High School Seniors in the five county Birmingham area have until Friday March 13, 2026 to apply for the 8th Annual Birmingham Christian Family Scholarship Awards. This year we will have three scholarship recipients who will be able to use their award at the college or university of their choice- $2000 to the winner, and $500 each to the top two runner ups. The scholarships can be used at any college or university.
To enter, students simply submit online a short essay on the following prompt: “How has your Christian faith impacted your decision to go to college?”
Hannah and I met as college freshmen at the University of Montevallo. The campus has a quiet grandeur. Frederick Law Olmsted- the same landscape architect behind Central Park, the U.S. Capitol grounds, and the Biltmore Estate- designed its central core. From the Main Quad, the land gently slopes past King’s House and spills into the President’s lawn, known as Flowerhill. When Olmsted designed the campus, he transplanted at least one of every native Alabama tree species known at the time. More than a century later, much of that vision remains.
We loved being outdoors, and the campus made that easy. We often sat beneath the trees near the ATO Rock or spread a blanket on the Quad. On one particular spring afternoon, we wandered over to Flowerhill. The day before, it had rained, and the grass glowed green. The oak trees lining the hill were just beginning to leaf out, and beneath them, azaleas stood thick and plush, pink buds hinting at what was coming. “It won’t be long before they bloom,” Hannah said. Trying to make conversation through the nervousness of a new romance, I asked, “Do you think they call it Flowerhill because of the flowers?” She didn’t know- but I think my interest impressed her. We laid out a blanket halfway up the hill. To our right, a group of students tossed a Frisbee in an easy rhythm. To our left, a study group of girls worked in perfect synchronization- listening, writing, heads lifting and lowering together. Across the road, my fraternity brothers grilled ribs and chicken… the sweet smell of the hickory smoke drifted over and mocked our humble picnic.
Walt and Hannah Merrell met and fell in love at the University of Montevallo.The couple married in 1998.
That picnic had come courtesy of the university cafeteria. I’d sweet-talked my way into a square of aluminum foil, grabbed a few apple slices, cheese, crackers, and a handful of homemade chocolate chip cookies… some of which mysteriously vanished before I picked Hannah up from her apartment. I also grabbed a couple of Cokes along the way. It was the perfect snack for a blue-sky spring day. I had a football too since I was eager to impress Hannah with my athletic prowess- which, in hindsight, was generously average. We tossed gentle passes. I pretended to tackle her, mostly as an excuse to hold her without the awkwardness of a hug. We fell laughing, landing face to face. My arm rested around her waist, her hands clutching the football. This was it- our moment. I leaned in. She puckered just slightly. And then sparks flew. Almost literally. I grabbed my forehead, stunned and writhing. Had she hit me? Was I bleeding? A crowd gathered. Voices overlapped, saying, “Are you okay?” I asked Hannah if she was alright. She was- unstruck and unkissed- trying not to laugh. “Do I need to go to the hospital?” I asked. “Not unless you want to file a report for being attacked by a frisbee,” she said. A frisbee. From the group beside us. The crowd dispersed, apologizing. I muttered something under my breath about missing my kiss and rolled back toward Hannah, hoping to reclaim the moment, only to find her calmly eating a cracker.
Perhaps in an effort to dispel my embarrassment, she jumped up, dancing with the football, teasing me. I refused to touch it. “It’s got girl-football-dance cooties,” I said defiantly. She laughed and ran. I chased her, caught her, lifted her off the ground, and announced the play like a radio broadcaster. We were laughing hard now. I had another plan. I told her to back up. “I used to long-snap in high school. Watch this.” I talked it up, maybe too much, asking her to step back even farther. I snapped the ball with everything I had, and that’s when my cut-off khaki shorts- held together by years of wear and a rope belt- gave up entirely. They ripped from tailbone to inseam in one dramatic surrender. Hannah had a front-row seat. She collapsed in laughter. I grabbed what fabric I could, desperately trying to preserve modesty as every eye turned to her laughter. My fraternity brothers noticed too. “Hey, Walt!” one hollered. “I didn’t know you were bringing Boston Butt to grill!” Mortified, I retreated to my truck. Hannah followed, laughing so hard she could barely walk.
