Jesse Weber Chooses a different type Marathon

by   May 24, 2022 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Most runners want to run regular marathons, 26.2 miles on roads with reasonable courses. Jasen Weber goes a different way. Both of his marathons were unusual, and he said, “Probably because there seems to be an extra bit of adventure with the ‘unusual,’ they take place on paths less traveled. They’ve taken me to places even folks that live close by have never seen. Taking in the secluded nature is just wonderful!” 

I met Jasen when he showed up for one of our COVID pandemic prediction 5K runs at City Park last year. He said, “I was born in Virginia, but I bounced around quite a bit as a military brat. I lived mostly in Washington state and Maryland.  I’ve lived on both sides of the country and seen just about every state…just not on foot! I came to Salisbury shortly after my mother, Maria, and younger sister, Shaina, died in 2017 in separate incidents, I came out here to be closer to living relatives and explore where my mom grew up. Life has been good here.” 

Jasen started pursuing a healthier lifestyle at 30 years old when his doctor suggested adding some cardio regularly or his cholesterol would require medication. Jasen said, “So I started running on January 26th of 2021. Shortly after that I was all in!” 

He’s 31 years old and works in food service for Levy Restaurants, usually at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jasen has called Salisbury home for five years.

Jasen’s most recent marathon was extremely unusual at  Pandora’s Box of Rox in Burnet, Texas. Packet pick-up had to happen within 30 minutes of start time and runners could begin the race whenever they wanted.  With no crowd of spectators, just a man and his cow bell sent each runner off into the dust. The terrain was brutal, running up, down, and around rock faces. Some areas were marked exceptionally well, others, not so. Jasen said, “I ended up off course a couple times and accumulated almost 2 more miles. It was so hard, but I loved every moment of it — so much that I plan on doing the race again next year with my brother.”

There were 53 total marathon finishers, male and female, and 10 DNFs. Jasen said, “I finished 19th overall on another multi-loop course.  My time does not reflect my typical marathon time, finishing at a whopping 5 hours 53 minutes. There were printed signs on some trees during the last couple miles and my favorite one read, ‘It’s OK to feel like quitting, just don’t.’ My brother was going to meet me back at the start line for the second loop to hand off my hydration pack so I could run ‘naked’ the first loop. He wasn’t there, so I just had to press on and rely on the aid stations. That was interesting because I had my pack set, planned, organized and ready for me after that first loop.” 

At an aid station called “Rock,” one of the only aid stations with a person present, Jasen met a guy who said he’d been guarding that aid station for the last eight years. Up in those rocks was his happy place, and he pointed out that he owned the giant boulder that sat in front of his canopy. 

Jasen’s first marathon was also pretty interesting. It was a 2.62 mile loop course mixed with trail and road. There was a 45-minute cut-off time for each of the 10 loops. Everyone joined in to start each consecutive loop together. Cumulative running time was tracked, not the waiting for others. This one is called The Carolina Reaper Challenge and takes place in Seneca, S.C., on a very hot July course.

Running goals include Jasen’s first ultra, a 50K in October. He plans to complete his SRR mileage club goal of 1,500 miles for the year before attempting his biggest, and wildest goal to run to the state of Maryland.

Jasen’s family members are his dogs, Sam and King. He has a cousin, Jana, a brother, Bobby, plus all the kids that surround them provide many second cousins, nieces, and nephews. Jasen remains very active with Rowan County running.

The next race locally is the Bare Bones 5K at Knox Middle School. It benefits Relay for Life.You can visit www.
salisburyrowanrunners.org for more information.

I’m With Him

by   May 24, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Do you have a Charlie in your church? Charlie in our church faithfully made coffee for every service. And he’d be on a mower in the heat of summer, taking care of the church yard, no matter how bad his health got. We had a week-end message where no volunteers were used, except for kids club, just to show how much we need each other. Charlie was all in a tither because he did not want us going without coffee.

Nehemiah 7:2 says “I gave the responsibility of governing Jerusalem to my brother Hanani,… for he was a faithful man who feared God more than most.”

