The Stain

by   March 29, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

I stepped away for just a second. It was long enough for her paper towel bib to be removed and the bowl of spaghetti to land on the front of the white shirt.

She screamed, “It won’t come off! It won’t come off!”

She tried to wipe it away with all her might — as sauce and spaghetti noodles flew.

No, it won’t, sweetheart.

It won’t come off.

Apparently, it was more than a 4-year-old can endure, because tears came. Although I was the one who should be crying, I tried to comfort her. After I convinced her to take the shirt off and exchange it for a clean one, I tried to blot the stain out.

Blotting it out did not work.

I then began washing it in an attempt to remove the red stains from the white shirt.

I soon realized I had used every stain removal technique in my repertoire.

The stain remained.

It could not be made white again.

It was stained beyond repair.

It had lost its value.

Something about that white garment stained to a crimson red made a connection in my spirit.

It reminded me:

Sin will stain what it touches.

But there is a solution that can take away the stain and blot out our transgressions.

Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though our sins be as scarlet, they shall be made white as snow.”

1 John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”

Isaiah 43:25 says, “I am he that blots out your transgressions and will not remember your sins.”

What can wash away our sins?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, precious is the flow

That makes us white as snow.

Sin won’t win.

The stain won’t remain.

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

Turn to the Word

by   March 27, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Turn to the Word

            My wife used to work as an elementary school librarian many years ago. She read and talked about many children’s books. Some titles I don’t remember, others just stuck with me. I remember one that I thought was great: “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”

            Have you ever had a day like that? I felt like that was the kind of day I had last Friday. Now, please understand that we did not have anything tragic happen. It just wasn’t a good day.

            When my feet hit the floor that morning, I thought it would be a good day. I always think every day is going to be a good day. I was wrong that morning. It seemed everything was stacked against me. I ran into problems and nothing worked out. Everything was going south. I tried over and over to turn my day around, but then something else would go wrong.

            By dinner time, I was thoroughly discouraged. It’s hard to get me discouraged, but it does happen. Why didn’t anything work out my way? We ordered some food for dinner and I went to get it. I didn’t even want to turn on the radio. The upbeat music from KLOVE would just rub salt in my wounds.

            I turned on the radio anyway. The music began to help. Then one of the announcers read the verse of the day. It was from Isaiah 43. I was familiar with the verse and part of the chapter. I determined that I would read it before I went to bed. We had dinner and watched a light-hearted romantic comedy, which helped to lift my spirits.

            When we were finished with dinner and the movie, I went and found my Bible. I opened to Isaiah 43 and began to slowly read and re-read down through verse four. I meditated on the words and the promises contained in them. I personalized it and read the promises with my name in them. I thanked God for His promises and reminded myself that these were promises for me.

            I am not telling you that I did cartwheels before bed, but I am telling you that God’s word and His promises to me began to turn my stinking thinking around. When I put my head on my pillow that night, I told the Lord that while things did not go in my favor, I knew that I was standing in His favor and that was good enough for me.

            That chapter of the Bible talks about walking through the raging river and walking through the fire. Just because we ask Jesus into our lives does not mean that every day is going to be a great day. This chapter teaches us that we are going to have to walk through the fire…did you catch the promise there? God’s promise is that we will make it to the other side AND it also says that God will walk WITH us to the other side. We are promised that we will never have to walk through anything alone.

            I can tell you that on Saturday and Sunday the scales started to tip back in my direction. I know why, because the favor of God is on my life. God is going to allow me to walk through difficult and trying days so I can learn that He is right there with me, helping and supporting me each step of the way.

            I believe there are three things that can turn bad days around. The first is always prayer. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is always on our side and ready to send us the help we need. Second is His word. God’s word is full of promises that will help us face every situation that comes our way. The third is being with other believers. I know God can use our brothers and sisters in Christ to help lift us out of the pits. We all stumble and fall and need a hand to lift us up.

            I want to encourage you to look into God’s word and discover the promises that He has made to you. When we have bad days, we need to remind ourselves that God is with us. He has promises that will help us get through those bad days. There is a song we sing at church that has a line that says, “my God only knows how to triumph.” You are going to see the victory, hang on to His promises. He will get you through to the other side.  

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

How to Get Better Sleep

by   March 23, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

If you are missing sleep either through struggling to switch off at night or waking up with something on your mind, you need to be very careful. Especially if you do it every night and a good night’s sleep is a rare thing. This is what will push you over the edge and bad things will happen. Without enough sleep, your body cannot recover, and while it will fight back to look after you, eventually it will be unable to keep up.

