Are You Ready?

by   December 23, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            It’s almost Christmas…are you ready? We have been working on some last-minute details around here. I have a few errands to do and one final run to the grocery store. I always leave the wrapping until the end. Now, where is the baby Jesus? He has to be around here somewhere.

            It is hard to get everything ready on time. I think it takes me longer to do things as I get a little older. I am semi-retired; I should have more time. It seems like there is more to do than there is time to get it all done. Sometimes I sit down by the Christmas tree to catch my breath.

            I have attended a few gatherings this year and I determined ahead of time that I was going to be present in the moment. Sometimes we allow our schedules to drive us and the clock to determine where we need to be. I have purposefully slowed down to be with friends and family. I want to enjoy and remember the moment. I want to live and be present in the moment.

            I think about the craziness of my schedule and how I am inching my way through the list of things that I must get done. Then I begin to consider what it must have been like for Mary, the young mother of Jesus. All the craziness that I am enduring does not compare to what this young mother must have gone through to bring Jesus into the world.

            We have to remember she was only a teenager. I taught teenagers for over thirty years. A number of my students had babies through the years. In my mind, they were children having children. It’s challenging to raise a child today. Can you imagine what it must have been like in Nazareth?

            Can you imagine the challenge that Mary and Joseph faced trying to take a four day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem because Caesar ordered a census? I am sure they would have preferred to wait for a more convenient time. Can you imagine their desperation, wanting to find a place to have the baby after the long journey? She had the baby in a dark, damp, and smelly cave where animals were put on cold winter nights.

            I imagine Mary struggled as she dealt with people thinking she was a morally lose girl who couldn’t wait for her wedding night. She knew she was a virgin, but who would believe her story? We know Elizabeth believed her, which had to be comforting. We hope that Joseph trusted and believed her, but he may have struggled with doubts of his own.

            I wonder if Mary and Joseph struggled with feelings of failure for the way they welcomed Jesus into the world. The best they could do was a cave? Yet God wanted them to know that He was more than proud of them by sending shepherds to congratulate and welcome His Son into our world.

            Sometimes we might feel like failures. Sometimes we think that maybe we missed God and His plans for our lives. We look around and think that maybe we didn’t accomplish enough for God. We wonder if maybe God might be just a little disappointed for trading His Son for someone like us.

            I want to be perfectly clear…God is absolutely proud to call you His son or daughter. You please Him just by being yourself. You didn’t miss God! Your heart has been in love with Jesus, His Son. Your desire has been to serve Him. You may wonder if you chose the wrong profession, but God needs representatives in EVERY profession to be lights for Him. He needs people where you are to let those walking in darkness see the light of His love. You are that beacon of light. You are that wellspring of hope. You are God’s love to them.

            I imagine that Joseph and Mary worried about every aspect of Jesus’ birth and upbringing, but God was with them, helping them every step of the way. I believe that God is with you, too. I want to encourage you to open your heart to God’s love this Christmas. He still offers peace on earth for you, if you will accept Him. He has answers for all that you are going through in life. It may not be easy…remember, Mary and Joseph didn’t have it easy bringing Jesus into the world…but I promise you He will help you each step of the way.

            Behold…the Savior of the world has come. Welcome Him. Merry Christmas and may God richly bless you this holiday season.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Being First

by   December 22, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

 In many situations being first is desired. Athletes train to be first in order to stand alone. Explorers take risks to be the first to reach an objective, such as a mountain peak, which will likely be named in the explorer’s honor. Students study to be first in their class to reap scholastic rewards. The winners in professional sports are richly rewarded by fan adulation and huge salaries.  In our culture, to be the first is to be special and successful. Being first is associated with being a winner, and the rewards for that will be vast.

However, there is one first that I wonder about, and that is being the first child. I wonder what it is like being the child on which parents work to perfect their parenting skills? What is it like being the child who is expected to help after the younger siblings arrive? How does the first child react to expectations that he or she had but that are not later made of the younger ones?  Does the pressure of being the yardstick for all children in a family ever lessen? How old does the first child have to be before the remark, “You’re too old,” stops hurting or stinging? How damaging is the mantle of adulthood placed too soon on young shoulders, and does it sometimes cause them to sag?

            As I type these words, all six children of my mother cover the range of the 70 aged group. But in a few days, the oldest, a girl, turns 80. Once again, she will lead us into a novel age decade. Yet she has led us before because she is the oldest: Into Marriage: On being the first parent;  She would be the first college graduate; She led us into and through many life experiences. In many ways, she showed us how to navigate life’s water.

