Dec. 24, 2011, column:
Holidays bring youth to mind

Dec. 21, 2011, extra column:
Family dishes out pie-ty
This column originally appeared in the Amarillo Globe-News on Dec. 24, 1998. It was reprinted in the "Our Town" section of the Globe-News on Dec. 21, 2011.

Jeff Messer column
Accept each other
This column was in the Amarillo Globe-News Dec. 7, 2011. It's by Jeff Messer, former pastor of McLean's First Baptist Church and now chaplain at Bivins Village in Amarillo.

Dec. 3, 2011, column:
Congress endorses Aitken Bible

Nov. 12, 2011, column:
Gadhafi death raises worries

Oct. 22 column:
Heaven will be ultimate vacation

Oct. 1, 2011, column:
Men alike in their desire for Holy Spirit

Sept. 10, 2011, column:

Best-selling author Foer to visit AC

Aug. 20, 2011, column:
Biblical artifacts on display
Oklahoma museum exhibit runs through Oct. 16

  This working replica of Gutenberg’s 15^th century printing press is on display at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art through Oct. 16. (Green Collection photo)

-        Green Collection Director Dr. Scott Carroll, left, and Hobby Lobby President Steve Green display a 1611 King James Bible. (Green Collection photo)

-        A 16^th century Megillah scroll, top, and a 15^th century Gutenberg Bible section are part of the “Passages” exhibit in Oklahoma City. (Green Collection photo)

-      

Carl Dwyer, McLean High School principal, in the 1969 yearbook, the Tumbleweed.

July 30, 2011, column:
The body dies; spirit does not

July 9, 2011, column:
God doesn't always send his helpers to China

June 18, 2011, column:
Questions linger after disasters

May 28, 2011, column:
It looks like the May 28 column isn't going to be put on the Amarillo Globe-News website (amarillo.com), so here it is:

By Mike Haynes

               At graduation time, teachers tend to think about the students who are leaving and sometimes about those who’ll be back in the classroom next fall. At least this college instructor’s thoughts go there.

               After you’ve stood in front of a group twice a week for a semester, and especially when you’ve worked closely with some of them as they produce student newspapers and magazines, you wonder how they’ll do when they transfer to a university, how their dating relationships will turn out and whether they’ll be in the same field five years from now.

               Although I rarely talk to them about it, I also ponder what their spiritual life will be like.

               Our campus is a mirror of our community. Lots of students grew up in church, lots didn’t and some have religious backgrounds that still seem unconventional to native West Texans.

               Many are Christians but drift away when they go to college. Some, like I did, slack off of church attendance out of laziness or the new freedom of young adulthood. Others start questioning the beliefs they inherited from their parents.

               Raising doubts is good. The Christian faith can stand up to any challenge, and many college students go through a questioning, sometimes rebellious time before landing back in the pew when they settle into their own stable, adult lives.

               It would be sad for a young, bright student not to explore why Christians believe what they do and how it compares to the tenets of other religions – or to unbelief.

               I make a point not to discuss religion with students unless they bring it up or possibly in a non-school setting. Unlike a few of our faculty, I don’t think teachers should try to persuade their captive audiences to any political or spiritual view. But sometimes I’d like to.

               There are countless reasons some students seem unreceptive to Christianity, but here are three. Some think an intelligent person can’t believe in the supernatural or in such events as Christ rising from the dead.

               Others are hesitant because church just isn’t “cool,” whatever that means. Youth ministers have for decades tried to figure that one out.

               And every campus has its nonconformists who may subscribe to some kind of spirituality, but they just can’t stomach the organized religion of the establishment.

               I’ve heard students say, “I’m just not religious.” I want to ask them, “What does that mean?” Do they not believe in God? Do they dislike formal religion? Are they tired of rules or what they see as restrictions on their lifestyle? Or have they really thought about it?

               The disconnect between some students and the God who I believe created them bothers me, but I don’t want to take advantage of my position to unduly influence them.

