Herd Mentality

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By Roger Barbee

During my forty-year career in education I witnessed too often the damage of peer pressure. In order to “belong” to a group, a student would adopt behavior and dress to demonstrate they had reached the threshold of being “one of us.” This pressure was mostly negative and even dangerous because it required a student to follow imposed mores and not his or her own morality. At times this acquiescing to demands made by a group could result in serious circumstances, such as when a young female would “give it up” so that she would belong to the group of cool.

We all want to belong; to be a member of something larger than ourselves. Belonging to a group gives us a sense of worth, a sense of safety, and a sense of justice. If we become a member, then we become validated by the group and whatever price paid for membership becomes secondary to the belonging. This herd mentality, we hope, will lead us to herd immunity, the place where all members of our herd are protected by our experience and exposure.

 When I coached a high school wrestling team, I had team tee shirts with “Iron sharpens iron” printed on the backs.  I told the wrestlers that they were to help sharpen their teammates during every practice. I explained that they were each responsible for helping their teammates become better wrestlers and people. Iron sharpens iron. While the wrestlers were part of a team, a herd if you will, or a tribe, even, they were individuals most of all. They were parts of the whole, but they were required to be individual wrestlers, just like the individual strands of a rope. If they were not independent wrestlers, the team suffered because they were not being the best that they could be. Iron sharpens iron. The phrase I used comes from Proverbs 27:17, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

            But if one becomes trapped in herd mentality then he or she relinquishes individuality and is not sharpened by others. Instead of challenging and making each other sharper, the easy life of following the herd takes over. The price does not matter anymore; all that counts is the sense of belonging to the group. The aspiring member will now do anything to belong to the herd–even expose his or her children to possible infection of a disease that is rapidly spreading. Such illogical acts feed the self-serving aspirant. Membership in the herd has now taken over.

The trap of herd life is all around for Christ followers, and always has been. However, we are reminded to be wary of false leaders and ideas. The 1st Century Christians had to battle against tempting ideas such as Gnosticism. They had to use the discernment we are all given. They had to be aware! And we are to be aware as well for temptations that come in attractive packages. Such temptations are not only of the flesh, but of the lure of power, money, and belonging to a herd that offers only the allure of riches. After all, we can never be fully immune to any evil. That is perhaps the biggest lie of all.

Unusual Finds at State Parks

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By David Freeze

Unusual finds at more state parks!

     On Sunday, August 18, I headed east to get three parks about as close together as any group in the state. The first stop was at Raven Rock State Park, known for a large rock facing toward the Cape Fear River. Stretching for more than a mile and as high as 150 feet, the rocks were sculpted and carved out by water over millions of years. Ravens used to roost in the rocks, but no longer do. An Indian legend says that a Tuscarora Indian named Raven was captured by another tribe and confined to the high ledge, only able to survive because Indian maiden White Fawn supplied him with food. They were later allowed to marry.

    The park is located closest to Lillington and has 4,810 acres. The park was busy early on Sunday with lots of hikers, many of them on the same Raven Rock Loop Trail of 2.6 miles that I used. The Raven Rock site is more spectacular than I expected. Hiking trails in the park total 11 miles, most of it easy and moderate except for the long stair steps down to river level. Bridle trails total eight miles, and mountain bike trails add another 32.

    Interesting fish caught in park waters include oddities like longnose gar, American eel, chub, shiner, darter and pirate perch. There are backpack and paddle-in campsites, camper cabins and 15 campsites for tents and trailers, plus nine for RV’s. There is also a first-class motion activated exhibit hall and a Native American exhibit. This is a wonderful park with lots to see and do and was one of the busiest I had seen on any early morning.

     Carvers Creek State Park is one of the newest state parks, and currently it has little development. The park has 4.530 acres and is nearest Spring Lake. The entrance road is next door to Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, and the sound of large and small round firing was a constant while I was there. However, the signature item in the park is the Long Valley Farm which was the retreat of James S. Rockefeller. The 1,240-acre farm site includes a large millpond where fishing is allowed. The two trails in the park include an easy, flat walk to the farm from the park welcome center called the Rockefeller Loop Trail. The other trail is the Cypress Point Loop Trail, good for closer viewing of the large millpond which actually sits in front of the Rockefeller house.

