By Nancy Patrick Isn’t it amazing how our views of birthdays change as we climb (or limp) up the age ladder? In childhood, I remember thinking that if my parents hadn’t waited three years to have me, I could match the ages of my older cousins. Then in adolescence, I counted days waiting for important birthdays: at fourteen I could

By Nancy Patrick As children grow up, their parents instruct them in certain social rules of acceptable behavior. I remember my parents’ teaching me to say “ma’am” and “sir” when addressing my elders. I also learned quickly that any sassy response from me was unacceptable. You can all recall the “dos” and “don’ts” your parents taught you. I call the

By NANCY PATRICK Living in today’s world seems more difficult than living in other historical times. Logic, however, defies that assessment. I think most of us tend to see our own world as the only one of relevance or importance; however, if we reflect on world history, we see that moral, political, religious, military, and cultural conflicts have filled the

By Nancy Patrick I do not spend the entire month of December watching Christmas movies, but I do enjoy an occasional sit-down with a classic holiday story. One of those is Home Alone 2 (1992), the successful sequel to the hilarious Home Alone (1990). As implied by the titles, the movies tell the hugely exaggerated stories of a little boy

By NANCY PATRICK The fall season can summon various emotions; some are happy emotions while others reflect darker, threatening fears of an uncertain future. I confess that many of the world’s crises have stirred those more somber feelings in my own heart. Brandon Hudson, pastor of First Baptist Church in Abilene, recently provided small notebooks to his congregants, encouraging us

By NANCY PATRICK I have written before about my brain’s inability to relax. I think a lot about the ironies, complexities, injustices, and undecipherable events of life. You know the kinds of things to which I refer—family of origin, nationality, race, intelligence, opportunity, and gender. Because a greater power than humanity has determined these factors, we can never know answers.

By NANCY PATRICK I recently rewatched the movie The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. Filmed in New Mexico in 2009, the movie presents a thoughtful dystopian view of a possible future for the world. This dismal, dangerous, and hopeless society bases its premise on the idea that something catastrophic had happened that destroyed a good world,

By NANCY PATRICK September traditionally correlates to the beginning of new school years. The Sunday before school starts, my church recognizes teachers and other school personnel for their contributions to families as well as society in general.  For many years, I proudly stood with my colleagues because I felt called to my teaching career—it didn’t seem like a job. I

By NANCY PATRICK My pastor, Brandon Hudson, at First Baptist Church Abilene has recently preached a series of sermons based on Jesus’ parables. He always projects on the wall a thoughtful quote at the end of his sermons as he sits down to give us time to read and digest the message.  Jesus used parables as teaching tools to help