Gilland: What matters most?
Feb 28, 2021
My wife and I once attended a funeral for the father of a dear friend of mine. Though we didn’t know the deceased, we certainly know […]
Faith + Inspiration
Gilland: What matters most?
My wife and I once attended a funeral for the father of a dear friend of mine. Though we didn’t know the deceased, we certainly know […]
Gilland: The greatest stories ever told
Feb 21, 2021
I have always loved stories. Well-told stories are so much more than mere reports of incidents. They are the containers of emotions, memories, truth, and inspiration, […]
Local couple proves a match—in more ways than one
Feb 14, 2021
The most recent chapter in Jerry and Kathy Butler’s romance started where so many modern romances do: with a free grill. Their actual relationship began in […]
Gilland: One word revolutionized Valentine’s Day for me
Feb 14, 2021
Valentine’s Day—on a Sunday! It is on a day like this that I tend to wax just a wee bit sentimental, as I look back on […]
Gilland: Responding rightly to painful pruning
Feb 7, 2021
This past September, Cindy and I celebrated 44 years of marriage, and I couldn’t love her more. We celebrated at a beautiful restaurant in Winter Park, […]
Gainesville woman celebrates 100th birthday
Feb 5, 2021
Gainesville resident Marion Broadaway has officially joined the exclusive 1 percent of the world population’s centenarians. Broadaway and a smattering of family and friends brushed off […]
Alachua girl celebrates end of cancer treatments
Feb 4, 2021
Ten-month-old Paityn “Sweet P” Benson was recently able to ring the bell to signify she is finished with her treatment for neuroblastoma. “She is officially done […]
Gilland: A sailor, a guitar, and a local radio appearance
Feb 2, 2021
Almost 20 years have passed since a seemingly routine stop at George’s Music in Casselberry to pick up some strings. Playing throughout the store was a […]
Gilland: A God thing or your own thing?
Jan 31, 2021
We are all familiar with the practice of setting New Year’s Resolutions. In pre-COVID times, January would have been one of the biggest months of increased […]
Gilland: Constant change is here to stay
Jan 24, 2021
The older I get, the more sentimental I become. Family has always meant something very special to me, so it was hard for us to leave […]
Gilland: What we must learn from 2020 vision
Jan 17, 2021
I now laugh when I think back to statements I made to my wife in the waning months of 2019. “I am believing for a great […]
Gilland: Feel like you’re in a pit?
Jan 10, 2021
History has proven that the Bible is the most enduring book of all. There are many reasons why this is true. First of all, unlike other […]
Gilland: A surprising outcome
Dec 27, 2020
Well, congratulations are in order – we did it! We have made it to the last Sunday of this most crazy year, perhaps the craziest in […]
From our Mainstreet family to yours: Merry Christmas and happy holidays
Dec 25, 2020
In 1863 poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words of a hymn still sung today. I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols […]
For unto us a child is born…
Dec 20, 2020
If you can, take a moment and read these two verses from Isaiah, chapter 9: Pull Quote “For to us a child is born, to us […]
Anticipating Christmas
Dec 13, 2020
We are in that most magical of all times of the year… Christmas. Growing up, the month of December was one that seemed to take its […]
Singer Daryl Mosley to appear at Oak Dale Baptist Church in Newberry on Sunday
Dec 11, 2020
Singer songwriter Daryl Mosley kicks off his first tour since releasing his first solo album “The Secret of Life” on Pinecastle Records with a performance at […]
A life lesson from a garden radish
Dec 6, 2020
I grew up on the outskirts of Evansville, Indiana. Our house was situated on a rural road, literally the last road within the city limits. We […]
Preparing our minds for a brighter Christmas
Nov 29, 2020
Thanksgiving Day has now passed, and here we are in the official Christmas season, one of my favorite times of the year. But for many, and […]
Immersed in thankfulness
Nov 26, 2020
I came by it honestly – I grew up in a home of coffee drinkers. It took a little while, but by the time I was […]
The story of Sweet P: 8-month-old Alachua girl fighting cancer with a smile on her face
Nov 22, 2020
Alachua resident Paityn Benson was born on March 15th, 2020, as the pandemic started to roar. At just four months, she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a […]
Thanksgiving long before the pilgrims
Nov 22, 2020
I grew up LOVING Thanksgiving, for many reasons. First of all, it was the official launch of the Christmas season. As with most of us still […]
He is here… with comfort
Nov 15, 2020
When the inexplicable happens, there is no comfort for our souls like that provided by the Holy Spirit. For that, I am so grateful. The Scriptures […]
A soldier’s inspiring tale of grace under fire is a lesson for today’s political unrest
Nov 11, 2020
Four years ago, on Veterans Day 2016, I had an unforgettable experience that directly applies to where we are right now – in post-election 2020. A […]