Light of the World

by   December 21, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

For many, going to a Christmas play is a holiday tradition that helps us visualize the story of the birth of Jesus, so we can hold it more tightly in our hearts.

As a young teenager, I participated in a Christmas play at church. As an angel, my role was to stand near baby Jesus and hold my arms up in praise — like angels are supposed to do. The lights were off and the sanctuary was totally dark, but a light shone brightly over the manger scene where I stood. That moment is one of the few memories I still have of Christmas plays — and is also a powerful one.

My heart was touched and tears filled my eyes, although at the time, I was not sure why. I am sure words had been spoken, but I do not remember hearing them. I do, however, remember feeling them. That night’s spiritual connection had a lifelong impact. As an “angel” I had been allowed to stand in the only place there was light in the room. I was standing in the light with the light of the world, and everything around me seemed to be in darkness.

I realized that the manger would have been a much darker place as baby Jesus was born than it was portrayed that night. The shepherds would not be as neatly dressed. The sheep would not be pure white — but grayish and dirty. The other animals milling around in the stable surely would have been unsettling.

After I got home from the play, I remember standing in my front yard and looking up at the stars in the sky. That’s when I knew. I believed in Jesus. And maybe the star that was shining down on my life that night was the same star that was shining down on the manger the night Jesus was born.

Look up. The light of the world is with us.

Jesus is the light of the world — and we are his light in the world.

John 1:5 says the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I don’t know about you, but something about that verse gives me heavenly peace.

Gazing up at those stars became something I did often and I still do, for if the bottom of heaven is that beautiful, how much more beautiful will heaven be?

Lord, may we know that the story of the birth of Jesus is not just a story — but is his-story.  Help us see the light of the world and hold tightly in our hearts. Amen

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

Merry Christmas 2020

by   December 19, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Merry Christmas 2020

            I read Lynna Clark’s fictional retelling of the birth of Christ in “An EncouragingU Christmas.” She did a good job making Mary and Joseph come to life. I enjoyed the story so much that I plan to read it again next year. When I finished, I sat quietly and allowed my spirit to drink in her story.

            That’s when I had a very unique thought that has never occurred to me before. I have always thought that Joseph must have struggled with doubt about the conception of Jesus. No one prior to Jesus had ever been conceived without two people coming together. Why wouldn’t Joseph struggle with doubt about Mary’s story?

            Two things struck me. Mary was pure and virtuous and not prone to telling wild stories. She was honest and innocent. Joseph could and did trust her. Second, Joseph had a dream where he saw an angel. I’ve had powerful dreams that I knew were from heaven and no one or nothing can shake those dreams from me. Joseph had a dream that he knew was from heaven and he trusted God…completely! Faith and trust in God leaves no room for doubt.

            Joseph and Mary had a deep faith in God and they needed it to endure all that life threw at them. We know they lived about two years in Bethlehem. We don’t really know how long they lived in Egypt, but it is most likely more than a year. During this time, other children must have come along and Mary and Joseph continued to trust in God.

            Walking with God requires faith and trust. Over my lifetime I can look back and see times when God called me to move to a new school. I had hoped that I would start at one school and stay there for my whole career. But that wasn’t the path on which the Lord led me. Each career move we made challenged our faith and required us to trust God. God has always been faithful.      

Following Jesus requires faith, especially when the path isn’t clear. But God sends some gifts along the way to help us. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Before He ascended back to heaven He told the disciples that He was giving them His peace. His peace is perfect and helps to quiet our spirits when the world seems out of control. His supernatural peace goes beyond all understanding. His presence inside of us gives us His glorious peace that we all need.

            Another gift God gave was His love. God’s love came in a package lying in a manger. God sent His son in the most approachable way possible. God wants all mankind to know the depth of His love for us. Jesus makes a way for each person to connect with God in a personal and intimate way. God’s love is perfect and unconditional. His love guides us. His love comforts us. His love assures us of a place with Him in eternity.        

