One way Christian parents can help their children become better students is to hone their “critical thinking skills.” That’s just a fancy term we educators use for teaching kids to think more deeply. It’s something we endeavor to do at school, on a daily basis, and we can usually detect which parents have made similar efforts at home. Lots of us are content with surface learning. As long as our child knows that Tallahassee is the capital of Florida, a question likely to appear on an upcoming test, we’re happy. But some parents will challenge their children to probe a little deeper, perhaps by asking them why it became the capital. They know that creating a sense of curiosity goes a long way toward creating a critical thinker.

Posted May 5, 2008

Do you remember the first time you went away to college? Some of you loved getting out of the house, but others of you were a little homesick. If that describes you, then you remember how great it was to hear from home. Well, that is the idea behind the First Orlando College Ministry’s new outreach called “College Away.” “This ministry is designed for members of our church to connect with the students who grew up in First Orlando and have gone away to school,” said David Lorenz, College/Singles Pastor.

Posted April 30, 2008

First Orlando’s children certainly made their mark in this year’s Bible Drill competition. Bible Drill is a fun learning program that helps children fulfill the Bible’s mandate to hide God’s Word in their hearts. Bible Drill is made up of three cycles of verses and key passages. The cycles rotate over a three-year period. The purpose of the drill is to help children increase in Bible knowledge; develop skills in locating Bible books and key passages; memorize the names of the books of the Bible in order plus selected Bible verses and key passages; and learn how to apply the Bible to their lives.

Posted April 30, 2008

For the past several years, First Orlando has presented well-known dramatic productions as its entries in the Orlando Fringe Festival. But this year, the church is going dance, with its original presentation of “In His Own Time.” “We were planning to do ‘Godspell,’” said Brenda Henderson, who along with First Orlando’s Pastor of Student Music and Creative Arts, Mike Haight, will be producing the show. “However, ‘Godspell’ fell through and we had an opening and wondered what we could do on such short notice. We knew we had an incredible dance troupe [called Rejoice!], so we offered the spot to them. After praying about it, they said, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it.’ ”

Posted April 29, 2008

Among the many adversaries of Christ were the Pharisees and Sadducees, who doggedly challenged him during his three-year earthly ministry. Jesus minced no words with them. In one encounter, he labeled them a “brood of vipers” and warned of the wroth [wrath] to come (Matthew 3:6-8). He was putting them on notice. If they rejected Him as their Messiah and Lord, not only would they spend an eternity in Hell, but everything into which they had invested their lives would come to naught. Think of it as a retirement plan gone terribly wrong.

Posted April 28, 2008

9/11 is a date burned into our memories. It’s one of those days in which everyone can tell you where they were and what they were doing when a shocking event unfolded — similar to the day Kennedy was assassinated, the Space Shuttle blew apart, or Magic Johnson announced he had AIDS. Perhaps we clicked on CNN shortly after the first plane struck the first tower and watched in horror as the second plane finished the mission. At that moment, we knew it wasn’t an accident and, most likely, was orchestrated terrorism. Our televisions stayed on all day. We covered our faces as some of those trapped on the top floors leapt to their deaths to escape the flames.

Posted April 22, 2008

You don’t want to miss this year’s performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” presented by The First Academy. The beloved musical will be presented April 24 through 26 at Faith Hall. There will be three performances of “Oklahoma!” — 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for adults. New this year is “Dinner and a Show,” a dinner theater option on Friday night. You eat dinner beforehand and then see the show.

Posted April 21, 2008

It’s a little bit jazzy, with a nice blend of horns, electric guitars and drums. It’s very much kicked back — jeans and tennis shoes are the perfect attire. The atmosphere is homey and welcoming, just like visiting your best friend. And the worship is heartfelt and genuine. It’s “Saturday Nights at First Orlando,” where church just isn’t on Sundays anymore, and it’s perfect for those looking for something a little bit different in their worship experience.

Posted April 16, 2008

Not only have the movies given us dynamic images we will never forget, they have also given us some of the greatest modern-day music ever composed. First Orlando plans to honor this musical heritage on Friday, May 2, when our 55-piece orchestra presents “An Evening of Movie Music.” The presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Worship Center. It will last about one hour.

Posted April 15, 2008