Columnists

By Rosie Preston There are times I wish I could have known fate was going to change my plans. Over the past few years, I came to understand that life is a game that we play whenever changes affect our lives or the lives of family members or good friends. Choosing to share this with

By Danny Crownover Last year, the Vagabond wrote about Alexander Duncan Simpson, an architect from Scotland who came to Gadsden in 1888. One of the most interesting and lovable of the Gadsden old timers of Gadsden, Simpson was an accomplished architect who for many years he built many of Gadsden well-known buildings. The Vagabond recently

 By Robert Halsey Pine “And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.” (Luke 17:1-10 NRSV). Jesus really wanted to make His point clear to the disciples in regard to forgiveness. What a challenge Jesus has thrown to

By Toni Ford A couple of months ago, I started a prayer group. One of the members in our group continued to bring up the word “courage.” Each time he mentioned the word, he emphasized the need for courage today amongst the body of believers. I didn’t pay him much attention in the beginning, but

By John Larkins The false teachers are lined up and shouting and gesturing: “Jesus will bring all to heaven! You do not have to do anything; it does not matter which church or even any church you attend, come see me and I will reassure you!” This is good for the false teachers’ employment and

By Andy Bedwell This week I want to share with all of you some of my family’s favorite sides. This past weekend I tried a different hash brown casserole that everyone seemed to enjoy. Get ready for some “oldies but goodies.” Hash Brown Casserole 2 pounds frozen hash browns 2 cups freshly grated extra-sharp cheese,

By Vicki Scott In this season in my life, my prayers have been whatever is God’s will, that’s what I want. I know He knows what is best for me, and I’m trying hard to be obedient. When things fall into God’s will, it seems like everything fall in place. There are trials and tribulations,

By Vicki Scott At our lake house we have a cat named Estelle, whom we call Stella. Against our wishes, our daughter Eva brought Stella home, thinking she was going to raise Stella in her room. After a few weeks of Stella waking her up in the wee hours, Eva found a nice spot for

By Andy Bedwell When I mentioned to family and friends that I was working my way through hundreds of recipes for my cookbook and what fun I was having, someone would proudly chime in with a comment about their momma’s or aunt’s famous recipes. Some of my recipes may seem dated by today’s measure. A

By Rosie Preston It’s been almost a year since most of our population heard about the strange and often deadly COVID-19 virus. By now, most of us have had a personal experience with it. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was going to journal about it. As the days turn into weeks and the

By Danny Crownover Many interesting things happened in Gadsden over a hundred years ago. In a copy of a local evening newspaper issued on October 18, 1911, the advertising sections were really interesting. There was the ad for Cottle’s Drug Store, which was owned and operated by Frank Cottle. His brother John was the pharmacist

By Robert Halsey Pine “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:16-20

By John Larkins The Lenten season, during which Jesus suffers the taunting of Satan in the desert, is a constant reminder of our sinfulness and the great shining promise that Jesus was preparing to rescue us. The long-promised Redeemer was truly among us on earth. Truly, Jesus was here to save our souls from eternal

By Toni Ford I have loved reading and studying the Book of Nehemiah this month! Last week I shared how one of Nehemiah’s greatest attributes was the way he cared for his people, the Jews. He demonstrated that by asking about his people even when he was living a very comfortable life in another country.

By Danny Crownover It was reported in 1883 that a large colony of gypsies was encamped near Gadsden. The camp had the usual herd of trading horses, or swapping stock, and many gaily colored wagons. During these times, bands of gypsies came around and often left a trail of thievery, robbery and weird horse trades.

By Rosie Preston My small family recently sat down to discuss how we would heat our house. I think we finally settled the matter, in more ways than one. We have a central heat/air unit, but I feel like the temperature gets too cool before it turns back on. I grew up with the toasty

By Vicki Scott Last week I shared a blessing I took for granted, but now I have grown spiritually. The blessing of a hot shower might not seem as important as I do and feel drama lurking around the corner, but the struggle this past week was real. My bones were aching for the heat.

By Robert Halsey Pine “To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication: ‘What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!’ You

By John Larkins The season of Lent begins this week for many Christians. Few people have any clue as to why Mardi Gras is celebrated. When they learn that the event is linked to the 40-day period in the Bible that relates Jesus’s period of trial in the desert, the explanation really gets foggy. To

By Rosie Preston The following words seem lame as I try to explain a mother’s love. Because a new mother sets many goals that she may never accomplish, I want you to know that sometimes I was blind and many times I failed. But through the rain and the pain, the love always won year

By Danny Crownover Like many other cities, Gadsden has an official flag. Back in 1937, the city commission appointed a group of four men and five women to design a city seal that would also be used toward a city flag. The group decided upon a design that carries the official seal of the city

By Vicki Scott Adding to my growing list of blessings I take for granted would be the luxury of a good hot shower. I learned as much last week when we noticed that the shower was leaking. Instead of finding a plumber, my darling husband Alan who can fix most anything, took the shower apart.

By Andy Bedwell Valentine’s Day is that special time when thoughts of those we care about come to mind. The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard, but must be felt with the heart. – Helen Keller Half-Time Rocky Road Candy 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips 1

By Robert Halsey Pine “And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” (Isaiah 30:21 NRSV) The importance of hearing in our natural bodies is priceless. Our ears signal to us messages from the

By Toni Ford Has your life ever felt like a whirlwind, a hurricane or a tsunami due to the circumstances going on in your own life or the life of your family or even the world as a whole? I know I’ve felt that way at times, especially during the past few months. I‘ve learned

By John Larkins Having spent more than 1,000 hours airborne during my U.S. Air Force career, I have recollections of training for the possibility that I might be jumping out of a reasonable comfortable (in the short run) aircraft. But that’s the rub; it’s in the short run. Once an aircraft begins erratic behavior it

By Rosie Preston There have been many times in my life when I’ve tried to be a Good Samaritan. But with the passage of time and growing older, I’ve found that good deeds are often quickly forgotten. I’ve sometimes wondered if I should I even try. Sometimes the endings are good, while other times made

By Danny Crownover The Vagabond finds much of interest in occasional drives around Gadsden and Etowah County. Last week, I passed by what used to be the Allis-Chalmers plant in East Gadsden. It was recalled that back in the 1940s the plant was built by the U.S. government as a shell plant during World War

By Toni Ford Lately, you might hear believers speaking, praying and preparing for what many are calling the Next Great Spiritual Awakening. In regard to Christianity, a spiritual awakening produces an intense hunger for Christ and is characterized by large scale and widespread revival meetings, along with the supernatural move of the Spirit of God.

By Robert Halsey Pine “Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth, we commend ourselves to the