By Larry Baker During the middle of worship recently, I asked myself, “Why did it take so long?” Mentally I underscored “so long?” Two carols triggered the query: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus.” God’s ancient people lived, and died, with the promise unfulfilled for what seemed like an eternity. I know: Paul declared the promise
Read moreBy Darryl Tippens One might suppose that a Christmas concert in Abilene, Texas, would be a very different thing from what one experiences in London; but for me, the experiences are similar. Last Christmas my wife Anne and I traveled to London to attend a Christmas concert in Royal Albert Hall. But it was more than a concert; it was
Read moreBy Mike Patrick Bob May, born to a Jewish family in New York in 1905, left for Chicago when the family lost all their wealth during the Great Depression. He found low-paying employment as an in-house advertising copywriter for Montgomery Ward. However, life became harder a few years later when a doctor diagnosed his wife, Evelyn, with cancer in 1937.
Read moreBy Danny Minton It was Thanksgiving week 1973; I had just left the principal’s office and a discussion on a class problem when the school receptionist told me I had a call waiting. When I picked up the phone, it was my wife, Kathy, and she was obviously upset and in tears. I informed the principal that I had to
Read moreGod, I apologize for not going to church today; you shouldn’t have made this day quite so gorgeous.
Read more(Editor’s Note: Special needs students from Abilene and Cooper high schools are selling handmade wooden Christmas trees that are perfect to set in front of the house. They are made of wooden slats and some are painted for a Christmas look. Proceeds go to a trip for the students next spring to a Texas Rangers baseball game. To
Read moreEditor’s Note: Daina Jurika-Owen is a former refugee resettlement professional and is an academically trained folklorist. A native of Riga, Latvia, Jurika-Owen lives in Abilene. She is the author of a new book, Ten Cultures, Twenty Lives. The following story about a refugee named Isaac is similar to stories in the book, which can be purchased through her website, www.amayabooks.com, Texas
Read moreMy friend knows me inside and out, and likes me anyway.
Read moreBy Loretta Fulton “And we hope you have many more.” That toast to Dr. Virginia Connally, Abilene’s first female physician, ended a special celebration Dec. 4 of her 105th birthday. Connally’s daughter, Genna, who lives in Waco, joined friends in Abilene for the celebration. A special gift to Connally from her alma mater, Hardin-Simmons University, was the Jesse C. Fletcher Award
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