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More than 200 children helped by Golan Assembly of God

Written by Randy Dickson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

When the dust had settled on the event, the church had provided 217 children from 92 families with clothing and school supplies. Stylists who donated their time also cut the hair of 115 students.

Heather McCullough was the chairperson of the program and was happy the church was able to help the community.

“Of course, we’re Christians, and of course that’s why that’s the baseline for why we do it,” she said. “But it’s just love as a world, as a community, if we can’t come together and support one another, the worse the world gets, the worse the economy is, we’re not going to be able to survive. “We have to depend on each other. It takes a village 100% and this just shows that everybody needs a helping hand. It can be high class, middle class, low class, everybody is struggling right now.”

No family or child was turned away and no one was screened to find out their income or resident. As was with Jesus, everyone was given the proverbial cup of water in His name.

Families came from as far away as DeFuniak Springs, Mossy Head and East Milton and each family was shown the kindness and love of Jesus.

“We had some families with eight children, some with three,” McCullough said. “We have 25 people from our church helping in different areas. That doesn’t count the nine stylist that are cutting hair for free.”

The doors opened at 1 p.m., but McCullough said people started to line up at noon. The fellowship hall of the church remained packed throughout the afternoon.

For those that have never shopped for school supplies, or haven’t done so in a few years, McCullough said the costs place a heavy burden on a family that is already stretched financially. In some cases, school supplies for a single child can run up to $100 and then there is the cost of clothes pushing the expenses to between $150 and 200.

Golan Assembly was just one of countless churches and civic organizations in the North Okaloosa County and around the region provided clothing and school supplies for students.

Thanks to the generosity of those in the community, every family was cared for and the children were able to start the school year with everything they needed.

“We estimated that the cost of the supplies we had was $5,000,” McCullough said. “That was between the donations from different businesses in the area and what our church provided.”

Sheriff’s Office arrests three teens after armed robbery of vape store

Written by Tony Judnich on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The victim said two young Black males, later identified as 15-year-olds Jayden Darius Brooks of Crestview and Jaiden Tikell Grant of Niceville, entered his store and asked to see specific products in the rear of the store, S.O. officials said.

Brooks

They said the victim walked into the back of the store and the subjects followed, and when the victim turned around Brooks displayed a gun with blue coloring and put it against his head, demanding cash.

When the victim replied he didn’t have any cash, he says Brooks became very agitated and searched his pockets, uttering threats to “Blow his head off,” according to S.O. officials.

They said Brooks then pulled the slide back on the gun, chambering a round, and Grant filled a box with about $3,000 worth of various brands of legalized THC vape products.

Grant

“Both defendants then ran out of the store and got into a vehicle operated by 18-year-old Chase Michael Davis of Crestview,” S.O. officials said. “All suspects were located and a Glock style handgun with blue coloring and another firearm were recovered from a home in Crestview. The distinctive clothing worn by Brooks during the robbery was also recovered along with some of the stolen products from the store.”

Davis

Brooks, who lives on Regent Road in Crestview, Grant, who lives on 2nd Street in Niceville, and Davis, who lives in the 300 block of Victory Lane in Crestview, face charges of armed robbery and grand theft. Additional charges are pending.

For God’s Sake: Make time to sit and be still for a short time

Written by Rev. Mark Broadhead on . Posted in Uncategorized.

This made it difficult to land the horses and mules. It was finally decided to push them overboard and allow them to swim ashore.

Soon the sea was full of animals. Some instinctively swam toward the shore; others swam in circles in the water; but others, more frightened than the rest, started out to sea. It was a distressing situation, and the ship’s officers were quite concerned.

Finally, the men who were aboard the ships saw a soldier on shore quickly making his way toward a rocky outcropping. The stripes on his uniform showed he was the bugler.

When he reached the jutting rocks, he raised the bugle to his lips and blew bugle–calls, one after another, which the army horses and mules had learned to know so well. The sound traveled far out to sea, and was heard by every bewildered, struggling animal. Instinctively, they turned and swam toward the call.

The bugler stood there and sounded those calls until his lips were blue, but when he finally did stop, every confused and trembling animal was safe!

Have you ever been there – so confused, lost, sad, angry, hurt, that you didn’t know which end was up – you didn’t know in what direction to go?

