THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The comparison isn’t nearly as far-fetched as it may seem at first blush. In many ways, though, the Texas Rangers’ unlikely mastery of the 2023 baseball World Series resembles the Apollo 11 Space Mission. Huh? We who are long of tooth, gray of hair or bald of head remember the late 1960s. Many Americans viewed our
Read moreBy MARIANNE WOOD Sometimes, you must admit out loud or at least in a private journal, saying what you don’t like and do like. It’s cathartic. I’m going public with one of mine. I’m not too fond of flocked wallpaper. Invented initially to imitate expensive cut velvet hangings, flock wallpaper (or “flocked” as we say in Texas) gives me the
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This year’s Carmichael-Walling Lectures at Abilene Christian University will feature Dr. Laura Nasrallah of Yale Divinity School. Her presentations will be at 4 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in Room 114 in ACU’s Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building. The lectures are free and open to the public. Register here to live stream. The lectureship is presented by ACU’s Center for the Study
Read moreConfessions of a Female Pastor Janice Six, retired associate pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church, has a new book, “Confessions of a Female Pastor: And Other Prayers of the People.” The official release of the book will be Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30 p.m. at First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St. Janice served on staff at the church for
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Kathleen Norris Presentations Religion writer Kathleen Norris will be in Abilene this week to speak several times at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St. The public is invited to all the presentations. On Wednesday, Nov. 8, she will be special guest at the church’s weekly dinner at 6 p.m. in Gerhart Hall. Admission is free. A
Read moreDarryl Tippens, retired University Distinguished Scholar at Abilene Christian University, will be guest speaker at the November meeting of the Abilene Association of Congregations. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 15, at Wylie Methodist Church, 3430 Antilley Road. Lunch will be served at 11:45 a.m. A $3 donation is requested. The intriguing title
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By JIM NICHOLS It was a busy Saturday afternoon in a city square in Montevideo, Uruguay. I was with a friend among hundreds of other people. My friend is a person who moves easily between the U.S. and Uruguay and has spent much time both places. He said, “See those three young women over there? They are Americans.” I looked
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON Seemingly without hesitation, placing his hand on the side, he stepped out of the boat. The walk was a short one, only a few feet. Without question, he would have made it if only he hadn’t looked down. As his thoughts switched to the gentle waves of the water below his feet, he probably thought, “I can’t
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury A woman described her middle-aged hubby thusly: “He’s 44 inches around the waist, size seven and a half around the head, 95 around the golf course and a nuisance around the house.” Clever, of course, this play on phrases, but under the thin veneer of humor is a rock-hard truth about waistlines. Many men, as
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Spirit Of Abilene 