Alabama Gazette - The people's voice of reason

This series on “Legacy: Outlive Your Life” will be a three part series focused on what I call “The Big Three Life/Legacy Questions”: 1.The Heart Question: Is my heart growing bigger? 2.The...

Two of my favorite truth quotes are: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” -Jesus, John 8:32 And … The Apostle Paul states, “ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices...

Over the years, I have witnessed hundreds of people fall away from God and the church. Many of these were avid believers that faithfully followed Jesus, passionately worshipped every Sunday and...

Congratulations to all the High School and College graduates! On behalf of all of us in the cities, towns and communities across Alabama, we honor your accomplishments, and we are proud of each of...

Would you love to experience fresh power in your life? You can! Many people feel powerless in so many areas of their lives. Many feel powerless to change their circumstances, their anxieties, their...

Everyone is betting their life on something! What are you betting your life on? I am betting my life on the fact that Jesus is who he said he is! “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes...

Would you say you are easily offended? Or would you say, like most people do, “I have thick skin so I am not easily offended.” But I would say to you that all of us can be offended, and all of us...

Marcus Luttrell, a former Navy Seal, wrote a book about the deadliest day in Navy Seal history. The book was entitled Lone Survivor and was later made into a very successful movie starring Matt...

In his book, The Purpose of Christmas, Rick Warren states, “Regardless of your background, religion, problems or circumstances, Christmas really is the best news you could get. Beneath all the...

Several years ago, I took my daughter on a medical mission trip to southern Zimbabwe. Ciara had just graduated from high school and was about to begin nursing school. We were working with our ministry...

In my life journey, I have discovered that attitudes and opportunities go hand in hand! We must seek to keep a good attitude in the midst of life’s ups and downs so that we can actually recognize...

I think one of my favorite U.S. Presidents would have to be Teddy Roosevelt. He was so full of life and accomplished a great deal. “The Man in the Arena” is also one of my favorite quotes: It is n...

The two biggest land deals in U.S. history almost never happened and many critics thought at the time that they were two of the worst mistakes in American history. How wrong the critics were…. The...

When I was in seminary I served as the Volunteers in Mission Coordinator for all the United Methodist volunteer mission teams that came to serve with the Methodist Church of Mexico. I served directly...

Here are three of my favorite reflections taken from my book: Perceptions, Collection of Favorites, Volume 2. Complain, Complain A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter...

John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement back in the 1700s, impacted the world and the church in ways that many people, even Christians, don’t really understand. Most haven’t a clue who...

Courage is defined as “the ability to control fear and to be willing to deal with and face something that is dangerous, difficult or unpleasant.” Another source defines courage as “the quality...

1. Speak to people. There is nothing as nice as a cheerful word or greeting. 2. Smile at people. It takes seventy-two muscles to frown, only fourteen to smile. 3. Call people by name. The sweetest...

On January 10, 2022, Georgia finally won the NCAA College Football Playoff by beating the University of Alabama in the National College Football Championship game. They are now the undisputed...

Get Outside I recently read that the average person spends 93% of their life indoors! Wow! That is unbelievable. And sad. That means that if you live to be 100 years old, you will have spent 93 of...

John’s version of the Christmas story begins like this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.Through Him all things...

“The wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Ecclesiastes 2:14 “For the evil person has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.” Proverbs 24:20 In his...

A young boy was the key witness in an important lawsuit. The attorney had put the boy through a rigorous cross-examination and had been unable to shake his concise, damaging testimony. He had given cl...

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day? Were you in the yard with your wife and children Or working on some stage in L.A.? Did you stand there in shock At the sight of tha...

Only four people ever successfully escaped to freedom from the federal prison on Alcatraz Island. The following story is an excerpt from my book, Free For All, which explores the different ways we...