It’s easy for every Texan to help ensure birds migrate safely.
If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click here. The Panola Watchman gladly accepts letters that are 300 words or less and pertain to Panola County. Letter writers must include their name, phone number, email and city of residence when submitting items (only names and city will be published).
It’s easy for every Texan to help ensure birds migrate safely.
April is designated Child Abuse Prevention Month nationally. In Panola County, we had one fatality to neglect and abuse in 2020. In our Region 4, we had 13 fatalities. And overall in Texas, we had 251 fatalities lost to the hands of parents and caregivers.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
If you remember my column about making soup, I said something to the effect that, in most instances, a recipe is just a guide. One exception to that, though, is jelly. If you don’t want to end up with a big mess of overly sweet juice that didn’t set, then go precisely by the recipe. If it sa…
Early in the morning on the first Easter Day, three women came to the tomb with spices, revealed in Mark 16:1-8. They intended to complete the rites of burial of Jesus Christ. A heavenly messenger, dressed in white, addressed their overwhelming awe and fear with the words, “Do not be alarmed…
“All men are created equal.” How is that possible? Equal according to Webster’s Dictionary is the state of being the same, and same is identified as a synonym. The definition refutes logic. We have male and female, different races, tall and short, etc. The use of the phrase in our Declaratio…
Western Democracy is having a major identity crisis. Common ideals that once provided generations with cohesive cultural values are being snuffed out in real time by the anti-American Left.
Jesus is not only the most important person who ever lived, but He’s also the most controversial. Throughout history, people have hated Him, ignored Him, loved Him, and died for His sake. Two thousand years ago, Jesus walked out of a carpenter’s shop to begin His ministry, and since then, an…
April Fools’ Day came and went at the Stallard house with zero acknowledgment, and part of me is a little sad about that.
Last week saw another marathon hearing in the State Affairs committee, and the House passed its first bills of the session. Last week also represented the half-way point of the 87th Legislative Session.
The passion narrative begins, in Mark 14:1-15:47, with the anointing of Jesus at Bethany and the question, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? (v. 4). The last supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal and arrest, the trial before Caiaphas, Peter’s denial, Pontius Pilate’s offer to…
It’s been more than 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law, but even with equal protections legally guaranteed, progress for disabled Texans has been mixed. On the one hand, employment for disabled adults in the U.S. fell over the past three decades, leaving many…
If you want to see what life was like and what a community was doing in any particular year, pull a copy of a high school annual from just about any hometown and look at the ads in the back.
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know — Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, ha…
It’s clear that there are more people trying to get across the border between Mexico and Texas, that state officials are concerned about increases in human trafficking there and that the state’s Republican politicians are trying to pin those troubles on the country’s Democratic president.
Last week, House committees continued working on several important pieces of legislation. I laid out several bills, including the Texas Small Business Recovery Act and several of the electric reform bills that I wrote about earlier this month.
Every high priest is chosen by God, Hebrews 5:5-10, and is also one who can sympathize with the weak. Christ is shown as one whom in Gethsemane, “learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation” (vv 8-9). Hebrews compares the…
Faith Robinson is the kind of player you can’t help noticing on the basketball court.
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:24-25).
With state lawmakers immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic response and Texas’ electricity failures, the public’s access to information must be at the forefront of the Legislature’s actions. Information allows citizens to watch over their government, to speak out and to ask questions.
Video from a Jan. 5 officer-involved shooting won’t be made public until April, the Austin police say, because on top of everything else, it got cold in Texas in February.
Conservatives, can we all agree to stop apologizing for our politics and beliefs? Can we choose to back ourselves, and our traditional values, whenever the Left and their media attack dogs try to bully us into shutting up? For years, cancel culture has been tearing down statues, rewriting hi…
This week marked one of the first important procedural deadlines of the 87th Legislative Session: the bill filing deadline. Friday (March 12) was the last day that members of the Legislature could file bills for consideration. As you can imagine, that resulted in a flurry of bill filings.
“The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” – Aristotle
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matthew 8:10).
