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Christmastime is the busiest social season of the year, filled with family gatherings and work and social get-togethers. While the social obligations during December are some of the most exciting parts of the holiday season, they also provide Christians with the unique opportunity to model Christ’s love and care for others. Birmingham’s Tyler and Anna Nash want to encourage Christians to be more hospitable this holiday season and all year long. As former owners of a popular area coffee shop and the authors of a brand new book on hospitality, the Nashes are uniquely qualified to inspire families to welcome people with a warm holiday spirit.

A Christ-Like Example of Hospitality. Tyler and Anna are the former owners of Innova Coffee, a shop and cafe in the 4700 Colonnade apartment complex that operated until 2023, and the authors of the newly released Refreshing Hospitality: The Art of Welcoming. Their role as coffee shop owners, along with years of hosting people in business situations and at home, has inspired them to discuss hospitality beginning with the origin of the word. “Hospitality” comes from the root word that also led to such terms as “hospital,” “hospice,” and “hostel.” “These are places where someone receives care,” Anna said, adding, “In this time and season, the word has become about entertaining, but its original meaning was about how you personally take care of someone. It’s about offering and extending care and making someone feel seen and connected.” In their vision of hospitality, it’s about a place or a situation where “someone belongs no matter who they are.” According to Anna, this is something modeled by Jesus during his earthly life. “It’s so interesting to see how many times Jesus loved, encouraged, welcomed, and accepted people around the table,” she said. “Whether it was feeding the 5000 or sitting at the Last Supper, there are countless stories of His own hospitality. Jesus made everyone feel welcome, and then attended to their needs in social and relational ways–and, as a result, fulfilled a spiritual need.” She said that she and her husband have been struck by that message on a personal level, as they realized that Christ welcomed them unconditionally and offered rest and freedom. “He invites all of us to come on in just as we are, and rest and unload. And then He invites us to be free. That’s what He does on a spiritual level,” she explained. “He’s done that for us, so that’s the model for healing and connection that we follow.” When they first opened Innova, in fact, they named the coffee shop after a Latin word that meant “renewal and refreshment.” They wanted to welcome people in a way that fed their souls and modeled the rest you can find in Christ. According to Tyler, that’s the goal of showing hospitality inside your home as well. “It may involve work to have someone over, but it’s not a burden,” he said. ‘If they come here and are refreshed, then I am refreshed as well.” Anna adds, “It’s just like it says in Proverbs 11:25- those who refresh others will be refreshed themselves.”

Hospitable Backgrounds. Tyler and Anna both grew up in Birmingham, attended Briarwood Christian School, married soon after high school and raised four children in the Birmingham area. They live in Anna’s childhood home in Vestavia Hills. Her home was one where everyone was welcomed; her mother always had the back door open for unexpected visitors and always had sandwiches or cookies available. Tyler grew up with parents who often held cocktail parties and church gatherings, and then he began a lucrative career in sales. His professional life often took him to fancy restaurants, resorts, and private clubs. Both Tyler and Anna understood hospitality–even if they looked a bit different. “His background was an appreciation of things done exquisitely well, while mine was more of a ‘oh my goodness, here comes someone and let’s see what we have in the refrigerator.’ But we both understood its importance,” she said. Tyler fully understood his passion for caring for others after losing his industrial sales job and resorting to a job at a coffee shop alongside teenagers. “When I went to work there, I was so ashamed. I was 50 and working hourly at a coffee shop,” he said. “I had my pride, and I had to pull off my mask and become vulnerable. It ended up being a gift from God.” In that situation, he discovered that he loved taking care of people. He thrived in the actions of preparing comfortable spaces for customers and realized that his actions could show others that they were important. And in doing for others, he became more comfortable in himself. “God took away a lot of my insecurities and fear, as well as my desire to impress people,” he said. “God took a lot of that away during that time. And it made me free to want to help people.” Tyler and Anna eventually opened their own coffee shop, where they continued that philosophy.

Release of Refreshing Hospitality. After closing Innova, they often heard from former customers about recipes for some of their signature items, including Conecuh sausage biscuits and shortbread cookies. Anna felt called to share some of those recipes, as well as their insights about hospitality, in a book. The project evolved into a personal collection of stories, reflections, and advice. “It went from just being recipes to being 60 short stories around our perspectives on hospitality,” she said. “The stories came from the shop, our home and family, and just where we’ve been out and about in the world and have experienced hospitality.” Each story in the book is paired with recipes, tips and tricks, creative ideas, and reflective questions about hospitality. Anna said that she prayed along the way for guidance and was pleasantly surprised when she began receiving what she calls “divine downloads.” She’d think of stories, take notes whenever she was inspired, and they resulted in Refreshing Hospitality.  The book is a beautiful coffee-table style book with both Tyler and Anna’s perspectives, and they are debuting it through special events at local restaurants and stores, and special gatherings and “experiences” in their home. Check out the book’s website, www.refreshinghospitality.com, for more information.

Practicing Hospitality. The Nashes encourage fellow Christians to use the Christmas season as an opportunity to welcome others, realizing that their hospitality may be the only light those others experience. They often held Christmas parties at their coffee shop, recognizing that some customers might not have other places to celebrate. They like to remind people, however, that you don’t have to be a perfect hostess to show hospitality at Christmastime. Don’t let the fear of inadequacy keep you from hosting during the holidays. Ultimately, the Nashes say that the holidays are a time to make others’ lives less stressful, more restful, and more meaningful. “During this busy season, ask yourself: how can we bring a night of respite to people? Even in your own family, how can you take the burden of holiday planning away from a spouse or children, or even friends?” Tyler said. “How can we provide a gathering that’s as stress-free as possible?” In all their endeavors, the Nashes want to remind Christians that hospitality is a very real way to live out their faith. “Jesus showed hospitality in his own life,” Anna said. “He made people feel seen and welcomed.”

