Plein air ‘paint out’ captures county’s beauty
| | | |

Plein air ‘paint out’ captures county’s beauty

There were few if any pictures of working oystermen in the collection this year, as Apalachicola Bay remains closed. But that certainly didn’t mean that the vibrancy of the county’s people, young and old, and its rich legacy and future promise were captured in oil paints, watercolor and pastels. The 18th annual Forgotten Coast en…

Eastpoint artist expands egg decorating tradition
| |

Eastpoint artist expands egg decorating tradition

Pysanka, the Ukrainian tradition of egg decorating, will enliven the Easter holiday in the Panhandle with a special exhibit in Panama City throughout April of the works of an Eastpoint artist. Gary Carroll, a master of the art of using the wax-resistant method to inscribe folk designs on eggshells, has modernized and expanded his repertoire…

The Braxtons mark their anniversary together apart
| |

The Braxtons mark their anniversary together apart

On Sunday, Buddy Braxton brought flowers for his wife Betty on the occasion of their 66th wedding anniversary. When she saw him come inside to the St. James Health and Rehabilitation Center, their daughter Amy Cook said her mom “got this big smile and her eyes lit up and she put her arm around daddy.”…

How much does it mean to you?
|

How much does it mean to you?

R.A. Tea Mathews | Guest Columnist All the Black men I know call one another “brothers.” In the early church, Paul referred to Christians as “brothers.” However, in my church, “brothers” mean something entirely different. Say that word and everyone knows who you mean—Mark, Merrel, and Michael, born two years apart. Older members call them…

Using the cell phone wisely
|

Using the cell phone wisely

Michael J. Brooks | Guest Columnist It was a story from “The New York Post” last spring that I pondered and saved. The headline proclaimed, “City removes last-standing public payphone from NYC street.” The accompanying picture showed the removal of a telephone counter, not the old-fashioned telephone booth in which Superman changed clothes. It used…

Escaping my ego
|

Escaping my ego

I normally don’t use this space for writing book reviews, but there is one that has really been working on my heart lately: “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness” by Timothy Keller. It’s short enough to read in about an hour or two. Because of this book, I’ve been doing a lot of self reflection and trying…

|

Jehovah’s Witnesses remember victims of the Holocaust on Holocaust Remembrance Day

On January 27, the world will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a symbolic  date to commemorate the victims of Nazism. Murderous Nazi terror targeted millions for reasons  of biology, nationality, or political ideology. But few people know that the Nazis’ victims included  thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses, who suffered for their Christian faith.  Jehovah’s Witnesses, also…