I bet we’ve all asked that question at least once in the last six months: Are we going to be ok? I’m still not sure how to answer.

Sean Dietrich, better known as Sean of the South, has seen his career curtailed by COVID-19. But he’s already survived the grief of his father’s suicide and a host of other challenges on his way to becoming an acclaimed storyteller. Dietrich brings together levity and solemnity in his new book, Will the Circle Be Unbroken?, published by Zondervan. This memoir of learning to believe you’re going to be ok deals with serious themes of fatherhood, education, and physical abuse. And he regales readers with stories of family, faith, and food. In his novel Stars of Alabama, published last year by Thomas Nelson, Dietrich likewise explores themes of poverty, friendship, religious hypocrisy, and hope.

Dietrich and I swapped stories on life and ministry in the South, where the really important decisions never happen in meetings and where good-byes in the parking lot can last for hours. We pondered why Midwestern Methodists love hot dishes and Southern Baptists prefer fried chicken. And I inquired how he can write so sympathetically about Christians who allow themselves to be manipulated by false teachers.

Listen to Sean of the South discuss hope and heartache during the best and worst of times. And tell a few good stories.