Lynna’s Update

by   March 19, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Although they kept David in the hospital an extra day, all is well. He’s very tired but at least at home, he can catch up on some much needed rest. Thank you for all your prayers. They mean so much to us. Next week he’ll resume chemo and hopefully tolerate it a bit better.

Also next week I’ll be having surgery to finish repairing a ruptured intestine. As you probably know, I had emergency surgery this past October. The doctor wanted to give me time to heal before we did a second surgery. Turns out I really am full of crap, but you probably already knew that too. Who knew they had a cure for that?! I just hope it works. Thankfully we have two local daughters already taking care of us. Our third daughter will be driving twelve hours from Illinois on Monday to pitch in as well. We seriously are so blessed.

Well… except for the whole cancer, heart valve, chemo, and exploding intestine… life is pretty good. I hope to share some great verses from Psalm 119 next week. But if I don’t, you’ll know why. For today, our prayer verse is from Psalm 119:77. “Surround me with your tender mercies, so I may live.” To that I would add, and David too. Though we turn 70 this year, I think the Lord has a few more things for us to do.

Much love dear friends. Thanks for praying

Lynna’s Letter “H”

by   March 19, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“How wide, how long, how high and how deep His love is.” from Ephesians 3:18

Years ago, we were on the beach at the Outer Banks, NC. David and I walked hand in hand at the edge of the surf away from the others. As far as we could see, in any direction there was only the Lord’s creation. Sand and the dunes stretched wide and long. A beautiful sky swirled with cotton white clouds reached high above us. An ocean teaming with life expanded too deep to be fully explored. The Lord says in our passage for today, that His love is too great to be understood. Maybe that’s why He gives us beautiful pictures like this so we can get a glimpse.

Rest in His amazing love today.

Love & Support

by   March 18, 2025 with No Comments

What do you do when a bully picks on you? We have probably all been there…except for the bullies. Steve Hartman shares the story of one town, or should I say state, came to the rescue. People who didn’t even know the one who was bullied came to let him know…he is loved and supported. ENJOY!

Having a Moment?

by   March 17, 2025 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Having a moment?

It is that split second in time when you remember something or someone that sweeps your daily thoughts away, and replaces them with the emotions that one feels of something that was long ago or something that is a moment that will never really go away. 

I call it having a moment.

I call it having a memory.

When my son was three years old, we somehow left after a week at the beach without bringing Curious George back home with us. We are certain we accidentally left him sleeping in the bed. Yes, the stuffed monkey did not return. Phone calls to the motel we had stayed at brought no results.

 Curious George was gone forever. We bought another, but the outfit had slightly changed, and there was no fooling my little boy. We could have placed 50 stuffed animals on his bed, but he only would have wanted HIS Curious George.

Poor us. My child could not sleep without Curious George; therefore it took both parents in the bed with him to make sleep possible.  As many are aware, three in a bed can get a bit tight.

Eventually, after a lengthy period of grief and trying out several similar Curious George’s that just were NOT the same, I suppose our lives returned to normalcy. 

Somewhat. Except sometimes – I still have a moment.

Silly, right? My child slept cuddling with George every night.

There was nothing silly about it.

Thankfully, the story ended with us finding a very very very similar Curious George who arrived in the mail for him from the motel?? (Wink. Wink.) More than thirty years later, my son told me that he did not figure out at first that it was not the original George until later when became an adult.

Family beach trip. Stuffed animal goes missing. Yes, I began writing about this experience after having a ‘moment’ where I remembered going through it with my family as we grieved the loss and celebrated the fake recovery and joy of Curious George coming home.

A few years later, I noticed Curious George was no longer in my son’s bed each morning, and one day I realized George had gone to live in the closet.

Even though Curious George 2 replaced Curious George 1 – it was never the same. Curious George 2 never slept in the bed, but stayed 24 hours a day on the toy shelf.

Then later, he chose to go live in the attic.

Or perhaps that decision was made while my son was at school – and we, as parents, had noticed George no longer was given any attention.

That is the end of the story.

Everyone forgot about it.

Well – sort of.

Except for when I have a moment.

God, my Creator, brings moments and memories to my mind for many reasons, some of which are for my pleasure. I can envision my little boy holding Curious George in his arms, walking around the house with him, laying Curious George on his pillow beside him each night as he prayed for George, for me, and for others. Any moment that brings a memory like that to your mind is a gift from God.

Now – years later – I still have my moments.

Yes, Curious George is rarely in those moments.

But – he sure was today as I wrote these words.

I was thankful.

I believe sleep came easier for my young child those nights with Curious George beside him.

I believe I slept better those nights, too.

The most beautiful things in life are not just things –

They are also moments and memories.

Our moments and memories are like a diary we carry around with us.

Enjoy them.

Let me know how your memories go –

Hungry to Help

by   March 16, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Fasting is a term many people are familiar with because it does not always necessitate a religious observance. Intermittent fasting has become a health choice for many. You can fast from certain meals or specific ingredients like sugar or foods like carbs. Cutting out media is often the choice for a mental or emotional fast. 

We are now in the season of Lent, where many do without a vice for 40 days and hopefully commit to prayer to prepare themselves for Easter.

There are many scripture passages Christians consider when fasting. We see Moses fast for 40 days before receiving the 10 Commandments. There is the fast Queen Esther held before approaching King Ahasuerus. Many Christians do a prolonged Daniel Fast, eating only fruits and vegetables. Even Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness, enduring temptation from Satan. Jesus also gives guidelines for one’s appearance during a fast (Matthew 6:16-18). Sometimes, as Christians, the goal of fasting can be to have what many call a spiritual breakthrough or pray for specific end results. Perhaps God might act favorably upon one’s request in exchange for denying one’s desires. 

