THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury I’d never thought of naming my laptop. Now, I’m making a u-turn, deciding that it deserves a name: “Dolly.” Hundreds of miles away from her for five full days, I can now warble with gusto, “Hello, Dolly. Well, hello, Dolly. It’s so good to have you back where you belong.” Our “separation” began around
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By Jim Nichols There are two sections to this article, with tension in both parts. The first is the tension of writing at all; the second is the tension I have regarding the topic. An author I admire notes that he receives criticism from two opposite directions. On one hand his writings tend to be slanted toward religious, even Christian,
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By Danny Minton In 1857, Phillip Gosse penned a book entitled Omphalos. The word “Omphalos” is the Greek word for “navel.” The central point of the book centered on creation and the idea that God would have created Adam and Eve with “hair, fingernails, and even a navel.” It was a discussion on telling the age of the Earth. The
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By Loretta Fulton A renowned theologian, pastor, scholar, and author will be in Abilene Sept. 14-15 as guest speaker for the annual Festival of Faith at First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St. The public is invited to hear Dr. Craig Barnes, President Emeritus of Princeton Theological Seminary at all his presentations, which are free. Barnes was president of Princeton
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By Glenn Dromgoole I’m sure you’ve passed by the church on the highway to Anson, its lighted sign proclaiming “Jesus Saves.” I don’t even know the church’s name. It’s just the “Jesus Saves” church. And that’s a good thing to be known for. Jesus saves. Indeed. When my wife Carol and I drive by the church on our way to
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My time away from writing the last two months–for repairs, rejuvenation, re-connection and respite from the world of 24/7 caregiving–has been more than rewarding. Resulting are at least two more “R” words: resumption and re-commitment. Truly I have missed writing weekly. Perhaps you haven’t missed me, and perhaps I am viewed like the pesky
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By Loretta Fulton Expanding and sprucing up the Food Bank of West Central Texas had long been a dream of its board of directors and administrators. But it wasn’t until the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 went into effect that the necessary funding became available. The American Rescue Plan was a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress
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By Loretta Fulton At least Ronnie Kidd got to see the expansion of the Food Bank of West Central Texas taking shape before he retired. Kidd’s last day on the job as chief executive officer was Aug. 31. Brandon Forrest is the new CEO. Kidd was in on the planning of the expansion, which began in 2022, and has seen
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By Jim Nichols I can remember the specific place on the street where the encounter occurred. During my third semester of college, hundreds of miles from where I grew up, I was with a classmate in the evening. He said, “Do you want to go get a Coke?” I replied, “I would like to, but I need to go home
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