Years later, she still tells the story. She always reminds people that I was known to go commando—and that when those shorts split, my backside shone “as white as the moon.” The room always erupts in laughter, and I smile sheepishly. But she always ends the same way. “I wasn’t laughing at him,” she says. “I was falling in love.” And we did. 30 plus years of the ups and downs of romance and marriage have passed, and each day we try to fall in love a little more. Every time I tell this story, I’m reminded that God doesn’t necessarily start with rainbows and roses. Sometimes it’s cloudy and dark, or dizzy and embarrassing… but a full moon will always be enough to light the way!
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
-Walt Merrell is a Christian Outdoorsman who writes of his adventures with his family, with the hope that others might be inspired and encouraged to embrace God’s tapestry, otherwise known as the great outdoors, as a means of finding Common Ground. You can follow him at Shepherding Outdoors on FB, YT and IG and at shepherdingoutdoors.com.
The year was 1951, and times were tough. Many layoffs were happening, and people were scrambling to find work so they could feed their families. Momma and Pop Holt had a house full of children in 1951. Pop Holt worked hard to provide for the family as a coal miner while Momma Holt worked hard at home- gardening, canning, and taking care of the whole bunch. They had eleven children and raised twelve. It was about this time that Pop Holt got laid off at the coal mine along with many others. Their pockets were empty. The word on the street was that Ford Motor Company was hiring. The men went to Michigan to seek a good-paying job, leaving their families behind. Before he traveled to Michigan, Pop Holt made arrangements with the local storekeeper to give them a line of credit until he could work for a few weeks and come back and pay his bill. The two men came to an understanding, and it was agreed upon. So, Pop could leave his family to go find a job, knowing that they would be in good shape until he returned.
Seen here are the little Holt girls. Front row from left: Violet, Sandra, Patty (Danna’s mother-in-law). Back row: Phyllis.
Pop was gone, and after groceries got thin, Momma Holt went to the store to stock up. When she got ready to check out, the storekeeper told her he had changed his mind and would not be giving her any credit at all. He said it wasn’t good for business. So, she went home empty-handed, knowing she had a bunch of mouths to feed. There would be no groceries bought until Pop returned. Well, Michigan is a long way, and the family was happy to find out that Pop got the job. As companies do, they held back his check for a few weeks, so there would be no money for groceries for at least three weeks! Momma Holt was glad to hear that he had gotten the job. However, she didn’t want him worrying about the family, so she didn’t tell him what happened at the store. She told him everything was just fine, and then she started praying and working out a plan to keep them all fed until he could get home. Fortuitously, Momma Holt raised a garden and canned food every year. So, she surveyed the situation and realized she had to stretch that out as far as it would go. But even with her best planning, it was going to be lean. And then, she remembered how her family loved poke salad. It was one of their favorite dishes. And it just happened to be springtime when poke salad was at its finest. Things were going to be all right. She would cook them some poke salad!
As a mother and manager of such a large clan, Momma Holt gave all of them daily chores. Now, little Patty (my mother-in-law), aged nine, and her big sister Violet, aged eleven, got the chore of picking the poke salad every day! And then they had to eat it. Momma Holt still cooked them three meals a day, and one of them was poke salad. The first week, it was okay because, after all, it was a favorite dish of the family. By the second week, Patty and Violet were tired of picking poke salad every day, and the family didn’t really want to eat it anymore. By the third week, it was no longer a family favorite. As a matter of fact, Patty and Violet were sick of picking it and only ate a bite of it to fend off the hunger.
They did make it through that tough time, and after weeks of being away from his family and working so hard, Pop got home with his first paycheck from Ford Motor Company in his pocket. It was “a sight for sore eyes” for him to see his family. What should have been a celebration turned out differently when Pop found out what had happened. He was furious that the storekeeper had gone back on his word, but so proud of how Momma Holt and the family had pulled together to make it through a tough time. And now, while the family is thankful that poke salad saved them that spring, it was during that third week of picking and eating poke salad that little Patty and Violet vowed to one another, “If we ever make it through this, we are NEVER going to eat poke salad again for the rest of our lives!” And they haven’t. Enjoy a Holt family-favorite recipe that doesn’t include poke salad.
Instructions: Put beef tips in a large pot and add enough water to cook the noodles according to the package directions. Add the mushroom soup. Bring to a gentle boil till beef is tender. Add noodles and cook till done. Add salt to taste.
Forget the “once upon a time,” Snow White is ready for the here and now! This real-life princess is seeking a dedicated cuddle partner for a long-term sofa residency.
Snow White is looking for her happily ever after! If you’re interested in learning more about this princess, click here.
