One Step at at Time

by   October 3, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

One Step at a Time

            I was heading to bed last Sunday night and thought I would like a little ice cream before I turned in. The ice cream seemed especially soft. I figured the refrigerator was just going through the defrost cycle; I could hear the fan running.

            I tossed and turned, thinking about what a terrible time it would be for the refrigerator to go. My wife was up doing a few last minute things before bed. She came in as I was dozing off and told me that things were defrosting in the freezer. I got back up and checked on things. The fan in the refrigerator was running, but the compressor was not.

            It was too late to do anything about it at that point. I returned to bed and tossed and turned some more. What were we going to do? I was up early for my online classes. The great thaw was continuing. I texted the pastor and asked if I could move some freezer things up to the church, since we weren’t currently having any meals there. He said yes, and we went through our thawing freezer and got things that were still frozen moved up to church.

            The pastor told me there was a dorm-sized refrigerator up at church I could borrow for a few days until I could figure out the next steps. We were thankful. We threw out things that were beyond saving and then went through the refrigerator, too.

            We went to the store to pick out our new refrigerator and were met with a surprise. There is an appliance shortage going on across the country thanks to COVID. There were two models the retailer could deliver in about a week, neither of them were right for us.

            We decided to shop around. Retailer after retailer told us the same story. There were no refrigerators in stock and we could be looking at a two month wait for what we wanted. There were a few models available; some were just a step above the dorm refrigerator we were borrowing from church. 

            I went to Habitat for Humanity with no luck. I then found a 40-50 year old refrigerator that looked like it had been through the war. I took a chance and spent two days scrubbing and cleaning it to make it marginally presentable. It does run and we are hoping it will keep running until we can get one delivered.

            To say it has been a stressful week is an understatement. I have been thinking about my Boy Scout days and the motto to be prepared. I used to have an old refrigerator in the garage. It died over a year ago and I decided not to replace it. My plan was to get a new one for the house and put the one from the kitchen out in the garage.

            I have been trying to figure out what God wants me to learn through this situation. I think God wants me to learn that living by faith requires small steps. Sometimes those steps don’t look like a good way to go. I can’t see ahead. I have to learn to trust God, especially when I can’t see the next step.

            When things are going crazy and your stress level is up, that’s when it can be really hard to hear from God. There are so many thoughts running around in my head, it is hard to quiet myself long enough to hear from heaven. God’s ways and His plans are always the best. They may not seem to make sense in the moment, but that is where faith and trust come in.

            I am not saying that I have this down. I am still struggling to walk and live by faith. God has assured me that He is well aware of our situation. My job is to lean on Him. I have many years of experience walking with God through troubled waters. I have to remind myself that He saw me through all the other times; He will see me through again. His arm is not too short. If He can take care of over a million people in the desert for 40 years, He can see me through this situation as well. My God will never fail.

            I want to encourage you that if you feel like you are in a difficult place trying to find which way to go, trust God. He will guide you one step at a time. It may not make sense, that’s why it requires faith to trust Him. He will not leave you alone. He will come through for you. Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Fighting Back Against Age

by   September 28, 2020 with No Comments

By David Freeze

One Saturday morning a couple years ago, I happened to be doing some work on the Daily Mile track at Rockwell Elementary School. That is a program where Rowan County’s elementary kids and staff walk/run a mile a day. I watched an older man arrive in his long pants, long-sleeve shirt, ball cap, all similar to regular yard work clothes. Probably at least in his late 70s, the man proceeded to run a series of about 60-yard sprints. He ran hard for the distance, then walked back to his start and did it all again, probably about 10 times. The man didn’t just keep running while maintaining a slower pace but clearly pushed very hard on the sprints.

I’ve got a large group of friends whose running and athletic peaks are long past. There is a significantly smaller percentage of that group who aren’t willing to just give up and therefore keep striving for better fitness. One of my favorite sayings is, “Yes, we are getting older but we’re fighting it!”

Admittedly, I often think of the so called “glory days” of running and racing with incredibly fast times. But realistically, while especially proud of that success, the real challenge is to maintain exceptional fitness for life.

I’m always searching for ways to keep my fitness workouts challenging, rewarding and still fun. I recently have been thinking about adding back in some things that worked for me years ago. I read a specific extensive study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research that surveyed 667 longtime distance runners on their workouts and what was working and not working.

