Creekbank Blog

It’s rare to get snow along the Gulf Coast, especially in December.  Yesterday’s 2 inch snowfall was the earliest ever recorded.  Just a note:  we had snow last year in mid-December,  some during Easter 2007 (See the Easter Cold Snap in The Wayfaring Stranger) and previous to that it had last snowed on February 7, 1988.   Click here to see …

Landmark Longleaf Pine on Longville Gravel Pit Road. See below for more A good word:  “Compel” A short story from Hearts across the Water by Curt Iles Then there is the story of my friend Tom Dunville.  I’ve known Tom for seven years. He is a wonderful artist and the nicest guy I know… when he is sober.  Tom has …

Thanksgiving for my parents, Clayton and Mary Iles This old beech tree still stands on our family land on the bank of Crooked Bayou.  It bears the initials of my mom and dad,  CI (Clayton Iles) and MP (Mary Plott.)  Today (November 25) is their 56th anniversary, so the tree pre-dates 1953. Even though my dad has been dead six …

A Good Place by Curt Iles Chapter 21 Author’s notes: Our narrator, twelve year old Mayo Moore, is on a log raft trip down the Calcasieu River.  He relates an incident on the River as they near the sawmills on Lake Charles. This scene is my current favorite.  Special thanks to my friend Joe Chaney for sharing a similar family …

Arriving at Lake Charles on a raft of logs. In this excerpt from A Good Place, 12 year-old Mayo Moore, who has never been more than ten miles from home,  travels down the Calcasieu River on a raft of logs with his father and other local men.  On reaching the small town of Charleston (the 1862 name of present day …

Be Still and Know Originally written May 1993 On a beautiful Spring Saturday, my three sons and I went to work on the nature trail at the camp.  As we hiked through the woods with our saw, pruning shears, and other gear, we were filled with the camaraderie of boys and dads in the woods. My youngest son, Terry, age …

My new novel, A Good Place, takes place in 1862-1865 in the part of western Louisiana known as “No Man’s Land.” It is centered in the area known as Ten Mile.  This historic region, located west of the Calcasieu River between Glenmora and Pitkin, is bisected by two beautiful creeks,  Ten Mile and Cherry Winche.

The covers of A Good Place We selected a painting by my uncle Bill Iles for the front cover of my new novel. This oil painting entitled, “Upper Field Pines” proudly hangs in our living room. I love it because it pictures an image of the woods that I love so dearly.  My mother always said we “lived in the …

A special photo from a special meeting Last night we traveled to Shreveport for a missionary commissioning service.  55 new International Mission Board  appointees were commissioned for overseas service.  It was an inspiring service that I’ll never forget. I took the photo below after the service.  There’s a special connection between these two couples who’d never met. Gordon Fort and …

Scroll down to read Chapter 1.  Simply send your mailing address/number of books and how you want them signed. We’ll invoice you with the order. Books are $15.00 each with $5.00 shipping per order.) Chapter 1 A Good Place. WHEN Daddy shoved me under the table, I knew this wasn’t just any storm. As the crow flies, our Louisiana log …

Forgiveness: what a word!!! I stood before the thirty summer staffers in the camp dining hall. We had all just returned from a great weekend in Houston. It was now time to return to the world of camp and get ready for 400 campers arriving the next morning. During our Houston weekend I’d shared mini-devotions on Joseph. After returning to …

Tonight in revival, I’m speaking from I Kings 19:1-18, specifically verse 4, “He (Elijah) came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die.” Elijah, after the greatest victory in his life (the BBQ on Mt. Carmel where God “showed up and showed out) is running in fear for his life. He goes to the …

La Esperanza, Honduras From the book by Curt Iles, The Old House copyright 2002 I stood in muddy water in the middle of what was now a raging stream. Only an hour ago this spot was the middle of a dirt road on the side of a hill in northwestern Honduras. We’d arrived here at the home of a family …

Across the Pea Patch: A story on my hero, Don Hunt I often write about traveling to far off places to share the good news of Jesus. Whether it’s Africa or Honduras, I always feel privileged to “go and tell.” Acts 1:8 tells us to “go to the ends of the earth.” However, the greatest mission and ministry opportunities are …