By LORETTA FULTON Even before May 2022, Pearl Merritt knew Abilene was a special place, but the events that unfolded for 12 days beginning May 17 sealed the deal. Merritt and her husband were among the victims during the 12 days that it took firefighters to contain what became known as the Mesquite Heat Fire in western Taylor County. They
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” So, I went
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By JIM NICHOLS He loved automobiles. My father said that if you gave Roy enough parts, he could build a whole car by himself. Of course, that was decades ago when cars were more mechanical than electrical as they are today, but it made sense to me. When I bought my first used car (1955 Ford), Roy, my grandfather, helped
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By NANCY PATRICK I often write about the importance of honesty and transparency. As I look through my titles for Spirit of Abilene, I see some suggest an obsession with the idea. I seem overly invested in the topic of the danger of hypocrisy to relationships. I think this philosophy applies not only to individuals and families but also to
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Come on, now. Things could be worse. You could be working in public relations at Southwest Airlines. For decades the envy of other U.S. airlines, SWA might understandably change its corporate colors to black and blue, what with the pummeling it endured during the “Christmas crush” of 2022. That’s when more than a
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By LORETTA FULTON Each December, members of Religion News Association, including Spirit of Abilene creator and editor Loretta Fulton, choose the top religion stories of the year. Those include the top national stories, international stories, and newsmaker of the year.Many of the Top 10 stories, as voted on by members, had local implications, including the No. 1 story, the Supreme
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s the time people make promises for the New Year. Actually, the only thing that has changed is that the number “2” becomes a “3” at the end of the date. Diet books and magazines will disappear from store shelves. Bikes, treadmills, weights, and many other exercising pieces will make
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“God Turned Toward You” will be the theme of the Festival of Faith featuring Will Willimon Jan. 8-9 at First Central Presbyterian Church. Willimon, professor of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School, is the author of over 80 books. He is a former bishop in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Will Willimon A Pew research survey
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By JIM NICHOLS Turning over the calendar presents a good opportunity to reflect on “one-liner” items collected over time. These are phrases or paragraphs that have spoken truths clearly and, often, in unexpected ways. I frequently have these on separate small pieces of paper, and they have no relationship to one another except that, for some reason, they spoke to
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