By DANNY MINTON On April 26, 1986, at 1:23:40 am MSD (Moscow Time), Aleksandr Akimov pressed a button to re-lower the fuel rods of the RBMK reactor at the Chornobyl (Note: Ukraine prefers this spelling over the Russian, Chernobyl) nuclear plant in Ukraine SSR in the Soviet Union. The rods should have lowered seven meters but hung up at 2-2.5
Read more
By JIM NICHOLS There are some teachings in the Bible, often straight from Jesus himself, that I do not like. The problem is that I am expecting God to make decisions and judgments that parallel those that I would make in a similar situation. I am using an incorrect starting point. Students complain. Not all of them complain and not
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Umpteen years ago, I entitled a speech–cleverly I thought at the time—”From Adam’s Rib to Women’s Lib.” I provided more details than audiences wanted to know, explaining that with such an expansive title, maybe I wouldn’t wander too far off track. It was admittedly a weak joke, probably not warranting so much as
Read more
It’s been a year since Phil Christopher preached his last sermon as senior pastor of First Baptist Church. His final sermon came on Sept. 26, 2021. Christopher had been pastor of the church since 1995. He and his wife, Mary, live in Abilene and remain active in the community. Matt Cook, with the Center for Healthy Churches, is serving as
Read more
Fun and food will be served up in ample portions in the coming weeks as several churches in the Catholic Diocese of San Angelo host fall festivals. The ones either in Abilene or within driving distance are listed below. First up is Abilene’s St. Francis of Assisi Church on Saturday, Oct. 1. The church is located at 826 Cottonwood St.
Read more
By LORETTA FULTON Russell Miller didn’t attend McMurry University, but he got to campus as fast as he could. Miller is the new assistant university chaplain and assistant director of religious and spiritual life at McMurry. Marty CashBurless is university chaplain. Miller counts at least 16 family members who attended McMurry, including his own children, who graduated in 2009 and
Read more
Abilene is filled with houses of worship but most Abilenians are familiar with the inside of only a handful. A periodic feature in Spirit of Abilene will give you an “Insider’s View” of some of those places you may have driven by many times but never entered. By LORETTA FULTONNAME: St. Luke Antiochian Orthodox Christian ChurchLOCATION: 501 Sunset DriveWEBSITE: https://www.stlukeorthodox.net/LEAD
Read more
By LORETTA FULTON The last time the Texas Baptist Women in Ministry held an annual conference, the year was 2020, just before COVID-19 forced such gatherings to go online. And, the setting was in a very Baptist place–George W. Truett Theological Seminary on the campus of Baylor University. This time, things were different. The organization was meeting live again for
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Our plane landed at DFW airport around 8:30 p.m. one evening this past June. Our flight to Abilene was to board around 10:30 p.m., with our arrival in Abilene scheduled for approximately 11:30 p.m. We were returning from a trip to Cabo San Lucas, where I had officiated for my great-niece’s wedding, backdropped by the waves of
Read more
Spirit Of Abilene 