Sean Dietrich
Columnist
Sean is a writer for The Observer
Sean Dietrich's Latest
OPINION — The story of the prodigal son may be the greatest of all the stories Jesus told. At first reading, it would seem the main point of the story is the extravagant love of the father for his wayward son. However, in his book “The Abiding...
OPINION — Right now, the news media is in an uproar over AI. The headlines are bleak. Experts are saying our cherished way of life is in danger. Pretty soon, if things keep going this direction, they say we will lose basic human abilities, such as...
OPINION — There is much to admire about Jesus. He “went about doing good.” His compassion for the sick and helpless was extraordinary. He healed the sick and caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk — without expecting...
OPINION — I woke up thinking about you. There I was, at 4:41 a.m., sitting in my living room, wondering about you. I heard the doctor gave you bad news. And I couldn’t help but imagine how afraid you must be. Fear is a curse. A primal...
OPINION — Fifty years ago, Clyde Reid blessed me with his book, “Celebrate the Temporary.” Rereading it half a century later was a second blessing. The insights of his pilgrimage remain as relevant today as they were in 1976. He invites his...
OPINION — There was an old man sitting outside the dusty bar. He sat in a plastic lawn chair. There was a dog with him. The dog was either asleep or dead. He was whittling a stick for no reason — the old man, not the dog. This is what old...
OPINION — I was surprised to learn years ago that Buddhists and Hindus do not sing in worship as Christians do. Instead they hum mantras like the popular “Om Ah Hum.” I can hardly imagine Christians humming instead of singing. Lifting our voices in...
OPINION — He was loading my grocery bags. I’ll call him Michael. He was early twenties, wearing an apron. He has Down syndrome.“How are you today?” he said.“Pretty good,” said I.“So am I!” he said. “I’m doing pretty good, too!”I smiled. “How about...
OPINION — John tells in his gospel the story of Jesus restoring the sight of a man born blind. The man went home seeing, but when he told people Jesus had healed him, they did not believe him. The Pharisees refused to believe a sinner like Jesus...
OPINION — Jim was stuck. In the middle of the rural two-lane highway. Right there on the pavement. Not far from the solid yellow line. Tucked tightly in his shell. Scared to death.Vehicles sped past little Jim, on both sides, shooting by with the...
OPINION — I have a confession to make about hummingbirds. All my life, I have assumed all hummingbirds were just hummingbirds. Then I learned there are 360 species of hummingbirds in the world. When I read that, I recalled my dad often...
OPINION — There was an old man sitting outside the dusty bar. He sat in a plastic lawn chair. There was a dog with him. The dog was either asleep or dead.He was whittling a stick for no reason — the old man, not the dog. This is what old men did...
OPINION — Weak and intoxicated, a man made his way home at midnight. As he walked in, he was surprised to see his wife sitting in a rocking chair.“What are you doing up so late?” he asked.“I have been praying for you,” she said.“Well, for goodness...
OPINION — A woman I did not know called me from the local hospital. At her request I went to visit her, finding her in ICU, recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.She spoke plainly: “I saw no reason to continue living. I wanted to die so I...
OPINION — I found old photographs in the attic. I rifled through hundreds of old Polaroids. Most were infant pictures of me naked.I was a fat baby. People were concerned about me as a newborn. “Have you seen Sue’s baby?” people would say. Then they...
OPINION — Help is a fascinating word. To help someone is to provide assistance or support, to lighten another’s load. It can be a noun as in “Thank you for your help.” It can be a verb as in “I am here to help you.”I remember vividly the day my...
OPINION — It was late. I pulled into the campus after seven o’clock to attend my last class of the semester. My last college class. Ever. It was a night class.In America, most self-respecting people my age were finishing supper, settling down to...
OPINION —In my ninth decade, there are memories that are indeed precious to me. I think of them as holy moments when I was blessed with the presence and grace of God. Moments like the one when Dean took my hand in marriage. And moments when I held...
OPINION — I used to write about her all the time. She was just so easy to write about.From the first moment I met Thelma Lou, when she was an itty-bitty puppy, I knew I had found a literary muse. Then, she bit my ear with her puppy teeth. Crimson...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The evidence of what God does in response to intercessory prayer is undeniable and awe-inspiring. I remember a holy moment riding down Palafox Street in Pensacola when a friend said to me, “I owe my life in Christ to my...