     The house is fenced off pending future work, as is some of the property behind the house. A springhouse is on the property, as is another old house, a grist mill and a small shed. A sign says Long View Farm used scientific farming methods early on. The Rockefeller family purchased the farm in 1927, and the house was built in 1938. The 100-acre millpond was created around 1850. The livestock and crops supported many tenant farmers and their families. The farm was donated to the Nature Conservancy of North Carolina and then shown to all as part of Carvers Creek State Park when opened in 2013. Plans are in place to eventually make the house the park office and meeting center. The park plans to purchase additional land and to add camping and other recreational facilities.

      Weymouth Woods State Park and Sandhills Nature Reserve includes 915 acres and is nearest Southern Pines. The largest part of the park, once the Weymouth Estate, was donated to the park by the Boyd Family in 1963. The park’s main focus are stands of tall longleaf pines throughout the park. Many of these trees are 250 to 400 years old.

     The visitor center has lots of interesting activities planned for school and family groups. Throughout the three sections of the park are eight hiking trails totaling 4.7 miles and one equestrian trail of 2.6 miles. All walking trails are rated easy.

     Advertised in my guidebook and on the park map is the oldest living long leaf pine in the world. When I stopped at the visitor center, I asked about the tree and how to find it. The visitor center is in the Weymouth Woods Track of pines and walking trails. The desk attendant told me to just put the Boyd Tract in my GPS, and I did, finding Den Road as a dirt road with large homes and equestrian jumping farms. I parked in an open spot next to the Round Timber Trail. Very sandy and obviously frequented by ridden horses, I saw that the oldest tree would be on the left of the trail. I saw huge pines yet couldn’t find my tree. I turned and headed back downhill to look again.

    There was my tree! I had missed the famous tree on the way by, but this time noticed a small path had been worn to and around it. The huge tree was just as the attendant described, especially the odd-shaped base of it. The top has unusual, small and curved limbs and a strange butt that is misshapen. The tree has been tested to be 476 years old, and for many years remained in second place to a longleaf pine in Florida that reached 499 years before its death.

     Now with 22 state parks complete, I will soon head for 19 more.

Focus on Hope

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By Ed Traut

Psalms 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

  • We all have moments of sadness, disappointment and concerns, as we are all human.
  • We take command of our soul and these thought processes. We redirect our thoughts and hope into the Lord.
  • Our hope (positive expectancy) is in God regardless of what things might look like and therefore we praise Him.

Prayer:  I do praise You Lord with joy, and sing a song to You today of victory, because I refuse to allow my soul to be disappointed, frustrated, fearful or downcast.  My hope is always in You.  Help me to project and to share this with others ,I pray in Jesus name.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Coach Watts

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By Ann Farabee

Coach Watts

Yes, that is what we called him – Coach Watts. Most just called him Coach.

But never – ever – have I heard him referred to as Mr. Watts. 

He was Coach.

My first interaction with him was in my freshman year of high school. I was slightly frightened. I had to take PE and Coach Watts was one of  the PE teachers. I worked diligently to stay hidden during PE. It was a large group, so I tried to hide behind other people, and since I am short, it was not that hard to do. I considered trying to stay hidden a form of exercise. He must have, too, because I made an A.

 I am sure Coach Watts was aware of what I was doing, especially since I was the shortest one in the class and I could not even see from the back of the gym. But he always responded with that slight grin. I knew that grin meant, “I know what you are doing and it is okay.”

 Sometimes, he had all these great stations set up in the gym for students to go to, and many in the class ran to them excitedly. I found out that if I walked slowly toward the stations and kept sliding to the back of the line and letting others in front of me, I did not have to do anything. I perfected that strategy, along with a couple of my non-athletic friends. Once again, he would take a look in our direction and smile, letting us know he knew we were there and we wanted to be left alone.

