Doug’s Columns

            Let’s face it, there are not many families like The Brady Bunch or Leave it to Beaver. There are no families with the perfect moms and dads and all the kids who never do anything wrong. We like to watch those families and dream. The reality is that no one has a perfect family.

            How can any perfect family exist when we have fallen from grace? That being said, many of us were lucky to grow up in good families where many good memories were created. As a public school teacher, I know that many students grew up in less than ideal conditions. Many families were fractured, leaving students with emotional scars and hearts wishing for the fantasy families that we find on TV.

            Given that no family is perfect, we all have memories we wish we could erase and some that are very special treasures. Most of our parents and grandparents tell stories of their childhood that we have heard numerous times. Did you hear about walking to school uphill both ways? What precious memories!

            The trouble with the bad memories is that they impact our view of the Heavenly Father. God is a wonderful and good Father. The trouble comes with how we imagine or perceive that relationship when our only comparison comes with our earthly fathers. Even the best father on earth is flawed and can give us a blurry vision of God our Father.

            As a teacher, I knew some of my students had never met their father. That could make them feel like God is absent, distant, and doesn’t care about them. Some of my students had parents that were divorced. That could make them feel like God has other priorities and doesn’t really have time for them. Some of my students experienced some kind of abuse from their fathers. That could give them an image of an abusive God who wants to belittle and hurt them.

            There are many good qualities in my life that come from my father. The quality I admire the most is his work ethic. My Dad always worked with the highest integrity and I tried to live my work life by those same high standards. I always thought my Dad dressed sharply. I always liked wearing nice clothes with a great tie. These are just two of the qualities that I appreciate about my father.

            How do we have a relationship with God our Heavenly Father? We can’t see Him, although we can talk with Him. Many people choose not to talk with Him, but I think life is much better when we do. Many believe that God is too busy with world events to be interested in our lives. Nothing can be further from the truth. Because God is omnipresent and unrestricted by time, He can be intimately involved with each of us all at the same time.

            The Bible is God’s love letter to us, filled with many promises about our present and future. He wants us to know that He is planning our future here on earth and what He has planned for those who believe in Jesus when we arrive in heaven. There are many examples of how God interacts with people and how deeply He cares for each one of us.

            The Bible tells us over and over again that God loves us. In fact, once He discovered that our relationship was broken with Him because of sin, He made a plan for how to fix the problem. He sent His Son Jesus to die on a cross to pay the price for our sin and failures. The Good News we celebrate on Easter is that Jesus did not stay dead but He has risen and become victorious over death and sin. By accepting Jesus as our Savior, we can have a relationship with God our Father. It’s a free gift! All your sins and failures wiped away! No more guilt or shame. Then we can experience God’s immeasurable love.

            I want to encourage you to make the very important decision to accept Jesus as your Savior so you can be assured of your place in heaven. You can experience the love and acceptance of God deep in your heart. His perfect peace can wash over you and free you from worry and anxiety. You can know a joy residing in you that cannot be shaken by the crazy things that are going on in our world today. Make this Easter the best yet by accepting Jesus and getting to know God as your Heavenly Father.

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

By Doug Creamer

            I have been teaching professionally for 39 years. Where has all that time gone? Over that period of time that I have had thousands of students in class, on the job, and at internship sites. It is hard to imagine interacting with that many students. After all this time, I still love being a teacher. I am thankful for the opportunity to continue doing what I love.

            Teachers are expected to do far more than teach curriculum. We are expected to be disciplinarians and medics. We have to know how to encourage slower students and motivate high-flying students. We have to be counselors to students who are going through various trials and troubles at home, work, and school. We are also expected to teach students important life skills while also insuring that they pass standardized tests. We have to help our students understand and deal with local tragedies like the passing of a classmate and world events like 9/11. We are expected to be cheerleaders and life coaches. When the students go home our work is not done because we have to call parents, plan lessons for tomorrow, and grade papers.

            That is not even close to a complete list because I didn’t include sponsoring clubs, coaching sports, working gate duties, lunch and hall duties, attending open houses, and attending other evening events like award programs. There are never enough hours in a day. On top of all that you have to remember that teachers have personal lives and the demands of our families.