Paul wrote in I Corinthians 2:14 that “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”

               I believe that once a person has a taste of the love flowing from the true God, he or she is on the road to belief. I’m not going to preach in the classroom, but maybe a student here and there will glimpse that Spirit in me.       

May 7, 2011, column:
Modern royals embrace tradition

April 16, 2011, column:

McLean lost quick wit, sharp intellect

Photo: Bill Reeves plays "Taps" at the 2010 Memorial Day ceremony at Hillcrest Cemetery in McLean. Also shown, left to right, are Shiner Webb, L.H. Webb, Dick Bode and Steve Brass. (Photo courtesy of Bob and Janet Glass, The McLean News)

March 26, 2011, column: People from all walks of life carry beliefs

Feb. 26, 2011, column:

Davy Crockett prayer inspires this 'Alamo' fan

Mike took these photos in 2000 at Alamo Village near Brackettville, Texas. It's where the 1960 movie was filmed.

Feb. 5, 2011, column:
Church ladies an important part in life's decisions

Jan. 15, 2011, column:

King James Bible offers rich history, detailed accuracy

(Illustration is the title page of the original King James Bible printed in 1611 in London. The pages were about 16 inches tall.)

Dec. 25, 2010, column:

Santa greets needy

Photo: Santa Claus carries a bag of candy and a cane as children rush him upon his entrance to the Salvation Army’s Harrington Hope Center two weeks ago. (Photo by Mike Haynes)

Nov. 27, 2010, column
Some scientists don't want to hear about intelligent design

Nov. 6, 2010, column:

McLean church to look through stained glass

(Photos by Katy Magee)

Oct. 16, 2010, column:

Beliefs inspired wartime heroes

Sept. 25, 2010, column:

Spearman man's death confuses family, friends

Sept. 4, 2010, column:
Inspirational 'Soul Survivor' enriching read

Aug. 14, 2010, column:
Wording a petty argument

July 24, 2010, column:

There's added punch to these two stories

Photo: The Rev. Rupert Brashears admires a robe that followed him from Kansas City to Amarillo and gives him great satisfaction. (Photo by Mike Haynes)

July 3, 2010, column:
Is trip to Sin City sinful?
Most things in Las Vegas also are here

June 12, 2010, column:
Wise coach valued Bible

May 22, 2010, column:

Hats off to grads, a source of pride

In the two photos, John Haynes of McLean, left, shakes hands with Dr. Duane Dunn, president of Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan., after receiving his diploma May 8, and McLean graduate Sheri Haynes poses with her parents, Ginger and David Haynes, May 28.

May 1, 2010, column:

Trip brings me to home of hero of faith

Thea Scott leads a tour of Wesley's Chapel in London on Jan. 3. The chapel opened in 1778, and John Wesley preached there for 13 years. (Photo by Mike Haynes)

April 10, 2010, column:

Author observes Jesus in novelette

March 20, 2010, column:
McLean bonds on Lady Tigers' tournament run
(This column goes in a different direction about McLean basketball than the "just the facts" report below. --Mike H.)

Below is my report of my hometown girls' basketball team at the state tournament last week. It appeared in The McLean News. In the picture, our niece is second from left in the front row! --Mike H.

