Creekbank Stories Curt Iles, Storyteller

A Soldier’s Story Memorial Day 2012   It was a call I’d dreamed of :   “Sir, I’m contacting you because of your research on Medal of Honor winner, Sgt. Leroy Johnson.  My father was with him in Company K on December 15, 1944.  In fact, he saved my father’s life with his brave act . . . and my …

Everyone has a Story The Houston to Alexandria plane is late. It’s the story of airports:  hurry up and wait. I take my spot at Gate B-66.  Ready to get home to the Louisiana piney woods. It’s then I see her. Let me rephrase that.  I see them. A lovely older woman with a lifetime smile that she’s probably worn …

Welcome to Fummat’s Home I don’t know if Fummat lives in the C Terminal restroom at Charlotte Int’l airport but he could. It’s that clean. Before boarding my Houston flight, I make a restroom break.  Freshen up, brush my teeth. This Men’s room in C terminal is across from Big Daddy’s Burger Bar between gates C-5 and C-6 and it’s …

This devotion placed in the Blue Ridge Mtn. Christian Writer’s Conference contest.  I hope it blesses your heart. Le Petit Baton Rouge  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. -Jesus in John 13:35 When you step out of your vehicle at Avery Island, Louisiana a sharp pungent odor burns your nostrils.   …

  An ‘Easy Mark’ To call someone an “easy mark” is normally not a compliment. We use it in the context of taking advantage of someone and associate it with weakness. I have a story that explains the term’s origin. I’ll let you—the reader—decide if being an easy mark is a compliment or not. Thanksgiving and then Christmas are good …

My ability won’t take me very far My fragility is a testimony of Who you are.  -“Jar of Clay”    Aaron Tate/Caedmon’s Call When it comes down to it, there’s little we can do by ourselves. When it comes down to it, we can get a lots done working with others. But the only way eternal differences are made are when …

  “I’m a thousand miles away from home Waiting on a train.”  -Jimmie Rodgers If you’ve been following my social media this week,  you know I’ve been on a adventure. Monday afternoon I caught Amtrak’s Sunset Limited in Lake Charles and rode it to Los Angeles (arriving on Wednesday morning). Then I boarded the Coast Starlight which snaked along the …

For the birds May is a great month for birds. This morning was foggy with humidity you could stir with a stick, but it didn’t phase the birds. They slept in a few minutes and began their rituals slightly later. The bluebirds won the morning battle of the birds.  A quartet of them serenaded us as we walked. Arriving back …

In the Garden It’s always been one of my favorite places. The prayer garden at Dry Creek Camp. It was evidently one of Harvey Jones’s also. He wanted his ashes spread there. His memorial service was yesterday.  It was a celebration of a richly lived life.  Harvey loved his Lord, his wife Sissy, and his family and it was a …

  It’s true.  A good cur dog can whip a skunk any day of the week. However, a smart cur dog won’t. It’s simple: you can win the fight and still lose.  I’ve seen dogs carry the scent of skunk for weeks and wallow in dust, mud, and cow manure trying to get rid of it.   If that dog could …

A beautiful morning in the piney woods.

A cup of coffee . . . and sandwich with Paul I hope you’re enjoying our thoughts on the short book of Philemon.  I ask for your comments and insights.  That is how we learn best! In verse 1, Paul identifies himself as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus.” This humble term identifies Paul and is the first floorboard in building …

What Train are you on? It’s imperative to listen . . . when a man writes from prison, or a dying man preaches his last sermon. Paul wrote his letter to Philemon from his favorite writing office, a Roman prison cell. “God of new beginnings, here I am again.” “I’m so thankful God is a God of second chances.”  – …

Tuesday, April 17 As they say, don’t try this at home.   The two teenage boys marched into my office.  One had a torn shirt and the other’s reddened eye would be black by tomorrow. They were both breathing like mad bulls from their fistfight by the high school lockers. They were now my charges in my charge in the …