Tractor Time     When this old world starts getting me down And people are just too much for me to face. I climb way up to the top of the stairs And all my cares just drift right into space. On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be And there the world below can’t bother me -On …

       In the coming days, we’ll be updating this Prayer Post for South Sudan. This will allow you to be praying for peace and stability.     Heartbroken  Thursday, Dec. 26 Read a simple but accurate report on the South Sudan Crisis. Christmas Day  25 December 2013 Today’s verse to pray over South Sudan (SS):   Psalm 46 …

  The following story comes from chapter 22 of our short story collection,  Christmas Jelly. A Gift from DQ     Christmas is a time for gifts, and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from our hands and hearts. They are created through a strong combination of love and skill. I’m obsessed with a gift I …

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. …

Standing Your Ground . . . without Driving Yourself (and everyone else ) Crazy.   “But Eleazar stood his ground . . .” II Samuel 23:10 A key to a joyful  life is knowing when to stand your ground versus saying, “It’s no big deal.” Kampala, Uganda is on edge. The U.S. government shared a warning of an impending “Westgate-style” …

  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 …

  Click on audio player to hear podcast on “Discouragement or Depression” This is an excerpt from the Curt Iles’ book,  The Mockingbird’s Song. You can order copies as well as download the e-book at http://www.creekbank.net   Finally, I want to mention the difference between discouragement and depression. Discouragement is something we all deal with. Life’s battles and trials cause …

  This blog post will be updated throughout the week. Stay tuned.  You can also follow our recent journey at our Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest pages:  <curtiles> It’s a word I love:   Journey.   It can be a trip of a thousand miles.  Or in the last two weeks, 2000 km.  That’s a journey. Or a journey can be the distant from …

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 …

“They can be got”    We’re on the road today.  Dave, Sel, Rob, Scott, and me. 10 hour (or more) drive from Juba, South Sudan’s capital to Rumbek.  Pray for traveling mercies.   Today, I thought about Kenny. Like me, he’s a country philosopher. A fellow son of the piney woods. He’s a lover of cattle, cow dogs, and our …

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 …

    The sun sets on another Saturday Over Lake Victoria and Entebbe. It’s amazing how quickly the equatorial darkness falls. Dusk one moment. Nightfall the next. Smoke from charcoal fires linger in the late rainy season air. Laughing Ugandan children pass by Outside our razor wire compound wall. The haunting Muslim prayer call echoes from The loudspeakers at the …