            At one time the seven years between my older sister and me was a chasm too deep and wide to cross. But as we aged, that space between us grew smaller, and we developed a kinship that was not possible when, for instance, I was thirteen and she was twenty. The family baby is ten years younger than the girl who soon turns eighty, but those ten years are now nothing more than dates on a calendar. Life and aging have a way of closing such gaps, reducing the space that once seemed insurmountable.

            Our mother, a divorced mother of six children, worked hemming washcloths in Plant 1, Cannon Mills. Her life was hard, but her unconditional love covered us. Later after she retired and needed help to live in her mill house on South Juniper Street, my four sisters took turns spending a week at a time with her. Each Tuesday at Noon one sister would arrive, and one would leave. This rotations was done in their birth order, so for this loving gift, the oldest child was once again the first. Many observations and stories came out of the ten years my sisters cared for our mother. One often repeated story is how they all heard our mother walking through her three-bedroom mill house softly repeating over and over, “Just me and my six little children.” Each sister would share feelings about her time with our mother, and the oldest told me more than once, “Those days brought me peace with our mother.”

            Tobie now lives in the same neighborhood with her closest sibling, a girl two years younger. While that younger sister will soon enough turn eighty, the best thing of all is that they again share much of living just as they did when they shared the front bedroom of our mill house with another sister. Ponder that: Three adolescent girls sharing one bedroom!

            Life lived and shared, and Tobie was and is the first in so many ways. Some of those ways undoubtedly were difficult. Some were joyous. But all along the path she traveled, she left blazes–marks easy for her younger siblings to find and follow.

We’re in a Battle

by   December 21, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Have you ever realized that we are in a battle during the holiday season? A battle for our own best self! Most Americans gain 2.5-3.5 pounds annually between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. And nearly all of them don’t lose it, even with the later rush toward the gyms powered by resolutions. Ten years from now, that equates to an added 30 pounds.

Days are shorter and it is cold outside, making many of us reluctant to exercise outside or make a trip to the gym. It takes effort to exercise too, seemingly far less effort than it takes to sit down with a large meal or power our day with junk food. It’s my idea that we could stand the calories in moderation coupled with exercise though the period. I think the culprit is the junk food that gets eaten for various reasons in between the actual holiday meals.

I had yet another birthday this past week and one of my daughters brought me a wheelbarrow-sized tray of homemade brownies. I felt bad not eating just a few of them but having such a large batch made for a real dilemma. Thinking about all the extra food that seems to just materialize constantly during the holidays, what could I do? How can I keep my calories in check? I did a presentation just this past week to another group about the perils of junk food and much of it applies here.

Junk food includes soda, chips, candy, cookies, doughnuts, cake, pastries, some breakfast bars, liquid calories (sports drinks and specialty coffees) and more, things we grab quick. The combination of sugar and fats has been proven to be addictive. Junk food addiction is a thing, with its own withdrawal similar to drugs, caffeine, etc. Junk food addiction is considered an eating disorder, causing anxiety and depression.

Junk food is typically poor in nutrition and high in calories. It is full of high sugar, salt, saturated and trans-fat, as well as preservatives and processed ingredients. Body reactions include a spike in blood sugar, then a resulting crash (tiredness and hunger). High salt causes blood pressure issues. Junk food pushes body inflammation and decreased nutrient intake, and it also reduces a desire for whole, fresh foods. Junk food is also low in fiber which causes digestive conditions and even constipation. Other results are lower control of infection and a lower capacity for memory and learning. It raises bad cholesterol (LDL) and leads to obesity and allergies. Junk food makes up 30-35 percent of the average diet, but worse during the holiday season, traditional meals aside.

What to do? Don’t eliminate the occasional treat but pursue a flexible approach using 80-90 percent of whole or minimally processed foods. The remaining 10-20 percent can include ice cream, pie or a brownie or two. With this approach, we can enjoy the holidays or special occasions without obsessing over what we eat and potential weight gain. Grab a snack or meal filler of fresh fruit, nuts, low sugar yogurts and plenty of water.

Our heavy race schedule has slowed down after the Dec. 9 Global Contact Services Santa Run 5K at Sloan Park. There are no more races locally until the Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners Resolution 5K on Jan. 1 at The Forum. Much different than the other races, this one is a low-key opportunity to make a commitment to oneself about a thoughtful, healthful and Happy New Year!