-Cheryl Wray

Hear from author Anna Nash about collaborating with her husband on her latest book Refreshing Hospitality plus a look at the passion behind her other writings that include a children’s book, a Christmas devotional and Bible studies.

Cover Story

The enthusiastic shout of “Sideline!” is one that so many of us equate with WBRC-TV’s Sheldon Haygood, co-anchor and sideline reporter of the longstanding and ever popular “Sideline” Friday night high school football show. Behind all that enthusiasm, Haygood struggled with major health issues that attempted to sideline his 30 plus sports and news career at WBRC. As a prostate cancer survivor and someone who lives with Crohn’s Disease, Haygood proudly shares how his faith has given him strength and wants others to know God can and will help you through difficult days. “During it all, I knew that God would take care of me,” he said.

A Beloved Birmingham Fixture. Haygood has been with WBRC since 1994. He began as a sports reporter and later transitioned into his role of sports weekend anchor at the station. In 2019, he moved to the news side of things appearing on the “Good Day Alabama” show, serving as anchor for WBRC 6 “News at Noon,” and working as co-host of Friday night’s “Sideline.” His early interest in sports came in Texas, where he played high school football and then majored in journalism at Southwest Texas State University. He first tried radio, but soon interned at a television station in San Antonio, landed a sports reporter position in Midland and became sports director at a station in Lubbock. His move to Alabama first took him to WHOA (now WNCF-TV) in Montgomery, and then to Birmingham, where he’s been ever since. Growing up in a military family that moved often, Haygood said that the stability of working in the same marketplace for many years has been especially important to him. “It’s quite rare that you find someone who’s worked in the same market for as many years as I have,” he said. “I consider myself very lucky in that situation.” He and his wife, Shelby, have raised all their children in the Birmingham area and love calling it home. 

Health Battles & Triumphs. Haygood’s life and career shifted gears in 2019, when two medical diagnoses drastically changed things. “Right before Covid, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and had also recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s,” he recalls. “I lost 50 pounds in two weeks, and it took me about six to nine months to get that weight back. Today, my cancer is gone, and Crohn’s continues to be difficult.” His Crohn’s diagnosis came first, when he first felt that something was wrong the day before Thanksgiving. “I was supposed to travel out of town but needed to rest. I didn’t have an appetite that night and then had an ulcer in my mouth. I couldn’t get anything to eat down,” Haygood said. “Eventually they got me in to see a gastroenterologist and he immediately told me, ‘You’re going into the hospital right now.’” His health struggles with Crohn’s (a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects all parts of the gastrointestinal tract and causes inflammation, ulcers, and other symptoms and complications) resulted in changes at the station, where he began moving from the sports side to the news side of work.

Haygood’s prostate cancer diagnosis came after he went for his yearly exam; the doctors told him that his numbers were elevated, and they sent him to a specialist who screened him but found nothing positive. “They told me to come back in six months, which I wasn’t too excited about, so I avoided it and skipped it for a year,” he said. “I didn’t want to deal with that.” He was convicted to go back for a checkup after an experience interviewing Hatton Smith, the CEO Emeritus of Birmingham’s Royal Cup Coffee and a prostate cancer survivor. “As I was making the transition to news and doing longer stories for our website, I worked on a project for Cancer Awareness Month,” he said. “I was writing a story on Hatton, and he literally got in my face and said, ‘You need to do this.’ So, I went back and my numbers were elevated even more. They took samples and told me I had prostate cancer.” His experience has led Haygood to promote prostate cancer screening. “I want people to know that they need to get screened,” he said. Haygood looked to his faith throughout both journeys–and said that he went straight to God when he heard the cancer news. “I gave the cancer to God, and I knew he would take care of it,” he said. He continues to struggle with the issues caused by Crohn’s, and said it’s “harder to handle than the cancer.” According to Haygood, there are good days and bad days. He said that one of the greatest blessings throughout his health struggles was the way WBRC supported him. He was out of work for two different six-week periods, but the company was extremely understanding. His bosses even found a way to change his work schedule to make it more conducive to his lifestyle. “When I came back, I stopped doing sports. [Covid shutdowns also affected sports coverage.] They found a new place for me,” he said. “I would never have thought that a TV station would be like this, but everyone from the general manager to colleagues were spectacular. They put me in this position, and it’s been fantastic.” The work change was an unexpected blessing, as Haygood also considered his age and future. “If I’d been in my 30s, I would have found it harder. But in my 50s, this lets me sustain my career. And at my age, I have more maturity in covering news,” he said, adding “the Sideline show allows me to stay in sports some of the time.” He also has the added advantage of spending more time with his family. “For the main part of my career, I worked every weekend in sports,” he said. “Now I’m off on Saturdays and Sundays, and my wife is stuck with me,” he chuckles.

Importance of Church & Community. Haygood and his family are active members of Hope Community Church (formerly Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church) in Gardendale; Shelby has taught kindergarten at the church’s school for decades, and all of their children were baptized and grew up in the church. According to Haygood, though, he finally fully understood his church’s compassion and the importance of a faith community when it showed up for him during his health battles. “God showed up so many times, but especially through our church family,” he said. “When I wasn’t working, our church family rallied behind us both financially and biblically. I knew before that I really ‘liked’ the church and enjoyed everyone there, but I learned to really love our church during this time.” The family’s faith evolved from Shelby’s insistence that they find a church home after they married in 1993. She’d grown up in church and had a relationship with the Lord, but Sheldon didn’t attend church regularly when they met. “She said to me, ‘If you’re going to have a relationship with me, you’re going to have a relationship with God.’ She took me to church and her family loved on me,” he recalled. They started looking for a church as soon as they moved to the Fultondale/Gardendale area and were struck by the friendliness of the members at Mt. Vernon. Shelby ended up teaching kindergarten at the church’s school, and he said that her influence has been immeasurable–both to their own children, and to the hundreds she’s taught over the years. “Everywhere we go, it’s ‘Miss Shelby this, and Miss Shelby that.’ In Gardendale, I’m her husband and she’s the star,” Haygood said. “To see how people react to her, and to know that now she’s teaching the kids of students she had years ago. She’s had a wonderful impact on so many people.”

