A conservation scientist theorized that much of the negative feeling toward sharks is in the presentation, specifically the background music.

For example, when sharks are shown onscreen, ominous music is playing, almost vilifying them. However, for dolphins, it is always an upbeat and joyful tone — playful and fun. (No wonder everyone loves dolphins). During his experiment, when sharks were onscreen, cheerful music was playing, and just the opposite for the dolphins. As the researcher guessed, our brains were tricked. The sharks appeared to be the heroes of the sea, and the dolphins, the vicious creatures lurking below. And while it may be awhile before public opinion sways toward shark acceptance, one thing is for sure: What is heard affects human response.

So I am left wondering. Because people hear the old adage “going to church,” does this simple statement wreak havoc upon the mission of Christianity? How can one both go to church, and, what’s this now, be the church? Something does not align. And because of this misalignment, we sit comfortably in the pews playing church.

We are go-ers not do-ers of the Word. I don’t know about you, but that is not acceptable for me. I want my community to hear (through our actions) about the Church — its people loving others as He first loved us.

To do this we must recognize the Church is not a place one goes. The Church is the body of believers with a heart to serve and on a mission for God, taking the Word and putting it into action.

A popular First Baptist outreach event is our Laundry Love. Each year, we flood a couple of laundry mats with rolls of quarters and eager hands. Beyond the free wash, dry and fold are the hours of meaningful conversations and prayer. Inevitably, both patrons of the laundry mat and volunteers alike leave the event changed. On that day, we are the Church. Yet, the day is about something more. The point of an outreach is not to leave our safety zone, do a good deed and run back to base camp. No. Outreaches equip people to be the Church in all facets of their life — beyond Sunday. Trust me. There is nothing more humbling than folding another man’s tighty-whities. But it is in that moment of humility when hearts are changed. The reality of God is revealed and people’s faith becomes real; a paradigm shift occurs — from being about the sermon (going to church) to serving (being the Church). They are two very different things. One is a thing; the other is a way of life that brings glory to His name.

Truly, at the end of the day, what else matters than bringing glory to His name? It is not a request, but a calling. Yes, each of us is called to share the Good News. What’s that? You do not feel qualified … something about needing a degree to teach about Jesus?

Well, I’ve read and studied the Bible over. I have yet to find where Jesus denies someone based on their lack of formal education. Christ is about the surrendered heart, knowing Him, not just knowing about Him.

So be encouraged; check out what Hebrews asserts, Christ “equip[s] you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever.” That is right; you are called and He will equip you to be the Church — to complete His will, to bring glory to His name.

Does that get your heart racing? To know the Creator of everything has placed within you a mission to reach His people for the Kingdom? My prayer is that from this day forward you never just go to church again. Instead, you would be the Church.

Pastor Jeremy Earnest is pastor at First Baptist Church, 701 NW Eller St. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. www.deerfieldfirst.com.

I will not be able to continue to write articles for the Observer any longer — between the Sheriff’s office and my church, I just don’t have the time anymore.

I will miss writing the articles. Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of the Observer Family the last few years. I enjoyed it all.

I appreciate all you do for me. You are always a great help.

-Pastor Tony Guadagnino

Christian Love Fellowship Church

“Equipping God’s People”

Pastor Tony, you have become an MVP with our newspaper. Because of you, we have ObserverTV.

-Jim Lusk, Observer Vice President

By Nelson Searcy

Go to any metropolitan city in the world – and even some not so metropolitan – and you will inevitably see someone walking down the street talking to himself.

Your tendency is probably to pity him for being disturbed. The irony is that you carry on conversations with yourself all the time, too – just not usually aloud.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you talk to yourself all day every day through the thoughts you allow to fill your mind. So what are you saying to yourself? Are your thoughts working for you or against you?

Everything you choose to do or not do, say or not say, starts with the seed of thought. Your entire life is an outgrowth of what goes on in your mind. So getting a handle on the words no one hears but you is key to creating the life you are meant to live. Here are three practical steps to help you adopt better thinking:

1. Listen to your internal dialogue. Tune in to the script that’s constantly running in your own head. Too often, your thoughts and mine are on autopilot. We don’t give them much consideration. Or worse, we forget that we are their masters and we let them have their way with us. Remember:

• You can’t always control the thoughts that pop into your head, but you can control what you do with them.

• Thoughts only have as much power as you give them.

• It’s not a sin to have a false or tempting thought pass through your mind. Let it go. The sin comes when you choose to indulge that thought, either by dwelling on or acting on it.

2. Take every thought captive. When God is working in your life, he will fill you with peace, love and joy. Those gifts will be thwarted if you refuse to let them take root and influence your thoughts. It’s up to you to resist habitual thought patterns and instead match your brain to what God is doing in your spirit. Be intentional about trapping and disposing of thoughts that don’t line up with his truth.

