By NANCY PATRICK Some say the world has gone to hell in a handbasket. Perhaps society perpetuates that sentiment with news of mass shootings, attacks on ethnic groups, wars all over the world, and plain meanness, hypocrisy, hatred, and exclusivity. Recent puzzling incidents of unprovoked violence have added doubt, fear, and trepidation to an already fragile social climate. How can

By NANCY PATRICK I have lived in Abilene most of my life—and that’s a long time. Excluding the times I lived elsewhere because of career moves, I have lived here forty-one years. I grew up here in the fifties and sixties, attained my education here (first grade through M.A. in English), and have made my home here since 1990 when

By NANCY PATRICK Canadian author Louise Penny has written an intriguing series of novels that feature main character Armand Gamache. The series has eighteen books so far, and though I would really like to read them sequentially, I have thus far had to take whatever the public library has on the shelf. By reading them out of sequence, I have

By NANCY PATRICK How much empathy can one heart muster? I find myself aching as I see images and hear stories of the crises around the world. I tend to over-invest myself in others’ lives, but I cannot ignore the pain occurring to fellow human beings.  Earthquake in Turkey and Syria I cry as I watch the rescues of those

By NANCY PATRICK As our interim pastor, Dr. Matt Cook, concluded his time at First Baptist Church, he preached his last of four sermons about Abraham. Interestingly enough, the sermon topic dealt with uncertainty in life. Obviously, Matt’s profession as a minister with the Center for Healthy Churches in Dallas provides him with many opportunities to face uncertainty. When you

By NANCY PATRICK I try to incorporate new terminology into my vocabulary whenever I hear someone use a term unfamiliar to me. It happens frequently in today’s world as technology moves so quickly one has to make the effort to keep up. I first noticed the use of the word “trending” on my Netflix account. In addition to labels such

By NANCY PATRICK I often write about the importance of honesty and transparency. As I look through my titles for Spirit of Abilene, I see some suggest an obsession with the idea. I seem overly invested in the topic of the danger of hypocrisy to relationships. I think this philosophy applies not only to individuals and families but also to

By NANCY PATRICK The holiday seasons that include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s evoke many emotions from many of us. As a child and young adult, I felt excitement and anticipation as I waited for the holidays. My family had many aunts, uncles, cousins, along with our parents and grandparents. These early occasions provided the few times we all had

By NANCY PATRICK I grew up in a church that did not observe religious traditions such as Advent or Lent. Although we observed Christmas and Easter, our leadership sort of skipped over other liturgical events, so when I began attending a church that followed the liturgical calendar, I had a lot to learn. The twenty-four days preceding Christmas is the