For a fee of just $10, participants get to run a safe course with individual timing, a left over, never been worn, race shirt from a 2023 event and plenty of refreshments. The top 10 males and females get a medal, and we’ll likely have some great door prizes.

Looking farther ahead, Salisbury’s well-known 41st New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races will be held on Sunday, Feb. 4. More to come on all the big news surrounding this event! Find more on these and other events at salisburyrowanrunners.org.

Salvation is REAL

by   December 20, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

2 Thessalonians 1:8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

  • Certainly there is an end coming – the whole world agrees.
  • Those that do not accept this wonderful salvation gospel, which is a simple gift, will be punished and receive God’s judgement for it.
  • If we don’t know Him through salvation and relationship, then we are lost.  It is a free gift.  All are welcome.  

Prayer:  Lord, I thank You for saving my soul and showing me and my household grace.  I ask You to help me to reach out to the lost and not keep this message to myself, that they may have a chance, and hear and turn and get to know You I pray.  Amen.
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

I Hope it Ain’t Catching

by   December 19, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

I got a call from my granddaughter Kianna the other day. In the midst of delivering pizza to NAPA, the auto parts store, she was verbally attacked by a customer. It seems because Kianna was wearing a mask the lady in line decided that my granddaughter was in need of enlightenment. She accused her of being brain washed by the media, questioned her heritage and political persuasion, then proceeded to tie everything together with a sound cussing.

Sorry. I exaggerated a bit when I used the term “lady.” The strange overheated woman leaned in close and coughed on my granddaughter in hopes that she would realize a mask could not protect her. Never mind the fact that Pizza Hut requires masks on all their personnel. So I did what any Godly grandmother would do. I tossed several shovels into the back of the truck and headed to NAPA. As Kianna and I continued to talk I asked her how big the woman was.

“I think we can take her,” my lovely granddaughter replied.

“Alright honey. Here’s the plan. I’ll whack her in the head with my shovel. You hit her again for good measure. I’ll take her arms, you grab her legs and we’ll drag her into the woods. Between the two of us we can dig a hole deep enough to cover her crazy. Then I’ll explain to her that germs, politics, and brain washing are not the only dangers in our society.” I imagined pointing my finger in her face to drive my point home. “Now you lay there and think about what you’ve done!”

Kianna seemed pleased with the plan. The only problem is that she lives in Illinois and I live in NC; approximately seven hundred and twenty one miles apart. Even as fast as I drive the woman would likely be gone by the time I got there. Oh how I wish I could shake her ‘til her teeth rattle and explain the futility of a life lived in anger. I mean really! What the heck? What she doesn’t know is that my granddaughter just graduated high school in a year that was less than ideal. The child works two jobs and saves every penny toward college. When she is not delivering pizza she takes care of a beautiful little girl with severe autism. Instead of answering her attacker, Kianna took a step back and celebrated the $5 pity tip the guy who ordered the pizza gave her.

I couldn’t get there in time to make good use of my shovel, so I offered a bit of wisdom instead. Since she is headed to New York for college I reminded Kianna that the Lord is preparing her for big city life. “He’s promised to equip us for the things He asks us to do. Maybe He knows you need to get used to all those swear words.” She nodded and laughed. “Then I should be good to go for a while.”

I don’t have any idea how to end this story. Maybe the moral is as mentioned earlier: Living a life filled with anger is futile. Perhaps we should all leave our sharp words and shovels at home. Maybe we could even tip folks extra good to help make up for some of the ignorance going around. Or maybe we could just take a step back and hope to God that crazy is not contagious.

Keep That Ornament!

by   December 18, 2023 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

I categorize myself as a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas decorating, even though we put our tree up on Nov. 9. I do not consider myself a super helper in this area, either. However, I am a super supervisor.

My favorite part of the decorating is putting the ornaments on the tree, because that requires full family participation, as they listen to me share great memories about the story behind each ornament.

At the bottom of the box where our ornaments have been lovingly stored in the attic for the past year, there are always a few that are broken or separated from their other ornament friends. I have been known to toss some of them gently into the trash, if no one is looking.

This year, as I was preparing to do just that, I noticed Mary — the mother of Jesus. My mind began to think about what her world must have been like in some of those seconds, minutes, days, months and years that she lived on Earth.

The angel Gabriel had brought her the news! She was highly favored and would be the earthly mother of Jesus! As excited and honored as she must have felt, the book of Luke also tells us that she was troubled at what the angel said and questioned him, asking, “How can this be?”