She and Sheldon are parents of six children of their own–four biological adult children (Hannah, Harper, Harrison, and Hayes) and two sons adopted through the foster system (Austin and Steven, who are in 10th and 8th grade). Looking back, Haygood credits his wife for her conviction that foster parenting was something they should do. “We wanted to help and foster so many children, and when we found out that the system was thinking of separating Austin and Steven, it made us stop and take steps to adopt them,” Haygood said. “Shelby believed so deeply in fostering, and we believed that it’s what the Word asked us to do.”

What’s Next. Haygood said that he plans on staying at his job “as long as they want me,” but he also looks forward to the day when he can spend more time with his wife. “I really want to devote my time to her. She’s been through everything with me, and she’s been my strength in so many ways,” he said. In the meantime, he plans on continuing to encourage others who are going through hard times. “Being on TV isn’t what makes you special. I’m just a guy who’s gone through things and happens to work on TV,” Haygood said. “What makes you special is how you persevere, and I’m inspired by all the people who persevere every day.”

-Cheryl Wray

Watch the video below to hear more from Sheldon about his faith, passion for fostering children, and all things Sideline!

 

Cover Story

“You can’t have a testimony without a test,” he said, his voice sounding cheery and upbeat, a day after Auburn University’s 2025 homecoming. “We all try to control things, but we really have no control, so I’ve handed my battle over to the Lord- I’m trusting Him to see me through,” he said. 22-year-old Alex McPherson knows a lot about trust. The redshirt junior Auburn placekicker has learned to trust his right leg every time he lines up for a field goal attempt. He’s learned to trust his doctors and his athletic trainers, his coaches and his fans, his wife and his family.  And as he’s fought his battle with ulcerative colitis for over 18 months, Alex McPherson is staying strong. “My journey has really strengthened my relationship with God,” said the youngest of the Fort Payne, Ala. McPherson brothers. 

Beginnings. Alex was born in August of 2003, and his parents knew he would do something big. LaDon and Amber McPherson’s older sons Evan and Logan would show Alex the way on the football and soccer fields. Oh, Alex was small in stature but big in heart- by the time he reached Fort Payne High School, he was booming field goals, just like his brothers. By the time he reached his senior year, he was rated the top high school kicker in America. 

Alex met his now wife Hannah in the seventh grade. The pair bonded in school and in youth group at First Baptist Church. They grew together in their faith. By May of 2022, Alex McPherson was a Fort Payne High School graduate. He would soon be on his way to Auburn University- he was the Tigers’ kicker of the future, the can’t miss kid. How could Alex fail? He was a member of the famous McPherson kicking brothers: Evan kicked at Florida and today is the Cincinnati Bengals’ kicker. Logan punted at La Tech. And Alex was ready to take his big foot and his big dreams to the Loveliest Village on The Plains.

Triumphs & Trials. Perfection. Every kicker seeks it, and in 2023, Alex McPherson achieved it. Alex didn’t miss a field goal (13-for-13) or a PAT (40-for-40) over the entire football season. The Auburn faithful found their kicker, and they were thrilled that he would be around for a while. What Auburn fans didn’t see was a challenge that tested Alex’s resolve. “We can’t see what’s in our future, but regardless of how our future pans out, we can use it for His glory,” Alex told me. 

His illness came on suddenly just after the bowl game following Alex’s perfect season. Blood in his stool, pain, numerous colonoscopies. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, and it shook Alex to the core. Auburn head athletic trainer Robbie Stewart was constantly by Alex’s side, and Alex’s family doctors were there for him as well. Still, Alex began to lose weight as the spring of 2024 arrived, and despite meds and infusions, Alex’s weight fell from 160 pounds to 110 pounds by July. “I had a third colonoscopy at UAB on July 18, 2024, and I weighed 114 pounds,” said Alex.  “Every infusion and treatment they were trying was failing, and it seemed hopeless at times that he would ever get better,” said Hannah. 

Alex has always been a half-glass full kind of a guy, and his lifetime of faith has helped him remain that way. Alex had a challenge ahead with too many questions and too few answers, but he kept his head up. “I was always confident that God would not abandon me,” Alex said. The 2024 football season was all but lost, as Alex kicked in only one game. “During those dark times, my prayer every day was for the Lord to heal my son,” Alex’s mother Amber told me. “Our son had withered, and it hurt not being able to see our son do what he loved.” 

The decision came after last fall’s Auburn vs Kentucky game- Alex kicked a field goal and three extra points. He told Coach Freeze he was fine. However, Alex was not fine. He weighed 135 pounds and was running to the bathroom 20 times a day. After the Kentucky game, Alex had a literal come-to-Jesus moment. He decided to undergo a complex surgery last December. Serious prayers were followed by serious family discussions. And on December 20, 2024, UAB doctors Kirk Russ and Robert Hollis led an expert team that removed Alex’s entire large intestine (colon). Alex was all in- he would wear a colostomy bag, and he would playfully name his stoma “Stanley”. He would have 8 months to prepare for the 2025 football season. “For the first time in 6 months, we were able to live a normal life and feel hopeful about the future,” said Hannah. Fast forward to June 21, just a few months ago. Alex and Hannah were married at Carillon Beach. Pastor Patrick Keim of Church of The Highlands Auburn campus officiated the wedding. But just as the union was being celebrated, more challenges arrived as Alex began to get sick on his honeymoon. He lost 20 pounds in just a few weeks. “We were devastated,” said Hannah. “We thought the hard days were behind us. We surrendered full control of Alex’s sickness to God- when we handed it to God, we saw faith and hope grow in ways we hadn’t seen through the entire process.”