3. Replace old thinking with new. As you eliminate thoughts that don’t benefit you, replace them with new ones that do. Fill the newly vacant space in your mind with a more positive internal dialogue. There’s more than one way to think about every situation and event in your life. When you choose to see the positive, you are agreeing with God’s perspective – you are agreeing with his view of you, your circumstances and the people he has put around you. That alone will propel you toward a fuller, happier life.

• On Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10 we’ll be celebrating the special day by providing free family portraits for everyone who attends. The Journey Church meets 9:30a.m. or 11a.m. at Boca Raton Community High School. There will be special programming for Kidz birth thru 5th grade too. For more, see www.bocajourney.com. I would love to see you there!

Nelson Searcy is the author of 13 books and serves as the founding pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton.

Sometimes in life things happen that we don’t expect and we get shaken to the very core of our being. We get caught off guard and events in life just rattle us. It is not a matter of being ready for bad things to happen but to know where your help and strength comes from when they do. When you learn to rely on God for your help and strength, then the devil can’t rattle or shake your life anymore.

HEBREWS 12:27-29

27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

29 For our God is a devouring fire. — NLT

The kingdom that we belong to, as children of God, is unshakable so let’s give thanks to God by worshiping Him with fear and awe. The fire of God will devour things in our lives that don’t belong like – poverty – sickness – gossiping – lying. You will not waiver and you will not be shaken. You will stay strong and courageous. The only unshakable thing that remains will be you.

PSALM 62:2

2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. — NLT

God is always with us and right beside us. God, and God alone, is our rock and our refuge. Nothing else will do – just God. We will not be shaken! When we are continually shaken, it steals our motivation and energy. It is like we are stunned or in shock; we get scared and don’t make any decisions at all, good or bad. The devil is not just trying to knock you down he is trying to destroy you. When the devil is trying to shake your life, you will shake his instead because you will trust in God and be unshakable. When the devil shakes, you will be set free from your chains and then you will be filled with courage and boldness. When you pray and worship God, the devil shakes. You will never be shaken, but your circumstances will be and your chains will be. You don’t ever shake or waiver – you shake the things and circumstances around you, instead of life shaking you. YOU WIN! You will stay strong and courageous.

LUKE 6:38

38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full — pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. NLT

Although, when God is shaking your life, you win. When God shakes you, it is to make room for you to receive more and more. He is shaking everything together. Therefore, start to stir up those things on the inside of you and start to say and start to believe, “I shall not be moved!” When you agitate someone, you get their attention; so begin to irritate those things in your life that you don’t want and tell them to get out. You will stay strong and courageous.

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-428-8980 or visit www.clfministries.org.

Have you ever heard of the term “tough love?” People will say, “I think that person needs some tough love.” There is a new saying that is true that I heard the other day, and I think it’s the opposite of that term “tough love” because “love is tough.” Valentine’s Day is just a few days away, and it is easy to love on special occasions like this. However, there are still many days left out of the year where some days are easy to show love, and some days we have to work hard at showing love to others. How about showing someone love who does not love you back or even someone who may not treat you the way you believe you deserve to be treated? Love should be a big part of our lives. Love is something meant to be expressed, not something to be kept a secret. It seems like people even have a hard time saying “I love you” when we should say it all the time, and we should also show it all the time. It is tough sometimes, but it is not impossible. Why is it that we can say that we love our car, job, dog or even our favorite restaurant, but we cannot say it to each other? We have a hard time saying ‘I love you’ to the ones who really mean the most to us.

We have to understand that we need God’s help to love others in the same way that He loves us. We always want to put conditions on love, but God does not do that to us. We speak with our actions and say ‘I will love you’ if you do this for me, treat me this way, or buy me this, etc. God does not work on the point system and neither should we. God tells us to love others, period. There are no conditions on that love. God does not say love someone if they do something for you or make you feel a certain way. God says love each other, and if God tells us to love, we must be able to do it. Love is so many things, but it is not conditional. Let’s look at what love is.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

NLT

Love gives us the ability to be sensitive to the needs, hurts and desires of others and also to feel with them, and experience the world from their perspective. Love gives us the ability to give with no conditions or expectations. Love builds up and encourages; it is determining what is best for someone and doing it. Pray and ask God to help you love the way He loves and He will help you. Have a Happy Valentine’s Day. I LOVE YOU!

Pastor Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, visit www.clfministries.org.

The words you speak on a daily basis are powerful. They carry more weight than you may realize. Not only do they shape your thinking and, therefore, determine your actions, they also direct your relationships, your accomplishments, and, ultimately, define your reality. Still, it’s easy to underestimate the significance of words because they are so commonplace. You are immersed in them on a daily basis like a fish in water.