            One of the roles Jesus had while He was on earth was teacher. Some people believe that He supernaturally knew everything, including how to teach. I do not believe that. I believe that Jesus had to spend some quiet time alone thinking about ways to teach His disciples and the crowds. He had to develop relevant examples that His listeners could understand and connect with on a personal level. Jesus had to create lesson plans.

            We know Jesus taught with parables. Parables are stories with a lesson or a moral. Why would Jesus use parables? I think one reason is that they are easy to remember. We all remember stories we heard from our parents or grandparents. Stories have been told since the dawn of time and they are powerful tools in the hands of a good teacher.

            Jesus taught us many things by example. When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet He was teaching them the importance of serving others. There are so many things that need to be done around churches and your pastor would be thankful for any help you could provide. Jesus taught us to forgive those who wrong us. When Jesus was on the cross He asked the Father to forgive those who crucified Him. He taught us the importance of restoring people because He restored Peter after he denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus taught us the hard lesson of obedience when He asked the Father if He could save humanity without going to the cross. Jesus told the Father, “Nevertheless, not what I want but your will be done.” Jesus, we thank you for teaching us this hard lesson and for paying the price for our sins.

            Jesus taught us many other things. He taught us how to pray. He gave us a great example in the Lord’s Prayer, which most of us can quote. Jesus taught us about how much our Father in Heaven loves us through the parable of the prodigal son. He taught us that the Father is willing to leave the 99 sheep and come looking for us when we have strayed and gotten lost. Jesus taught us that He came to set us free. He came for us to be healed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. He wants us to live full and blessed lives, knowing we are forgiven.

            I want to encourage you meet the greatest teacher who ever lived and invite Him to be your Lord and Savior. He died to give you access to your Heavenly Father. He loves you beyond what you can imagine. He has done everything to make a way for you, but you have to take the critical step of accepting this wonderful gift from God. Complete forgiveness is available for you. Peace of mind, in spite of your circumstances, is yours. Joy, which is far greater than happiness, comes through a relationship with Jesus. Here is one more important step He wants you to take: He wants you to share this good news with others. Don’t keep it to yourself, give it away, especially now at Easter.

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

A few weeks ago, my pastor asked if I might kick off a series he was beginning about how to share our faith. It was a crazy morning at our church. We didn’t have heat in the sanctuary, the mike gave out on the pastor, and our video feed wasn’t working properly. We have a tech genius in our church who got the electronics to work. We came back online late but before I took the stage. You can advance about 15 – 20 minutes and join me for the message. Thank you for watching and enjoy!

By Doug Creamer

            Someone recently asked me if I enjoy writing. Writing my column is enjoyable most days, as I am relating how I see God in my everyday life. Then there are times that I stare at the computer hoping something will magically appear on the screen. Those are tough days but I always enjoy the process and knowing I am reaching my readers.  

My students asked me if I prefer writing fiction or non-fiction. I told them that I enjoy writing both but that it is more fun to create fiction. When I write fiction I get to create the characters. They asked if the characters were based on real people or on me. I told them that the characters are developed from a mixture of the people I know. As far as basing a character on myself, I couldn’t deny that there might be a little piece of me in the characters I create.  

I think it is fun and interesting to put my characters in situations and see what happens. Sometimes I am surprised by what a character says and does in a specific situation. I also explained to my students that my characters are real to me. I feel like I interact with my characters in my mind. It is fun to think about the imaginary world of my characters and to create their lives.

            I taught Sunday school last week and taught my class about God as the author of our lives. There are several places in scripture that talk about God as our author. In Revelation, it talks about God bringing all the people of the world together for judgement day. On that day He will open the books of our lives and we will be judged according to what we have done. In another place it talks about us receiving rewards for all the good things we have done.

            In Psalms 139 it says God knitted us together in our mother’s womb. In that same Psalm it says that He saw my unformed body and that all my days were written in His book. It says he ordained my birth and He knows when I will die. Because God is omniscient and not bound by time as we are, He knows every detail of our lives. What is interesting about that to me is that in spite of all the bad stuff in my life, He still loves me.

