
David Roten
David Roten is a retired FedEx driver who has lived in the Newton/Morgan/Walton county area for the past 11 years. A devoted husband, father and grandfather, he now shares a small farm near Social Circle with his wife, two dogs, five cats and three horses–as well as the occasional, transient armadillo. He finds inspiration, both to write and to live, in Jesus and in the extraordinary stories of "ordinary" people. He loves music and the outdoors and Georgia Bulldog football.

A Doorway to Hope
Leigh Canada fostered and later adopted a 4-year-old girl in 2004, providing her with a loving home where she excelled in gymnastics until her unexpected death at the age of

‘He’s Perfect’
When their infant son was diagnosed with a rare form of epilepsy, Joel and Tiffany Smith found themselves at the beginning of a difficult and painful journey. However, through their

Blast From the Past
Vanessa Dameron has spent decades building a ‘Gone with the Wind’ collection that would have made Margaret Mitchell, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh proud, and it all started with a

Taste Test
by David Roten When Deer Creek Farm’s own Blue Harvest Tea made it to the finals of the Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest, owners Joe and Merlon Harper joined

The Fruits of Labor
When Joe and Merlon Harper moved to the country, they had no plans to become farmers. However, once they bought their first two blueberry bushes, the seeds for Deer Creek

A Treasure Hidden In a Field
Easter eggs will once again wobble and spin their way through a myriad of celebrations around the world this Easter season. Games, competitions and festivities are as varied as the

Life’s Simple Pleasures
Somewhere along the line, pleasure got a bad rap. Actually, there is no mystery about when the confusion started. It began when Adam and Eve decided they would rather be

An Enduring Fireside Chat
Compared to where we’ve just come from, the road ahead looks a little bleak. We just burned through three major holidays in less than five weeks. The shopping-eating-meeting-greeting frenzy is

Slow Down, Take the Scenic Route
Life goes by so fast, except for the young. During those innocent years, we could not wait until we were old enough to go to school, old enough to date,