She fully believes the path to true love is paved with snacks, meaning royalty may not pay rent, but expects your hand to moonlight as a treat dispenser. Up for a walk at any given moment, Snow White will teach you the joys of flower sniffing along the way. After all, it’s sharing the little moments that make life grand! She’s been a nice roommate with the group of dogs in her foster home. If you are searching for a companion to savor everyday moments, give Snow White a chance to rule your heart! Applications are open. If you’re ready to grow your family with a new pet, visit our website to see all the fabulous fur kids up for adoption. Two by Two is a faith based, no kill rescue whose mission is to give life to abandoned, abused, and unwanted companion animals. Saving animal lives for more than 20 years, Two by Two is a foster-home based rescue that operates out of Birmingham, Ala. †
February often centers on hearts, cards, and expressions of affection, but as followers of Jesus, we have a deeper story of love to share. Christlike love goes beyond feelings or words; it is active, sacrificial, and compassionate. Teaching children what this kind of love looks like helps shape their character and allows them to live their faith before others.
Jesus modeled love through action. He served the poor, welcomed the outcast, forgave freely, and, ultimately, gave His life for our sake. In John 13:35, Jesus tells His disciples, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). For children, understanding this love begins not with grand gestures, but with daily examples they can see and do.
Parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers of Christlike love. When children observe kindness, patience, forgiveness, and generosity at home, they begin to understand what love truly means. Simple acts, like speaking gently during conflict, helping a neighbor, or choosing grace over anger, communicate powerful lessons. These moments show children that love is a choice we make, even when it’s difficult. Teaching love also means helping children put love into action themselves. Encourage your kids to notice others’ needs: a classmate who feels left out, a sibling who needs help, or a neighbor who could use a word of encouragement. Writing cards, sharing toys, helping with chores, or praying for others are tangible ways children can live out their faith. When love becomes something they do, not just something they talk about, faith becomes real and meaningful. Conversations rooted in Scripture can also deepen these lessons. Reading passages like 1 Corinthians 13 or the parable of the Good Samaritan helps children connect Biblical truth to real-life situations. You can ask simple questions such as, “What does loving like Jesus look like at school?” or “How can we show love when someone is unkind?” These discussions help children reflect and grow.
Most importantly, remind children that Christlike love flows from Jesus’ love for us. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 ESV). As families rely on God’s grace and see their expressions of love as an overflow of His perfect love, they find strength to love beyond convenience or comfort. This February, may we move beyond words and symbols and embrace love in action by raising children who reflect the heart of Christ through kindness, compassion, and faith lived out daily.
-Dr. Ben Birdsong
Director of European Expansion for First Priority Global Ministries
Do you remember your first love letter? Was it written by a grade-school crush or the kid you played with in the neighborhood? Romantic feelings predate puberty for most people. Yet, “puppy love” is not limited to crayon-toting schoolmates. Infatuation is often mistaken for love by adults. How do you know when you have found the one? Here are three questions to consider in your search for true marital love.
1. Can I be friends with this person? Friendship is considered inferior to love by some. “Oh, we’re just friends” is a common statement used to downplay a relationship. This reaction communicates that friendship is the soil for a budding romance rather than the seed from which marital love grows.Love deepens when married people also like each other. Devoted friends commit to the relationship in good and bad times. The Bible declares, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Proverbs 17:17, ESV).
2. Is the relationship driven by physical or spiritual attraction? Choosing a mate often begins with a glance. Physical attraction is an important component of a healthy marriage. And yet, relying on outward beauty to sustain a marriage is akin to making sugar a primary dietary supplement. Temporary delight may lead to permanent damage.Spiritual attractiveness, on the other hand, is “unfading beauty” (1 Peter 3:4). While good looks captivate the eyes, good character captivates the heart. Wise love seekers look for godly qualities such as truthfulness, selflessness, and patience.
3. Does the relationship feel too good to be true? The absence of disagreements in the pre-marital stage of a relationship may suggest dishonesty on the part of one or both people. Putting the best foot forward feels socially proper. However, if the worst foot remains hidden, the approach is deceptive.The goal is candor, not conflict. Transparency throws open the curtains of a person’s heart, shedding light onto their authentic self (Matthew 12:34-35). Seeing the good, bad, and ugly at the start of a relationship provides clarity as the couple explores the possibility of marriage.
