The Beggar

by   February 7, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Another day. Just like yesterday. And the day before. Going out to beg for money. He had found a pretty good spot to beg, and he returned there each day. Actually, he was carried there each day, because he had been lame since birth.

His location for begging had probably been given some thought. It was at the temple -and the gate where he laid each day was named Beautiful.

The lame beggar’s expectations would have been no different on this day than on any other day. Sometimes a few people heading into the temple to pray may toss a coin or two his direction, but he also had days when no one seemed to even notice him.

But on this day – he got a whole lot more than the financial help he had hoped for!

Next, in this account from Acts 3:1-11, Peter and John walked up, and even though Beautiful Gate – their intended location – was right in front of them, they stopped. Peter fastened his eyes on the beggar, and said, “Look on us.”

Powerful words. That is when the beggar probably sensed something was going to be different about this day, as he humbly looked up, preparing to hear their words. He paid attention. He listened with expectation.

For Peter and John saw not what the beggar was at that moment, but who the beggar was… Peter then spoke, “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have, give I thee: In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk.”

What a beautiful prayer said at Beautiful Gate! He reached out to the beggar – oh did he reach out! He lifted him up! The beggar’s feet and ankle bones began to receive strength – so of course – he leaped up, stood, and walked. He could have run home right then, but instead he chose to enter the temple – walking and leaping and praising God!

Walking! Leaping! Praising God!

The people took notice! They knew him – they knew exactly who he was – the lame man who came daily to the gate. The one who was hoping for a few coins… but on this day had received so much more!

 In the name of Jesus – he had been healed!

The people were filled with wonder and amazement. When they saw it, they RAN to Solomon’s porch to hear Peter speak about believing and receiving Jesus as their Lord.

 A beggar.

 At Beautiful.

 Blessed beyond belief.

A lame man.

No longer a lame man.

Need healing?

The lame beggar came EVERY day to the temple.

 And…ONE day was THE day he was healed.

 For with God – nothing shall be impossible.

 Nothing means nothing.

Old Movies

by   February 5, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I like to watch a variety of movies. Naturally, as a guy, I enjoy action movies. I liked the Jason Bourne series, and who doesn’t like a good James Bond movie? I enjoyed the Indiana Jones series, but that does go a ways back. Westerns are high on the list, especially a number of the old ones. Yes, I enjoy some science fiction movies, too.

            There are some movies that I have watched numerous times. Some Christmas movies I watch every holiday season. Honestly, there are too many to mention by name in this space, and some of them might get me quite a ribbing from a few friends. I will admit that there are some rom coms on the list, but you have to remember I am married and I enjoy watching movies with my wife.

            Since the beginning of this pandemic we have watched a number of movies. We watch a movie every Friday night and sometimes another one on Saturday night. If you count the weekends since this pandemic began, you will come up with quite a large number of movies we have consumed. I don’t think we are alone in our movie consumption since the pandemic began.

My wife has found many movies that weren’t blockbusters that we have really enjoyed. We both enjoy movies with quirky characters. We have also enjoyed movies that are thought-provoking. Some movies have challenged our beliefs, or at least made us consider things from a different point of view. She has introduced me to some British movies and programs that we have really enjoyed.

            We have watched a number of black and white movies. There are some great ones from way back. They move slower, but we enjoy the pace. There are some old comedies and mysteries that hold up well. We both like some of the stars from back in the day. We also enjoy that the movies were less graphic in those days.

            We both enjoy a great story. We have watched plenty that were based on real life. Some people have lived very hard lives and their stories offer a sense of hope. If they can walk through those trials, then I can endure the things that I face.

            The Bible is filled with many of those kinds of stories. We see over and over again that people faced insurmountable odds, but with God’s help they overcame. We see people who made mistake after mistake, and God still used them to accomplish His purposes. That means that He can use someone like me to do His will, too.

            I have been reading through the Psalms and I love how the psalmist calls out to God from terrible circumstances, and then God intervenes. Sometimes the palmist ends the psalm with a declaration that he will wait and trust in God, while other times God has already shown up. It seems the psalmist catches a vision of his great big God and loses sight of his terrible circumstances.

