A Song of Praise
By Toni Ford Coming in just two weeks, both Passover and Easter will be celebrated by the Jews and the Christians from around the world. One of the beautiful traditions the Jewish people practice at the beginning of Passover, is a ritual feast called the Passover Seder. The Seder marks the beginning of the Jewish […]
Baboons, bougainvilleas, and messed up plans
By Sandra Bost In October 1998, only 19 months after we moved from Auburn, Alabama to our beloved Gallatin, Tennessee to begin our professional careers, me as a speech-language pathologist and my husband as a studio drummer, our little family of three packed up and moved to the other side of the world. My dad […]
Will you forfeit?
By Brian Cook There is a verse that is rather haunting. Mark 8:36 says, “And what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul”. The older I get the clearer this question becomes. A good definition of the word “forfeit” is as follows: “the failure to act that results […]
Happy Poetry Month
By Tabitha Bozeman April is one of my favorite months because it is National Poetry Month. I used to think this was a super-niche interest, and definitely not one that deserved an entire month. Over the years, though, I have realized just how uniquely human poetry is, and how much it is part of our […]
Faith and fear in a foreign land
By Sandra Bost Standing in the emergency room in a foreign land, holding the lifeless body of my 9-month-old is an image that still haunts me nearly 25 years later. I remember it almost like it was yesterday. Our son had not been well for weeks. Usually a happy boy, he just seemed a little […]
Going to church and facing your fears
I worked as summer job between high school and college at a metal cutting facility. Old machines that sliced through metal like cheese. Needless to say, I was nervous around those cutters even though my job was to get pretty close as I gathered metal scraps for disposal. I knew full well what was more […]
Strengthening Our Identity
By Toni Ford We live in a world where understanding our identity and recognizing its origins can be a daily challenge. It’s important to avoid getting caught up in what others or society may say about us. One phrase I often emphasize is, “Make sure your identity is grounded in who God says you are, […]
Jefferson’s to honor local teachers
Jefferson’s recently announced its inaugural run of the “Jefferson’s Teacher of the Year” award in the Gadsden area, in honor of National Teachers’ Day on Tuesday, May 6. This initiative aims to celebrate the dedication of teachers who make a lasting impact in their students’ lives by inspiring them with a love of learning, serving […]
Paid parental leave law improves life for Alabama workers
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill (SB) 199 into law Wednesday, April 2. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, will ensure paid parental leave for new parents who work as teachers, two-year college employees or state employees. The law, which will take effect on July 1, provides eight weeks of paid leave […]