Faithful. Do you know someone like that, always faithful, no matter what? Some people you can just count on. Like the one who sets up tables and cleans up after a meeting; others work on making the sound the best it can be; some keep the nursery or work with kids club; [there’s a golden crown in Heaven for those brave souls!] Some practice hard to make the music just right; and then there are those who smile a big ol’ smile and greet you like you are somebody. You always feel better when they’re around! Are you looking for your name in that list? Consider it there! Your church is full of faithful people just like you.

Where was Charlie before church? If I remember correctly, he was outside one day at his house. Not a lot of good going on in his life. A faithful man stopped by and talked to him about mowing the church yard… and about eternity. From then on Charlie was the Lord’s, and ours. When he died, I remember the sadness and grief and the realization he would no longer be puttering around fixing things. Since Charlie is with the Lord now, I wonder if they sit and chat about our church. The book of Job shows a scene from Heaven where God asks Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job: He is the finest man in all the earth- a man of complete integrity. He fears God and will have nothing to do with evil.” And then the crud really did hit the fan. But God knew that it would. And He knew that He would still have bragging rights on His boy Job in the end.

Once when we were going through a particularly rough patch, I said to my husband, “Why in the world do you think the Lord is allowing us to go through all this at once?” He replied something I will never forget. “If the only reason is so God can brag on us a little, that is enough.” What a beautiful image, God bragging on us. I wonder if He speaks with those gone before us, proud of the people at our church. I wonder if He says to Charlie, “Don’t worry. Scott’s making coffee.”

Today our simple prayer is that God will keep us faithful. Although it is a simple prayer, it is vital to our ministry. Pray for us all to be [as the verse says] “faithful, fearing God more than most.”

More: Proverbs 28:20; Matthew 25:20-22; Job 1

A verse I think of as my Charlie verse is Acts 4:13 that says in part, “for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.”

It was easy to see that Charlie had been with Jesus.

Get To Work

by   May 23, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Get to work!

It was 1972. I had just graduated from high school and had been offered summer employment at Cannon Mills. I would be a twister in #7 Spin. I was ecstatic!

The fact that it was 3rd shift did not deter me. I was going to be earning a ton of money that summer – or at least it felt that way.

Shortly before the 11pm mill whistle would blow, I would find a parking spot, take a deep breath, and head in through the guarded gate that would soon shut behind me.

For five nights a week, I would remain there until 7am. My days were short. My nights were long. Summer break was definitely not a break. The twister room ‘loomed’ large with row after row of huge, loud machines. The sound was deafening, but it was muffled by my required earplugs.

For the entire 8 hours, I focused on my work, although I knew the rest of Kannapolis, NC was sleeping. My role was to tie up threads that broke and to replace spools that needed to be replaced. I loved the challenge of walking up and down the rows, keeping my machines running at 100% efficiency.

As daylight arrived, the mill whistle would blow again and I would walk out through that same gate, happily passing by those who were heading into work to begin their shift. I knew it was time for me to rest.

It was one of my most eye-opening and meaningful life experiences.

Little did I know it was also a foreshadowing of the rest of my lifeI

During college, the jobs changed, but I still worked. Flipping burgers at the Snack Shack, cashier at Rose’s, a waitress at the Pizza Inn, and as an employee who knew how to do it all at McDonald’s.

Then, one day, I graduated from college and began my teaching career.

The next 40 years sure did fly by.

Work – whether for a salary or not – is a beautiful thing.

Should we work? Did God work?

Of course! God created all things! That was definitely work! 

But remember this – on the seventh day – he rested.

What does the Bible say about work?

*Genesis 2:15 tells us that God created man, put him in the garden of Eden, and told him to work.

*2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 tells us that if we are not willing to work, neither should we eat. It also tells us that we are to work quietly and earn our own living.

*Colossians 3:23 says that we need to work heartily, as for the Lord.

To work heartily means to work zealously, sincerely, earnestly, cordially, and warmly.

Doesn’t that sound like a wonderful way to approach work?

And – since we are doing it as unto the Lord – that makes God our boss.

Our work is of God.

It is a privilege, an honor, and a blessing.

So – keep working – because work is worth it!

Three Lessons

by   May 21, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Three Lessons

            I received the opportunity to speak at church last week. When I started to plan what I might say, I reached back into my past. The more I prayed and thought about it, the more I felt like the Lord was leading in a different direction. He wanted me to talk about things that I was currently working through in my walk of faith.