            I like that the Bible tells us of David, a man after God’s own heart. David was one of the greatest kings, yet David made plenty of bad mistakes that weren’t swept under the rug. He counted the troops against God’s will and many people lost their lives because of that mistake. We all know he committed adultery, yet God used him in mighty ways. So yes, God can and wants to have people like that in His family.

            I love that Peter is included among Jesus’ disciples. While Peter had great faith, he also committed many big blunders. He said and did the wrong thing it seems, more times than he said and did the right thing. Yet Peter was among Jesus’ closest men. Peter is the rock upon which the church was built. Peter walked on water and healed many in his life. Peter led the church and wrote some of the books from the Bible. Peter is a hero of the faith.

            I want to encourage you to read about these and many others in your Bible who were ordinary people with ordinary faith in an extraordinary God. God is looking for someone just like you and me to be light in this dark world. He wants us to tell our stories of our journey of faith to those who don’t know of His marvelous deeds. The stories from the Bible are truly inspiring, but your story can be equally inspiring to others who are struggling. Share your story; who knows, maybe they will make a movie out of it one day.

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

Used Razor Blades

by   February 4, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The innumerable ways that things have been done in the past, like during the 1950’s of Charlotte, will make sense if examined and thought about instead of criticized.

For instance, in 1957 Charlotte, citizens desired convenience just as they do in 2022. So,  in order to keep fathers from having to find a safe means of disposing of the double edged, still sharp razor blades, manufacturers of metal medicine cabinets provided an easy fix.

Since the metal medicine cabinets were recessed between wall studs, the makers of up-scale bathroom fixtures placed a small, downward pointed slit in the upper middle back of each cabinet. The slit was just large enough for one of those used, double-edged razor blades. Since the space between the studs and back-to-back sheets of  drywall was large and the blades small but still potentially dangerous for a child or unsuspecting adult, it was a good solution. Shave with it, then drop it in the slot preventing any finger from being harmed by it.

However, it must have been a slow news day in Charlotte on January 28, 2022, because our local paper ran a story of a realtor making the discovery of such a medicine cabinet. It seems the realtor was assessing a partially renovated home when the electrician told him about what was sticking out of a wall. He rushed to see what had been found and then researched the phenomenon (on Google?) and learned something: Things were done differently, often for a sound reason, in the past.

But it seems the Charlotte realtor is a late comer to making this discovery of what he describes as a “weird” way of the disposal of used razor blades. In 2020 it seems a Los Angeles woman made the same discovery in her home and posted it on TikTok. Her post had 3.8 million views and almost 3,000 comments.

Now, I understand that not everyone is knowledgeable of residential life during the 1950’s, especially knowing about such details as bathroom medicine cabinets. I applaud the Charlotte realtor for conducting what passes for research in today’s Internet world. I am also pleased that he has the character for admitting that he had learned something. However, what I object to is the Charlotte realtor saying/thinking about the way of disposing of razor blades, “It’s just weird, and we would never think of doing it at all today, at least I hope not.”  All I can say in response to him is that patients at one time were bled as a cure for illness. And as far as the Los Angeles woman, all I wonder is: Are we such a bored society that over 3.8 million folks are entertained on TikTok by a tiny slot in a medicine cabinet?

Sometime in my expanding tenure as a teacher as I aged, I realized how many years began separating me from my students. Aware of my own experiences and sensibilities, I began each new year searching the events of my students’ birth year. In that small way, thinking of the year they were born, I was more aware of their experiences and their exposures. This small knowledge helped me be more sensitive to the time that had helped form my students. From that hallmark, we moved forward as I taught them to fill in any gaps in their historical knowledge and to think critically of their time and times past.

These episodes concerning the renovation of a Charlotte and a Los Angeles home  and the attention they bring should serve as a “real-life example” of the importance for teaching critical thinking skills and history because it matters that our children be made aware that the world has not always been as it is for them. And that looking something up on the Internet is not research, just exploration.

