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FROM THE PULPIT: Two families, different outcomes

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

Atheist Max Jukes, born in 1700, married a woman who dabbled in the occult.

Of their 1,200 descendants, 310 lived as beggars and died poor; 440 ruined their lives through corruption; 130 spent time in prison — seven for murder — with an average 13-year sentence. More than 600 became alcoholics; 60 were habitual thieves; 190 became prostitutes; and 20 became tradesmen, 10 of whom learned their trade in prison.

That family tree cost the state $1.2 million.

Jonathan Edwards, a Presbyterian minister born in 1703, had strong faith in Jesus Christ at 24 and married a 17-year-old woman of strong faith. They consecrated their marriage to the Lord on their wedding night.

Their descendants included 300 clergypersons — some were missionaries and theological professors. There were 100 professors, 100 attorneys, 30 judges and a dean of law school.

There were 60 authors of classic writings, 60 became physicians, and one became a medical school dean. There were 14 university presidents, three mayors of large cities, three governors, one U.S. Treasury controller, and one United States vice president.

Their descendants cost the state nothing.

Fascinating, isn’t it, that two people, born in the same period, have very different outcomes to their lives and the lives of their descendants.

Often, people will hear of situations like the Jukeses’ and say, "Oh, they were brought up in a terrible environment. They had no choice in the matter."

They will say the same thing about people like the Edwardses: "Oh, they were brought up in a loving and caring environment. They were only living what they learned."

True. People do tend to live what they learn. Examples with the deepest impact come from parents and older family members. If parents live a life of wickedness, children will see and follow this.

Likewise, if parents are loving and demonstrate mutual respect and trust.

Kids mimic and perpetuate what they observe and learn. And it will go on for generations.

What are you teaching your children or grandchildren?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Two families, different outcomes

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Some things are bigger than stories

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Sports.

Being the News Bulletin’s sports editor can occasionally be time consuming — to say the least. I often plan my schedule and days off around games or college scholarship signings.

Sometimes, like last week, I have no choice but to take time off — even when I know something big is about to break. As much as I love this job and breaking stories, family is more important, and my dad, who lives in DeLand, was having a health crisis that required me to head south a few days.

Before leaving Tuesday afternoon, I talked to Crestview High School assistant principal Dexter Day, chairperson of the head football coach/athletic director search committee. He told me the committee had a man they were ready to recommend to the school board. Day also said there were a few minor details to iron out before making the name — that we now know is Tim Hatten — official.

Day said I would be the first to know when he could release the name — which he did, as I made the drive to be with Dad.

A part of every newspaper reporter lives to work and break a story, and although I Hatten's name and some details, this was one story I'd have to give to somebody else. So I called my boss, editor Thomas Boni, and we agreed it was best to give the story to our sister organization, the Northwest Florida Daily News.

For the record, I predicted that Hatten would get the job.

As I eyed the applicants’ names and resumes, Hatten stood above the rest. Granted, I didn't officially write Hatten's name down until 24 hours before I got the call saying he was the guy, but a prediction is a prediction right up until post time.

Some people still might think the search took longer than needed. In reality, the process took 34 days from the time Kevin Pettis announced his resignation to Day’s call telling me Hatten was the committee's choice for the job. That includes a week or so the committee had to wait while men applied for the job.

As expected, the Okaloosa County School Board approved Hatten’s hiring during Monday night's meeting.

Hatten wasted no time in getting started at Crestview and was on the job Tuesday morning.

Spring football starts seven weeks from today, and that doesn't leave much time for Hatten to get his system in place and meet his players and assistant coaches.

The next few months will be busy for Hatten and everyone associated with the Bulldog athletic program.

And I'll be here to cover the stories as they happen.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Some things are bigger than stories

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Greatness with reach for next CHS coach

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Sports.

As I sit at my desk Friday afternoon writing this column, the first interviews for Crestview High School’s next athletic director and head football coach are starting.

If all goes well by the time you read this column, the process will have ended and the Bulldogs will have their man.

But there's no need to panic if the coach isn't named until later this week or sometime next week. A coaching search is never easy.

It's not like buying a new car when you do some internet research on the make and model you are interested in, go down to the dealership and kick a few tires, test drive the vehicle and negotiate the best price.

