by Amanda E. West | Mar 12, 2026 | Stories
IN 1860, three women in Hartford, Connecticut, started an after-school club to provide young boys with a safe place to stay out of trouble. By setting high expectations, the boys learned positive alternatives to street life. The clubs continued to expand, and in 1990,...
by Amanda E. West | Mar 12, 2026 | Stories
“LOVING AND taking care of God’s people is in our DNA,” Patricia Simmons said. When she and her husband, Robert, retired to Shelbyville from Los Angeles, California, a decade ago, they felt the Holy Spirit guiding them. Though they packed everything they owned, kissed...
by Amanda E. West | Mar 12, 2026 | Cover
AVERY LANÉE Floyd slides another blue, velvety-smooth bead onto the wristlet, meant for holding keys, and lifts it up for her mom, Kelsey, to examine before she sells it. “This one’s gonna say ‘Dog Mom,’ and it’ll have an orange sparkly paw print dangling from the...
by Amanda E. West | Mar 12, 2026 | Feature
PHARAOH CONDEMNED him to death. But as Pharaoh’s daughter lifted baby Moses from the hand-hewn basket bobbing in the Nile River, Moses passed from certain death to life. Not just life — he would be elevated to the status of a prince. Miriam, Moses’ ever-protective...
by Amanda E. West | Mar 12, 2026 | Feature
“JOHNNY, CAN you come to my desk, please?” At the sound of his name being called, Johnny jumped from his seat. He tried not to look too eager as he dashed across the bright red, blue, and yellow alphabet rug toward his teacher’s desk. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied. “Did...
