Columns

By: Raymond Powell

From time to time it is interesting to write about an outstanding person that helped to establish and contribute to the formation of DeSoto Parish. There are many but none surpassed John Wagner who served as the first President of the DeSoto Police Jury. John Wagner was a self-made man of high intellect and character. He was born in Pennsylvania on March 31, 1802 of Dutch/American parents. At the age of 16 he traveled by boat to New Orleans and then up to near Alexandria. There he learned cotton growing and found that he could get credit to purchase land from lenders in New Orleans. With this knowledge he patented land about three miles south of present Grand Cane. With his ability and work ethic he soon became a large land owner of some 60 sections.

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By Stephen Waguespack

Ah yes, it is that time of year again where we all end up giving ourselves “the talk.” You know the one I am referencing… that tough talk where we make new year resolutions, either publically or privately, to do things a little bit better starting January 1st

Eat too much and exercise too little over the holidays? No worries, that will all change in 2018. Need to go to church more? That spiritual “you” is patiently waiting to shine starting next Sunday. Need to call mom more… floss every night… volunteer in the community… be a better spouse? Next week is your big chance to start that new trend.

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By: Raymond Powell

Having just read the book “Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans” by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger it was felt that Andrew Jackson’s life and accomplishments should be shared. With this article being written in the first part of December there is a chance the book will be reviewed on Public Television a little later so be sure to watch should it be televised. My Daughter gave this book to me for my November birthday and I’ve really enjoyed it.

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By Stephen Waguespack

We have all heard the advice that there is a time and place for everything. This advice, stemming from a proverb found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, reads:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

By: Raymond Powell

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 (NKJ). We are all familiar with the nativity scene showing the holy family and the “Three Wise men” or “Three Kings”. As a twelve year old boy I could have written up the story with a great deal of confidence but with further study and reading how much do I really know about the Magi? Where did they come from? What was the star they followed?

The Gospel of Matthew is the only gospel to tell of the Magi or telling of the Wise Men from the East coming to Jerusalem saying’ “Saying where is he that is born King of the Jews.

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By Stephen Waguespack

Throughout life, we often find ourselves on a quest for that one silver bullet to solve our problems.

The problem with that simple approach is that most of life’s challenges are complex and multifaceted, demanding a similarly complex solution. They are not usually structured in a way susceptible to an easy answer, though that rarely stops us from pursuing one.

Wish you had more money? Rather than paying your dues and focusing on hard work, why not buy a Powerball ticket? Want to stop the cycle of poverty in our state? Instead of focusing on the difficult task of improving the educational system, offering effective job training or combating the culture of government dependency, government is prone to simply propose a new wage or hiring mandate on the private sector.

By Stephen Waguespack

As the pressure mounts on the media for social media clicks and reader attention in a highly competitive marketplace, anonymous sources have become more frequently used by some writers to get stories out quickly and sell certain controversial narratives. The excessive use of these types of sources, once considered taboo by most journalists and journalism schools, has unfortunately become much more commonplace. Whether productive or not, this atypical approach to traditional journalism appears to be a growing trend.

Keeping with this new trend, we at the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) put out a call to our members to submit anonymous feedback to the Governor’s recent Commercial Activity Tax (CAT) proposal. Their comments have been startling

By Allison Davidson Carpenter

Last week I touched on a response to the first of three questions that three high school seniors recently asked me in a store on Youree Drive. As I mentioned, these three students were asking random people these questions on video as part of a Bible class assignment called “The Jaywalking Project.”

Today I’m going to talk about the second question that the students asked me, and I’ll give a brief answer to it. As I’ve previously said, the responses to these questions could span books and books, but in the interest of space, I’ll condense the answer as best as possible.

The second question was: Is the Bible a trustworthy book? Why or why not?

Yes, I believe it is.

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