You Couldn’t Do That!

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By David Freeze

    One of my favorite stories, often recounted for motivation of my fitness and wellness clients, happened about 40 years ago. I heard the other day about a book that had all the references to can’t and negativity cut out of it. Not much was left of the book. Here’s a story of nearly all positives. I hope you enjoy it.

     Back in 1979, I had the occasion to watch the New York City Marathon on TV. It wasn’t intended, but that TV show went a long way toward changing my life for the next 40 years. My wife at the time and I had a bad habit. She worked at Revco Drug, the forerunner to CVS of today. A couple of times a week, one of her responsibilities was to clear the out of date candy from the store. She didn’t throw it away and usually brought it home. On those days, I couldn’t wait to dig into the candy bag. We sat around and ate until we both fell asleep in our chairs, having developed a regular pattern.

    While that sounds very bad, we were both athletes. I was playing up to 100 games of softball every summer and in a basketball league during the winter. She was an outstanding shortstop for her women’s softball team. We both gained weight and soon I had an extra 30 pounds going that I didn’t like.

    We watched that marathon together and loved ABC’s coverage of 15,000 runners in the streets and boroughs of the greatest city in the world. I don’t remember much about the winners, but I do remember what they said about the training required to complete 26.2 miles. I was mesmerized and didn’t miss any of the four hours of coverage.

      At the end, we both were sitting on the couch and I said, “I think I would like to do that, run the New York City Marathon.” My wife said, “There is no way that you could ever do anything like that!” She started laughing and rolled off the couch to emphasize how funny she though the idea was. Nothing more was said.

     That night, for the first time in my life, I ran a mile because I wanted to. It was horrid and I struggled in my Converse basketball shoes. But I finished the mile, and somehow managed to make myself climb three steps into the house. I was worn out and certainly didn’t like the experience.

    The next night, I did it again. Running that second mile was just a tad easier. Two weeks later, I ran a 5K (3.1 miles) and promised God if he would just let me finish, I wouldn’t try it again. The last uphill mile was torture.

    But I lied, a few weeks later, I ran an 8K (4.97 miles) and finished 49th out of 50 runners. Again, miserable would have been too nice of a word. I was not very good at this running thing, but my weight was starting to fall, and I felt more alert. I stopped eating the candy and soon it was given to others at the store. No more of those bags of chocolate came home.

     You have probably guessed by now, but I kept training. I ran to my softball games and ran during weekend tournaments between games. I was hooked.

     When April rolled around, I secretly applied to get in the New York City Marathon. After acceptance into the event (about a third of applicants got in), serious training to complete 26.2 miles began. Still not sure that I could run the distance, I kept quiet for a time.

       Training went well and when the 1980 New York City Marathon cannon blast started the runners, I was in the field. A long 26.2 miles later, I crossed the finish line in Central Park to complete my first marathon, one year from the day that I set a goal. My wife was there and saw my finish.

     Goals are meant to be challenging, yet reachable. Dreams go well with goals. Set yours today.

That Heavy Load

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By Ann Farabee

Laptop, notebook, snacks, clothes, and an excess of needed items from home. One backpack and three additional bags – filled. I was set to spend the day at the hospital with my son, who was scheduled for surgery.

6am. Arrived in parking deck. Too much concrete and darkness in there for me.

I hurriedly grabbed my ‘stuff’ and my journey began. Goodness, what a heavy load I was carrying! I was not sure I could make it!

The first part of the trek was slightly uphill. I whispered my most often said prayer, “Lord, help me.” It all felt so hopeless – maybe I should turn around and leave some ‘stuff’ in the car.

But, I saw the entrance up ahead. There was no reason to turn back. I had come too far to stop now…

When I got inside the hospital, I put my bags down and began struggling to re-adjust my backpack. As I fumbled with it, someone stopped to help me lift it to a better carrying position on my back. It was still a heavy load, but felt much better! I grabbed my other bags, and continued, while still wondering if I could make it to the elevator.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the load – and the day ahead – I looked down as someone passed me from the opposite direction. Even though I wasn’t looking at them, they cheerfully called out, “Good morning.” I felt obligated to look up from my heaviness – and respond.