I am one of these people. I don’t sleep enough and never have. Overtraining as a runner can cause bad sleep, usually resulting in the inability to experience deep sleep. Have you ever heard of being too tired to sleep? I’ve been there and it is a real thing. On the flip side, if I’ve not been sleeping well for some other reason, this lost sleep has caused my running to suffer. My point is that next to hydration, I am convinced that sleep is the biggest factor in getting the best return from my body.

Here are some things that have helped me. Whether you run or not, if struggling with sleep, try these methods.

I often use caffeine as a training aid, but it can mess up your sleep, especially if the caffeine is consumed later in the day. Positive training effects wear off during the day, but caffeine can still linger to deter sleep. Leave it alone in the afternoon and evening and remember that chocolate has caffeine.

Always prone to wake up thinking during the night, I came across something big that helped me. There seems to be an endless to-do list of things on my mind. To lessen the worry that I will forget something, I started making a list ahead of heading for bed. Often, I leave the pen and paper next to the bed so I can add to the list and hopefully fall right back to sleep.

It’s simple, but leave the electronics in another room. Try to send any messages or make calls that concern you at least an hour before bed. Nearly everything will wait until you get some sleep.

At any given time, I’ve got a book going. If I know my mind is racing, I take that book to bed with me. Usually the book will do the trick. And then should I wake up and my mind jump back to the to-do list, then instead of laying there for hours watching the clock, I grab the book again.

Snacking and hydrating come next. I am always hungry, and I sometimes wake up at night needing just a small snack, especially if I didn’t eat something before heading to bed. What works for me is a half banana both times, just before bed and somewhere in the night. Bananas have sleep promoting nutrients and can act as a mood stabilizer and a muscle relaxer.

Exercise enthusiasts and anyone else for that matter need to hydrate. Most of us walk around dehydrated every day. Try to meet your hydration requirements earlier, rather than the last few hours before bed. I really don’t mind a trip to the bathroom at night, allowing a chance to confirm that my pee is clear and hydration is good. Plus, I get a middle-of-the-night update of current conditions on the weather radio.

My final one works for me. Most nights, I ask Alexa to put on talk radio, never anything political, and to stop playing in an hour. There is even an app called “Sleep with Me” that does the same, except Alexa does it without taking my phone to bed.

Final call for our spring beginning runners class! It starts 6 p.m. Tuesday evening at the Salisbury PD. We’ll definitely discuss sleep importance and lots of good things running! Go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org for this and other upcoming events. 

Blessing Others and Be Blessed

by   March 20, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            We received our water bill the other day and I nearly fainted. It was about triple what it normally is. I pulled some recent bills. My water usage has been steadily climbing over the last couple of months. This month it was sky-high. I learned that we can look on the internet and see our water usage. I discovered that we had water running 24/7.

            I checked inside and nothing seemed to be running. I crawled under the house, thinking I might discover a swimming pool under there. There was no pool, and it was nice and dry. Where was all the water?

            With all the rains we have been having lately my whole yard has been soggy. I didn’t notice anything unusual. After a couple of sunny days, I did notice one area where the ground was especially soggy. A friend came over and we started to dig. We thought we would find the water line within two feet. We kept on digging and digging. We were just shy of four feet before we found the line. We needed a backhoe to get to this leak.

            Every plumber I called was backed up for two weeks. With the cold and rainy weather subsiding, the plumbers were getting back to work. I have a few friends with tractors but none with backhoes. Then I found out that a fellow church member had a backhoe. I talked to him and he was on board to help.

            One of my neighbors is a plumber and he said that if I got it dug out, he would fix the leak. I didn’t realize that the gentleman from church was also a retired plumber. I was truly blessed. I went from not being able to find a plumber to having two plumbers here to fix my leaky pipe.

            We dug through that soaking red clay and got the hole big enough to repair the leak. The plumber got the necessary parts and got down into the muddy hole to fix things back up. We made a muddy, soupy mess of my front yard, but we repaired the leaky pipe. Now all I have to do is hope that the city will work with me on the terrible water bill.

            When we got done I asked the guys what I owed them. Neither one asked for enough. I know if I had gotten a plumbing company in here I would have had a huge bill. These guys had been a blessing to me and I wanted to be a blessing back to them. I paid them both more than they asked. God has blessed me with good neighbors and friends from church.

            I have had my insurance with State Farm since I was sixteen. Their slogan is, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” I have been thinking about my situation. I wonder if Christians should have that attitude, “Like a good neighbor, your Christian brothers and sisters will be there for you.” These two guys made me feel that way. I was in trouble, and here came two godly men to help me.

            I imagine if you looked around, you would find people who could use a hand. Some might need practical help like I did, while others might need emotional support. Maybe they are going through a loss or difficult time and they need you to listen and be there for them. Some might be struggling with mental health issues, something we don’t talk about in church. Still others are facing a health crisis and need a miraculous touch.

