Christina Southern

• Avett Brothers' fans use Twitter to petition band to play song in Knoxville Published 05/17/2013 at 1:34 p.m.

  One song. That's all Jessica Boyd wanted to hear at the Avett Brothers' concert last night. She and friends even started a Twitter campaign about two weeks ago to petition the band to perform "Distraction #74" at the concert, which ...

• Mission-minded John Avant assumes leadership at megachurch First Baptist Concord Published 03/08/2013 at 4 p.m.

  In 1976, John Avant nervously asked his pastor questions. Avant was 16 years old and had become a Christian about a year before when he walked the aisle of his Hendersonville, N.C., church and began the journey that landed him ...

• Christina Southern: Parents are essential in helping children develop a healthy media diet Published 04/20/2012 at 6 p.m.

  "If parents don't monitor what their kids watch, they might be surprised at what kids can come across," says Sierra Filucci, a senior editor at the children's media advocacy group CommonSenseMedia.org, which rates movies, TV shows, video games and music.

• Child with painful skin disorder improves after stem cell transplant Published 02/03/2012 at 6 p.m.

  Chad Schollaert apprehensively eyes his 3-year-old daughter. "You don't want me to hold your hand?"

• Christina Southern: Christmas provides opportunity to cultivate selflessness Published 12/09/2011 at 6 p.m.

  Every year, the Knoxville News Sentinel runs a story (or two or three) about a child who cheerfully hands over his holiday gifts to kids in need. Sometimes the selfless child even prefers to not receive gifts at all and ...

• Christina Southern: Stroll through toy store tortures child, provides gift ideas Published 11/11/2011 at 5 p.m.

  "What do you want for Christmas this year?" I ask 6-year-old C. I expect to hear that she wants another stuffed animal or doll to add to the 50,000 that are piled up in her toy box collecting dust.

• Christina Southern: 'Punctuation saves lives' on Facebook Published 10/14/2011 at 5 p.m.

  Some people are Facebook lurkers and rarely make a post, while others don't turn on their computers without sharing it (you know who you are). I hope my friends would say I'm somewhere in the middle. I treat it a ...

• Christina Southern: Marriage a weighty issue for single women Published 09/16/2011 at 6 p.m.

  My 39-year-old friend Kristi is getting married this year. She has never been married and has no children.

• Christina Southern: No, Pat Robertson, it's not OK to divorce spouse with Alzheimer's Published 09/15/2011 at 9:50 a.m.

  My mother-in-law had early-onset Alzheimer's disease. It started in her early 50s and eventually took her life in her late 50s. When I met Mamaw in 2003, the disease was starting to become noticeable. Normally opinionated with a vibrant personality, ...

• Christina Southern: Singleness is situation — not identity — for divorced parents Published 08/05/2011 at 5 p.m.

  About a year ago, my pastor handed me a little 32-page booklet titled, "Single Parents: Daily Grace for the Hardest Job" by Robert D. Jones. I am fairly certain I rolled my eyes and let out an audible sigh, but ...

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