Then, I guess I decided to keep looking up – and I started to notice all that was around me.

A bouquet of flowers on a table.

How pretty!

Artwork on the walls.

How beautiful!

A row of rocking chairs.

How comforting!

People smiling – and saying hello.

How nice of them!

A little girl in a frilly pink dress, speaking excitedly in Spanish, while carrying a vase with the biggest sunflower ever!

I had to smile… in spite of my heavy load.

As I stepped onto the elevator, there was a lady with some bags that appeared even more cumbersome than mine. We both laughed, as she said, “Looks like we are having a contest to see who can carry the most stuff!”

That is when I realized that somewhere along the way, my load had begun to feel lighter.

How was the rest of my day? The surgery was cancelled. The doctor decided it was not needed.

As I gathered up my ‘stuff’ to head home later, my son said, “How did you carry that heavy load in here by yourself?”

I looked around to see if God was in the room, putting those words into his mouth, because they were so perfect.

“I wasn’t by myself,” I responded. “Not by myself at all.”

Ann is a speaker and teacher. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or https://www.annfarabee.com/

We Need Rain

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By Doug Creamer

            I make the daily trek to get the mail. Normally, there is some kind of catalog, some junk mail, and a few bills. I know the catalog count is going to increase, especially as we enter the holiday season. No one can stop the monthly bills. I did think about inventing a recycle box to connect to the mailbox so the mailman could toss all the junk mail in automatically for me. I think that it’s a million-dollar idea.

            I opened the water bill the other day and almost passed out. It was sky high. How could the water bill be higher than the electric bill?  It’s been a hot month and I know the air conditioner has been running a lot.

            All I have to do is walk around my house and I quickly realize why the water bill is so high. We love our outdoor spaces and they are covered in beautiful plants…plants that require watering. Then, there is the vegetable garden, which has a few things going. And I can’t forget the red raspberries, which are producing a wonderful fall crop for me. I love going out every other day and picking some for my cereal.

            Several weeks ago we were getting some pretty regular rain showers but it has stopped again. I think the recent hurricanes off the coast zap all the energy that might give us a shower or two up our way. Whatever the cause, we have been dry. When it is dry, I need to keep things watered, and that watering leads to higher water bills.

            It won’t be long now and we will start to get some fronts coming through the area. Actually, I am looking forward to some cooler weather. It’s been a hot, dry summer and I am looking forward to the change in seasons. I have lots of work that I want to do outside, but I am waiting on the change in the weather.

            Some nice fall rain would be welcome, not that I am asking for the remnants of a tropical system to come our way. I would prefer the cooling fronts from Canada. The main thing is, I believe we could use some rain. In fact, I am praying for some rain. The prayers have become a cry not only for the natural rain, but I am also asking for some spiritual rain.

            I hear stories of churches that are closing. I see that many people are doing other things on Sunday besides going to church. There hasn’t been a decrease in our population, so why are churches closing and why is church attendance down?

            I know I live in the Bible belt. In the south, it seems our faith has always been a part of our hallmark. We are believers. The trouble is not church buildings. There are plenty of those around. There is a church in every town to meet every style. Some churches work hard at reaching out, while others could do a little more. I really don’t think that is the problem.

            I think we have a spiritual apathy in our society. It’s not unusual; there were plenty of times in the Bible where the children of God became apathetic. Look around, people have filled their lives with all kinds of things. God isn’t one of them. They would rather do other things besides seek God’s face.

            That’s why we need some heavenly rain. We need a visitation of God’s Spirit to awaken the disconnected. We need renewal within our churches and revival for those who are lost and not seeking the Lord. Every one of us knows people who don’t attend church and who do not seek a relationship with their Heavenly Father.

