By JIM NICHOLS During Jesus’ ministry there were several instances of healing; scripture deals with some of them briefly, but others are described with some detail. One in particular has spoken to me over the years. In Mark 9 there is a crowd around Jesus and a father approaches him and asks for aid for his son. He describes his
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By LORETTA FULTON Both Steve Brooks and Amy Wilson Feltz are gone from Abilene’s Aldersgate United Methodist Church but Sunday, they were on the minds of many in the pews. Brooks is pastor of First UMC in Midland and Feltz is pastor of St. Paul’s UMC in El Paso, both near sites of unthinkable violence just weeks apart. On Aug. 3, a gunman
Read moreBishop Michael Sis of the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo offered these words after hearing about the shootings affecting Odessa and Midland. “It is with a heart full of sorrow that I write these words after hearing of the deaths and injuries caused by the shootings affecting Odessa and Midland. My prayers are for those who have lost their lives,
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By LORETTA FULTON It’s not just Darryl Tippens or others with ties to Route 66 who have a “Route 66 problem.” That problem falls on the shoulders of people all over the world who suffer from self-centeredness, Tippens said as guest speaker for the August meeting of the Abilene Association of Congregations. Tippens, retired University Distinguished Scholar at Abilene Christian University, was
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By LORETTA FULTON The aroma of poppy seed chicken coming from the kitchen at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. The impressive Parade of Flags at Abilene Christian University’s opening chapel. McMurry University’s chaplain urging students to email her with prayer requests. All are signs that a new year of campus spiritual life has kicked off at Abilene’s three church-affiliated universities.
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS Some of scripture is, frankly, difficult to understand. We have to wrestle with writers who composed in a vastly different time of the world and in different cultures. Clearly, in many cases, they are addressing issues that we do not know about and therefore we do not have much context for the words. We want to take
Read moreIDLE AMERICAN Commentary by Dr. Don Newbury Mickey Eddins didn’t want folks to make a “big to-do” about him or his western accessory business, but that’s simply too bad. “If he hadn’t wanted a ‘big to-do’ made about what he’s done, he shouldn’t a’done ‘em,” said one of the 400-plus guests crowded into the M&F showroom recently to honor him
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By DANNY MINTON There is a passage in Tom Clancy’s book “Red Storm Rising” where two Russians are discussing war. One of the men, who was not really for going to war, makes the following statement: “There are always doubts, Comrade Minister. Fighting a war is not an exercise in mathematics. We deal with people, not numbers. Numbers have their
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Editor’s Note: The following post first was printed in Lay Reader, a newsletter published by the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, where David Romanik is rector. It is republished here with permission from the author. By DAVID ROMANIK This summer saw the release of a film called “Yesterday,” which imagined what it would be like if only one person
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Spirit Of Abilene 