Musings

By Sean Dietrich It was an average Tuesday morning at the VA hospital. Elderly Sam Nilva awoke in his bed with crusty eyelids from sleep. He blinked at the ceiling a few times. A nurse brought some good news. “You’re going home today, Sam,” she said. Home. After being stuck in a...

By Rick Moore The most traveled road for locals and visitors alike throughout the Emerald Coast is Highway 98. Many are surprised to discover Highway 98 extends through several states. Decades ago, I would travel that road several times a year from my home in Mobile, Alabama, through the state...

Out of the Depths – Amazing Grace Michael Schneider, Pastor Emeritus, Trinity Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso As Hurricane Sally was swirling through the Emerald Coast, the Weather Channel began showing waves washing over Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula, Miss., in front of the place where my childhood home once stood. In that...

By Myrna Conrad The world was created in and functions through order. We can look at any living organism and see the order that must take place for it to function properly. We can examine any social system and see how order or chaos determines the success or failure of...

By Rick Moore As a very stylish twelve year old, I wore my Panama Jack hat whenever possible. The truth is, I was more concerned about impressing others with my debonair style than keeping the sun from harming my skin. Since fellow students were not cool enough to wear such...

By Rick Moore Supposedly, in the days of the Wild Wild West, if a prisoner on death row was well behaved, the sheriff would ask if he had any last request. Such requests would range from asking for a Holy Bible to a T-bone steak with a bottle of wine....

By Sean Dietrich I have here an email from a woman named Ella who lives in New York City. Ella writes: “I turn 76 years old in two days... I’m trying not to lose my mind, but being trapped inside this little apartment and self-quarantining with my daughter and her roommate,...

By Pastor Doug Stauffer This region has long been rightfully considered a premier military assignment—well-known for its pristine beaches, top-tier schools and friendly communities. Military families transfer in and out. But, I want to tell you about a transfer authority far superior to Uncle Sam. Here is the story of...

By Sean Dietrich In honor of college football season, I want to tell you about the biggest SEC football fan I know. He lives in Monroeville, Alabama, which is your quintessential all-American town. Walk the square and take a trip backward on the timeline. Drive around town. You’ll see barbecue...

By Sean Dietrich There is a faint smell of smoke in Walton County this morning. It’s a little hazy, but not too bad. I can see charred pine trees and an ocean of black soot. Walton County is my home. My first kiss was on the shore of the Choctawhatchee Bay....