By LARRY BAKER The man looked at me and said, “That was the most disillusioning experience I have ever had!” I could hear the pain in his voice and see the draining impact in his posture. The man across the table from me had taken a damaging blow in the rib cage of his soul. I listened as he talked.
Read moreBy JIM McDONALD God created everything and then us so we could live and prosper and give Him pleasure. We failed by disobeying Him. Ultimately due to our sin, He made Christmas and Good Friday, which provided a new avenue for us to draw near to Him through Jesus. Then Jesus rose from death’s grip so everyone throughout history could know His
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON You wake up one morning with a pain that doesn’t seem to go away. You’re feeling tired all the time and act like all your energy has gone out the window. You make an appointment with the doctor who doesn’t know what is wrong either so he orders some blood work and an x-ray. The x-ray and
Read morePulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess was guest speaker for the Lawrence Clayton Poets and Writers Speaker Series April 6 at Hardin-Simmons University. Photos courtesy of Larry Fink By LORETTA FULTON A Pulitzer Prize winning poet didn’t experience the discrimination against African-Americans that his parents did and can only imagine what freed slaves experienced at the end of the Civil War.
Read moreWhen I was a young father, I prayed fervently over and over that God would let my son grow up to be normal. I prayed every night for months and months, but God didn’t seem to listen. Then I prayed to God, “What have I done for this to happen in our lives?” I prayed, “Why?” When I was young,
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON What began on Palm Sunday was completed on Easter Sunday. From March 25 to March 30, Christians observed Holy Week rituals, including Maundy Thursday, with the institution of the Lord’s Supper and foot washing, and Good Friday, when the light of Christ was snuffed out. Some traditions held all-night vigils. Many churches hosted Easter egg hunts,
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON On Sunday, we spread palm branches and shouted Hosannas as part of the Palm Sunday liturgy, the first day in Holy Week. Monday starts a descent into darkness before Easter comes and we can shout “Alleluia, Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.” Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services will be held in churches all
Read moreBy JANICE SIX Easter morning, pastors will proclaim from pulpits all across this land, “He is risen!” and in response congregants will exclaim, “He is risen indeed!” Alleluias that have laid dormant since Ash Wednesday will arise in response to the magnificent brass, timpani drums, and voices united in song. As the congregation stands to sing “Christ the Lord is
Read moreBy MIKE PATRICK As a high school student, my understanding of prophecy focused on predicting or foretelling the future. Not long after that Hal Lindsey’s book, Late, Great Planet Earth became a best seller and a movie. A few years later, as a college student, I began hearing that prophecy dealt more with forth-telling or what we might call preaching.
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