Encouragement!

Resolve

    Resolve This week I’m thinking about the word “Resolve “ and its double first cousins, Grit, Determination and Perseverance. “Resolve: to act with determination, boldness, steadfastness, and faith.” Resolve: it’s a good word to have in our toolbox.

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The Best Trade: A Christmas Tree for a Basket of Jelly  

    The Best Trade: A Christmas Tree for a Basket of Jelly This story from my first book, Stories from the Creekbank, is still a favorite of readers of all ages. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas to all of my friends. -Curt Christmas jelly is probably my favorite holiday gift. Yearly, I receive this present from a …

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Bald-Faced Liars

  A Bald-Faced Liar “He’d rather climb a tree to tell a lie rather than stand on the ground and tell the truth.”   Where I come from, calling someone a bald-faced liar are fighting words. What’s the difference between a lie and a bald-faced lie? A lie is telling untruth. It’s wrong. It’s a sin. “Do not swear false …

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“A Tree Fell on the Old House.”

“The Old House at Night.”  by Bill Iles 1963 “A Tree Fell on the Old House.”   “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”    Proverbs 23:7 I’ve always dreaded it, but knew it’d happen one day.  My sister’s message was short, “A tree fell on the Old House last night during the storm.” Before I tell you …

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One Step at a Time

One Step at a Time I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.    Psalm 32:8   I grew up on a one-mile stretch of gravel road in Dry Creek. Our house was the only house at the dead end of this narrow country lane. My Dad always …

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Joseph on Forgiveness: Part 4

Joseph on Forgiveness Part 4   Folks ask, “When did Joseph forgive his brothers?”   The rational answer is that this forgiveness occurred years later when the brothers show up in Egypt. However, the forgiveness was even now taking place after arriving in Egypt. . Here’s why: a person full of unforgiveness and bitterness will never be described as “The …

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Joseph: Trustworthiness

Trustworthiness: Lesson 3 on Joseph “Joseph got in prison, but prison didn’t get in him.” -Chuck Swindoll When we last saw our hero, Joseph, he had been framed for attempted rape by his bosses’ wife, the evil Mrs. Potiphar. When Potiphar returns that evening, his wife is waiting, Joseph’s cloak in hand, screaming bloody murder. Her accusation is worth noting, …

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John Wooden’s Socks

John Wooden’s Socks   “It isn’t what you do, but how you do it.”   -John Wooden   I was a college senior the year I met John Wooden in 1979. I was preparing to embark on my journey as a high school basketball coach. I traveled to Monroe, Louisiana to hear John Wooden speak at a coaching clinic. Wooden, who’d …

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L.T.W.B.T.U.F.I. Leave this world . . .

Leaving this World Better . . .  “L.T.W.B.T.U.F.I.” Leave this world better than you found it! It’s a good motto to live by. Whatever we touch. Wherever we go, we ought to leave it better. I’ve always loved camping and hiking. Part of the joy is in setting up camp along a bubbling mountainside creek or under the tall pines …

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Short Stories from Curt

I’m working on a book of short stories. So far, I haven’t found a publisher. There’s no use keeping these stories to myself.  Enjoy! Pass them on. I’ll be posting a new story (at www.creekbank.net) every few days. I’ll use my Curt Iles Facebook page to announce new posts.   I’m always open to suggestions, feedback, and constructive criticism.   …

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A Memorial Day Story Worth Telling: A Soldier’s Story

A Note from Curt: As long as I’m alive, the story of Sgt. Leroy Johnson will be remembered. It’s a story worth telling, worth passing on.  We need reminding that our freedom is never free. It’s important to remember stories of heroes who paid for our American freedom with their lives. It’s important to remember stories of heroes who paid …

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A word called Encouragement

  Encouragement   What a good word: encouragement. I could list various definitions. Instead, I’ll do what I do (and love) best. I’ll tell a story: The 1936 Berlin Olympics are among the most famous Olympiads of the 20th century. Its location was Germany Its time: Europe was building toward another war, less than twenty years since the last one. …

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Thoughts from the Road

On the Dangerous Side of I-49 I sped along Interstate 49 on the way to Lafayette. Looking ahead, I changed lanes at the sight of a disabled vehicle on the right shoulder. A woman stood in the ditch, watching a squatting deputy change the flat on her car. His patrol unit, blue lights flashing, sat ahead on the shoulder. It …

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Memorial Day- The Gift of Life: 24,550 Extra Days

Herman Clemenson lived 24,500 days after Sgt. Leroy Johnson saved his life on Dec. 15, 1944. The place was Leyte Island, Philippines. The story is one for the ages. 24,550 days. That’s a long time.  That’s 67 years and over two months. Close to a lifetime.  And Herman Clemenson,  a North Dakota soldier had this gift of a lifetime thanks …

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