Our Books

  A Word from Curt Prayer. What a good word. “Where do you pray?” This is the lead question many Africans ask. It’s an honest inquiry about your faith. Where do you go to pray? In our culture (here) it’s not intrusive or rude. As you go to pray on this Sunday, would you please share these three requests with …

A Real Southern Gospel Quartet   Flash prayer need: A team from our Louisiana home church will be working among the Kakwa during the next two weeks. Pray for Aaron, Todd, and Garrett as well as our church leaders in Uganda and South Sudan. Scroll down for  other needs   Nothing connects with a person quite like the truth in …

Epilogue: Wet Paint This painting by my beloved uncle, Bill Iles, hangs in DeRidder’s Beauregard Museum. It features one of DeRidder’s earlier meeting places, The Royal Cafe. Uncle Bill is my greatest writing encourager as well as a mentor and friend for life.           The following essay is from my second book, The Old House (2002). …

      As you read this, DeDe and I are Up Country in northern Kenya. We are researching Unreached People Groups at Kakuma Refugee Camp. The following story is from our upcoming ebook,  Trampled Grass. You can follow both of us on Twitter with hashtag   #UpCountry.   CHAPTER 4   UP COUNTRY       “I’m going up …

    A word from Curt Our upcoming ebook,  Trampled Grass, will be released in late September.  It contains forty stories about the amazing people of South Sudan and northern Uganda. The purpose of Trampled Grass is two fold: 1. To share stories that put a face on what is happening in a country we’ve come to love,  South Sudan. 2. To encourage Americans to …

 A word from Curt Amazed.  It’s a word that we often use in Africa. Our upcoming ebook,  Trampled Grass, will be released in late September.  It contains forty stories about the amazing people of South Sudan and northern Uganda. Its subtitle says it all,  “Stories of Courage and Hope.” We’ve met so many heroes among the South Sudanese refugees as …

              A Word from Curt: Passion! It’s a good word. It’s the best word that describe David Platt, our new president and leader of the International Mission Board. Passion. What’s even neater is that Platt has another trait that doesn’t always travel in lock step with passion. Humility. Those that know him use those …

                                This story, “Brick by Brick” is featured in our upcoming ebook,  Trampled Grass. I wonder where he’s at. I hope he’s still alive. I first met Batuk the Dinka at a lonely border checkpoint in South Sudan just north of the Tri-Corner of where …

Prayer Update: Bob, Robert Franklin, and I leave Tuesday for a trip to Adjumani Camps in Uganda. Please pray for us as we share from the Storying Cloth, distribute Audio Storytellers in Dinka, Arabic, and Madi. We’ll be tweeting at hashtag  #UpCountry and Facebook at cur tiles.         “Storm Fatigue” is one of the forty stories in …

                  During July our oldest son Clay and his wife Robin have been visiting. Best of all, they’re brought  their four children. Our wonderful grandchildren: Maggie, Luke, Jude, and Noah. We’ve not hugged them since January 2013. DeDe and I plan to make up for that during their visit. I plan on …

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 …

This is one of my favourite stories from Deep Roots. Enjoy!     “Le Petit Baton Rouge” The strong smell of hot peppers and vinegar stings your eyes and nostrils when arriving at Avery Island, Louisiana. You’re at the home of Tabasco Hot Sauce, south of Lafayette, Louisiana. Avery Island is not an actual island. It is a rounded hill …

The Friendship Lane   The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway. –Henry Boye Here’s a question: for what price would you sell your friendship. What amount of money would entice you to turn your back on a neighbor, friend, or family member. Most of us easily answer, “No amount of money.” That’s the correct …

A Word from Curt (L to R) Alice and Monica at RCS.  Technician Jacob is not shown. I want to thank my friends at RCS Communications for working on my Satellite Phone. This phone gives us coverage when we’re deep in the Bush.                   Today is Don Hunt’s birthday. He’s in Heaven, …