If selecting a coach were as simple as that, the process wouldn't take long at all. All of us know that selecting a coach is complicated.

You can't just go to Consumer Reports or Angie's List for the information you need about a coach. I know the search committee checked references and dug deep into the background of all nine finalists. If any surprises come out of the search, it won't be because the committee wasn't diligent.

As I've talked with Crestview assistant principal Dexter Day, the search committee’s chairperson, I've been impressed with his attitude about the process.

Day said that he and fellow committee members are servants to Crestview’s student-athletes and the general community. He believes the committee would best serve the community by taking the time to get this hire right.

The next coach should embrace the same servant attitude that Day and the committee have.

Yes, the coach will become the face of Crestview football. In many ways, he also will be the face of the Crestview community. But he should take note that the greatest leaders are those who also serve.

If I could pick a model football coach, I'd look to a man like former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden or maybe Tom Landry, the Dallas Cowboys’ legendary coach. Both were great coaches, in part, because they were great servants and leaders.

I constantly hear that the Crestview football program is on the cusp of greatness. The school has the athletes who, with proper coaching, can take the program to the next level.

The field house and weight room are perhaps the best in Okaloosa County, so the facilities are in place to train the Bulldog athletes for that greatness.

But there's no doubt about it, the job at hand is not for the weak of heart. The Bulldogs will play in the new District 1-7A starting in the fall. And many starters from last year won't return due to graduation; some underclassmen have left the school.

I still believe that greatness is within the Bulldogs’ reach, even if it takes a couple of years to realize.

I can't wait to meet the new coach and hear his vision for Crestview greatness.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Greatness with reach for next CHS coach

Man killed in wreck on State Road 85

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

CRESTVIEW — A 35-year-old man from Ponce de Leon was killed in a wreck on State Road 85 north of Duke Field early Saturday morning.

Tawayne McCaskill was driving north in a Pontiac Grand Prix about 4:35 a.m. when he tried to pass another driver in the right lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

McCaskill lost control and hit the side of the car he was trying to pass before veering off the road into the grass. His car rolled over several times.

He was partially ejected from the car and died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, the FHP reported.

The driver of the other car suffered minor injuries, but was not hospitalized.

Charges are pending further investigation, according to the FHP.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Man killed in wreck on State Road 85

FROM THE PULPIT: Learn to resist temptation

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

Before work, an overweight man always stopped by a bakery to buy goodies for coworkers’ coffee breaks.

One day, he decided it was time for a diet. To avoid the temptation of daily bakery visits, he devised a different route to work. Coworkers knew of his new plan and encouraged him in his diet.

However, one day, he arrived at work with a large box of doughnuts.

He said he had to run an errand in the neighborhood of the bakery. As he approached the bakery, he said to himself, "Maybe God wants me to stop by the bakery this morning and pick up some goodies for the office staff." So he prayed, "Lord, if you want me to stop at the bakery this morning, make a parking spot available right in front of the bakery so there is no question in my mind."

The man told his coworkers, "Sure enough, there was the parking spot right in front of the bakery. It took me eight trips around the block, but there it was!"

An interesting thing about temptations — we find them whenever we want to, and we don't have to look hard or long.

Often, all we have to do is open the refrigerator, turn on the computer or open the cabinet. Voila! There it is.

You, like TV’s Flip Wilson, might say, "The devil made me do it!"

Nice try.

The devil may plant the seed for giving in to temptation, but we make the final decision to give in or ignore it. We put ourselves in the position of succumbing to its lure.

We often believe we are strong enough to resist the temptation on our own, even when we stare it in the face. However, we cannot overcome temptations alone.

Fortunately, Jesus gives us a lesson on how to overcome temptations:

•Rely on Scripture

•Stay true to your calling

•Refuse to put God to the test.

Equipped with these attributes, temptation can be averted.

When Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, he fasted. He was hungry and the devil came to tempt him. The first temptation was to turn a rock into a loaf of bread.

But Jesus said, "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

The second temptation was to acquire all the world’s kingdoms and rule them with endless power. The only catch was Jesus would have to worship the devil.

Jesus said, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.'"

Again, he used Scripture to confront the temptation. He also declared who he was and who he was to worship. He remained true to his calling.

