How to be a Grateful Complainer

by   November 24, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Is this a demanding season for you? It seems to be for many of us. Maybe everyone needs your input or your listening ear while you struggle to find time to vent your frustrations and worries to someone. Your schedule is busy with purposeful but also exhausting events. The children are especially busy, needing you as chauffeur or as a nurse to administer lots of TLC as they work through another cold or stomach bug. With a schedule limiting evenings at home, it feels like the list of chores needing completion – dishes, clothing, basic cleaning – keeps building up untouched. Days at the office seem incredibly demanding – particularly right before the holidays and vacation. And to top it all off, the 15+-year-old vehicle needs a new ABS, engine, or tires, and you had hoped to use that money for something else.

Sometimes, when we are tired and overworked, we miss the time to pause and wonder, falling into a pattern of complaining. “I don’t think I can listen to another person and provide an answer or an undistracted, understanding listening ear!” “Do the kids have to go to that social gathering to connect with friends?” “This house is such a mess! Why do we have all this stuff?!” “Why do they always need me so much this season?” “Why can’t we get a new vehicle?”

I’ve heard words like that even exit my own lips. Sadly, some of my closest friends have, too. It isn’t that we are even guilty of complaining a lot, but we find that one person we can vent to. A dear friend reminded me during one particularly emotional and heavy season when friends needed my empathy and encouragement, and I wasn’t sure I could help one more person – “What a blessing that they feel they can come to you and that you have something to offer them.” Ouch. Yes, what a blessing that they see a patient, ready-to-listen person who may offer them hope, even if inside, I feel quite differently. 

Those children who are wearing me out physically and sometimes emotionally – we were never sure we would get to have one – but five?! And to have a husband – an only child himself – who was happy to expand our family to such an unfamiliar limit for him? Amazing! That house that never gets to be picture perfect is a testimony to a full home with lots of life (“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean…” Proverbs 14:4). Our vehicles have not entirely worn out – reminding me of the sandals the children of Israel wore for 40 years in the desert. And as I catch my breath between it all, turning the corner of another birthday, I can celebrate having the strength and energy to keep up with family, ministry, and friends. 

I could complain. I have complained. Scripture gives stern warnings and stories about complaining (read up on those Old Testament Israelites!). But I can learn from them and remember that the things I complain about are the answers to someone else’s as-of-yet unanswered prayers. Maybe when I run out of things to give thanks for this week, I’ll instead write out a list of things I complain about and turn those into things to thank God for. Maybe you can, too!

Ashlie Miller counts her blessings and tries to minimize her complaints in Concord, NC, where she and her husband raise their family.

Go Slow!

by   November 23, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Go Slow

            I woke up last weekend with nothing on my agenda. I had nowhere to go and nothing to do. There were things I could do, but nothing was pressing. It was a great feeling. I was enjoying some quiet time on the porch and considering my options. That’s when I heard His whisper, “Go slow.” What does that mean? 

            Slow down means you are going too fast, but slowing down means you will still be going fast. Go slow means something different. People drive slowly when they pass a wreck in the road. We are all rubber-necking. People go slow when they are looking at Christmas lights or the fall leaves in the mountains.

            I was trying to understand what God was telling me. I walked around the outside of the house and saw lots of things that need attention. I decided I would do one of those things and that I wouldn’t work fast. I would take my time and enjoy the day. I went slow. It was nice. I noticed the blue skies and the birds singing. I made progress on my task, but it was slow progress.

            I came in around dark and saw an email from my co-Sunday School teacher. We share the responsibility for our adult Sunday school class. She was feeling under the weather and wondered if I could teach the class on Sunday. There went that slow paced, peaceful feeling. What should I teach? The Lord was faithful as I sought His direction. He simply said, “You already know.”  

            Go slow. Have you ever felt like God was moving slowly answering your prayer requests? Me too! I believe God is in the testing business. He wants to see if we will trust Him. Do we have faith that He will come through for us? Are we struggling with doubt? Will we be obedient to what He tells us to do? I recently read the story of the Jericho walls coming down. I imagine it was difficult to believe that city walls would come down and to trust God. I think God was testing Israel’s obedience in that situation. Would they follow His instructions? Will we follow His instructions and live obediently?

            Many times when we pray, we hope God will come through for us in a miraculous way and save us. Take medical issues. We pray and hope that God will deliver us from things, but sometimes God wants to walk with us through the tests and procedures. If we have a test done or endure a medical procedure and we experience God’s presence with us as we go through the situation, then we will have a testimony about His goodness. Our faith will grow stronger and we will develop a deeper trust in God.

