Category Archives: Opinions
Gift giving this year?
A show of hands, please: How many of us are already in a panic about just how we’re going to give holiday gifts to our family and friends this year? With the costs of 
everything seeming to go up by the day, how are we going to manage to stretch our budgets to include
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The easy way is not God’s way
Seeking comfort and not being willing to stand against sin leaves us lukewarm and vulnerable to defeat and destruction. Christians who avoid getting their hands dirty 
with prayer and obedience might have religious knowledge, but are developing spiritual muscle atrophy. If we stay on the couch and only eat rich
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Courier Letters to the Editor 10-22-25
Compromise is governing
Dear Editor,
Compromise is not weakness — it is the foundation of governing. Since the Constitution was written, compromise has been essential. It gave us two houses of Congress in 1787.
In 2010, the Affordable Care Act was itself a compromise: Democrats wanted universal healthcare, Republicans opposed it. The result? Americans gained coverage for pre-existing conditions, young adults stayed on their parents’ plans until age 26, and mental health care finally achieved parity with physical health care. While Republicans still
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Be careful choosing with your ancestors
Deuteronomy 4: 9 “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the 
days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.”
Have you ever wished you could have chosen your ancestors? Perhaps you’ve looked in a mirror and
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Dealing with food recalls
It’s impossible to say exactly what’s going on, but lately there are problems with our food supply, one after the other. Listeria and salmonella are at the top of the list.
Listeria shows up in water, waste and the soil and ends up in our meat, fresh produce and dairy products.
Some say the rising number of cases of listeria are because we’re eager to grab ready-to-
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Mayor: City is steady, responsible and proud
When I talk about the strength of Pickens, I’m not just talking about our spirit — I’m talking about our finances, too. A strong city needs both. And I’m proud to say that in 2025, the city of Pickens is in better 
financial shape than it’s been in many years.
If you’ve been following along with city council meetings or reading the budget summaries, you’ve seen the change for yourself. If you’ve been listening to some on social media more concerned with creating drama than knowing or telling the truth, you might think the city is on its last legs. They are talking about the past and ignoring the progress of the last two years.
Back in 2023, our general fund budget was overspent by around
Find your challenge
Philippians 4:12-13 “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
One of life’s greatest rewards is to find a challenge, study it, work it and achieve it! To be challenged is to be motivated. Motivation is the key to action and ultimately success and that great feeling of accomplishment.
Unchallenged people may be sad and have not a clue why. An uncle retired from an automotive plant in Ohio and moved back to
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It is faith that builds peace
There is a fundamental relationship between faith and peace. We are told that the harvest of faith is peace. But what is the nature of this peace and how do we understand it?
First and most importantly, there is peace that results from relationship with God, which is the very foundation of faith itself; this means the knowledge of God, devotion and servitude to Him. This peace is transcendent, eternal, and beyond any limitations of materiality. It is the Light of the holy spirit that emanates from God and illumines our hearts; it flows to our being as we turn obediently to Him, conferring on us an inner state of faith and peace.
An obligatory and inseparable aspect of this peace, is being at peace with each other. In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that God loves and blesses peacemakers, and calls them His children. This implies that relationship to
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The devastating effects of deception
For the next couple of weeks, I want to talk about the secret chambers of our conscience that contains our thoughts, emotions, attitudes, convictions and basically who we really are.
Some will say they wear their feelings on their sleeves and how transparent they are to everyone. I admire these individuals as they seem to have a personality that is open, humble and honest with nothing to hide.
However, just because a person allows themselves to be fearless and
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Local papers keep communities strong
Strong communities don’t just happen. They rely on connection—residents knowing what’s going on, 
businesses reaching the customers who keep them open and citizens having the facts to make good decisions. Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can.
In today’s fractured media environment, trust is the rarest commodity. Confidence in “the media” is low. Only 18 percent of Americans say they trust news on social platforms and fewer than one in four trust cable networks. But nearly two-thirds say they trust their local newspaper—more than double the confidence placed in most other outlets.
In an era when anyone can post anything online, that clarity makes newspapers stand apart.
Newspapers provide the facts that keep civic life running: city budgets, school board debates and local elections that rarely make national headlines but matter most to daily life. They also highlight the
