Living on Purpose: The God who is more than enough Dr. William Holland Posted May 16, 2022By Dr. William HollandMany people today are struggling with the stress of everyday living and many feel lonely, depressed, and sad, but whatever you are going through today, be encouraged to know that God...
Man shall not live by bread alone
Living on Purpose: Man shall not live by bread alone Dr. William Holland Posted May 9, 2022By Dr. William HollandOne of the popular topics that readers contact me about are concerns associated with food shortages and higher costs. I realize that no one has a crystal ball to see into...
Developing an effective prayer life
Living on Purpose: Developing an effective prayer life Dr. William Holland Posted May 2, 2022By Dr. William HollandPrayer is a familiar word that we hear every day and is usually associated with something being wrong and needing to be fixed. I receive emails and texts on a regular basis from...
Folk Medicine Remedies
Folk Medicine Remedies Tom Poland Posted April 29, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netLike the Black Crowe’s “Remedy, and its line, I need a remedy”, folks of yesteryear needed remedies and they came up with them. We call their aspiring cures “Folk Medicine.” Once again I’m writing about home remedies, folk...
Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes
Living on Purpose: Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes Dr. William Holland Posted April 25, 2022By Dr. William HollandIt’s easy to mock and be critical, and unfortunately our human nature loves to judge unfairly and display negative thoughts about others. If we could only remember that many people are...
The curriculum we all deserve
Everything and Nothing: The curriculum we all deserve Aïda Rogers Posted April 25, 2022By Aïda RogersIn a parking lot in South Carolina, a family from Texas sat in their maroon minivan taking stock of what they’d just experienced. They’d waited in a restaurant 45 minutes before a worker told them they...
Far from home
Far from home: Ukrainian couple who fled war-torn Kyiv now staying with daughter in Hartsville Posted April 20, 2022By Bob SloanIf Petar and Alla Rusinov seem a little distant when you first meet them, there is good reason.The Rusinovs, now staying with their daughter in Hartsville, were forced to flee...
Through Broken Glass
Through Broken Glass Tom Poland Posted April 19, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe old church just wanted to be left alone, but that didn’t happen. Someone shot out her windows. Some kid’s BBs shattered panes, leaving sharp jagged edges in their wake. Panes hanging like guillotines gave a gray catbird...
Jesus gave His life so that we could live
Living on Purpose: Jesus gave His life so that we could live Dr. William Holland Posted April 18, 2022By Dr. William HollandI admit I am an emotional person. I recall going to see the Passion movie a few years ago and I was disturbed to say the least. It’s not...
The Passion of Christ is God’s amazing grace
Living on Purpose: The Passion of Christ is God’s amazing grace Dr. William Holland Posted April 11, 2022By Dr. William HollandApril is the month of new beginnings when trees begin to sprout their leaves and flowers emerge from the ground to express their beauty. This is also the time when...
Masters Memories
Masters Memories Tom Poland Posted April 11, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThere comes a memory from long ago when Georgia had yet to win 1980 and 2021 national champions. No worries, Georgia was and is an annual world champion for those who compete for the green jacket.Living some 37 miles...
A Creek Runs Through It
A Creek Runs Through It Tom Poland Posted April 7, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWriters title works and often they fail to come up with a good one. Half Asleep In Frog Pajamas comes to mind. Sometimes a gem of a title comes along and its words and title stay...
Winsome Beauties
Everything and Nothing: Winsome Beauties Aïda Rogers Posted April 7, 2022By Aïda Rogers“Isn’t it funny the things you remember,” my mom said to me recently. She’d been recounting some random anecdote from her childhood.Mom spends a lot of time in her brown chair, much of her churning energy slowed by health...
Former Paris players say coach will bring personality, heart to UofSC
Former Paris players say coach will bring personality, heart to UofSC Posted March 31, 2022By Cam AdamsCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. After a season with Vanderbilt, men’s basketball player Matt Ryan was...
Gamecock athletes utilize NIL to bolster local business and their brands
Gamecock athletes utilize NIL to bolster local business and their brands Posted March 29, 2022By Josh MatthewsCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. Since the NCAA has allowed athletes to monetize themselves based on...
Guide to Gamecock NIL sponsorship deals
Guide to Gamecock NIL sponsorship deals Posted March 29, 2022By Josh MatthewsCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. See full package with images. This content is being shared through the S.C. News Exchange and is...
The ‘Carolina Squat’ is not hot to trot for my generation
Southern Voices, Southern Stories: The ‘Carolina Squat’ is not hot to trot for my generation Michael DeWitt, Jr. Posted April 4, 2022By Michael DeWitt, Jr.Just when South Carolina brings back, of all things, the archaic and brutal firing squad, and I fear that there is no humanity or common decency...