It happens. And unfortunately, it happens to almost all of us at some time or another. Such confusion is disorienting. We don’t know which way to go, with whom to talk, what the outcome is going to be. Quite often people will hear others tell them what they think is helpful information or words of comfort. But the confusion continues, and direction is lost.

This is why it is so important to make time to sit and be still for a short time. It is in being still, and focusing on the presence of God in your life, that you will eventually hear the voice of God calling to you.

God will provide the comfort, guidance, and strength to steer you in the right direction. His words will calm your troubled spirit. He will bring you life.

While you have life and breath, God continuously speaks to you. Your part it to be still, listen, and know he is God.

Randy’s Report

Written by Randy Dickson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The player is transferring to a school in Davie. If you don’t know where Davie is located, that would be Broward County in the southeast part of the state, adjacent to Dade County where Miami is located.

I have no problem with a kid transferring to any school of his choice, if it’s for a legitimate reason and recruiting isn’t involved.

It’s no secret that I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. Although we lived in Gulf Breeze, my family was as middle class as one could get. There was food on the table, clothes on our backs and plenty of love to go round.

My sisters and I attended Gulf Breeze Elementary, Gulf Breeze Middle and Gulf Breeze High schools. I wasn’t a great athlete, even if I wanted to attend high school in Pensacola or some other school in Santa Rosa County, the money wasn’t in the budget for me to go to Tate or Jay to play football or baseball.

And I know the old Frisco Railroad wasn’t going to move my dad to another city so I could play ball at DHS (Dream High School). I’d be foolish to think there wasn’t recruiting going on among high schools 50 years ago, but we sure didn’t hear about it back when the source of news was the morning and afternoon papers. And only a few families subscribed to the afternoon paper.

So how does a kid end up moving to extreme Southeast Florida from the northwestern most city in the state? To be honest, I don’t know and I sure don’t want to make unfounded accusations against a young man and his family I’ve never met.

Maybe the kid has family in Davie or some other reasonable and logical explanation that negates the obvious assumption that his family is being paid for him to move the 600 plus miles to play football.
Too often families are sold a promise that their son or daughter will have a better chance of playing college or professional ball if they change cities or schools.

Long before social media and worldwide satellite broadcasting live on television, computers and cell phones, Houston McTear of Baker was known by everyone in the world. I remember the hype coming out of Wrightsville, Ga., in 1980 about a young man named Herschel Walker, who played football at tiny Johnson County High School, which is about the same size at Baker.

Great players are discovered on underachieving or even bad teams all the time. With all the internet scouting services and social media, a player with talent won’t go unnoticed whether at Baker, Crestview or the largest high school in the United States.

I know some families need all the financial help they can receive and I don’t have any problems with them getting that help because their child is a budding star athlete as long as it is done within the rules.

An athletic scholarship, when used for the education, will open doors athletic talent never can.

Lesson of ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Brouhaha: Don’t Capitulate to Left’s Cancel Culture

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in Uncategorized.

This time their target is Jason Aldean, a country music singer who dared not only to release a song in praise of small towns, but had the temerity to highlight the dysfunction and criminality now rampant in many of America’s big cities.

Here are some of the allegedly hateful lyrics of his new song, “Try That in a Small Town”:
Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk,
Carjack an old lady at a red light,
Pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store.
Ya think it’s cool, well, act a fool if ya like.

So, he’s saying violent crimes are bad. Imagine that. The horror.

After a few lines about people spitting on cops and burning flags, the song continues:

Well, try that in a small town.
See how far ya make it down the road.
Around here, we take care of our own.
You cross that line, it won’t take long
For you to find out. I recommend you don’t
Try that in a small town.

Aldean is clearly referencing the uptick in crime and lawlessness that we have seen in the past few years.

It’s been primarily an urban problem in cities controlled by left-wing ideologues. Our nation’s capital—a city almost entirely controlled by Democrats—has become shamefully dangerous, with carjackings and other crimes surging.

The song’s music video features clips of crime, the Black Lives Matter riots, and a flag burning. And here you have the reason why Aldean must now be institutionally scrubbed from existence.

