Sean Dietrich
Columnist
Sean is a writer for The Observer
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BY SEAN DIETRICH I didn’t believe him. I thought he was pulling my leg or similar appendage. I was at the airport bar. He told me April 18 was National Columnists’ Day.“Surely you’re joking,” I said.“Nope,” he said. “And don’t call me Shirley.”The...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — Submit to God. Humble yourself. Admit you need help. Surrender to Jesus. Ask Jesus to take over management of your life. This is the attitude one must have to become an authentic follower of Jesus. But pride stands in...
Hi. You don’t know me. I don’t know you. We’re strangers. But we’re the same, sort of. Only chances are, you drive a nicer car than I do. In fact I guarantee you drive a nicer car.I drive a 25-year-old truck. The tailgate is rusted, there is a...
OPINION — Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen. One day, when they were busy casting their nets in the Sea of Galilee, Jesus walked by. Jesus invited the two men to follow him, and added this promise: “I will make you fishers of men.” Their...
OPINION — After he was hanged by the Gestapo in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s writings became a treasured testimony for Christians around the world. None has blessed me more than his book, Life Together, in which he shares his experience of Christian...
OPINION — What happened to Simon Peter can only be explained by the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. The leader of the twelve disciples chosen by Jesus, Peter had a gift for putting his foot in his mouth. Once Jesus rejected Peter’s counsel so...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — We buried our boy, our only child, on a lovely day in May. Our hearts were burdened with grief. That summer we sought relief from our sorrow by taking a vacation at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. Billy Graham would be...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — The following actually happened. In a major American city. A guy emailed me about it.A young woman is in Dollar General. A mother of two. Shopping. She has her kids in tow. They are dressed in ragged clothes that look...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — I am indebted to Thomas Carruth. When I get to heaven I plan to look Tom up and thank him for what he did for me. It was a simple thing. He sent me a brochure that described a retreat called an “Ashram.” Attached was a...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION — You might not know this, but a few days ago was a national holiday. A day when our nation traditionally puts aside our differences, stands together in solidarity and brotherhood, from sea to oil-slicked sea, and we...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — In the early days of Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Years later, after the resurrection of Jesus, the beloved...
OPINION — BY SEAN DIETRICH My interview was scheduled for noon. It’s not every day you are a keynote speaker for Miss Bernice’s fourth-grade class career day, via video call. I wore a necktie.Miss Bernice’s class has been interviewing a lot of...
OPINION — Friends make an awesome difference in our lives. Two special friends – Greg Lotz in Cincinnati and Bonny Johns in Pensacola – shared with me a new song that stirs my soul. The song reminds me that the living Jesus wants to display His...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The Church teaches that God provides for our spiritual nourishment and growth in grace what are called the “ordinary means of grace” — the Word, prayer, the sacraments, the church’s discipline and care of souls. These...
OPINION — Marie was a Waffle-House waitress with two kids. She smoked like a fish, worked like a trail horse, and was self-conscious about her teeth.Several of us fellas used to visit her every weekday morning for breakfast.Once she showed me a...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The songs we sing teach us where to find the strength we need in life’s trials. Pick up a hymnal and turn to “Soldiers of Christ, Arise,” written by Charles Wesley 275 years ago. Inspired by words in Paul’s letter to the...
BY SEAN DIETRICH OPINION —It’s Girl Scout-cookie season again, which traditionally begins right after deer season, and is followed by Lent.This is the time of year when words like “Samoas,” “Shortbread Trefoils,” “Do-si-dos,” and “Tagalongs” become...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — In his book, “My Utmost for His Highest”, Oswald Chambers declares that the supreme goal of his life was to be absolutely abandoned to Jesus. He writes, “I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him...