Stepping back and choosing to see the power and impact of your linguistic habits takes intentionality. But, when you are able to do just that, you’ll begin to realize that every word you say has the ability to change your life for better or for worse. The first step in using what comes out of your mouth to create the life you’ve imagined is to recognize three essential truths about the nature of words:

1. Words are a gift from God. The ability to use words at all is a gift from God. He was the first one to harness the creative force of words – and he has entrusted you with the same ability to use words to create the world around you. Given the substantial nature of this gift, you can’t just throw your words around any old way you please; they contain too much power and carry with them too much responsibility.

2. Words can build up or tear down. As a kid, you probably chanted the phrase, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Even though it sounds good in theory, the phrase is just plain wrong. Words can hurt. I bet you don’t have any problem remembering the last harsh words that were spoken to you, or the last encouraging words you received. Other people’s words have incredible impact on your heart, as do your words on theirs. Keep this in mind as you speak to your spouse, your children, your friends and your coworkers.

3. The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your words. Words aren’t neutral. Every word that goes out has a consequence attached to it. How you speak to the people in your life will determine the quality of those relationships. How well you communicate with God through prayer will determine the quality of your connection with him. Your internal dialogue with yourself will determine the quality of your actions and interactions each day. When you consider all of these things together, it naturally follows that the quality of your very life is created by the words you speak. Using your words intentionally is crucial to living the life you’ve imagined.

As you become more conscious of the way you use language, you can begin to take advantage of its power to shape the life you want. In the process, you will be able to stop inadvertently sabotaging others and yourself with words that do nothing to help you.

To explore the power and significance of your words in more depth, be sure to check out my new book, Tongue Pierced: How the Words You Speak Transform the Life You Live (David C. Cook, 2015). Pick up your copy at Amazon. com, a book retailer near you or by visiting The Journey Church in Boca Raton. We would love to see you at our 9:30 or 11 a.m. service this Sunday! The Journey Church meets at Boca Raton High School.

Nelson Searcy is the author of 13 books and serves as the lead pastor of The Journey Church in Boca Raton. www.bocajourney.com.

Almost half of every American makes a New Year’s resolution and only 8 percent of them actually keep them. New Year resolutions are really a waste of time and something not really intended to be permanent. If we truly want to change anything in our lives to make things better, then we would be better off asking God to help us change the way we think.

ROMANS 12:1-2

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

NLT

I find even myself every year making promises to eat better and work on keeping my body healthy and strong. We will have much better success if we allow God, through the Bible, to begin to change the way we think by renewing our minds. The word renewing in this verse means that there is a “constant action taking place that never stops.” God is always working on us to help change the way we think. It is not just a one-time quick fix; it is something that takes place repeatedly. We give ourselves to God once, but we need to transform and renew our minds constantly.

In 2 Kings, Chapters 22 and 23, we read that King Josiah was a man who sought after God. However, his life changed when God’s Word was rediscovered. He called the people to a renewed covenant before God (see 2 Kings 23:3). God moved through Josiah to crush the wickedness of his country like a hurricane crumbles houses as if they were made out of toothpicks.

Not only can God help us, but He wants to help us. We all have problems and issues in life and can use some help. First, God wants to be our source for everything and give us direction for our future. The more we get to know God, the more we understand what He wants us to do and how He wants us to live our lives and treat others.

Second, we need to have confidence in ourselves, and we can do that by developing certain skills in our lives. We need to make sure we have long term goals, as well as short term goals. Make sure you do not worry, look to God for security and not possessions, learn how to rest, and you must choose your friends and associates wisely. Lastly, we must have confidence in God. God has faith in you; but, do you have faith in Him?

In order for us to change the way we think, we need God to help us make our changes permanent and not temporary. Allow God to change the way you think for results that last a lifetime.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church (801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441, 954-428-8980, www.clfministries.org).

It is that time of the year when we give gifts to others. It is the time of year when we do not think about ourselves but others and what they want or need. God knew in His infinite wisdom that we would need help with our lives. Not only do I find that I need God’s help, I have also come to realize that I need His help every day of my life. God does not always give me what I want, but He always gives me what I need.

ROMANS 12:6-8

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.

7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.

8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

NLT

Our goal in serving God is to be able to continue to serve Him throughout our whole lives. Growing up in church I always heard the phrase “stay full of the things of God.” It took me a long time to understand what that actually meant. When my car runs, it uses gas and I have to fill it up when it gets empty, so it will continue to run and I can use it. So, when I give out things that God has blessed me with in life, I need to find spiritual things in my life so I can fi ll back up the same way I fill my car with gas. The more love, compassion, peace and hope we give out then, the more we need to stay full of the things of God. We can read the Bible, pray, go to church or even sing hymns and worship songs to fill back up. What a great cycle in our lives to have. We can continually give and receive.