Genuine love resides where Christ is magnified, and selfish desires are minimized. This kind of love is anchored in the individual’s resolve and is not swayed by moods. True love is God’s love—steady, sacrificial, and sincere.
Footsteps squeak across the hardwood gymnasium floor as attendees browse through multiple clothing racks for their child’s future favorite coat. In another area of the massive room, several parents sort through a wall of shoes while others are busy picking out toys and strollers for the little ones patiently waiting at home.
Starting as a service project led by five devoted churchgoers in 2008, Hope Church in Gardendale has spent years opening its doors for countless mission-hearted volunteers and guests desiring to participate in the bi-annual Kingdom Kids Consignment Sale. Overseen by committee leader Beverly Hoff since 2020, the sale welcomes an average of 400 consigners during each session, offering patrons a variety of clothing items and goods to bring back to their children. “Anybody who wants to can sign up and be a consigner with us,” Hoff said. “We have the option of either getting your items back or donating them, so we usually have about 10,000 different items that we donate after the sale to different groups.”
Sale hours are: Thursday: 8am-7pm; Friday: 8am-6pm; Saturday: 7am-12pm.
Since its development in 2008, the sales have earned nearly a million dollars in profit. While 70 percent of each sale is returned to the consigners, the rest of the money is distributed among Hope Church’s mission partners. “Hope Church has just over 20 mission partners, and we rotate who we support after each sale unless there’s a specific need that has been brought to our attention,” Hoff said. “I think the biggest part for me is being able to help the people in our community.” One of those needs comes in the form of the foster care community.
Each session of the Kingdom Kids Consignment Sale offers foster families the opportunity to browse the sale items at a special time on Friday with a 50 percent discount, typically welcoming between eight and 15 families to the market. Additionally, Hope Church contributes diapers to foster families through Bundles of Hope and supports the Royal Family Kids Camp, which sends foster children on a weeklong summer camp experience. Their outreach doesn’t just end there, though, with the organization working to send more missionaries across the country and the globe to spread God’s Word and help those in need. “Our youth has done local missions and gone on two out-of-state mission trips. Now they are trying to figure out where they are going this summer.” Hoff said. “We’re hoping that more people are ready to go back into the mission field.”
The Spring/Summer 2026 Kingdom Kids Consignment Sale is set for February 26-28. For more information on the event and Hope Church’s mission work, visit www.kingdomkidsconsignment.com and www.hccommunity.org.
At Big Oak Ranch, the unwavering dedication of our auxiliary continues to create meaningful, confidence-building experiences for the children who call the Ranch home. They host monthly Boutique Days for the Girls’ Ranch and Outfitters Days for the Boys’ Ranch, which are special opportunities where our kids can “shop” for clothing, accessories, toys and more using points they’ve earned through responsibility, effort, and positive actions.
A Big Oak Ranch child is seen here shopping for seasonal items during the festive December Boutique Day.
These points, collected through daily chores, good stewardship, and meeting personal goals, serve a deeper purpose than simple reward. They help reinforce values such as work ethic, accountability, and pride in personal achievement. When a child steps into the boutique or outfitters space and selects items they have earned, they aren’t just choosing clothes—they are experiencing a sense of ownership and accomplishment that many of them may never have felt before arriving at Big Oak Ranch.
December brought an especially magical touch. The ladies of the Big Oak Ranch Auxiliary transformed Boutique Day into a Christmas-themed shopping experience – complete with festive décor, holiday snacks, themed gift items, and seasonal fun. Big Oak Ranch is thankful for this group of women who constantly set the bar high – not only during holidays, but year-round.
The auxiliary’s monthly efforts remind our children that they are seen, valued, and worthy. Through these Boutique and Outfitters days, they help build confidence and foster independence. Their generosity ensures that every child at Big Oak Ranch has the chance not only to meet needs, but to celebrate who they are becoming. †
Life rarely unfolds the way we expect. Dreams detour, prayers linger unanswered, and seasons of transition can feel confusing, exhausting, and downright messy. In The Messy Marvelous Middle, author and speaker Datha Whitfield offers a refreshing reminder: You don’t need a perfect life to experience a perfect God. In fact, it is often in the middle—between what was and what will be—where God is doing His deepest, most meaningful work.
Author Datha Whitfield’s new book, The Messy Marvelous Middle, encourages readers to embrace the truth that even when life is not perfect, they can experience a perfect God.
