Opinion Archive

It amazes me how a small, unrelated stimulus sparks a memory. A recent, unrelated conversation with a store clerk brought to mind my call to ministry.

I sensed the call about thirty-seven years ago, mere months after coming to faith in Christ. Sunday evening services were the norm for churches and the guest speaker that night was a missionary the congregation supported.

Our reporter and team member, Ken Garner contributed the following one of our other newspapers, and I’m sharing it this week in my column.

This week (Oct. 2-8) is National Newspaper Week and, while it’s relatively anonymous as far as “holidays” go, it is a great time to consider just how important local newspapers are to communities across our nation and the world.

Did you know the Iranian President commented on the Holocaust at a “CBS 60 Minutes” interview recently?

Israelis rightfully outcried!

On 9/19/22 The Washington Post had an article in their Magazine section by Robert O’Harrow, Jr., “The World’s Oldest Winged Insect is in Trouble. How Frightened Should We Be?”

When I moved to an apartment complex in 2019 there would occasionally be blue herons and white egrets feeding in the retention pond which had a frog chorus at night. Then the chorus of frogs was not as loud. Then the wading birds were there no more. Then one night recently there was silence broken only occasionally by a single croak.

One of the coolest things about social media is seeing the highlight videos that athletes post.

It really gives you an inside look into how hard they truly work at their craft.

I hadn’t checked my mailbox at the post office in a few days, so it was rather full.

I set about trying to remove its contents but complicating the job was a small, stout envelope. It was the lynchpin to the jam and had to be removed first.

One of our core values at the Navarre Press is that we are not here for us. Rather, we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.

I stay pretty connected to the athletes I cover, especially with social media now such a prevalent part of our lives, and they will often reach out and let me know they appreciate everything I do.

“All you preachers ever talk about is money,” a man complained having just sat through my once-a-year sermon on giving.

Clearly, giving was a sensitive subject for that man, as it is for many. It seems that all the preaching on giving, including the televangelists’ shameless shakedowns, is balled together and attributed to every preacher.

I still remember my first week at the Navarre Press and the time I reached out to Navarre girls soccer coach Rob Simon about getting stats on his team as it prepared for a tournament game.

He shared the stats but also noted in his email that John Richardson, a freelance writer for our paper, is “their guy” when it comes to girls soccer coverage.

Cooler temperatures are here and that means the bears are on the move. According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, (FWC) our black bears are joining their northern cousins in fattening up for the winter.

Black bears eat up to 20,000 calories a day in the fall. That means, they will be on the move and searching for good food “grub” even more than usual.