Nine months later, riding on a donkey for four days while ‘great’ with child? That journey had to be very difficult.

No room at the inn? Oh, the pain of that rejection.

Bringing her baby into a dark, ugly world in a dark, ugly manger? It was basically a cave with a feeding trough! Definitely not what she had envisioned.

Twelve years later, heading home from the temple and realizing her son was missing? Unimaginable fear must have gripped her heart.

Twenty-one years after that, her pain was certainly unbearable as she watched Jesus suffer on the cross. She had witnessed his birth, and now has to witness his death. He came to this world as her son and left this world as her Savior. As Jesus looked ahead in time and died for us, He also looked down from the cross and died for her.

Peace for Mary surely at times seemed elusive. Just as it does at times for each of us. We all want peace. We all need it. If we don’t have it, we know it.

We may have received news that is troubling, where we ask, “How can this be?” We may be facing a long, difficult journey. We may feel rejection from others that seem to have no room for us in their lives. We may be in a dark and ugly place, far from what we had envisioned. We may have times of unimaginable fear or unbearable pain as we face circumstances that leave us hurting.

Though Mary’s life was not easy, she lived her life in peace. How do we know that? Because we know she accepted Jesus into heart and life. We also know that she had the Prince of Peace — Jesus — with her always.

I looked again at that manger scene and remembered these words

I have heard many times: No Jesus, no peace.

Know Jesus, know peace.

I sure am thankful for that heavenly peace that passes all understanding and comes only by knowing and accepting the Prince of Peace.

No — the manger scene was not tossed — and I doubt that it would ever be!

Joy in the Waiting

by   December 17, 2023 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Christmas Eve night, after the candlelight service, a drive through neighborhoods with pretty lights, and hot cocoa accompanying a shepherd’s meal of bread, nuts, and cheese, our family finally arrives home late in the evening. Upon arrival, the five children, ranging from a small six-year-old boy to a couple of lanky teens, change into comfortable jammies and pull as many blankets, pillows, cushions, and mattresses as possible into our snug living room. Tonight is the night – the night before Christmas!

Each year, I ask my older ones if they still want to sleep by the tree on Christmas Eve, and every year, they give a whole-hearty “Yes!”. It is that feeling of joy they long to experience, unmatched by any other regular night of the year. When they are young, the joy is about waking up and seeing if that deeply desired gift is under the tree. I think as they get older, they look forward to the experience of joy that we share as a family. They, too, enjoy watching little ones open their gifts. 

Anticipating joyfully in a jolly season is not particularly difficult (waiting with patience is another story). But enduring with joy when things are painful can be more than a mere challenge. Seasons of grief over a loved one or lost dream, sorrow over a strained relationship, uncertainty over a current situation of health or provision are just a few of the many challenging circumstances that can stifle joy.

Sometimes, we are tempted to think these expressions of joy in such situations are not authentic to who we truly are. We are told to express our true feelings – “don’t hide how you feel,” “you be you.” For Christians, I wonder if we have traded “authenticity” for obedience and living a peculiar and set-apart lifestyle that is a sweet-smelling aroma to Christ and to others watching from the outside. How does Scripture direct us?

  • Consider it joy when facing trials because the process brings steadfastness, character, hope, and completeness (James 1:2-3; Romans 5:3-5). We can be joyful in the process by trusting the outcome for our wholeness. 
  • Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, endured many sorrows and affliction, but his perspective was upward focused – “Sorrowful yet always rejoicing, poor yet making many rich; as having nothing yet possessing everything” (1 Corinthians 6:10). Difficult times with the proper perspective make way for rejoicing and can bless others along the way.
  • When we abide in the presence of God by reading His word – where He makes known the path of life – and diligently obey, we experience the fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11; John 15:1-11). That close abiding ensures that our circumstances do not shake us because we dwell securely in God, which brings joy in troubles (Psalm 16:8-9).

Where do you find yourself this holiday season? Is it a place of finding it easy to rejoice because things are going well? Or is it a painful season of growth that can point to wholeness, an opportunity to reset your gaze and perspective upward, or a time to revisit what it means to abide and dwell securely even amid uncertainty? In any case, you can rejoice if you know the One who provides fullness of joy.

Ashlie Miller is wife to Chad Miller (pastor of Mission Bible Church in Charlotte). They raise their five children in Concord, NC.