Being accountable for our spiritual sensitivity
Living on Purpose: Being accountable for our spiritual sensitivity Dr. William Holland Posted April 4, 2022By Dr. William HollandI remember the day we brought Teddy our English Bulldog puppy into our home. The breeder told us he was eight weeks old but after receiving his papers, we noticed he was...
Without a burden, we will not pray
Living on Purpose: Without a burden, we will not pray Dr. William Holland Posted March 29, 2022By Dr. William HollandThe key to being a good soldier is listening carefully and being obedient. No one, especially God wants a servant that decides to be absent without leave or that is rebellious...
A New Broom Sweeps Clean
A New Broom Sweeps Clean Tom Poland Posted March 23, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.net“A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows the corners.” Mom pulled out this old saw when a new preacher attempted wholesale change or a new boss let the old employees go. The rest...
Telling our worries and fears how big God is
Living on Purpose: Telling our worries and fears how big God is Dr. William Holland Posted March 21, 2022By Dr. William HollandI was reminded today of the verse in Psalm 30 and the last part of verse five that say’s, “Weeping may last through the night but joy comes in...
Rediscovering An Old Friend
Rediscovering An Old Friend Tom Poland Posted March 21, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netMarch 3rd is a day I’ll long remember. A bit earlier I had given a talk to the Kiwanis Club at the Darlington Country Club. Returning home I chose to get lost. Just drive and see where...
Southern Voices, Southern Stories: Taking modern women to task over Tupperware
Southern Voices, Southern Stories: Taking modern women to task over Tupperware Michael DeWitt, Jr. Posted March 16, 2022By Michael DeWitt, Jr.“You did not just go buy Tupperware. You went to a Tupperware party, where I assumed there was drinking and poker and probably fistfights. I would learn, to my disappointment,...
In God we trust with every situation
Living on Purpose: In God we trust with every situation Dr. William Holland Posted March 15, 2022By Dr. William HollandHave you known someone who was even-tempered and composed even when circumstances seemed to be falling apart all around them? In times of a serious crisis, somehow these individuals have the...
An Old Tree, An Old Academy
An Old Tree, An Old Academy: A Magnolia and a School of Consequence Tom Poland Posted March 15, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netAs you top the Edgefield County rise, that fine word “copse” comes to mind. Copse, a small group of trees, that’s what you see. Look closer, however, and...
Sunshine Week 2022 | Andy Brack
Sunshine Week 2022 Column: Andy Brack Follow the law by making records, meetings always open for all For publication: Sunshine Week, 2022 686 words By Andy Brack MARCH 11, 2022 | South Carolinians share a common value that public meetings and the work of government should be done in public...
Sunshine Week 2022 | Richard Whiting
Sunshine Week 2022 Column: Richard Whiting Freedom of Information Act serves you, the public By Richard Whiting Have you participated in elections that put school board members, city and county council members or state lawmakers in office?Do you pay state and local taxes and, in return, receive services?Do you know...
Sunshine Week 2022 | Taylor Smith
Sunshine Week 2022 Column: SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith By SCPA Attorney Taylor Smith Sunshine Week has arrived and is our annual reminder that if governmental transparency is not achieved our democracy will also never be fully realized. Rejoice, though, the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (SCFOIA) exists and sets...
God searches for those who drift away
Living on Purpose: God searches for those who drift away Dr. William Holland Posted March 7, 2022By Dr. William HollandNo matter where we come from or how we have been taught, we are responsible for what we think, what we say, and how we act. As optimism and pessimism are...
Cotton Pickin’ Memories
Cotton Pickin’ Memories Tom Poland Posted March 7, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netMy jaunts around the South take me past old haunts, a cotton gin now and then. I’ve seen gins in Salters, Bishopville, and other rural places. They sit idle. A spell back I ventured inside an old gin....
Of camellias, poets, and getting tripped up by the truth
Everything and Nothing: Of camellias, poets, and getting tripped up by the truth Aïda Rogers Posted March 1, 2022By Aïda RogersThis is the time of year when people in McClellanville do camellia walks. This they do at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site, where South Carolina’s first poet laureate, Archibald Rutledge, lived in his...
A testimony about a miraculous healing
Living on Purpose: A testimony about a miraculous healing Dr. William Holland Posted March 1, 2022By Dr. William HollandI want to share a praise report of God healing someone I know personally. We hear about sickness and disease and the endless cries of why, but rarely do we learn about...
Miss Emily’s Oak
Miss Emily’s Oak Tom Poland Posted Feb. 28, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netShe planted the oak some sixty-eight years ago. Miss Emily was around twenty-six then. The years passed, the tree grew, and today it’s a setting Normal Rockwell would have appreciated. A classic Southern scene, it possesses the requisite...
From Savior to Survivor
From Savior to Survivor Tom Poland Posted Feb. 23, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netFour relics remind me of how things used to be: fire towers, windmills, chimneys, and silos. I’ve written about fire towers, windmills, and chimneys but never silos. I described where a rock chimney stands, its quartz glistening...