It’s been a challenging 2025 for Alex, but he’s seen plenty of action for the Auburn Tigers. Alex wears his colostomy bag on his left side, away from his kicking leg. He’s changed medicines again and is feeling better. “Alex wants so badly to do well for Auburn and his teammates,” said Auburn Head Football Coach Hugh Freeze in mid-September. The college football season is a long one, and Alex is staying strong in his faith. “I have always believed God is with me,” he said. Alex has two more years of eligibility and is trusting God to lead him in the right direction. “I love Auburn, so I’d love to stay here, but if the NFL comes calling, I would look at that as well,” he added. 

Faith & Family. The most important thing in Alex’s life today is his family and his faith. “Having full faith in His perfect plan has made Alex’s latest sickness so much less burdening on us,” said Hannah. “It can be so hard to see any good coming from situations like these, but we have seen Alex’s story inspire others and our relationship with God grow,” added Hannah, who finished graduate school at Auburn last May. Alex marches on, his faith strong and his hopes high- like he says, you can’t have a testimony without a test. And while Alex’s test continues, his testimony inspires. “If I can use my story to help others, I’m good with it,” Alex said. “Because I’m all about His glory.”

-Rick Karle

Karle is a TV news and sports veteran of 45 years, a 25-time Emmy Award winner and a weekly feature columnist for AL.com. Check out Rick’s work on AL.com, on Facebook at Rick Karle Good News and on The Good Company Podcast.

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Sue Garrett’s life has taken many unexpected turns, but the retired school teacher and principal from Harpersville, Ala. never imagined she’d become one of the most popular cooks on the internet. As “Mama Sue,” she reaches out to hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of viewers through her Facebook pages and YouTube channels. Her cooking videos began as a way to teach people how to cook simple, Southern recipes. But through her struggles with breast cancer and her everyday positivity, Garrett’s been able to reach many with encouragement and a Christ-like witness.

In the Kitchen. “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen” began in 2020 when Garrett started posting photos of her daily meals on her personal Facebook page. It was during the start of the pandemic, and people spent more time than ever before online looking for ideas and inspiration. “For months I’d take a photo of whatever I was having for dinner that night, and people told me to keep doing it because they were planning their menus for the next day and needed ideas,” she recalls. “I never intended to have Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen. It just happened from that beginning.” A local farm in nearby Vincent, Ala. had begun selling boxes of vegetables and contacted Garrett’s daughter Amy to ask her mom if she would post a video of her cooking with the vegetables; they’d then put the video on their page to promote the farm. “The next day Amy shared it on my personal page and people started asking us to make certain recipes,” she says. “From the response, we knew we needed our own page.” Amy came up with the title of “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen,” and it debuted in July. “And then, wham! It grew overnight, and soon all these people were asking if I had a cookbook,” she says. “I had put one together for our church [Vincent Revival Center], so I made one and ordered it from the same place where I’d done the church one. When they came in, I just told myself that I’d see how they’d do.” Within 24 hours, she’d sold 762 copies, and all 1,000 of her original order were gone in two days. Today, Garrett’s social media platforms have impressive numbers as she continues to post videos on Facebook and YouTube via “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen” and “Home with Mama Sue.” A video on her Facebook page preparing her strawberry cake recipe has a 6.3 million reach, and one featuring her 7-layer salad has 11.4 million. 

Challenges along the Way. Garrett continued to handle the bulk of the work for “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen” on her own until struggles began to come her way. In October of 2020, her grandson was born with a very rare condition that at the time only had 30 documented cases. Mosaic Trisomy 22 is a genetic disorder leading to a wide range of potential symptoms and severity, including growth delays, intellectual disability, and various physical abnormalities. “We were so busy, shipping out cookbooks from our house and trying to video every day,” she says. “It was too much, and we needed more time with our family.” She connected with Annie McDaniel, a fellow Alabamian who runs “Miss Annie’s Home + Kitchen,” who gave her advice on how to more effectively run her platforms. That led her to Angela Deaver, who became her social media manager. “In June of 2021, I left for vacation, and Angela shipped cookbooks for me while we were gone. And as soon as I returned from vacation, I went in for a mammogram. I didn’t expect anything to go wrong,” she says. “But they called the next day and said I had breast cancer. I couldn’t do anything, so Angela turned her dining room into Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen.”

Garrett had aggressive chemotherapy treatment for six months and, after beating the cancer, returned full-time, but she and Harold realized that Angela needed to keep working with them. From then on, Garrett’s influence has continued to grow; it can be seen in both numbers and the way she’s personally impacted people. “I shared my story with my people, and it opened a whole other avenue,” she says. “People shared with me about their diagnosis and their cancer stories.” She was especially touched by people’s care and concern for someone they only knew online. “When I was sick, I got so many get-well cards. Our mailperson would drive down our road, blow the horn, and we’d go check out the box. It would be full of cards,” she remembers. “People were so gracious.” Then came “Shark Tank.”

More Opportunities & Connections. Soon after her breast cancer went into remission, Garett got a call from the creators of the Y’all Sweet Tea brand and Hayden. Ala. natives, Darien Craig and Brandon Echols. They’d seen her content (Brandon’s wife’s grandmother was the first to see the “Mama Sue’s Southern Kitchen” page) and knew they wanted to work with her. “We had worked with a few other influencers in the past, and we knew she had something a little different and better. We saw it and loved it,” Craig says. “Once we heard the positive news about her breast cancer recovery, that gave us the green light to reach out. Her authenticity, good energy, good personality, and really good cooking drew us in. And then there was the hope she showed through her cancer journey,” he says. They asked her to prepare and share about their tea, which they first sold at festivals and farmer’s markets in her videos. She agreed after meeting them and recognizing their genuineness, energy, business acumen, and youth. “I could be their grandmother,” Garrett says. Their connection was immediate, and when Craig and Echols were invited to apply to be on “Shark Tank” (which eventually secured them a deal), they brought Garrett along.  “We told them we’ve used Southern grandmas in our promoting,” Echols says. “After they saw Mama Sue, they called back and said we want her here with you. When she told us she doesn’t like to fly, we said we aren’t going without you.” The three appeared on “Shark Tank” last year, and Y’all Sweet Tea secured a $500,000 deal with Lori Greiner and Rashaun Williams. Today, Garrett continues to promote the tea on her platforms. “I meet people all the time who will say, ‘I saw you on Shark Tank.'”

