By NANCY PATRICK Within the same week, I celebrated my 68th birthday and received the invitation and registration material for my 50th year class reunion for the Abilene High School class of 1968. Of course, I already knew I was getting older, but something about a 50th year reunion impressed me with the reality that most of my life is
Read moreBy MIKE PATRICK Psalms of lament typically begin with gloom and end with gladness, sorrow ends with shouting, tears turn to triumph. However, Psalm 88 is the only Psalm that ends in gloom, that ends with a word of darkness. Famous theologian Walter Bruggemann says, “Psalm 88 is an embarrassment to conventional faith.” The psalmist’s lament reeks with honest misery,
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON I had the privilege this past year of helping send off one of my high school football teammates. His name was Carl. Carl was a lineman playing in front of me for six years on our Plano Wildcat football team. He was always a good friend with a special laugh and sense of humor. Even now, over
Read moreBy JANICE SIX “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.” This quote is a favorite of mine. It’s certainly not original to me. Most who occupy their time searching for the origin of quotes believe it to be a variation of a saying attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson in an essay published in 1895. The
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON I love football! It’s pretty obvious since I talk about it so often, using illustrations and stories. Growing up, we didn’t start football until the seventh grade, although we did do some practicing a year earlier. I was fortunate to be on a state championship team as a senior and attending several Dallas Cowboy games in the
Read moreABILENE INTERFAITH COUNCIL NEXT MEETING: 12 noon Tuesday, April 10, Gerhart Hall, Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St. PROGRAM: Loretta Fulton, “Covering the Religion Beat” DETAILS: Free and open to the public. Lunch provided by donations or bring your own. By LORETTA FULTON Stephanie Hamm and Norm Bowman grew up as friends at Burkburnett
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON America’s pastor died Feb. 21, leaving behind millions of mourners nationwide, some of whom were introduced to Christianity and the Bible thanks to the late Rev. Billy Graham. According to Graham’s official obituary, he died Feb. 21 at his home in North Carolina at 7:46 a.m Eastern time. Graham preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Our lives have never been more open than they are today due to the outbreak of “Social Media” and “Blogs.” Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Snapchat and the like are words that have become common everyday words, especially to the younger generation, but spanning all age groups. Add to the “Social Media” the vast number of blogs
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON Open Michael Hurd’s book, “Thursday Night Lights,” turn to page 108 and you will be looking at a familiar face, although in an unfamiliar pose. That’s the Rev. Andrew Penns as a student at the old Carter G. Woodson High School in Abilene, when he weighed 150 pounds and was considered “large for my class” and
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Spirit Of Abilene 