“The spirit of Robert Barnes transitioned into eternity on July 6, 2021.” Those simple words mark the beginning of Dr. Barnes’ obituary and the end of his earthly life. Dr. Barnes and his wife, Dorothy, both taught at Hardin-Simmons University. In her 32 years and his 40 years on the HSU faculty, more than 600 of their graduate students completed
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By LORETTA FULTON Kenna Hogan was on a tour of the Buffalo Gap Historic Village as a college intern when she first learned about the Rev. Mary Lee Cagle, “The Mother of Holiness in West Texas.” It would take a few more years, but Hogan finally got the opportunity to make Cagle’s story more accessible for visitors to the village,
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON The fog had rolled in when James punched out to go home. He entered his car and immediately knew it would be a slow drive with fog so thick he could barely see anything of any distance. James spotted some taillights in front and thought to himself, “This guy seems to be moving pretty well; I’ll follow
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By LORETTA FULTON A worship service on the campus of the Abilene State Supported Living Center is part church camp, part old-time revival, part Sunday morning worship–and all love. “Hi, Bill!” a young man yells at the chaplain, Bill Spencer. The young man is jumping up and down in his cowboy boots, greeting the chaplain, and directing music–all at the
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS It is not December and not close to Christmas, so why does this title have a seasonal ring to it? Even people who have only a passing knowledge of the Bible know a few of the most famous stories. One of those is the description of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and having difficulty finding a
Read moreIDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury For youngsters, the wheels of time turn slowly, no matter how many “hurry ups” they desire. Indeed, dream fulfillment is painfully slow. The same is often true for grown-ups, too. For Branson, Missouri, the entertainment mecca was hit hard by COVID-19. There was no magic to “grease the wheels,” but as the pandemic weakens, wheels
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK I vividly remember my mother’s words to me as I neared the door to leave home to visit a friend or go on a date: “Behave yourself!” As a teenager, I didn’t know I would become an English teacher and would study sentences of all types. Do you remember these: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory? If not,
Read moreBY CLAIRE GECEWICZ Pew Research Center Pope Francis’ popularity dropped in the United States a few years ago amid a sex abuse crisis in the U.S. Catholic Church. But Americans’ opinions of the pontiff have since rebounded, and between February 2020 and March 2021 – 13 months that included moves by Francis to expand the role of women in the church as well as a widening
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON “He knew he would try again, fail perhaps, and try once more. A thousand, thousand times if need be, but he would not give up the quest.” Thus are the words as spoken of Samwise, the Hobbit, as he went on his quest. It was “a glowing obsession to surmount every obstacle, to find Frodo, destroy the
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Spirit Of Abilene 