Category Archives: Opinions
Imagine what we are missing every day
When we hold a tiny baby in our arms, do we consider how devoted they will be to God, or do we just see the natural and 
physical possibilities? As Christians, we have the opportunity to become as close to God and spiritually sensitive as we desire with the potential to discern wisdom that is hidden from our earthly understanding.
An important question is how many people, including all those tiny babies, will make the most important decision to follow this type of lifestyle? I realize it’s a sobering subject, but one that I believe is worth considering.
In Luke chapter 2, we read about an individual named Simeon who was a spiritually dedicated man of prayer and fasting as he is described in verse 25, “righteous and devout with the Holy Spirit upon him.” He was there when Mary and Joseph brought
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Filing your taxes on a cellphone
A recent newspaper story told of two senior women who were coaxed into an experiment e-filing their taxes on their cellphone 
and tablet.
E-filing apparently is becoming more and more popular, as 126 million people e-filed for the past tax year, and 85 million of those received faster direct deposit refunds because of it.
Would I do this, e-file on a handheld electronic device? No, I
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Spring’s arrival and promise of new life
It must have been around this time of year, some 400 years ago, that a fellow we know today as “Brother Lawrence” discovered the key to happiness.
In the spiritual classic, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” 
his biographer describes it like this: “In the winter, seeing a tree stripped of its leaves, and considering that within a little time, the leaves would be renewed, and after that the flowers and fruit appear, he received a high view of the Providence and Power of God, which has never since been effaced from his soul.
“This view had perfectly set him loose from the world, and kindled in him such a love for God, that he could not tell
Start working on those taxes
Every year that rolls around brings with it the uneasy foreboding of February, when the financial records for the 
previous year are in file folders stacked on the dining room table calling for action.
The file folders are in plain sight on one end of the table, and at every meal I can see them and hear them demanding to be dealt with.
The W-2s and receipts and records are all there, and everything is ready to go.
Everything, that is, except for me. The only thing lacking is the
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Fixing vet suicide with a task force
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to create a task force to address veteran suicide. He’s bringing out the big guns: the secretaries for a dozen government agencies will be on it.
The task force has been given one year to do the following: develop strategies to lower the rate of veteran suicides, design and propose to Congress a program of local grants, and develop a research strategy to improve coordination and monitoring.
The Department of Veterans Affairs was allegedly already
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Courier Letters to the Editor
School issues not rocket science
Dear Editor,
I read the op-ed by superintendent Dr. Danny Merck, touting his trip to Finland. Merck “discovered” the way to improve academic performance in Pickens County is by better feeding students, having them use their hands to build things, testing them less and increasing recess time.
Good grief. I can picture our rubberstamping school board nodding their heads in agreement to all of this nonsense.
According to the most recent S.C. Ready results, in Pickens County only 45 percent of the students read at or above grade level. How about focusing on teaching the students to better read instead?
Examining the most recent figures in our school district, K-12
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Not everyone can rise and shine
People come in two categories. Some people are larks, and some are owls. The world is geared to larks. These people spring from bed early each morning. They whistle on their way to get coffee and talk loudly and incessantly to others. They may be unaware that the one they’re having a monologue with is not even awake.
But that’s how larks are. Rise and shine. And that’s exactly what they do.
Now owls are a different breed. They don’t fully wake up before noon, even if they’ve been dragged from their warm and cozy beds by larks. Owls stumble around and drink coffee. They
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Letters to the Editor
Bullying
Dear Editor,
Bullying. Is your child at risk?
Are we too busy with everyday happenings to give attention to children to see the warning signs? Such signs as feelings of helplessness, loss of appetite and coming home with bruises or cuts — silent and withdrawn when normally happy and outgoing.
One in seven students in grades K-12 are victims of repeated bullying. No longer can they get away from it at home thanks to the internet. Bullies often go on to perpetrate violence later in life. Forty percent of boys who were bullies in grades six through nine had three or more arrests by age 30. One out of every 10 students who drop out
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
An eclipse of SC’s Sunshine laws
Remember the August 2017 solar eclipse that carved a path through South Carolina? Bright daylight gave way to shadows, which then gave way to total darkness. Within minutes, of course, a summer day 
was again put into the sun’s bright light.
Another eclipse seems to be taking place in the Palmetto State. In this case, it is what the public should be privy to that is being eclipsed. Private organizations that have received public funds, such as chambers of commerce, have been given a free
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
Just another ordinary day
It was an ordinary, uneventful Friday evening, cool and, of course, raining as it had every single miserable day for more than a week. As often happens on Friday evening, I was meeting a group of friends 
for supper at a fairly new restaurant. And I was looking forward to it.
I got into the car, pulled out into the driveway and headed toward town.
About halfway there, I thought I felt something brush against my foot. I thought it was the bottom of my jeans, but I was mistaken. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a mouse ran over my leg, raced across the gear stick and darted across the floor on the passenger side, escaping beneath the glove compartment. It was mousey in
You must be logged in to view this content.
Subscribe Today or Login
