In a recent session of the 116^th Congress, Congressman Ted Deutch offered a public commendation in honor of the ministers, pastors and priests in his district. It was done in acknowledgement of Clergy Appreciation Day (also known as National Pastor Day) which annually falls on the second Sunday of each October. October is also nationally recognized as Clergy Appreciation Month, and congregations hold special services, events or activities to honor their ministers for the spiritual guidance and leadership that they give. Many of them provide valuable influence and service to the larger communities in which they minister as well. We are blessed to live in a nation that recognizes the significance of the faith community to the overall well-being of society. The work and influence of ministers, in general, should not be discounted because of the negative reports of some that occasionally make news headlines.

The Bible provides numerous descriptions of the qualifications and work of ministers. One of my favorites is Jeremiah 3:15, “And I will give you pastors according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” In Jeremiah’s day, God was unhappy with His people’s rejection of the covenant relationship He had established with them, in favor of worship and allegiances with foreign deities. Much of their unfaithfulness was caused by leaders who led the people astray (see 2:8). After calling them to account, God promised to provide shepherds (leaders and pastors) who would give proper guidance to the people. In a recent pastor’s installation service, I shared three considerations from God’s description of pastors in Jeremiah 3:15. True pastors will fit and model this description.

Pastors are assigned by God. The clear revelation of Scripture is that pastors are called and assigned by God to proclaim His word, minister to His people, and lead His church. As Moses and Joshua were called by God to lead Israel in the Old Testament, and the disciples and Paul were chosen by Jesus in the New Testament, so, too, God still calls men and women to serve today. No one can call and confirm himself to any function or ministry of the pastorate. Evidence of God’s call must be recognized by others and confirmed by the church. God says, “I will give you.” Though the function of pastors may appear to be a job, and some may make it a career, the truth is that the pastor is fulfilling a divinely ordained assignment. He functions in response to an undeniable calling upon his life. He goes where he goes and does what he does because he is assigned by God.

Pastors have God’s heart. They serve according to God’s will and function in a manner to His liking. Since they are called by God, they are duty bound to serve according to His word and His way. Though they may serve the people, they serve in the interests of God. They must, therefore, be God-pleasers not men-pleasers. Pastors after the people’s heart will tickle their ears but pastor’s after God’s heart will touch their souls. Pastors after the people’s heart will give them what they want, but pastors after God’s heart will give them what they need. Pastors after the people’s heart will change their messages to fit the times, but pastors after God’s heart will proclaim the timeless truths of an unchanging God. Pastors will one day give account to God for their service. They must, therefore, faithfully proclaim God’s word, promote God’s interests and represent God’s heart.

Pastors feed God’s people. Like a shepherd who provides green pastures for the nourishment of his flock, so the pastor feeds God’s people with the milk, bread and meat of God’s word – the Scriptures. His sensitivity to the heart of God will enable him to communicate spiritual truth to the human condition. Faithfully preaching and teaching God’s word will turn converts into disciples and believers into mature saints. Jeremiah 3:15 notes that pastors will feed God’s people with knowledge and understanding. This enables them to become like the sons of Issachar (1 Chron. 12:32) who understood the times and knew what to do. Don’t underestimate the value of your pastor to your life. Appreciate his spiritual guidance. Take time to give honor and thanks for his service.

Bishop Patrick L. Kelly is the pastor of Cathedral Church of God, 365 S. Dixie Hwy., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. 954-427-0302.

The following quote was found in the 1996 Sept./Oct. issue of the Saturday Evening Post, “In 1992, layperson Jerry Frear, Jr., was brainstorming with church colleagues about how they might be of help to their minister when he glanced at a calendar and noticed that it was almost Groundhog Day. ‘I thought, if they have a day for groundhogs, there ought to be a day for the 375,000 clergy people in America,’ Frear says. So…for the last seven years the second Sunday in October has been set aside to show appreciation for our clergy.”

Focus on the Family is credited with building on, expanding, and popularizing pastor appreciation week, by calling October “Clergy Appreciation Month.” Hallmark saw a market and wanted in on the action and the first “Pastor Appreciation” greeting cards were sold in 2002.

Those who only observe a minister from a distance may feel his job is an easy one. Too often, people misconstrue that a pastor works one day per week, studies only one Book and mooches off generous people who host him occasionally for supper. That may be true for a few “so-called” ministers, but that is far from the truth for those pastors who are serving the Lord with their whole heart.