As you might have guessed, sprinting helps. Most runners push the pace for a mile or two at a time, or a specific mile or half mile while on their regular runs but never do sprints. During my faster years, I used intervals, track sessions of one lap, two laps or occasionally four laps at the fastest pace I could go. I can remember very easily the one and only time that I ran measured 100-yard sprints.

This study suggests incorporating sprints into your workouts. It also suggests previous no-no’s such as barbell squats, deadlifts, step ups and lunges. Also, plyometric jumps, repeated jumping up on a box even as small as a foot high, were suggested and seem to help. Especially interesting was that it didn’t appear to make any difference if the lifting workouts were done to failure with heavy weights or with lesser weights and more reps.

For practical purposes, the authors suggest incorporating different types of strength training at different times of the year, moving between different blocks of training. This way, you’re throwing a new stimulus at your muscles every once in a while instead of getting used to the same thing. A 10-week training period with two sessions per week showed best improvement followed by once a week during peak racing season. Results found that the runners didn’t gain measurable muscle mass but they did find an increase of up to 8% in speed. The long-held theory of distance runners being shackled with more muscle weight doesn’t seem to play out.

So, here’s something worth a try. Mo Farah won double gold medals in the 2012 Olympics using this plan while running for Nike. We’ve always heard that runners should lift light if at all, so maybe here is a doable alternative. It’s all worth considering. Too many of us, including me, have fallen into a sameness of workouts. I’m going to give some version of this program a try. What do I have to lose? The sub-5-minute mile? That left a long time ago. And I’m going to keep fighting that age demon.

Real races are coming back! Following current guidelines for safety and with a goal of resuming support of local charities, two long-term races are back for October. The Mt. Hope Church 5K for Missions at Salisbury Community Park on Oct. 17 and the Ed Dupree 5K at East Rowan High School on Oct. 24 will happen and I’m especially excited about this. The Butterball 5K on Thanksgiving morning and the Santa Run 5K on Dec. 12 this year and in Salisbury for the first time, are getting ready too.

Check out the current info at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org .

by   September 27, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

It was 8 a.m. The 20-minute drive felt like an eternity. I knew I was way too sick to be driving alone. But, I did not want to spread this illness to my family.

I had zero doubt that it was COVID. As I drove up for the test, I was so afraid for the nurse who administered it. I know she was protected — but still. She was my hero that day.

The drive home. Back in bed. Away from my family. Awaiting results.

COVID was a stranger to me at that time — I knew no one who had it. I had social distanced. My family had stayed home as much as possible. I had worn my mask faithfully everywhere, and I was thankful that others did, too.

But with the masks on, I sure missed seeing smiles. Eye contact was even disappearing. Some days the world seemed a little cold. Other days it felt loving and unified — as we were all going through the pandemic. In some ways, it felt like being apart together.

At 8 p.m., I checked the healthcare website for my results.
They were there.

Molecular pathology:
COVID-19 ORF1
Positive (Abnormal)

COVID-19 E-gene
Positive (Abnormal)

The words Positive (Abnormal) were hauntingly written in red.

It was shocking. COVID-19 was supposed to be something that I watched on the news — not something I had.

At that moment, my faith was very weak.
My first thoughts as I stared at the words — I’m going to die.

An uncontrollable stranger had invaded my body.
I did not know how to get rid of it.

What if my family gets it?
This was not just about me.
It was also about them — ages 13, 16, 35 and 72.
I need help. We need help.

It was dark — in more ways than one. Isolated in my room, I begged, “God, I feel like you still have a work for me to do. Please let me stay here to do it.”

How was I going to fight this? I would not — I could not — let it overtake my body.

Exhausted and sick, sleep finally came. But in the middle of the night I awoke to these words from Exodus 14:14 being put in my spirit, “You don’t have to fight. I will fight for you. You just need to be at peace.”

The word of God clearly spoken to me in the middle of one of my darkest nights.

Fighting is good, but God fighting for me is better.

My COVID journey had begun.

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing my COVID journey.

Contact me with questions, comments, or prayer requests at annfarabee@gmail.com .

It Wasn’t a Quiet Week

by   September 26, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

It Wasn’t a Quiet Week

            A week ago on Sunday I was thinking I would have a quiet week. My brother had agreed to come down and help cut a few trees down and I was watching a tropical system that would bring rain at the end of the week. While quiet weeks are nice, I was considering what else I might like to get done.