The third temptation was to make a spectacular death-defying flying leap off the temple’s roof to demonstrate how God favored him by not letting him get hurt.

Jesus quoted Scripture yet again, using Deuteronomy 6:16: "You must not test the Lord your God," and not demand that God prove himself because of our foolishness.

When temptations strike — and they will — if you decide up front that you will be prepared with the Scriptures, that you will stay true to your calling as a disciple of our Lord, and that you will refuse to put God to the test, you will overcome adversity.

You can claim a victory. And you can give glory to God.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Learn to resist temptation

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Staying on top of the coaching search

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Sports.

I've been getting calls and emails asking for a progress update on the search for Crestview High School's next head football coach and athletic director.

I can assure you the search is in full swing as assistant principal Dexter Day and the search committee work through what is always a long, sometimes drawn out process. I talk with Day several times a week, with me calling him sometimes and him calling me other times.

Day has promised me that as soon as there is something major to know, he'll get the information to me so I can get the story everyone is waiting for.

Late Friday, he said the search committee — which has met a few times — was getting the list of more than 90 names down to a manageable number.

There were 85 names on the original list given to the committee, but six candidates who applied on time were accidentally left off the original list and the committee was given time to review those six coaches’ resumes.

Day said the committee had trimmed the original list of 91 down to the approximately 15 or 20 coaches who made the first cut. The search committee has been checking the coaches’ references and backgrounds before moving on to the next cut.

The committee will meet tonight to narrow the list of 15-20 down to a group of finalists. The committee also will come up with the questions they want to ask the finalists and begin the process of setting up times for those men to come in and interview for the job.

Day said the committee did not have a firm number of how many coaches would be brought in for an interview.

I will contact Day on Thursday, when I'll get the names of the finalists and more in depth information about their backgrounds for a story in Saturday's News Bulletin.

I know some people might think the process is taking a while, but things actually are moving at a nice pace.

When Matt Brunson left Crestview after the 2010 season to go to Baker, it took about 45 days before Kevin Pettis was tapped to fill the Bulldog job. Brunson announced he was going home to Baker on Dec. 16, 2010. Pettis was named the Crestview coach on Jan. 31, 2011.

If you take out the two-week period during the holidays in 2010, that still puts the transition from Brunson to Pettis at about 30-35 days. Tomorrow marks four weeks since Pettis resigned to take a job at Sebastian River High School.

Once the committee comes up with that final list of names, the process should speed up. I'm guessing the interviews will take place late this week or Monday or Tuesday next week.

While Day still doesn't want to give a timeline for the hire, I'd be surprised if Crestview hasn't named a new coach by March 8.

A word of caution, though: fans shouldn't be discouraged, even if the process drags on a little longer. That only means the committee is taking the time to make sure it gets this all-important hire right.

There are rumors flying around about who the next coach may or may not be, but until the committee makes an announcement, the rumors are just that: rumors.

One of my favorite sayings is, "How come there never seems to be enough time to do a job right, but always enough time to do a job over?"

CrestviewHigh Schoolcan't afford another do-over in two years, so getting it right is a must.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Staying on top of the coaching search

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Right hire is crucial for Crestview

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Sports.

The search for the next Crestview head football coach and athletic director heats up this week.

Thursday marks two weeks since Kevin Pettis filed his resignation to accept the job as head coach at Sebastian River High School in Indian River County.

Pettis’ last day on the job was Friday.

A search committee has begun the process of reviewing potential candidates. I will do everything I can to get information about the search and how things are going.

One name that won’t be on the list of possible candidates is Crestview assistant principal Dexter Day. Day, a finalist for the job two years ago, is in charge of the search committee.

When I started hearing rumors that Pettis might be leaving, I wrote a column endorsing Day as the right man to helm the Bulldog football team and athletic program.

Day would have been the perfect choice. He is a former Crestview standout in football and baseball and he's a no- nonsense disciplinarian, well respected by everyone I’ve spoken with in the Crestview community. Day talks the talk and walks the walk.

In hearing the scuttlebutt within the community, it’s obvious there are factions within the Bulldog family that don’t see eye to eye. Frankly, the family is fractured and divided; it needs a coach that can bring it back together.

Day could have united the community and helped heal some of the hurt ailing the Bulldog program.

