Devotions

A Good Time to “De-clutter”   As many of you know from my stories I love to hike in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and along the Appalachian Trail (or the “A.T.” as it is called.) One thing backpacking quickly teaches you is the priority of traveling light. When you are carrying a 30-40 pound pack on your back for …

A word from Curt The following story, about King George VI and his famous Christmas message and poem to the British people during the darkest days of the War. Scroll down to read this remarkable story   January 1 Lagniappe A New Year  This is the final post from our book, Christmas Jelly. We’ve enjoyed visiting with you during the …

December 31 New Year’s Eve   Finishing Strong   Ted Williams is generally considered the greatest hitter in the history of major league baseball. Two events from his career speak about the concept of “finishing strong.” In 1941, Williams entered the last day of the season with a batting average of .3995. This would qualify him for a rounded off …

        A Word from Curt   Grateful. Gratitude is one of my 6+ words for 2016. I’m thankful for the wonderful gifts in my life. Today I’m thankful to have the calling of writing. It’s what I do. Who I am.  I’m thankful that you have chosen to read this blog and allow my heart to hopefully …

This is chapter 16 from my short story book, Christmas Jelly An Old Feed Trough   When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall, With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all. – “I Wonder as I Wander”   The old barn looks snakey. You may not realize snakey is an adjective. It can mean “overrun with snakes.” …

  Each day during December, we’re featuring a chapter from our Christmas short story collection, Christmas Jelly.   If you enjoy today’s story, share it with your friends.    New Birth in New Orleans Christmas 2005 It’s Christmas in New Orleans, but we’re not here to see the bright city lights. We’ve brought supplies for Katrina victims. It’s been three months …

I love this quote: “Lord, you’ve given me so much. I ask You for one more thing: a heart of gratitude.”   This week’s word is Gratitude. This is my favorite story on gratitude: Vance Gill, my guitar-playing Dry Creek friend (who I always remind that he’s only one vowel away from being famous) shared this:   “I was working …

    Tough or Hard—The Choice is Yours   In front of me are three objects: a hammer, a brick, and a flat piece of leather. They make for a wonderful lesson we all can learn from. It’s amazing observing folks as they go through difficult times. Periods of trial, adversity, and sadness distill out what is really inside people. …

Down in the Well   “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”   Proverbs 3:4   My neighbor Dudley Mercer tells a story from his Dry Creek childhood.  His family farm had a 35-foot deep well on which they relied for all of their water needs. Dudley’s family also had a problem: one …

The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time is today. It’s a story worth retelling. His name is  John Stephen Akhwari and he had the dubious honor to finish last in the Marathon at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. John Stephen, a Tanzanian runner, finished more than one hour after the winner had …

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms   “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” –Deuteronomy 33:27   I know it is still there—page 276 in the old Broadman hymnal—that old classic hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms. What a blessedness, what a peace is …

A word from Curt curt@creekbank.net ___________________________________ Today’s post is brief, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t significant. It concerns what I believe to believe the most important word spoken in history. Telestai. I’m no Greek scholar, so I’m not even sure how to pronounce it, but in that language it means, “paid in full.” It’s the final words of Jesus and …

  I love Christmas.  I really do. I’d glad it occurs yearly. And glad it only occurs yearly. I call the week after Christmas,  Dec. 26-Jan.1, “Bah Humbug Week.” It’s a week to recover.  It’s a week to reflect.  I use this week to look back over the past year with gratitude and as a springboard to think about and …

A Gift from DQ   Christmas is a time for gifts and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from hands, hearts and are created from love and skill. As Christmas 2011 approaches, I’m obsessed with a gift I saw last week.  I call it a gift from DQ. DQ. I’m not referring to Dairy Queen. I’m …