Sean Dietrich
Columnist
Sean is a writer for The Observer
Sean Dietrich's Latest
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...
OPINIONOne of the strangest statements in Paul’s letters is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9 where he comments about his weaknesses. He says he is so proud of his infirmities that he will gladly boast about them. I call that strange because very rarely...
OPINION —Marriages are down 60% since the ‘70s. Divorce rates are soaring. And the New York Times reported that more 40-year-olds are choosing to live alone than ever before.Another recent survey of U.S. high-schoolers showed that the age of 12th...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION —A supermarket checkout line. Cheesy holiday music is playing overhead. Not the fun kind of cheesy music, but the kind once heard in Kmart á la 1973.There is an old man at the head of our long checkout line, standing at the...
OPINION — Seventy-five years ago, Elton Trueblood dared to publish a book titled “The Future of the Christian.” At the time many insisted that theirs was a post-Christian age because the Christian worldview had lost its influence in the...
OPINION — The snow in West Virginia clings to the world like shaving cream, covering every surface, every automotive hood, every interstate sign. In the distance, the blue Appalachians stand watch over the Mountain State, like mother hens,...
OPINION — A friend of mine and his wife walked into a gift shop while on vacation in California. As they opened the door, causing a little bell to jingle, what they saw was breathtaking. Before them was a large picture window looking out on...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION —Words are precious. We communicate our needs, our dreams and our feelings with words. Since it’s Christmas time, let’s reflect on some choice words of the Christmas season.“Clearance” is one. I like it. My wife loved it....
OPINION —The story was told to me by a former deliveryman named John.The Christmas season was the busiest time of year for delivery-persons. Drivers saw a major uptick in workload. This did nothing to improve John’s sunny disposition.At...
All creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also...
OPINION —Tony James stood holding a cardboard sign on the street corner, caught in the cold drizzle.Damp clothes. Sun-beaten skin. Moving around to keep from shivering.Nobody really paid attention to Tony. Motorists sped around him. Most refusing...
OPINION — Wake up early. Still dark outside. It is 30-odd degrees on Lake Martin and I can’t feel my unmentionables. The 1940s cabin is poorly insulated. You could store Ben & Jerry’s products in the living room. I make coffee. Sit on the...
One of the signs that you belong to Jesus is a strong desire to pray. You want to commune with the one who made you a new person. You want to thank God for your salvation and keep your spirit open to the Spirit’s guidance. Jesus did not see prayer...