By Mike Haynes
With a fourth of the town following them to Austin, the McLean Lady Tigers came up one game short of a state championship Saturday but still took home a second-place trophy for only the second time in 59 years.
Two Lady Tigers – seniors Sheri Haynes and Alexis Menefield – were named to the Class 1A Division II all-tournament team. Haynes led the team in scoring in both games at the Frank Erwin Center, and Menefield was McLean’s second-leading scorer.
McLean’s Saber Bohlar hit a three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left on the clock in the state semifinal game against Leggett Friday night to give the Lady Tigers a 66-63, come-from-behind win over the Lady Pirates from East Texas. The McLean fans in one corner of the “Super Drum” arena waved gold “McLean” towels and almost raised the roof of the “Drum” with their cheers.
Leggett had held a 17-point lead in the first half.
McLean never got on track in the state final game Saturday night and lost to Neches, also an East Texas team, 61-32. Haynes led the Lady Tigers in both games with 22 against Leggett and 12 against Neches.
Other McLean players scoring against Leggett were Menefield with 16, Nancy Castillo with 14, Bohlar with 10, and Rudy Rodriguez with 4.
Against the Neches Lady Tigers, Menefield had 11 points, Castillo had 7 and Rodriguez had 4.
In the semifinal game, Leggett led 23-11 after one quarter and 35-27 at the half. McLean had taken a 50-48 lead going into the final quarter but fell behind 60-55 with 4:08 left before making another scoring surge.
As one of the top two Class 1A Division II teams in the state, McLean duplicated the efforts of the 1951 team, which fell in the finals to Comanche, 50-49, in the first UIL girls state tournament. This year’s Lady Tigers finished with a 29-5 record.
About a fourth of McLean’s population, an estimated 230 fans, joined the team at the state tournament. The city’s population is 828. Enrollment at McLean High School this year is 76 students. In addition to players’ family members and McLean residents, many MHS graduates from past years and even former McLean coaches attended from the Dallas and Austin areas and from as far away as Arizona.
After the state championship game Friday night, McLean followers remained in the Erwin Center until halftime of the Class 5A title game, when the McLean and Neches players were honored. On the University of Texas court, head coach Benji Hausen, assistant coach Andy Glass and the Lady Tigers received the state runnerup trophy draped with a net from the game and also were presented with a game ball.
The team and coaches returned to McLean Sunday in the school district’s brand-new “McLean Tigers” bus.

Feb. 27, 2010, column:
Author urges Christians to spread ideas from Scripture

Feb. 6, 2010, column:
Connecting with C.S. Lewis as fellow Christian

Kathy Haynes stands Jan. 5 in front of the Kilns, where writer C.S. Lewis lived in Oxford, England, from 1930 to 1963. (Photo by Mike Haynes)

Jan. 16, 2010, column:
New college will return to Christian world view

Dec. 26, 2009, column:
Keep the spirit in heart all year long

Dec. 5, 2009, column:
Bob was precise, refined friend
Remembering a well-mannered, polite man

Nov. 14, 2009, column:
Reflect: Morley to speak at prayer breakfast

Oct. 24, 2009, column:
U2 concert, 'Secrets' have a lot in common

Oct. 3, 2009, column:
Unshaken in face of adversity
Love led survivor of wreck in Andes

Sept. 12, 2009, column:
Sunday best is in eyes of wearer

Aug. 22, 2009, column:
The Lord comes 1st in life
Appreciate what God has created

Aug. 1, 2009, column:
2 Boyett books out this month
'Pocket Guides' to afterlife, sainthood

July 11, 2009, column:

A small-town high school reunion of '69
Graduating classes are close like family

June 20, 2009, column:

Nun, always a teacher, earns degree

May 30, 2009, column:
Idea of hell stems from imagination
It's not just something to scare people to heaven
(Above is the headline the newspaper used for this column. It's not very accurate. Better would be something like: "Hell isn't just imagined")

May 9, 2009, column:
Anne Rice series tells Christ story

April 18, 2009, column:
Testimonies have me watery-eyed

March 28, 2009, column:
Professions that cross my mind

March 7, 2009, column:
Bible study gaining popularity

Feb. 14, 2009, column:
Spread the love this Valentine's

Jan. 24, 2009, column:
When concern collides with compassion, lean on Jesus

Jan. 3, 2009, column:

Inspiration isn't just for New Year's

Dec. 13, 2008, column:

Appreciate family time this Christmas

Nov. 22, 2008, column:
Religion plays small role in voter decisions
From Kennedy to Obama, faith has had little effect

Nov. 1, 2008, column:
Religion plays role for voter

Oct. 11, 2008, column:
Step back, these Bibles are really old

Sept. 20, 2008, column:
Make no apologies for beliefs

Aug. 30, 2008, column:
Jesus dying, resurrection confirm beliefs

Aug. 9, 2008, column:
Church terms may scare away future believers
Before this column was cut to fit into the newspaper, it included some other terms used to describe salvation. If you'd like me to e-mail you the original column, e-mail me.