Living by Faith. Garrett says that her Christian faith has guided her along her journey- both during the successes and the challenges- and that it’s given her the opportunity to share her faith with others. She and Harold often talk about faith on her channels; she’ll post about what they did in church that day, or they’ll share a video of them talking about an inspiring moment from their lives. She’s also open about her faith when people comment on videos, meet her in person, or reach out to her. An experience at the beginning of her online journey showed her how her faith could impact others.

Soon after she started filming videos, she received a private message from a young lady who’d been watching her on Facebook.  “She told me she didn’t have a relationship with the Lord and that she’d been abused as a child. But she said, ‘I love watching you for some reason.’ I just talked to her, didn’t preach to her, and said I was sorry for what had happened in her life,” Garrett says. “Then I sent her a book called Forgiving What You Can’t Forget.” Although Garrett never gives out her telephone number, she felt like she should give it to the woman; she told her to call if she ever needed to talk. In between Garrett having her mammogram and receiving her results, she received a call from the woman. “She said, ‘Tell me about Jesus,’ and I did. I told her it’s easy. He loves you no matter what you’ve done. I told her this doesn’t mean you’re not gonna have troubles, but you’ll have someone to walk with you during it,” Garrett recalls. “The next morning, I got the call about the cancer.” She soon received a message from the young lady that said, “I don’t know how to pray, but I will for you.” That experience showed Garrett how her business could positively impact people. God gave her a platform to share her faith. As she looks to the future, Garrett plans to keep sharing her signature recipes while also representing Christ with her positive attitude and witness. Meet Mama Sue in person at the upcoming Celebrate the Family Expo Saturday September 13, 2025 at the Hoover Met Finley Center. 

-Cheryl Wray

Cover Story

Rachel Marie Vining is making her mark online, amassing millions of views and followers on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms. The Mobile, Ala. native is known by her fans for her “Rae’s WAY Overdoing It” channels. They love her for her comedic sketches on such topics as being raised as a homeschooler and navigating parent-and-child relationships between different generations, and she says her faith background influences all of her content creation.

The Online Journey. Five years ago, at the age of 17, Vining started her online channels. Two years ago, she began to see her content skyrocket in popularity. Vining currently has 151,000 followers on TikTok, where her most viewed video titled “a day in the life of a homeschooler”- has almost 13 million views. She has 435,000 followers on Instagram and almost 400,000 subscribers on YouTube (where her total views are close to 194 million, and she’s currently averaging around 40 million views a month). She’s also a top producer on Amazon, where she has a successful storefront. Her favorite platform is Instagram, where she gets the most reach. “I get the most consistent views there, and have more followers,” Vining says, adding that she’s always on the lookout for new opportunities. “I’m currently trying to grow my Snapchat, because it’s really begging for good creation on that platform,” Vining said. “That’s my new territory.” She’s well known online, has been spotted “in real life” as a social media influencer, and recently attended VidCon (a national convention where successful influencers gather to learn and socialize). It’s a level of success that Vining said she could never have imagined as a teenager who was discouraged by her parents to even view videos on YouTube. She’s learned to appreciate an upbringing that challenged her to use her faith in an alternative and creative way. “As a kid, I knew I wanted to do something ‘big,’ like singing, but because I didn’t get a lot of support, I had to figure it out myself,” she said. “I really felt like it was me against the world.” She first made money online via her Amazon storefront, where she posted product review videos and skits. After she made $1,000 a month on Amazon, she felt legitimate and validated. Vining began to experiment with different types of content, and soon found that comedy was what resonated with her audience.  “I learned that authenticity is what really works,” she said, noting that she couldn’t be something she wasn’t. “As long as what I do is authentic, then people will respond.”

Her comedy sketches deal with topics that many people can either identify with personally or that they find funny as they relate to current pop culture. On TikTok, for example, Vining’s recent popular videos include funny takes on homeschooling, impersonations of celebrity JoJo Siwa, comedic conversations between Gen-Z children and Baby Boomer parents, and collaborations with other influencers she met at VidCon. The idea for much of her content comes from her own experiences, as well as interactions with other people from a similar background. “I’ll talk with people about their experiences and find that a lot of our feelings are the same,” she said. “As a homeschooler, I was very awkward and uninformed about stuff. Those experiences show up in my comedy, and people have really liked them. And other people who were homeschooled often tell me that they identify with what I have to say.” Vining started college at the age of 15 as a dual enrolled student and graduated with a degree in business administration from Thomas Edison State University at the age of 19. On Instagram, Vining’s videos are divided up into categories including Sarcastic Rae, Chatty Rae, Catness Rae, FanGirl Rae, and Actress Rae. But she also includes “Christ Follower” in her description on Instagram and is up front that, while her comedy isn’t Christian, she is a person of faith who is committed to creating material that anyone can watch.