            I wasn’t interested in sharing current issues, but you can imagine who won that debate. The more I tried to pull and change the direction which I felt the Lord leading me, the more I realized that I was fighting a losing battle. I would much rather talk about things that I had already overcome, places where I found the victory in my life.

            No one has arrived spiritually; I am no exception. I struggle to live out the faith that I profess, and the truth is that I fail along the way. The journey of faith comes with many ups and downs. If I am going to speak or write about my journey, I think I would prefer to focus on the times when things are looking up.

            I have shared many testimonies with people about how God brought me through some dark times of my life. In sharing those stories and testimonies I always end with my arrival on the other end. I like to share with people about how God helped me and the lessons I learned through the dark and challenging places in life.

            How do you share with people the lessons that you haven’t learned yet? You can’t tell your listeners, “Here’s how I made it through” if you are in the middle of those lessons yourself. All you can tell people is that this is the lesson I am trying to learn, and this is what God is showing me in the midst of this lesson. I can also point to the grace that God is extending to me in the middle of the lesson.

One of the best things I can point to as a teacher is those in the Bible who have learned the lessons I am trying to learn. God gives us plenty of examples of people who have gone through the lessons that we are trying to learn so we will have faith in Him through the process. Those biblical examples show us how to apply our faith to our current circumstances.

            By now I imagine your curiosity must be stirred about what lessons I am trying to learn. The first lesson involves the simple truth that we can’t fix ourselves. We have to find where God wants to work in our lives and join Him in the process. Sometimes He picks big things and sometimes He picks little things. The key is to find where He is working and work with Him.

            The second lesson is that we have to trust God. That sounds like an elementary lesson until God brings up areas of our lives where we like to be in control. We are His children and He is in control of all areas of our lives, or at least that is how it is supposed to be. Then He points to an area and tells you that you are trusting yourself, not Him. That’s when the work begins.

            The final lesson may seem a little ironic, but God doesn’t always feel like He needs to work on us. Sometimes God just wants to be with us. While there is always work that needs to be done, as long as we are on this side of heaven, God knows that we need to rest. Growth and change in our lives takes time. Strong solid growth takes time. God wants our faith to be solid so He is in it for the long haul to see us grow and mature in our faith.

            I want to encourage you in three specific ways. First, ask God what He wants to work on in your life. Focus your efforts there. Things will go more smoothly that way. Second, give yourself a break. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, and He is invested in you for the long haul. He believes in you and sees a bright future for you. Finally, trust Him with the entire process. He knows exactly how to shape you into the image of who He has destined you to be. He knows what He is doing and He has your best interests at heart. These aren’t easy, and I can say that because these are the lessons He is trying to teach me. I am learning by His grace.   

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

Roots and Evil

by   May 20, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

For five years we have endured the bumps in our driveway caused by,what we thought, were pine tree roots growing beneath the asphalt. One bump in particular was “admired” by neighbors and us as we watched it expand and begin to open at its top. It had expanded so much that, if I was not careful when driving in, my van’s frame would rub against it. However, yesterday the old driveway was removed by a skilled man using a Bobcat, and I eagerly asked him about what I suspected was a massive knot of pine tree roots heaving the asphalt. He said, “I didn’t have a bucket’s worth of roots. I’ve seen that before,” he continued, “when some little roots cause a lot of pressure in clay dirt where water collects. It’s the mix of water and clay that pushes up caused by a small root growing. Ain’t that something. Not even a bucket’s worth.”

Since that conversation with the Bobcat operator, I’ve been thinking about all the years my wife and I had adjusted to the bumps in our driveway, and how we even began referring to them as our speed bumps. We warned visitors about them because they were so large, and when we contracted for the new driveway, we hoped that the excavation did not kill any of our beloved pine trees by removing their roots. Yesterday’s conversation with the Bobcat operator calmed that worry, but the root’s reminded me of what I had known but forgotten.

The roots are a metaphor for evil. While the ones beneath the heaved-up driveway were smaller than anticipated, they had pressured the wet clay which in turn pushed against the asphalt, causing our speed bumps. They, like evil, had done their work: Slow and steady growth, often hidden from view, but persistently working to cause upheaval and damage in our lives.