Those who have an ear let them hear
Living on Purpose: Those who have an ear let them hear Dr. William Holland Posted Feb. 21, 2022By Dr. William HollandOne of the greatest mysteries is the perplexing relationship between God and humans. I cannot think of a more glorious yet frustrating subject. Especially when it comes to people trying...
Wild Horses
Wild Horses Tom Poland Posted Feb. 17, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWhen I hear some determined soul say “wild horses couldn’t pull me away” thoughts race through my mind. First, I think of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. You’d think it’d be Mussel Shoals as mussels and waterways go together, but no,...
Are you satisfied with the amount of God you have?
Living on Purpose: Are you satisfied with the amount of God you have? Dr. William Holland Posted Feb. 15, 2022By Dr. William HollandAnyone that has ever risen from the couch and declared their intentions to work for the kingdom of God has felt the resistance of our negative human nature....
The Best Drink Of Water
The Best Drink Of Water Tom Poland Posted Feb. 10, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSeems to me, as the old folks would say, an aluminum dipper delivered the best drink of water. You’d sink that dipper into a wooden bucket. And that wooden bucket had just been winched up from...
The best dessert
Everything and Nothing: The best dessert Aïda Rogers Posted Feb. 10, 2022By Aïda RogersFor me and many others, Sundays were always the same. There was always church, followed by a big meal, followed by a long nap. These rituals marked the end of a week and the beginning of the next....
When praying for rain, don’t forget your raincoat
Living on Purpose: When praying for rain, don’t forget your raincoat Dr. William Holland Posted Feb. 7, 2022By Dr. William HollandWe’ve heard the old saying that life is not a bed of roses for as long as we can remember. I understand what it’s trying to convey, but I’ve also...
Read The Fine Print
Read The Fine Print Tom Poland Posted Feb. 4, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netNote: For Non-Offended Eyes OnlySome say we are what we eat and that what we eat these days is killing us. Down in Australia, some Australian Aboriginals moved to the city and adopted a civilized diet and...
Winter In Wambaw Bay
Winter In Wambaw Bay Tom Poland Posted Feb. 2, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netThe orchestra is quiet, as winter holds the conductor’s baton. Still, a song comes to mind. “California Dreamin” where much is brown and gray—every shade of brown and gray you can imagine. Yet, if you know where...
The pursuit of Joy
Everything and Nothing: The pursuit of Joy Aïda Rogers Posted Feb. 2, 2022By Aïda RogersI was in my broke twenties when I first encountered Joy. We didn’t run in the same circles; a high-dollar item, Joy was out of my newspaper writer reach. Literally. That $500 bottle of French perfume, in...
Determined to be on the same page with God
Living on Purpose: Determined to be on the same page with God Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 31, 2022By Dr. William HollandLast year was challenging for many, and as we move ahead in 2022, may we dedicate our minds and hearts to continue drawing as near to God as we...
Noted minister and faith columnist releases new book about healing and miracles.
Living on Purpose: Noted minister and faith columnist releases new book about healing and miracles. “Receiving Our Healing – Going to War on our Knees” By Dr. William F. Holland Jr. Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 31, 2022By Dr. William HollandAs the author of, “A Lifestyle of Worship – Living...
The Emperor’s Hem
The Emperor’s Hem Tom Poland Posted Jan. 31, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netIn the late 1990s, a time that seems ancient, I touched the emperor’s hem. That is I corresponded with a writer whose words revealed a style original and mesmerizing. Somehow, I hoped, might his gift rub onto me?...
Resisting the temptation to be discouraged
Living on Purpose: Resisting the temptation to be discouraged Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 24, 2022By Dr. William HollandRecently, I had an opportunity to chat with a wonderful lady as she shared with me about her health issues and other concerns. Suddenly she stopped and wanted to know if she...
Crow Tastes Pretty Good In Snow
Crow Tastes Pretty Good In Snow Tom Poland Posted Jan. 24, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netMy last column criticized I-20 as a barrier to snow in the classic South. “Winter after winter, radar reveals blue, pink, and white blotches rolling north of I-20. Below it? Green blotches of rain. Southerners...
The Real Wife
Everything and Nothing: The Real Wife Aïda Rogers Posted Jan. 19, 2022By Aïda RogersI imagine everybody gets a surprise or two after they get married, so imagine mine when I realized the person I married was already married - to his wood stove. It took a few years for me to...
God wants our heart not just our problems
Living on Purpose: God wants our heart not just our problems Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 18, 2022By Dr. William HollandGod is faithful and is always with you, protecting and watching over you whether you believe He is there or not. Just because you cannot sense Him intervening, it does...
