Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

  Thanks for your heartfelt comments to our latest blog. Being present at both the church and burial touched me beyond words.   I met the mother, Martha (We’ve named her Naomi/Ruth), and her two daughters the next day.  They are from the Murle Tribe and completely by themselves.   Pray as they are transported to Tika Camp, the camp …

Hotel cleaning lady in Entebbe. On my arrival, I was badly jet-lagged. She came to me, “Bwana, your shirt is on backwards.” This is after I changed it correctly. I thanked her   New Life and Death: On the Refugee Camp Rollercoaster   Sometimes I write because I want to. Other times, it’s because I have to.   Today is …

  I began teaching at Uganda Baptist Seminary Today on Tuesday, Sept. 11. (We’re 8 hours ahead of CDT). It’s been a rough, tough, adventurous journey to get here, but I’m ready to do what I came to do: teach the Book of Acts and Paul’s Letters to an eager group of pastors who traveled from all over East Africa …

DeDe and my sister Colleen leave today for Kenya. Pray for their teaching time among the women in Kakuma Refugee Camp. I leave a week later for Uganda. Please hold the rope for us by praying daily. (We will be eight hours ahead of CDT). Scroll down to enroll in our “Write Your Book in 2018” Course. __________________________________ In Praise …

  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 …

A word from Curt It’s one of my favorite fancy words: juxtaposition. It’s really a simple word with a short definition: It’s “comparing and contrasting two or more items.” In this week’s Creekbank Storyletter, I’d like to share about three juxtaposed places. Africa.  A week from today, my wife DeDe, sister Colleen, team leaders David and Renee Crane, and others …

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? …

    Know Those Who Serve. Do unto others as you’d have them do unto you. -Jesus in Luke 6:31 ESV His name was Raymond, and we met when we were both about eighteen. It was unlikely we’d cross paths, much less become friends. Raymond was an urban black man from Pineville, and I was a redneck fresh from the …

Go Trojans!   I wouldn’t believe this story (or tell it) if I hadn’t heard it directly from Jimmie Hooks. Mr. Hooks was one of my Dad’s closest high school friends, a successful business in DeRidder (Big D Corral and Hook’s) and a fine Christian man.   I’ll let him tell the story as I remember it:   His son, …

Be Kind.   Kindness: a language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.   Always be kinder than necessary. It’s a trait that both blesses the receiver and the giver. It leaves both with a spring in their step. All of my life, I’ve been the recipient of so much grace and kindness.  The old Dry Creek I …

A word from Curt My summer project is a small book entitled The Pineywoods Manifesto. It’s for my four grandsons and is my attempt to pass on the qualities and values of my home area of western Louisiana. Also, at our website, you can currently download for free a copy of my first novel, The Wayfaring Stranger. Click here for your download. You can view the …

  You are not defined by what you drive “The most important thing about you is not the things you achieve; it is the person you become.” -Dallas Willard The loaded flatbed truck crosses Hwy 28 as I wait at the light.  It is hauling unusual cargo: three stacks of smashed car bodies. I wish I’d had time to count …

  My goals at this season of my life: Stay Curious. Be Amazed. Share Remarkable Stories   “God is working in 10,000 ways around you, and you may be aware of two or three of them.” -John Piper As a Pineywoods Man, I’m committed to a lifetime of curiosity.  To be a lifetime learner.  To walk up to strangers, introduce …

King Mockingbird Each day he sits up there—on the highest limb on the tallest oak in the campgrounds. I call him “King Mockingbird.” The area around the Tabernacle and First Aid building belong to him. He is the biggest and loudest mockingbird around. It is easy to recognize him high up in the oak tree. His beautiful, loud singing soars …