            I told my Sunday school class that they didn’t need to worry about God knowing all the details in their lives, because there was something else that I learned about Him that would help for all the bad or sinful stuff that we have all done. In I John 1:9 we are promised that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us. That means we have to own up to our sins and shortcomings. Then Jeremiah 31:34 promises us that if we confess our sins to God He will not only forgive us but that he will not remember them anymore. In fact, in Micah 7 we are told that he will throw the memory of our sins into the sea where it will be forgotten forever! That is such great news, that in God’s omniscience He will purposefully forgive and forget our confessed sins.

            The other great thing the Bible tells us about God is that He plans good things for our lives; in fact, He has filled our future with hope. You may wonder why bad things happen in our lives. There is still a devil and he is up to no good. Even when we go through bad times we can trust God because He promises us that He can bring good things out of every situation we face if we will trust Him. Remember, He is the author of our lives, who is constantly looking for ways to bless us and He allows His favor to rest upon our lives.

            No matter what challenges you might be facing, I want to encourage you to turn to God and put your faith and trust in Him. He wrote your story and He has some great things planned for you. You are promised that He is looking out for you and that He will never leave nor forsake you. There is an exciting future waiting to unfold right before your eyes. Yes, there will be tough days, but you can be assured that you will never walk alone. The God of the entire universe is watching out for you, promising great things are planned for you and your life is encased in His unfathomable love.   

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

By Doug Creamer

            Last week was the annual State DECA Competition. DECA is an association of marketing students. You may be wondering how I know that since I have been retired for five years. I still love DECA and I continue to return each year to help with the conference.

            Several thousand students show up each year in Greensboro to determine who will attend the International DECA Conference. Students compete in a variety of role-play events which also contain a written test component. Some students write research papers and then present their results as their competition. There are both team and individual events. Probably the best part is seeing high school students dressed up like professionals for the competitions.

            I attended the state conference every year except for the year we got snowed out. I always looked forward to going to the conference, even though it was a big responsibility to take students away for several days. They always had a positive competitive experience and a wonderful time away from home. I have tons of great stories, including many pranks the students pulled on me. There are so many memories that I plan to treasure for the rest of my life.

I help with the state officer elections each year. The election process determines who will lead the student organization for the upcoming school year. These are the best of the best students, and wow, do they make a big impression on me. These students must complete an application, take a written test, pass an interview with a nomination committee, and finally, win the electoral votes to become the state officers.

            I administer the test and help supervise one of the nominating committees. The committee is made up of students from across the state who take their responsibility to select the best candidates for their positions very seriously. It is a very interesting process to observe. The students act in a professional and mature manner. When they are done, I believe they have chosen the best candidates to be the next state officers.

            When I have all the candidates together to give them their test, I tell them a couple of stories about previous officer candidates. I hope my stories encourage the students and help them to relax before their test. This year I told the students why I continue to come back and work at the conference each year since I retired. I told them that I come to see the hope for the future in their eyes. I told them that I see the future leaders of our country in that room. I see incredible potential in their eyes. I feel peace in my soul because I know our country is in good hands. The news discourages me, but when I look into their eyes my hope is restored that everything will work out. That’s why I come back year after year.

            When I turned to pick up the test to be distributed I was caught off guard by their response; they applauded me. I couldn’t hide the tear that escaped my eye, which only elicited more cheers. I encourage you to turn off the news and look around you at today’s youth. I know they aren’t perfect, but neither are we. There are some young people with some bright ideas, strong moral values, and a faith that is surprisingly refreshing.

            Some people believe the politicians are going to help turn things around. Some trust in the stock market and believe its success will transform the world. Some hope that social reform will change the world. There is only one thing that can turn our world around. While I find hope in our youth, I know that the only way to change is through faith in Jesus Christ. He is the one who holds our future in His hands. He is the one who will guide us and protect us. He is our provider. Our only hope for the future is for us to turn our eyes back to God and to lean on His wisdom and direction.

