Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

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 …

“You ain’t missed a thing.” Senator Ted Kennedy, the “Liberal Lion” and long-serving U.S. Senator, was never one of my favorite politicians. But this story bears repeating. Senator Kennedy was campaigning and stopped at a western Massachusetts coal mine. One of the workers, a stubby older miners covered in coal dust, walked up, “Senator Kennedy, is it true you ain’t …

  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 …

t“You have no friends. You have no enemies. You only have teachers.” “The wise are glad to be instructed, but babbling fools fall flat on their faces.” ‭‭ Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ ”LLL”  Be a LifeLong Learner   Proverbs 10 for August 10     https://bible.com/bible/116/pro.10.8.NLT

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

. The Sign Phantom of Dry Creek From the book, The Old House, by Curt Iles It all began in the Spring of 1974, just prior to my high school graduation. A rainy April had kept the local streams flooded in “Dry Creek.” (The world’s most overworked cliché, “Well, how wet is it in Dry Creek?”) One afternoon, I went …

Everyone’s favorite story from my previous book, The Old House, was “The Sign Phantom.” It told of my dad’s hilarious roadside signs as you entered the community of Dry Creek. The following is a list of all the signs as he remembered them. You may not understand them all. (You would have needed to have been there on some of …

  My Favorite Jimmie Barrett Story Excerpt from my upcoming short story collection, Where I Come From. I close with my favorite Jimmie Barrett principal story. One day, I was teaching chemistry when he slipped into the back of the classroom to observe me. He got comfortable.  He always looked kind of sleepy and was soon leaning on his elbow. …

Monday, July 29: It’s a Big Writing Day at the Creekbank. Follow this post as I add photos and text. We’ll be blogging throughout the day as I work on our upcoming short story collection, Where I Come From. We’re shooting for a release date of Black Friday 2024. There’s an adage in writing,  “A book needs friends before it …

A Tabernacle Prayer A word from Curt You can’t understand me unless you have insight into how Dry Creek Baptist Camp has shaped my life.   I got my first job there at age 13.  I was in charge of picking up glass Coke bottles on the grounds for deposit return. After that summer, they couldn’t run me off.  I’ve …

  What Really Matters: My Life Statement Scroll down for an expanded version of My Life Statement As of Monday, July 22, 2024 Throughout my adult life, I’ve kept a journal of my priorities, which I call “My Life Statement.” I’m sharing them to encourage you to develop your own statement. Make it personal.  Write it down. Do it now. …

            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 …

CHAPTER No tears NO TEARS THE GIFT OF TEARS HARVARD MENTAL HEALTH   “You know I cried when I read your story.” I smiled, “So did I.” No tears in the writer. No tears in the writer. I want to tell stories that move people. Laughter Tears Shaking of the head I don’t believe Walking away from that story moved …