            I went to a funeral last Monday, wrote my column, and did a little laundry. It was a nice and quiet day. As we were about to sit down for dinner, the phone rang. At first, I intended to allow the machine to pick up. Then for some reason, I walked over to hear which telemarketer was calling. Instead, it was my sister-in-law, and the news wasn’t good.

            My father-in-law had a medical emergency. The quiet week turned upside down. Phone calls and texts became our lifelines to information and updates. I placed my father-in-law on our church prayer chain. We had a long night of prayer and intercession.

            Word came in the morning that he would have surgery in the afternoon. More prayer and intercession. I received word from my congregation that they were praying with us. Late that evening we received word that he did wonderfully in surgery. He has some recovery to go through, but he is a fighter and we have hope. That’s the power of prayer.

            After two nights of scant sleep, my brother arrived to help cut some trees. I figured I could power through a few hours of work. It would feel good to do something physical. Seven hours after we began, my brother and I dragged in from cutting and cleaning up way more than I expected. I was so happy and pleased with the way things looked, even though my body was complaining.

            I was worried about my brother driving home after working so hard. I sat on my porch praying for him and resting. Praying… all of a sudden it hit me…I had prayer at church in a few minutes…and I was in charge. I moved…as fast as my body would allow me…and made it to prayer meeting. I got us started and then I went outside to pray. I tried to walk around the property, but my body refused, so I got out a chair and sat in the parking lot.

            At one point, I looked up at our steeple. Something caught my eye. There was a rainbow right over the church. It was faint, but there is was. Actually, it was a Sundog. It was beautiful. It made me think about God’s promise to Noah after the flood, and I turned to that scripture passage. God promises us that every time there is a rainbow in the sky that He sees it and remembers His promise to us. He will never destroy all life with a flood again.

            The rainbow is a sign of God’s promise, and He keeps ALL His promises. Do you know that the Bible is full of promises from God? I sat there and thought about so many promises that are in the Bible. God promises never to leave us or forsake us. God promises to hear our prayers. God promises to forgive us when we repent. God promises to heal a nation if the people repent before Him.

            Life is full of good and bad times. It’s in those dark and difficult times that we can forget that God loves us and that He is a promise-keeping God. I believe that many of you are holding on to promises that you have not seen fulfilled yet. Don’t give up! Hold on! God keeps ALL His promises. He will not fail you. He will come through for you.

            I was reading in II Peter today where it says a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. When you are waiting on God it feels like forever, but I have seen God move and watched all the pieces come together in one day. Sometimes God is working behind the scenes and we have to give Him time. Know this: He is always working on your behalf, for your best, and to fulfill the promises in your life.

            I want to encourage you to hold on to those precious promises from God. Never give up on Him, because He never gives up on you. He is there beside you, cheering you on. He is faithful, loving, and kind. Stir up your faith, turn your eyes on Him, and you will see those promises come true for you.

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

I Don’t Know Everything About Running

by   September 21, 2020 with No Comments

By David Freeze

I recently came across a website (factretriever.com) that specializes in little known facts. The list had 52 running entries and these are the ones I didn’t know.

