estimated 250 competitors who took part in the 7th annual Deerfield Beach World Cup Beach Tennis event this past weekend in Deerfield Beach.

“It is my type of game, my type of sport,” Cecchi said. “It is a racquet and a ball. There is no bounce. It is outside on the beach and I get a tan. You are diving and I get to be with my friends and family. It is better than just spending time sitting on a couch watching TV and playing video games inside.”

Cecchi views winning as being important.

“In tournaments, it is very important for me to win because later on you get better,” Cecchi said. “You play harder opponents and learn from it. When I play A Division or Open Divisions, I get pro points. You get higher (rankings) and maybe you get as high as the pros.”

In this tournament, he played in both the Men’s Open and Junior Division.

“I like playing against the men,” Cecchi said. “There are some people who are tough. They play better or they are tall. They can also run more. The hardest to me are the lefties because you don’t know where to shoot the ball. If you are a righty, you know where to put it. If you are a righty against a lefty or a lefty against a righty it is harder because you don’t know where to put it.”

The International Beach Tennis-USA event was cosponsored this year by Frank Congemi and SEXY Beach Tennis as a co-title sponsor, along with Dos Equis Beer. The three sponsors put up the $5,000 winners purse that was handed out to the various divisions.

Adrienne Cerra, president of the International Beach Tennis-USA, said the event doubled in size this year to 250 competitors.

“We used a lot of social media and the word is getting around how awesome Deerfield Beach is,” Cerra said. “We were very pleased with the turnout. This is going to be in the Olympics. We just have to continue to grow the sport. There are people playing all over the world. There are thousands and we are going to continue to try and get the support of the sponsors, and the media and TV will help.”

Simply Soccer Camp

Area residents are invited to attend the Simply Soccer camp at Mullins Park in Coral Springs.

Simply Soccer seeks boys and girls, ages 5-14, of all skill levels, for its 27th annual summer camp series that begins this week in Coral Springs.

This summer’s camp dates are: June 8-12, 15-19, 22-26; July 6-10, 13-17, 20-24, 27- 31; Aug. 3-7, 10-14, 17-21.

There are three sessions ranging from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and a Tiny Tot program from 9 a.m. to noon. Players will be taught a variety of soccer skills from dribbling to shooting.

It is the longest running soccer camp offered by the city. Campers must bring a soccer ball, swimsuit, shin guards, water bottle and lunch. For information on the Coral Springs camp, call 954-345-2200.

By Gary Curreri

Pompano Beach High School senior Andrew Reising is hoping to extend his pole vaulting career into college.

The 18-year-old Pompano Beach resident won the Broward County Athletic Association Championship this year as he tied his personal best effort with a 14-ft. jump. Reising plans on attending the University of South Florida and was waiting on their coaching staff to offer a spot on the team.

Reising took second in the districts and regionals en route to a sixth place finish in the Class 2A state track and field meet at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. His 13 ft., 6 in. jump at state was just short of his personal best.

“I did cross country and I liked it so I went out for track,” said Reising, who has competed in track and field since the sixth grade. “I just saw them doing (pole vault) when I was running around the track and wanted to try it. I did it one day and I liked it.

“I don’t like running events as much so I got bored and pole vault was always the next thing to perfect in a jump,” added Reising, who spent the first two high school years at Western High School before transferring to Pompano Beach for his last two years.”

A sixth place finish was satisfactory to Reising.

“I am happy with it,” Reising said. “I was able to jump 14 both years. It would be pretty awesome to compete in college.

Admittedly, the first two years of pole vaulting were difficult.

“It was kind of rough because I didn’t have a coach,” Reising said. “The swimming coach would show up like once or twice a week, and I didn’t have good poles so it was rough. I still did good.”

Reising said his pole vaulting career took off in his sophomore year. He believes he could have done better this year.

“In my sophomore year, I thought how practical it would be when I got 13-6,” Reising said. “After the first week or two, I was pretty good and got past the fear.”

Reising said he jumped 8-ft. his first time as an eighth grade middle school competitor and, after a few weeks of practice, was able to get 9-6 at the state meet.

“Winning the BCAA meet was a pretty cool feeling,” Reising said. “I tied my PR from the year before. I went into the meet feeling good, and the weather was good and everything just turned out perfect.”

Pompano Junior Lifeguard program nears

The Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Summer Camp is coming up in a few weeks.

It is a unique aquatic experience for boys and girls ages 9 to 17 and will be held from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon. There will be three sessions in addition to a competition camp.

Session One is slated from June 8 to June 19. Two is June 22 to July 3. Three is July 13 to July 24. The competition camp will be from July 27 to July 31, and all sessions have a maximum capacity of 125 athletes.

Costs are $150 for Pompano Beach residents and $200 for non-residents. Junior Lifeguards returning from the previous year are not required to test, while new applicants must try out and be able to complete a 150-yd. swim, tread water and swim under water for 5 yds. while holding their breath.

There are two testing days remaining: This Saturday (May 23) from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and the following Saturday (May 30) at the same time. Registration and testing is held at the Pompano Beach Aquatics Center.