One chapter worth reading on true and false fasting is Isaiah 58. God’s chosen people thought they could pull one over on Him, pretending to worship the Lord and serve Him with delight in hopes of returned favor, but God could see through to their hearts (not that their actions left much to hide). They were guilty of oppressing their own people, for starters, and many more gross atrocities you can study in the Old Testament. They dare to question why God does not seem to hear and respond to them during their fast. 

God explains the type of fast He chooses to see – “loosening bonds of wickedness, letting the oppressed free, sharing bread, clothing the homeless, pouring out oneself for the hungry, satisfying the desire of the afflicted” (Isaiah 58). He promised His people to be their guide and strength during a proper fast and that they would flourish and be called repairers and restorers of their place as a light shining among the nations. 

It’s as though the evidence of self-denial isn’t in an altar show of worship but in sharing among the people, their own people, whom they were overlooking and mistreating horribly. Could it be that pure self-denial is not just doing without for one’s own sake but to bless someone else? I can easily do without cheesecake and deny myself the temptation most of the year. If someone made me a homemade, decadent cheesecake and, as an act of will, I put it in the fridge for a few days and waited, I would justify myself with a reward at the end of the week. But, the real test would be complete self-denial – giving that cheesecake to someone else and maybe even watching them enjoying it. (Don’t get any ideas!)

How does that translate to self-denial in periods of fasting? Would it look like investing your time into prepping a meal for someone else as you pray over their family? Could it be ignoring the distraction at your fingertips to sit quietly on the porch, lifting prayers for your neighbors? Can one prayerfully purge gently worn or excess clothing to donate to the local women and children’s ministry? When hangry pangs come – could one conquer oneself by extending grace, mercy, and hospitality to those trying patience during a fasting period?

While I cannot answer those questions for you, it appears God told His people that the evidence of pure self-denial and worship that pleased Him meant sharing. How could you share during your next period of fasting?

Ashlie Miller does indeed love a good cheesecake but would question whether giving it to a frenemy during a fast was a word from God or just a frenemy. You can email her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com with your thoughts.

Gumballs!

by   March 15, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I live next to some woods, which I enjoy because they provide both privacy and cooling shade in the heat of summer. The woods near my house are mainly pine trees. On the other end of the woods there are mainly hardwood trees. I enjoy the peacefulness of walking through the woods, which reminds me of my days in the Boy Scouts.

            There are several really big trees right on the edge of the woods, including a very old elm, several oaks, a couple of maples, and sadly, some sweetgum trees. The sweetgum trees are large and provide lots of great shade. BUT…they also provide lots of gumballs. They get in the gutters, flowerbeds, vegetable garden, and all over my yard. If I had a dollar for each one I would be very wealthy!

            I hate gumballs. They make walking in the yard difficult. The lawn mower hits them and throws them…sometimes at me! They are problems that get into everything and don’t provide any benefit to me.

            When we get windy storms I lie in bed and listen to them hitting the roof. I hear them rolling down the roof and probably getting stuck in the gutters. I have wondered at times why God created sweetgum trees. My curiosity goes beyond gumballs to include poison ivy and plants that have burrs. My list of questionable things also includes mosquitos, flies, and slugs. Some people might include jellyfish and snakes on the list.

            We need to be careful. There is a huge difference between asking God a question and questioning God. It is okay to ask God a question because you want to learn, grow, and have a better understanding. Are you asking to be teachable? I think it comes down to how you asked the question. Asking God, “Why is the sky blue?” is very different from, “Why did you make the sky blue?” The first sounds more curious while the second sounds more like you are questioning his color choice.

            I am afraid that my questions about gumballs and poison ivy might fall in the wrong category of questions. I want to be careful to not cross the line with God. We are never in a position to question God. When Job went to God with his questions, God confronted him. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?” I hope I never find myself in that place.

            In one hour Job lost all his children and his wealth. It is a very natural reaction for him to say, “God, why weren’t you watching over my children? Don’t you care that my wealth was stolen from me?” In this case, Job is accusing God of something He didn’t do. The Bible makes it clear that Satan is the accuser, destroyer, and thief. Job’s frustration with his situation was aimed in the wrong direction.

            When we are facing trials and challenges we can easily find ourselves just like Job. We raise our voices towards heaven and ask, “Where were you, God?” Think of the people in California who lost their homes to the fires or the people in our mountains who lost their homes to the flooding; it’s easy to understand why they might question God. I can understand why the parents of a little child who has cancer or the husband of a wife who was in a terrible car wreck might find themselves questioning God.

            First, we have to remember that God is NOT the author of the tragic situation. He is our GOOD Father who heals, restores, and rights the wrongs. He is the one who will send His children to help the one in need. He is the rescuer and the redeemer. God does allow our faith to be tested to see if we will trust Him in the darkest of times. But He is also the one who will come through for us in our difficult moments.

            I want to encourage you to bring your difficult things to God. Be careful not to question Him, but seek His wisdom, guidance, and comfort. Ask Him for help because you know He is a good Father and you can trust that He will see you through your situation. There is nothing too difficult for God. Nothing is impossible for Him. His love for you is deeper than you can ever understand. Put your hand in His. Follow Him. Trust Him. Believe in His goodness. He will see you through to the other side. This storm will pass. You can trust that the SON will shine on you.

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

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