Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

  DWW     Driving While White Like all Americans, I’ve been stunned and confused by events of the past few months. Our country is hurting and is extremely divided. It’s easy to deny and ignore it, but that doesn’t make it not so. As part of a national discussion, we need to sit down and listen to each other. It is …

I recalled this wonderful story while visiting with my uncle, Bill Iles, who has worn a long beard since the late 1960’s. This article, by Stuart Holbrook, was written in the mid-20th century. Palmer is buried near the present home of my son, Terry.  On my next trip to New England, I plan to visit Palmer’s grave.    

Max Earl Cole was buried several weeks ago. I was away and missed his funeral. Like me, he was a Dry Creek native, who attended East Beauregard High School. Max Earl was a lanky rawboned basketball player on the excellent Trojan basketball teams in the mid-60s. He was a product of two of Dry Creek’s strongest families,  The Coles and …

  What we’re about in 2016: 1.  Staying Curious. 2. Being Amazed. 3. Telling Stories. It’s Friday, which means it’s time to think about LLL. That’s Life Long Learning. It’s the reason I want to stay curious,discover, and share good stories. I. This week’s word is Gratitude. Here’s my favorite story on gratitude: Vance Gill, my guitar-playing Dry Creek friend …

A Word from Curt A daily goal: Stay Curious  Be Amazed. Tell Good Stories. Louisiana Rain “Rain, rain, Louisiana is your name.”   While making my rounds at the mill, an employee named Harley* enthusiastically stopped me. “Chaplain, do you remember praying with me to get a car?” Before I could reply, he continued, “My wife and I were riding …

The first real cool spell arrives tonight. It’s time to think about hunting. The following is the best deer hunting story I know. Read and enjoy. This story was told to me by fellow missionary, Bobby Lane (in photo with his son Shep in South Sudan).   The Deer Hunter   It’s by far and away the best deer-hunting story …

What I’m about in 2016: 1.  Staying Curious. 2. Being Amazed. 3. Telling Stories. Most Fridays, we’ll be sending out this brief story letter with a simple purpose:  pushing all of us to be a LLL. That’s Life Long Learner. I’m 60 and have never been more excited about learning new things. To hold myself accountable (and encourage you), I’ll be sharing …

We love quotes. They motivate us. Correct us. Inspire us.   2016 and earlier:                                                               The following is from a neat website on passion:  http://www.glidedesign.com/25-great-passion-quotes/     25 Great Quotes …

Today’s word is one I struggle with:  Prayer. I struggle with it because I get so wrapped up in my life and problems, zooming from one chore to another. Lord, teach me to pray. Amen. Reading this story (again) reminded me of the importance of prayer.     Pray One for Another   “. . .And pray one for another.” …

A Homeless Lady And Jesus said, when you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:40   When the teenager saw me, he sprinted over. “Bro. Curt, there’s a homeless lady inside the Tabernacle, and she won’t let any of us help her.” “A homeless lady in Dry Creek?” …

Today would be the birthday of one of my heroes, Logan Skiles. This is a story about him from Stories from the Creekbank.  Enjoy! If you have a Logan Skiles memory, please comment at the end of this story. He hit it right down the line… I nervously stood in right field as a skinny thirteen-year-old softball player. At the …

Each Sunday, we share prayer needs, events of the coming week, and share a story, photo, and more. 3 Prayer Requests for this week: I speak Wednesday night at Palestine Baptist Church in Grant.  This is the church DeDe and I attended after our marriage in 1979. Pray that I’ll clearly share about how we are all called to be …

A word from Curt This story, from The Mockingbird’s Song, features one of the most touching stories from the terrible events of September 11, 2001   A Tight Rope . . . Held by a Tight Friend   World Trade Center North Tower New York City September 11, 2001   Stairway 27C of the North Tower of the World Trade …

This story, from Wind in the Pines, celebrates two intertwined lives:  My father, Clayton Iles, and my dear friend Ricky Gallien. Today marks fourteen years since Ricky left us. I share this story as a simple way of remembering his rich life as well as mourning his loss. I still miss both of them. My Dad and my friend Ricky. …