Last weekend I received a phone call from a Bhutanese refugee here in Abilene.   In English so much improved from when she first arrived in the U.S. two years ago, she asked if I would look over a paper she wrote for a college class she's taking. I said of course, and spent a half hour over chai tea, correcting her spelling mistakes and finding ... [Read More…]

OMG. This is OOMWPP, BTW. Why do we AENAD? In MOO, using TL outside of TM is SNF. Translation: Oh my goodness. This is one of my worst pet peeves, by the way. Why do we abbreviate everything nowadays? In my own opinion, using texting lingo outside of text messages is so not funny. Before I begin my non-abbreviated diatribe against using texting ... [Read More…]

Sometimes I wonder why I went to a university whose school color is purple. We claim we are Christian and have a huge focus on the 'C' in our name, yet our color is blatantly unchristian. At VBS I learned a song called "Jesus Loves the Little Children." This song seems to have a pretty inclusive title. Yet in the middle of the song it has clear ... [Read More…]

I've picked my heroes from comic books. It's funny: when Batman does something wrong, nothing bad happens to Bruce Wayne. But not everyone who conceals his or her identity is a superhero. Bank robbers, they wear masks, too. Human beings will always find something to hide behind. In the middle ages it was castle walls and moats, but this is the ... [Read More…]

Despite a huge art project, a research proposal deadline and a severe lack of sleep, I devoted my Saturday to a tour of Abilene's Goodwill stores. It's the people, the junk, the grime and the occasional treasure that make Goodwill the retreat that it is. The window display boasts mismatched outfits and dusty guitars along with a stack of ... [Read More…]

It doesn't matter how accurate and simple the directions. It doesn't matter how crisp and colorful the map is on the screen. It doesn't even matter how attractive the announcer's accent is. I hate GPS systems. More accurately, I loathe and despise these little computers now infecting our car consoles. Is this an unfair attack on what is actually a ... [Read More…]

Why are we ashamed of Jesus? We romanticize the idea of ourselves exhibiting a strong and courageous faith, ready and willing to defend all that we stand for at any moment. Unfortunately, our faith is all too often defined by "Apostle Peter" moments - falling short before the rooster crows. Earlier this summer I overheard someone say the most ... [Read More…]