Creekbank Blog

April 1 Proverbs 1:2-4   To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—  ESV translation   Solomon begins his collection of Proverbs with its purpose as stated in the verses above. Summed up, they speak of …

One of my hobbies is collecting rural sayings, quotes, and metaphors. “He’s as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.”   I’ve always heard that in my neck of the woods.   When I took the above photo in Honduras, I told the villagers the saying .  When it was interpeted, they all laughed.  They’d never heard it before. Last week …

Today’s Proverb: Proverbs 29:15   The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother. It’s a fact that I strongly believe:  Children want discipline. God set it within the human heart that we desire limits.  We’ll fight those limits and stick our toe over the line to see if our parents mean what they say. …

Proverbs 28:19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty. “T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.”    There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  If you think someone in Nigeria is, out of the goodness of their heart, going to …

I’ll be at Hastings Books in Alexandria, LA today from 2-4 PM. If you’re in the area, drop by.  If not, pray that I’ll be a good witness as I greet old friends and meet new ones. Proverbs 27:17  “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” For most of my adult life I’ve been part of a small …

  We had a nice review of A Good Place in today’s Alexandria Town Talk.  Click here to read it. Tomorrow (March 27) from 2:00-4:00 PM I’ll be at Hastings Books in Alexandria signing copies of A Good Place and The Wayfaring Stranger. Come by if you can. Also send a message to your Cenla friends about this event.   …

Proverbs 25:15    Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Often, it takes time for something we desire to take place. That is where persistence pays off. Even the “powers that be” can be persuaded with consistent persistence. I once read where time and patience are two of the greatest forces not only …

We’re working through one proverb per day corresponding to the day of the month.  Today we’re in Proverbs 18. Proverbs 18:12   “Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” I’ve never noticed it before, but this is the 4-H verse.  The proverbs mentions four words that are worth looking at. Heart-  it’s the inner part of …

I climbed Croagh Patrick in March 2007 during a sleet storm.  St. Patrick is one of my heroes.  A foreigner who went to a pagan country and saw the entire nation come to Christ during his lifetime.  If you don’t know his story, read it. Here is one of my favorite passages in Proverbs 17: “The crucible for silver and …

We’re continuing looking at favorite Proverbs from the corresponding day.  March 16 means Proverbs 16 One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Whatever work we do is worthy of our best. Our first step should be to commit that work to the Lord. Give it to Him. …

Proverbs by the Day A good Bible reading plan includes the book of Proverbs. It contains thirty-one chapters loaded with common sense,  wisdom, and insightful sayings.  By reading a chapter per day you can finish it in a month.  Then turn around and do it again. I’ve done this for years and still find nuggets of gold in Proverbs. I’ll …

The Creek named Dry Creek I live in the village/small community called Dry Creek.  The actual creek flows through our community. Oldtimers told me the original Indian name for the creek was “Beautiful Creek” and the English translation got mixed up. Regardless, this area is my home.  My first ancestors to settle on this creek were Andrew Jackson Wagnon and …

I grew up in a great place – the rural South. There are so many wonderful things about a country Southern upbringing.  One of the best parts is the large extended family you grow up in.  As a small boy I had a multitude of great grandparents, grandparents, great uncles and aunts galore, cousins, and every other kin folk in …

In this excerpt from A Good Place,  12 year old Mayo is being chased by a wild bull called “Roscoe.”  I grew up in “Open Range” country where cattle roamed everywhere.  The story below is gleaned from an old family story concerning my great great uncle, Dan Iles. Climbing through another treetop, I broke off a small limb. When I …