Texas

The Texas judge who was seen brutally beating his daughter in a video that went viral earlier this month has been suspended by the Texas Supreme Court.

While the State Commission on Judicial Conduct investigates Judge William Adams’ behavior in the video, the Aransas County court-at-law judge will be suspended with pay in the meantime.

The order, signed Tuesday by the clerk, made clear that though Adams would follow the suspension and waive the hearing, he still did not admit fault or wrongdoing regarding the recorded incident in 2004, The Associated Press reported. more >>

Black Friday may officially kick off the Christmas shopping season in many people’s minds, but for some in Houston, Texas, it also means a day of service and a time to help those in need.

This year, eight local churches are providing an alternative to the frenzied Christmas shopping occurring on the day after Thanksgiving through a project called Bless Friday.

“This is a different way to start off the season,” Chuck Fox, founder of Bless Friday, told The Christian Post Monday. He said people are becoming tired of the consumerism that the Christmas season brings, and Bless Friday provides a “thoughtful call to action” to do something different. more >>

The First Baptist Church in Euless, Texas, gave $30,000 for the second time to its members on Sunday, asking them to invest the money and support missionary work around the world with the earnings.

Pastor John Meador asked the congregation “to take that money and invest in some way as to bring a return so that you can come and give it to the Miracle,” according to the33tv.com.

The Miracle Mission is the name of the church’s fundraising program for missions. Last year, church members turned the $30,000 reverse offering into $150,000 by creatively investing the money. more >>

Television mogul Oprah Winfrey and stage and movie producer Tyler Perry created a stir with a surprise appearance at Pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Sunday for an 11 a.m. service.

"Awesome to have you!" said Osteen, announcing their presence and welcoming the celebrities to the church. "We're so honored to have you both here, and we just celebrate and pray for you guys with what God is doing in your lives."

Winfrey was in the area to interview Osteen as part of her new series "Oprah's Next Chapter," which is set to premiere in January on her channel, the Oprah Winfrey Network. She reportedly joined Osteen and his wife, Victoria Osteen, for lunch at their home and discussed topics with them such as power, marriage and faith, according to The Houston Chronicle. more >>

The Texas judge who was caught on video beating his disabled daughter with a belt in 2004 has confirmed that it is indeed him on the clip that started gaining attention Wednesday, and, according to media accounts, he has not shown immediate regret.

Aransas County, Texas, Judge William Adams has confirmed with local news station KZTV Wednesday that the person on the video is himself, and he said he beat his then-16-year-old daughter, Hillary, because he lost his temper.

"She's mad because I've ordered her to bring the car back, in a nutshell, but yeah, that's me. I lost my temper," Adams told the TV station. "Her mother was there, she wasn't hurt." more >>

William Adams, the Texas judge who is accused of beating his daughter with a belt for several minutes because she downloaded video games off the Internet, is now under investigation by police, according to a statement released by the county he serves.

According to the press release by Aransas County Judge Burt Mills, the county is "aware of the video posted on YouTube ... and the matter is now under review by the Police Department."

Although the beating in the video may appear extreme to some, the state of Texas allows parents to use corporal punishment on their children, as long as it is "reasonable," according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which says that use of a belt is also legal, depending on the severity. more >>