Faith Prevails

by   December 16, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Have you ever struggled with doubt? Yeah, I have too. No one wants to struggle with doubt, but it’s a natural human tendency. This struggle began in the Garden of Eden. Satan came to Eve and asked her, “Did God really say…” He created doubt in Eve’s mind. If it worked back in the garden, he will use it on us today.

            There is a big difference between doubting God and struggling with thoughts of doubt. When we doubt God we don’t trust Him or His word. However, when we find ourselves struggling with doubt, that can be a good thing, because that is when our faith is growing. When we wrestle with doubt we are fighting or wrestling with our logical minds to bring us into a greater trust in God.

            If I doubt you and turn my back on you that means I have come into agreement with the doubts. I have decided you are wrong and will not consider another option. That is the kind of doubt that is dangerous. It is especially bad when I allow those kinds of doubts to enter my relationship with God. When we have decided that we are right and God is wrong, we are in serious trouble.

            If you find yourself struggling with doubt you are in some good company. Abraham struggled with doubt. How could God bring forth a child from Sarah and him? Sarah laughed at the thought she would become pregnant at her age. But Abraham chose to trust God even though his logical mind tried to lead him away in doubt. That’s a faith-growing good battle.

            Sometimes we have to pay a price for our struggle with doubt. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah he doubted God’s word that he would become a father at his age. His doubt brought about the consequence that he was deaf and mute until John the Baptist was born. We need to learn to engage faith to fight our doubts and thus grow stronger spiritually.

            At this time of year I often think about Joseph and wonder how often he struggled with doubts about the origin of Jesus. Mary knew she was a virgin. Up until that point in history no one had ever experienced a virgin birth. I imagine Satan planted doubts in Joseph’s mind.  

            I believe the shepherds were sent to help Joseph. Their story would silence his doubts and stir up his faith. Later when Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, there is the respected leader Simeon who takes Jesus and declares that He is the long-awaited Messiah. Then Anna comes along and shares Simeon’s excitement. I believe these events encouraged Joseph’s faith.

            Joseph must have had a strong faith because we know of four specific times that God gave Joseph a dream and in each case he was immediately obedient to the instructions in the dream. Yet this man of great faith, the man who was entrusted with raising the Messiah, probably struggled with doubts. But Joseph raised his shield of faith and overcame the doubts.

            If you meet someone with a strong faith then I can assure you that the individual has fought and overcame many doubts. When we meet doubt in our spiritual journey we have a choice. We can come into agreement with the doubt and walk away from faith in God, or we can choose to fight the doubts and come into agreement with God and trust Him and His word. We have to choose to believe. In spite of what we see, we choose to trust God.

            Each of us is struggling with something in our lives. It’s something that is calling us to believe that God is bigger than our circumstances. Doubts are floating around in our minds about God’s love and faithfulness. God is calling us to choose. He wants us to choose faith in Him, trust in Him, hope in Him in spite of the situation.

            I want to encourage you to stir your faith in God. Believe. In spite of the circumstances believe that God loves you and knows all the details you are facing at this moment. Have faith that He is at work in your situation. Trust that He will do what is best for all that are involved. Pray that God will take your mustard seed of faith and help you overcome. Doubt is not bad if we engage it and grow a stronger faith because of it. I pray God blesses you and helps you as you walk through the trial you are facing.   

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Wonderful Winter Day

by   December 15, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The 26-degree temperature and frozen bird baths announce this morning’s cold, the first hard chill of 2022. In fact, (“I think to myself, what a wonderful world”) that it is the first one of this winter season as I watch robins, cardinals, chickadees, and thrashers trying to create just a crack in the cruel ice of the birdbaths. All they accomplish, however, is a slide across the unfamiliar frozen circles or a sideways hopping along each edge. They quickly realize the futility involved here and adapt—and gracefully fly to other sources. Above all this life the almost harsh winter sunlight penetrates the scene, but it comes from a slightly more northernly track; proof of the lasting rotation which announces, if one is observant, winter season’s end began on December 21, at 21:48 UTC because that is when the winter solstice occurred in 2022.

Despite the occasional winter cold, I watch the sun rise each day to mark its position over the lake and note that each day’s light is a bit longer before sunset. In this way the gloom of raw, winter days is lessened and hope for warm, light filled days is sustained. For instance, as I type these words the next morning, one patch of the back garden is abruptly filled with red-winged blackbirds that gather at the non-frozen bird bath like members of a dunking sect. They drink, then hop to the turf under the feeder that hangs from the bare dogwood tree. Life, even on such a morning, swarms here and across the whole earth.

