A Word from Curt;
Today’s word is UpCountry
As in #UpCountry.
It’s where we’re at today.
Seven of us: David and Renee Crane, Gordy and Colleen Glaser, Brady Glaser, and DeDe and yours truly are in West Nile Uganda District.
I’ve posted ahead for today’s blog.
Enjoy!
Pray for our work over the next few days. You can follow our journey at Twitter #UpCountry.
What I Value Most
www.whativaluemost.com is a neat website that allows you to write your own short story of how God changed your life.
If you visit this site, you can read other stories as well as mine (type in “Curt Iles.”)
If you have ‘A Story’ you can uploads it at: http://www.whativaluemost.com/Share.aspx
If you don’t yet have a “personal story” read below to learn how.
My Story: Curt Iles
I make my living as a storyteller.
Some stories are written, others I tell.
Most of the stories I tell are true.
Others, although fictional, are taken from real life.
As a novelist, I create characters and stories.
However, what I want to share with you is a true story.
How do I know?
Because it is my story.
It’s a story of what happened, and is still ongoing, inside of me.
Deep in my heart. In my soul.
I’m fortunate to have grown up in a rural area. Any lack of material things was offset by the richness of living in a place where my family had settled in the early 19th century. It gave me roots and a sense of belonging. A feeling of being part of something bigger than I am.
However, when I was fourteen, I realized something was missing in my life. There was a nagging emptiness, a longing for something more. I tried to fill this void with many things but to no avail. Being from a religious family, I turned toward church activities and a desire to live a good life. But, I quickly found this to be impossible and futile. The empty hole remained.
Then for the first time in my life, I became serious about reading the Bible. On my own, I began to explore the words and writings of Jesus.
Then I found my value in Jesus.
At this time, the first modern translations of the Bible were available and I found the words on these pages alive, fresh, and life-changing. Through careful study, I realized what I needed was not religion. What I needed was a relationship — a personal intimate deep relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
I realized through what I read that I could have this relationship by simply asking in faith as I turned my life over to Jesus.
Sitting in a car, reading a gospel tract, I invited Jesus into my life. No bells or whistles sounded, no flash of lightning. However, Jesus began something inside me that continues to this day. He kept his promise and filled my life.
I realized the emptiness I felt in my heart could only be filled by a relationship with Jesus. That hole was God-shaped and nothing in this world could fill it. I went from a head knowledge about Jesus to a heart knowledge of him. It’s only about ten inches from the brain to the heart. However, it’s the difference that makes all of the difference.
It’s my story.
And I’m sticking with it.
And I’m just as excited about my story as the day it first happened.
It can be your story.
S.C. “Curt” Iles
curt@creekbank.net Twitter/Facebook:curtiles
Curt, you are such an example for so many people me included…I thank God for allowing me to have worked with you and getting to know you better and seeing the faith that you have in our Lord Jesus….I am glad you are sticking with your story, it’s a good story to stick with…we love you and DeDe and we are thankful for the work that you are doing….
Happy birthday Curtis!