Musings

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 Barry Carpenter, Lead Pastor, Destin United Methodist Church Steven Covey wrote one of the most influential books in modern times that has influenced many, including myself. The book, The Habits of Highly Effective People, outlines seven habits that change people’s lives. People who practice these habits energize, encourage, and empower...

By Lauren Catanese Unforgiveness has a way of creeping up on us. One moment your energy is happy, joyful and at peace. Then someone comes around or a certain situation happens and the next thing you notice your mood has completely shifted. Your body might get tense, your smile disappears,...

By Dave Holland Sometime back I met a middle-aged couple who decided it was time to come back to church. Mike and Ruth were going through very difficult circumstances - Mike had been given a month to live. During surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen, the mass...

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 Dave Holland The Air Force officer was discouraged when he entered his church last Sunday. Many things were going wrong and then thieves broke into his truck stealing a backpack full of military gear. His iPhone was also taken. So, the officer gave the situation to God and asked...

By Lauren Catanese Struggling happens maybe more times than one wants it to. Life turns into a circus act and one feels like the ringmaster in the spotlight expected to know how to run the show. And somehow, one forgot the act. Running on improvisational skills, one hopes they can...

By Sean Dietrich I am watching Jeopardy! with an elderly woman who doesn’t know why I’m here because she has Alzheimer’s. We are in a nursing home. She sits in a wheelchair and blurts out answers along with the TV contestants. To be honest, Jeopardy! moves too fast for me. By the...

By Sean Dietrich It’s night and I am on a beach in Destin, Florida. I am sitting on the shore, watching the mighty Gulf of Mexico. It never stops moving. Never. A few hours ago, I was in a beach bar having dinner with an old friend. He looked good. He’s...

By Local Pastor Dave Holland The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 1:7 As Destin Life celebrates its first anniversary, let’s take a moment to reflect on the kind of foundation that produces greatness – whether it be in a newspaper or in life. Great people are not so different...