Category: Editorials

I had the wonderful privilege of spending last week at Florida Christian Writers Conference, on the beautiful Lake Yale campus. Yearly, I plan for and anticipate this trip and depend on this…

As Jesus makes a topical transition in His sermon on the mount, He now informs His listeners that they are not to “practice [their] righteousness before men to be noticed by them”…

During the hot days of this past summer I often told people to remember that “October’s coming.” This was my way of assuring folks who may have been uncomfortable with the heat…

Nelson A. Pryor: Guest Columnist “Bid farewell to the Southern twang.” “Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But Georgians are high-tailing away from that grits-and gravy drawl faster than a scalded dog.”…

This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to come home for the first time since school started. I needed a reset, and being with my family helped tremendously. While at home,…

“Hi, Emma. I’m calling to see how you’re doing.” “I’m doing okay. Thanks for checking.” Her voice was somber but strong. “It’s been tough. My car broke down – again. But the…

The Middle East is aflame again. On Saturday, October 7 (Yom Kipper Sabbath), Hamas launched an attack from their border into Southern Israel. They came on all modes of transportation to largely…

My sons were invited to a birthday party at a skating rink. Immediately, I was taken back to middle school, back when rollerblades were the best thing ever. My brother could rollerblade….

If one is to have a righteousness that surpasses the righteousness of the “scribes and Pharisees,” then they must use “the heavenly Father” as their example. This is the conclusion Jesus reaches…

I am sometimes reminded that I am not nearly as young as I once was. That was once again brought to my attention last weekend. I had my 45th reunion with the…

Nelson A. Pryor: Guest Columnist “First comes the jolt,” says Michael Farris, of his 1980 experience as his oldest daughter began attending kindergarten at an elementary school in eastern Washington State. Farris…

This Sunday was a special church/spiritual day for me. It was the first time that I’ve been to church on my own, which was somewhat intimidating. However, my church is my home…

For almost 30 years, I struggled with clinical depression and suicidal thoughts. For 26 of those years, I was a born-again, Bible-believing Christian.  Which means, off and on, for 26 years, I…

In his 1932 campaign for president, Franklin Roosevelt frequently invoked the theory of the “forgotten man,” someone poor and dispossessed, left adrift in the wake of the Great Depression. FDR said, “These…

I decided to apply the vinyl lettering to my stairs today. Sixteen stairs couldn’t take that long—two hours, tops. I rolled out the scripture on the table and cut out the phrases…

In His sixth “You have heard it said,” quotation, Jesus is telling the crowd that they must love not only their friends, relatives and fellow citizens; but, they must also love their…

When I was a younger lad in elementary school, I was always pretty good at spelling. In fact, subjects such as English and language arts were always much easier than the more…

Nelson A. Pryor: Guest Columnist No more “Big Bend Community?” That’s what Judge J. Lee Marsh, of the Tallahassee part of the State 2nd Circuit Court declared. The judge’s Sept. 2, 2023…

I woke up the first day of October and searched through my closet. There, on my top shelf, was my pink shirt. I changed my wedding band out for a pink silicone…

Shortly after Hurricane Idalia paid our area a visit, some of the talking heads in the national media began preaching doom and despair for the folks in Madison and Taylor Counties. It…