Just the Right Time

by   February 1, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

A few weeks ago we were doubly blessed. A big snow storm blew in overnight that coated our area in white. Oh! Everything looked so beautifully clean and bright. Then the full moon rose above it all shining down on pristine conditions. Even our meager back yard sparkled like a bedazzled Christmas card. All we could do was stand at the back door in awe, whispering praise to the God of all creation. It nearly took my breath away. You know, some days it’s just easier to count our blessings than others.


This morning however, the snow is all gone, the yard is soggy, clouds have rolled in and so has the pain. I can hardly think. I have no idea why. It could be weather related or food related or just plain meaness. That’s the most likely reason. Hey… I did not appreciate that loud chorus of “Amens” I heard coming through Cyberspace. But I am doing my best to give you a word from Scripture every weekday. So our thought for today comes from Galatians 6:9. “So let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”


Hmmm… a “harvest of blessing.” Sounds like more than would fit in a cornacopia. Man I wish I had spellcheck. Anyway, that little horn thingy that holds all the fruit. So better than that.


I wonder what the Lord means by a harvest of blessing. Maybe I’ll just try to be faithful and find out. It might take some extra prayer; even a time of being still, which I hate; or even the conscious decision to turn off the noise and purposely listen for His voice. That last one is really hard. But the blessing is promised.


“So let us not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”


Beloved reader: The Lord loves you so much. The harvest will come at just the right time. Please don’t give up.

Looking Back

by   January 31, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

“I told my children about you,” she said, “I showed them a book we made in Sunday School.”

It had been over 30 years ago and the tools used to hold the book together were a hole puncher and some yarn. The title was, “The Story of Jesus.” Each page was simple – but the book contained the story the world most needs to hear.

She saved it. She showed it to her children. She told them about me.

That makes me smile.

Every Sunday morning, I went. I was on time. I was prepared.

It was a privilege. It was never a burden.

Sacrifice? Yes.

Time? Yes.

Money? Yes.

Commitment? Yes.

Homemade brownies for students? Often.

They were my students  – and we grew in the Lord together.

The students who sat in my classroom changed over the years as they began to grow up, but the power of the story of Jesus did not.

Decades later, I know many of them as adults.

It brings me great joy to see Jesus as the center of their lives.

Years of going to Sunday School every week to teach the children?

Totally worth it.

As a teenager, I remember sitting on the living room floor of my youth pastor’s home, surrounded by many others. One night he said, “Ann, would you read 1 Corinthians 13 for us?” I was scared, but I began leafing through the pages of my Bible, trying desperately to find it. The 13 verses seemed long at first, but the more I read, the more I felt something I did not recognize. I now know that it was the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room. As I read the last verse, “And now abides faith, hope, love – these three. But the greatest of these is love,” a tear fell onto the page. It was mine.

I had no idea that night as I nervously read those verses to the youth group that in the future, I would be reading many verses many times with many students.

The Lord was directing my steps, even though I had no idea that Psalm 37:23 gives us that exact promise – He will direct our steps!

Looking back? Yes. We need to tell the next generation the praises of the Lord, his strength, and the wonderful works he has done. Psalm 78:4

Hearing a former student tell me she told her children about me?

And then showing me the book we made in Sunday School ?

Priceless.

Our efforts will last for generations to come.

Serve the Savior.

It is worth it.

God Moves Unexpectedly

by   January 29, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

God Moves Unpredictably

            When I moved to North Carolina back in the 1980’s, people told me about the March that it snowed three Wednesdays in a row. Any story about snow is a good story. I have heard that story more times than I can count. I did a little research, and that was back in 1960. Well, it might just be possible that we could have three snowy weekends in a row if some of the models are right. Two weeks ago we had snow and sleet. Last weekend we had snow again, and it is possible that we could see snow again this weekend. What stories will come of this?

            I have to admit, last weekend’s snow was a surprise. I had been watching the models for over a week, trying to determine what I thought would happen. I send out storm alerts to some friends and followers, but I never sent anything out on that storm. A few friends pressed me, and I told them we could see between 0 and 6 inches. I guess I was right since we got three inches at my house.

