Editor's Note: This is the first of two columns discussing the boundaries between people.

There is much in this society that divides us – like politics, ideologies, and theologies. There is much in this world that seeks to take us away from God – like pride, ego, and arrogance among other things.

The gap between individuals and groups of people continues to widen. Individuals gravitate toward those who are of like mind. They solidify their opinions and become like cement – thoroughly mixed up and set in stone.

There is a tendency in human nature for people to be drawn to those of like-minded thoughts and beliefs. This is one reason for so much division in the world. Different nationalities, different allegiances, different systems of government, different political parties and ideologies, different Christian denominations, different religions.

Conflicts start because of conflicting stances on various matters. If two or more do not agree – they tend to become enemies. Walls are erected – whether physical or emotional. And if the differences are great enough, there is a desire to destroy that which is different.

Human nature rarely puts up with disunity or differing points of view. It upsets the equilibrium. People crave a sense of unity, of belonging – as long as it’s in line with “my” personally held beliefs. If you don’t agree with “me” you are not only wrong – you are less of a human being. And there is a good chance you are now my enemy.

I firmly believe we need to learn to agree to disagree and live together in such a way that will build relationships instead of tear them down. But that is a pretty tall order and difficult to achieve because there is another part of human nature that gets in the way. I will write about that next week.

It is essential to remember that God’s Holy Spirit has the ability to cross any boundaries that people erect between each other. His Holy Spirit is the unifying presence among his creation – if and when people will stop to listen and comprehend, if and when we will realize God is to be the main focus in life. God brings unity even among diversity.

Our unity in Jesus Christ is what matters most in this life. The clubs you might belong to, the organizations of which you are a part, your political affiliation, are nowhere near the importance of your faithfulness to Jesus Christ.

When everything else in life is stripped away, the only thing left will be your relationship with God through Jesus. He is the one that gives life, and wholeness, and purpose. He is the one who unites us – even when we may not wholly agree on everything.

Let us learn to agree to disagree without belittling, without condemning. Let us learn to agree to disagree with an attitude of learning and growing.

Let us lean on the ways of Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Build relationships instead of tearing them down

If you’re going to achieve all your goals, such as sending your kids to college, retiring in comfort, and leaving a legacy, you will need to save and invest throughout your lifetime. But to really complete your financial picture, you’ll also need to add one more element: protection. And that means you’ll require adequate life insurance for your situation.

However, your need for insurance will vary at different times of your life — so you’ll want to recognize these changing needs and be prepared to act.

When you’re a young adult, and you’re single, life insurance probably will not be that big of a priority. And even married couples without children typically have little need for life insurance; if both spouses contribute equally to household finances, and you don’t own a home, the death of one spouse generally will not be financially catastrophic for the other.

But once you buy a home, things change. Even if you and your spouse are both working, the financial burden of a mortgage may be too much for the surviving spouse. So, to enable the survivor to continue living in the home, you might consider purchasing enough life insurance at least to cover the mortgage.

When you have children, your life insurance needs typically will increase greatly. It’s a good idea for both parents to carry enough life insurance to pay off a mortgage and raise and educate the children, because the surviving parent’s income may be insufficient for these needs. How much insurance do you need?

You might hear of a “formula,” such as buying an amount equal to seven to 10 times your annual income, but this is a rough guideline, at best. You might want to work with a financial professional to weigh various factors – number and ages of children, size of mortgage, current income of you and your spouse, and so on – to determine the amount of coverage and the type of insurance (“term” or “permanent”) appropriate for your situation.

Once you’ve reached the empty nest stage, and your kids are grown and living on their own, you may need to re-evaluate your insurance needs. You might be able to lower your coverage, but if you still have a mortgage, you probably would want to keep enough insurance to pay it off.

After you retire, you may have either paid off your mortgage or moved into a condominium or apartment, so you may require even less life insurance than before. But it’s also possible that your need for life insurance will remain strong. For example, the proceeds of a life insurance policy can be used to pay your final expenses or to replace any income lost to your spouse as a result of your death (e.g., from a pension or Social Security.) Life insurance also can be used in your estate plans to help leave the legacy you desire.

