"Here’s to celebrating and profit taking " by: John Sample

The Jolly Elf is in sight but we have some things to get past before the end of year celebration begins.     The Fed will meet this week to decide on what to do with interest rates.     Many believe that this time the Fed will raise the fed funds rate by 50 basis points.

PSA: Passing assets through a trust: What to know

You invest for years to accumulate assets, and you’ll certainly need some of them to support your retirement.     But what about the rest?     What’s the best way to pass them on to your loved ones?     You might consider establishing a trust.

"We can’t have multiple people speak at once, every church should follow leadership" by: Caleb Gibson

Should women remain silent in the church?     What does 1st Timothy 2 mean?      Paul told Young Pastor Timothy this, “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” (1 Timothy 2:12).

"Reel Reviews: ‘Violent Night’ lives up to its name, shows a new side of Santa" by: Jessica Shepard

To be frank, Christmas isn’t my favorite holiday movie genre and it’s hard for me to get excited about anything new that comes out this season.     That’s largely due to growing up with the best Christmas movies in the past including stop-motion or animated ones and live-action flicks, too.

"Scouting out holiday weather predictions so I’m prepared" by: Jessica Shepard

I spent some time Monday morning using Google to search out several nonsense topics for my column this week.    Usually, I write from a “stream of consciousness” standpoint and can usually manage 500-plus words with ease.

"The holidays are here and your savings are sparkling" by: John Sample

We are smack in the middle of the holiday season.    On the festive side, the various averages and indexes have climbed up this bumpy hill.    We keep talking about recession, but last Friday’s job growth was far greater than expected.

PSA: Add layers of protection to financial strategy

To achieve your financial security, and that of your family, you will need to create a comprehensive strategy.    And you’ll need to guard this strategy from various challenges – which means you’ll need to build in different layers of protection.

"When we encourage one another, we are using our voice for God’s will" by: Caleb Gibson

President Calvin Coolidge returned home from attending church early one Sunday afternoon.    His wife had been unable to attend, but she was interested in what the minister spoke on in the service.    Coolidge responded, “Sin.”    She pressed him for a few words of explanation.

"Reel Reviews: ‘A Christmas Story Christmas’ improves on 80s original" by: Jessica Shepard

While I wasn’t alive when the first “A Christmas Story” flick came out in 1983, I’ve seen my fair share of re-runs of the classic film over the years.

"Marking 9th publication year while looking forward to 10th" by: Jessica Shepard

It was a surreal sensation for me when I realized that this edition of the paper was the first print date in December and that we’ve reached our ninth year in publication.