By LORETTA FULTON Letters from former students, colleagues, and friends poured in a year ago when McMurry University planned to honor professor emeritus of religion Dr. Robert C. Monk. But COVID-19–the grinch that stole 2020–dashed that plan and the ceremony was postponed until Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. Monk has had a year to savor those letters, and on Friday he
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By NANCY PATRICK I have not kept up with all the new trends in modern American education since my retirement from public school teaching in 2004. Although I continued to teach at the college level for another 10 years, I discovered that not all state rules apply to private college education. In the Sept. 14, 2021, edition of the Abilene
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury During almost two decades of writing weekly accounts of humorous and/or unlikely occurrences, I’ve never come across anything quite so bizarre as the subject of this week’s epistle. It is a legal case in progress, as the wheels of justice necessarily turn slowly. Otherwise, the folks at Alta Mesa Church of Christ in Fort Worth
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By DANNY MINTON I walked into the backyard one evening, sat in the rocker, and gazed into the clear night sky. I thought about the grandeur of all the heavenly bodies that God placed within our sight. Then I wondered, “How many others over the centuries had gazed at the same array and felt the awe of something greater than
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Jay Moore’s newest book, “Abilene Daily: Snapshots of Home,” contains one or more vignettes from Abilene’s history for each day of the year. Periodically, stories with some connection–however loose–to Abilene’s religious life will be featured in Spirit of Abilene. The book can be purchased at Texas Star Trading Co., 174 Cypress St. www.texasstartrading.com or call 325-672-9696. Books are $27.50. Following is an
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By JIM NICHOLS The Meals on Wheels client was complaining about the expense and size of the local newspaper. The price had gone up and the size had gone down, and she wondered whether it was still worth taking. “The only reason I take it anymore is for the comics and the obituaries,” she said. I used to think people
Read moreBrook Hollow Christian Church sold its iconic property at 2310 S. Willis Street in June to Beltway Park Church. The Brook Hollow congregation has scheduled its last public worship service at the Willis Street address for 10:10 a.m. Oct. 24. An item concerning a zoning change for the South Willis Street property is on the agenda for Thursday’s City Council
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Phil Christopher retired in September as senior pastor of First Baptist Church, a position he held for twenty-six years. Both Mary and Phil Christopher have made a substantial impact on Abilene since their arrival, and thankfully, they will remain Abilenians. Phil’s last Sunday as senior pastor was Sept. 26. Future plans call for some travel and continued local involvement in
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By JIM NICHOLS This patient room was strategically positioned near the nurses’ station. Closed circuit television cameras made the room visible to the nurses. The first time I visited the ventilated patient was surrounded by several hospital workers, so I retreated to read the patient chart. There had been a car wreck as the young man had lost control, hit
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