Columnists

By Rosie Preston A certain kind of behavior recently came back to haunt me. It first occurred when my children were in school. Looking back, I realize that it happened over a period of years. But I can’t forget, oh, no! Back then, my son “forgot” to bring his spelling book home. At first, he

By Danny Crownover Alfred Gregory Lee helped established one of the first newspapers in Etowah County. He was a printer, a newspaper editor, a Washington, D.C. news correspondent, a reporter and one of the most prolific writers of letters and postal cards in the United States. A member of an old pioneer family of Etowah

By Vicki Scott Another weekend has come and gone, and the coronavirus is still creating hinderances in fellowship. Whether churches meet or not depends on incidents of the virus within. One of our residents at George Wallace Senior Center who is utilizing our Monday thru Friday curbside service during all this mayhem called me out

By Andy Bedwell Don’t get stuck like Old Mother Hubbard with a cupboard that’s bare. At this time of year when holidays are over, you could make just one big shopping trip to stock up your pantry so that you’re always ready for those everyday meals. Weather permitting, I am going today and restock my

By Robert Halsey Pine “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:1-10 NRSV). Jesus’ parable of the one and the ninety-nine is a very comforting part of the Gospel. To think that the shepherd would

By Toni Ford As I was reading lately in the Book of Psalms, I was greatly encouraged by Psalm 30, I would love to share this psalm with you this week. It is my prayer that this psalm would encourage you as it did me and that you would know that the Lord is on

By John Larkins Consider your very most important mission among the living. Is it not to convince Jesus Christ that you wish to be with Him in eternity? If this is not your mission or if you reject His plan, you very may well may not spend eternity with Him. Many of us fear the

By Robert Halsey Pine Paul says to the Church in Corinth, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that

By John Larkins We recently discussed the real Christmas scene with the newborn savior, His parents and the visitors who witnessed the birth of Jesus. Only Mary, the mother of God, actually knew that her child was God and the long-prophesied messiah. Even she did not understand the details of His future mission or know

By Toni Ford Happy New Year! I would think that most of us are happy to see 2020 come to a close and a new year begin. Here at the beginning of a new month and a new year, many of us take time to reflect upon the previous year with what we have learned

By Vicki Scott Earlier this week I was looking at a framed quote that one precious and feisty lady made for me.  She told me to sit the quote on my desk where I work so I could see it all the time. Now that I think about it, she might have meant for me

By Andy Bedwell Let’s wind down from the hustle and bustle of the holidays with some quick breads and delicious muffins. Banana Muffins 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup pecans, chopped 3 large bananas, mashed 1 ¼ cup Crisco oil 3 eggs, beaten

By Danny Crownover The Vagabond has wanted for years to know more about Louis Hart, who owned the Bellevue Hotel and built a trolley line from downtown to Noccalula Falls. The answer came recently after some heavy research was done. It was often said that Hart moved up north, but that was not the case.

By Cole Frederick Friday, Jan. 1 Vrbo Citrus Bowl Auburn vs. Northwestern (-3.5). New head coach Bryan Harsin won’t take over for the bowl game, but he has been monitoring practices and making initial observations. Kevin Steele is the interim coach, and he’s tasked with preparing for a very good Northwestern team that played in

By Robert Halsey Pine “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common

By Toni Ford In Jonathan Cahn’s book, The Book of Mysteries, he shares a story about the “runner’s riddle.” The riddle goes like this: “Two men in a race. The first is a perfect runner, fast, strong, skilled and confident, one who only runs perfect races. The second is slow, clumsy, weak and unsteady. He’s

By Rosie Preston During this holiday season, I’d like to show my appreciation for the men and women who are employed at Sparks Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Clinic. Each day is brand new because the clinic treats so many patients. The clinic is a provider established in Rainbow City and specializes in physical therapy. In

By Vicki Scott We just experienced our first Christmas since I was born that my mother and father are celebrating without us. The Bible says that there are no more tears in heaven, but that is not the case here on earth. I feel so selfish in wanting to see my mother whole with everything

By Andy Bedwell Bring on the New Year with some delicious appetizers! Pecan Shrimp Dip 1 8-ounce carton sour cream 1 8-ounce cream cheese, softened ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped onion ½ cup roasted pecan pieces salt and pepper red pepper to taste juice of 1 lemon 4 ½ ounce cans of shrimp

By Andy Bedwell “I bring you good news that will be of great joy for all the people. Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:10-11 Homestyle Beef Casserole 1 pound ground chuck 1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and

By Rosie Preston Author’s note: this article was submitted by Gary and Joy Burt This is the season to be bombarded with trying to fulfill our loved one’s Christmas wishes. It is a wonderful time of year and I love to buy gifts, especially for the children. Most kids request what they have seen or

By Danny Crownover The Vagabond came across a true Christmas article originally written by local historian Marvin B. Small. It reads: “Back in the year 1895, there was a spot in West Gadsden that was known by old timers as Lovejoy’s Crossroads. In those days, Tuscaloosa Road (now Tuscaloosa Avenue), as it was then called,

By Robert Halsey Pine “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Luke 11:14-23 NRSV). Do we think of our relationship with God this way? Jesus is telling us in the above passage that a casual, on again-off again, friendship with Him won’t do. It is important

By Toni Ford Earlier this year, at the beginning of March when the coronavirus was deemed a pandemic, my first “go to” for prayer of protection from the virus for my family, friends and myself was Psalm 91. Since that time, we have continued to walk through even more difficulties of life. I am sure

By John Larkins Are you not feeling very saintly? Perhaps you do not know what Christ means by describing His mission on Earth as “Saving Mankind.” If you are judged fit for Heaven, I say that makes you a saint. For many thousands of years, the gates of Heaven had been closed by Adam and

By Robert Halsey Pine “This is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach one

By John Larkins God promised the Jews a Savior, indicating that although Moses gave them a structured organization for learning about and worshipping the one true God, this was not yet a path to salvation. We see that after trying eternal life with God, Adam and Eve spoiled salvation by sin. From that point on,

By Toni Ford The Gospel of Luke is the third gospel in the Bible and written by Luke himself, also known as the “beloved physician.” Since Luke was a trained physician, it comes as no surprise that he begins his book with detailed accounts of the births of two important babies, John the Baptist and

By Rosie Preston Many years ago, when my grown children were still young, Santa always paid a visit to our home on Christmas Eve. Now that I’ve gotten older, the last few years of Christmases have dwindled down to include only a few family members. The large family gathering and the feast my family prepared

By Andy Bedwell It’s holiday baking season! Baking in my kitchen has always been such a significant part of my holiday season. I love the smell of fresh cookies cooling on a rack or seeing the steam escape from a pie just out of the oven. But most of all, I love discussing recipes which