Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” after the thief on his own cross had defended Jesus and asked for the Messiah’s mercy (Luke 23:39-43). …

My wife and I bought property in San Jacinto County in 2008. We moved up here permanently in 2010 from Champion Forest, a very nice neighborhood in northwestern Houston. After moving from an …

It came quickly but we welcome cooler days and nights and can now say “It's fall.” The Community and Children's Impact Center in Shepherd have been celebrating the seasons and events …

Thanksgiving and turkeys go together like, well, bread and butter. I seldom think of Thanksgiving that my mind doesn’t conjure up a plate full of roasted turkey setting atop a plate full of …

With my deepest apologies to Jim Croce: “Now I got them steadily depressin’ low-down, mind-messin’ governmental shutdown blues.” By the time you read this, …

Currently, I am reading a book set in Alaska, about a small-town community of people. They are private individuals choosing to live in an obscure area of the world but depend on each other like (a …

There is no better way to learn to want to read than being read to. From the very earliest days, infants come to know and to love the sound of familiar voices. Reading aloud to small infants …

The continuing federal shutdown means food benefits provided to 3.5 million Texans could be cut off in November, The Texas Tribune reported. Of those affected, nearly half are children. …

What better time than Halloween to delve into the otherworldly legends surrounding Texas’ most sacred site? If only a fraction of the many eyewitness accounts and second-hand reports contain a …

Don’t you hate paying taxes? Every paycheck something is withheld. If you are self-employed, you pay a big chunk in income, Social Security, and Medicare taxes every quarter. Then there are …

At last, some cooler weather. The time will fall back on Sunday, so remember to change the clocks. Halloween will be celebrated in many places this week. The Haunted Jail in Old Town Coldspring …

Thus far, this October is on record as being one of the warmest (hottest) in recent years and if the current high-pressure system continues to dominate, we Texas deer hunters might have to endure the …

When I was in high school, I had a full-time job “slingin’ hash” at Furr’s Cafeteria, and that’s where I had my first run-in with taxes. Federal income tax, FICA, …

Last week I wrote about Sarah, my niece with such good early language skills. Her family played a strong role in developing her abilities. There are many ways parents and older siblings can, in …

An obscure Confederate major with a famous last name presented a secret proposal to the governor of Texas on Oct. 27, 1863. Next came the hard part — convincing Francis Lubbock that he alone …

Early voting began Monday across Texas with voters deciding the fate of 17 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution, as well as local races for city and school board, bond measures, and tax …

Louise was a church member of mine. She and her husband, Cloyce, were Godly, middle-class folks. She once said to me in dismay, “Why don’t people just do right?.” Certainly, we …

Fish Friday at Coldspring Senior Center was sponsored by Judge Travis Kitchens, but he had to be in court at that time, so he missed the great lunch, with cake as dessert and music by DJ Ken Janik …

The "seven-year itch" is the popular idea that romantic satisfaction in a marriage or long-term relationship often declines around the seven-year mark, leading to restlessness, dissatisfaction, or …

I’m beginning to think that the path the government has taken is not only irresponsible, but unconstitutional, unpatriotic and most scary, irrevocable. While on the surface, using the …