Opinion

Since the shootings at the Kennett American Legion occurred, I have been inundated with phone calls, emails and texts concerning the incident. Almost all of them involve blame. Who’s to blame? Citizens are demanding answers. There’s a lot of finger pointing going on folks, but I’m here to tell you that blaming is not the answer...

Last week’s Living in the Word column presented the Old Testament Reading for the First Week in Lent, according to the popular Three-Year Lectionary Series, Year B, with Abraham’s obedience to the command by Yahweh (God) for Abraham to sacrifice his beloved and only son, Isaac. ...

When my oldest child was about 4 years old, one of my fondest memories of Greg is his love of reading. He had a bookcase in his room filled with books and a little rocking chair next to it. Many afternoons he would sit in his chair and pull book after book off the shelf to “read”. ...

“And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.” (Luke 7:16) The above verse tells us that the people of Israel glorified God because of what Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth (Matthew 21:11), had done. ...

Over the last four years, many seniors and investors could see their 401k’s growing, but with the recent changing of the guard, so to speak, will those retirement investments continue to grow, and will that be enough? For many seniors who are in their 80’s and 90’s, their Social Security checks amount to very little because the wage earned during their working years, although a lot at the time, amounts to very little today. ...

Affordable energy is important for our entire country, but it’s especially important where we live – for families, farmers, manufacturers, and small business owners. Unfortunately, President Biden has started his administration off with a rush to reinstate some of the worst Obama-era energy policies. These are policies that will destroy jobs, raise costs, and make us less competitive at a time when we’re fighting for our economy...

I usually write on all things local, but the news across our nation has caught my attention and I feel the need to share my thoughts. First, the winter storm. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the folks in Texas. I’m not concerned, at this moment, who’s to blame for the power grid issues, but believe me there’s a lot of blame to go around...

An Old Testament reading for Lent is from Genesis 22:1–18, which tells of Abraham’s obedience to God’s command, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” Abraham followed God’s instructions, as he “bound Isaac his son and laid him atop the wood”. ...

Long before children enter school and begin formal instruction, they can and should begin developing the basic language skills needed to become readers. These pre-literacy skills include letters, sounds, speaking, listening and understanding that the printed word has meaning...

“Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.” (Luke 7:39) The Pharisee mentioned in the scripture above is Simon. ...

Over the last week and going into this week, we are seeing record freezing temperatures for the mid-south, causing the inability to travel on roadways both in the city and rural areas. These extreme temperatures are dangerous, especially for the elderly. Because of financial restrictions, many seniors do not keep their homes warm enough, do not keep extra food in the pantry, nor keep their homes in good enough repair to keep them safe from the chilling temperatures...

Voltaire once wrote, common sense is not so common. Amen. It becomes more apparent everyday just how much society is lacking in good old common sense. After asking a few of my friends and searching on the web I have compiled a few examples concerning this vital subject...

The Christian Church Year calendar begins with Advent (December) preparing for the coming Messiah. Next is Christmas—God becomes Man, then the day of the Epiphany—the God-Man prophesied and certified by God the Father. Then comes Lent—the 40-day season of repentance, preparing our hearts for Holy Week, the Passion of the Christ. ...

Whether people celebrate Valentine’s Day or not, they are still bombarded with heart-shaped everything, teddy bears and romantic gestures almost everywhere they go. For those who have had enough heart-shaped everything to last them throughout the year, they may decide to stay home on Valentine’s Day. However, that doesn’t mean they have to be alone – they could be kept company by some books that turn the romance trope completely on its head...

“O Israel, trust thou in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. O house of Aaron, trust ye in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield. Ye that fear Jehovah, trust in Jehovah: He is their help and their shield.” (Psalms 115:9-11, ASV) From the above scripture, we see the following phrase repeated three times, “He is their help and their shield”. Israel, the Aaronic priesthood and those who fear God are commanded to trust in Jehovah...

For years I’ve seen many seniors taken advantage of by disreputable contractors, including my own parents many years ago. The elderly are a target for fraudsters who claim to be contractors. They take advantage of seniors who have little savings to spare for home repairs. ...

I love music. I love a variety of music genres. In fact, I made my living for many years in the music business. Music makes me happy. Music relaxes me. It stirs up memories and it unifies people. Looking back at our history, it always has. To say we continue to struggle with race relations is an understatement, but music has always brought us together...

Marvin Olasky is editor-in-chief of my favorite magazine, “World”, which is a great source of news from the Biblical Christian perspective. He will confess to making secular conservatives angry at times because they may see his suggested solutions as tepid, weak responses to the growing threat to decency, rationality, and general sanity here in the United States. ...

Honesty is indeed the best policy. Honesty is best because God demands it from us as we live our daily lives, and deal with others. Jacob, the son of Isaac in order to escape his brother Esau’s wrath, went to Haran to live with his mother’s brother, Laban. ...

According to the Center for Disease Control, heart disease is still the leading cause of death of Americans in the United States. They estimate that one person dies every 36 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease, and approximately 655,000 Americans die from heart disease each year, that’s one in every four deaths. ...

The longer I am married, the more apparent it becomes, that I am very dependent on my wife. I was single for quite awhile before I married Holly and got along vey nicely. I lived outside of a large city in a nice little community. There was an old victorian style house that had been made into apartments...

My father was a pastor who had great patience with me, his youngest son, as I was always following him around, asking questions. His church was liberal mainline, but he believed that the Holy Bible is God’s self-revelation of Himself and us, His beloved creation, we humans. ...

My Daddy would often reminisce of gathering soda bottles with his brothers and selling them in town so they could go to the Saturday afternoon picture show. Pop Palmer’s farm and home was about a mile or so from the main street in Senath, but Daddy, Uncle Lem, and Uncle James didn’t mind if they got to see a “shoot ‘em up” and get some popcorn. ...

God himself spoke the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai. The Israelites were afraid, and asked Moses to speak God’s words to them. (Exodus 20:1-17, 19-22) We are told in Exodus 24:3-4, “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD … and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD …” (Exodus 24:3-4)...

It seems that every time the phone rings a recording lets you know that the limited warranty on your 20-year-old car is about to expire, or perhaps your social security number has been compromised. What ever the reason, fraudsters are getting more and more creative each day, especially during a pandemic. However, there are many ways to protect yourself, and AARP always has some good advice to avoid the tricksters and keep your savings where it belongs…in your bank account...