December 16, 2014
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Cultural Values | Tags: torture, situational ethics, ethics, morality, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, Gospel-centeredness, cultural issues, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, Redeemer Lake Nona, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, government
This past week, Senate Democrats released a 6,000 page report about CIA tactics in the post-9/11 but pre-Obama world. It is colloquially known as the “torture report,†although it centers around what the CIA called “enhanced interrogation techniques,†which were approved by the Bush administration, funded by Congress, and considered legal by various...
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December 9, 2014
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Poetry | Tags: poetry, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Sin, Racism, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, race, racial reconciliation, Ferguson, Redeemer Lake Nona, prejudice, equality, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, hate
Janelle writes a poem about the hidden hatred in all of us, and what the solution is. ...
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November 21, 2014
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Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, bible, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, lee vista church, abortion, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, Redeemer Lake Nona, culture, social justice, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona
I watched a man die once. It was not an experience I’ve ever wanted to repeat again. He was a quiet, pleasant patient whom I had taken care of a few times since he had been placed within our unit. That day, my friend was his nurse. She called me in to come help her, stating he was having difficulty breathing. Sure enough, he was in his recliner gasping for breath. As she...
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November 12, 2014
by Eric Garrett
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Christian Living | Tags: waiting, yoke-bearing, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, church life, Sheree Phillips, Lake Nona Churches, Eric Garrett, lee vista, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, the gospel, redeemer blog, cultural issues, faithfulness of God, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, Redeemer Lake Nona, culture, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona, God's work through suffering, God's mercy
Recently, Sheree Phillips wrote a transparent and helpful post on the struggle of waiting for God. If you're like her (and me), then you probably have an aversion to waiting for just about anything. And the reality is that if you're a Westerner, you're probably just like us in this way. It's no new revelation that with our culture-wide embrace of fast food, fast cash, and ...
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November 3, 2014
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Christian Living | Tags: modesty, self-control, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, humility, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, The pursuit of holiness, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, holiness, church blog, rape culture, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona, cultural engagement, heart issues, Redeemer Lake Nona, culture, Redeemer Church at Lake Nona
Modest dress is a worthy discussion (after all, the Bible does talk about it!) but modesty includes far more than what can be seen on the outside. In fact, the definition of modest is not “Women who dress culturally appropriate.” Rather, the definition is “the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.” I didn’t see “Modest is hottest” a...
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September 19, 2014
by Sarah Grace Pavelchak
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Friends of Redeemer | Tags: military, military families, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, evangelism, gospel, Lake Nona Churches, Faith, cultural values, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, Gospel-centeredness, cultural issues, evangelize, church blog, Redeemer Church of Lake Nona
Being a Christian in modern military life could be compared to a salmon making the tough journey up stream. There are times it can feel as though everything in life is coming at you trying to drive you in the mainstream direction, opposite of what you're striving towards. There are so many hardships and uncertainties: low finances, multiple moves, many times having a lack ...
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September 12, 2014
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Cultural Values | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, bible, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Sin, lee vista, Fighting the battle of temptation, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, church blog, sex, sexual ethics
“Oh, great,” said everyone. “Another church railing against promiscuity, homosexuality, and how society is going to hell in a handbasket. Just what I want to read today (this is not what I want to read today).” I know there is something archaic and cliché to read a blog post about sexual ethics from an evangelical church. Having admitted that, I hope you’ll bear...
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September 11, 2014
by Daniel Bell
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Friends of Redeemer | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, gospel, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, lee vista, lee vista church, art, artist, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, cultural issues, church blog, poetry, written art, spoken word
If you step inside a major city, you see art everywhere. You see it on the billboards and the crossing signs; you hear it in the form of music on radio or see it on giant T.V.'s in places like New York City. If you pay attention to those things, they have one thing in common--communication. These mediums of art usually bring a message to the viewer or listener to express s...
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September 9, 2014
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Evangelism | Tags: Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, evangelism, gospel, Lake Nona Churches, Racism, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, the gospel, Muslim, redeemer blog, social issues, cultural issues, preaching the gospel, evangelize, church blog, duck dynasty, Islam, ISIS
There are reasons to respect Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the family at the center of AMC’s blockbuster hit Duck Dynasty. He was a good enough athlete to start over 4-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw while in college even though he didn’t think much about practice. He was, by his own admission, a borderline alcoholic and druggie until he was miraculously sav...
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September 4, 2014
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Friends of Redeemer | Tags: criminal law, extrospective understanding, introspective understanding, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, bible, Lake Nona Churches, Sin, Christian Character, lee vista, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, the gospel, redeemer blog, social issues, Gospel-centeredness, cultural issues, church blog
When I decided to go to law school, I received many comments like “Are you going to be one of the ones who keeps the criminals off the street?” and “Nice. So you’re going to get the bad guys and make sure they pay.” At the time, I had no difficulty with these statements. Though I had no intention of pursuing a career in criminal law, I figured that if I did, it w...
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August 28, 2014
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Women's Issues | Tags: homemaking, ladies, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, ministry, bible, gospel, church life, Sheree Phillips, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Scripture, Identity, lee vista, family, odyssey, lee vista church, cultural values, redeemerchurch, redeemer, redeemer blog, women, mundane, cultural issues
At age 60 I remember the days when church women’s ministries were focused on Titus 2: 3-5 which in part teaches women to be “keepers at home.” In fact, I was one of those pastor’s wives who taught this passage in our own church’s women’s ministry. Honestly, I benefited from this. I gained a vision for my home as the primary focus of my gifts and ministry. I lea...
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August 15, 2014
by Joey and Jake Phillips
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Cultural Values | Tags: blog, cultural values, cultural issues, dating, courtship, straw men, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, lake Nona, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, middle school, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues
My cousin Doug Hodges (pretty much a big brother to the Phillips kids), pointed me to an article he had come across recently by a gentleman named Thomas Umstattd Jr. regarding why he felt like courtship, as opposed to traditional dating, was fundamentally flawed. Since the article was very thorough, if haphazard, and encapsulated a lot of the criticism I have heard of cour...
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August 7, 2014
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Women's Issues | Tags: ladies, Redeemer Church, Lake Nona Church, blog, lake Nona, bible, gospel, Orlando Church, Lake Nona Churches, Hope, parenting, Idolatry, trayvon martin, Identity, lee vista, lee vista church, redeemerchurch, redeemer, lakenonachurch, redeemer blog, social issues, motherhood, women, kingdom of God, The church, image of God, cultural issues
Our culture gets it wrong when it comes to women and image. That is no surprise, and much has been said on the topic. Recently the Huffington Post did a piece on what tabloids would look like if they treated men the way they treated women. Westminster College has a well-researched article about beauty standards, women in the media, and how women internalize the “thin-bea...
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