With warmth, humor, and disarming honesty, Whitfield invites women to discover Jesus in the unexpected places of life: brokenness, doubt, disappointment, chaos, and even a Mexican spa. Her storytelling feels like a comfortable conversation with a trusted friend—the kind who tells the truth with grace, laughs at herself, and points you gently back to hope. Each chapter blends personal experience with Biblical truth, creating space for reflection and renewal through thoughtfully crafted questions that encourage readers to pause, process, and pray. The Messy Marvelous Middle is especially meaningful for women navigating seasons of burnout, uncertainty, transition, or dashed expectations. Whitfield challenges the common belief that God will never give us more than we can handle. Instead, she reframes the truth: God may give us more than we can handle so that we learn to depend more fully on Him. He will never give us more than He can handle through us. This shift in perspective invites readers to release self-reliance and lean into a deeper, more authentic relationship with God.
Whitfield’s transparency builds trust, while her lived experience lends credibility. A passionate speaker, life coach, and founder of the Wildest Dreams Women’s Conference in Hueytown, Alabama, she also writes for Woman of Faith and Souled Out magazines and cofounded She Dwells, an online faith community. Alongside her ministry work, she treasures her family and shares life with her husband of 37 years, adding depth and relatability to the stories she tells. Endorsements from fellow authors and leaders affirm the book’s impact. Anna Nash praises Whitfield’s ability to meet readers in their own messy middle, reminding them that God is present and actively at work. Melvin Airhart beautifully describes the book as an invitation to see the “dash” of life—the middle space between birth and eternity—as full of purpose, design, and divine intention.
Ultimately, The Messy Marvelous Middle is an invitation to laugh again, hope again, and trust again. It reassures readers that their stories are far from over and that even when life feels tangled and uncertain, God remains faithful, present, and marvelous. In the mess, His promises are still growing—often deeper than ever before. The Messy Marvelous Middle is available on Amazon.
A symphony of up to 150 tenors and bass voices echo in unison from members of the Birmingham Boys Choir each year, much to the entertainment of intrigued audiences. Whether it be the organization’s annual Spring and Christmas concerts, which often welcome well over a thousand people in attendance, or offering performances when touring across the globe, the experience fostered through this special group is so much more than just that.
The Birmingham Boys Choir will perform at Taste of Birmingham on February 24, 2026 and at the 48th Annual Birmingham Boys Choir Spring Concert May 17, 2026, at Asbury UMC.
Officially incorporated in November of 1973, the Birmingham Boys Choir grew to be one of the largest boys’ choirs in North America under the leadership of music director Ken Berg, welcoming aspiring talents all the way from third graders to high school seniors to lend their angelic young voices to the cause. Along with his wife, Susan, Berg leads his choristers with 12 underlying life lessons meant to shape them into successful young men. “If you want to have good, strong men as your bankers and pastors and politicians, then raise those boys that way,” Berg said, adding, “We have ten years to be able to invest in not just the musical direction of a boy’s life, but also their heart and spirit. It’s a very heavy responsibility that we take very seriously.”
Ken and Susan Berg have been involved with the Birmingham Boys Choir almost since its inception.
Younger boys can simply audition for the group, always undergoing a probationary period to determine their intentions with the choir. Any high schooler wishing to participate also needs a recommendation from an active chorister. The choristers rehearse for an hour and a half once a week for 13 weeks across a variety of satellite locations. The choristers choose the satellite location and time that works best for their family. Four weeks before their bi-annual main concert performances at the end of each semester, everyone converges together in perfect harmony, ready to sing for the masses. “Those two concerts are free and open to the public,” Berg said. “They are our gift to our community because we represent our city, and we want our city to know and recognize the value of what we do.”
Although the Birmingham Boys Choir’s mission focuses on the development of youth through music, camaraderie, and more, other areas the organization takes part in are volunteering, fundraising, and missions work. Between rehearsals last fall, members of the choir offered their capable hands to the Meals to Missions Foundation, putting together more than 10,000 meals for people in need. Additionally, the choristers are set to entertain patrons attending the Taste of Birmingham event on February 24, 2026, at The Club. This is the choir’s main fundraiser of the year that includes delicious foods from Birmingham’s top restaurants competing for the coveted Iron Skillet Award. For more information on the Birmingham Boys Choir, including auditions, donations, and upcoming appearances, visit www.birminghamboyschoir.org.
-Nicholas Wetzel
In the video below, Ken Berg shares details about the Birmingham Boys Choir, how to get involved and more.
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