Pictures from Africa Pictured in Rusty Pugh, a wonderful Southern Baptist missionary in the Congo. When Rusty put his cowboy hat on, I had him pull it down over his eyes and sing, “The devil went down to Georgia, looking for a soul to steal.” He does resemble Charlie Daniels (especially when he puts the hat on.) Rusty, a Lower Alabama native, is a relationship-building worker sharing...

Research QuestionA rose by any other name is still a . . . I’m starting a new manuscript tentatively titled, A Spent Bullet. It takes place in SW Louisiana during the large La. Army Maneuvers of August 1941, and involves the evolving relationship between a young La. schoolteacher and a soldier from Wisconsin. I’d appreciate reader input about what folks call “cold...

The children of Goma Faces from Africa I’ll be adding photos in the coming days. (Above) Pastor Habimana Athanase and his granddaughter, Lovely. Pastor Habimana is the leader of a strong fellowship of over 80 Baptist churches in the city of Goma, Congo. My favorite picture of the trip. This “singer in sneakers” was part of the children’s choir in the church I preached at...

Chapter 1 Commentary

A Good Place Chapter by Chapter Commentary Chapter 1 A Good Place begins with a hurricane. Author Notes: My experience with riding out Hurricane Rita in September 2005 led to the writing of this chapter. I was in charge of a camp full of 300 evacuees on the night Rita moved in from the Gulf. Even though Dry Creek is nearly 100 miles inland, the storm was fierce. Just like Mayo and his family,...

A word to live by: Gratitude.I’ve been working on my six words to live by.So far, I’ve written about Compassion/Passion, Resolve, and Integrity. Today, I’m thinking about gratitude.It’s such a powerful word.It’s more than simply being thankful for one event or blessing. It is an attitude that should permeate every second of our lives.It’s an attitude of...