            I want to encourage you to turn your eyes and keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the author and perfector of our faith. The world may appear grim, but He is still in control. He loves us and has good things planned for our future. We must put our faith and trust in Him for all circumstances. He is the source of our Hope. He is the Prince of Peace. He loves us far more than we can understand. The future remains bright when we look into God’s eyes.

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

By Doug Creamer

Sharing Our Faith

            When I was in college our church organized the college students into groups and sent us out on campus to share our faith. I was very nervous about sharing my faith on campus. I met the girl assigned to my group, who was a petite person. My nerves increased. Then I met the final member of my group, a guy that would remind you of the incredible hulk minus the green body paint. My nervousness disappeared instantly. No one would disrespect us with this big guy!

            Sharing our faith isn’t easy. We have to become vulnerable. People can choose to listen and even receive what we share or they can reject what we share and leave us feeling dejected. Rather than risk rejection many of us choose to keep our faith to ourselves.

            If we decide to take the risk, the next problem is discovering how to share our faith. How do you put into words what you believe? How can you share and not create an offense? What do you choose to share? How much is too much or not enough to help the person receive the wonderful gift of salvation? What are the right words to use? Is there a specific way that works every time?

            Sometimes we are left with more questions about how to share our faith and we end up giving up on the opportunity. We feel inadequate to share our faith. We doubt ourselves and believe everyone else can do a better job than we can. Some people think it is best to leave it up to the professionals, those who have the gift of evangelism or pastors. Sadly, it is those who need to hear the gospel who miss out because we allow fear to keep us from sharing.

            One thing we all know that doesn’t work is standing on street corners yelling at those who pass by, calling them snakes, vipers, and sinners beyond the grace of God. No one responds positively to that kind of message. Also, it is not true! No breathing person is beyond the grace of God. We are all sinners in desperate need of God’s love and forgiveness. Sadly, people who spew out this kind of message chase people away from a loving and merciful God.

            The most effective way to reach someone with God’s love is in a one-on-one conversation. It shouldn’t be a forced conversation. It should flow naturally. It’s important that the person knows you care about them. This often means that bringing up Jesus may not occur in the first or even the second conversation. It is important to build a connection with someone before sharing your faith in Jesus.

            I believe the connection comes from your commitment to listening to the other person. We need to understand their situation, their story. I think that developing a friendship will often open the door for you to share your love for Jesus. Compassion and kindness are often keys that can open people’s hearts, not only to you but to the Lord. If we can help them in their situation, they will be more likely to listen to what we have to say.

            Every human being has a deep need to be loved. People will open their hearts to you when they feel loved and cared for by you. Once they have opened their hearts to you, begin to look for the opportunity to share God’s love with them. Tell them your story. Let them know how God has come through for you in the past. When they can see your experience with God’s love, compassion, and forgiveness, it becomes an invitation for them. People are hungry to be loved and accepted, especially by God.

            I want to encourage you to reflect on your personal story and experience with God. Your story can open doors and make a way for someone to find and build a relationship with God. Everyone who has accepted Jesus was drawn to Him by His great love and unimaginable forgiveness. Be ready and willing to share your story, your testimony, with those in your sphere of influence. If you have never accepted Him as your Lord, I encourage you to open your heart to Him. He stands at the door of your heart and knocks, wanting to have a relationship with you. Don’t put this decision off. You can experience God’s complete forgiveness, be freed from guilt and shame, and know for certain that you will go to heaven. But the most important thing is that you can know that you are loved by the God who created you and everything in the universe.  

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

By Doug Creamer

            I remember growing up hearing the expression: “A penny for your thoughts.” It probably needs to be updated to, “Five bucks for your thoughts.” I am not sure I would give someone the time of day for a penny. I think about a lot of things, I sure hope that my thoughts are worth more than a penny. Although, I admit some of my thoughts are worthless!