            We have to believe that God is at work, especially in those times when we can’t see Him working. Often God is working behind the scenes to bring about His will and blessing for our lives. It is hard to see when we are stuck in the waiting mode, but God is working things out. I can look back on my life and see times where God was opening doors for a better job for me. It felt like He wasn’t working or was moving slowly, but I had to learn to trust Him. At just the right moment the door of opportunity opened.

            I think another reason God was whispering, “Go slow” to me was because my body needed me to slow down. Things have been very busy and I needed to go slow and rest. The fourth commandment is about keeping the Sabbath rest. God tells us that we are to work for six days but that we are to rest on the seventh. Many of us run at full throttle seven days a week and rarely allow ourselves some down time. We maintain the pace through our addiction to caffeine to fuel us. Our body needs us to “go slow” so we can recover. God tells us to slow down. Don’t miss the special moments. Don’t rush through family times. Don’t over commit. Don’t go so fast. Go slow!

            We are on the threshold of the holiday season. I want to encourage you to GO SLOW and enjoy the special moments. GO SLOW and enjoy the special people in your life. GO SLOW and reconnect with family and friends. GO SLOW and be intimate with God. He loves you and wants a deeper relationship with you. GO SLOW and be thankful. GO SLOW and welcome Him into your crazy life. GO SLOW…Breathe…Enjoy this special time of year.

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

What Air’s in Your Tires?

by   November 22, 2024 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

What Air’s in Your Tires

Because we paraplegics use our arms and shoulders to propel our manual wheelchairs, the condition of our shoulders is especially important. It matters not how large our biceps may grow, if our shoulders suffer injury, we will be forced to use a battery powered chair or have someone push us anywhere we wish to go. In case the reader is not aware, battery powered chairs are expensive, and having someone push us to wherever we desire to go is not practical. Thus, when I recently developed a constant, stabbing pain in my left shoulder I was concerned.

I did what I think most folks do when a physical pain comes on—I took an inventory. I curtailed my riding of the stationary handcycle by riding less days each week and clocking less miles. I also made my workouts less strenuous. When that did not change the intensity and frequency of the pain, I strove to decrease the  amount of hard pushing of my wheelchair that I had to do. Even though our house is built on a slab, and our lot is mostly flat, I was cautious about the  ramp leading to our back porch and the ramp to my shop. I concentrated more on how I pushed my wheelchair in order to not stress my shoulders, especially the left one. Finally, the ache’s frequency and intensity did not change,  In a fashion, I just quit and, taking the convenient way out of my problem, decided that after twenty years in a wheelchair my shoulders were finally giving out from being used for what they were not designed to do.

Not long after that pathetic conclusion, I noticed that the air pressure of my wheelchair tires seemed low. While in my shop later that day, I pumped each tire to the recommended ninety pounds of pressure and went on about my business. Now, I am no Archimedes, but within a few days I noticed the pain in my left shoulder had lessened. I began my old riding regime and felt no sudden twinges when I went up the two ramps that I must use every day. While I never shouted, “Eureka”, I was, as they say, one happy camper. And paraplegic.

The 2010 van that I drive, like all contemporary vehicles, has an abundance of notifications that appear on the displays or even on a cellphone. Mine has this silly, yellow logo that appears on the speedometer’s lower left-hand corner if the pressure in any tire becomes too low. It is just one more example of, to paraphrase the slogan of one early pioneering scientific company, “Better living through….” In this case, through computers. But my wheelchair is manual and has no computer or intelligent operator it seems. Because of low tire pressure, my wheelchair required more force to move it, requiring more work from my shoulders, especially the left one. Gads, after twenty years of using a wheelchair, wouldn’t you think that I would know to check tire pressure?

My first wheelchair was black and had hard rubber tires. It took little time to realize that, while the tires would never go flat, the hard tires caused discomfort, and I despised the black. Quickly, I purchased a purple wheelchair with pneumatic tires–the color was cool and the ride comfortable. But a wheelchair is, after all, a machine and like any machine it must be maintained. But the air of the tires is so common, not complex like other parts. Air! It’s all around us and free. All life on earth depends on it, even in so simple of an invention as the  pneumatic tire.

A quick Google search reveals that the pneumatic tire was patented in the United States by Robert W. Thompson, a Scottish inventor, in 1847. (In 1849 he patented the fountain pen.) His “aerial wheels” were a hollow leather tire enclosing a rubberized fabric tube filled with air. However, because the price of rubber was so high, his inventor languished for over fifty years until a new way of manufacturing rubber lowered its price.

