By DANNY MINTON There’s an empty plate at the table. There’s a strange silence that comes from that spot as the dishes are passed from person to person. She was always the last to sit down, making sure everyone was served first. When everyone was served, then she sat down. That plate was empty today for the first time. There’s
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON When Kathy and I first got married, we lived in a little house on Orange Street in Abilene. We didn’t have much. She was working for $50 a week at the public relations department at Abilene Christian. I was going to school and working part-time at Gibsons Discount Center. We didn’t have a lot of bills,
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By DANNY MINTON Every year at this time people tell “The Story.” It’s the story of a baby wrapped in rags, born in a stable in a remote town called Bethlehem. It was the beginning of the fulfillment of a promise God made to Abraham thousands of years ago. Other stories continue to inspire us to do good during this
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON You’re in a dark room. You take a match and strike it. You can hold the match on the end and watch as it slowly burns down to almost the tips of your fingers and then, as it nears the end, blow it out. At that point, the match is blackened and useless never to be used
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By NANCY PATRICK I enjoy Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. Its position between two of the most publicized holidays of the year—Halloween and Christmas—offers a chance to breathe and focus on something other than commercialism. Thinking about Thanksgiving actually makes me feel good. It reminds me of the plans for my fall wedding back in 1968. Enrolled in Hardin-Simmons
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By DANNY MINTON Frederick Langbridge died in 1923. The one thing that he left behind that has had a lasting impression is a short poem he wrote. It simply says: “Two men look through prison bars;One sees mud the other stars.” It’s a simple little poem with a powerful message. Some people are never happy. They are always looking at
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON There is a box in my garage that has been sitting on the shelf for the past 10 years. It’s a white box with the words “coo-coo clock” written on the side. It was a wedding gift 50 years ago from my uncle. It’s sitting in the box because it’s broken, and I haven’t gotten around to
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By DANNY MINTON Max Lucado in his book, “In the Eye of the Storm,” tells the following story about Chippie the parakeet. “Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over. The problems began when Chippie’s owner decided to clean Chippie’s cage
Read more(Editor’s Note: Contributor Mike Patrick came across an article by Tom Mullen about 10 years ago and submitted it to the Reporter-News. It concerns how Christians are divided by elections and seems timely today, too. The article by Tom Mullen, “On Election Year Tensions,” was part of Mullen’s book, “Where 2 or 3 Are Gathered, Someone Spills His Milk.”) By
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Spirit Of Abilene 