Columnists

By Rosie Preston During this time of experiencing so many emotions that seem to be left to chance, I cannot help but associate them with the pandemic as it follows its own path. My connection to the outside world has been to speak on the phone with several friends and family members. We agree that

By Danny Crownover Not long ago a student asked The Vagabond how, why and when the federal government took over control of all navigable streams in the United States. From 1790 to 1810, the improvements of the rivers and harbors were made by states with the consent of U.S. Congress. From 1810 to 1852, these

By John Larkins A book report in the August 11 edition of The Wall Street Journal detailed the horror of life under the government style promised by the democrat communist presidential candidate front runner. Religion is totally suppressed and replaced by worship of the leader. An example is a successful businessman who has two homes,

By Toni Ford In the Book of Deuteronomy, God outlined the responsibilities of the nation of Israel, which were to love and obey Jehovah as the one and only true God, teach the children God’s laws, be thankful for God’s blessings and separate oneself from the worship of pagan gods in the land of Canaan.

By Robert Halsey Pine “But who indeed are you, a human being, to argue with God? Will what is molded say to the one who molds it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one object for special use and

By Andy Bedwell My heart is so thankful for being raised in the South. I am also thankful for all the life lessons my precious family and my God has taught me. Have you ever heard the expressions, “Eat it and hush” or “Lord, what is this?” My chicken pot pie dish was one of

By Vicki Scott Last Monday, I visited and delivered my last bingo prize for the week. When this pandemic started, I am not sure which activity at George Wallace Senior Center I missed most. After two weeks of isolation, I had bingo DTs. It was real, and a support group had to be formed. We

By Andy Bedwell This week, let’s just bake some “goodies galore.” I want to begin with the Best Chocolate Brownie Recipe Ever! The Best Chocolate Brownie EVER! 1 ½ cups self-rising flour 2 cups sugar 1 cup Crisco oil 4 eggs, beaten 8 tablespoons cocoa 1 tablespoon vanilla flavoring 1 cup chopped pecans Sift flour,

By Vicki Scott My husband Alan and I were recently watching Am-erican Pickers. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz buy the darndest things for a lot of money – signs, motorcycle parts, oil cans, old leather jackets and all kinds of junk were purchased, with excitement, by these guys. I wondered if one day – maybe

By Toni Ford In March of this year as the world was experiencing the outbreak of COVID-19, several pastors from different nations and denominations joined together for a phone call. During the conversation, it became clear they all shared one heart – to unite and activate the worldwide Body of Christ to pray for both

By John Larkins Many dangerous and seemingly destructive human organizations threaten the survival of our nation, religious institutions and our very lives. An element of our citizens that constitutes only 13 percent of the population has been weaponized by an array of immensely wealthy elites and bullied some of our elected officials to carry out

By Robert Halsey Pine “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who

By Danny Crownover Author’s note: Robert Elton recently sent The Vagabond his memoirs of growing up in Gadsden. Robert is originally from Gadsden and graduated from Gadsden High School. He studied broadcast production at Auburn University and went on to work for South Carolina Educational Television Network. Robert and his wife Jean Pearce Elton live

By Rosie Preston During my senior years, I admit that I often wake to shocking news when I turn on the TV. When this happens, your perspective changes in what you may have believed in all of your life. So many situations are slapping us right where it hurts, our hearts and our daily lives!

By Rosie Preston Sometimes you will meet a random stranger who shares a few words with you. Amazingly, the two of you will form a bond, and you have a new friend, a friend who does not reject but accepts you just the way you are. A lady recently shared her life story of rejection,

By Danny Crownover Episode 9: Gadsden Pilots baseball The following is a piece written by my old school buddy, Ben Barnes. The Gadsden Pilots were a mid-20th-century minor league professional baseball team. In the late 1940s, the Pilots were one of eight teams in the Class B Southeastern League. The Pensacola Flyers were from Florida and

By Robert Halsey Pine “Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away; but you are the same, and your years have no

By Toni Ford Have you ever heard of the book of Esther in the Bible? It is a short book with only 10 chapters and yet a very powerful book about God’s faithfulness to protect Israel and the Jewish people. In the third chapter of Esther, we find Haman, the king’s second-in-command, casting lots in

By John Larkins America’s religious freedom was won by the vigorous speaking, and most prominently, organizing and armed combat to repel a hostile and foreign enemy. The words of this week’s title are attributed to Patrick Henry and are found at the conclusion of a monumental speech he gave in 1775 to propose that his

By Vicki Scott What a weekend! Saturday, July 25 was the day we were to celebrate my darling and patient husband Alan’s birthday. I planned to get our children and grandchildren together at our lake house on Lake Martin. I forgot that my hubby already had bought tickets to a concert in Chattanooga. When reminded,

By Andy Bedwell When I mentioned to my friends and family that I was working my way through my cookbook and what fun I was having doing it, someone would proudly chime in with a comment about their momma’s, aunt’s or grandmother’s recipe being included. This was just music to my ears, and definitely to

By Andy Bedwell You know sometimes you just want to save time and money by serving an all-in-one meal. Add a few delicious sides and presto, your dinner is done! Chicken Cacciatore 4 large boneless chicken breasts, cut in half 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup of flour ¼ cup Crisco oil

By Vicki Scott I am changing my focus today to a funny situation that happened amid everything. It was a nice break from the turmoil that I was consuming myself with. The Bible says to focus on what is good, and I was not doing a good job doing what the Bible said. I understand

By Toni Ford Throughout this month, I have been reading the Book of Joshua. Joshua is a historical book, and although at times it seems to give a grim account of battles and wars, it is also about new beginnings for the people of Israel. Today, we might be not be experiencing a literal war,

By Robert Halsey Pine “I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread

By John Larkins The Father’s plan to provide humans with the option of eternal salvation in heaven (where God is present) was to send us a Redeemer, who was His son created as a human being who would establish a Church. This Son of Man, also known as the Son of God, would suffer humiliation

By Danny Crownover Author’s note: Robert Elton recently sent The Vagabond his memoirs of growing up in Gadsden. Robert is originally from Gadsden and graduated from Gadsden High School. He studied broadcast production at Auburn University and went on to work for South Caro-lina Educational Television Network. Robert and his wife Jean Pearce Elton live

By Craig Ford In a few weeks, most students in Alabama are scheduled to return to school. With so few days left before students return, there are important questions that still need to be answered: Is it safe for kids to go back to school? What is the best way to keep students and faculty

Last week was hectic. My typing was not going well as my computer insisted on acting like a child experiencing the terrible twos. Thank goodness, the machine eventually granted me a short amount of time before I had to send in my article for this week. I’ve found that it’s a challenge to laugh during

By Rosie Preston Earlier this week I turned my TV to a channel geared to providing a beautiful scene along with calm and relaxing music. There was a photo of a farm that has a garden, a tractor, sunflowers and a windmill. It looked as if there is a local fair in the background since