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.
Brought to you by: Community Partner Still Waters Counseling and Education Center, www.mystillwaters.org
Mardi Gras is known for celebration, beads, masks, and music, a season of feasting before the sacrificial rhythms of Lent. Spiritually, these seasons are not in competition with one another. Mardi Gras celebrates God’s abundance and embodied joy, while Lent invites a different kind of joy, one shaped by intentional sacrifice, reflection, and dependence on God. Both are sacred invitations, calling us to receive joy that is outward and communal, as well as inward and contemplative.
While the masks of Mardi Gras are worn in fun, we sometimes carry other masks that quietly limit our joy, concealing what feels too vulnerable, unfinished, or painful to bring into the open. We may present strength while carrying exhaustion, use polished faith-talk to cover unspoken questioning, or appear fine on the outside while grief and pain pierce us on the inside. There are moments when these ways of showing up are necessary, when strength, composure, or steady faith-language help us care for others and move through demanding seasons. But they were never meant to be the whole story. Jesus invites us into seasons of surrender, calling us to lay down what is heavy and come to Him for rest: “Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).Scripture also makes room for raw honesty within that surrender. “Pour out your hearts before Him,” the psalmist writes, “for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). Biblical faith does not require composure at all times; it invites real relationship.
Therapy can be a sacred space where that kind of honesty is welcomed. It offers room to face what lies underneath: anxiety that has quietly stolen peace, grief that never had space to breathe, relationships strained by misunderstanding, or faith dampened by unresolved disappointments. When these hidden parts are brought out of the shadows, darkness loses its grip, light begins to break through, and joy can take deeper root. Psychology calls this integration. Scripture calls it freedom:“You will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
As Mardi Gras gives way to Lent, we are reminded that celebration and surrender are not opposites; they belong together. Joy becomes deeper when it is grounded in authenticity, and rest becomes real when we share burdens that were never meant to be borne alone.
At Still Waters Counseling & Education Center, our counselors help clients move toward light and freedom through therapy that thoughtfully integrates faith with proven clinical tools.
It’s okay to let the mask fall. The God who made you delights in the authentic you.
Here’s the “How to” for making your yard beautiful this spring and summer.
1. Clean up flowerbeds and prep for planting season. Clear away dead leaves or any other winter debris from the ground surfaces where you’re planning to plant or have planted annual flowers, perennials and vegetables. Especially wet and moldy debris.
Watch for the Dogwoods to bloom. This signals a great time to start planting perennials. DON’T plant annuals until after the last frost date unless you plan to bring them indoors. Typically Mid-April in Birmingham.
2. Divide your perennials. Dividing perennials such as lilies is a budget-friendly way to add more plants to your garden, or to share extras with friends. It also helps in keeping your existing plants healthy.
3. Prune trees and shrubs.It’s a good time to prune evergreen trees and shrubs.
The “May Rule”: If a plant blooms in spring (before May/early June), it flowers on old wood and should be pruned after it flowers. If it blooms in summer or fall, it flowers on new wood and should be pruned in late winter or early spring. *Some Hydrangeas break this rule*
4. Perform basic maintenance on your hardscaping. Check the condition of your deck or patio and make any needed repairs.
5. Apply fresh mulch and weed pre-emergent. If you mulch now and add pre-emergent weed control before weeds have a chance to sprout, you’ll have next-to-no weeding come summer.
When to Call a Pro. If your yard needs more than a quick refresh, professional design can save time and prevent costly mistakes. Consider expert help with:
Poor drainage or erosion issues
Overgrown or outdated landscape layouts
New patios, walkways, or retaining walls
Landscape lighting needs
Irrigation issues
Knowledge on what pre-emergent and fertilizers work best for you
Professional landscape, hardscape, and outdoor lighting design ensures your property functions beautifully and grows stronger every season.
The Birmingham Home Show is back February 20-22, 2026 with the latest in home design, renovation and ideas. Industry experts, local vendors and chefs, and homeowners will come together at the BJCC for three days of inspiration, education and hands-on experiences.
The show’s special guests are custom home designers Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt of HGTV’s 100 Day Dream Home. The design duo is known both for their witty banter and fordesigning and building perfect custom homes for their clients in 100 days or less. The Kleinschmidts have streamlined the entire process of homebuilding: from designing the house, to finding the lot, to making the countless little-but-important decisions that come with building a house. The couple will share their best design and build strategies on the Fresh Ideas Stage at 5 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Hometown Flavor Cooking Stage.Featuring a daily schedule of local chefs, this interactive culinary stage showcases Birmingham’s diverse and vibrant food scene. Chef and cookbook author Rose M Ousley will take the stage on February 21 at 3:30 p.m. “My culinary journey began as a little girl assisting my grandmother in the kitchen and attending culinary art school, where I refined my skills preparing savory dishes and sweet treats,” Ousley explains. She shares her talent with the community by serving as the chef at the Tower of Prayer Church in Leeds and by organizing bake sales to support funding for the Leeds Public Library. Ousley will be preparing her signature taco soup recipe on the Hometown Flavor Cooking Stage. “I will also showcase my cookbooks, baked goods and desserts at my booth throughout the event,” Ousley says.
Other show features include the Fresh Ideas Stage, DIY Plant Workshops, and the All About Mahjong Feature. Be sure to stop by PESI Landscaping’s booth to learn how Daniel Walter and his team can transform your backyard into something beautiful. Also on site will be Willow Cove Design’s Michelle Hicks with tips on how to prepare your yard now for the growing season. Show hours are Friday 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tickets at the box office are $11 for adults age 13+, $3 for children 6-12 years of age, and free for children 5 and under. Click purchase tickets and learn more. Receive $5 off ticket prices when you use the promo code “FAMILY.” †
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