Sean Dietrich
Columnist
Sean is a writer for The Observer
Sean Dietrich's Latest
OPINION — The world in which we live is broken because of conflict and disagreement. It was no different in the first century when Jesus walked the Earth and encouraged his disciples to be peacemakers. Surely the living Christ wants his people to...
OPINION —Our shower drain kept getting clogged. It was a big problem. We had to hire a plumber. He came out twice.God love him, the plumber did not look happy the second time. Namely, because our house is 100 years old. Meaning, five generations of...
OPINION — The Apostle Paul was wise. In his first letter to his friends in Thessalonica, he praises them for having followed his advice. In an earlier visit he had instructed them about how to live to please God. Having heard they were doing that,...
Here is the news that didn’t make the front page this week, but should have: — Researchers have grown tiny organs from stem cells, then used these cells to test a new form of therapy for regenerating injured spinal cords. The cells were...
OPINION — Don’t shoot the messenger. But in America, one third of children have never handwritten a letter. And it’s not just kids. Nearly 40% of adult Americans haven’t written a letter in the last five years, while 43% of Millennials have...
OPINION — Older music lovers will remember when the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary were popular. Three of my New Testament heroes are Peter, Paul and Lydia. Men like Peter and Paul were major players in church history but women, like Lydia, have...
OPINION —My seminary training for ministry was equally divided between Vanderbilt University and Emory University. When the Methodist General Conference in 1972 terminated the work I was doing for the Methodist Publishing House, I was offered a...
OPINION —I’d say the biggest problem facing this country is typos. Typos are cropping up everywhere. In advertisements, in emails, and even within the very words your reading now.The main reason for this is your phone, which thinks it’s smarter...
OPINION — I grew up realizing that we all live in a world of tribulation. My pastors reminded me that Jesus had assured us life would not be easy when he said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world...
OPINION —I used to volunteer at an animal shelter. I loved it.My favorite place in the shelter was called the “Introduction Room.” This was the room where people went to meet the dogs that were up for adoption.The room was supposed to be inviting,...
I am writing this on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. This day is the first anniversary of the death of my son, John Mark Albritton. He was 65. Since last words are important, I wish I could remember Mark’s last words to me. I cannot because on the day he...
OPINION — I’ve seen her climb a mountain. On her birthday. No joke. I was beside her, praying for God to kill me. When we made it back to earth, she was so overcome with emotion all she could say was, “Sumbitch.”To which I agreed, “Sumbitch.”And...
OPINION — “What scares you most?” was the question asked to members of Mrs. Devonshire’s fourth-grade class. The little hands went up. “AI scares me,” said one boy. Mrs. Devonshire was perplexed. “But you’re only nine years...
OPINION — “There is a certain way,” Milton says, “through weakness to the highest strength.” For four years I have struggled with my weakness, sometimes resenting it, always searching for the “strength” to endure it. When Milton says “the Apostle...
OPIINION —In the Bible Satan has many names. He is the Accuser, the Enemy, the Tempter, the Father of Lies, the Serpent, the Deceiver, the god of this world. Jesus called Satan “Beelzebub, the prince of demons.” At other times Jesus called him the...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION —Before sunrise. A major Southern city. It’s your all-American sports bar, a room mostly made of wood and stink.There is the obligatory Budweiser sign above the lopsided pool table. The crooked dartboard. There is the...
OPIINION — Ben Franklin said, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” He could have added a third certainty: “The rains and the winds will come.” Long before Franklin’s time, Jesus reminded us that the foundation you build your life upon...
OPINION — My truck cab was filled with three barking dogs and one idiot. The dogs were in the backseat. The idiot was behind the wheel. “Sit down!” the idiot kept saying. But my dogs do not sit when I drive. They never sit. They dutifully...
In my reading, a phrase grabbed my attention: “Overdue apologies blocked by pride.” I thought, “Yes, I have been there.” I reckon most people have been there. And I continue to be embarrassed by the way pride has often overcome me. Pride exerts a...
OPINION —The old timers in my childhood used a word I never understood. The word was “Providence.” The old timers couldn’t give me an exact definition of this word. Probably because it had more than two syllables.To be fair, Providence truly is a...