By LORETTA FULTON “Destination Dig: Unearthing the Truth About Jesus,” “Anchored: Deepening Faith in God,” “Rocky Railway: Jesus’ Power Pulls Us Through.” Sound familiar? A year after COVID-19 shut everything down, an old favorite, Vacation Bible School, is returning, with its enticing themes and promises of adventure, fun, worship, and learning. Some churches are going totally old school, hosting VBS
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(Editor’s Note: This article was written by Loretta Fulton in August 2001 after a trip to Belgium to write about the making of a documentary on Abilenian Bill Grosvenor, who had to ditch his plane in the Belgian soil in November 1943 and escape the Nazis who were chasing him. While there, Loretta visited the grave of her uncle, Paul
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON During World War II, more than eleven Million undesirables and people of Jewish descent faced extermination by Nazi Germany. People asked, “Why? Where was God?” On April 20, 1999, two high school seniors walked into Columbine High School in Colorado and murdered twelve innocent students and one teacher. People asked, “Why? Where was God?” On September 11,
Read moreBy MARIANNE WOOD Recently I had the privilege of meeting some fellow writers for the first time. In my impromptu remarks at our small gathering, I mangled a concept from the English crime writer and poet Dorothy Sayers. I want to set that straight (assuming you are reading) because the impact of her idea carries tremendous value for artists of
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK The older I get, the more often I hear words that I thought I understood but have somehow taken on new meanings while something else occupied my mind. I know every generation has its identifying lingo that connects the people of similar ages. My adolescence occurred in the ’60s in the midst of the hippie movement. My
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS You have probably had this same experience in one form or another. That is, we realize that we are in familiar territory, but something seems oddly and disturbingly different. We recognize most of the pieces, but they are put in different positions and result in some new or different meaning. I was challenging myself by living a
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By LORETTA FULTON As a junior in college, Priscilla Pope-Levison experienced what she called “friendship evangelism” that set her on a course to become what she is today– associate dean for external programs and professor of ministerial studies at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. The experience was so enriching for Pope-Levison that she, along with other Christians, was
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By LORETTA FULTON As early as kindergarten, Kevin Lenius loved Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church, usually celebrated by Father Fred Nawarskas. He would even “play priest” at home, urging his parents to listen to him preach. Even on the swing set, gently swaying back and forth, Lenius felt God’s love and presence. When he got a little older, his
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON April 6, 1945, brought a fierce battle off the shore of Okinawa, Japan. The American fleet consisted of three large carriers, a dozen destroyers, four light cruisers, and a couple of light carriers. It also included three battleships, of which one was the USS North Carolina. Onboard the BB55, North Carolina, was my dad, Smitty Minton. The
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