News

A recent survey on popular Christmas songs says the top four are White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Silver Bells, and The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire). They all focus on the sentimental feelings of the holidays with no mention of Christ. Traditions have a way of wrapping up truth in small, manageable pieces, and tradition is to truth as a bottle of water is to a river. The water in the bottle came from a river; it’s part of a river, but the real river is miles of life streaming across the land with rapids and swimming holes, muddy banks, and rocky bottoms. Inside the bottle is a tiny, incomplete piece of the river. Our Christmas traditions: the star, manger, wise men and shepherds, even Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus, are just part of what God is doing; the action of God is vast and sweeping. We want God in our traditions, but it’s like trying to catch a river in a bottle; the Spirit of God at work is more than tradition can convey. Traditions are predictable, the Spirit is not, and traditions are comforting. Still, the action of God’s Spirit is always challenging and will change our lives. Tradition brings happiness, which is nice, but the Spirit leads us to joy, which is better and deeper.

Dear Neil, I’m looking for a shrub or small tree with bright red leaves in the fall. It also needs to be adapted, and I need one that can handle partial shade. I’ve seen some around the state in the past several weeks. What options do we have, and do nurseries commonly sell them?

Alpine Avalanche.

Davis Mountains State Park, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The annual Live Nativity began last night and will continue through Friday evening. Performances will occur at the “stable “ area between Kokernot Lodge and the Sul Ross Outdoor Theater at 7 p.m.

The Alpine golf course is one of the more recent locations to fall victim to the destruction of feral hog activity. This nonnative invasive species causes significant damage to agriculture and natural resources across the state and has now moved into town to continue their destructive ways.

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The Brewster County Commissioners Court held its regular meeting on Tuesday, December 10, in the commissioner’s courtroom at the Brewster County Courthouse. Brewster County Judge Greg Henington presided over the session, attended by Precinct 1 Commissioner Jim Westermann and Precinct 3 Commissioner Ruben Ortega.

Another fatality has recently plagued Big Bend National Park. At around 4 p.m. on November 27, the communication center at BBNP received a 911 call from a group of hikers reporting a gunshot and a seriously injured visitor at the summit of Emory Peak.

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