By LESLIE STRADER Every year about this time, I wrap up my annual read of one of my favorite books – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Published in 1843 and set in Victorian England, Dickens’ Christmas ghost story is credited with reviving the celebratory sprit of Christmas that we know today. Since then, time and technology have given us
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By DANNY MINTON It was early Sunday morning when everyone in town was awakened by a violent earthquake. It was particularly unsettling since it was the second in the past three days. Damage to the Temple from a dark storm and earthquake which had occurred on Friday during the crucifixion of Jesus had yet to be finished. In Galilee word
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By DARRYL TIPPENS On Monday I watched with dismay as the fires consumed the nave of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. I have had the pleasure and joy of visiting the cathedral twice. Of many beautiful churches I have visited over the years, it’s easy to say no other church in the world is quite like the Cathedral
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By DANNY MINTON I heard the story years ago about a preacher who preached at a small-town church. One Sunday he took his young daughter with him so she could see the quaint little building which took up his Sundays every week. As they entered the building and passed through the foyer, they stopped by an old wooden tray where
Read moreCharles Coghlan By DANNY MINTON Charles Coghlan was born in 1841 on Prince Edward Island to a poor Irish family. Neighbors helped him get a good education, but after school, he decided that he wanted to be an actor. Infuriated, his father disowned him, and Charles left home to pursue his career. One day he visited a fortune teller who
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON The guys I play golf with have an unwritten rule. We are allowed one mulligan per nine holes played. For those that don’t know, a mulligan is simply a “do over.” You can redo any shot, and the first one doesn’t count against you. We don’t play for money, just for fun. Now I realize that it
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By CAROLYN NEWMAN Francis Jane Crosby March 24, 1820-February 12, 1915 Are you aware that Bing Crosby had a famous ancestor, Francis Jane Crosby? Born in 1820, and known as Aunt Fanny, she wrote more than 9,000 hymns, some of which are among the most popular in every Christian denomination. She wrote so many that she was forced to use
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By THE REV. DR. JANICE SIX The Women’s Rights Movement for women’s suffrage celebrated the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920, securing women’s place in the voting booth. In the ecclesiastical realm, God had already called women into the pulpit decades earlier— in some branches of the Christian family tree. One mover and shaker of
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By THE REV. MARY GLOVER Many are familiar with the phrase that “it takes a village to raise a child.” I’d suggest the same is true when it comes to raising a priest and I’d like to honor the women – those I never met and those I know – who paved the path toward my own priesthood. Rather than
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Spirit Of Abilene 