Laurie Stroud

Corona Virus Concerns? Consider Past Health Crises

May 28, 2020

Money Matters Brought to you by: Community Partner Vision Financial Group, Inc. During the last week of February 2020, the S&P 500 lost 11.49% — the worst week for stocks since the 2008 financial crisis — only to jump by 4.6% on the first Monday in March.1 By all accounts, the drop was largely driven by …

The Grand Awakening: Grandparenting Matters

May 28, 2020

Special Feature “Why haven’t we thought of this before?”  Gerry approached me during one of our Grandparenting Matters seminars.  Dignified, neatly dressed, with perfect silvery-gray hair, he introduced himself as the chairman of the board of elders of the host church.  He choked back emotion as he bared his thoughts: “I have led the board …

Summer at Southern Preparatory Academy

May 28, 2020

Grand Re-Opening  Nestled in the pines of central Alabama, our massive campus offers the chance of a lifetime to get outside, disconnect from electronics, and be active. We offer three summer camp sessions, each full of activities designed to challenge our campers to establish lifelong friendships. Leadership Camps: June 14-June 27 and July 5-18. Activities …

June Giveaways

May 28, 2020

[rafflepress id=”8″] Take a look at our Summer Resource Guide and vote for your favorite Summer Spot for a chance to win a $75 Gift Card to The Trak Shak!

The Practice of Godliness

May 27, 2020

Best Books I recently participated in a discussion about which books, aside from the Bible, had influenced us the most. Among my top five is an older title which I still recommend to guests at our bookstore. It doesn’t matter what denomination you are from, how mature you are in your faith, or how nuanced …

Little Tea

May 27, 2020

Best Books One phone call from Renny to come home and “see about” the capricious Ava, and Californian Celia Wakefield decides to overlook her distressful past in the name of friendship and head back to the South. For three reflective days at Renny’s lake house in Heber Springs, Arkansas, the three childhood friends reunite and …

What’s Your Story?

May 27, 2020

Publisher’s Note As we remember and honor our fathers this month, my Daddy’s Big Hugs are at the top of my gratitude list. Something about the way he wraps me in his arms, melts away the worries of this world and replaces them with a blanket of security. During this time of quarantine, I have …

What to do with Life’s Detours: Sunrise Reflections

May 27, 2020

Special Feature When was the last time an entire day went according to your plans? We set goals and make plans for events we want to happen. Then, our lives take their own course. From traffic jams to a terrifying diagnosis, life refuses to adhere to our plans. What then? Do we look at these …

Love Casts Out All Fear: The Message in Missing Isaac

May 27, 2020

Best Books My first memory of racial tension happened when I was a small child, sometime in the mid-1960s. I was very young, so I only remember aspects of the incident. It was summertime, and I was sitting in a parked car with some relatives. The windows were rolled down so we could survive the …

Valleydale Christian Grads Celebrate!

May 26, 2020

Education Extra In formal caps and gowns, seniors recently graduated from Valleydale Christian Academy on Valleydale Road. The ceremony was adjusted for social distancing but still included a traditional message from Valedictorians Jerica Snowden and Cameron Meredith and a celebratory tossing of caps. 44 seniors graduated May 22, 2020 after finishing an unusual spring semester. …

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