Columnists

By Andy Bedwell How we Southerners love our sweets! If someone is having a hard time, you might carry them a cake or pie that you made yourself. It seems like a “little something sweet” is what we need at difficult times. At our Wednesday night suppers at Eastside Presbyterian Church, we knew each wonderful

By Danny Crownover Last week the Vagabond wrote part one of Gadsden native, Edward (Ed) L. Gamblin leaving for Germany as an American soldier in the  317th U.S Army Infantry Regiment April 11, 1945 was the day that Ed Gamblin was injured. It is not known exactly how. It is possible he fell or jumped

By Robert Halsey Pine “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. “ (Luke 24:13-35 NRSV). These two disciples on the road to Emmaus walked with Jesus, talked

By Toni Ford In the second chapter of Acts, we discover the first definition of the early church. Not only do we read about how it was formed but we see the qualities and characteristics that defined the New Testament church. Acts gives us the foundations of the early church. Acts 2:42-47 says, “All the

By Vicki Scott Now that my mother is enjoying her life in assisted living, I have had more time on my hands.  I’m so glad that the George Wallace Senior Center is a public place, as the people there sure know how to brighten my day. This time, Pat Hill, the director of the center,

By Danny Crownover America entered France in World War II with the D-Day landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944. Two months later on August 25, the Allies liberated Paris. In the skies over the Third Reich and the occupied countries, Allied air power wreaked havoc on the Wehrmacht, German industry and all lines of

By Andy Bedwell When the weather is cold or rainy, there’s nothing better than a bowl of steaming hot, hearty soup. When soups contain some amounts of fish, meat, milk, beans, or peas, they are filling enough to be the main part of a meal. They can also be served with a salad or sandwich.

By Robert Halsey Pine “…And he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called The Word of God…On his robe and on his thigh, he has a name inscribed, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’” (Revelation 19:11-16 NRSV). The

By Toni Ford Have you ever heard of the Book of Leviticus in the Bible? Some people might have heard of it, but like me, have not really spent much time reading it. In times past when I read Leviticus for my daily reading plan, I remember thinking that it was just a book written

By Vicki Scott Glencoe, the City of Patriotism, has taken a piece of my heart that I didn’t want her to have. I don’t know exactly where to start. I guess I could tell you it was with devastation in my soul that we moved here. I mean, I was a little excited and ready

By Andy Bedwell “What on earth can I feed them?” I am sure you know that thought very well. Even with a well-stocked pantry, the day called for soup. Try these soups. I think every-one will think that you have slaved for hours. Chicken Enchilada Soup 4-6 chicken breast, cooked and shredded 2-3 cans cream

By Craig Ford In a recent editorial, the Alabama Policy Institute (API) attempted to label four of the arguments against “school choice” as myths. I guess that’s what you have to do when the truth doesn’t fit your agenda. But the truth does need to be told, and the misinformation coming from the API needs

By Danny Crownover Jacob C. Lutes was born on Feb. 19, 1836 in Lafayette, Ga. He was the son of George Lutes (born 1793) and Mary Steele. Lutes later moved with his father to Cherokee Count just prior to 1850, where the younger Lutes met his first cousin, Sarah Elizabeth Steele, the daughter of Toliver

By Robert Halsey Pine “Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13 NRSV). Paul keeps reminding us that because we do not know all things, we

By Toni Ford When writing Psalm 19, David wanted to emphasize God’s revelations of Himself in creation, scripture and the human heart. C.S. Lewis referred to this Psalm by saying, “I take this (Psalm 19) to be the greatest poem in The Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” I have to

By Vicki Scott When someone wins a prize or is chosen for a treasured position, he or she is asked how they felt. Many times, I have heard the word ‘surreal:’ “This feels surreal” or “I feel surreal” or “It’s just surreal.” I recently looked up the meaning of ‘surreal,’ and I think I nailed

By Danny Crownover A blind tiger was an important source of revenue for some boats. An organization would reserve the vessel, hire a string band, pack food and drink if the steamer could not supply it and set off. Dancing was enjoyed in the saloon, while courting couples walked around the upper deck while being

By Andy Bedwell The tradition of making homemade treats for gifts is still alive and well in the South. I love making bars of any kind. They are so easy to make and so easy to serve. Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Bars 1/4 cup Crisco shortening 1/2 stick butter (room temperature) 1 cup sugar 1

By Toni Ford Genesis 8 is a chapter of hope, encouragement and rest after tribulation. In this chapter, we read about Noah, his family and the animals who have been on an ark for over a year due to a flood that destroyed the entire earth and everything living on it. These were dark times

By Robert Halsey Pine St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Galatians how to live in our complicated world: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book

By Vicki Scott Here in Glencoe, we have two dogs, even though I am a cat person. During my caregiving experience, I became attached to some border collies owned by the daughter of a client. Border collies are very smart, and I thoroughly enjoyed their entertainment. When given the chance, I got my own border

By Danny Crownover Back in 1882, the first prohibition law was forced upon Gadsden and Etowah County by a legislative act without vote of the people. Some of the events that followed included the advent of the blind tiger and its fellow traveler, the gambling house. Although Gadsden had 21 volunteer policemen who carried badges

By Andy Bedwell Food seems to always be a topic of conversation when my friends and family get together. Someone in the family always has some new recipe we all need to try, or we are talking about a new restaurant that’s just opened and finding out if anyone’s been there yet. I have found

By Robert Halsey Pine “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (2 Corinthians 11:21b-33 NRSV). Was Paul willing to testify against himself? I guess that some Christian testimony and witnessing is just that. It’s telling a story about one’s self that shows a weakness and how God has

By Toni Ford This week’s devotion is actually one I saw written by Sylvia Gunter with “The Father’s Business.” Sylvia is an incredible woman of God and has written several books and Bible study curriculum. You can read more about Sylvia and her ministry at www.thefathersbusiness.com. I love Genesis 1:27 and personally believe it is

By Vicki Scott The George Wallace Senior Center in Glencoe was invaded by yours truly on Jan. 9, and I am so glad I showed up and surprised the residents! Not only did I enjoy seeing everyone (as I always do), I found out some information that might be useful. A gentleman named Greg Lawrence

By Andy Bedwell No fancy restaurant could have possibly offered up food as delicious as what we had. This is what I often think of when I eat in most places. At our family Decoration Day in May every year, we would always meet at the cemetery for a brief sermon and sing wonderful old

By Robert Halsey Pine “The work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done.” (1 Corinthians 2:14 – 3:15 NRSV). The foundation has been laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. Paul

By Toni Ford I love the story of the lost sheep in Luke 15: 1-7, maybe because I can relate so easily to this story. Like sheep, we have a tendency to go astray and get lost because of our own foolishness. This is why sheep need a shepherd so that the shepherd can find

By Vicki Scott A while back my husband and I had the honor of watching our first grandchild, Saylor Rhea. We were so excited and had made all kinds of plans. I was inspired by a sweet lady at church who does “Nana Camp” every summer with her grandkids. Our first day consisted of going