The Faith Thread. Vining grew up in a Baptist household and still worships at a Baptist church but was inspired by the comedy of Studio C– a sketch television show produced by BYUtv, a channel and family-friendly streaming service founded in 2000 at Brigham Young University. The Studio C YouTube channel has more than 3.3 million subscribers and has received more than 3 billion views. “I saw that success and was just interested in what makes people laugh,” she said. “I wanted to specialize in clean comedy. I wanted to create something that people wouldn’t have to be embarrassed by or roll their eyes at to forward it along to other people.” She mentions the faith-based inspiration on her YouTube channel description: “I create clean, original, relatable comedy skits. My passion is writing and acting! I was greatly inspired by the sketch comedy style of Studio C. I’m a Christian, 22-year-old college graduate living in Alabama. I’m blessed to be a full-time content creator supporting myself entirely independently.” Vining said that she gets a variety of responses from Christians to her comedy sketches and other online content. Most responses are positive, but she occasionally is challenged with the idea that she should be more “obvious” with a Christian message. She, however, believes that her message can be best presented in a more nuanced way; in fact, she can reach more people for Christ with her general, clean approach to comedy. “I met a friend of a friend one time, and she said that she’d heard about my platform. She wanted to know how I use it to spread the Gospel,” she said. “I told her that I don’t. You can’t force the message on viewers.” Instead, Vining prays that her faith shines through in her comedy. “My content is brand-safe and includes nothing controversial,” she said. “And it’s something that anyone can watch.” Vining said that there are surprisingly plenty of Christian content creators online today; they aren’t “branded” as Christians, but they’re proud for people to know that they live a life of faith. “I get really excited when I meet a fellow creator and find out that they’re a Christian,” she said. “It’s important for Christians to be making good content.”

The Lessons Learned. Vining is still young, but she’s already learned many important lessons about following dreams and having goals. In fact, she said that she encourages parents to give their children a wide range of opportunities. “Let your children figure out who they are, instead of saying ‘this is who you need to be.’ If your child tells you that she wants to be a singer, put her in voice lessons,” Vining said. “If she says she wants to be a dancer, let her take classes. If they don’t like it, they can stop it. But it lets them explore those creative dreams.” Vining firmly believes that God puts intuition, goals, and dreams in our hearts for a reason. Vining also said that online careers are something that the younger generation should be given opportunities to explore. While older generations may not understand social media and content creation, they should be willing to open their minds to these new areas. Whatever direction a child, a young businessperson, or anyone with a dream goes toward, Vining said that it’s important to have courage and to be your own advocate. “My advice is not to wait. I want you to hurry up and fail, because every failure is a lesson that’s going to help you get ahead,” she said. “A week or a month or a year from now, you can look back on the failure and learn from it. You’ll look at it in a totally new way.” Ultimately, however, Vining said that it’s important to trust God along your journey. Despite early discouragements and challenges, Vining said that she can look back now and see how God guided her every step of the way. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t open to God’s will, and if I hadn’t asked God for help,” she said. “I feel like I’ve had the biggest blessings and halos over my head. God has blessed me, and I look back now and really see where He worked.”

-Cheryl Wray

Cover Story

The vision for Birmingham Christian Family magazine began in the late 1990s when founder Laurie Stroud Franklin imagined a publication that could tell positive, faith-based stories while also supporting local businesses.  Her desire to create a successful magazine stretched her in ways she never could have predicted, but her reliance on prayer and God’s plan has brought her to the point where Birmingham Christian Family celebrates its 25th anniversary this month; the magazine debuted in July of 2000. “There were months when I could not foresee how the next issue would get to print but guess what?” she recalled, “God is so much bigger than us!”

The Idea Emerges. Franklin’s background was never in print journalism, but she always had a strong faith tradition and a love of communication. “I’ve always loved to ask questions,” Franklin jokes. The daughter of a Lutheran minister, she was born in St. Louis, Missouri, moved to Hoover when she was six years old, the oldest of four siblings. She attended Vanderbilt University on scholarship with the intent to either be a doctor or a writer. After taking a molecular biology class (and not enjoying it), she decided to major in English and planned to be a news reporter. She became a health reporter and morning news anchor back home in Birmingham and then worked in marketing and media relations for HealthSouth Corporation. Even during those early career years, Franklin said she was drawn to positive stories. “In my health reporting role, I was able to show a positive side to regular news, and then at HealthSouth, they decided to start a magazine on patient outcomes,” she said. “That was another example of how I saw journalism impacting families in a positive way. It also fulfilled my passion of telling other people’s stories.”

Franklin became a mother at that time- Benton was born in 1998, and twins Jonathan and Trae came along in 1999. She found herself torn between motherhood and the work and travel time demanded of her. After struggling to get pregnant and then being blessed with three children so close together, Franklin felt the desire to be an involved mother. “I had asked God to make me a mom, and it was really important to be with my kids- this huge gift that God had given me,” she said. During that season of being a new mom, she began to formulate the idea of a magazine that could meet the needs of Christian parents. “I was a new parent and looking for resources for new parents like me,” she said, adding, “There also wasn’t a local Christian publication that went across denominational lines. There was a lack of stories being told about the people and organizations in our community who were being the hands and feet of Jesus. I began to ask myself the question: ‘How can I share that?’”

Franklin began to look at the logistics of creating such a magazine for the Birmingham area. She talked to experts in publishing, finance, and advertising, and visited with local businesses to see if there would be an interest from their standpoint.  “I talked to business owners to get feedback and received support from many of whom I knew through my previous careers,” she said. “One mentor told me that it was just a matter of selling the concept. He told me, ‘If you have a passion for it, it’s a no brainer.’ I got a lot of support before I ever launched the magazine.” Franklin’s first husband Jeff had a background in advertising and sales, and after the magazine’s initial success, he left his full-time job to work for the company. “He handled the advertising sales, while I wrote and worked with businesses to tell their stories.” According to Franklin, one of the earliest confirmations that she was where God wanted her came from her first advertiser- the owner of Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts in Alabaster. “I nervously came in with my presentation, Darrel Holcombe looked at the advertising information and he matter of factly said he’d try a quarter page ad for a year. He advertised with me for more than 20 years!” she said. “It made me realize that I could do this.” Franklin quickly found herself with a new career. “What I thought would be a part-time gig became a full-time job.”