But never mind. The point is that because of such a simple cause, my shoulders suffered, and that sharp pain could have developed into something much more serious. And I think that our  lives are so much like the lack of  adequate air in my tires. We all need air in so many ways for our lives, but what air fills our souls? What air supports our dreams? What air refreshes our spirits? Our lives are made better when we believe in something larger than ourselves, and for me that is God. He is the air that I breathe. He is the air that keeps me afloat. He is the air that soothes my pains. He is the air that cools my burnings. He is the air in the tires of my wheelchair that allows me to push and roll easily as I traverse life.

A Busy November

by   November 21, 2024 with No Comments

By David Freeze

A busy November and more

   20 years ago, it was hard to find a race in November. I was big into racing then and there was very little on the calendar. I remember one year that I was considering driving to Tennessee just to find one. It is fun to find a new race, but this one involved too much driving, and I passed on it.

    There are plenty of good races around now for those who want to run and walk during November. Saturday, November 9th, is the Clean Water 5K at Grace Lutheran Church at 8:30am. Unsafe water leads to illnesses that claim the lives of 840,000 people each year, almost half of whom are children under the age of five. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Water Ministry.

    Next Saturday, November 16th, the Girls on the Run program has their graduation celebration for the fall class at Salisbury Community Park. Girls who participated in the program and their running buddies get center stage, but community runners can register to participate and will be the first on the course.

    Then comes the Thanksgiving Day Butterball 5K at the Forum on November 28th. This is the fastest growing event in the county and is the perfect start to your holiday. It is well planned with an 8:30 start, fast refreshments and awards to get the walkers and runners on the way to other holiday activities. Proceeds go to Prevent Child Abuse and the Terrie Hess House.

   December, another month that used to have few events, has two good ones for our area. The Freeze Your Buns 5K and Fun Run is set for the Spencer Winterfest at 1pm on December 7th. The race is sponsored by Duke Energy and tours the neighborhoods around the festival area near the town hall.

     The following Saturday has the Santa Bigfoot Run 5K and Fun Run at the Millbridge Ruritans building across from Sloan Park on December 14th. All proceeds benefit Rowan Helping Ministries. Be aware that squatch sightings are likely. Race time is 9am.

      I have been running now for 13 consecutive days. Most of the runs have been between four and 5.2 miles and it has been going well. After spending five months being less active than I would like to be, my body is struggling to get going again. I’m aware that my muscles aren’t as strong as they were, and I can’t run as fast. It all seems similar to returning after the summertime bike rides that last 30-60 days. Even those cycling adventures cause me to lose running form and strength for particular muscles.

     The recovery from the broken back is very important to me. I will know recovery has happened if I can achieve again the same level of fitness that I had on the morning of the accident date, May 15th. My lower back is stiff and less flexible than it was that day, so I have to begin stretching and flexibility exercises which will improve that area and others. Most of my lifelong miles have been done without any stretching because I chose to run instead of stretch. Doctor of Physical Therapy Pam Roseman makes occasional fun of me for doing this. She’s going to help on the flexibility and strengthening choices.

       Stretching enhances the flexibility of muscles and tendons, reducing the risk of possible injuries during exercise. When our muscles are warm and flexible, they can better respond to sudden movements or excessive stress. In particular, stretching before and after exercise ensures that muscles are adequately prepared and recovered, effectively preventing injuries such as muscle tears or sprains.

      Regular stretching improves muscle flexibility and range of motion, enhancing exercise performance. Flexible muscles can exert more force, thus increasing the efficiency of exercising. For instance, moving in a broader range optimizes muscle usage, allowing for better performance. I will report next week.

    Look for more info on events listed at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: A busy November and more

There is No One Like Him

by   November 20, 2024 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

1 Chronicles 29:11 To you, O GOD, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all. (NLT)

  • Regardless of how things seem at times we remind ourselves that there is only one God who is sovereign.
  • There is no other God besides Him or even like Him and He rules the universe.
  • We belong to Him; and rejoice in the greatness of our God in all situations.

Prayer:  I lift my hands today Lord in praise and worship of You, because You are Lord of all.  I am so grateful for Your love and that You are King and mighty God.  I yield to You and submit and trust You and know that You will make all things work according to Your purpose.  Use me for Your glory today I pray in Jesus name.  Amen.


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

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