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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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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Editor’s Note: The following column by Darryl Tippens first was posted in December 2019. The coming winter seems even bleaker than a year ago, with the COVID pandemic to thank. Dr. Tippens’ reflection on the Christmas carol, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” is re-posted as an early Christmas gift. By DARRYL TIPPENS I have celebrated many Christmases, but only a few
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By DARRYL TIPPENS There is the legend of the old Scottish True Believer who fervently prayed: “O Lord, I pray that I am right about everything, for Thou knowest I never change my mind.” While I’ve never prayed this prayer, I understand the sentiment of it. I was raised in a family which fostered self-confidence. My five siblings and I
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By DARRYL TIPPENS On Monday I watched with dismay as the fires consumed the nave of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. I have had the pleasure and joy of visiting the cathedral twice. Of many beautiful churches I have visited over the years, it’s easy to say no other church in the world is quite like the Cathedral
Read moreBy DARRYL TIPPENS The week before Christmas in 1999 Madeleine L’Engle, the author of the classic novel A Wrinkle in Time, lost her son, Bion. This was not the first, nor would it be the last, of the great sorrows endured by this gifted author. I caught a glimpse of her challenges when I met her a few months before
Read moreTEXAS NORMAL SINGING SCHOOL Dates: July 22-27, Abilene Christian University Early Bird Promotion: Register before June 11 and get a $25 discount on the standard tuition/room/board rates. Scholarship Assistance: Contact Levi Sisemore, treasurer/registrar) at 806-777-8417 for scholarship availability More Information: http://www.singingschool.org WORSHIP LEADERS CONFERENCE Dates: July 20-21, Abilene Christian University Special Guest: Dr. Darryl Tippens, recently retired ACU University Distinguished
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