By NANCY PATRICK I have recently mentioned that my church, First Baptist Abilene, has an interim pastor while the church seeks a new senior pastor to fill the position vacated by Dr. Phil Christopher last fall. Our interim, Dr. Matt Cook, works for an organization called The Center for Healthy Churches. Among many aspects of church needs, the Center helps
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By NANCY PATRICK I sometimes feel overwhelmed with the needs all around me. I truly want to help those in need, but I sometimes have ambiguous feelings about the people themselves and the needs they have. Rescue the Animals frequently sponsors a clearing the shelters campaign in which the centers try desperately to find forever homes for animals in their
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By NANCY PATRICK As I pondered the subject for my next article, I was also reading a Louise Penny novel entitled The Beautiful Mystery. Penny has a popular detective series starring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his second-in-command, Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir. They work for the Sûreté du Québec station in La Mauricie, Canada, the Provincial Police Station of Quebec. This
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By NANCY PATRICK I had a weird thought the other day about the many issues people face these days: human rights, unjust wars, dirty politics, dangerous politics, climate change, uncontrolled viruses, racial injustice, family violence, mass shootings, and on it goes. What a depressingly overwhelming list of concerns! The list brings to my mind the Serenity Prayer that my interim
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By NANCY PATRICK How many times have I watched an individual whom I consider “handicapped” or “disadvantaged” do an ordinary task that I do every day and think, “I could never have accomplished that”? I know I can’t count the number. Evidently, sightless people can live alone, play the piano, learn to wire acoustic devices, and practice law. Deaf people
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By NANCY PATRICK I dislike controversy and confrontation, but I face both daily as I grapple with our nation’s current status. Americans seem divided into two major camps based on their religious and political values. The viewpoint that proposes our need to “make America great again” implies that our country has lost its greatness. Does that mean that the past
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK One of the results of Covid has been self-examination in the form of the question “why do I exist?” One way to find the answer is to write a personal statement of faith or mission statement. As an English teacher, I actually assigned my composition students the task of writing their own mission statements. One lesson we
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK A few weeks ago, I mentioned a list of possible topics for future papers. Needless to say, the recent deluge of social tragedies has fogged my mind’s ability to focus on any of my proposed topics. Among those overwhelming events—the unprovoked war in Ukraine, uncontrollable fires that wipe out forests and neighborhoods, contagious mass shootings throughout the
Read moreBy NANCY PATRICK I entitled my last article “A Good Place,” generally referring to times in our lives that we might label as good, better, or best. Obviously, those adjectives cover a wide range of options that could relate to age, health, financial stability, localities, social issues, political, or even spiritual conditions. That title specifically referred to an upcoming spinal
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Spirit Of Abilene 