Devotions

“I never met a man I didn’t like.”

Encouragement  It’s a word we all need.     This is what the singing cowboy, Gene Autry, wrote about fellow Oklahoman Will Rogers:   I admire him, too, because out of a full and busy life, he took the time and trouble to help a struggling newcomer. I honestly believe that if it had not been for Will Rogers I …

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From Crooked Bayou Swamp

Thoughts from a Southern Man I write from my hometown of Dry Creek, Louisiana. I write to entertain, educate, and encourage. “It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”   -Frederick Douglass   All of us are called to invest in young people.  Regardless of our age or background, we have something to offer them: experience. Who “adopted” …

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Burned yet Blessed by the Fire . . . a story that touches hearts

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 …

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Integrity

I’m studying the word Integrity this week. It’s one of the “6 Strong Words” I want in my life. I’d be interested in hearing from readers as to how you define Integrity as well as people of integrity in your life. With your permission, I’ll use your input and feedback on this blog as well as in the study. You …

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What Is True Success?

What is true success? If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it’s not success at all. -Anna Quindlen       Last week, I asked my Facebook friends, “How do you define true success?” I was blown away by the wisdom in the …

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Having a Learner’s Lean

  Having a “Learner’s Lean”   Paul had it.* (* keep reading and I’ll share more.) I want it. Throughout history, all great leaders who finished strong possessed it. For simplicity’s sake, I’ll call it the “Learner’s Lean.” Next time you’re in a meeting—whether it is a business seminar, church, or the local Rotary Club, be observant. You can always …

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A Word: Repentance Will It Last?

Will it Last? This is a 1999 story from my first book, Stories from the Creekbank. I’ve been thinking about an important word: repentance. It simply means to change directions. Turn around. It’s a good word. One’s life must be full of repentance is it is to be full and forgiven. It’s a full house in the tabernacle tonight. Our …

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A Dropped Wedding Ring

A Dropped Wedding Ring I’ve spent my life sitting in the pews, and have seen so many interesting things happen. Most memorable are times when I’ve seen (or heard) items dropped in church. I’ve seen the embarrassment of ushers dropping the collection plate as the coins rolled all over the auditorium I’ve heard songbooks slap loudly as they landed on …

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Unused Power: Thoughts on Curt Green

Unused Power I was born during a period of history when many World War I veterans were still alive. Of all those old men, the one that sticks out was a veteran named Manuel “Curt” Green. Curt Green was one of those country men who had never been anywhere, nor desired to, until World War I broke out. He traveled …

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Legacy: A Word to Live By

The Sixth Word to live by In the past week we’ve blogged about the six words I strive to live by. Here are the previous ones: compassion/passion, integrity, resolve, gratitude, , and relationships. My final word, and today’s subject is Legacy. Legacy is all about where you end up at. Legacy is about how you’ll be remembered. Anyone can start …

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The Lone Hostage: Captain Phillips

The Lone Hostage “He to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood” –Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing Robert Robinson It’s only appropriate to write about Captain Richard Phillips on Good Friday. Phillips is the captain of the Maersk Alabama, an American cargo ship hijacked two days ago by armed pirates from Somalia. As the pirates attacked the ship, …

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The Open Door

The Door is Open To be invited into an Honduran house is a great honor and is always a favorite part of any trip. The hospitality of folks in other countries is so wonderful. It seems like the door is always open to visitors . The sweet lady, Reina, holding the picture told us, “Our home is humble, but Christ …

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Roy Greene’s Door

Roy Greene’s Door This is a warning: Be careful with the doors at the Lake Charles Civic Center! I was there last week and as I entered the men’s room, I recalled Roy Greene’s story. The Lake Charles Civic Center opened thirty years ago. Amazingly, it was constructed on sand pumped out of the adjacent lake that gives the city …

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An Enduring Marriage of 77 Years

76 years of marriage—no, make that 77. They were always together. In my fifty years of knowing them, I can seldom recall seeing one without the other. And that’s how Uncle Gordon and Aunt Letha will live on in my heart. With the recent death of my grandmother’s last living sibling, Letha Reynolds, a marriage bond of 76 years was …

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