Walt Albritton
Columnist
Walt is a writer for The Observer
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BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION — The above title in correct English would be: What are you doing? Around the house, some of us take shortcuts with our words. I can remember my wife asking me many times, “Whatcha doing?”I got in the habit of replying...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION —Oswald Chambers was blunt about sorrow and difficulty. Nothing is gained by saying there ought to be no sorrow. “Sorrow is,” he said, and we must face it. Sin, sorrow and suffering are facts of life, “and it is not for us...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION —During my early and middle years, but not much during my older years, there were occasions when I had lustful thoughts while admiring the beauty of another man’s wife. Each time that happened, I heard the inner voice of...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION —It caught my attention — the story of a young man scoring a touchdown for Murphy High School in Mobile Thursday night, Oct. 5. When we lived in Mobile 50 years ago, my two oldest sons, Matt and Mark, both played on the...
OPINION —During my first visit to the beautiful African country known as Zambia, my host Alfred Kalembo introduced me to his sister Catherine. Since her understanding of languages was limited to her native tongue, Tonga, we communicated mostly with...
BY WALT ALBRITTON OPINION —To live well, you must learn to cope with change. The most common truth about life is that change is a constant reality. It is forever foolish to wish that “things would never change.”When I was born in 1932, gas cost 10...
BY WALT ALBRITTON RELIGION —One of the most popular songs across the world is “Jesus Loves Me.” I love the way the song reveals the source of that good news: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”So, if you ask Christians why...
BY WALT ALBRITTON For years I have smiled at the embarrassment of the Pharisees when Jesus left them speechless. The gospels tell of many instances when Jesus, while eating a meal with a prominent Pharisee, asked questions that silenced his...
BY WALT ALBRITTON RELIGION —A woman of my acquaintance loved this poem and often quoted it as she shared her faith with others:"Greenless Child"by Ann WeemsI watched her go uncelebrated into the second grade,A greenless child,Gray among the orange...
RELIGION — Published in 1896, the book "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon has sold more than 50 million copies. One of the best-selling books of all time, it is based entirely on the question “What Would Jesus Do?” A Congregationalist pastor in...
RELIGION — In the year 1224, in a small Italian town, Theodora and Landulf gave birth to a little boy. They named him Thomas. He would become known as Thomas Aquinas, though Aquinas is not a family name but an indicator of his birthplace. As Thomas...
RELIGION — Glory! I reckon I say it 40 times a day. It is more than a wonderful habit; it expresses who I am. It’s my way of paying tribute to the power and presence of God in my daily life. It’s not a Sunday word. Like many of my generation,...
RELIGION — A verse in the Gospel of John caught my attention. In describing Jewish leaders who believed in Jesus but were afraid to admit it, John says “they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (12:43, ESV)....
RELIGION — If bitterness has not already invaded your mind, it’s camped outside your door, ready to take over and scramble your faith in God. Tragedy can open the door to this dangerous attitude. We recognize it sometimes in the elderly who,...
RELIGION — I can hardly begin to describe the countless ways God has blessed me. He let me be born to godly parents and grow up with four siblings who loved Jesus. He called me to preach the gospel. I have shared the gospel on five of the seven...
RELIGION — Books have been important to me. I blame my mama for that. She read fairytales to me when I was a little boy. Before I could read or write, I knew all about "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Snow White" and "Little Red Riding Hood." Television...
RELIGION — Frederick Buechner wrote wisely about the power of forgiveness. He said, “When somebody you have wronged forgives you, you are spared the dull and self-diminishing throb of a guilty conscience.” I know that’s true from my own experience....
RELIGION — A phone call at night woke me. “Would you like for me to drive you over to Seth’s home?” It was Amy, my son Steve’s wife, calling. “Why?” I asked. “Your brother is dead,” she said. I could not believe what I was hearing. But it was...
RELIGION — It was a simple statement. On a plaque in a friend’s office. Just 13 words: “O God, Thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.” I liked it. I wondered who the author may have been. It did not sound like a quote from Moses, or Lincoln,...