Opinion Archive

Navarre and Santa Rosa County are always busy places and having a tropical storm peeking at us always dials that up.

We spent time looking at Tropical Storm Fred, which could have gone anywhere, but did not choose us. We got lucky and hours after it made landfall in Cape San Blas, the sun was shining over Navarre’s beautiful beaches.

I’ve noticed lately that people tend to take what the non-experts have to say and view it as the truth.

It doesn’t matter how ridiculous the opinion might be.

There is the often-quoted biblical admonition “By your fruits you will be known,” which commonly comes up when discussing behavior.

In other words, a reputation will ultimately be based on the deeds and accomplishments of an individual, family or group.

Growing up in what is now a bursting-at-the-seams Chicago suburb, I lived next door to a cottage without indoor plumbing.

The cottage had been the goat shed of the homestead in our rural area and, as children, we were fascinated by its primitive plumbing.

One challenge of preaching is finding interesting, real-life sermon illustrations to aid the hearers’ understanding.

Recently, I was provided with one such illustration as I was preaching. My sermon was about Jesus walking on water as recorded in the Gospel of Mark.

It’s hard to miss the fact that school is back in session and school zone lights are flashing again.

The need to slow down to allow safe transportation of area students can’t be over-emphasized. Yes, it makes all of our drives longer, but we need to take care of each other.

As a citizen of Okaloosa County, residing in the extreme southwest corner of the county, I conduct most of my life’s activities in Santa Rosa County (SRC) due to proximity.

I shop in Navarre & Gulf Breeze and attend church & frequent the beaches in Navarre.

While society fights over what’s being taught in schools, what political candidates deserve support and what opinion is the right one when it comes to the pandemic, just remember it’s the simple things that matter most.

With a few seconds of his time, a former Navarre Raider football player made the day of a child fighting a serious illness.

Instead of being angry and frustrated that the COVID world is once again closing in on us, I’m focusing on those months when I wasn’t worried every time I coughed.

I am one of the 70% of Americans who got vaccinated and felt relief, along with a handful of uncomfortable side effects in the immediate aftermath.

As July fades into August, more residents are questioning how the trees in their home landscapes would fair in a tropical storm or hurricane.

Some have a high potential to cause problems, other like the Southern Live Oak are less likely to damage structures.