By JIM NICHOLS It was one of the “Ah-ha” moments for me; I suspect you have had a few in your life too. One might call them “revelations,” although that sounds a bit pompous. They are times when something dawns on us that, apparently, everyone else seems to know already. We stammer around and smile knowingly while we try to
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON This week I sat down and read a book that made me realize the narrow limits of my faith. As I turned the pages and read the story, it touched my heart that someone could have such great faith in a world of adversity while I struggle in a relatively easy life. For my following few writings,
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK Nothing in life is more precious, valuable, fulfilling, cherished, frustrating, complex, and heartbreaking than family. Nothing brings out the negative sides of family more than illness and death. Only four people comprised my nuclear family—mom, dad, two daughters. Four years older than my sister, Peggy, I lived with our parents four years before she entered the picture,
Read moreBy LORETTA FULTON A new pastor will be serving St. Paul United Methodist Church effective July 1. Bobby Wilson, current pastor of St. Paul’s UMC in El Paso, was announced Sunday morning, March 13, as the new minister, replacing Steve Patterson, who has been at St. Paul since July 2019. Patterson was appointed as pastor of St. John’s UMC in
Read more
HELPING UKRAINIAN REFUGEESGlobal Samaritan Resources of Abilene is asking for assistance in filling buckets with everyday household goods to aid people fleeing Ukraine following the invasion by Russia on Feb. 24. The public can assist with the effort by donating money to fill the buckets at www. globalsamaritan.org. It costs $40 to fill and ship each bucket. After supplies are
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s a reach, of course, to recall a melody popular with the free world in 1942. Somehow, I do, and “Googling” the title revealed lyrics tucked away in a five-year-old’s memory rekindled 80 years later. World War II was in its early years. Adults were understandably concerned that atrocities might reach our shores. Bravery,
Read more
By JIM NICHOLS Women’s History Month allows us opportunities to identify individuals unknown to many. Scientist Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) is such a person, and her story contains elements of competition and sexism that sound familiar to modern readers. When most people think of “science,” they note the big three: biology, chemistry, and physics. There are subdisciplines of each of these
Read moreBy MARIANNE WOOD At the direction of my employer, Bill Wright, I drove to San Angelo, Texas, one bright sunny morning to get the final interview for a book about Celia Ann Hill called Headn’ West. Her pal, Maxine Acton Cox, had yet to weigh in on the story. So just before lunchtime on September 18, 2019, I interviewed cowgirl and
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON When asked who you view as the important people of the Bible, most men will likely name Jesus, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Noah, David, Paul, Peter, among others. On the other hand, women will probably add Sarah, Esther, Mary, Ruth, and a few others. All of these men and women attained a high level of respect as
Read more
Spirit Of Abilene 