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.

They always say that time goes faster and faster as you get older. They always say that we should enjoy our children while they are small because the time goes by very fast and it is gone before you know it. I never really understood those statements until I had my own children, and I started getting older.

My wife and I did not start our family until we were in our 30s. And now (just a few years later —haha) our son is 19 and our daughter is 17. Our son is entering his sophomore year at Bradley University in Illinois and our daughter is in basic training at Fort Jackson for the Army. Both of our children are out of high school now and following their dreams, and I just think – WOW! As a parent, I want the best for my children. I want them to do well and be successful. I want them to be safe from all the bad and evil things that are in the world today. But, I do not want to be their God and make all of their life’s decisions for them. I want them to learn and grow and be able to take care of themselves so when mom and dad are not around they will know how to make wise decisions and do the right thing.

Matthew 7:9-11

9 You parents — if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?

10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!

11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.

— NLT

As my wife and I began to raise our children, it was then that I began to realize how much God truly loves us. The very same way that we love our own children is the same way that God loves His children. God wants the very best for us. God wants us to do well, and learn as we go through life and get educated so we will make the right decisions. God wants to protect us from the bad and evil things in this world. The Bible teaches us that safety is not in the absence of danger but in the presence of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.

— NLT

The same way we pray and hope that our children listen to us and make the right decisions when opportunities come is the same way that God feels about us. God wants us to listen to Him and make the right decisions when the opportunities come. The best ways I have found to learn from God is by reading your Bible, praying and going to church. There are also benefits for our children to obey their parents and do what they are told to do. We have benefits of obeying God and by doing what He has asked us to do. As we pray for our children to be happy, healthy and holy, let’s also pray for ourselves as well.

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.

A group of dignitaries gathered atop the new Dixie Flyover bridge Tuesday morning, April 10, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the flyover opened to the public around 11 a.m. As Deerfield Beach Mayor Peggy Noland said, “It’s been over 25 years that this bridge has been talked about. I’m glad I lived to see the day!” State Rep. Gywndolen Clarke-Reed called this “a momentous occasion. I was on the city commission when the idea first came to fruition. To be in Tallahassee now, bringing home the dollars…” Clarke-Reed said she was very pleased that the bridge does not disconnect the community — that District 2 was especially concerned about this. She commended Deerfield Planning & Growth Management Director Jerry Ferguson for the design. “He worked very hard on this,” she said. The bridge structure gives multi-lane access to connect Deerfield Beach with Boca Raton. There are two lanes and a bicycle/pedestrian walkway southbound. Two more lanes and a bicycle/pedestrian walkway go northbound. Below that is a secondary, smaller bridge over the canal that will ultimately only be open to southbound traffic, according to FDOT Public Information Officer Miranda Iglesias. It will remain closed during brick paving installation at NE 2 Street and NE 2 Avenue.  *For more information about the Dixie Flyover Project, visit the FDOT project website, www.dixie-flyover.com, or call FDOT at 954-777-4090. The Dixie Highway Project Field Office is located at 81 NE 3 Avenue in Deerfield Beach.* See video Of Ceremony and full speed ride over Flyover on ObserverTV.*

“Doe Adar a female dar…” Yes, I know the lyrics actually say, “Doe a deer, a female deer,” but we are just starting the Hebrew month of Adar. Adar is the month in which we celebrate the Festival of Purim where we read The Book of Esther. And, just a few days after we celebrate Purim, we move our clocks ahead as Daylight Savings Time begins.
Time is an amazing thing. It is a gift. Some people seem to have forgotten the value of time. Some take time for granted. In the Book of Esther, we find that we are (or at least were) running out of time, and then, wonder of wonders, the wicked Haman, who tried to put an end to our time, finds he has run out of time.
I’ve thought a lot about time in recent days. It probably had something to do with a couple of visits to medical specialists. In one office, I was kept waiting 45 minutes and, when the doctor finally saw me, she apologized profusely and let me know she was well aware of how valuable my time, not her time, but mine, was. She let me know she would try to do better in the future.
And then there was the other specialist, who kept me waiting two hours beyond my scheduled appointment and, when he entered the room, there wasn’t even so much as an “I’m sorry you had to wait so long.”
At one of the Health Centers, I asked the people at the Healing Service how many of them had watches on. Several raised their hands and I asked what time it was. Again, several responded, calling out the correct time. That’s when I said it was a good time to count our blessings. Here are a few we came up with:
• If you have a watch, you are blessed because there are many people who do not own one.
• If you can fasten the strap from the watch around your wrist, you are blessed because there are people who, no matter how hard they try, cannot perform this feat of manual dexterity.
• If you can see the face of the watch, you are blessed because there are people who cannot see at all.
• If you can read the time, you are blessed because there are those who have such severe dementia they can no longer remember how to tell time.
• And, if you can tell someone else what time it is, you are blessed because there are those who can no longer speak.
Now, let me ask you a question, dear readers. Why is it that we never seem to notice how many blessings we can count from something as simple as a watch? Could it be that we just never take the time?
Time is not only found on the hands of our watches. Time is on our hands. The question is what are we going to do with the time we have? The choice is up to you! Take some time to think about it and don’t forget to set aside some time to count your blessings.
Shalom my friends,
Rabbi Craig H. Ezring

Rabbi Ezring is a member of the National Association of Jewish Chaplains and serves in this capacity in a number of Health Care settings in the area including Advocate Home Care Services and L’Chayim Jewish Hospice in Partnership with Catholic Hospice of Broward County.