            I have been watching people recently and noticing that most people don’t take much time to just sit quietly and think. I was waiting at a business the other day and everyone was looking at their phone. I watched people in a parking lot. They were either talking on their phone, reading something on their phone, or texting someone. Many times you can walk past people and they won’t even greet you because they are staring at their phones.

            When do people take time to think? It is hard to think when we are constantly bombarded with texts, emails, social media, news, music, and television. We have music playing when we are in our cars. The only solitary place in our lives is the bathroom, and even there we are invaded by music and technology. Some might argue that we can think when we are in bed, but even there people are on their phones or tablets.

            We need to find a way to shut out all these inputs and allow our minds to think…to process what is happening in and around our lives. I avoid my phone when I walk so I can spend some time thinking and praying. I like to sit out on my porch late at night when the weather is good and the neighborhood is quiet, just to let my mind think and to pray. We have to create a space and time to allow our minds to think.

            The next issue is we have to guard our thoughts. We have to control our thoughts and consider carefully the subject of our meditations. I have been keeping close tabs on my mind the last couple of days and keeping track of my thoughts. My mind likes to wander from topic to topic, often faster than I can keep up.  

            Have you ever thought about winning the lottery? I love to do the math and calculate what we would need to be “comfortable” for the rest of our lives. I also enjoy thinking about how I might give away some of the money. I would love to give some money to schools, police and fire departments, the homeless shelter, and animal shelters. Wouldn’t it be fun to go pay someone’s overwhelming medical bills?

            Those are entertaining thoughts. But sometimes I caught myself worrying about things that are out of my control. I allowed anxiety about things in my life to grip me. I allowed frustrations with people to take up too much time. While I try to always be positive, I have discovered that negative thoughts can fill my mind, too. I have entertained thoughts that should not be allowed to enter my mind.

            When I make mistakes or bad decisions I often struggle to forgive myself. I wrestle with doubts and sometimes give in to their seductions. I faced fears and allowed them to overcome my faith. I want to win and have victorious thoughts, but find that sometimes I am weak and I lose the battle. In those weak moments my thoughts will condemn me and I accept their accusations.

            Our thoughts are important to God. He does not want us to live condemned and defeated lives. We have the power to stop our minds and change our stinking thinking. We have to remind ourselves of the truths in scripture. When our thoughts condemn us, we have to remind ourselves of the truth that we are forgiven. When our faith feels weak, we need to remind ourselves that the Bible calls us overcomers. We can banish fear and worry by replacing them with faith and hope. We must turn our thoughts back to God. We must trust the Bible, which says we will triumph.

            I want to encourage you to consider your thoughts. Are they filled with faith in a living God who is on your side, or are they beating you down and keeping you discouraged? I want to encourage you to pack those negative thoughts up and send them away. Remind yourself of God’s great love for you. Remind yourself that you are strong in Him. Remind yourself that He is with you through the trials of life and He will never forsake you.

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

By Doug Creamer

            I’ve been feeling under the weather this past week. Some may say that I’m feeling under the weather because we haven’t seen any snow in over two years. There is some truth in that. Every time I think that the conditions are looking positive for some snow it all falls apart and we get rain. It has certainly been a discouraging time if you are a snow lover.

            While the lack of snow has me down, I have been under the weather physically this week. I am not sure if my allergies have gone wacky or maybe I have run into a head cold. My sinuses have been running like a river and I have sneezed my head off. I am thankful that I have had no body aches, no fever, almost no coughing, nor a sore throat. Out of an abundance of caution I took a Covid test and it came back negative.

            Basically, I just felt lousy. Normally when I feel that way, I just sleep. This time I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t feel drained. You know when you are under the weather how nothing seems interesting? I didn’t want to read. The internet couldn’t hold my attention. I didn’t want to do anything, either, including my regular chores around the house. I just wanted to sit.

            I watched a lot of TV. I watched several old movies, ones I have seen numerous times. I watched re-runs of TV shows. I definitely did NOT want to watch any news. I enjoyed the old shows and the characters. There’s something about watching the familiar that makes you feel better.