No Easy Way

by   May 17, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Have you ever wished for Cliff Notes of the Bible? Like yesterday when I gave you all that Scripture and you started hearing, “Blah blah blah designer shoes blah blah …” Well, here ya go.

I came across a passage that sums it all up. In Matthew 22: 34-40, Jesus is being questioned by the religious experts of the day. These guys were careful to obey the details of the law down to the length of their sleeves. Trying to trick Him, they asked what He considered to be THE most important law. His reply is well known, but not well practiced. “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important. Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then He says it.

“All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” So here’s the scoop. If we get those two things right, all the other stuff falls into place. The God of details gives us an easy button. Well, at least He narrowed it down to two things. So should I take that job? Can I fulfill Christ’s royal law of love there? No? Then the money is not worth it. Should I work in the yard today? Will I in any way defeat the goal of loving God and loving people? No? Then go for it.

Just a little jump off the Nehemiah bus for today. Because if we bear down on these two things, Christ says we’re good to go. Love God. Love people. And it’s also amazing that He places loving others “equally important” as loving Himself!! Knowing that He is a jealous God and wants us to love Him with every ounce of our being, makes that statement even more astounding!

Can I be real with you? Loving Him and loving people is certainly harder some days than others. I bet you already knew that. Here’s what I prayed. You fill in the blanks where you have been.

Strengthen me Lord to love You so much that I never doubt You again. When people hurt me and You are silent, help me rest in Your Word and believe You when You tell me You love me. When we both lose our jobs, both cars break down, the house has a tax lien, and medical bills mount up, [summer of 1990] help me remember that You love me. When I blow my cool and bless out the person I feel to be responsible for our job loss; when I slam the door so hard the windows are still rattling, [also summer of 1990] help me to know that You still love me. When I lose my strong and beautiful mother because she gets an illness that is so rare that only 3 in one million in the U.S. get it [winter of 2004]; When my very first grandson dies before I hold him in my arms, [summer of 2010] help me to rest in the fact that You love me. And when we come out on the other side of heartache with a stronger understanding of Your great love, help us use that understanding to love people better. Everyone is going through something. Strengthen me, and all of us today, to lighten someone’s load just a little; Because You love me while I am most definitely unlovable.
More: Ephesians 3:14-21; Romans 8:31-39; Matthew 22:34-40

Where Have You Been?

by   May 16, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Where have we been?

Once upon a time, I went through a corn maze, with the emphasis on the word once. What began as a nonchalant, leisurely, confident walk through the maze with my 6th grade students, quickly turned into thick tall towering stalks of corn terrorizing me.

Being directionally challenged, I tried to keep up with my students, but they abandoned me and found their way to the exit easily. I could hear them laughing and talking outside the maze – and wondering what had happened to their teacher.

What had been fun for them – had become fearful for me.

For I was the one who got lost.

After realizing I was walking around in circles, I began to cry out, “I’m lost! Where is everybody?” My students responded in unison from outside the maze, “We’re over here!”

That was not a helpful response.

Where exactly is over here?

And how do you get to over here?

After sensing my frustration, one student called out, “I’ll come back and lead you through!”

He did.

I sure was glad.

In Jeremiah 2:6, the people were reminded of where they had been.

In Jeremiah 2:7, the people were reminded of how God led them through.

They had been in the uninhabited and unfriendly wilderness –

GOD led them through.

They had been in the barren and desolate desert –

GOD led them through.

They had been in the deep dark pit –

GOD led them through.

They had been thirsting in the land of drought –

GOD led them through.

They had been in the darkness of the shadow of death –

GOD led them through.

What else did Jeremiah have to say to the people?

*He told them to move forward with their lives.

*He told them to pray for the nation that had enslaved them.

*He told them there was no time or place to stop.

We do not have to stay in a difficult place forever –

GOD will lead us through.

We do not have to pass through the difficult place alone –

GOD will lead us through.

I do not know your circumstance –

But I do know –

GOD will lead you through.

Where have we been?

We have been with God –

And God has been with us.

We need to trust in the Lord with all our heart –

And lean not unto our own understanding.

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