THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury He didn’t see it as a turning point at the time–this budding vocal artist who was belting out country songs at the Burger Box in Arlington. Craig Murphy, then age 40, might have been flipping burgers instead, trying to find a road that led somewhere instead of dead-end trails he’d followed for a
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By NANCY PATRICK I try to incorporate new terminology into my vocabulary whenever I hear someone use a term unfamiliar to me. It happens frequently in today’s world as technology moves so quickly one has to make the effort to keep up. I first noticed the use of the word “trending” on my Netflix account. In addition to labels such
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By LORETTA FULTON Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech blasted through the parking lot of the Woodson Center for Excellence Monday afternoon, setting the tone for the ceremony and march that lay ahead in honor of the slain Civil Rights leader. Monday, Jan. 16, was the official holiday honoring King, who was born Jan. 15, 1929,
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By LORETTA FULTON When she was just 10 years old, Kristen Harris had a thought during a church service that eventually would lead to a calling and career. She was sitting in a service at First Christian Church in Stephenville with her family and quietly observing everything the minister, “Pastor Paul”, was doing. And he was literally doing everything–preaching the
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By DANNY MINTON “Look,” said Dick. “See it go. See it go up.” Jane said, “Oh, look! See it go. See it go up.” “Up, up,” said Sally. “Go, up, up, up.” With these words, children of the fifties were introduced to a family who had been part of the lives of children decades before and would continue into the
Read moreDallas Jenkins, creator of the hit television series The Chosen, will be guest speaker for the Blue Tie Affair benefiting Beyond Trafficking. The gala will be held Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Taylor County Expo Center. VIP admission opens at 5:15 p.m. and general admission opens at 6:15. The program also will feature Karla Solomon, director of outreach and training
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By JIM NICHOLS The photographer was enthusiastic. “OK,” he said. “This is a lot of people so I will need you to cooperate with me. You all look so good today that I believe this will be a great memory picture for you. Who knows? Perhaps decades from now someone will see this shot and it will trigger wonderful memories
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Inherent with insistence to dig ever deeper–rarely satisfied with merely getting to the bottom of things–are the risks of learning more than we want to know. There are ever so many places to dig, with ever-growing types of tools with which to excavate. Years ago, the late German Emperor Otto von Bismarck warned that laws–like sausages–are far
Read moreBill Libby, former Army chaplain and longtime religion professor at McMurry University, died Jan. 7, at his home in Abilene. Funeral was scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, where Libby was a longtime member, former associate pastor, and founder of the Pathfinders Sunday School class, comprised mostly of Vietnam-era veterans. Libby will be
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Spirit Of Abilene 