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Believers must examine both motives and actions

Local Columns

Max Lucado tells the story of Charles Robertson in his book, In the Grip of Grace. Robertson entered the Jefferson State Bank in Virginia Beach and filled out a loan application. But instead of waiting for his loan to be approved, Robertson went back to the bank a couple of hours later with a pistol and a note demanding money. Halfway to his getaway car, Robertson realized that he’d left the note with the teller and he went back in and grabbed it. When he returned to the car, Robertson remembered that he’d left the car keys on the bank counter. Instead of going into the bank again, ...

Backyard Gardener: Taking care of your lawn during the fall months

Home and Garden

Editor's note: This column originally appeared in the Sept. 12, 2025, edition. Hello Mid-Ohio Valley farmers and gardeners! When you clean up the garden, it is a good idea to plant a cover crop. Winter wheat is ideal for our area. Broadcast three to four pounds per 1,000 square feet in the garden. Cover crops increase soil fertility by adding organic matter, controlling soil erosion, choking out weeds, scavenging nitrogen and limiting the spread of certain diseases and insects in the soil. This week I want to talk about fall lawn care. September is the ideal time for almost all lawn ...

Resistance is futile, but surrender brings peace

Local Columns

There’s some disagreement, but many Bible scholars believe Amenhotep II was the Pharaoh of Egypt during Israel’s Exodus. By the time of the Exodus, Amenhotep had successfully completed 3 military campaigns against Syria, and he’d built a reputation for himself as a master mariner, able to captain a ship on the high seas. Amenhotep also proclaimed himself the best archer and horseman in Egypt, and no one wanted to challenge the king about that! Amenhotep reigned supreme, until Moses showed up. Understandably, Amenhotep didn’t want to grant Moses’ request that Israel be released ...

You don’t have to be a jerk to live a good life

Local Columns

In his book, Don’t Let the Jerks Get the Best of You, Dr. Paul Meier defines a jerk as “someone who selfishly uses or abuses other human beings, animals, or the environment.” Dr. Meier calculates that approximately 40% of the population qualify as 1st Degree Jerks. They’re good people who do unto others as they would have others do to them but, on occasion, selfish behaviors creep through despite their best intentions. Another 40% of the population ranks as 2nd Degree Jerks, people who are sometimes intentionally selfish. These folks manipulate and control others to their own ...

Real disciples never quit, they “remain”

Local Columns

Back in 1915, Ladies World magazine named Francis X. Bushman “the most handsome man.” Bushman’s looks earned him a great living. As a model, he cleared about $250 a week. But Bushman’s agent, David Freedman, saw an opportunity for greater wealth. Freedman said that if he could get Bushman into the movies (silent films were becoming very popular at that time), “the sky was the limit.” Since the studios wanted talent with a dedicated following, Freedman came up with a plan to convince the movie producers that Bushman drew large crowds. Freedman met Bushman at Grand Central ...

Early Marietta: Henry the Dreamer and the WASHINGTON, Part 2

Local Columns

On Monday evening June 3, 1816, Henry Shreve's new steamboat WASHINGTON, built at Wheeling, cast off on its long maiden journey to New Orleans. She was built along Wheeling Creek; wood for the boat came from old Fort Henry. Florence Dorsey, Henry's daughter, in Master of the Mississippi: (She) sat on the water like a great aquatic bird...Niles' Weekly Register: She is 148 feet in length. Her main cabin is sixty feet; she has three handsome private rooms, besides a commodious bar room. She is furnished in very superior style...'" Shreve's years on the river had taught him the engineering ...