Thou shalt never question or mock the narratives that our new cultural elites wish to tell you about the world. The BLM riots were “mostly peaceful,” you see, and entirely justified. Rising crime in big cities is just right-wing fiction, and even if it exists, it is the consequence of structural racism.

If you question these ideas, you are labeled a “racist” and ripe for being “unpersoned.”

For his crimes against those narratives, Aldean’s song has been labeled “pro-lynching”—yes, really—and Country Music Television pulled the song off the air.

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Tenn., one of the fanatical legislators who was briefly expelled from the Tennessee Legislature for engaging in a takeover of the Capitol alongside gun control protesters, called “Try That in a Small Town” a “heinous song calling for racist violence.”

I am literally rolling my eyes as I write this.

Just go on any music playlist app right now and see how many of the top songs promote violence, misogyny, and criminality.

As soon as a song is released in effect saying, “Don’t try being a criminal in my town,” that’s the one that apparently needs to be erased?

“In the past 24 hours, I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Aldean tweeted in response on Tuesday. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”

He added that the song “refers to the feeling of a community that I had growing up, where we took care of our neighbors, regardless of differences of background or belief.”

Aldean didn’t apologize or back down, and that’s key.

Those looking to destroy Aldean and erase his song don’t care about violence. I’m guessing they don’t even listen to country music.

What they care about is political and cultural power, and the ability to shape—through public and private institutions—the moral and ethical framework of our society. That’s why they are pushing institutions to denounce the country music star and cleanse his music from popular spaces.

But an interesting thing is happening in our society. As our elite institutions embrace left-wing ideology as their predominant ethos, Americans en masse are in the process of abandoning them. You could ask Bud Light.

Trust in institutions has entirely collapsed, in part because they are now seen as being ideologically captured.

The sales for Aldean’s new song have exploded. It recently reached the No. 1 spot on iTunes. Americans have rushed to support him as our elites attempt to tear him down.

Hopefully, Aldean won’t waver and won’t cave. If he does, his detractors will happily accept the gift of his apology, announce how it confirms his guilt and the guilt of our society in general, and will insist that he either becomes an active devotee of their cause or they will punish him further.

As we’ve seen with the incredible ticket sales of the film “Sound of Freedom” and the collapse of Bud Light after it insulted its customers by making transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney a spokesman, Americans with traditional values still have a great deal of power—if they wield it.

Nothing will ever be gained by conceding to the cultural Jacobins who have become the institutional gatekeepers of our society.

And when a man stands against the mob, we need to make sure great and powerful forces will come to his aid.

“Try that in a small town” should be the new “come and take it” response to attempts at cancellation by our noxious cultural elites.

This commentary written by Jarrett Stepman, a columnist for The Daily Signal. This was originally published on The Daily Signal (www.dailysignal.com).

Randy’s Report

Written by Randy Dickson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

The good news is I arrived at the other side of the maze on July 16, but not without a couple of final twists and turns.

I was admitted to Sacred Heart in Pensacola for gallbladder issues on Wednesday, July 12 and four days later I was minus a gallbladder.

The timing worked out perfectly as now I can head into the fall without fear of the always possible gallbladder attack.

Most teams have been working out most of the summer, but the Florida High School Athletic Association has set July 31 as the officially recognized date that practice starts. All sports calendar related events start with July 31.

Football, volleyball, golf, cross country, swimming, dance and cheer are officially on the clock. I guess football pays the most attention to the calendar as teams must build to the time they can put on full pads and do the hitting players and fans love the most.

Football is the king of the fall at Crestview and Baker. Volleyball plays second fiddle while swimming, golf and cross country fill out my busy dance card.

If I overlook your sport or team, it’s not intentional. I know the golfer earning medalist honors is just as important as the football player scoring a touchdown or the match ending kill on the volleyball floor. I welcome any submitted scores or results of a meet or match.

I know this fall will be the last time many seniors compete in organized athletics. Sometime in the next four or five months young men and young women will take off their uniform on last time and become former high school athletes. I wish I could tell them they will get used to that feeling, but it’s been 48 years since I last played, and an emptiness still remains.

That emptiness has been filled with continued relationships with teammates and coaches. I’m blessed to have had teammates that remain good friends although the years and miles have often kept us separated except when we gather for reunions.

