By Carlo Sosa-Ortiz I remember taking a preaching class during my time in seminary, and all of us were fretting over our manuscripts. We were a classroom of aspiring preachers, and some of us had more experience than others when it came to proclaiming the Word. Needless to say, many of us wanted to leave some sort of mark on
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By Penny Biddy I didn’t know what Lent was until I was a teenager. My childhood church observed a few traditional celebrations (basically Christmas and Easter), but on the whole I grew up in a pretty “low-church” environment. Neither our roots in the traditional Disciples of Christ nor our experiences with the charismatic movement in the ’80s gave us any
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By Jim Nichols The wind can be frustrating. It often has an unpredictability as to its velocity and direction. One moment it seems calm and pleasant and the next it increases to what are dangerous angles and speeds. Airplane pilots pay high attention to the wind and its variabilities. The wind on a lake merits similar awareness; the variations in
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury It’s an old joke from the 1990s, pulled from the files each time the Super Bowl rolls around. Late Congressman Charles Stenholm, a distinguished Christian statesman from Ericksdahl (near Stamford) popularized the yarn in Texas, claiming that it originated in Washington, D.C. It was during more civil times, when Republicans and Democrats not only talked
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By Loretta Fulton Abilenians will have numerous opportunities to observe Black History Month throughout February. Curtis House Cultural Center, 630 Washington St., features displays and memorabilia highlighting the contributions of Blacks to the history of Abilene. Andrew Penns, founder and director of the center, said a new exhibit features the football teams that played for Carter G. Woodson High School.
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Turned water into wine — not just a first miracle, an act of kindness. Glenn Dromgoole is a former editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and the author of numerous books. He and his wife, Carol, own Texas Star Trading Company.
Read moreBy Danny Minton Without question, the hottest game in professional baseball was a game between the Boston Beaneaters and Baltimore Orioles on May 15, 1894, in Boston. The fireworks started in the third inning when Tommy “Foghorn” Tucker slid safely into third base. At that point, John McGraw of the Orioles kicked Tucker in the face, and a brawl broke
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury In a perfect world, coaches, parents and participants would rightly refer to sports aspirants as “student athletes.” Today, however, this often is not the case. For many–in both high school and college–reference to “student athletes” is an oxymoron, as far apart as the east is from the west. The best coaches–at all levels–first are teachers
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By Jim Nichols Among the most fascinating parts of a human body are hands. Having a young child in the family allows watchers to see learning in action. At birth, the child just flails arms and hands around with no purpose or coordination. Very soon, however, probably in coordination with better ability to focus eyes and track objects, that same
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Spirit Of Abilene 