With Day seemingly out of the picture to take the job, it's reassuring that he’s the guy leading the search for the new coach and athletic director.

Day’s lifelong love for his school and community will help guide the committee as it evaluates potential coaches. Day knows football's Xs and Os, he knows the Jimmys and Joes who will take the field for the Bulldogs in the fall, and he knows what kind of coach Crestview needs to be successful.

Crestview's new coach must get the Bulldogs back to winning after a pair of 4-6 seasons in which the school finished 2-3 in district play each year and failed to make the playoffs.

The coach also will be responsible with guiding the Bulldogs up into their recently announced 7A classification.

This job is not one for the faint of heart.

The new coach’s job got harder last week, when junior All-State defensive end Denzel Ware withdrew from the school and announced on Facebook he was enrolling in school in Opp, Ala.

Since the job also includes an athletic director's administrative duties it’s important to have someone who cares about all the school's sports calling the shots.

In reality, the job is that of football coach first.

The coach/athletic director will ultimately be judged by the number of football games his teams win. No matter how successful the baseball team or girls soccer team might be, he will first be judged as the football coach and then as the athletic director.

It’s no stretch to say this hire might be the biggest in the Crestview football program's history. The right hire has the potential to set the program on a course for success for many years to come.

So let the search begin.

Here’s wishing the committee success in this all-important hire and the new coach a long and happy career at Crestview.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Right hire is crucial for Crestview

FROM THE PULPIT: Be quick to listen, slow to speak

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

The Rev. Dr. Ian Chapman told this story:

My daughter was looking for a particular phonograph record and was calling several record shops trying to find it. She called what she thought was a record shop, but a local plumber answered.

Not realizing her mistake she asked, “Do you have 'Ten Little Toes and Fingers in Arkansas'?” The plumber paused for a moment, not knowing how to respond, and said, “No, but I have a wife and 10 children in Mississippi.”

My daughter asked, “Is that a record?” The plumber responded, “No, I don’t think so, but I’m sure it’s above average.”

Miscommunication.

It happens.

Sometimes, the results are humorous. Sometimes the results are painful.

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and, while listening, found yourself suddenly filling with anger? It seems as though the other person said something that you found to be offensive, hurtful or untrue.

You reply with an angry response, letting the other person know just how uneducated or misinformed they are.

And the reaction of the other?

Often bewilderment and defensiveness.

If you are talking with someone, and something is said that doesn’t seem quite right and you feel your anger flash, check it out.

Repeat to the other person what you thought you heard and ask if that is what they said. There is a good chance you heard incorrectly, or the person used words that could carry different meanings.

In the Bible — specifically James 1:19-20 — we read a very important message: “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

Be quick to listen and slow to speak.

In other words, don’t jump to conclusions.

Gather all the facts before giving an answer or offering an opinion. Jumping to conclusions perpetuates the miscommunication. It causes anger to flash and lash out. This does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Instead, listen carefully.

Examine why something upset you. Perhaps a greater good can come from a calm and gentle response.

For example, Alice Lee Humphreys, in her book "Angels in Pinafores," recalls her experiences as a first-grade teacher. She tells about one little girl who came to school one winter day wearing a beautiful white angora beret with white mittens and a matching muff. As she was coming through the door, a mischievous little boy grabbed the white muff and threw it in the mud.

After disciplining the little boy, the teacher sought to comfort the girl. Brushing the mud off her soiled muff, the little girl looked up at the teacher and said in a quiet and responsible manner, “Sometime I must take a day off and tell him about God.”

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. This will have tremendous results for the kingdom of God.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Be quick to listen, slow to speak

FROM THE PULPIT: Some Bible verses and thoughts to consider

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Opinion, your-voice.

I have the privilege of sending to several people, here and elsewhere, a daily thought.

Invariably, I receive comments about how helpful they are.

Because they find them helpful, I will share several with you. May you be inspired, comforted and possibly challenged.

Malachi 3:3

 “For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver.”

 We don’t go to the doctor without a reason. We may be sick, need a checkup or want the doctor’s advice about healthy living.

There are many reasons to go to God in prayer, but none is as important as seeking a cure for our spiritual illness and restoring our relationship with God.