            Another gift from God is hope. When Jesus arrived on the scene the Jews were being oppressed by the Roman Empire. He birthed in His people hope that God heard their prayers. The answer came in an unexpected way, even though the scriptures foretold the coming of Christ. Hope often comes in unexpected ways. Hope gives us the courage to press on. Hope allows us to believe in a God of the impossible. Hope has the seed of expectancy, that we know God will deliver us.

            Jesus’ arrival in that little manger 2000 years ago signaled a change. We all know life is full of challenges; we only have to look at 2020. Seeds of doubt can sprout in our minds. But hope lifts us from those doubts into our loving Heavenly Father’s arms. When we look into the eyes of Jesus, we experience God’s unconditional love, that assures us that He knows where we are and what we are enduring. When we open our hearts to His great love, His peace floods our souls and reminds us that we are called to be overcomers. And with His help, we will.

            I want to encourage you to open your hearts, minds, and spirit to God’s great love this Christmas. Allow the child of Bethlehem to be born in your heart. Let the joy of His presence overtake your fears and doubts. God loves you and He is bigger than anything you face. Jesus came for you. Allow your spirit to be renewed and refreshed. I pray that love, joy, peace, and hope be yours…Merry Christmas!

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

Marchinko competes again after a broken neck

by   December 14, 2020 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Bob Marchinko had just finished a run and saw a big tree limb on his roof. He said, “I grabbed my ladder and went up for it. My best guess, with no memory at all, is when I went to step down on the ladder from the roof, the ladder kicked out from under me and I hit my head on the roof before landing on the ground. No one knew I had been on the roof, but a neighbor who was out walking saw me lying on the ground knocked out cold and called 911.”

At Novant Health in Salisbury, Bob was found to have some bleeding on the brain, a leg gash that needed staples and multiple neck fractures. He needed emergency surgery and was sent to Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte. Possible paralysis was still a concern as Bob met Dr. Segebarth, an Ortho Carolina surgeon. Bob said, “I knew I could recover and come back to lead a normal life. My mission then became to get out of the hospital as fast I could.”

Bob couldn’t run or really lift anything for the first two months. Only walking was permitted while his body healed and the neck fusions set. Two metal rods, a metal plate and 14 metal screws had been inserted. Bob said, “I tried to behave on the lifting part, but we had just moved into a new house and there was landscaping to do. I had to learn the hard way on what my body could handle. Sometimes I would overdo it and then be wiped out for a few days, but that probably helped my recovery process. My doctor let me start running again in August with some pushing from me. Running was very painful for six weeks and there was no runner’s high. I still thanked the Lord every day on how blessed I was to be able to move, even if it was slow and painful.”

Once the most dominant male racer in the area, Bob had not raced much in 10 years and after the injury thought he may not race again. He said, “I’m getting a little better each week, the neck still isn’t 100%. It can get pretty sore and stiff if I overdo it or if it is damp out. I kept trying to get back in shape, and feel like a runner again. By late September, running started getting a little easier for me and I started to surprise myself on some of my runs. My running buddy, Robert Miller, started needling me to jump into the Butterball 5K, which I did and felt pretty good about it.” Bob had a sizzling 17:03 on a challenging and wet course.

After running the Butterball 5K, Bob wants to run another 5K to break 17 minutes. He’s also considering a half marathon in either December or January, then maybe a marathon in the spring. Bob said, “I turn 50 this summer and am getting an itch to run the Boston Marathon again. But I am just as happy to be able to head out for a hard run in my neighborhood and keep coaching my athletes at Catawba. We are starting to build something special there.”

Bob concluded, “God has looking out for me and has helped me to recover so quickly. I also need to thank my wife, Wendy, and son, Zach, who both helped my recovery, especially that first week when things were tough with so much help needed. Running friends Robert Miller and Brett Howell have meant the world to me. Thanks to my colleagues at Bostian and Mt. Ulla elementary schools, and my Catawba College family, where I help coach cross country and track. Jason Bryan and my athletes have been a blessing to me.”

Saturday, Dec. 12, is the Santa Run/Walk 5K at the Millbridge Ruritan Building on Sloan Road. Santa, Bigfoot, a beautiful course, and plenty of fun in a rural setting. Come join us. More info at www.salisburyrowarrunners.org and www.runsignup.com .