Pastors who truly love people will invest themselves into the lives of their congregation. They will weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. They sympathize and empathize with those God has entrusted to them. In doing this, many pastors struggle to separate work from personal life. They cannot just leave the office and forget the events of the day. They take the needs of others with them, agonize over them in prayer and wrestle with them through many sleepless nights.

Pastors and their families live in fish bowls and get observed and scrutinized from every angle. Pastors attempt to lead those who are frequently resistant to change. They listen to those who have strong opinions, and love those who announce how they would have done things differently. Serving others can at times be overwhelming.

The data reveals that 95 percent of those who enter vocational ministry will NOT retire from it. Hundreds of pastors are leaving the ministry every month; many pastors say that the ministry has negatively affected their marriage and family; and many pastors admit they would quit, if they had some other career option. The majority of pastors admit to walking a very lonely road that lacks deep friendships and the suicide rate among pastors is rising rapidly.

Whether you think your pastor needs it or not, let me encourage you to do something special to encourage them during the month of October. A simple note, a word of encouragement, an affirmation of support goes a long way toward inspiring your pastor. Show your appreciation by praying, encouraging, attending, supporting, participating, and protecting him when others speak evil. Throughout the year, give him a gift card to take his wife to dinner. Offer free childcare, wash his car, give him a gas card, bake his favorite cookies/pie, etc. The little things say a lot and are even more appreciated, when they are unexpected.

So, during October, be a blessing to your pastor, as well as, in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, November and December. Your simple prayer or word of encouragement may be the thing that keeps him from being part of 95 percent that leave the ministry. I close with a special shout out to all of my pastor friends… thank you for your faithfulness and keep your eye on the Prize (Phil. 3:14).

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Senior Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I meet far too many Christians who believe being a “new creation” means they are now to have the passion of the prophets, the discipline of the disciples and the strength of a superhero saint. Both sacred scripture and personal experience has taught me this is simply not the case. To be sure, through the sinless life, sacrificial death and supernatural resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, sin has been conquered and crushed. But, as I frequently remind our congregation, we must remember that inasmuch as sin no longer reigns in the life of the Christian – it still remains in the life of the Christian. We will fight the sin battle all the way into glory.
Now, before we were saved by the blood of the Lamb and made a new creation, we could only sin in the eyes of the Lord. Nothing we did brought honor, glory or praise to His name because everything we did we did for our own honor, glory and praise. Our selfish ambition and self interest ruled our hearts and shaped our lives. But when Jesus showed up, all that changed. As a new creation, we have an ability we did not have before Jesus. We now have the ability to resist the devil when he comes knocking at our door, and flee from the sinful impulses that still reside in the old nature. But if we think we will reach perfection in this life, we are setting ourselves up for certain defeat.
The ultimate outcome of the Christian life is perfection; when we cross the Jordan, we will be perfectly conformed into the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. But until that day, we will struggle against the sin nature that still resides within us. We must remember the same man who penned the above passage in his letter to the Corinthians also penned the following one in his letter to the Romans:
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do . . . For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing. (Romans 7:15, 19)
Paul was indeed a new creation, but he still battled against the sin nature that still remained within and so will you and me. Yet, the orientation of our lives has been radically changed by Christ. Instead of the heart beating for the self, it begins to beat for our Savior. We desire to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to the One who saved us from sin, Satan, death and ourselves. When Jesus raises us up from death to life and makes us a new creation, He renews our mind, realigns our will and reorients our heart. At this level of living, because Christ is living in us (Galatians 2:20), we begin to make real and measurable progress against sin.
As new creations, we now have a new identity which cannot be shaken, because it is rooted in the unshakable One. Clothed in the righteousness of Christ, the Father sees us as He sees His son . . . perfect in every way. And, as a “new creation,” we now have a new power within us to fight against every temptation to sin that is greater than any power that comes up against us. Let the truth of who you are set you free to make forward progress and, when you don’t, fear not. You are unconditionally loved and completely forgiven.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. Never forget that . . . Amen!
Tommy Boland is the pastor for Cross Community Church, located at 841 SE 2 Ct. in Deerfield Beach. For more information, call 954-427-3045 or visit www.thecrosscc.org.

What a storm we had this afternoon. The lightning bolts were bright and seemed to pause, almost demanding our attention. The thunder was booming and the rain was falling. My wife and I sat on the back porch in amazement, as we watched one lightning bolt after another. The storm lasted for less than an hour and then it was over. The lightning ceased, the thunder silenced and the rain stopped. It was in that moment that my wife spoke these words of wisdom, “Storms don’t last forever.” I said, “That would make a great blog,” to which she replied, “I know,” and then chuckled.

