Editor’s Note: March is Women’s History Month. Spirit of Abilene will highlight influential women, including biblical figures during the month. By Leslie Strader When we think of Moses in the Old Testament, Hollywood’s Charleston Heston most often comes to mind. A flowing mane of hair, staff in hand and standing before Pharoah demanding he, “Let my people go!” The Sunday
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By LESLIE STRADER Mashed potatoes and gravy. Fried chicken. Chocolate cake. There’s a reason it’s called “comfort food.” We turn to this nostalgic nourishment (those are some of mine anyway!) when we seek relief from pain or stress or sorrow. There is a kind of soul-ease that comes when our bellies are full of food that is familiar and satisfying.
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By LESLIE STRADER Every year about this time, I wrap up my annual read of one of my favorite books – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Published in 1843 and set in Victorian England, Dickens’ Christmas ghost story is credited with reviving the celebratory sprit of Christmas that we know today. Since then, time and technology have given us
Read moreBy LESLIE STRADER As we read through the Gospels, we see that Jesus – who was for the most part loved by the masses – was perceived as a growing threat by the religious leaders of the day. Consumed with jealousy, pride, and spiritual blindness, the woefully inadequate spiritual leaders of Israel set in motion a plot to destroy Him.
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By LESLIE STRADER English evangelical J.C. Ryle, the first Anglican bishop of Liverpool, called chapter 17 in the book of John “the most wonderful prayer that was ever prayed on earth.” Some say this should be the “love” chapter rather than 1 Corinthians 13 because Christ’s prayer is a great expression of His love for us. While he was very
Read moreBy LESLIE STRADER Supreme Court Justice Sonya Sotomayor was once asked to describe the greatest paradigm shift she encountered during her rise to the Supreme Court. She responded by saying, “The existence of evil. I didn’t want to believe anybody could be purely evil, but I know now they can. Evil exists.” British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once said, “The depravity
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By LESLIE STRADER The book of Ruth opens with “a famine in the land” – a stark contrast from the common “once upon a time” prologue that points us to palaces and princesses. Ruth wasn’t royalty, and her story isn’t a fairy tale. Ruth was a stranger in a strange land, widowed without a caretaker in sight in the middle
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By LESLIE STRADER The book of Joshua begins with a somber reminder that Israel’s beloved leader, Moses, was dead. But hopefully so was the rebellious, faithless way of living displayed by previous generations of the children of Israel. Because of their unbelief (Num. 14:2-4), they had wandered 40 years in the wilderness, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s judgment against
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By LORETTA FULTON During March, which is Women’s History Month, Spirit of Abilene will feature posts from contributors about women of spiritual influence in the Bible, in their personal lives, and from history. Below is a story I wrote for the Abilene Reporter-News for Women’s History Month in 2016. It is about a woman who was a giant in the
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