It is my privilege today to tell you about, and highly recommend, a fantastic book titled “Diamond in the Rough” by Latasha Davis, a terrific young Black lady who I met when she was the receptionist for former Faulkner County Judge Jim Baker. I got to know Latasha when I stopped by to see Jim and he was tied up with other visitors. As we chatted, I learned that she was writing a book. As a published author, I was able to help her get her book published. I might…

On January 20, 2025, when Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, we were getting a two-for-one bargain. You may already know some of what I am going to share today, but as a people, we are truly blessed to have Melania Trump as our nation’s First Lady. Of course, she also served in this role when President Trump served as our 45th President, and she was the first First Lady to be born outside of the United States. Unless you have read her…

If you have ever woke up from a bad dream to discover that this really is a beautiful world, you will truly appreciate what I want to share with you today. Unless you have been in a cave somewhere, you know the past four years of our nation’s history has been a nightmare, but in the past national election the American people have made it clear that we want to go in a different direction. Only time will tell, but I am praying that the changes we make will include…

Each year with the passing of time, as we draw closer and closer to the Christmas season, it warms my heart to see the outpouring of the American people to the poor and needy people in our nation. This is true on the national level as well as the state and local level. There are thousands, perhaps millions, of poor and needy people who do not have enough to eat, and their children would not have a Christmas gift of any kind if it were not for the caring people…

A few weeks ago, I got a letter from a prison inmate in federal prison in the state of South Carolina. You will never believe what he wanted. This man is originally from the state of Arkansas and spent some time in a rehab facility here in our community known as The Renewal Ranch. This facility is for recovering addicts and this man has been involved in drugs. While I don’t know the details, this is why he was in a federal prison.  Apparently while he was here in Arkansas,…

Today I would like to tell you about one of the greatest places in America to live, and that’s my home state of Arkansas.           First, I want to make a disclaimer. If you happen to live in a state other than Arkansas, and you have family and roots there, in no way is this an attempt to get you to leave and move here, and I know that Chambers of Commerce would frown on that anyway. But the statistics say that about 8.4 percent of our population move each…

You know, life is just not fair. I will tell you why before I finish, but first I want to tell you why this is true. For the past 20-plus years, I have enjoyed one of the greatest blessings and highlights of my life. I have been a member of what I believe to be the best church in the United States of America, Central Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas. Did I tell you that our city is now the fastest growing city in our state and one of the…

Back on Oct.16, 2024, we had a beautiful young lady speak to our Kiwanis Club that brought back a ton of good memories for me. Her name is Jessica Clawson, and she is the Executive Director of the United Way of Central Arkansas. As I listened to her presentation that day, my mind took me back to my younger days when I was a printing salesman in Little Rock. I had just been hired by the late Bert Parke, President of Democrat Printing & Lithograph Company, to sell printing and…

The state of Florida has been nicknamed the “Sunshine State” because of its large number of sunny days. It’s also called the “Peninsula State” because it jets southward about 400 miles into the sea. Florida is one of the leading tourist states in the nation. This land of swaying palm trees and warm ocean breezes attracts visitors the year round, and many older people spend their retirement years in this state. In fact, the population of Florida, which is now approximately 23 million people, is growing faster than all but…

We have a unique one-of-a-kind destination here in our state of Arkansas called the Crater of Diamonds State Park. It is the only place in the world where you can go and search for diamonds, and when you find a big one, you get to keep it.           This state park near Murfreesboro is public, as anyone can pay the $15 entry fee and search to their heart’s content. A lot of people find diamonds — 700 to 800 diamonds are found each year by the 150,000 to 170,000 people…