Tag Archives: creekbank

Jenga.  It’s one of my favorite games.  It involves removing wooden individual blocks without crashing the stacked blocks. My grandsons love to play it. Jenga comes from Swahili and means  “building together.”                                                                                                                                           …

Today is Monday*  11Feb 2013 * “Juma Tatu”    Day 3 of the week  (Swahili week begins with Sunday)   Juma:  Week/  Tatu: 3 I Heard it through the Grapevine I was in a store last week and heard it over the stereo system.  That unmistakable bass line of the beginning of “I heard it through the grapevine.”  It was the Marvin …

Hunger, Commitment and more. Wednesday, January 25, 2012.                       On Wednesday’s I’m trying to write about my Life Plan.  I’ve discovered that I need this written plan to keep me focused and on task. I hope you enjoy and are challenged by my thoughts on this. I’d love to hear …

“To bring glory to God…” “We exist to bring glory to God by making disciples who treasure Christ &carry His name to the ends of the earth.” This is our church (Dry Creek Baptist) Life Statement. A life statement is simply a declaration of what you’re about… where you stand… why you exist. It says,  “I’ve driven a stake in …

Grit… What is it? Today’s quote:  “I am not the most successful or most talented person in the world, but I succeeded because I keep going, and going, and going.”  -Sylvester Stallone I heard a speaker recently refer to it as “DQ.”  Don’t quit. Grit is simply the refusal to quit. Grit won’t quit. It rhymes and it’s true. The …

Click here to hear podcast of “Burned Yet Blessed” From Deep Roots, the new short story collection by Curt Iles Burned yet Blessed “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The next best time is today.” Nothing breaks my heart like a field of burned pines. Yet that is exactly what I’m looking at driving toward …

In chapter 11 of my upcoming novel, A Spent Bullet, a Grasshopper scout plane crash lands into the Reed family okra patch.  It’s nose and propeller bury in the ground, and Mr. Reed (Poppa) brings his plow team to pull it loose. This brings on a conversation between the pilot and the old farmer about the values of “horsepower.” This …

Forgiveness: what a word!!! I stood before the thirty summer staffers in the camp dining hall. We had all just returned from a great weekend in Houston. It was now time to return to the world of camp and get ready for 400 campers arriving the next morning. During our Houston weekend I’d shared mini-devotions on Joseph. After returning to …

I’m often asked, “What causes a person to become depressed?” My answer is often, “No one knows.” One of my wise doctors, a psychiatrist, once said, “Curt, we don’t understand as much as we’d like about exactly how the brain, and its chemicals, work.” That being said, I think there are Biblical examples of depression that give us a peek. …

As promised, here is a light-hearted cemetery story about the fear we all have: someone being buried in the wrong grave. One of my ministries is to work with people in selecting their grave sites at Dry Creek Cemetery. I’ve found that this is a time when we can really help people. I call it the “open window of opportunity.” …

How to pray in October One of the best things about the Internet and social networks is how it is a great vehicle to share news and events. I want to use it this month (October 2009) to share a great prayer need in my life. I’m scheduled to lead a revival in North Carolina from October 25-28. I’ll be …

3 am, 40 miles, 4 trucks, 2 cups of coffee I left home this morning at 3:00 am, on my way to the Houston airport, then Denver for a writing conference. On my forty mile drive from Dry Creek to DeQuincy, I only meet four vehicles—all trucks. The road is quiet. The woods are dark. It’s peaceful. Out my car …

                              After the Conference Ends: “What to do when the circus leaves town.” “Turn out the lights, the party’s over. They say all things must come to an end.” -Willie Nelson I’ve read many excellent articles about preparing for, and attending, writing conferences. However, I’m not …

My grandson Jack Iles explores a hollow log. When I told him there might be a coon or possom in the log, he had to go inspect it. This was taken during a day hike he and I took last week on the Wild Azalea Trail. “Don’t you know that the laughing hole ain’t there just for the kids and …