            Weather is so unpredictable, but I love the challenge and the excitement of following storms. I love following storms, severe weather, and hurricanes, but my favorite is snowstorms. I have been fascinated by weather since childhood. I love to watch it snow. It doesn’t happen that often, and most people agree it is beautiful to watch it come down. The trouble is that I like to see it pile up, too. Last Friday night it started to snow while I was getting our take-out dinner. I turned on the spotlights when I got home and I watched it snow all evening. It was one of the nicest evenings I can remember in a long time.

            That storm was very unpredictable. Every model run churned out different results. One run I thought we would see heavy snow, then the next run we weren’t going to get any at all. I thought as we closed in on the storm we might find clarity. It never happened. Most forecasters were surprised by the amount we received. In their defense, what we received was a powder snow, and powder snow is very hard to predict.

            We normally get snow, then sleet and freezing rain, finally ending as snow again. That’s another reason it is very hard to predict winter weather. I love following it, but mostly I just want to look out the windows and watch it snow.

            Weather’s unpredictable nature reminds me about God’s unpredictability. I am not implying that He is undependable. We can count on God. But His ways and methods are very unpredictable. If you think you have figured out God, look out because He will surprise you. The Bible tells us that His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts.

            People say that God will work the way He did before. That’s not always true. God is creative and can work in many wonderful different ways. Think of the many ways that Jesus healed people. Sometimes He spoke to them, other times He placed His hands on them, and still other times He spit on the ground and made mud to put on them. We are all different; God can approach each of us in different ways.

            What I love most about walking with God is how He surprises me. Sometimes He comes for a visit late at night. Sometimes we are singing a song I have sung many times at church, but on this Sunday He shows up in a special way. Sometimes I open an email from a reader and God shows up in an unexpected way to bless me. Maybe this has happened to you…you pray for something and God provides an answer in an unexpected way.

            We have to stop putting God in a box by saying, “He can only work in this way.” The Bible tells us of many different ways that God has worked in the past. We know that He can work in those ways again, but we can’t say that those are the only ways He will work. We have to expand our faith and believe that God can move and work in unexpected ways.

            I want to encourage you to open your heart to God and allow Him to do something unexpected in your life. He wants to bless you. He wants to encourage you. He wants to strengthen your faith. He wants to give you good gifts. Pay attention to what is happening around you. God is at work in many unexpected ways to express His love for you.

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

A Frozen Week

by   January 28, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

For the past week I have been housebound because the heavy snow storm and its wind left a pile of snow on the back ramp, which I use to enter and exit our house. Over the past eight days of freezing temperatures the pile became a large ice mass. But my friend Shawn came yesterday and cut it into pieces that now jam an unused corner of our yard. This morning the sun shines on our back garden across a bright winter-blue sky, and when the warmth of day increases just a bit, I will venture out with Nick the beagle and ramble about the garden.

It may seem odd to think of warm weather when ice blocks occupy one part of my world, but I saw a reminder of it yesterday out a back window—a pair of doves sat together on a limb of the center dogwood tree before one mounted the other. It’s the middle of January, so I  don’t know for sure about their act, but it is a fresh reminder that, yes, the days are getting longer and warmer. But I remind myself that, no matter what the doves were doing, Shawn’s labor freed me from my housebound sentence, so Nick and I will shortly roam about our back garden.

Even in morning cold, the garden is busy with bird life. A blue bird inspects the entry hole of the birdbox on the center dogwood tree before realizing that the hole is too small, and a brown headed nuthatch moves about the tree trunk looking for day’s first offering. On a high branch a Carolina chickadee basks in morning’s sunlight filtering through the pine canopy.

However, my “play date” with Nick did not materialize because Mary Ann and I decided to get out of the house and go to a favorite flea market. We enjoyed the shared outing and returned in time to take a long walk with Nick on which he met and impressed some neighbors we did not know.

The day did not go as I had planned; but it proved to be an adventure of sorts and that is what matters at its end. That is one of the many sweet spots of life—there are the possibilities for the coming day and for tomorrow and for the next day and so on. After all, Mary Ann, Nick, and I shared parts of the day and we will tomorrow. It’s the way our days go since we were adopted by this beagle. And in the sharing is the joy.

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