Sean Dietrich
Columnist
Sean is a writer for The Observer
Sean Dietrich's Latest
Maryland. The old cafe is mostly empty this time of night. Music plays overhead. Pedal steel guitar. The cook is cleaning his flattop. The waitress is reading a magazine. Thank God magazines still exist in our AI Age. I smell cured pork and onions....
Going home was a wonderful experience for me during my first 18 years. I rode a yellow school bus ten miles to school. I loved school but I was glad to return home every day. Home gave me a sense of belonging, and a safe refuge where I was loved...
OPINION — He was a good kid. You could just tell.He was maybe 11. Twelve at the most. He was in the supermarket. He had his little sister balanced on his hip. You don’t often see boys carrying toddlers out in public.The kid was filling a shopping...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — There are likely a dozen good reasons why churches grow. The primary reason, of course, is obvious: God gives the growth. No one ever explained this better than Saint Paul when he wrote to the Corinthian Church, “I...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Columbus, Georgia. I was eating at a barbecue joint not far from the state line.My cousin, John, insisted that this joint serves the best barbecue in the state of Georgia. He made me promise to try it.I ordered the ribs.I...
OPINION- Warning: Reading this may cause you to write a check. But you won’t be alone. Writing this has caused me to write a check. Now, read on; just remember you have been warned. Hunger is a serious global issue. Every day about 25,000 people...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — Mount Airy. The Earle Theater was crowded, the room smelled of popcorn, and I was onstage shaking my butt.I don’t mean to say I was shaking my hindparts metaphorically. But worse, I was actually shaking them.Namely,...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The church is one of Satan’s favorite playgrounds. He delights in getting church members to criticize one another rather than work together to fulfill God’s mission for the church. Jealousy and envy are tools Satan uses...
BY WALT ALBRITTON My friends tell me they admire how strong I have been since the death of my son, Mark, on Jan. 15. I thank them for their kind words. But the truth is, I am not always strong; there are weak moments when sorrow descends upon me...
My phone finally arrives in the mail. It’s small. Ugly. It’s “dumb.” And it looks like it was invented during the Herbert Hoover administration. This phone is incapable of performing any task greater than making phone calls or serving as a...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The author and philosopher, Elton Trueblood, got my attention when he said that Mark 10:45 is the most revolutionary verse in the New Testament. Look at again with that comment in mind: For even the Son of Man did not...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — I miss glass bottles. I come from a generation of glass.And therein lies a fundamental difference between my generation and the current one.Glass bottles were everywhere. Glass packaging contained everything from...
OPINION — In 2022 I ceased being an octogenarian and became a nonagenarian. And now, at age 92, I can testify that many memories for nonagenarians remain precious. I delight in looking back and giving thanks for many unforgettable friends I have...
OPINION — A mericans are arguing right now. And believe me, I get it. There is a lot going on. Everyone has differences of opinion. But I wondered if we Americans couldn’t put aside our disagreements for a moment, and agree on a few things we...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — When Jesus was walking through Jericho, he attracted a large crowd. In the crowd was a man named Zacchaeus who was short of statue, so short he could not see Jesus over the crowd. Determined to see Jesus, he ran ahead of...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — All I wanted was a newspaper.It was a small town. Somewhere in the Southeast. Big shopping complex, off the interstate. Best Buy, Red Lobster, Ulta, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Target, and all other franchises that...
I’ve never seen London. I’ve never seen France. Consequently, I’ve never seen anyone’s underpants. But in a few months my wife Jamie and I will fly into France — wearing underpants — to do something that is completely nuts because my wife is...
By Walt Albritton OPINION — Sherrill Morrison never preached a sermon in his church. A humble truck driver, he was not a prominent, influential leader in his church. However, Sunday after Sunday he stood in the sanctuary welcoming people to church....
Snow in the South OPINION —From the archives: March 2022 “Snow?” said my wife. “Snow,” I said.“You’re joking,” she said.So I showed her the newspaper headline, which read: “Alabama Winter Storm Warning Issued: Up to 4 Inches Expected Tonight.”“Snow...
Watch out for the rattlesnakes OPINION — Most people will agree with the Bible’s teaching that God is love. And almost everyone would agree that God uses a multitude of ways to inspire his children to walk like He wants them to walk. But here’s a...
