April Lufriu, a mother of three from Tampa, Florida, is on a journey to bring light to a dark subject. After a family visit to Shands Hospital in February 2010, retinal specialists confirmed what three earlier ophthalmology visits had suspected – April’s 11-year-old son Brandon was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a retinal degenerative eye disease which over time leads to blindness. While the news was devastating, nothing could have prepared this mother’s heart to hear that doctors, on the same day, were also diagnosing April as well as her 7-year-old daughter Savannah with the exact same disease.“While I had suspicions about my son (his night-blindness symptoms were an early warning sign), I was in denial. Now, to know that there were two more family member with this terrible disease was even more traumatic...

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Bullying: Defending The Underdog

As a school teacher, I feel I should step in to defend the underdog, but other teachers say kids should learn to work out their own problems. What do you think? Every classroom has a few boys and girls at the bottom of the social...
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Undergraduate Degree

Dear Dave,

My stepdaughter is 17 and will be starting college this fall. Her dad and I want to help her with expenses, but she’s chosen a private university (with the help of her other parents) that costs $250,000 for an undergraduate degree...
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SEC Football

I know that football is really huge all over the nation, but in the South it’s almost a religion. We never had big league football until the last few decades but our college teams were as much a part of Southern culture as hominy grits and folks wear...
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Setting Goals

Unless we give serious thought to our goals and how to reach them, our time, money, and priorities will usually be determined by others. Identifying some life objectives can lead us into deeper intimacy with the Lord. It can also result in...
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Personal Service

Kyle moved from the cold country of Michigan in 1999. He and his family had always enjoyed biking, but Florida’s warmth made it even more a part of their life. Growing up, Kyle had “department store” bikes, but when he got on the BMX track, they didn’t last long. Breaking bikes...
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8 Ways to Live Conflict Free

How to Be Agreeable in the Midst of Conflict In every relationship, there will be times when you’re going to get hurt. Because when people are involved, perfection goes out the window. But Jesus heals us. He sets us free from our own wounded...
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