Like thunderstorms, the storms of life seem to hit us out of nowhere. Life can be sunny and, before you know it, you are in the middle of a storm: Finances fall short, companies downsize, health fails, relationships end, careers close out, cars break down, miscarriages happen, we fail tests, miss promotions, and the poor choices of others often affect us. We can close our eyes, cover our ears and bury our head in a pillow; but the life-storm rages on.

It is no coincidence that the Bible records so many stories about storms. Probably the most familiar is found in Matthew 8:23-27 where a storm rose up while Jesus and the disciples were boating on the Sea of Galilee. The disciples were fearful and upset that Jesus was sleeping; but when they woke Him, He calmly said, “Peace, be still,” and the storm ended.

Listen to some of the promises in Scripture related to the storms of life. Psalm 57:1 tells us that we can take refuge under the shadow of God’s wings, until the storms of destruction pass by. Nahum 1:7 tells us that God is a stronghold and we can take refuge in Him. Psalm 91:1-2 calls God my (personal) refuge and my (personal) fortress. Isaiah 4:6 calls God a refuge and a shelter from the storm. Psalm 23 reminds us that God protected those travelers that navigated through the treacherous Valley of the Shadow of Death (a literal place). 2 Cor. 4:8-9 states, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” Just “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

You may remember the song “The Anchor Holds,” written by Lawrence Chewning and sung by Ray Boltz. I had the privilege of hearing those two men sing that song together. Just before they sang it, I heard Lawrence Chewning tell the story of writing that song in his year of sorrows after: his father died, his wife experienced her third miscarriage, the church he planted and pastored for 19 years split, and he was tired, burned-out and discouraged. It was during that time that God gave him the lyrics to “The Anchor Holds” and used it to comfort, encourage and renew his soul. Those words have also blessed countless thousands of other people, too!

Today, you may find yourself in the middle of a personal storm. In the words of my wife and a Bible full of promises, remember that storms do not last forever. “Weeping may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). Hang in there!

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Senior Pastor at Grace Church located at 501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach. For more information, call 954-421-0190 or pastor@gbcfl.org.

It’s been many years since I first heard Andy Stanley make the statement, “Today’s teenagers are over entertained and under challenged.” His sermon, preached at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, was addressing the way so many churches were approaching student ministry and measuring success by the numbers. His observation was correct back then, and it is still correct today.

In a church culture that measures success almost solely by numbers, it only makes sense that youth pastors are prone to entertaining students and striving to gather the masses in order to be viewed as successful. Sadly, the same entertainment mentality is true with adults. Too many adults choose a church based on the length of the services, whether the church has a softball team, how humorous the pastor is, and whether or not they like the music. These superficial factors show the shallowness plaguing the Christian church today.

The long-term effects of the entertainment focus in ministry can be seen in the spiritual adolescence prevalent among today’s believers. We are in dire need of discipleship. The effectiveness of discipleship can be measured by whether or not those who call themselves disciples begin to disciple others. In essence, the student should eventually become the teacher. But, how is someone who has been over entertained and under challenged supposed to gain the knowledge necessary to teach? The Apostle Paul describes this dilemma in Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV – “ In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Not only has the focus on entertainment in ministry caused a shallowness of knowledge, but it has also resulted in fewer people being exposed to real ministry opportunities. Churches used to “do“ ministry, go on mission trips, serve their communities, and impact their world. That exposure to ministry often resulted in growing churches and people surrendering to become vocational ministers. Today, fewer people are entering vocational ministry, seminary enrollment has declined nationally, as well as church attendance across denominational lines. The common denominator is that too many church-goers have been and continue to be over entertained and under challenged.

So, which word best describes the church you attend – “entertainment” or “discipleship?” It’s never too late to start challenging others to grow spiritually. Jesus challenged 12 men, and in just three years He prepared them to impact eternity! Think how different the world would have been if He only entertained them. Think how different our world could be, if today’s churches will rise up and challenge those who God has entrusted to us!

Dr. Gary A. Colboch is Lead Pastor at Grace Church (501 NE 48 St. in Pompano Beach). Contact info: 954-421-0190 or
pastor@gbcfl.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 that 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 that 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, then 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.

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 or letting go.

