The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1152 - 1176 of 1192
On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation to give Alabama parents more choices on where they send their child to school. HB129 – The CHOOSE Act – passed in the Alabama House of Representatives. Alabama Republican leaders were quick to praise the House for passage of the number one legislative agenda item for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R). House Bill 129 was sponsored by State Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville). "Here in Alabama, we are working hard to ens...
On Saturday, February 17 State Representative Jim Carns (R-Vestavia Hills) and State Senator Dan Roberts (R-Mountain Brook) reflected on the first two weeks of the 2024 Alabama Regular Legislative Session in comments made to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club (MARC). The Alabama House of Representatives had passed a controversial gambling legalization bill on Thursday so that topic dominated much of the conversation. Former State Representative Paul DeMarco (R-Homewood) moderated the event. "It...
On Wednesday U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) released a statement thanking Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) for his years of service as the leader of the Senate Republicans. This was in response to the announcement that he will step down from his leadership position at the end of the year. "Today, we congratulate and thank one of Alabama's greatest native sons. We're incredibly grateful for Leader McConnell's decades of service and leadership for our country," said Sen....
Unexpectedly, the Alabama Supreme Court decision declaring that an invitro fertilization child is a person and thus protected under Alabama has become the most vexing issue before the Legislature in the 2024 Alabama Regular Legislative Session/ Earlier this week, House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) introduced legislation that would overturn that ruling in order to allow fertility clinics to continue to operate in the state of Alabama. Most closed just days after the February 23...
On Wednesday, the Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Auburn Tigers in Tennessee. The matchup between two top two top twenty Basketball teams had national rankings ramifications as Auburn entered the game at number 11 and Tennessee at number 4 in the nation. The win means that Tennessee is still in the running for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. “It was a really good contest” said Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl. “Two really good teams who wanted to win it really badly. We did enough thing...
On Thursday, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) announced that Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) will deliver the Republican Address to the Nation following President Joseph R. Biden’s (D) State of the Union address next Thursday, March 7: “Americans are struggling amid a border catastrophe, crushing inflation, an increasingly dangerous world, and fears about a President not up to the task,” said Speaker Johnson. “Agai...
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) spoke at two campaign events in Houston and Baldwin Counties recently to support Congressman Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) in the March 5 Republican primary. Jordan was the Founding Chairman of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. He is also the current Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Barry Moore represents Alabama on the Judiciary Committee. Moore is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, and he was a vocal supporter of Jordan's bid to be the S...
Independent Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. visited Tuscaloosa last month. Kennedy, the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy Sr. and the nephew of former President John F. Kenney (D) is an environmental lawyer and former Congressman. Kennedy spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of approximately 180 college students at the University of Alabama. Kennedy previously lived in Alabama when he ran a presidential campaign for his Uncle Senator Teddy Kennedy (R-Massachusetts). As most of...
It’s been a season of hard-charging faith documentaries, including “The Secrets of Hillsong” and “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets." Both saddened me. I never watched any of the Duggar series on TLC, though I was aware of the basic plot through word-of-mouth. The “Shiny” documentary intertwines with the ministry of Bill Gothard, the Duggar’s mentor, with whom I’m more familiar. Gothard was popular in the faith community of the 80s and 90s. A pastor friend encouraged us, his pulpit broth...
Fifteen members of the Church of the Nazarene, most from the Alabama South District, visited Cuba on a “Work and Witness” mission in June. We were able to provide labor and supplies to assist with painting and refurbishing a church in the Havana area of Juanelo, as well as experience the people, culture, and country of Cuba. Visiting with the pastors of numerous churches throughout Cuba provided the opportunity to reflect on the work of the Church in the world. Witnessing first-hand the imp...
May 2 was the National Day of Prayer when we pause to thank God for our nation, seek forgiveness for our sins and ask his guidance in the future. There were at least two major proclamations before the event was formalized. The Continental Congress called the colonies to pray in 1775, and President Lincoln asked the nation to pray in 1863. Our modern observance was created in 1952 under President Truman and amended under President Reagan in 1988 to fall on the first Thursday in May. Every preside...
The recent tornado in Lee County, Alabama, was devastating with 23 lives lost—several in a single family. How sad that things changed for these residents in such a short time. U.S. presidents are expected to make appearances following disasters in order to boost morale. We remember President Obama touring Tuscaloosa with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley in 2011. Likewise, President and Mrs. Trump visited the Auburn area to survey damage and offer encouragement. The president received criticism for a...
A friend kept encouraging me to read “The Shack” so I could discuss it with her. I told her I don’t read much fiction and kept putting her off. But I found the DVD at the local library last week and watched this version of William P. Young’s 2007 book. I must say, though the viewing took two nights, it was hard to hit “pause” and go to bed! “The Shack” deals with tragedy when a little girl is kidnapped and murdered. In this regard, the book isn’t sugar-coated. Tragedy is part and parcel of life,...
