A Pineywoods Manifesto

  Sleeping on the Ground   When you sleep on the ground With the stars in your face, You can feel the full-length Of the beauty and grace. -Dan Fogelberg  “The Wild Places”   I’ve just spent the last two nights sleeping on the ground under the stars. One night was on a bicycle trip on the Tammany Trace Trail. …

  LLL   The Discipline of being a LLL: a “Life-Long Learner.” Proverbs 19 for August 19 “To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Life-Long Learner Anyone can be one. No age required. No experience necessary. Available regardless of race, gender, educational background, or family heritage. Go for it!     …

“A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” There is nothing weak about a gentle answer. Rather, it is a sign of inner strength. A person who can lower the temperature is to be admired.   www.creekbank.net

Proverbs 12 for August 12 “The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Never trust a man who doesn’t like dogs.” You can tell a lot about a person as to how he treats his dogs, cats, and parakeets.  

When a leader loses their way.   It’s one of the saddest things to witness, A leader losing her way. Leaving her moral compass and taking her eye off the ball. I’m using the feminine pronoun today as a reminder that off-center leadership isn’t gender-related. Losing your way creates a train wreck that compromises the leader, normally leading to a …

Proverbs 11 for August 11: Humility “When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ How to prevent pride? Realize with gratitude that everything you have comes from God. How to develop humility:  “Lord, you’ve given me so much. I ask for one more thing: a sense of gratitude.” www.creekbank.net   sign up for …

  Squirrel Hunting in August It’s a wonderful cool(er) morning in Alexandria. A cold front” brought in a nice cooler breeze with lower humidity. 76 degrees may not sound like much, but it’s a welcome respite from the brutal heat of August in Louisiana I’m sitting on our patio with my third cup of coffee. A nearby fox squirrel is …

A believer should be the hardest worker on the team. “Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ https://bible.com/bible/116/1th.4.11-12.NLT

            Creekbank Family, My upcoming short story collection is entitled Where I Come From: Field Notes from the Pineywoods. I’ve listed chapter titles and taglines.  I’ll be adding new chapters, so stay tuned. Most of these chapters have been published on the Creekbank.net/blog. Take a look. As always, I welcome your input. questions. and feedback …

Love and Discipline I once read a story about a father’s wise advice to his daughter, who was struggling with disciplining her young children. The father invited her to take a boat ride on a nearby lake.  The boat had two oars and the father told the daughter to take one oar and row. The boat went in a circle. …

  Riding the Cussin’ Bus   When we first moved to Alexandria, I worked as a chaplain for Roy O. Martin Corporation. My mission field was the two ROM mills near Alexandria.  Because of the noise and busyness inside the mills, it was challenging to build relationships. As I got to know the workers, they would open up when in …

  Wise words from King Solomon, the wisest man: “Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭14‬ ‭The Message   Surround yourself with good people Surround yourself with good people. Surround yourself with people who will give wise counsel. Surround yourself with people you respect and will listen to. …

  On Leadership   As I begin my 68th year on Planet Earth, I can sum up what I’ve learned about leadership in one sentence: “I want to thank you ahead of time for doing this, and I know you won’t disappoint me.” I’ve been a youth leader, parent, coach, teacher, principal, camp manager, missionary, and now a grandfather. That …

Leaders Eat Last You can listen to the podcast episode of “Leaders Eat Last”  at our The Quiet Leader Podcast Thoughts on Servant-Leadership   “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 I’ve recently discovered a fascinating book, Leaders Eat Last by …