Lifestyle

The existence of evil and suffering in the world is a complex and far-reaching reality. Consequently, understanding God’s role in the existence of evil is critically important in helping us ultimately to answer the question: is God dead? For we can safely conclude that if God is dead, or if He never existed in the first place, then the problem of evil and suffering goes away in the sense that it has no Causal Agent for us to place blame upon–evil just is. It is not that the evil and the suffering itself go away, but the logical problem of why a loving God would allow it to go away. But it really is not that easy. We have now been arguing for well over a year that not only does God indeed exist and is alive, but in recent weeks, we have argued that He has a morally sufficient reason for allowing evil (both moral and natural) and suffering to exist in the world that He created. However, even though we have presented a brief Free Will Defense as an integral part of that argument, there is what seems to be inexplicable evil and suffering in the world all the same. Moreover, human or angelic free will alone does not fully explain God’s relation to that suffering.

This summer was the best I have had in a long time. I enjoy summer because the weather is always warm, sometimes even hot.

Would you like to maintain or even lose weight this holiday season? A Multi-County Community Wellness program, Holiday Hold’em will begin soon, says Michelle Wright, Austin County Extension Agent Family & Community Health. This free online challenge is a six-week series dedicated to helping you maintain your weight during the holidays.

The Lone Star State took center stage in conservation in October as Texas hosted the 2025 Joint National Meeting of the National Association of State Conservation Agencies (NASCA) and the National Watershed Coalition (NWC) in Fort Worth. The multi-day event drew over 230 conservation professionals, agency directors, watershed sponsors, and partners from across the nation, representing nearly every U.S. state, to collaborate on shared challenges and opportunities in watershed and natural resource management.

AUSTIN – Governor Abbott appointed Sophia Rahman, M.D. and Stefani Reinold, M.D. and reappointed Brandon Brock, DNP, Ph.D. Kara Chasteen, Summer Gainey, Ph.D., Sarah Garrett, Suzanne Gazda, M.D., Paula Kruppstadt, M.D., Elizabeth Miller, Ph.D., Amy Offutt, M.D., Nathan Pullen, Martha Shoultz, Barry Smeltzer, and Melissa Smith to the Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome Advisory Council for terms set to expire Aug. 31, 2027. The Council advises the commission and the legislature on research, diagnosis, treatment, and education related to pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome.

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) announces the capture of Bobby Michael Dennis – the man wanted in the shooting of a Jacksonville Police Officer and her K-9, and subject of last week’s Blue Alert. The Officer and K-9 were both injured in the shooting and are now recovering. Dennis was arrested on November 5. A Texas Crime Stoppers reward will not be paid for his capture.