When you get a gift, either you like it and use it or you do not like it and hide it somewhere. Gifts from the Father are to be used and not wasted or just put on the shelf. Gifts from God come as He wills (any gift at any time) for the profit of all. You should not only welcome the gifts from God, but also expect them in your life. We all know it is better to give that to receive. However, if we do not receive, then we have nothing to give. We have a responsibility to stir the spiritual gifts in our own lives. God has blessed our lives with many different gifts and there are many people that can use them. You have the gifts; you might as well use them instead of letting them go to waste. The good thing is that no one person has all the gifts. It takes many different parts to make one complete body and that is true for the church body as well. Gifts do not clash or compete, but they all work together to serve the same goal or purpose. Giving gifts is not about serving your agenda and making you happy; it is about serving others and bringing joy to others.

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441.

Have you ever heard the expression, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade?” That is a great expression when you are the one telling someone else to make the lemonade. It becomes a little more difficult to be the one who actually has to make the lemonade.

Ephesians 4:32

32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

NLT

I believe that one of the keys to a fulfilling life is forgiveness. It is so easy to say “I forgive you,” but sometimes very difficult to actually mean it and actually live it. We must first forgive ourselves for things we have done in our lives. Then, we must forgive others for things they have done to us.

Colossians 3:13

13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

NLT

Forgiveness should be a way of life, not just something that we do in order to get through life. When we walk in un-forgiveness, we take our lives out of God’s hands and place our lives in someone else’s hands. We let our lives be determined by others and not what God wants for us. We are no longer able to do certain things, to go to certain places we want to go, or to even have the relationships we want to have or need.

To be truly free, we must choose to walk in forgiveness. It has to be a choice and it has to be a choice that only we can make for ourselves. I’m sure you have realized by now that you will have many opportunities to be offended by someone, and you will also have many opportunities to practice forgiveness. When the opportunity comes, just take it and forgive, and please stay away from excuses.

Here are a few excuses we have used: “But you don’t understand” – the truth is that we don’t understand what un-forgiveness costs us; “it’s not in my nature or personality to forgive” – we must simply choose to forgive and change our ways to avoid the self-made prison that un-forgiveness brings; “you don’t know what they did to me and how deeply they hurt me” – you are absolutely right, I don’t know. I do know that if you don’t forgive that person, you will put yourself in prison and you will hurt other people whom you love deeply as a result. You will also continue to bring more pain into your life because you have now hurt someone that you care about.

The greatest advantage of forgiveness is your freedom. Forgiveness sets you free, not the other person.

Forgiveness is a choice, and it’s up to you to do it or not do it. You can have the greatest benefit or the greatest devastation. It’s up to you to do it. So, please, when life gives you lemons, just make lemonade.

Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-428-8980, www.clfministries.org.

It is a new year and that is always a good time for us to evaluate our lives and all the things we like and do not like that is a part of our lives. I am so grateful that God loves me enough to allow me to start over whenever I mess up and make a mistake. With God, I do not have to wait until New Years Eve to start over or to start something new in my life. God allows me to start new every morning if need be. Some things in life we want to (or need to) change are easy and we have no problem at all making the change. However, we all know that there are some things in life that are very difficult to change in our lives. Some things in life feel like we have been struggling with for years but we can do it. God will give us the help we need to become victorious over things that we may tend to struggle with and have a hard time changing.

Philippians 4:13

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. NLT

If I can encourage you to do anything different this year, it would be to go to church, to read your Bible, and to pray and talk to God. If you already do those things, then, I want to encourage you to do those things a little more and also, at the same time, encourage someone else to join you. I know, at times, we do not like change; but, I think that change can be exciting and fun.

We are very thrilled about changes at our church starting in January. Right now, we have church services on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m. and we are adding a new service on Saturday nights at 6:30 p.m. Many people have to work on Sundays now, so we wanted to have an alternative in our weekend services for people to choose from. We are also delighted to be adding home group Bible studies during the week for our members to be able to have an opportunity to discuss topics from the weekend services and to connect with other church members by building trusting relationships. It is always exciting when God adds something to your life, and I am looking forward to starting our Saturday night services. This Saturday will be our very first service we are having. We are very thrilled to meet new people and to have a great experience with God, and have Him change lives, help people with hurts and to introduce the God I know to some people who maybe do not know Him.

Please pray for us as we pray for you. I want to pray the following Bible verse over your life and I believe that, with God’s help, you can do the things you know you need to do, and have wanted to do in your life.

Ephesians 3:16

16 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources, He will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. NLT

Tony Guadagnino is pastor at the Christian Love Fellowship Church in Deerfield Beach.