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 10:00 a.m. and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. One other thing you can do this year would be to get involved with community service projects right here in Deerfield Beach. Here at CLF Church, we will be feeding the homeless the first Saturday of every month. We also help people with code violations the second Saturday of every month. We even have a one-time emergency assistance food pantry to help people that find themselves going through a hard time financially. It is always exciting when God adds something to your life and I am looking forward to our community outreaches this year. I love our Sunday church services as well because I am always thrilled to meet new people and to have a great experience with God and having Him change lives, help people with hurts, and to introduce the God I know to some people that maybe do not know Him. Please pray for us as we pray for you. I want to pray the Bible verse below over your life and I believe that with God’s help you can do the things that 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 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.

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 unlimited 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 fill 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 series of events to experience in our lives. 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 than to receive. However, if we do not receive, then we have nothing to give. We have a responsibility to use 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 church body. 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. We can all show others love, mercy, compassion and kindness. May God bless your holiday season! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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.

Are you a complainer or a thankful person? You cannot be both, so you must be one or the other. Every group seems to have one complainer that everyone tries to avoid. If you do not have a complainer in your group, then it is probably you! Which do you think God wants you to be? Take a few minutes and write down the things you are most thankful for on a sheet of paper or index card. The reason why I want you to write them down is so you can go back and look at it, to remember what God has done in your life. So when things do not go right, instead of feeling down in the dumps, we could look back at what God has done for us. We tend to forget all that He has done for us.

1THESSALONIANS 5:18

18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. — NLT

Right in the middle of whatever challenges you are facing, you need to be people who give thanks. I know that it doesn’t seem to make sense sometimes when we are going through very difficult circumstances, to say, “Thank you, Lord, for these difficult circumstances in my life,” when we really wish God would just fix it and make it go away. Instead of complaining about our situation, we need to look back over the year on how God has worked on our behalf and start to thank Him knowing that He is bigger than all our circumstances and will help us through them all.

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.— NLT

Thankfulness is an attitude. It is a condition of the heart. What kind of condition is your heart in, not just this Thanksgiving, but year-round? If we are going to have an attitude of being thankful, then it must be something that we do all year long and not just one or two days out of the year. We need to have an attitude of gratitude.

PSALMS 100:4

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.— NLT

This is a Psalm of Thanksgiving and refers to a public acknowledgement of God. We all have things that go wrong in our lives every day. If we learn to focus on the things we are thankful for and not all the negative things in our lives then we can begin to learn to be truly happy and content. This is something that should actually show in our outward actions and attitudes. God has blessed us and given us so many things to be thankful for that, we should be full of joy and peace every day.

Remember the things that God has saved you from and do not live in the past. Our everyday lives should show that we are thankful and grateful for all God has done for us. As you celebrate Thanksgiving this year, remember the original spirit of the oldest of all American holidays — gratefulness to God. In the middle of all the hustle and bustle, take time to give thanks and praise to God for all the wonderful things in your life.

(Reprint from 11-19-2012)

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.

Since 1992, the month of October has been Clergy Appreciation Month. It is designed for you to encourage and thank the religious leaders in your life. You should let your pastors know that you love them and support them. In addition, let them know why you appreciate their hard work and labor of love. We tend to always hear about all the Ministers that mess up or make a mistake, but we don’t hear very much at all about all the good things that are happening in churches all across the country. Pastors are saving lives, helping families, feeding the poor, and helping hurting people and we do it with God’s help. The scriptures I have here are ones that you really need to pay attention to and apply them to your life.

HEBREWS 13:7

7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. NLT

The ministry provided by pastors and their families is very unique. God has chosen them to watch over His children and take care of the spiritual well-being of their congregation.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-13

12 Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance.

13 Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other. NLT

When a pastor becomes worn down and worn out, the very souls of his congregants are at risk. Pastors and their families live under unbelievable stress and strain. Their lives are played out in a glass house, with the whole congregation and the whole public scrutinizing their every move. They are expected to have model families, to be wonderful people, to always be ready to help, to never have problems, and to have all the answers you need to keep your own lives on track. These are unrealistic expectations to place on anyone, yet most of us are let down when a pastor becomes overwhelmed, seems sad, lets us down, or totally burns out. That is why God teaches us to identify and honor His servants.

1 TIMOTHY 5:17

17 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. NLT

The good news is that you can make a difference! Clergy Appreciation Month is one way you can return the favor and encourage your spiritual leaders and let them know that you care about them.

There are four easy ways to help your pastors and their families feel appreciated:

1. Buy them a card

2. Buy them a gift card to a restaurant, movie theatre, or department store

3. Share with them, in writing, how much they have blessed you and helped you and your family

4. Encourage others to do the same. Show appreciation and honor your pastor and his family this year. It will encourage them more than you ever may realize.

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.