For more information, contact juniorguards@copbfl.com

By Gary Curreri

Adrienne Cerra spent the entire weekend walking around the 5th annual IFBTUSA Beach Tennis World Cup event with a smile on her face.

Cerra, the International Federation of Beach Tennis- USA president, said more than 180 players from South Florida and around the world attended the event, sponsored by Frank Congemi this past weekend at Deerfield Beach.

“It was a great success,” Cerra said. “Deerfield was once again a great host with its seaside charm and great local restaurants and bars. The players love returning every year for this great event. The beach was filled for the event as thousands watched the action, and the weather was perfect!”

Cerra said players from all over the USA, as well as Brazil, Italy, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Aruba, Peru, Columbia and Germany, represented their countries. The categories included Men’s and Women’s Open Doubles, Men’s and Women’s Open Singles, Women’s and Men’s “A” (advanced) Singles, Women’s and Men’s “A” Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Singles matches were held on Friday, Doubles on Saturday and Mixed Doubles on Sunday.

“It has almost doubled every year, and we raised the prize money to $5,000 this year thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, Frank Congemi. “Approximately $3,000 of it goes to the men’s open winner. Last year, the prize money was $1,500. This tournament is fantastic and it is one of the best tournaments in the world.”

Grade 1 World Ranking Points and prize money were awarded to the Men’s and Women’s Open Division and Mixed Doubles Winners, while prizes were awarded to A Divisions and juniors.

“We came up to see this,” said Ric Green, who has been the president and CEO of the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce for the past five years. “We would like to see them expand and maybe have a complimentary tournament in Pompano. With what she has going, I think there is real potential on the local level. This is an international tournament for her so this is special. Maybe we can hold a couple of local events in Pompano. It is very impressive.”

“It is always great to play for the home crowd,” said Jan Macko, who was one of 180 players who took part in the event. “It is a great weekend activity for anybody.” www.mybeachtennis.net for results!

Boca Raton, FL —  ObserverTV a division of The Observer Newspaper, celebrates its 50^th year of publishing in Broward County, Florida by being  the premiere online broadcaster at the final 2012 Presidential debate to be held on Oct 22, at Lynn University.

“We are one of less than 25 newspapers in the US with the technology to stream live the proper way” said Jim Lusk, Vice President of The Observer.  “Our platform is very similar to TV broadcasting. We can punch multiple cameras

and locations live, all from a laptop. We can even run commercials during the broadcast. We have been streaming since early 2006, before it was cool,”said Lusk.

Visit www.observernewspaperonline.com to watch the presidential debate live and behind the scenes.

Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced today that more than 105,000 pills were surrendered at 24 locations during a statewide compliance operation conducted by the Department of Health, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and five of Florida’s Regional Drug Enforcement Strike Forces.  The inspections were conducted pursuant to the Department of Health’s declaration of public health emergency made on July 1.

“Earlier this year, I made a promise to crack down on pill mills and stomp this scourge out of our state. The results we’re seeing this week show we’re making good on that promise,” said Governor Rick Scott. “I thank the law enforcement and public health professionals who are making our multi-faceted approach a success and a model for the nation. By shutting down pill mills, we are saving lives and making our communities safer places to live.”

“One of the most effective ways to stop prescription drug abuse is to cut it off at the source,” stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. “It was gratifying to accompany the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and the South Florida Strike Force and see them quarantine prescription narcotics and prevent the easy access that had long exacerbated this epidemic.”

The number of pills surrendered or returned to the distributor in each region is as follows:

• Miami Regional Operation Center:                       48,406.5 pills
• Orlando Regional Operation Center:                   52,322 pills
• Tampa Bay Regional Operation Center:             4,698 pills
• Fort Myers Regional Operation Center:               153 pills
• Pensacola Regional Operation Center:              None

In March 2011, Governor Scott announced a Statewide Drug Strike Force, headed by FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey, to combat the criminal distribution of prescription drugs in Florida. With support from Attorney General Pam Bondi and state and local law enforcement leaders, the Strike Force is charged with stopping the flow of dangerous drugs into communities by disrupting the major illegal supply points.

Deerfield Beach’s 4th of July Celebration takes place at the Main Beach Parking, Ocean Way & SE 1st St. Free concerts all day and a variety of food vendors. Sponsored by the Deerfield Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)

Entertainment
Smuggling YoYos ~ 1-3 PM
Scott Ringerson, “The Elvis Experience” ~ 4-6 PM
The David Ray Band ~ 7-9 PM

Spectacular Fireworks Display from the International Fishing Pier – 9 PM
FREE event with complimentary shuttle service from locations west of the Intracoastal.

Parking and Shuttle Service*
Parking on the barrier island will be extremely limited during the event. Park at the Cove Shopping Center and walk across the bridge or take the complimentary shuttle service between the Cove Shopping Center and the beach.
*Shuttle service will run on July 4 from 11AM – 5:45 PM, at which time Hillsboro Blvd. and the bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic. Road will reopen following the fireworks display.