            People need the Lord. He is the author of hope, mercy, forgiveness, the peace that goes beyond understanding, and the One who provides a purpose for our lives. Jesus is the answer. People are seeking the answer through material possessions, drugs, alcohol, and worldly pleasure. The answer is seeking the Lord and knowing who we are in His eyes. We are His children and He is our Father. He loves us beyond words.

            I want to encourage you to join me in praying for some spiritual rain. Pray that the lost will receive their sight and see their Savior. Pray that the broken-hearted will find comfort in their Father’s arms. Pray that the hungry and thirsty will find their satisfaction in the Spirit of God. Pray for heavenly rain, the kind that will renew our hearts and bring the lost home.

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

Knowing My Purpose

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By Doug Creamer

            I have been sitting here reflecting on what I did last week. That’s how I always begin a column, what happened and how that impacted my faith. I am not sure I want to admit how much time I spent last week following Hurricane Dorian. I follow any major weather story that could affect me. It could take months for officials to figure out all the damage from Dorian.

            Someone asked me if I follow the Weather Channel. I go straight to the models. There are several websites that make the major models and the famous spaghetti models available. I watch them closely to make my own determinations about possible paths for the storm. I also follow a weather blogger and vlogger out of Florida whom I find entertaining and informing. To say that I am obsessed might be an understatement.

            I also spent quite a bit of time last week considering and preparing for a new job. I know that I just retired, but I am too young to do nothing for the rest of my life. Don’t misunderstand, I am enjoying the extra time. But the job I have been looking into is teaching children in China how to speak English.

            My sister has been doing this for a while now and she loves teaching the kids. It’s like tutoring children, but they are on the computer, not sitting right beside you. I have watched a lot of videos about how it works. It looks very interesting and rewarding. The only catch is the hours. You have to teach late at night or very early in the morning.

After lots of thought, prayers, and consideration, I think I am going to go through with it. Some of my time last week was spent setting up my virtual classroom. I have been thinking about what the student will see when I am on camera. Also, I have been spending some time practicing videotaping myself. Even though I have made a number of YouTubes, this is very different. It makes me feel very self-conscious. Thankfully, I have a few more weeks until I finish the hiring process and have my first students.

If it works out, I will still get to do something that I am passionate about…teaching. It will also help to keep our budget on track. But the most important thing is that it will still allow me to have more free time. That in turn will cause me to seek the Lord for how He wants me to use that time to further His purposes in my generation.

            I want to serve God and I want to give my life to fulfill His purposes. From a business standpoint, I want to make investments that will pay off in eternity. Having more time gives me an opportunity to seek His face, to get to know my Heavenly Father better. I hope to learn more about Him and how I can invest my talents, skills, and abilities into His purposes.

            Many people struggle to figure out their purpose in life. Our purpose is to know God, love His Son, and welcome His Holy Spirit into our lives. What we do with the time we have here on earth depends highly on what He shows us. God needs people in every occupation, in every place, to be light in the darkness. He may send us to places we don’t understand, but He may be trying to reach someone and we are the perfect person for the job.

            If I go and do everything He tells me, will life be easy? Absolutely not. God will put challenges in front of us to make us grow and become more dependent on Him. How can we trust God if we haven’t proven that He is faithful? You can’t grow muscles (physical or spiritual) until you stretch and tear them. God will allow things that will cause you to run back to Him so He can and will meet your needs. He wants you to know Him as Father, Daddy, the one who loves and protects, the one who leads you and grows you into the man or woman of God that He made you to be.

            I want to encourage you to consider your God-given purpose. He made you and He delights in you. You make Him smile and laugh. He can’t wait until you wake up each morning. He wants to spend time with you. He wants you to get to know Him because He already knows everything about you. Open your heart and discover who you are and your purpose in His eyes.

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

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