Gov. Abbott left no uncertainty about the importance of broadband access during this year’s State of the State address. “From medicine to education to business, broadband access is not a luxury — it is an essential tool that must be available for all Texans,” he said. And, the February winte…
Gov. Gregg Abbott gave Texans the Freedom to decide whether or not to wear a mask. Nowhere did he mandate that masks were not to be worn, again giving us the freedom to decide.
While this legislative session started out slow due to COVID concerns, it is now in full swing with last month’s winter storm bringing a flurry of action to Austin this week.
From the coronavirus pandemic to the winter storm that knocked out essential infrastructure across the state, the past year has been marked by several “unprecedented” events. And for each of them, we have been caught unprepared.
We are impatient and want to get there now! In some respect, we are like God’s people in today’s scriptures, Numbers 21:4-9. The Jews are moving from Mount Hor to the Red Sea. They are still very much a pilgrim people, not sure of their destination but anxious about the journey. Their grumbl…
As we approach the first anniversary of pandemic-induced lockdowns, hundreds of thousands of Texans are still grappling with job loss, eviction or domestic violence stemming from the stay-at-home orders, among other issues. Now, we have just endured one of the worst winter storms on record—p…
The older I get, the more I realize, at times, I sound “old.” For instance, I was thinking the other day that “easier may not always mean better.” Gosh! That sounds like something one of my grandmothers would have said. Let me explain.
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12-13).
Have you ever done any genealogy research? My family history includes the Irish – maybe why we love potatoes so much! The potato famine of the mid-1800’s drove many Irish to leave their homeland and head for America. In honor of that heritage, I offer a couple of favorite potato recipes.
These past several days have been trying for all Texans, from those losing power and heat to those that found themselves without water, or boiling water from previously safe sources, and many who experienced all of these conditions simultaneously.
In the Jerusalem Temple, oxen, sheep, and doves were being sold for the Passover sacrifices as revealed in John 2:13-22.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).
Peter and the other disciples could not conceive of a crucified God in Mark 8:31-38 when the one he had just called Messiah said “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected and be killed” (v. 31). Notice Peter did use the term Son of God, the Son of Man. Jesus shows his char…
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
While the Legislature addresses many important issues every session, there is only one bill that is constitutionally mandated: every legislature must pass a balanced budget that funds state government for the next two years.
After the floodwaters, God, in Genesis 9:8-17, made a covenant with Noah. “Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” (v.11). The rainbow is the sign. The covenant, made with the entire race, shows God’s desir…
I started piano lessons when I was six years old. In my opinion, that’s a bit young but the reason I started so young was the fact that my mom knew there was some “natural, God-given ability” there.
It shouldn’t be a surprise: ask Texans what they think, and there’s a good chance they’ll tell you to be real and get busy. That’s especially true when it comes to state government and its leaders.
Do you remember your first Valentines?
Have you ever met someone who said, “Jesus never called himself God and didn’t consider himself to be God”? People with this belief fail to acknowledge a number of key pieces of evidence to the contrary. At least 11 times Jesus verbally expressed His deity to His followers:
I hope many of you were able to catch Gov. Abbott’s State of the State address this past Monday. Gov. Abbott laid out five emergency items for the Legislature to begin addressing. These emergency items are (1) expanding broadband internet access, (2) ending the practice of defunding the poli…
Peter, James and John, in Mark 9:2-9, were with Jesus on Mount Tabor when Christ Jesus was transfigured. Elijah, the greatest prophet, was there. Moses, being allowed into the promise land, the great lawgiver, was there. In fear and confusion, Peter wants to build three booths and once again…
My sister-in-law and her husband got married on Valentine’s Day, so it’s a very special occasion for them. If you’re wanting something special for this sweetest of holidays, but would prefer to eat at home rather than at a restaurant, try this.
Jerusalem, in Isaiah 40:21-31, had been destroyed. Its leaders and promising youths had been deported by Babylon, a world power that controlled everyone and everything. In that context, the prophet Isaiah speaks words of comfort and hope. His God enthroned above the earth, sees its people as…
While the 86th Legislature was sworn in last week, this week was the inauguration of the governor and lieutenant governor. I was pleased to hear Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick agree with the House's commitment to our public schools. Both renewed their support for our students and teachers and to funding public education. It is only with increased state funding that we can provide meaningful property tax reform to Texans.