Musings

By Myrna Conrad What does freedom of speech mean? We all have the ability to say or express whatever we want to in any country. However, there are varying degrees of repercussions and consequences within the legal system of various governments. In the U.S., the First Amendment addresses our rights,...

By Pastor James Ross, First Baptist Church of Niceville It seems as if a popular narrative in national media outlets is that people do not see the value of the Church in our society. In an article featured in the Washington Post, writer Dylan Matthews references common critiques about how...

By Sean Dietrich It’s a perfect summer evening. The world is moving slow. It’s hot. The sounds of the world are music. Crickets. Insects. Frogs galore. And the magnificent sound of my redneck neighbor, Jerry, four-wheeling his pickup truck through the mud on the property behind mine, shouting “THAT’S WHAT...

By Myrna Conrad Many people mistake humility for weakness, passivity or insecurity. However, a humble person is anything but weak, passive or insecure. It takes a person with tremendous inner strength to realize and admit his or her limitations and to live free from the ever-present pull of pride and...

By Rick Moore A few years ago, in one of America’s larger cities, a diverse group of seventy adults were asked to grade the artwork scattered throughout their town. Using an app, their grades and personal remarks were accumulated in order to influence what future artwork would be placed in...

By Sean Dietrich Birmingham—I am eating hotel breakfast in the dining room. This past year, my wife and I have stayed in nearly sixty thousand hotels. That is only an estimate. And I rounded down. I have become so accustomed to hotels that when I fall asleep in my own bed...

By Sean Dietrich It’s late. And I wasn’t going to write this, but I have to. Not only for me, but for the good of our children, and our children’s children. No matter how hard it is to address. I’m talking, of course, about the highly controversial issue of homemade...

By Sean Dietrich CRACKER BARREL—I am eating breakfast with a cute date. My date is a baby. A fat baby. She is my niece, Lucy. I love fat babies. They do something to me. They make me feel like the world is warm and squishy. When I hold Lucy, I feel...

By Sean Dietrich I feel a little silly writing you. Recently, I wrote a column about how when I was a boy I always wanted you to bring me a cowboy hat. A silver-belly colored Stetson. A few days later, one showed up on my porch from an anonymous person....

By Pastor Doug Stauffer Have you ever had something happen where you know that a different outcome could have completely altered your life forever—or maybe even ended it? This scenario has happened to me on several occasions, with the most recent involving two tractor-trailer trucks. But first a little background. My...