the message in the margins

By Kelvin Kelley/Director of Ministry at Hardin-Simmons University I recently began cleaning out my garage that is filled with boxes from my mother’s storage unit. Mom died in 2019, and we finally cleaned out the unit last Summer 2025. It is, as many say, “Going through family content is very emotional.” I don’t think anyone truly…

By Dr. Kelvin Kelley We interrupt our regularly scheduled program for this important announcement: Terrance “Chet” Brooks has died! This is the news I received on the morning of Jan. 16, 2026. We were scheduled for a photo shoot that evening in Dallas with Chet and our best friend E (Elmer Thomas). Obviously the photo…

By Dr. Kelvin Kelley The year 2025 taught me many lessons, of which I can clearly recall the importance of silence, sincerity, and sound. No, not in that order particularly, but what matters in life is a result of our ability to recognize and to be present in the given moment. The writer of Ecclesiastes…