Editor’s Note: Laura Lacey Johnson is a former employee of KTXS-TV, the Community Foundation of Abilene, and Howard Payne University in Brownwood. She now lives in Missouri and is an author and creator of Christian videos. She will be an occasional contributor to Spirit of Abilene. Following is a brief bio and links to a book and videos. To see
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON I would like to share what is wrong with the music our young people play today. The answer is as simple as, you know, “the nose on your face.” It is so plain that it will make perfect common sense once I explain it below. The main issue with music today is that it is too loud,
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK Many people have suffered from boredom and lethargy during the COVID-19 quarantine. My husband, Mike, and I, both retired for several years, had already adjusted our schedules for more home time than younger families who suddenly had to miss work and school. With the time and limitations associated with social restrictions, we undertook a major DIY project
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS Here comes a compressed story, a punchline, and some reflections. A bit over twenty years ago I moved for a year from teaching to research responsibilities. I was engaged in a research laboratory in Atlanta and was one of several workers in what might be called a “research group.” The group had a boss who was about
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON When I was five years old, our garage almost caught on fire because of a burning mattress. Someone was playing with matches, throwing them behind the old mattress when it suddenly caught on fire. My brother, who was three years old, and I were sat down and interrogated by my dad. “Who started the fire?” “Gary did,”
Read moreBy JIM NICHOLS Fellow Spirit of Abilene contributor Nancy Patrick recently referenced the book Hind’s Feet on High Places. It is a story following the character Much-Afraid as she encounters guidance from God. Hearing about that book I had read long ago, I searched our bookshelves at home and found our yellowed copy. As I opened the cover, I was
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By CAROLYN NEWMAN On Sundays we would go to a Gospel Sing. Mama would fry chicken and often slipped me a wing. Then she baked a cake with raw eggs in the batter. I got to lick the beaters, uncooked eggs did not matter. First the preacher preached, then we sang and sang. My stomach started wanting “nana puddin” with
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By LORETTA FULTON It looked like a drive-in movie and sounded like a pep rally, but once the service began, there was no doubt that the National Day of Prayer was being observed in Abilene. Instead of on the lawn at City Hall or in a park, the service took place on the parking lot in front of the Abilene
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By LORETTA FULTON A local National Day of Prayer service will be held this year, despite the COVID-19 shutdown, but it will look a little different. Instead of worshippers holding hands, hugging, singing and praying next to one another, participants will be asked to stay in their vehicle and listen on the radio. 1-Kingdom, an organization of local pastors and
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