July 19, 2008, column:
Book paints stilted picture
(Again, I don't write the headlines. Also, let me know if you'd like me to e-mail you the original column before some interesting parts were cut to make it fit into the newspaper.)

June 28, 2008, column:
Ponder points: Christian roots, Creative Design

June 7, 2008, column:
News career over but walk with God will never end
(I don't write the headlines; actually the news career isn't over, but my printing-press-operating career is! --Mike H.)

May 17, 2008, column:
Atheist spawns debate between design, Darwinism

April 26, 2008, column:
Strength to die for beliefs rooted in faith

Jon Mark Beilue column, April 13, 2008:
Charity sweeps the city; Hillside pastor stirs revolution
(I didn't write this one, but I hope you'll read it.)

April 5, 2008, column:
Megachurches serve masses but lose small-church community feel

March 15, 2008, column:
Basics good for weather, not for faith

February 23, 2008, column:
Author to sign books for hometown folks

Feb. 2, 2008, column:
Cowboy, evangelist get pickup load of affection, respect

Jan. 12, 2008, column:
Taking a trip back to early days of the Bible

Photo: An employee of the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Fla., portrays a biblical priest. He stands in front of a replica of the Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. (Photo by Mike Haynes)

Dec. 22, 2007, column:
Dying wife makes cowboy promise to publish book

Dec. 1, 2007, column:
Exploring Islam in literature

Nov. 10, 2007, column:
Sunday a day to remember their sacrifice

Oct. 20, 2007, column:
Bible a landmark in the expansion of knowledge

Sept. 29, 2007, column:
Museum exhibit awakens respect for those we meet

Note: The Globe-News "Faith" schedule and available space has changed, so my column will be in the paper every third Saturday for awhile instead of every second Saturday. --Mike H.

Sept. 1, 2007, column:
What you read could define you

Aug. 18, 2007 column:
Harry Potter books can be used to teach Christian principles
(Postponed from Aug. 11 newspaper because of a lack of space.)

July 28, 2007, column:
Candidate in town to preach, not to campaign

July 14, 2007, column:
Focusing seems to be a problem
(Reminder: I don't write the headlines! This column is about old biblical manuscripts.)

June 30, 2007, column:
'Waitress' director leaves legacy through foundation

June 16, 2007, column:
Words from yesteryear could be trouble today

June 2, 2007, column:
Be careful putting church on hold while college 'partying'

May 19, 2007, column:

Some things that make me wonder

May 5, 2007, column:
Speaker believes in value of human life

April 21, 2007, column:
The acronym ACTS covers the pattern for praying

April 7, 2007, column:
Sometimes student can teach the teacher

March 24, 2007, column:
Relief can come in the form of wet grass

March 10, 2007, column:
Release of spiritually based films an inspiring trend

Feb. 24, 2007, column:
Marriage should include a third party - Jesus

Feb. 10, 2007, column:
Beth Moore leads women toward spiritual guidance

Jan. 27, 2007, column:
Churches spin their own sites on Web

Jan. 13, 2007, column:
Understanding Iraq and its religions
(Note: The column has a typo: Where it says, "Ali was caliph from 556 to 561," the years should be "656 to 661.")

Dec. 30, 2006, column:
God is a constant during a bad year

Dec. 16, 2006, column:
Stratford native opens dental clinic in Guatemala as a 'faith-based mission'

(In the photo at right, Stratford native Dr. Phil Plunk treats a patient in western Guatemala.)

Dec. 2, 2006, column:
Leaving family home, church home create new memories

Nov. 18, 2006, column:
UMC 'renewers' nearer their goal

Nov. 11, 2006, column:
Man fashions Ten Commandments for in-laws