THE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury We’ve heard about how tiny errors can foster various responses, ranging from serious misunderstanding to thigh-slapping laughter. Hitting the keyboard’s “I” instead of the intended “o” caused chuckles recently. Reading an advertisement for funeral home employment, a radio announcer listed requisites for the job. “Must be able to ease the grieving
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICAN THE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Usual readers–both of you, and a few relatives who sometimes read to see if I “got it right–may remember that a month ago, I decided to put my “quill back in the goose” until September. A few cool days in New Mexico beckoned, and off we drove to the Land of
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury If the headline for this piece doesn’t elicit at least minimal interest of most readers, perhaps I should find the goose, select the spot with a paucity of plumage and stick my quill back in. My intent is far removed from the topic of human reproduction. I focus instead on this pair of topics
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury My intrepid Uncle Mort does much “huffing and puffing” about state and national politics. At the end of the day, though–when everything is said and done–always more is said than done. Sometimes he claims to see two imaginary punching bags, one inscribed “Austin” and the other “Washington, D.C.” He flails away at them as
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury When one enjoys a musical comedy as much as we did recently on a trip to our hometown of Brownwood, mass laughter was a tonic. There’d been an almost sold-out crowd of some 300 at the Lyric Theatre, and the experience made the 140-mile drive commencing at 11 p.m. seems less daunting. My wife
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury As productivity lessens in later life, one is sometimes guilty of over-analysis, probing the depths of understanding too far. Been there lately? If not, maybe you’re not old enough, or perhaps you’ve learned to downplay interest in the “I-wonder-whys” of life. This week, my route to productive missions was sidetracked by a proverb
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury The late Will Rogers claimed that all he knew, he read in the newspapers. My aged Uncle Mort–whose routine includes puttering down the lane to the general store most days–still is an avid reader. However, he is not one claiming to read from “kivver to kivver,” like his parents before him. Most of
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Dr. Russell H. Dilday, Jr.–for 16 years president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth–died recently in Dallas, leaving a legacy that deserves more superlatives than space allows. He left marks of excellence as a minister, author, scholar and Christian statesman, known for his courage, conviction and commitment. The walls and shelves
Read moreTHE IDLE AMERICANCommentary by Dr. Don Newbury Before football coaches have gone any distance in the minefield-laden careers they’ve chosen, they learn that the welcome mat–so warmly extended before their first game–often is jerked away before there’s time to leave a footprint. Finally deciding to accompany his wife to Europe after breaking promises to do so for decades, one old coach
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Spirit Of Abilene 