  • In the late 19th century, running was called “pedestrianism.”
  • Humans can outrun almost every other animal on earth over long distances.
  • The treadmill was originally designed for English prisons as a tool for punishment.
  • Because men‘s hearts are 20–25% larger than women‘s, especially the left ventricle, men can run longer and more easily than women.
  • The youngest marathoner in the world is Budhia Singh of India, who completed 48 marathons before his fifth birthday.
  • Lactic acid can build up in the body during strenuous running training, which can change the taste of breast milk.
  • Runners report having a better sex life than their slower-paced counterparts.
  • Feet strike the ground around 2,000 times per mile, at a force of three to four times the body’s weight.
  • The Badwater Ultramarathon claims to be the world’s toughest footrace. Stretching 135 miles (217 km) from Death Valley (the lowest point in North America) to Mount Whitney (the highest point in the lower 48 states), this grueling race is by invitation only.
  • The world’s oldest marathoner is Baba Fauja Singh from India. He was 100 years old when he completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in Canadain 8 hours, 25 minutes, 16 seconds. He says the key to his longevity is that he has “no ego and no greed.”
  • Runners who wear red are more likely to win a race.
  • Dubbed the “Marathon Man,” Belgian runner Stefaan Engels ran the marathon distance every day for a year, totaling 9,569 miles.
  • Before the 1960s, drinking water was strictly prohibited from races shorter than 10 miles in the United Kingdom and much of Europe. It was believed that drinking water would make a runner weak.
  • Recreational running didn’t become mainstream until the late 1960s. In 1958, the Chicago Tribune announced a strange new fitness fad: jogging.
  • Author Oscar Wilde was forced to run on a treadmill during his two-year prison sentence.
  • In the 1960s, running for exercise was so unusual that some people were stopped by police. People would try to run in the morning because police became suspicious if they saw a grown man running at night.
  • Ethiopian Abebe Bikila ran barefoot when he won the 1960 Rome Summer Olympic marathon race in record time.
  • Many runners suffer from black toenails, which is caused by bleeding under the toenails. Poor-fitting shoes are usually the culprit.
  • Approximately 56% of people who run outdoors get a runny nose. Both cold and dry air have been shown to increase nasal mucous production.
  • The average cost of quality running shoes in the United States is between $120 and $130.
  • Runners replace their running shoes every 300–500 miles (483–805 km). If a person wears their running shoes for every-day use, the shoes will last only around 200 miles.
  • Another reason men have an advantage is because testosterone stimulates muscle mass development and increases the concentration of red blood cells and hemoglobin.
  • The first place a running shoe breaks down is in the midsole. If the ball of the sole is flexible, it is a key sign that the midsole is wearing out.
  • Runners typically live longer than those who do not run.
  • An average one-hour weight training session burns about 300 calories. A one-hour run burns about 600.
  • Running for just 30 minutes a day boosts a person’s sleep quality, mood, and concentration levels.
  • The sports bra was invented in 1977, which helped improve women‘s running apparel.
  • Running is a high-impact activity, which means it strengthens and remakes bones along with muscles.
  • Research shows that running stimulates the immune system to help fight off colds.
  • Running is the most basic form of exercise because it uses a person’s own body, weight, and two legs.
  • People who run an average of 5 miles (8 km) or more per day have a 41% lower risk of developing cataracts, which is the leading cause of age-related vision loss and blindness.

Local racing gets going again with the Mt. Hope 5K at Salisbury Community Park on October 17th. Look for more info on this and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

The Next Room

by   September 20, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

My goal: Deep clean a room each day until my house was perfectly clean.

Yes, I had learned the term “deep clean” and really wanted to find an occasion to use it.

Day 1. Room 1. As my project progressed, I noted that one room takes entirely too long!

Day 2. Room 2. Realizing my motivation had begun to dwindle, I gave myself a pep talk, “Time to go to the next room!” Then, a little more excitedly, “Time to go to the next room!” Yes, I talk to myself.

As I was beginning to work, I saw a rainbow on the floor in front of me that had been created by the light coming through the beveled glass in the entrance doorway.

After looking at it for a second, I headed into the next room.

God was obviously already at work, for there was a rainbow on that floor, too. It was even more magnificent than the first one! The colors were so vivid! And…there was no beveled glass in sight to create it.

As I worked, God began to speak to my heart through the rainbows.

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. In my Father’s house are many rooms,” were the words that kept being whispered into my spirit.

I looked back and could still see both rainbows, even though they were in different rooms.

Seeing the two rainbows had made me feel like I was looking at a bridge providing a beautiful connecting link between earth and heaven.

Amazed, I just shook my head.

The rainbows.

I had been in one room.

God had sent a rainbow.

It had been so beautiful.

I had stepped into the next room.

There had been a rainbow there, too.

It was even more beautiful.

I knew the connection God was making in my heart.

In every room — in every part of our lives — God is with us.

Our time in our room on earth is beautiful.

It is filled with God’s beauty.

It is filled with God’s spirit.

It is filled with rainbows to remind us that His promises are true.

Genesis 9:13 tells us that God set the bow in the clouds. Can you envision that? God Himself setting the rainbow in the clouds just for us — to remind us that His Promises are true! That’s what I call a rainbow moment!

Then, one day, when it is time to leave our earthly home for our heavenly home, it will be like stepping into the next room.

The next room will be even more magnificent than the earthly room we are now living in, for it will be filled with colors that go beyond the spectrum of colors that we now know — for we will be with the light of the world — our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ!

No, my cleaning project was not completed. The first room and the next room were enough.

This was not my first rainbow moment, but it was a good one.

What’s your rainbow moment?

I would love to hear about it.

Contact me at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. 

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