After all, Jesus says there will be great joy in heaven for the one who repents.

When we repent, we come to ourselves in truth and recognize our very real need of God’s forgiveness.

Then we are ready to be washed in God’s love.

Genesis 2:2-3

“And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”

Getting tired, worn out and feeling defeated— it happens.

Things don’t go right at work.

Life at home can be a real challenge because of tight finances or a strained relationship.

Many aspects of life keep us running. Even our recreation—supposed to "re-create" us— is tiring.

 We must rest from all our work and worry. We must have a day in which we make the time to rest and allow God to recreate us.

After all, if God took time to rest, who are we to think we must keep pushing 24-7, 365 days a year?

It seems pretty arrogant to think we must keep pushing without rest.

Genesis 2:15-17

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.'"

Well, most of us know how that turned out!

Sometimes, being told we cannot do something makes us want to do it all the more.

Why is that?

Is it that we don’t like being denied anything, or do we think what we don’t have must be wonderful— otherwise we wouldn’t be told to avoid it?

Quite often, what we think would be great, enjoyable or fulfilling actually leads to devastating and long-lasting consequences.

John 20:29

Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

What do you want to pursue that you know would not be pleasing to God?

Now, don’t do it.

Jesus is talking about us. We are the blessed ones who have not seen him in the flesh.

Or have we?

Have you ever seen Jesus in the warm embrace of longtime friends?

Have you ever heard Jesus in the tender dialogue between a woman and her worried grandchild?

This is not the same Jesus that Thomas and the other disciples physically saw after the resurrection. Rather, this Jesus reveals himself through the lives of all who have faith in him.

Seeing Jesus alive and touching his wounds brought deeper faith and hope to Thomas. Believers today are called to be signs of hope for all who, like Thomas, struggle to believe.

You may not have seen the physical Jesus, but how have you seen him?

Perhaps more important: How have others seen him through you?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Some Bible verses and thoughts to consider

SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Signing day is special

Written by archive on . Posted in columns, Sports.

College football season might have ended a few weeks ago with Alabama destroying Notre Dame to claim the BCS National Championship, but that only started the next big season for college teams — recruiting season.

I follow recruiting, or at least the University of Tennessee's recruiting.

I'm really hoping the Vols can sign five-star safety Vonn Bell and maybe surprise some folks by swinging five-star defensive end Carl Lawson from Auburn. I will celebrate the recruiting victories and try to be realistic about my beloved Big Orange's recruiting losses.

All of the work by players seeking scholarships — and the coaches and schools trying to coax players to sign with State U — ends today as recruiting season climaxes with National Signing Day.

While my heart might be with Rocky Top, wondering about who signs with Tennessee, my energy and focus will be at Crestview High School. There, a trio of Bulldog football players will sign National Letters of Intent during an 11 a.m. celebration in the school's auditorium.

Running back Micah Reed is expected to sign with Central Florida. Tyler Henderson will sign with Florida Atlantic University, where he also will have a chance to play baseball. Justin Rebholz will continue his playing career and education at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

I'll be at Baker later in the day as Gator volleyball player Katie Wickery signs to play for Lake-Sumter Community College, where she will join former Baker star Laurie Steele.

Signing day always raises mixed emotions in me. I'm happy for the young men and women as they fulfill their dream, but it's hard to see some kids go.

Crestview shortstop Dakota Dean signed a baseball scholarship with Louisiana State back in November. It seems as if Dean and Henderson have been high school players forever.

Dean and Henderson started for the baseball team since their first game freshman year. Henderson was a starter on the football team from his high school career's first day.

The 2013 baseball regular season starts Monday, and I'll savor the final weeks of watching Dean and Henderson play high school ball. I will think about their journeys that I've had the opportunity to cover.

There are times when I like to just drop by a practice and watch high school athletes enjoy their sport. Yes, these young men and women work hard to play their games, but in high school, games are still just that: games.

I'm not saying there's no pressure on high school athletes to win or achieve at a high level. However, it's not the same kind of pressure that goes with being a scholarship athlete.

Let's celebrate the best of our best high school athletes. The world is theirs for the taking today, as they prepare to step away from the security of home and embark on their college careers.

I wish all of them the best.

Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: SIDELINE OBSERVATIONS: Signing day is special

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