Master Builder

by   December 13, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

At my home, we have an abundance of Legos. Christmas means more Legos are coming — if there are some available we do not own yet.

Here is a sample of what we have displayed in our Lego closet. Yes, I said sample. And yes, I said Lego closet.

Taj Mahal: 22,000 laborers worked on building this tomb for the king’s wife. It has 28 different types of jewels.

Roller Coaster: It has twists, turns, mountains, deep valleys, steep climbs, and parts that are smooth — just like life does.

Ferris Wheel: George Ferris wanted to build something better than the Eiffel Tower, so he said, “Make no little plans!”

Empire State Building: 102-floor skyscraper in New York City. It has its own zip code and it lights up at night.

Parisian Restaurant, Bank, Detective’s Office: These are places we go as part of a community. Well, we do not go to the detective’s office that often.

Statue of Liberty: It is a sculpture on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor that was dedicated in 1886.

US Capitol Building: It houses the legislative branches of the federal government. It is where the street numbers start in Washington, D.C. It is used for Sunday church services. Moses, who received the 10 Commandments from God, has a marble relief portrait over the gallery doors.

Ship in a Bottle: 18th century monks in monasteries were the first to build a ship in a bottle.

Great Wall of China: This wall kept out the enemy and was a symbol of strength.

International Space Station: It is a modular space station in low orbit earth. It goes 17,100 mph. It has been visited by more than 200 astronauts or space tourists from 20 different nations.

I have just shown you 26,485 Lego blocks.

What if I took the structures all apart and put them in a big pile? Can you imagine that?

Each Lego block was added one piece at a time. Each Lego structure has a foundation and a framework. That means it has support.

If we were looking at our pile of Legos, we would not think of any of them being real superstar pieces. None of them would be as special individually as they would be when they are together in the place they were meant to be.

It reminds me of how each of us are important and each of us have a role in life that God has just for us to fulfill.

1 Corinthians 3:9-10 says that by God’s grace, we are wise, master builders. We are building our lives and we should build them carefully — by doing the right thing, making the right choices, and allowing Jesus to be the foundation of it all.

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at  annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

Trusting God

by   December 12, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Trusting God

            I remember when I was a kid in Boy Scouts we did some trust activities. We would stand facing one direction and we would have to fall backwards and trust that the boys standing behind us would catch us. I remember the first time doing this activity having a difficult time thinking they would actually catch me. I thought they might let me fall.

            I remember looking back a couple of times to see if they were actually there. I just knew they would pull back at the last moment and watch me fall, laughing at me as I lay in pain on the floor. When I finally mustered the courage to really let go, they caught me! It was an interesting feeling. I wanted to do it again, and they caught me the second time, too.

            I learned a valuable lesson that day. I really could trust those guys. We all liked to pull pranks on each other, but when the chips were down we really could trust each other. Something changed inside me that day; I felt closer to the guys in my group. I imagine we all felt closer to each other, which I believe is part of the reason leaders have people in a group do this activity.

            With Christmas right around the corner, I have been thinking about Mary and Joseph and the trust they were called to have in God. When Mary said “yes” to God, I can’t imagine she realized what she was going to face from her community. As a high school teacher, I sometimes taught students who were pregnant. Some of them struggled to bring their child into the world. Some had support, while others did not. Mary’s community was going to stone her death because they assumed she had been with someone. Mary had to trust God with her reputation and her life.

            Joseph had to learn to trust God in ways he never could have imagined, either. He just wanted to get married and be a carpenter for his community. It is hard to imagine what he must have felt when he discovered that Mary was expecting. Joseph had to trust a dream and Mary’s story of how she became pregnant. Joseph’s reputation was certainly impacted as the local gossips would have run him down. How do you trust God in that kind of situation?

            Joseph must have been a man of great faith. We might even say that Joseph’s faith grew strong because of what he had to endure. Imagine what faith is required to raise the Son of God. God trusted Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph had to trust God with protecting them and providing for them. God had to show them a safe place to go in Egypt and then guide them safely back to Israel.

