By LORETTA FULTON Scott Seymour spent quite a few years of his life in the Air Force and as a teacher, but he’ has been a United Methodist Church minister long enough to have picked up on some tradecraft. Methodists are noted for moving its pastors around more frequently than most denominations, although not as much nowadays as in the past. Still,
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By TERRY CAGLE Back in the fall of 1995, I attended my 20th high school reunion for the Abilene High class of ’75. Since many of us were in town, the church we attended decided to have a “youth group reunion” on the Sunday of the reunion weekend. Since I was the only “pastor” of the group, I was asked
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By BISHOP MICHAEL SIS The English word “advent” comes from the Latin word “adveniens,” which refers to an arrival, entry, or coming. The one who is coming is Jesus Christ. There are really three “comings” of Christ: in history, in mystery, and in majesty. These take place in the past, the present, and the future. The season of Advent focuses
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By JANICE SIX It occurred to me that even though we define Advent as a time of preparing for the coming of Christ, the majority of our attention focuses on that which has already taken place: Christ’s birth, and Christ’s ongoing presence with us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, rather than preparing for the coming of Christ,
Read morePopular blogger/author Jami Amerine, a 1996 graduate of Abilene Christian University, has a new book just published by Harvest House. The book and blog share the same title: “Sacred Ground, Sticky Floors: How Less-Than-Perfect Parents Can Raise Kids Who are (Kind of ) Great.” Her first book, “Stolen Jesus: An Unconventional Search for the Real Savior,” was published in October
Read moreThe annual Carmichael-Walling Lectures, presented by ACU’s Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts, will be held Thursday, Nov. 8. Dr. John Fitzgerald (’72 M.A.) of the University of Notre Dame will give two lectures on the theme: “Friends and Drunks: Two Glimpses into the Social History of the Early Christians and Their World.” An expert on early Christianity, Dr.
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By DAN STIVER A recent Barna study of Bible appreciation and usage among Americans (here referring to people in the U.S.) is encouraging (https://www.barna.com/research/state-of-the-bible-2018-seven-top-findings/). It indicates that half of all American people use the Bible, many “give a lot of thought” to it, and many find it helps them to be better people. This is significant in light of reports
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Scott Bader-Saye, acting dean of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, will bring an important conversation to Abilene in September. Bader-Saye will lead a conference Sept. 14-15, “Fostering Civil Conversation,” at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St. The conference, which includes dinner on Friday night and breakfast on Saturday morning, is open to the public.
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By JANICE SIX A couple of years ago for Christmas my son and his wife gave me a framed quote from a song by the Avett Brothers. The quote reads, “Always remember there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name.” Whether speaking of our family name, or referring to our shared name as followers
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Spirit Of Abilene 