Devotions

A word from Curt In a word:  Relationships                     He ain’t heavy.  He’s my brother.    

Branded  This story, from Deep Roots, is one of my favourites to tell to a live audience. “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.” -Proverbs 21:23   The fight on MacArthur Drive was one-sided, and although it was over quickly, it’s never been forgotten. To truly appreciate Donald Perkins’ famous lop-sided 1970 scuffle in the middle …

Armed and Ready    It’s odd that I’ve been thinking of Sheriff Bolivar Bishop here in Africa. We’ve been immersed in refugee matters for the past months.  Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have been on the move due to fighting within the country between government forces and defected military units. Recently, a Louisiana group of pastors from my home …

Heartbroken    This week we our blogging will consist of putting faces on the chaos going on in South Sudan. You’ve heard the stats: at least 1000 dead . . . 150,000 displaced.  Numbers don’t move us like faces and stories. This week you’ll be meeting Simon and Rachel, Pastor John, Two Teachers, a family separated at the Nile and …

For years, I’ve given newlyweds our “Signposts on the Road to a Happy Marriage.” It’s simply a collection of short sayings that keep a marriage going.  Along with the Signposts Card, I give a $2 Bill as a reminder that in God’s eyes, “Two become One.” During this first week of the new year, I’m working on my Life Plan. …

2 January 2014   A new year is always a time to take inventory. I view it as an opportunity to look back as well as look ahead. I’ve developed the habit of using the week after Christmas to solidify about what will be most important to me in the new year. I invite you along on the journey.  I’m …

Scroll down to read today’s story from Christmas Jelly. Meeting Nelson Mandela on the Damascus Road   It’s big news all over Africa. Nelson Mandela has died. “Mandiba” (his African name) was loved by Africans and rightfully respected by the world. When I heard of his death, I returned to a lonely windswept section of highway in South Africa’s Zulu …

What it Means to Believe   This excerpt from my recent novel, A Spent Bullet, is a conversation between Harry Miller, a young soldier and Levon Reed, the father of the girl he plans to marry. It’s a conversation between two men about belief. A ninety-two-year-old cousin of mine wrote,  “I’ve taken college religion classes and lived nearly a century. …

  Writing Note:  I have friends who are currently discouraged. As I’m praying for them, I recalled one of the most insightful fables about the subject of discouragement. As you read this, please join me in praying for my friends as well as any others you know who are discouraged. Discouragement comes to us when we’ve seemingly tried with everything …

6 Words that keep my feet on the ground . . . and my grip tight. MY CURRENT words are  1.   My Jesus-Walk 2.   Living Gratefully 3.   Learning Passionately 4.   Connecting! 5/6.  Impact and Influence.    I’ve developed the habit of using 6 words to help focus my life. Africa is no different than America.  There are so many things that can divert our …

How is the grass on your path?   But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private . . . -Jesus  in Matthew 6:6   When an African becomes a Jesus-Follower*, he is taught the importance of having a private place to pray.  They will find a location in …

If you’d like to subscribe to our blog, click here.  The Dinka are best known for their great love of their cattle. We’re looking for some Southern Jesus-loving Cattlemen to come over and share the Gospel with them!   How you can pray this week. I will be travelling with four young men who are moving up into South Sudan …

In our latest Open Hands Africa newsletter, I quote my favorite poem from my best-loved American poet, Robert Frost. I’ll feature it on a future blog as well as my second best-loved poet.  You’ll be surprised. Reminder: Don’t go into the Bush without your light, batteries, and battery-operated fan! Packing Light   “Don’t get on the plane with any regrets.” – …

Tuesday’s Blog:  Remembering and Forgetting     It’s a face only a mother could love. They usually describe Jackson’s Hartebeest as “horse-faced.” That’s not a compliment where I come from. But it’s the most memorable of all of the animals we saw. On our recent game park visit, we saw thousands of animals in western Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park. …