THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Critics swear that the French successfully smeared “lipstick on a pig” for a big chunk of the 2024 Olympic Games. The French, though, are used to sloughing off jokes and insults. Someone said that if they can’t find an argument to join, they’ll start one. Further, on slow days, restaurant waitpersons resort to insulting each
Read moreBy Marianne Wood Four and five-year-olds are beginning to fascinate me for the second time. The first occurred during my tenure as a mom. I was captivated then. Now, as a grandmother and occasional church nursery worker, I delight in keenly observing their activities. Here’s why: four and five-year-olds have discovered their legs, language, and love. Recently, I enjoyed getting
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By Jim Nichols It is unfair to challenge the opinion of an unknown person since that person cannot make a defense. It was just an internet rant turned into a meme, after all. It was offensive and incomplete enough, however, that it deserves some pushback. The reader may be aware that there is a high amount of criticism today concerning
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By Loretta Fulton Just three years ago, First Christian Church sold its historic downtown property to its neighbor, First Baptist Church, and moved into a former Nazarene church on Antilley Road. In that short period of time, FCC already has outgrown its new facilities and is planning an expansion. That’s quite a change from the reality that made the sale
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Operation Blue JeansTo make donations to help purchase items for Operation Blue Jeans, you can send a check to the Christian Service Center, 3185 N. 10th St., Abilene, TX 79603, or give online at cscabilene.org By Loretta Fulton Operation Blue Jeans is under way at Christian Service Center, 3185 N. 10th St., and will continue through early September. The annual
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By Jim Nichols The Olympics on television are thrilling for their examples of skill, strength, and agility. Some of the individual performances, especially, are hard to believe. How can one person twist a body that way, jump, and do it repeatedly? Or swimming is an exhausting activity; how can someone do that at a high speed for several minutes? Also
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Uncle Mort’s contraptions and inventions usually are “far-fetched.” Finally, he’s come up with one that is “near-fetched.” And, it may be of considerable help to those among us who daily dread what used to be a thoughtless and effortless routine: putting on socks. Some of us have basically surrendered, choosing to go barefoot at home,
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By Nancy Patrick With political wars going on around the world, I find myself in the middle of a spiritual war. The thing is—the politics of war often conflict with my spiritual values. I might add that when I speak of my spiritual values, I include the values that encompass both emotional and psychological aspects of my life. Throughout my
Read moreBy Danny Minton On May 15, 1963, Gordon Cooper sat in the Faith 7 capsule atop Atlas 9, which would end up being the last flight of the Project Mercury Space Program. It would be the first flight to last more than a day, planned for twenty-two orbits around the Earth. Unknown to Cooper or NASA Control, an event would
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Spirit Of Abilene 