A word from Curt Tomorrow,December 1, begins a daily blog of chapters from our short story collection, Christmas Jelly. The foreword below shares how you and your family can use these stories to brighten the Christmas season. Enjoy. DeDe and I and the Creekbank family wish you a Merry and Remarkable Christmas. Curt Order your copy(s) of Christmas Jelly at Amazon or www.creekbank.net …

Here’s a quick note on ways you can pray: Pray for Boroli Refugee Camp Baptist Church. Pray for DeDe and me as we share this a.m. at Beauregard Memorial Baptist Church near Longville.  We also speak on missions three more times. Pray for giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering that supports our fellow missionaries. On Tuesday I begin the …

Bo Rein to become next LSU Football Coach The Associated Press has reported that Bo Rein, current North Carolina State coach, has been picked to head up LSU’s Football Program. The LSU Athletic Department has neither confirmed or denied the report. If hired, Rein would replace long-time LSU Coach . . .   Before you get rattled, this is a …

The East Beauregard Trojans head to Oak Grove, Louisiana tonight for the state football quarterfinals.   In honor of the team, and my brother-in-law Coach Gordy Glaser, I’m dedicating this song to the Trojans:  Tony Joe White’s “Saturday Night in Oak Grove, Louisiana.” It’s one of my favorite tunes from Louisiana blues/folk singer Tony Joe White, who is a native …

Turkey Pinecones and cornbread dressing Last week I ate twice at school cafeterias. It was Thanksgiving lunch and we grandparents were invited. I don’t miss a grandchild event if I can help it. One day was with our adopted (truly) African-American granddaughter, Daizy Mae Thomas. The next day was with Luke Iles, aka Chief Wampum. Both meals featured turkey, cornbread …

A word from Curt Thanksgiving. It’s more than a day. It’s a life habit.   There are many images of thankfulness in my heart. But the sketch below illustrates one that touched me the most: It was scrawled in black spray paint on the side of a partially burned house trailer. It was east of Pitkin on Hwy 113/10. Probably …

  One of my young pastor friends called as he prepared for his first funeral.  This is simply insight I’ve gained from others as well as the experience and privilege of helping folks as they walk through the shadow of death. How to Bury a Country Man “The thing about common sense is that it ain’t common, Son.” –Erik Pederson …

A word from Curt I’m living in 1881 and 1882 today. I’m right at 92,000 words on As the Crow Flies.  My goal is to have 100,000 words by the week’s end. In the second draft, we’ll begin cutting down on words.  My goal is the book to weigh in at about 75,000 words in its final form. What I’m …

I’m thinking about thanksgiving. Not the day but the attitude. It’s about gratitude. And it should be about giving. All day long, an image has been playing out in my mind. A small dirt-floored church in a northern Kenyan refugee camps. Hundreds of South Sudanese crowded in for worship. It’s time for the offering.  In African culture, you come forward …

A word from Curt: This is an excerpt from our ebook, Trampled Grass. The read more: “The O Word” from Trampled Grass Today is Grandparent’s Day at Peabody Montessori School in Alexandria. DeDe and I have been invited by Daizy Mae Thomas. She’s our 9th grandchild. Read below and you’ll see why.   The final adoption story is extremely personal. The …

    Wow. The Life Long Learning journey is the road I want to be on. I call it LLL. Will you pray that DeDe and I will hunger and thirst for learning more? More about God. More above living life. More about how to serve.       This is part of my current reading list. Soul Keeping.  I’m …

Ignore that fancy word. Juxtapositon. It simply means comparing and contrasting. How is an orange like an apple?  How is it different. It’s a big part of how my mind works as I take three steps daily: Being curious Being Amazed. Being Moved to tell a story.     Many times my stories are about these amazing things and how they …

                  Young longleaf seedlings underneath the dead landmark tree   I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. Kilmer said it. It’s hard to be a tree. I’ve always seen God’s fingerprints on trees. The intimate life cycle between the animal world and botanical. Trees take in …

  We’re no longer in Africa but Africa is still in us. I’ve been thinking about the Sahel this week. It’s where Sand Africa meets Grass Africa.   “We were showing “The Jesus Film” outdoors in a village. Just at the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion, a snake slithered through the crowd. There was chaos. The viewers literally ran out of …