About J. R. Skains
Ron enjoyed growing up on a small truck farm in Winn Parish, Louisiana under the guidance and direction of a practicing Christian mother and father. On the small farm where vegetables were grown in season and sold to merchants in the nearby town, Ron discovered God’s phenomenon of planting seeds and harvesting produce. The first song Ron ever heard was as an infant coming from the lips of his mother: “Tell Me the Story of Jesus.” Ron’s father was a fishermen par excellency and taught his son as much as he could absorb at an early age.
In the mid-1960 at the height of racial unrest in Louisiana, Ron was disturbed the faith based community was handling the situation. He sought advise from his dad about a course of action. His dad’s advice was that if you want to do something good for the local minority population; build houses and apartment so they can live in conducive environment. The results of that fatherly advice was nearly a hundred houses and apartments built in Ron’s home town by Ron and his dad that are still occupied fifty years later. Always full of an entrepreneurial spirit, Ron pursued a tourist development project (that was not successful) that would have forever changed the economic landscape of north Louisiana providing jobs for thousands and business opportunities for hundreds.
Ron grew up in houses churches and became fascinated at a young age by the Holy Bible. A voracious reader, Ron’s initial interest in the Bible was to find contradictions and untruths because as the Holy Scriptures were presented to him, they, the Holy scriptures seemed to be to perfect with an answer for every situation. At age 14, a mere sixty-four years ago, Ron made a profession of faith.
During the trying and dark times in America for its young men during the Vietnam War, Ron obtained a degree in English with a double minor in History and Business Law from a University of note in Ruston, Louisiana. Ron’s routine during his college days was to work three days a week as a carpenter and go to school three days a week.
Although grounded in faith with a strong desire to pursue the Heavenly way, Ron slipped and slide some as he moved through his twenties and thirties. However, on Memorial Day, 1982 in Houston, Texas, Ron “Sold Out For Jesus.” He met a man of whom he thought; “I want to know what he knows about our great Lord and Savior.” A year later, Ron was driving down I-10 westbound and down listening to his Houston based mentor’s sermons, when the clanging of understanding discernment of God’s Word became such a noise in his head that he thought his truck and fallen apart causing him to stop and check for damage. From then on, Ron plowed forward always in the Kingdom Word and Kingdom Work no matter what vocation or project he was pursuing at the time.
After the passing of his dad in August 1974, Ron made the proverbial move to greener pastures in southern Californian. What a shock he received when he realized that he was in a desert, both physically and spiritually seeing first hand the age old cruel hand of child abuse and the depths of men and women’s depravity. Although making the “dollar” in southern California was relatively easy, Ron left California at the urging of the bureaucrats who believed one should have a “license” to contract.
Returning first to Louisiana where he worked as a carpenter, he migrated to Texas where he became once again a builder. Walking by faith that better days were ahead, he sampled various houses and halls of worship finding none to his liking until that wonderful Memorial Day in 1982. By 1990, Ron was full time in Louisiana pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors with considerable time spent in marketing, sales, and building. By 1990, Ron began to experience health issues which ushered in a habitat of spending more and more time in prayer with God the Father.
By early 1998, Ron began to compile some of his Christian themed writings into a published form which he titled: “The River Christian Review.” In late 1998, Ron, fortunately by happenstance met a career newspaper guy, Tom Kelly, who had recently launched the “Piney Wood Journal.” Ron’s initial connection with the PWJ was as a sales person. An off-handed comment to the longtime newspaper man they he did “some writing” resulted in Tom Kelly suggesting that Ron write a couple articles for his review.
After reviewing Ron’s attempt at writing, Tom Kelly told Ron: “You do the writing and we will sell the ads.”
This decision by the Editor/Publisher/Owner of the PWJ launched Ron on a twenty year career with the PWJ into the Forest Industry. He became Chief Correspondent of the PWJ and wrote countless articles about the issues facing the Forest Industry, the stalwarts of the industry as well as those making policies affecting the Forest Industry such as Legislatures, State Elected Officials, Congressmen, U.S. Senators, and Cabinet members.
In 2005, Ron and his wife Amy Gail launched the “Backroads Observer” was a fun paper allowing Ron to travel many back roads in Louisiana. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina blew a lot of south Louisiana away as well as the “Backroads Observer.” In 2015, Ron and some of his associates launched the Christian themed faith publication, “InspireLouisiana,” which ceased publication after the Baton Rouge flood of 2016.
Even during the publication of this entrepreneurial publications, Ron continued his work with the Piney Woods Journal. Also, during his career with the Piney Woods Journal, Ron found time to write articles for Southern Logging Times, Louisiana Farm and Ranch, Zachary Post, and Feliciana Explorer.
In addition, during the twenty year period of time from 2000 to 2020, Ron found time to co-write four books; “When the Music Stopped” with Jay Chevalier; “The Man Behind the Voice” with Jim Hawthorne; “The WHS Memory Book – 1908 thru 2012 of Winnfield High School” for the class of 1963; and “Denying My Mother’s Eyes” with Marius Dominique. In recent years, Ron has been a keen observer of US Politics and economic forces that are having ruinous effect on the American Way of Life. He has recently launched an active website titled: BackboneOfAmerica.us. However, it is also obvious to Ron that the main catalyst for American’s turmoil is that it has become a God-less society. He has Also, during the last twenty years period of time, Ron has written numerous Christian themed articles which will be, Lord willing published in the new and improved Inspire Louisiana.
