A Good Time to “De-clutter” As many of you know from my stories I love to hike in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and along the Appalachian Trail (or the “A.T.” as it is called.) One thing backpacking quickly teaches you is the priority of traveling light. When you are carrying a 30-40 pound pack on your back for …
Read More »The Art of Encouragement!
One Step at a Time
One Step at a Time I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. -Psalms 32:8 I grew up in the woods at the end of a dead-end country road. Clayton Iles Road was unpaved a mile long, and extremely dark on moonless nights. It’s …
Read More »Dec. 31: “Finishing Strong” Last Day of the Year
December 31 New Year’s Eve Finishing Strong Ted Williams is generally considered the greatest hitter in the history of major league baseball. Two events from his career speak about the concept of “finishing strong.” In 1941, Williams entered the last day of the season with a batting average of .3995. This would qualify him for a rounded off …
Read More »December 30 Moving Out
A Word from Curt Grateful. Gratitude is one of my 6+ words for 2016. I’m thankful for the wonderful gifts in my life. Today I’m thankful to have the calling of writing. It’s what I do. Who I am. I’m thankful that you have chosen to read this blog and allow my heart to hopefully …
Read More »Gratitude
I love this quote: “Lord, you’ve given me so much. I ask You for one more thing: a heart of gratitude.” This week’s word is Gratitude. This is my favorite story on gratitude: Vance Gill, my guitar-playing Dry Creek friend (who I always remind that he’s only one vowel away from being famous) shared this: “I was working …
Read More »Tough or Hard- The Choice is Yours
Tough or Hard—The Choice is Yours In front of me are three objects: a hammer, a brick, and a flat piece of leather. They make for a wonderful lesson we all can learn from. It’s amazing observing folks as they go through difficult times. Periods of trial, adversity, and sadness distill out what is really inside people. …
Read More »Down in the Well
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 …
Read More »Ed King’s Sermon in the Hayfield
The Sermon in the Hayfield He was one of my heroes, and today would be his birthday. This is a story of what made him special. Love is patient and kind. . . I Corinthians 13:4 As far back as I can remember, I’ve been around Ed King. He will always be one of my favorite people. …
Read More »A Short, but Unforgettable, Lesson on Prayer
Pray One for Another “. . . And pray one for another.” (James 5:16) One of my favorite stories concerning prayer is told by my lifelong friend, Della Mercer. She faithfully taught the preschoolers at our church for years. Once at the end of a lesson on prayer, she wanted to finish the lesson by having the children pray. …
Read More »Curious and Amazed
Oakdale Mill bluebird box. Notice log truck and cranes in background. My mantra: Stay Curious. Be Amazed. Share Remarkable Stories. I work Mondays as a chaplain at Roy O Martin’s Mills. Today, as I entered the Oakdale mill, I stopped by the bluebird boxes. It’s not on my job description, but I always check the boxes. I unhook the door …
Read More »Leaning on the Everlasting Arms
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” –Deuteronomy 33:27 I know it is still there—page 276 in the old Broadman hymnal—that old classic hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms. What a blessedness, what a peace is …
Read More »A Thought: Bricks Without Fire
A word from Curt The Borderlands Team is compiling a devotional book for Refugees. The following is a short devo I wrote. I hope it blesses your life. Bricks without Fire Scripture: Daniel 3:24-25 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar . . . declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to …
Read More »A Hero and Patriot Remembered
John McCain He is a hero and a patriot and fittingly, he is being buried as one. John McCain, regardless of your politics, was a great American. Whether you agreed with him or not, he would do anything for what he considered his country. I didn’t always agree with him. I laughingly always said, “Sometimes, he seems to …
Read More »A Remarkable List: 1351 Blog Posts
Today is Journey # 1351 at www.creekbank.net. I thought you’d enjoy the first story I ever blogged on December 1, 2006. The Journey of one thousand miles begins with one single step. -Chinese Proverb Catfish Lies: Straight from the Delta When is the truth a lie? We talk about “little white lies” and half-truths. Is there such a thing? …
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