Growth & Challenges. Within a year,  individuals in other communities across the southeast began to contact Franklin about starting their own editions of Christian Family magazines. “Our vision was Good News for our community, God had a much bigger idea,” remembers Franklin. In five years, the company grew to 12 magazines–with publications in Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and Colorado. While some of those magazines stopped publication over the years, Nashville Christian Family just celebrated the start of its 15th year. “We grew really fast, and we had to add staff, and we had to help those other publications get started,” Franklin remembered. “It was exciting, but also a lot of work.” Throughout the years, both personal and professional challenges came Franklin’s way. The earliest was learning how to be a working mother with small children.  “Starting such an endeavor with three toddlers meant I had to be a woman who had lost her mind,” she laughed. “It allowed me the flexibility to work at home most of the time, but I began to question myself. I can vividly remember changing a diaper while talking with an advertiser and literally silently praying– God please don’t let this baby cry out in the middle of my phone call.” About 10 years into the venture, Franklin found herself divorced and a single mother; she also was suddenly a business owner on her own. “Within months, everything changed, and I wondered if I could do everything. I learned I could not but God could.” She said, adding “The boys were young, and it was a real balancing act. Looking back, God walked with us, and even when there were those days when I wondered how I was going to produce an issue that month, God would come through. One time I went into a business owner for advice- not advertising- and came out with a full page ad for a year. Only God does that. Every time I didn’t think it would work, it did.” A more recent struggle was the death of Franklin’s younger brother Mark, who was a huge supporter of the magazine, and his sister. When he died suddenly last year of an undiagnosed heart condition, Franklin relied on her faith–and prayer–to get through it. “God gives us challenges, but they are opportunities to grow. From the deepest, darkest places, God gave me opportunities to learn more about myself and to trust Him more fully,” she said. “When Mark passed away, it was so sudden. At first I couldn’t even figure out how to pray anymore- to connect with God, but overtime I grew even further in my prayer life. Over the years I have learned that when I let go, God takes over. He shows me how to embrace and appreciate what He has given me, and to be humble.”

Faith & Family. Running magazines with “family” in the title is indicative of the passion Franklin has for her own family. Her family has been integral to the success of the magazine- from her three young sons providing the personal impetus to work from home to her parents and siblings’ support. Franklin said she’s indebted to them for their encouragement. “For many years my parents volunteered to deliver magazines for me all over the Birmingham area, and my mom is the best marketer ever,” she said. “She’ll tell anyone who’ll listen about the magazine.” Her brother Joel, who is a Birmingham attorney, helped in such actions as incorporating the business and providing insight into the franchise process; Mark, who was a forensic accountant at Ernst and Young, helped with financial books and provided a wonderful sounding board for Franklin to bounce ideas off.  She also has the support of her husband, Adam, who she lived just five houses away from for 20 years before they ever met. “It’s a testament to God’s timing,” Franklin said of their relationship. “We both spent time working on ourselves- really doing some searching- and then we met in a way you could never make up.” Adam found her overnight bag on a busy road after she had inadvertently run over it in her driveway and drug it for several miles. He called her after finding her day planner with her contact information inside. “I walked to get it back from him. He was only five houses away. That was the beginning of our relationship,” she said. “We had a very long courtship of seven years and married in 2020.” And Franklin’s three little boys who were there with her at the start of Birmingham Christian Family? Benton graduated from Troy University, and the twins attended Vanderbilt; they are now 27 and 26 with careers of their own. “I always prayed for them to grow up to be responsible, caring young men, and they have,” she said. Faith is an integral part of her family’s life, and Franklin attends The Lutheran Church of Vestavia Hills. She also makes prayer and devotion a part of her daily life, giving herself time at the beginning of each day to put everything in perspective. “I was in a place once where I didn’t think I could even take 10 minutes for myself because I had too much to do, but now it’s my most important time of the day,” she said, adding, “It’s a conversation with God, that includes writing my thoughts to Him in my journal. I’ve always been a worrier, and I still have some anxiety, but I had the realization that I could turn things over to God. So, in the morning, I take time to do that and recognize and thank Him for all He has given me.”

The Magazine Today & Future Plans. As Birmingham Christian Family celebrates its 25th anniversary, Franklin also celebrates the exciting ways it’s grown over the years–and the new things to come. Her team includes a graphic designer, advertising and sales associates, and editorial manager Melissa Armstrong. “Melissa joined us six years ago and she was a huge answer to prayer,” Franklin said. “I was really burning out because I was trying to do everything. Melissa was an intern from UAB and when she graduated, I was blessed to be able to hire her. She’s my invaluable right-hand person.” Franklin and her team started the Celebrate the Family Expo in 2020, and it’s grown to be a popular annual event that connects the community with family resources and lots of free fun. Franklin and the magazine continue to be an important voice in the community for the stories of faith, family, and business that are so integral to Birmingham. Those stories, after all, are what drew Franklin to the venture in the first place. “There are so many stories to tell,” she said. “Birmingham is full of faith stories and wonderful people.” As she looks back on the past 25 years and the years to come, Franklin said that God has been with her every step of the journey. “All along God has said ‘Trust me.’ And He has been faithful.”

-Cheryl Wray

Cover Story

Despite jitters at previous competitions, Vestavia Hills’ and Auburn University’s Abbie Stockard said that she felt perfect peace throughout the 2025 Miss America pageant. “There’s the saying about having an unexplainable sense of peace, and that’s how I felt the night of Miss America,” she said. “I didn’t feel shaken in any way, and I was so at ease with everything.”