In the mid-1960 at the height of racial unrest in Louisiana, Ron was disturbed the faith based community was handling the situation. He sought advise from his dad about a course of action. His dad’s advice was that if you want to do something good for the local minority population; build houses and apartment so they can live in conducive environment. The results of that fatherly advice was nearly a hundred houses and apartments built in Ron’s home town by Ron and his dad that are still occupied fifty years later. Always full of an entrepreneurial spirit, Ron pursued a tourist development project (that was not successful) that would have forever changed the economic landscape of north Louisiana providing jobs for thousands and business opportunities for hundreds.
Ron grew up in houses churches and became fascinated at a young age by the Holy Bible. A voracious reader, Ron’s initial interest in the Bible was to find contradictions and untruths because as the Holy Scriptures were presented to him, they, the Holy scriptures seemed to be to perfect with an answer for every situation. At age 14, a mere sixty-four years ago, Ron made a profession of faith.
During the trying and dark times in America for its young men during the Vietnam War, Ron obtained a degree in English with a double minor in History and Business Law from a University of note in Ruston, Louisiana. Ron’s routine during his college days was to work three days a week as a carpenter and go to school three days a week.
Although grounded in faith with a strong desire to pursue the Heavenly way, Ron slipped and slide some as he moved through his twenties and thirties. However, on Memorial Day, 1982 in Houston, Texas, Ron “Sold Out For Jesus.” He met a man of whom he thought; “I want to know what he knows about our great Lord and Savior.” A year later, Ron was driving down I-10 westbound and down listening to his Houston based mentor’s sermons, when the clanging of understanding discernment of God’s Word became such a noise in his head that he thought his truck and fallen apart causing him to stop and check for damage. From then on, Ron plowed forward always in the Kingdom Word and Kingdom Work no matter what vocation or project he was pursuing at the time.
After the passing of his dad in August 1974, Ron made the proverbial move to greener pastures in southern Californian. What a shock he received when he realized that he was in a desert, both physically and spiritually seeing first hand the age old cruel hand of child abuse and the depths of men and women’s depravity. Although making the “dollar” in southern California was relatively easy, Ron left California at the urging of the bureaucrats who believed one should have a “license” to contract.
Returning first to Louisiana where he worked as a carpenter, he migrated to Texas where he became once again a builder. Walking by faith that better days were ahead, he sampled various houses and halls of worship finding none to his liking until that wonderful Memorial Day in 1982. By 1990, Ron was full time in Louisiana pursuing entrepreneurial endeavors with considerable time spent in marketing, sales, and building. By 1990, Ron began to experience health issues which ushered in a habitat of spending more and more time in prayer with God the Father.
By early 1998, Ron began to compile some of his Christian themed writings into a published form which he titled: “The River Christian Review.” In late 1998, Ron, fortunately by happenstance met a career newspaper guy, Tom Kelly, who had recently launched the “Piney Wood Journal.” Ron’s initial connection with the PWJ was as a sales person. An off-handed comment to the longtime newspaper man they he did “some writing” resulted in Tom Kelly suggesting that Ron write a couple articles for his review.
After reviewing Ron’s attempt at writing, Tom Kelly told Ron: “You do the writing and we will sell the ads.”
This decision by the Editor/Publisher/Owner of the PWJ launched Ron on a twenty year career with the PWJ into the Forest Industry. He became Chief Correspondent of the PWJ and wrote countless articles about the issues facing the Forest Industry, the stalwarts of the industry as well as those making policies affecting the Forest Industry such as Legislatures, State Elected Officials, Congressmen, U.S. Senators, and Cabinet members.
In 2005, Ron and his wife Amy Gail launched the “Backroads Observer” was a fun paper allowing Ron to travel many back roads in Louisiana. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina blew a lot of south Louisiana away as well as the “Backroads Observer.” In 2015, Ron and some of his associates launched the Christian themed faith publication, “InspireLouisiana,” which ceased publication after the Baton Rouge flood of 2016.
Even during the publication of this entrepreneurial publications, Ron continued his work with the Piney Woods Journal. Also, during his career with the Piney Woods Journal, Ron found time to write articles for Southern Logging Times, Louisiana Farm and Ranch, Zachary Post, and Feliciana Explorer.
In addition, during the twenty year period of time from 2000 to 2020, Ron found time to co-write four books; “When the Music Stopped” with Jay Chevalier; “The Man Behind the Voice” with Jim Hawthorne; “The WHS Memory Book – 1908 thru 2012 of Winnfield High School” for the class of 1963; and “Denying My Mother’s Eyes” with Marius Dominique. In recent years, Ron has been a keen observer of US Politics and economic forces that are having ruinous effect on the American Way of Life. He has recently launched an active website titled: BackboneOfAmerica.us. However, it is also obvious to Ron that the main catalyst for American’s turmoil is that it has become a God-less society. He has Also, during the last twenty years period of time, Ron has written numerous Christian themed articles which will be, Lord willing published in the new and improved Inspire Louisiana.