I once read that a friend is someone that knows you really well and likes you anyway. I am blessed to have people that know me and like me despite my shortcomings.

The night before I was discharged from the hospital following my surgery I was talking about this job to one of the nurses. She said she could tell I love the job because my face lit up when I talk about the community and writing sports.

I’m guilty as charged. Writing sports is my calling and North Okaloosa County has become my beloved beat as I have been blessed to share the stories of our young men and women.

Let’s get the 2023-2024 sports year started.

For God’s Sake: Live the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring honor to our Lord

Written by Rev. Mark Broadhead on . Posted in Uncategorized.

This is the type of person who steps on toes, and doesn’t practice empathy, but will also react harshly if challenged for their brisk attitude and demeanor.

So, knowing the kind of reaction that would be leveled at you, you keep your retorts to yourself. It wouldn’t be worth the barrage of further toe-stomping or insults that would probably come your way.

So instead, imaginary long conversations with that person take place in your head about how they should change and what they could do to make things right. A great deal of mental energy is spent fussing and fuming about the other person’s attitude and demeanor, and what could be done to set the person straight. Better an internal conversation than an actual conversation that would stir more anger.

It can be difficult to withhold a sarcastic or caustic response to someone who torques us. There may be a desire to stomp on their toes as much as they have stomped on ours.

But as followers of Jesus Christ, many will often bite their tongue instead of provoking more confrontation. This is because Jesus reminds us we are to live by a different ethic, one marked by forgiveness and reconciliation. In Christ, we are called to a new way of living. And more than that, we are empowered to live out this new ethic by God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus calls us to forgive those who wrong us, to not respond with evil intent.

The Apostle Paul tells us, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.”

The Letter of James gives a wonderful reminder: “You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.”

Yes, dear reader, as followers of Jesus we are to present the gospel of grace and forgiveness, even when it is hardest to do. So do your part to stop the cycle of nastiness, ugliness, and hatred that is permeating our society. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ and bring honor to our Lord.

Pickleball courts open at Twin Hills

Written by Randy Dickson on . Posted in Sports, Uncategorized.

An additional six courts were built at Twin Hills Park replacing several tennis courts in a renovation project.

The ribbon cutting for the new courts was held on June 3.

“We started looking at getting funding to renovate the tennis courts and the plan was two pickleball courts,” Chuck Powell, the Director of the Parks and Recreation Department said. “But as the cliche goes ‘Upon further review, saw we could actually get six (pickleball) courts in this one space right here (at Twin Hills Park.

“That’s what we did, and you can see what’s happening out here right now (all the courts were in use).”

Crestview Mayor JB Whitten, like most people, has only recently heard of pickleball, which is said to be the fastest growing sport in the United States.  

“The first time I heard about it a few years back in Destin,” he said. “My assumption was it was a game for old people. I don’t know why I assumed that, but I did.

“When I thought that I was totally wrong. Once people get involved and they found out how much fun it is, the word spreads like wildfire. I guess it really is for everybody.”

The mayor admitted he has yet to play pickleball, but he is looking forward to trying the sport. As an old racquetball player, he’s confident he should pick the game up fairly quickly.

Whitten said the pickleball courts are just another example of city’s commitment to the community.

“The vision for the City of Crestview is to continue to offer not only pickleball, but in expanding all of the recreation venues,” he said. “Earlier this year we did a survey of what people think of the city (priorities) and right under the roads, which is always going to be the number one problem, was parks and recreation.

“They want more things to do here in the city and so we continually look around and expand like we said our skateboard park, disc golf, pickleball. This year, in the budget will be looking at what we can do with the parks we already have how do we enhance those.”

He hopes to some expansion or least enhancement of the current softball and baseball fields because that’s what the people want.

Powell said the renovation project at Twin Hills included renovating the outdoor basketball court as well as a tennis court along with building the six pickleball courts.

“Tennis folks probably don’t want to hear this,” Powell said, ‘but pickleball is really taking off.

“We’re excited about opening this back up. It’s been a long time coming.”

A strong week for our faith community

Written by Staff Reporters on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Twelve different faith leaders from different places of worship came together last week to pray for the citizens of Crestview, the homeless and downtrodden, the military, Crestview’s businesses, our students and school leaders, the city’s public services department, its elected officials and the city manager, the Crestview faith community, law enforcement, firefighters, and those in the medical field.