 Then, when it was time to take four laps around the gym, I melted into my group of  peers, who stopped at three laps, which coincided with when the athletic kids were finishing four laps. He knew and gave us that smile, letting us know that it was okay. I am sure he did not want us to pass out from exhaustion.

 But my best memory of Coach Watts was in the car with a Driver’s Education logo on top. It was his chore to teach me to drive. Someone had to do it, I guess.

 Every day for two weeks, he had to drag three pillows out of the trunk of his car for me to sit on, so I could reach the steering wheel and see out the car window. The other two students could see out the window without the aid of pillows. They had also previously sat behind the wheel before with the permission of their parents, which shocked me, because that was against the law. Not me, buddy.

Every day as Coach got out the pillows, stacked them up, and helped me climb up on them so I could reach the steering wheel, his grin got a little bigger. Perhaps that was because he was getting closer to being finished teaching me to drive.

 I admit it. I was fearful of driving. I followed the driving rules to a tee. If the speed was 35, I made sure I went 30. If I knew a turn signal would be required soon, I turned it on two blocks ahead and began to slow down. If there had been a driving certificate for being cautious, I most certainly would have deserved it. Perhaps there was a reason Coach kept smiling and saying these words to me that I still remember today, “If you don’t speed up a little, someone is going to run over you.”

 Funny how one comment will stick with you. I still think about that sometimes when I am driving and someone is about to run over me.

 In a way, the comment also works in life. I definitely began to speed up a little as far as life is concerned.

 Coach Watts, I enjoyed writing down these memories of you!  I wish I knew how many people took Driver’s Ed with you. I am fairly certain you smiled as they learned to drive, too! You were the best!

 By the way, I have had a perfect driving record for the last 50+ years. 

And so far – no one has run over me.

 I am thankful for the man you were, the life you led, and the legacy you left behind!

 I am sure our entire community is thankful!

 You were one of a kind!

 Thanks Coach!

A Warning that Changed her Life

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Have you ever seen those blue lights in your rear view mirror? This young lady did and the encounter with the State Trooper changed her life. Steve Hartman shares their story and I encourage you to listen and be blessed!

Hope for an “Old” Future

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By Rhonda Sassano

Hope for an “Old” Future

Why is “I’ll Fly Away” stuck in my head?  It’s an ambulatory surgery, for Pete’s sake… what am I worried about?  Just because I died once already… lol, doesn’t Scripture say that man is appointed once to die?  That must mean I’m living until the Rapture! I say that very tongue-in-cheek, btw. How well I do know that I’m not in control of my life, and certainly not in control of when this life might end.  🎵 Many things about tomorrow … I don’t seem to understand … but I know who holds the future…   and I know Who holds my hand.🎵  The hardest thing about the future is that … I’m old in the future. Well, older than I am now. I’m not crazy about the idea.  In my mind, I’m about 32, 33 maybe.  And I fully expect my body to still be 16! The face in the mirror is a stranger to me sometimes… but this week, I’ve been suddenly all caught up.  Recovering is not as easy as in the past.  And, I cannot expect it to be any easier next time.  

“Rhonda,” you say, “I thought this was supposed to be an encouraging piece… you’ve not been very encouraging thus far.”  You are absolutely right!  So I’m encouraging you:  stop aging!  Haha, just kidding.  Aging is part of life, meant to make us turn to the Father for help and hope.  And He never fails to give them both.  

I regarded the surgery as trivial.  But my friends and family took it more seriously and really held me up in prayer, to the point I could feel the prayers surrounding me.  And despite my best efforts to make light of the serious surgery, their deep concern for me has served as a point of hope for me: hope that I will make a full recovery, hope that Father is just as good as He has promised, hope that the future will be good, also… maybe somewhat painful, but still good.  🎵 All my life, You have been faithful… All my life, You have been so, so good!  With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God! 🎵

And life is worth the living, just because He lives…

“God is not looking for those who can but those who will.”

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