The Great Dividing Line
The Great Dividing Line Tom Poland Posted Jan. 18, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netYet another dud weather storm forecast teaches me something. When the next Ice Age arrives, its frozen sheet will grind to a halt where I-20 crosses the Southeast. (Assuming civilization lasts that long.) Winter forecasts prove over...
Those who desperately seek God shall find Him
Living on Purpose: Those who desperately seek God shall find Him Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 10, 2022By Dr. William HollandI realize that my thoughts are not that important, but what God has to say contains the power to change what man cannot change. May we choose faith over fear...
Noble Ruin of the South
Noble Ruin of the South Tom Poland Posted Jan. 6, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netWhen man abandoned it, the traffic diverted west, and the forest began to claim it. Today, sycamores, cedars, and oaks console it, and wind and water song replace the hum of tires. If you know when...
The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few
Living on Purpose: The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 3, 2022By Dr. William HollandWhat if we knew Jesus was returning in five days? I would think that many people would prepare to meet Him, but is this not the expectant attitude we...
A Perfect Time To Begin Brand New
Living on Purpose: A Perfect Time To Begin Brand New Dr. William Holland Posted Jan. 3, 2022 By Dr. William Holland The New Year is here and I’m excited to see what 2022 has for us! My hope is this coming year will be a season of abundance not just...
Miss Lucy, Childhood Legend
Miss Lucy, Childhood Legend Tom Poland Posted Jan. 3, 2022By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netSmall towns have that one eccentric person people long remember. Lincolnton, Georgia, had Miss Lucy Glaze. As I write I see a woman dressed in black, like Granny Clampett, racing down the sidewalk brandishing a rake. My...
Oh, what a book can do
Everything and Nothing: Oh, what a book can do Aïda Rogers Posted Dec. 21, 2021By Aïda RogersI’ve just sobbed my way through Where the Red Fern Grows, a famous children’s book about a boy in the Ozark Mountains who devotes himself to buying, training, and hunting with his two red coonhounds....
Come Let us Adore Him – Christ the Lord!
Living on Purpose: Come Let us Adore Him – Christ the Lord! Dr. William Holland Posted Dec. 21, 2021By Dr. William HollandThe holiday season is called the most wonderful time of the year but between buying gifts, hosting parties, trying not to break your healthy habits (or the bank), and...
Bitters, A History In Life And Literature
Bitters, A History In Life And Literature Tom Poland Posted Dec. 20, 2021By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netAmong the dusty bottles and vase stand three alcoholic potions. I bought the matador-like bottle in Madrid when I traveled by train through hard, brown Spain. Next to it stands an elegant bottle from...
The earthly parents of the Son of God
Living on Purpose: The earthly parents of the Son of God Dr. William Holland Posted Dec. 13, 2021By Dr. William HollandThis is the time of year when we display our nativity sets and it’s common to see depictions on the front of Christmas cards that have Mary and Joseph in...
Fate and fortune align for Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden restoration
Fate and fortune align for Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden restoration Posted Nov. 30, 2021By Jack BinghamCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. BISHOPVILLE, S.C. – Pearl Fryar, South Carolina’s internationally-acclaimed topiary artist, and the garden he...
That funny feeling: young climate activists face eco-anxiety
That funny feeling: young climate activists face eco-anxiety Posted Nov. 30, 2021By Mackenzie PattersonCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. Climate activists are facing something different from burnout. It isn’t new, but it finally...
‘Prepackaged’ and taking the big city by storm
‘Prepackaged’ and taking the big city by storm Posted Nov. 30, 2021By Sheila Paz Carolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. Dressing Miss Universe and Miss USA in a public bathroom is not in everyone’s...
‘Does it capture the moment?’ An inside look at the Gamecock athletic creative media team
‘Does it capture the moment?’ An inside look at the Gamecock athletic creative media team Posted Nov. 30, 2021By Alex Jones and Nathaniel ShirleyCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. It’s 9 a.m. on Carolina-Clemson game...
A historically Black area in Columbia is changing, and residents question why
A historically Black area in Columbia is changing, and residents question why Posted Nov. 30, 2021By Sebastian LeeCarolina News & ReporterUniversity of South CarolinaEditor's Note: This package includes additional images, which can be found on the Carolina News & Reporter site. For more than 50 years, Moses Felder has clipped hair...
Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done
Living on Purpose: Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done Dr. William Holland Posted Dec. 6, 2021By Dr. William HollandGod’s general will is His Word and knowing the divine wisdom of His knowledge reveals who He is and what He demands from us. You see, no matter what we...
The Old Hand-Dug Well
The Old Hand-Dug Well Tom Poland Posted Dec. 6, 2021By Tom PolandA Southern Writerwww.tompoland.nettompol@earthlink.netDriving a country road, I passed an old well house. It didn’t look like a wishing well. It looked rustic, more like a shed, a practical structure. I stopped and took a photo of the well. Right...