Entries by j_massey

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Through love and acceptance, Florida man finds hope for the future

Love and acceptance helps Florida man reconnect with hope Just a few months ago, Ray Kinder could not imagine being clean, being out of jail, being hopeful. When you look at Kinder today, you could not, for one minute, imagine him being anything but.
Kinder grew up in a church-going family, but all was not right. His father was a career criminal, coming and going from prison. When his father was not in jail, he was abusing his mother and modeling the alcoholic lifestyle. He eventually ended up with a life sentence for armed robbery. People would speak over Kinder that he would be just like his dad. It had its effects.
Kinder was in juvenile detention 12 times. He got addicted to drugs in middle school and continued to make bad choices for the next two and a half decades. He was in jail, some maximum-security ones, 23 times. Each jail time was just a pause from his crack addiction, and the pause button would be reset when he got out.
“My reality was too hard to take,” he said. “I kne..

June 19, 2019 by
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The Salvation Army: Serving Communities When Disasters Strike

Emergency Disaster Services
The Salvation Army began offering assistance to disaster survivors after a major hurricane hit Galveston, Texas in September 1900, destroying the coastal city and killing thousands of people. At the request of The Salvation Army’s National Commander, Commissioner Frederick Booth-Tucker, officers from across the country moved into the Galveston area to help feed and shelter thousands of survivors, while also providing much needed emotional and spiritual support.
Since then, The Salvation Army has responded to natural disasters, transportation accidents, civil unrest situations and terrorist attacks. By providing beverages, meals and emotional and spiritual care to first responders and survivors, The Salvation Army strives to bring hope and healing to people who find themselves in the midst of extremely difficult situations.
While each disaster creates its own unique circumstances and special needs, Salvation Army disaster relief efforts focus on seven cor..

May 28, 2019 by
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Mike Lindell, Founder of MyPillow, Finds Rest in Recovery

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell was once so addicted to crack cocaine that his three drug dealers ran an intervention and refused to sell to him.
“I went up and down the streets of Minneapolis and couldn’t buy anywhere,” Lindell recalls. “I had been up for 14 straight days.
“One of my dealers said to me, ‘You’ve been telling us MyPillow is just a platform for a much bigger purpose for God and that you were going to come back and help us all someday when you quit. Well, we’re not going to let you die on us.’”
Lindell didn’t die and eventually pulled his life together after dedicating it to Christ. Today, he runs one of the world’s most successful companies and is a self–made millionaire who helps former addicts like himself. He believes The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) are a model for the world in battling addiction (see A Model for the World below).
Lindell’s own battle began in 1982. He used cocaine then, but by the late 1990s, he was into crack.
“I was a co..

May 15, 2019 by
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Overcoming the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

Among all the fears out there, one sticks out as one of the greatest in this generation: the fear of missing out or FOMO. Is it one of yours?
The fear of missing out on people to meet, places to travel to, events to attend, likes to generate.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the FOMO on the simple things. I’ve been thinking about whether this optimistic approach to soaking in the best of what life has to offer is over-complicating what life has to really offer—the bare, unfiltered, uncurated life.
Cooking meals for loved ones. Sitting quietly in the morning under the forming sky and being content with the clouds hovering above. Taking time to do things well, without haste. Doing things not for the sake of it being the most efficient way to do it—doing things that might require a time or distance commitment for things that are worth it.
And where did all of this stem from? I believe we have many voices fighting for our attention, telling us that we ought to, or that we could, or th..

May 14, 2019 by
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The Salvation Army Opens Health Resource Center in Miami

Much like its sister commands across the territory, the country and the world, the Miami, Florida, Area Command of The Salvation Army strives to serve its community in a variety of ways. That includes the operation of the Red Shield Lodge, with 256 beds housing individuals seeking to transition into financial independence and reintegrate as […]

May 9, 2019 by
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Service Back to Full Capacity for Daytona Beach Salvation Army Following Hurricane Damage

When Hurricane Matthew made landfall in 2016, The Salvation Army of Daytona Beach, Florida, sustained damage to its Center of Hope, specifically in the form of roof issues and broken windows. With that said, the structure managed to escape without catastrophic impairment. The arrival of Hurricane Irma in September 2017, however, did cause significant problems. […]

May 8, 2019 by
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Shelter Employee Teaches Residents the Psychology Behind Addiction

Edwyn Hector has worked for The Salvation Army for six years. By Abagail Courtney – In the U.S. Marine Corps, semper fidelis, or “always faithful,” signifies the dedication and loyalty that individual Marines have for each other and their country, even after leaving service. For Edwyn Hector, that couldn’t be more fitting. Though he’s now […]

April 26, 2019 by
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BREAKTHROUGH (movie): An exclusive interview with the makers of BREAKTHROUGH, now in theaters worldwide

SACONNECTS magazine’s exclusive interview with the makers of BREAKTHROUGH, opening today (4/17/19) in theaters worldwide BREAKTHROUGH is based on the incredible true story of one mother’s unfaltering love in the face of impossible odds. When Joyce Smith’s 14-year-old adopted son John falls through an icy Missouri lake, all hope seems lost. But as he lies lifeless, Joyce refuses to give up. Her steadfast belief inspires people around her to pray for John’s recovery—even in the face of every case history and scientific prediction.
From Producer DeVon Franklin (MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN) and executive producers, Pastor Sammy Rodriguez and Stephen “Steph” Curry, and adapted for the screen by Grant Nieporte (SEVEN POUNDS) and from Joyce Smith’s own book, BREAKTHROUGH is an enthralling reminder that faith and love can create a mountain of hope, and sometimes even a miracle.
DeVon Franklin, Pastor Jason Noble, and John Smith recently sat down with SACONNECTSto talk about the movie, their ministr..

April 25, 2019 by