By JIM NICHOLS The cartoon was making a wry attempt at humor. The boy said to his father, “It got dark real early. Why is today the shortest day?” The father’s reply was, “I guess 2020 is finally giving up.” Winter solstice has come and gone recently. This is an event with a long history of meanings. Officially, this marks
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Garbage sacks stuffed with colorful Christmas paper now protrude from trash dumpsters that line the quiet street. Boxes ripped open the day before from Christmas morning’s excitement now sit piled, ready to be recycled or hauled to the dumpsite. We pack away a few that are colorful and still in good shape until next season. Gifts that
Read moreBy MARIANNE WOOD Oscar Wilde satirized Victorian behavior in his comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. The chief character, Ernest, who is only Ernest in the city and known as Jack in the country, is obviously neither earnest nor serious. Ditto for the play. Though it is a delight. Reading J.D. Vance’s article, “How I joined the Resistance” in The
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Editor’s Note: To add your church services to this list, email editor@spiritofabilene.com By LORETTA FULTON Expect a sense of deja vu Thursday evening when live streamed and/or televised Christmas Eve services will replace in-person worship at many Abilene churches. When many in-person Easter Sunday services were canceled due to COVID-19, most assumed things would be back to normal by the
Read moreBy JIM McDONALD “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” Galatians 4:4-5 “With all wisdom and understanding, he made
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON About this time last year, my class watched the film “The Star.” It’s an intriguing study that a lawyer did trying to find out what the phenomenon in the universe called the Star of Bethlehem actually was. I’m not necessarily saying his research is without flaw. It’s a topic that will be discussed from now until the
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By LORETTA FULTON Perhaps nothing illustrates the year 2020 like a group of volunteers, all wearing masks, standing in the cold to hand out Christmas packages to families in a drive-through line. Masks and drive-through lines, to avoid close contact, became the norm in 2020, the Year of COVID. As the year progressed, so did the number of cases and
Read moreMcMurry University News ReleaseAlaisha Montanez McMurry University President Sandra S. Harper has been awarded the 2020 Carol A. Luthman Meritorious Service Award by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The annual awards honor outstanding service to the SACSCOC, including volunteerism, leadership and commitment to the principles of accreditation. Harper has supported and served SACSCOC as
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By DARRYL TIPPENS “Life has never been normal.”—C. S. Lewis In the midst of the pandemic with its endless disruptions and tragic loss of life, it’s tempting to shout, “This is unprecedented—the worst ever! Nothing like this has ever happened before!” It’s easy to think such thoughts, but they are not true to the facts. It’s been this bad before
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