Columns

Millie Mattered

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This weekend is Mother’s Day. The day the country salutes mothers. The day families gather together for fellowship and food. The church pews will be filled and florists will run out of flowers as they make their deliveries during this designated day. Families will make plans to spend time together to honor mom for all she does throughout the year.

Letter To Editor

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Nearly seven million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, including 95,000 in Louisiana. As an Alzheimer's Advocate, it is my honor to raise my voice on their behalf.

Weekly Devotion

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Are you tired? Worn out? … Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.

Millie Mattered

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March 21 of 2019 I read a proclamation post that was sent to me from above. Staci James wrote a moving piece about the loss of her son, Hagen.

Weekly Devotion

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Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. John 17:20 To hear that Jesus prays for you may perhaps feel like the sentiments of an overly spiritual dreamer.

Millie Mattered

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Very common questions from people in re‑covery is; I'm sober now, so what next? Will my life always be like this? Will I always walk on egg‑shells? Is there any fun in being sober? Ok so, you have found sobriety. You may have managed to put a few weeks, months or even a year on your recovery status. You want to be social, you want to have a life, but drugs and alcohol can no longer play apart. I understand these questions more than I understand most questions about sobriety. I understand it because, I get exactly where it comes from and I understand exactly why people ask. I understand why it seems so incomprehensible. I understand it because they were my questions when I first got clean. How does one vacation at the beach without tequi‑la, dinner without wine, brunch without cham‑pagne, party without shots? How do you not get silly drunk with friends? How do you not smoke pot at a concerts? How do you have fun sober?

Weekly Devotion

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The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14 The Israelites were in an incredibly precarious position: in front of them was the impassible Red Sea and behind them was the incorrigible Egyptian army.

Editor’s Note

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Like most of the parish, I have been concerned about the loss of ambulance service in Catahoula. The Catahoula News Booster has kept the topic on the front page throughout 2023.

Millie Mattered

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I am struggling. That is hard for me to say because it shines a spotlight on a part of my life that I do not want the world to see. I do not want you to see anything but hope, encouragement, a smile, and a life being lived, but if I am not being one hundred percent transparent, I am not who I claim to be, right? I have contemplated writing about my struggles for months, but each time I sat down to share my thoughts and feelings, they seemed to run from me. I spend most days witnessing the effects of enormous loss and doing my best to help carry the pain of so many people that I honestly cannot fathom how so many can hurt so badly.

Pastor Appreciation

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“A shepherd, or sheepherder, is a person who tends, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep.” In the Bible Jesus often referred to His people as sheep. He told Peter to ‘feed His sheep’ and once told a parable about a shepherd leaving his flock of 99 to find a lost sheep.