As we’ve seen, insurance can be important at every stage of your life. You’ll help yourself – and your loved ones – by getting the coverage you need when you need it.

This article was written by Edward Jones on behalf of your Edward Jones financial adviser.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Life insurance needs will change over time — so be prepared

The mission of the Florida Master Naturalist Program, which is taught through the local Extension office, is to promote awareness, understanding, and respect of Florida's natural world among Florida's citizens. The program whets the appetite of students for information on local flora and fauna and often leads to additional research outside the class.

In spring 2017, students took the Freshwater Systems Module in Okaloosa and Walton counties. One student mentioned that she had a large patch of yellow trumpet-leaf pitcher plants growing on her farm, and as many in the class were interested in seeing pitcher plants in bloom in the wetland areas that they were studying; they took an impromptu field trip.

Florida is home to six species of pitcher plants (family: Sarraceniaceae). Five can be found in Okaloosa and Walton counties in the Florida Panhandle: these include the Yellow trumpet, Whitetop, Parrot, Gulf Purple and Gulf Coast Redflower.

Pitcher plants are native perennials that have adapted to living in a habitat that is nitrogen poor, acidic and at least seasonally saturated. These plants are rare and definitely worth seeking out to get a good look.

Pitcher plants have evolved with several adaptations to survive in their sometimes harsh habitats. They are carnivorous and trap insects to compensate for the nitrogen limiting soils where they live. The plants have modified hollow leaves that form tubes. The tubes are open at the top and often completely or partially covered by a specialized flap or hood, helping to reduce the amount of rain entering the tube.

The brightly colored hoods and tubes help attract prey, and often have a strong odor as well. The tubes are slick on the inside, with downward facing hairs, resulting in curious insects sliding to the bottom of the leaf where a small pool of water traps and drowns them. As the insect decomposes, the resulting nitrogen becomes available to the plant. You will often see ants, flies, wasps and bees caught in the pitcher traps.

The yellow trumpet-leaf pitcher plant is one of the largest species, with a yellowish-green tube and hood streaked with dark maroon splotches. The flowers have a musty smell. In Florida, this species is found in the northwest region from Leon County, west to Escambia County. Often, multiple species of pitcher plants can be found growing in the same area.

Protection of the pitcher plants and their habitats is important due to increasing loss of their unique habitats. Baseline surveys and continuing monitoring can help detect changes in pitcher plant populations. 

Restoration efforts often include frequent prescribed burning in order to reduce surrounding hardwood species. Restoration of local hydrology may also help maintain and grow populations. Other threats include feral hogs and humans, as they both have negative impacts on pitcher plant populations. It is also important for the general public to be educated about these unique plants. Collecting pitcher plants in the wild is prohibited by law; however, plants can be purchased from reputable retailers. Following these recommendations will help to conserve these remarkable plants and their habitats.

Other threats include feral hogs and humans, as they both have negative impacts on pitcher plant populations. It is also important for the general public to be educated about these unique plants. Collecting pitcher plants in the wild is prohibited by law; however, plants can be purchased from reputable retailers.

Following these recommendations will help to conserve these remarkable plants and their habitats.

For more information, visit http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu or contact your local Extension office.

Laura Tiu is an agent at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Pitcher plants evolved to survive

It's the end of another school year. Both students and teachers are excited. They can now sleep in each morning and not get up at the crack of dawn to be at school. Some students will use their time for sports; others will find a job to earn money, and some will go on vacation with their families.

As a former teacher, the last day of school was always bittersweet. It was sad to tell the students goodbye and reflect on the wonderful teaching moments we had throughout the year, but also I was happy to have more time at home with the family. It always saddened me to pack up my room, put the posters and bulletin board materials away for the summer, yet the knowledge that I'd have new students in the fall brightened my thoughts.