            I hate to admit this, but my prayer life was really not up to speed. One might imagine that I had lots of extra time on my hands so I could spend it in prayer. But sadly, that wasn’t the case. I had a hard time focusing my mind to pray even the simplest of prayers. I did try to keep my immediate family and my pastor and his wife covered in prayer, but beyond that little prayer was being offered.

            I did keep up on my Bible reading while I was under the weather. Hopefully, there won’t be a quiz on what I read because I am not sure much of it stuck. It is hard to concentrate when you are sneezing and blowing your nose all the time.

            All this brings me to a question. Does God ever get disappointed in us? Truthfully, I wasn’t praying or taking in His Word as I should have this week. I certainly wasn’t involved in serving in the body this week. I wasn’t keeping up with daily tasks or helping others. I just wanted to watch TV.

            Let me be abundantly clear here. If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior and you are doing your best to lead a godly life then you will NEVER disappoint God. You may argue that you sinned or failed God in some way. There is God’s forgiveness and mercy for you and His grace to help you live better for Him. God loves you UNCONDITIONALLY. The Bible makes it clear that God loves ALL people and wants a relationship with each person. Sadly, many people choose not to love God back. They choose to walk away from God and His love.

            If you want to know what disappoints God it’s when we allow hate and anger to destroy love. When we look at another human being and don’t see them through God’s eyes, that disappoints Him. No one is beyond salvation until their last breath. There is no sin that can’t be cleansed by the redeeming blood of Jesus. There is no opinion or perspective that Jesus can’t fix. There is no broken person that God can’t restore. No one has gone too far from God’s love and forgiveness.

            The good news is that being physically sick, spiritually sick, or feeling distant or disconnected does not disqualify you from God’s love. He can’t be disappointed in you. I encourage you to turn back to God now before it is too late. I encourage you to open your heart to God and receive His love and forgiveness. I encourage you to ask God for the gift and the power of the Holy Spirit who can give you the power to live a different life, an abundant life. I encourage you to look at your life through God’s eyes and see the beautiful person He made you to be.   

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

By Doug Creamer

            We had a guest minister at our church on Sunday. The man is a friend of our pastor. He has spoken at our church before and always brings a thought-provoking message. This week was no exception, as ironically, his topic was: our thoughts. His message wasn’t simply that we have good thoughts and bad thoughts, but more about our responsibility for our thoughts.

            He spent some time explaining to us that we have to learn what to do with any kind of negative thought. For example, I may have a thought that something terrible is going to happen. I need to take that kind of thought captive and not allow it to grow into something unmanageable in my imagination. I love my imagination but I can’t allow it to run crazy with bad thoughts, that is not good for me and it is a waste of my time.

            When bad thoughts attempt to invade our minds we have to take them captive. The minister explained that if we take a thought captive and keep it from playing in our imagination the bad thought loses its power over us. Worry is when we let a bad thought run wild. We keep imagining bad things happening or bad outcomes in potentially good situations. God wants us to be in charge of our thoughts and to not allow negative ones to grow.

            Let’s say you go to the doctor and receive a diagnosis of diabetes, or worse yet that awful word: cancer. Both of these diagnoses could result in serious outcomes. This is when it is vital to control our thoughts. While I believe that God can miraculously heal people I also believe that God will use doctors and medicine to change circumstances. We need to apply our faith in God to these situations and not allow our imaginations to run wild against us.

            The truth is bad things happen to all of us. We all face problems that sometimes feel larger than life. What I want you to do right now it remember a time in your life when you felt overwhelmed by your circumstances. Now remember how God intervened in your life, how he changed the circumstances and saw you through them. That is part of your testimony to God’s faithfulness in your life. The next time you feel overwhelmed remember God’s faithfulness to you in the past, how He came through for you in a pinch.

            Sometimes in life we face things that overwhelm us and none of our own testimonies are strong enough to see us through. This is a time when God is planning to grow our faith in Him. This is a time when we need to turn to others so we can hear their testimonies. Whatever over-whelming situation you are facing, someone has already been through it. Someone has a story of how God met them in their darkest hour to encourage their faith and renew their strength.

