By Darryl Tippens “There was no place for them in the inn.” I wonder about some elements of the Christmas story, details not found in the Gospels. Did Mary and Joseph deliver the baby themselves, or was a midwife called in? And what happened to the shepherds after that wild, glorious night of angelic singing in the skies? Did they
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By Darryl Tippens “Surreal” is a much over-worked descriptor, but sometimes it’s the right word. My recent Fourth of July weekend on the Guadalupe River with my family was bewildering, traumatic, and surreal. For the last several summers we have vacationed in the Rockies, either in New Mexico or Colorado. This year, everyone’s calendar was unusually complicated, so we agreed:
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Abilene Association of Congregations MeetingThe public is invited to hear Dr. Darryl Tippens, retired ACU English professor, speak about the hymn “Amazing Grace” at the monthly meeting of the Abilene Association of Congregations.When: 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, May 28Where: First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St.Lunch: $3 donation requestedProgram: Tippens will speak on “The Amazing Journey of ‘Amazing Grace’: The Backstory
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By Darryl Tippens The Cathedral of Notre-Dame officially reopened on December 8, after a five-year reconstruction marathon involving hundreds of architects, carpenters, stonemasons, engineers, and countless others. The massive project was funded by 340,000 donors from around the world. The restored “masterpiece of faith and Christian architecture,” as Pope Francis described it, would have seemed impossible in April 2019 when
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By Darryl Tippens I’ve been trying to get into the spirit of the season this year, and to be frank, it’s been difficult. The juxtaposition of the daily news—the tensions in our own country, but even more the pervasive scenes of suffering and death in Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza set against the season’s cheerful carols—is jarring. Recently, while attending 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 DARRYL TIPPENS “It is important to remember the deep, in some ways anguished seriousness of Advent.”—Thomas Merton, Seasons of Celebrations A friend of mine endured a hair-raising escape from Tehran, Iran, one night in 1979. As the city fell to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Yasmin (let us call her) received an urgent call from the American embassy telling her
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By DARRYL TIPPENS Christmas is in the air. I mean this quite literally. We know it’s Christmas because of the distinctive scents of the season. Whether it’s the fragrance of the pine boughs brought indoors or the odors of steaming hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies, and cinnamon rolls wafting through the house—our noses know. It’s Christmas. This is just as it
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By DARRYL TIPPENS So now we are in the season of Lent, a time for penitence and self-denial. While the observance officially began on Ash Wednesday, rather than 40 days, it feels more like a 400-day observance. During this time, so many things have been denied to us—time with family, face-to-face worship, live entertainment, freedom to travel, and during our
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Spirit Of Abilene 