By Bobby Ross Jr.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Time keeps flying!

In 2025, I celebrated 35 years in full-time journalism. The best part: I still love what I do.

I serve full time as editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle and write the Weekend Plug-in column each Friday for Religion Unplugged. Besides my regular work, I freelanced in 2025 for The Associated Press and the Washington Post.

This fall I flew 5,000 miles to France, and my wife, Tamie, got to go with me. My in-depth Chronicle series explored spiritual renewal in that secular Western European nation.

Closer to home, April 19 marked the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I interviewed Susan Walton, “the most severely injured” survivor, about her ongoing journey. In my Religion Unplugged column, I reflected on how covering the biggest story of my life changed me. When the OKC Thunder won the NBA championship in June, I delved into why the team’s first title meant so much to my adopted hometown.

2025 marked the five-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seemed appropriate to tell for the first time the story of my brother-in-law’s miraculous — as our family sees it — survival.

Once again this year, I enjoyed doing a few baseball-related stories. In May, I traveled to the Motor City to report on Home Plate Detroit — an annual faith event before a Tigers game. Later, I covered the Texas Rangers’ faith day and did player profiles of Evan Carter and Jake Burger. I also covered a sermon by former Mets star Darryl Strawberry after he got a pardon from President Donald Trump. And I pursued a few non-baseball sports stories, profiling Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and writing about the OKC Thunder’s pregame prayers.

Devastating wildfires brought me to Southern California, and I got to witness the “faith-based FEMA” again in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I talked to parents who’ve lost children about grief and guilt after deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

Other memorable stories took me to Arizona, California, Idaho, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, I spoke at the Associated Church Press annual meeting in Chicago on how journalists can cover natural disasters without exploiting victims and moderated a panel discussion at the Religion News Association annual meeting in Arlington, Virginia, on religion reporting in small markets.

During the year, I was honored to receive the seven-state Diamond Journalist of the Year Award and the Oklahoma Print Reporter of the Year Award, along with multiple national honors from the Associated Church Press and the Evangelical Press Association.

I’m excited to see where the news takes me in 2026.

First up: a trip to Nashville, Tennessee, on the first weekend of the year.

Stay tuned!