Gratitude/Thanksgiving

Holding the Rope: Ask and Pray

As always, we want our friends and followers knowing how to pray for us. First of all, our hearts are so full of gratitude. Gratitude is one of my 6 Plus Words for 2016. It’s a grand word. Here are needs and opportunities for the coming week: I have two speaking events next weekend.  On Sat. April 30, I’ll be …

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The Sweet Smell of Honeysuckle

                                                                A honeysuckle bouquet from Crooked Bayou Swamp   Honeysuckle time is when I always think of Mrs. Eleanor Andrews. Today is her birthday. Enjoy this story in her …

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The Tomb is Still Empty

It’s amazing that my deepest image of Easter doesn’t come from a memorable sermon, movie, or a book. My Easter theology was shaped by a simple country woman married to a former Texas Ranger.  Her name was Lucille Mosley and she lived on Greentown Loop in Dry Creek. This is her story.     The Tomb is Still Empty From …

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Two Truths That Never Change

A word from Curt  This is one of my favorite African images. It’s near the entrance to a large refugee camp in northern Uganda. The sign is homemade and heart felt. If you love people, people will love you. 2. Trust God.   About 82.7% of all human problems are solved by adhering to those two truths. Love people. Trust …

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Where are your sacred spaces?

A Word from Curt I have two questions today: Where do you go for your lonely place? Where are your sacred spaces?     I’ve chosen to make the first question singular: where is your lonely place? In the first chapter of Mark’s Gospel, the writer makes a key statement on the life and ministry of Jesus: 35 And rising very …

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Another Black Friday

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 …

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A Spray-Painted Prayer

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 …

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A Short Post on Giving Big

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 …

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