By DANNY MINTON Frederick Langbridge died in 1923. The one thing that he left behind that has had a lasting impression is a short poem he wrote. It simply says: “Two men look through prison bars;One sees mud the other stars.” It’s a simple little poem with a powerful message. Some people are never happy. They are always looking at
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON There is a box in my garage that has been sitting on the shelf for the past 10 years. It’s a white box with the words “coo-coo clock” written on the side. It was a wedding gift 50 years ago from my uncle. It’s sitting in the box because it’s broken, and I haven’t gotten around to
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By DANNY MINTON Max Lucado in his book, “In the Eye of the Storm,” tells the following story about Chippie the parakeet. “Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage
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Quite a few Abilenians will be in Toronto Nov. 1-7 for the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Chief among them will be Rob Sellers, retired Hardin-Simmons University religion professor, who is chairman of the board of the parliament. Also going will be Jacob Snow of First Central Presbyterian Church and president of the Abilene Interfaith Council. A McMurry University class
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(Editor’s Note: Following are statements from religion leaders about the deadly shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27. Rob Sellers, retired religion professor at Hardin-Simmons University, is chairman of the board of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. Cliff Stewart, pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church, is president of the Abilene Association of Congregations.) A
Read more(Editor’s Note: Contributor Mike Patrick came across an article by Tom Mullen about 10 years ago and submitted it to the Reporter-News. It concerns how Christians are divided by elections and seems timely today, too. The article by Tom Mullen, “On Election Year Tensions,” was part of Mullen’s book, “Where 2 or 3 Are Gathered, Someone Spills His Milk.”) By
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By NANCY PATRICK I thought about starting this paragraph with a string of happy emojis. The reason for my elation—my husband, Mike, and I will celebrate our fiftieth wedding anniversary on Nov. 23. When we married, Mike had completed two years of college, while I had just graduated from high school. Neither of us had a clue about the
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Growing up, my hometown of Plano was just a small rural community out in the middle of cotton farms and cattle where you could see for miles across freshly plowed fields and grazing pasture. It was 5 to 10 miles to the nearest town in any direction from downtown. The population in 1950 was 2,126. When
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By DANNY MINTON When the knock came on the door just as it was getting dark, I was taken by surprise as I saw two people about my size staring at me through plastic masks covering their faces. I was around three, and it was the first Halloween that I remember. I remember at that point my mother decorating my face
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Spirit Of Abilene 