In 1967 Louis Armstrong recorded “What a Wonderful World”, the well-known song written and arranged by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele. I quote from it in the first paragraph because it is a fine reminder of what we are given in this “wonderful world.”

Once, when I was a young man struggling with my first heartache, my mother said to me, “Son, sometimes this ol’ world is hard.” She, the mother who reared six children alone, certainly knew how true her words were. But she also shared her love of trees and birds and flowers. One memory I hold close is of her standing at her kitchen window, looking out at her back yard that was full of maple trees that we had planted. Today, all these years later, my wife and I enjoy birds visiting a birdbath that adorned her yard beneath those maples. She found solace where she could and used it as one of her shields against the hardness that life sometimes showed.

Yes, the January cold has arrived. Ice. Snow. Short, dark days. All of it raw and real. But even these days hold the promise of better ones coming as marked by the winter solstice that happened a few days ago.  Look out, find the beauty in a cold morning, then share it with a friend.

Another Good Cross Country Season

by   December 14, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Coach Jason Bryan and both his men’s and women’s cross-country teams finished off another fine season last weekend on the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course in Joplin, Missouri. Bryan, in his 10th year, continues to lead the effort as the teams reach higher in national prominence.

The women ran the 6K Championship race and finished 21st out of 34 teams. The final season ranking of No. 21 in D2 improved on the ranking of No. 23 going into the race. The previous best national ranking in program history was 28th, achieved last year.

Sophomore Madi Clay of Morganton again led the team with a solid 44th place finish, just four spots short of All-American designation. She ran 20 minutes, 48.3 seconds in a field of 260 finishers. Other finishers in order for Catawba were Mikayla Jones, Raina Andrews, Natalie Almond, Sydney Cockerham and Jenna Coleman.

The men ran the 10K (6.2 miles) Championship race and finished 22nd out of 34 teams. With that final ranking of No. 22 in D2, the team eclipsed the best prior finish in program history of 33rd in 2021. The men’s team was ranked No. 37 entering the race. Top finisher for Catawba was Oussama Ajala at 31:07.8. Others in order were Erick Ramirez, Tanner Smith, Anthony LeCorche, E.J. Threatt and Andrew Whitehead. There were also 260 finishers in this race.

After significantly improving on her finish from last year’s nationals, Clay said, “Mostly, I’m just extremely proud and impressed with how both the girls and boys team did this cross-country season. Everyone worked very hard and came together to achieve something never done before at Catawba. Personally, my race went fairly well at nationals. I was so close to getting the title of all-American so there is some regret in that I didn’t push just a little harder. But at the end of the day, the memories I made with my teammates were far more important than any race ever could be. Overall, nationals was an amazing experience and I can’t wait to go again next year.”

Bryan said, “We are so proud of this team and the history they made this season. We spoke at the beginning of the year about getting both teams to the NCAA meet and being able to reach that goal. Getting both teams in the top 25 in the country was really special.”

In 2014, Bryan’s first year, the men’s team was 10th of 11 in the SAC conference and the women were 11th of 11.

In other local happenings, the Runner Friendly Community signs at the major entrances to Salisbury will be updated early in 2024 as the previous designation ends in December of this year.

The Butterball 5K race on Thanksgiving morning at The Forum had entrants from New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, California, Oklahoma, Ohio, Florida and Colorado, a total of 11 states represented as of press time. Turkey day races are all the rage across the country now, making Thanksgiving Day the most heavily participated racing day in the nation. Rayna Gardner and Matt Marsh at The Forum deserve lots of credit for presenting a first class and runner-friendly event locally.

Other races coming up soon include the Freeze Your Buns 5K and Fun Run on Dec. 2 in Spencer. As part of Winterfest, the afternoon 2 p.m. start offers a different option for runners who don’t prefer an early morning start and for those who will stay around to enjoy the festival and its skating rink.

The long-running Santa 5K, set for Dec. 9, moves across the road to Sloan Park and the Country Life Museum. A visit by Santa has again been arranged and weather permitting, he will drive a tractor to lead the race. The annual Bigfoot Reunion takes place the same weekend in the woods next to the 5K course. Occasional sightings have been rumored in the past, but no proof exists.

The Jan. 1 Resolution 5K is back at The Forum. Look for more information on these and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

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