And when she won the title, becoming the first Miss Alabama to wear the national crown since 2005, Stockard said she knew God had led her exactly where she was meant to be. “I knew the pageant was all in the Lord’s hands,” she said, “and whatever happened was meant to be. And now I feel like winning and being in this role has helped me grow much deeper in my faith.” Now– as she enjoys her year as Miss America– she’s dedicating her reign to making her city, state, and college proud, being an example to young women everywhere, and spreading the news about cystic fibrosis and other health issues. Through everything, she’s relying on faith along that journey.

Birmingham & Auburn Girl. Stockard grew up in Vestavia Hills, where her family still lives, and attended Vestavia Hills High School. She is currently a senior at Auburn University and will receive her bachelor’s degree in nursing after taking a year off for her Miss America obligations. She earned the Miss America title on January 5 at the nationally televised pageant in Orlando, Fla., becoming just the fourth Alabamian to win the crown (past winners are Deidre Downs in 2005, Heather Whitestone in 1995, and Yolande Betbeze in 1951). The win came after a relatively short time on the pageant circuit. Stockard grew up watching the Miss America pageant with her mother but says she always saw the contestants as “overly gifted and super talented” and never imagined that she herself would compete. After learning about the scholarship money that could be won through the Miss America program, however, Stockard entered a local preliminary competition when she was an Auburn freshman. “I signed up the week before, completely on a whim,” she said. “Obviously, I didn’t win the first one but then I signed up for another preliminary the following weekend in Birmingham and ended up winning.”

She subsequently went on to compete for the Miss Alabama title over the next three years- competing and winning in 2024 as Miss Hoover. That win catapulted her to the Miss America pageant, where she shined in her appearances on stage and during her contemporary dance to Christian singer Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” in the talent competition. The Miss America win resulted in more than $89,000 in tuition scholarship money- something Stockard said is “life-changing for me and my family.” Upon her return to the state, Stockard said that she felt an amazing welcome from both her hometown and Auburn University. She’s on the university’s Tiger Paws dance team and has a huge love for the school. Her twin brother Bradley is a senior there, and her younger sister Lily is an Auburn freshman. “I’ve really felt an outpouring of love and support from people all across the state of Alabama, and Auburn has been amazing. They rolled out the red carpet for me,” she said. “I kicked off my homecoming weekend in Auburn and the dance team let me perform at a basketball game with them. I even got to wear my sash while performing.” The weekend also included favorite Auburn student activities, such as a ceremony at the Samford clock tower, receptions, and sorority gatherings. “It will probably be one of my favorite memories from the whole year because I was taken aback by how they made me feel so special and celebrated,” she said, adding that her hometown of Vestavia Hills has also rallied around her.

Work as Miss America. Stockard will be in the public eye for the remainder of 2025, serving as the Miss America representative and promoting the issues she wants to bring more attention to during the year. With her philanthropic platform, “Be the Change: Find a Cure–Cystic Fibrosis Awareness,” she’s striving to bring more understanding and focus to a disease that is near and dear to her heart. “My best friend Maddie has cystic fibrosis, and we met when we were in the third grade. We’ve been BFFs ever since,” she said. “I made a promise to her when I was a little girl that I’d do everything in my power to fight for her and for others in the same situation. As soon as I started competing in pageants, I knew that I would pick Cystic Fibrosis awareness as my platform.” Cystic fibrosis is a genetic condition characterized by thick mucus buildup in the lungs and other organs, leading to severe respiratory problems, and there’s currently no cure. Despite it being a rare disease with about 40,000 people suffering from it in the United States, Stockard said that she meets people connected to the disease everywhere she goes. “In almost every city I’ve visited, I’ve had people come up to me saying they have CF or their brother or best friend passed away from it. Most of the time they’ll be crying and will say how much it means to them that I’m raising awareness,” she said. “Those moments fuel me…. They remind me of how important my work can be.” She’ll serve as an ambassador for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation throughout the year, where she’ll be implemented into much of their national advocacy initiatives. She’ll also work with the American Heart Association as a Go Red ambassador after earning the Go Red for Women Leadership Award at the Miss America pageant and serve on the Promise Fund for breast and cervical cancer screenings. In addition to philanthropic work, she’ll make appearances as needed at hospitals, on talk shows, at schools, and even at fun events.

Leading with Faith. Stockard admits that the Miss America schedule can be overwhelming and that the pageant experience itself can be stressful. She found, though, that faith can give her strength in all situations. Raised in a Christian home, she and her family attended Vestavia Hills Methodist Church in her youth and now attend the Church of the Highlands. She said that faith and prayer have always been an integral part of her journey, both in pageants and elsewhere. “I can put a lot of pressure on myself and when I’m competing I want to make other people proud. But I have to surrender the entire situation to the Lord and trust in the plan and purpose He has for my life,” she said. “In those moments in Miss America when I was anxious and expectant of what was going to happen, I’d step away, put my earbuds in, listen to worship music, and pray. It helped me be calm and helped me re-center.” The decision to perform in the talent competition to Lauren Daigle’s song (which she did for three years in the Miss Alabama pageants) came from an experience with her grandmother, who passed away several years ago. Stockard said that her grandmother loved the song “You Say” and always encouraged her from the lyrics. “She’d say ‘Now Abbie, any time you feel unworthy or doubtful or insecure, remember that you are strong and you are loved and you belong. Your identity is in the King.’ And so, it’s my way of honoring her, but also sharing that truth,” she said. She wants to remind people to stick to that core understanding of God’s love for them, and to stay true to who they are. “I know that she would have gone crazy that her granddaughter was named Miss America,” Stockard said, adding, “I know she was cheering from the heavens when I was on the Miss America stage.” As she continues her reign as Miss America and then returns to Auburn to complete her nursing degree, she will cling to that faith that’s brought her thus far– and encourage others to lie into their potential. “I want to use this as my chance to shine the Lord’s light, and to help people feel seen and feel worthy,” she said. “That’s the mindset I try to have in every appearance and everything I do so that I can really make sure I’m making the most of every opportunity.”

-Cheryl Wray