Opinions

Kay S. Pedrotti

For most of my life I have believed earnestly in the words of Abraham Lincoln in closing his Gettysburg Address: “… that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” I believed those words so much that once I got away from studying history regularly, I started thinking that they must be in the United States Constitution. Since they are not, I think they should be. [Full story »] 

By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com

The other Sunday, I was preaching about Jesus again. I seem to be stuck on that subject.

Anyway, the text was Matthew 13:1-23. In the first few verses, Jesus tells a crowd what is usually called the parable of the sower (although a better name is the parable of the soils). He just tells the story and leaves it hanging there. He offers no explanation or interpretation to the crowd, although he does later explain it to his disciples. [Full story »] 

By Greg Parrott

This week I will be taking my fourth trip to the great state of Michigan to visit my good friend Hondo Carpenter and take in my fourth Michigan State game. This game will be played in South Bend as the Spartans take on the Irish of Notre Dame. [Full story »] 

By Barbara Latta

This time of year is considered hurricane season. Pike County is not in a coastal area, but we can be affected by hurricanes that make landfall on the Georgia coast or in the panhandle of Florida.

Recent flooding in Louisiana has brought to light once again the importance of being prepared for any kind of emergency. [Full story »] 

By Greg Parrott

“If you are fortunate to have your mother alive, call her and tell her you love her. I’ve got to go for now, I’m going to see my mother.”

I’ve ended my columns with this statement for about six years. At 7:38 p.m. on August 13, my mother went to be with the Lord. I can no longer end my columns with this. [Full story »] 

By Beverly Brisendine

Recently David and I celebrated 50 years of marriage and instead of having a dinner party, our family sent us to the Biltmore Inn on the Biltmore Estates located in Asheville, N.C. It is a five star hotel and we enjoyed our luxurious stay there. We also had access to everything on the estate property including the Biltmore House. We had been many years before to see this mansion but something was just different about this trip.  [Full story »] 

By Keven Sasser,
Building Committee volunteer

We are excited to announce we have started pre-construction activities to build the replica of the Pitcairn Hangar. As many of you know, The Candler Field Museum Youth Aviation Program is a growing and thriving venture here at the Peach State Aerodrome. The youth meet with their mentors twice weekly, working out of the Doug Davis Hangar. They work with the mentors to restore airplanes and in doing so also earn hours toward obtaining a pilot’s license or a mechanic’s license. With more than 30 kids currently active in the program, we have a significant amount of momentum that has developed. This momentum comes from the initial and ongoing efforts of museum founder Ron Alexander as well as the efforts of all the volunteer mentors and leaders of the program. No one can deny this youth program has been an overwhelming success. [Full story »] 

By Barbara Latta

The nation is grieving. Too many times the call “Officer Down” has come over the airwaves with a cry for help.

Lives have been taken away in a moment through senseless acts driven by selfish cowards who had no regard for the life of another person. [Full story »] 

It’s August, the footballs are flying and, as they do every season, gridiron hopes spring eternal. [Full story »] 

By Ashley York

As little girls, we played dress up and put on princess dresses, nurse costumes, pretending to be vets, cowgirls, a dog walker, a teacher and anything else we could think of. Somewhere in our minds we had an idea of what we wanted to be when we grew up. When I was in third grade, I was in love with Hillary Duff. Because I adored her so much, I wanted to be a singer. I had it all planned out: I was going to dress just like her and have my own line of clothes at Kohl’s. Since then, of course, my plan has changed. But why do I always have to have a plan? [Full story »] 

By Ashley York

From the time we were born, we expected our parents, guardians, babysitters, grandparents, aunts, uncles and everyone in between to care for our every need. We were cute, snuggly babies at the time so of course we got what we wanted. We cried when we wanted to be held, fed or just because we wanted attention. [Full story »] 

By Ashley York

I recently watched a documentary about a lady from London who had a brain hemorrhage and lost the ability to read, some of her vision and simple cognitive functions. Lotje Sodderland was 34 when she had a stroke and had to start the learning process over. Before the stroke, she was in the film industry, so during her recovery process, Lotje recorded herself. After a year of treatments, staying in a neurological institution, crying, recognizing her improvement and regression and adapting to her new lifestyle, Lotje couldn’t be more thankful. [Full story »] 

By Greg Parrott

After living here in Pike County for 22 years, I can honestly say we have one of the friendliest counties in the state of Georgia. [Full story »] 

By Ben Maxedon

A Baylor University study finds that about 9 out of 10 Americans have relied on healing prayer at some point in their lives, with most of them praying for other people’s health and well-being more than their own. [Full story »]