“God, I am so honored and so blessed to be the mayor of this great city that has such a strong faith community,” Mayor JB Whitten said in his closing prayer at the event. “Every day we are surrounded and protected by the many churches we have in this great city, and they would not be fulfilling your will if they didn’t have the fantastic leaders that we have. … Lord, we recognize the hard work and challenges they have in supporting us and keeping us close to you.”

The National Day of Prayer was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman in 1952, and every president since has signed a proclamation that encourages Americans to pray on and celebrate the day. Since it was founded, the National Day of Prayer has always been held on the first Thursday in May.

While the holiday was originally created to celebrate the Christian faith and unite American citizens together in prayer, it is now celebrated by all beliefs and religions, Whitten said while reading his proclamation at the event.

If there was anything disappointing about Crestview’s National Day of Prayer program, it was just that more people did not attend. Last week’s event at the Old Spanish Trail amphitheater had about 75 people attend in a venue that could have easily set double or triple that number.

Regardless of anyone’s religious beliefs are, hopefully most people agree that praying for the safety and wellbeing of the community and the people in it can do nothing but good.

It was also good to see in this issue that the First Presbyterian Church in Crestview is rebuilding and recovering from the Feb. 18 incident where a suspected drunk driver drove through the front of the building at a high rate of speed.

The damage done to the church was extensive. The car crashed into the narthex, spewing battery acid and automotive fluid into the sanctuary, a wall was displaced about six inches, the ceiling of the narthex received so much damage that it must be replaced, an exterior brick wall is covered in plywood, and support post and beams must be repaired.

Even with all of that damage, the church was able to celebrate worship services in its sanctuary for the first time since the accident on Easter Sunday.

“I express my appreciation for the prayers and offers of help from the community,” the Rev. Mark Broadhead said in an interview with the Crestview News Bulletin. “I believe in the power of prayer.”

So do we.

The church still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from the accident, but they are on the right path.

Randy’s Report

Written by Randy Dickson on . Posted in Uncategorized.

Almost every athlete, in every sport, started playing their game when they were children. I know I started my athletic journey playing church league basketball and baseball in Memphis, Tennessee, when I was in the second grade.

I remember my first basketball game. My team won 66-6 (not a good omen for a church team). In what was to become the pattern of my athletic career, with the game well in hand, the coaches put me in.

Almost immediately I intercepted a pass. I would like to tell you I showed flashes of brilliance taking the ball the length of the floor for a score. What actually happened is I tucked the ball under my arm and headed to the basket.

That’s the day I learned what a traveling violation is.\

My baseball career didn’t start much better.
I do everything right-handed except swing a bat. My mother didn’t know that the first time she saw me stepping to the plate.

Being the wonderful parent she was, she stood and yelled at me, “You’re standing on the wrong side of the plate.” The coach turned around and informed her I was a left-handed batter.

The first time I reached base was the only time I didn’t strike out that first season. I was hit by a pitch, in my right foot. I believe it was the last game of the season.
I was called out at home plate although I was sitting on it when the catcher tagged me.

My family moved to Gulf Breeze in the fall of 1966 where I continued my less than stellar athletic career, but soaked up every floor burn on the basketball court and swing of the bat in baseball.

There is a natural selection in sports – a survival of the fittest. Most towns have several youth league baseball, basketball and soccer teams as well as age group football teams that see hundreds of children participating.

The number of kids participating in sports shrinks as some realize they simply aren’t good enough to play at a higher level and other young people develop other interests that consume their time. The kid that once played first base on a little league baseball team with minimal success might be the first chair trumpet in his high school band.

Other kids will find their way into computers, robotics or some form of the arts. If they are fortunate, the foundations of teamwork and dedication they learned in youth sports will carry them through life.

I recently turned 65 and I still want to play baseball. I miss the joy of warm spring evenings and the smell of fresh cut grass under my feet.

It has been almost 58 years since that first basketball game when I tucked the ball under my arm and learned about traveling. Next to my faith, family and friends, sports have been the greatest influence and love of my life.

I hope every young athlete will enjoy a similar experience with the games of their childhood.

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