Where has the summer gone? Area schools open their doors again soon, to the chagrin of many students and to the delight of many parents. It was always a depressing time for me as a child when the more relaxed summer schedule was done! Christians go to school, too, for the New Testament calls us “disciples.” This word has two meanings: to follow and to learn. As someone noted, the followers of Christ are branded on their ears and feet, for we hear his voice and we follow him. Jesus, the master te...
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to celebrate our first 100 years of independence. Lady Liberty is 305 feet tall--the height of a 22 story building. It arrived by ship in 214 crates and was painstakingly constructed in New York harbor. Many of us remember the rededication of the monument in 1986. Former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca headed an effort to raise money for extensive reworking. President Reagan superintended the ceremony of rededication. He lauded the American republic that is...
It’s among the shortest verses in the New Testament, and it’s also filled with some mystery. Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Mrs. Lot is a minor figure in the Old Testament. We don’t even know her name. We only know she looked back at the burning Sodom and died Some believe this word is about disobedience; that is, God told Lot’s family not to look back and that’s all we need to know. In this regard, it would be like our first parents in Eden who were told not to eat of the tree...
I first heard the story years ago on Christian television when the author, Bob Benson of Nashville Christian music fame, told it. He called it the baloney sandwich story. And it's still a good one. A man had to work half a day one Saturday and belatedly remembered the church picnic was that afternoon at City Park. Since he lived alone and didn't cook much, all he found in the refrigerator was a crinkled piece of baloney and just enough mustard in the bottom of the jar to get it all over his...
The ancient patriarch Job felt all alone in his suffering. He said, “Oh, that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat (Job 23: 2)! I’ve heard people echo Job’s lament over the years. “Where is God when I need him?” or “God doesn’t hear my prayers!” or “What did I do to deserve this?” We’re human and forsakenness is a common emotion in our humanity. “Nobody knows the sorrow I’ve seen,” the old spiritual says. But we find an interesting take from the apologist C. S. Lewis...
Karen Carpenter was the preeminent voice of the 70s. Along with her brother Richard she sold 160 million record albums. Karen sang love songs. “We’ve Only Just Begun” has been used at countless weddings over the years since she introduced it to the world. But in his book, “Little Girl Blue,” Randy L. Schmidt revealed that Karen Carpenter searched for love and never seemed to find it. Another of her songs is autobiographic: “I'll say goodbye to love / no one ever cared if I should live or die...
He was deacon chairman in the church when I became the pastor. I was young and impressionable, and he made an impression on me. I still quote Horace, though he's been in heaven for many years, when I jokingly refer to the Sunday worship guide as the "bullington" as he did. Horace had a sense of humor, but everyone knew he loved the Lord and his church. One day his wife Ruth told me the season of the year we were in at the time--summer--was particularly hard for Horace. I asked her what she...
We'll soon hear about the new president's "first 100 days." Writer Thurston Clarke published a history in 2013 not of the president’s first 100 days, but of his last 100 days. The president is John Kennedy and the book documents what JFK was doing day-by-day before the tragedy of Dallas. Clarke pulled together narratives from many sources and many cities. The reader feels a sense of dread as the days tick by and November 22 approaches. An intriguing aspect of this book is the initiatives Kennedy...
I traveled to a Tennessee prison last weekend to visit a cousin. My sister engineered our trip, and we picked up our cousin's brother en route and had a nice day, despite the major purpose of our excursion. I learned that other family members had been reluctant to go through the process of approval and to visit. I remembered once hearing a radio host fielding a call from a lady who'd distanced herself from relatives who had a family member in jail. "I don't want to be around them and I don't...
A former Nashville studio musician spoke to a group of church leaders in our city recently. He told us a little about his time in "Music City" and how decisions are made about what music to produce and sell. He said other than Bill Gaither's Homecoming music, the industry is producing only the so-called "praise and worship" music now. This music focuses on the majesty of God and is normally addressed to God the father or another member of the holy trinity. I say "so-called" praise and worship...
I heard about a presumably wealthy Texas cattle ranch owner who boasted about his holdings. When asked how he got such a big ranch, he replied that he bought up a bunch of smaller ranches and made them into one bigger ranch. He said he kept the names and made the new ranch a composite of them all. Thus he owned the "Lazy J Rolling S Mighty Texas Bar Seven Triple L Buffalo Nickel" cattle ranch. "Well, how many head of cattle do you own?" his friend asked. "Only seven," he replied. "I had a lot...
I went to the business office to get a purchase order for office supplies; I think it was a box of file folders or paper clips, and the attendant questioned me like I was Oliver Twist asking for more gruel! I felt anything like a professional. My face began to burn and I stepped outside before saying something I might regret. Most of us have been in similar situations and know the body language of anger. Our face flushes, our jaws tighten, our eyes become narrow slits and often our voices are...
