Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

Scroll down to read today’s story from Christmas Jelly. Meeting Nelson Mandela on the Damascus Road   It’s big news all over Africa. Nelson Mandela has died. “Mandiba” (his African name) was loved by Africans and rightfully respected by the world. When I heard of his death, I returned to a lonely windswept section of highway in South Africa’s Zulu …

What it Means to Believe   This excerpt from my recent novel, A Spent Bullet, is a conversation between Harry Miller, a young soldier and Levon Reed, the father of the girl he plans to marry. It’s a conversation between two men about belief. A ninety-two-year-old cousin of mine wrote,  “I’ve taken college religion classes and lived nearly a century. …

Standing Your Ground . . . without Driving Yourself (and everyone else ) Crazy.   “But Eleazar stood his ground . . .” II Samuel 23:10 A key to a joyful  life is knowing when to stand your ground versus saying, “It’s no big deal.” Kampala, Uganda is on edge. The U.S. government shared a warning of an impending “Westgate-style” …

  Writing Note:  I have friends who are currently discouraged. As I’m praying for them, I recalled one of the most insightful fables about the subject of discouragement. As you read this, please join me in praying for my friends as well as any others you know who are discouraged. Discouragement comes to us when we’ve seemingly tried with everything …

  Click on audio player to hear podcast on “Discouragement or Depression” This is an excerpt from the Curt Iles’ book,  The Mockingbird’s Song. You can order copies as well as download the e-book at http://www.creekbank.net   Finally, I want to mention the difference between discouragement and depression. Discouragement is something we all deal with. Life’s battles and trials cause …

  This blog post will be updated throughout the week. Stay tuned.  You can also follow our recent journey at our Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest pages:  <curtiles> It’s a word I love:   Journey.   It can be a trip of a thousand miles.  Or in the last two weeks, 2000 km.  That’s a journey. Or a journey can be the distant from …

6 Words that keep my feet on the ground . . . and my grip tight. MY CURRENT words are  1.   My Jesus-Walk 2.   Living Gratefully 3.   Learning Passionately 4.   Connecting! 5/6.  Impact and Influence.    I’ve developed the habit of using 6 words to help focus my life. Africa is no different than America.  There are so many things that can divert our …

How is the grass on your path?   But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private . . . -Jesus  in Matthew 6:6   When an African becomes a Jesus-Follower*, he is taught the importance of having a private place to pray.  They will find a location in …

“They can be got”    We’re on the road today.  Dave, Sel, Rob, Scott, and me. 10 hour (or more) drive from Juba, South Sudan’s capital to Rumbek.  Pray for traveling mercies.   Today, I thought about Kenny. Like me, he’s a country philosopher. A fellow son of the piney woods. He’s a lover of cattle, cow dogs, and our …

If you’d like to subscribe to our blog, click here.  The Dinka are best known for their great love of their cattle. We’re looking for some Southern Jesus-loving Cattlemen to come over and share the Gospel with them!   How you can pray this week. I will be travelling with four young men who are moving up into South Sudan …

    The sun sets on another Saturday Over Lake Victoria and Entebbe. It’s amazing how quickly the equatorial darkness falls. Dusk one moment. Nightfall the next. Smoke from charcoal fires linger in the late rainy season air. Laughing Ugandan children pass by Outside our razor wire compound wall. The haunting Muslim prayer call echoes from The loudspeakers at the …

It’s only a small piece. I picked it up from a pile of bricks under a large tree. Nearby is where a church will be built in the future. We stood there with our friend Isaac. This is land that has belonged to his family for generations. He said, “This is my Jerusalem. This is where a church will be.” …

I’m 8000 miles from my hometown of Dry Creek. This is a draft of a story written four years ago. It’s too good not to share.  Enjoy! Somebody send word to Nathaniel that I said, “Thanks again.” Good Neighbors in Dry Creek Shown above is my neighbor Nathaniel. He proudly stands beside his tractor. I was bushogging yesterday in our fields …

How Firm a Foundation Stirring You Tube video on this song. How Firm a Foundation is my “heart song.”   This classic hymn has played in my heart and mind all week. It is powerful. I hope it ministers and encourages you. 1. How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in his excellent …