Musings

By Sean Dietrich Kansas City International Airport. I was standing in a long, LONG line, waiting to board my plane. We were like cattle, clogging up the chute. Nobody was happy. Namely, because yesterday the whole world underwent a historic global internet outage, which delayed and canceled nearly 3,000 American flights....

By Sean Dietrich A television is playing in a Birmingham bar. The talking head is shouting politics. Most folks in this joint are below thirty, and aren’t even watching TV. They’re transfixed with the opiate glows of their smartphones. The bartender looks thirteen. He stares at the television screen and says...

By Michelle Ruschman When local resident Esme Graff got divorced in 2015, she never imagined it would be the very thing that would launch her into her purpose. Now, less than a decade later, this local author, speaker, podcast host, career woman, mom and woman of faith is encouraging single,...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer Every Independence Day finds patriot hearts swelling with pride and gratitude for our freedoms enjoyed in this great nation. Amidst the fireworks, parades and family gatherings, let us take a moment to reflect on the true essence of freedom as expressed in the Holy Scriptures. The...

By Victoria Ostrosky Our father Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden way back in the beginning to be its keeper. His job was to tend and protect the Garden, to ensure that everything was as it should be. He was the caretaker and guardian. Things have certainly changed...

By Sean Dietrich The boy holds his fish as high as he can. His father hugs him and kisses his hair. They make a fine picture together. I’m watching a father and son fish in a state park. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder. After a few minutes, the boy’s rod starts to bend. He screams,...

Adapted by Pastor Doug Stauffer In the beginning, God established the home with a simple design, as stated in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” However, the world, the flesh, and the...

Adapted by Pastor Doug Stauffer 2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. I am a soldier in the...

By Doug Stauffer, Pastor Faith Independent Baptist Church In a world where dependability seems to be waning, the stories of biblical figures such as Abraham, Moses, Peter and Mary Magdalene stand out as examples of biblical faithfulness. Their lives offer profound lessons on its importance. These accounts illuminate the past...

By Sean Dietrich Easter Sunday. An Episcopal church in Birmingham. Vaulted ceilings. Ornate masonry. A pipe organ. A choir dressed in lacework cottas. Individual stained-glass windows that cost more than tactical government helicopters. The whole works. My wife and I arrived late. The place was loaded with parishioners in pastel colors....