            Joseph had to hear from God and then obey. When you think about it, we have to do the same thing. We have to trust God for our provision and our jobs. What do you do when you get laid off? How do you trust Him? How do you put food on the table and keep the power on? Our faith gets challenged. Will God really come through? Is God still in control?

            What do you do when someone you love gets sick, maybe with COVID? Most people recover, but what if your loved one has to go to the hospital? Sometimes our faith and trust get tested by the fire of circumstances. It’s easy to allow fear, doubt, and worry sneak in. We’ve all done it. That’s why we need each other, to challenge and encourage each other out of the darkness and back into a place of faith and trust. We need each other to overcome.

            When Joseph struggled with doubt, he could lean on Mary. When Mary became afraid for Jesus’ safety, she could lean on Joseph. Today we are fortunate to have the Word of God, which is full of promises to help encourage us and give us hope. We also have each other to lean on in the dark moments. Together we can pull each other through.

            I want to encourage you to hold onto faith and trust; they are your life preservers. God is for you. God is good. God has your best interest at heart. God is planning good things for your future. God will guide you and see you through whatever storm you are enduring. He sees you on the other side. Don’t go it alone. Lean on your friends, who will support and encourage you in your walk. I believe you are going to make it.

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

Denigrated by Tradition

by   December 11, 2020 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The phrase “Doubting Thomas” is an all-too familiar one used to describe one of The Twelve. It has even evolved to be used to describe a person who is skeptical concerning a fact. To be thus described is a negative comment against one’s judgement or belief. But, this is where I think Biblical tradition has maligned the Disciple Thomas. After all, in John 11:16, he is the Disciple who says to the other Disciples when Jesus is preparing to go to Bethany because of Lazarus’ death, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” [Jesus]. Lazarus lived in Bethany and it was a dangerous place for Jesus. However, in this scene set by John, we see the courage of Thomas, The Twin. There is affirmation in his words, but through mis-teaching and tradition, Thomas is all-too remembered as a doubter.

Through tradition, we have come to teach that there were three wise men who visited the newborn Jesus because three gifts are mentioned. Tradition teaches through Bible classes that Jesus was a carpenter, but he was the equivalent of a modern-day handyman working with wood and stone, a more plentiful source for building in 1st Century Israel. Every image of The Last Supper is based on a late 15th Century mural by Da Vinci, which is Biblically wrong. And one more example of tradition taking over fact is the symbol for Christianity—the cross. What we show and wear is not historically accurate, but we teach it still.

However, in my recent readings of Genesis, I have been struck by how we have treated Esau. Yes, he traded his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup. (By the way, why was his brother cooking, a woman’s job in that society?) And, he was cheated by his mother and twin brother. Yep, to spite his parents, he married two heathen women. Then, his brother the sneak, leaves to be safe from his rage. Gone for twenty years, Jacob returns with his wealth. Frightened still of Esau, he sends his concubines and children out first, then Leah and her children, then Rachel (his favorite) with her children. A nice pecking order in case Esau had plans for vengeance. But, accompanied by four hundred of his best fighters, according to Genesis 33: 4, “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” I see no revenge here, but Dr. Vernon J. McGehee writes that Esau possibly tried to bite the neck of his brother, thus killing him. But, during the exchanges between the brothers, Esau refers to Jacob as “my brother” while Jacob uses the distant “My lord.” When Jacob offers many gifts to Esau, the red warrior says in Genesis 33:9, “I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.”

I am aware of the oft-quoted verses from Malachi and that Esau is the patriarch of Edom, the nation that helped the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem. But, what we know of Esau from the Bible, besides the sad tale of twin brothers in  Genesis, is that he helped Jacob bury their father. What else we know is from non-Biblical sources. So, why the vilification?

Tradition! And that is dangerous. When I worked in a school outside New Orleans, I would often be told, in explaining why some action was followed, “It’s our tradition, Mr. Barbee.” The chaplain would say as an aside to me, “Tradition or examined habit?”

I think we have too many examined habits of belief in our Christianity and we should follow the Bible and use what it gives us, along with accurate histories. If we follow a tradition, we begin to believe it, then we teach it as gospel. Then, when the ones we have wrongly taught learn the truth, they may see us as liars or worse. Teach truth.

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