Have you set some summer goals for yourself? Do you have plans to enrich your life by taking an online course, perhaps learning a new skill such as gourmet cooking? The Internet has opened up new horizons. Maybe you are helping your church with this summer's Vacation Bible School program. There are numerous activities to fill our time.

Living here on the beautiful Emerald Coast, we have many outdoor activities available. Crestview has many lovely parks, and the beach is about 35 minutes away. There are also several campgrounds within about an hour's drive. Perhaps you are planning a vacation to another state to see family, or perhaps you have family coming to visit since we live in such a beautiful area. It is always fabulous to see friends and family and get to catch up.

When we lived in California, we pretty much spent our summers at Disneyland while my poor husband worked; he would sometimes join us in the evenings and we went as a family after church on Sunday. We also had the beach about an hour away, but the beaches in Southern California are not gorgeous with soft, white sand as we have here in Northwest Florida.

If you happen to run into your children's teachers over the summer, thank them for all their hard work and know that they will be back in August teaching a new group of students. 

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Summer fun options abound in Northwest Florida

I send out a daily devotional five days a week to people who have requested it. These devotionals are also listed on my church’s Facebook page.

I have noticed that the most read ones are on the topic of forgiveness. I have pondered some of the reasons behind that phenomenon.

In part it may be that we live in such a litigious society; people are afraid that no matter what mistakes they make, large or small, someone may take them to court. Many fear retribution for a slight, or a word or action given in the heat of a moment.

Take a look at the amount of road rage that gets perpetrated on a daily basis. Look at how many disputes are settled with fists or weapons. Anger and furor flare up.

The thing is, we all make mistakes — every single one of us. And, whether we want to believe it or not, we all have a desire to be forgiven for our dumb mistakes, to have the burden they create lifted from us.

Have you ever stopped to realize that when someone comes to you seeking forgiveness they have given you great power? They have placed their potential freedom from the burden they carry into your hands. You have the ability to forgive or to not forgive, to lift their burden or let it continue to weigh them down.

That’s a great deal of power. It is also a great responsibility.

A part of the Bible states, "Peter went up and said to him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.'"

Forgiveness is part of the daily activity of being in relationship with others. Sometimes we are the ones called upon to forgive. That seems to be where Peter’s question comes from. He wants to know if there is a limit to how many times he should forgive someone.

Jesus’ answer goes right to the heart of the matter – forgiveness has no limit, no boundary. We can forgive without condoning another’s action. We can forgive and grow from the experience.

Something that should help with your ability to forgive is to remember this: You have been forgiven everything by God, and you are called to do the same for others.

Is it easy? No.

Is it rewarding? Eternally.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Forgiveness is a daily activity

We are all busy these days, and while those of us here in Crestview live a slower-paced life than those in New York City or Los Angeles, we still face traffic congestion, work and school deadlines as well as numerous other responsibilities.

I have noticed in this fast-paced society that people read headlines, but not the accompanying article, and make comments based upon the headline rather than the article's content. 

Many times a headline is somewhat sensational to pique interest, but on Facebook and other social media, comments are often made without actually knowing what the article said.

It is sad that one cannot take the time to read a three- to five-paragraph article and see what is really being said, rather than just the headline.

It reminds me of the adage, never judge a book by its cover. How many books have looked wonderful from the cover illustration, yet been dry as dust and others look boring and yet are fabulous thrillers?

Then there is the halfway group that begins the article but doesn’t read it in its entirety, so facts get construed incorrectly, and misinformation is relayed due to not reading the entire article.

We live in a microwave society; we don't want to wait, we want everything, including our news or other information, to be given in 10-second sound bites, but many times that isn't possible. 

According to http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/, "the average attention span in 2015 was 8.25 seconds" and "the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds."

We, as American adults, need to work on this. Only 28 percent of the words are read from an article of about 600 words.

I find this happens even in articles the Crestview News Bulletin posts on Facebook. People post comments without reading the article. We need to read the article in its entirety and see what terrific information it may contain. Some pieces contain great tips and information at the end of the article.

We need to be proactive readers and see what the writer really has to say. Let's be good readers this summer!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Let's be good readers this summer