            God has a plan to help you. That plan begins in your mind. God does not want you to live in fear. God does not want you to worry. God wants you to have faith in Him, that He is sufficient to see you through. God wants you to be in control of your thoughts. I know that thoughts can run wild, that’s why we have to take them captive. When my thoughts have gone south I have several good friends who know how turn me around.

            Our minds are wonderful tools when we use our faith to keep them working in the right direction. We are designed to be overcomers and that process begins in our thoughts. We have to use our imagination to see ourselves overcoming. We have to apply our faith in a good God to our circumstances. When we feel weak and vulnerable we have to be willing to ask a good friend to come along side us to help correct our thinking. God intends for us to be victorious in every situation in our lives, but the battle for victory begins in our thoughts.

            I want to encourage you to examine your thoughts. I encourage you to create a spiritual screen for your thoughts. Any bad thoughts about yourself and circumstances you face are not from your loving Heavenly Father. God sees you as a victorious prince or princess in His family. Stop telling yourself negative things and believe that God wants what is best for you. Allow your thoughts and faith to connect to the awesome God you serve and you will see your victory.

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

By Doug Creamer

            I love being a teacher. I retired from teaching and I am still teaching part-time. It’s in my blood. I teach my students to think about something that they love doing and see if there is a career related to that. If they can find a job working in that profession they will never have to go to work. They will get to do what they love.

            I tell my students if the thing they love is illegal or immoral then they need to choose a different career path, which always brings a laugh. I also explain to my students that there are always tasks in every career field that no one wants to do. That shouldn’t disqualify a career path. Focus on the parts you love and sink your energy there.

            There is nothing like helping and watching a student learn a task or skill for the first time. It is so rewarding to see students learning. I can’t contain the joy when I help a student pass a test, learn a skill, achieve a goal, or help them believe in themselves. There is no greater reward than seeing your students succeed.

            In teaching, there are special moments called teachable moments. Teaching occurs every day across the globe as students enter classrooms. A teachable moment occurs in those rare moments when the teacher has every student in the palm of their hand. Something can be taught in that moment that will last a lifetime. A good teacher recognizes that moment and never wants to squander it.

            Most teachable moments are special times a teacher treasures. There were several days in my career that I dreaded the lesson I was expected to teach. Consider 9/11. Imagine the Monday after a student was in a serious car accident that left him in the hospital for weeks. The hardest day was after a student passed away. Students look to the adults in their lives to explain why bad things happen. They want teachers to help them understand. Those were long days filled with moments I want to forget.

            Life is not always easy and it is filled with many ups and downs. God’s best lessons are taught as we walk through hard situations. For example, going through some financial struggles allows God to teach us that He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. We can depend on Him to come through for us. I am a firm believer that we have to do our part in the process, but in the end He is the One who provides for us.

            There are many lessons in the Bible waiting for us to learn. It is how we approach the Bible and even God Himself that will determine if we can learn the lessons. The Bible is filled with many great stories of what others have gone through. We can learn the lesson from those stories so when God puts us in similar situations we will know that we can trust Him to help us in the same way.

            I think we also have to realize that God is alive and active in our lives. He is a good Father who wants to teach us more about Himself and who He is in our lives. That means that He will set up a lesson for us. Some lessons are simply learned by reading the stories in the Bible. Other lessons require us to apply what we have learned to our lives. Those are harder lessons and require us to exercise our faith. We have to believe God’s word and His promises to us. In addition, we have to trust Him in and through that process.

            Many of the application lessons require us to understand that God’s ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts. Many spiritual lessons are hard and will challenge us to grow stronger. Weight lifters will tell you that growing muscles requires straining. To grow spiritual muscles will push you to your limits of faith and trust.

            I want to encourage you to engage with your Father in Heaven, who wants a personal relationship with you. He wants you to know His heart, which is always for you. He wants you to know Him as your loving Heavenly Father. He also wants you to know Him as a teacher who will give you some easy and some hard lessons. You have to open your heart to learn from Him and know that you can trust Him. There are many teachable moments with God. All of them are designed to reveal Himself more and more to you.

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