Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

Faith that the thing can be done is essential to any great achievement.  -Thomas Carruther Thoughts on revising a 90,000 word novel: “If it was easy, everybody would be doing it.” Morale is the single greatest factor in successful wars. -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Down in the Well “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…”   Proverbs 3:4 My neighbor Dudley Mercer tells a story from his Dry Creek childhood.  His family farm had a 35-foot deep well on which they relied for all of their water needs. Dudley’s family also had a problem: one of their …

“Let another praise you…” The Parable of the Big Mouth Frog. Share this simple proverb with your children. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. …. Proverbs 27:2 There is a memorable proverb about a big-mouthed frog that lived in Canada.  Each year he enviously watched the geese wing their way …

People aren’t just looking for a friendly church, as important as that may be, they’re also looking for friends at church! -Stephen Davis

“Simplicity, carried to the extreme, is elegance.”   -Jon Franklin. Lord, teach me to be a simple man. Amen Today, August 1, is always a special/bittersweet day. My father, Clayton Iles, would be 76 today.  I listened to a song on my iPod last night and thought, “Daddy, would have liked that version. I wish I could play it for him.”  …

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of God no matter what the conflict.”  -Anon.

“It is only when we begin to worship that we begin to grow.”  -Calvin Coolidge “How unhappy is he who cannot forgive himself.”   –Publilus Syrus The spiritual theme of my upcoming novel,  A Spent Bullet, is that “the hardest person to forgive is yourself.” I believe that oftentimes we have been the recipients of God’s complete forgiveness because of the …

Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your strength.   Ecclesiastes 9:10 If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Especially if it’s for God. There is no room in the Christian life for sloppy, slip-shoddy work. Whatever we do should be a reflection of the Jesus we serve. And He only deserves our best. My prayer is that …

“An unused life is an early death.” -van Goethe “Lord, use me today to make a positive difference in at least one life. Amen

Two Cups of Coffee This morning I poured two cups of coffee even though I’m alone. Both now sit on my desk. I recall the words of T.W. Hunt, the author of The Mind of Christ, “Sometimes when I’ve not felt as close to the Lord as I wish, I’ll pour a second cup of coffee and take it with …