            Maybe you feel unable to help in a practical way, but you can still help and make a profound difference in people’s lives. You can pray. Often prayer seems inadequate. We feel like there ought to be more we can do, but prayer makes a supernatural difference. Inviting the divine into any situation will change that situation. The enemy will try to convince you otherwise, because he knows the divine power of prayer.

            I want to encourage you to consider what you might be able to do to help someone else out. Be wise and careful because there are people who might want to hurt or take advantage of you. Pray and ask God to guide you as you use your talents, gifts, and abilities to be a blessing to someone else. While praying for others ask God how He can use you to be a blessing. Sometimes a card or phone call can be worth a million dollars. The goal is to be a blessing, and in the end, you will get blessed.

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

It’s Time to Get Outside

by   March 16, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

The wet weather of the winter and cold temperatures always make me look forward to spring. Just in the last couple of weeks, the longer days and some drier, warmer, more spring-like days have shown up. I can just feel an increase in energy on those days, and often a springlike day is way more productive in my various activities. Here are some of the reasons why we should all find time in the sunshine and the out of doors.

Sunshine is important for your bones, blood cells and immune system. It also helps your body absorb more of certain minerals, like calcium and phosphorus. Your body needs sunlight to make vitamin D, but you don’t need much. In the summer, most people will thrive with anything over 30 minutes. In the winter, you will need a bit more. I tell my training clients to shoot for at least an hour a day.

Exercise is always good for anxiety too. But it’s even better if you do it outside, compared to inside a gym or at home. Many of us feel like we’ve been cooped up too long already. Sunlight helps keep your serotonin levels up. This helps to raise your energy and keeps your mood calm, positive and focused.

The outdoors helps set your sleep cycle. Cells in your eyes need enough light to get your body’s internal clock working right. Early morning sunlight in particular seems to help people get to sleep at night. This may be more important as we age. When older, our eyes are less able to absorb light, and thus more likely to have problems with sleep.

Many plants put substances, including organic compounds called phytoncides, into the air that seem to boost immune function. Sunlight also seems to energize special cells in your immune system called T cells that help fight infection.

Studies show that time in nature can boost your creative problem-solving abilities. This is partly because the outside world engages your attention in a quieter way that lets your attention refocus. The more time you spend, the bigger the benefit, but even just “getting out for some air” can nudge your brain into a new thought pattern. And creativity gets supercharged when exercise and the out of doors are combined. Especially when electronics are set aside during outdoor time.

Studies also show that walking in nature helps restore our focus and helps us shrug off societal pressures, allowing us to remember and value more important things like relationships, sharing and community. Just taking a brief walk while at work or school can put us back into a productive mode.

All these outdoor positives make us better people. And just being outside regularly lowers mortality by 12% compared to those who stay inside. What’s better than the smell of freshly cut grass, flowers or recently tilled dirt! I catch as many sunrises or sunsets as possible. Just a couple of afternoons ago, I spotted a majestic crane flying away from the creek.

Long ago, I decided that a good day outdoors enhances my running and other activities the next day. Maybe it’s a mixture of all things previously mentioned but it sure works for me. And I hope just seeing these positives in print will provide encouragement for your own outdoor time.

And finally, if you have thought about joining a running class, there is still plenty of space available for the spring series provided by the Salisbury Rowan Runners, Novant Health and Salisbury Parks and Recreation. We are meeting again at the Salisbury Police Department. First class is March 16 at 6 p.m. Eight weeks of classroom instruction and on the road coaching to a better you, and yes, we will be outdoors gathering all those positives. www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or 704-310-6741.  

Say Nice Things

by   March 15, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

“You are doing a great job!” were the words my principal spoke as he left my classroom. Hearing him say those words melted my heart. I clung to his every word.

“I love you Mom,” were the words written on a note pad and handed to me many years ago by my six-year-old son. I wrote back, “I love you, too.” The look on his face melted my heart. I clung to his every word.

“You are really good at puzzles!” I said to my little grandson as he was working away. He smiled and then gave a lengthy explanation of puzzle-working strategies. The look on his face melted my heart. I clung to his every word.

Those were three simple moments in my life:

*Words from an employer I longed to hear. Words that made me want to be better.

*Words from my child — written in love, handed to me, and remembered years later.

*Words my grandson enjoyed hearing and I enjoyed saying. Words of encouragement.

What if it had been this instead?

“Hopefully you will improve the longer you teach.”

“You left out the comma.”

“Is that all you like to do? Work puzzles?”

It certainly would have taken away some precious memories.

The power of words.

Words said.

Words written.

Words heard.

They all mean something.

Choose them carefully.

They may be remembered years later.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.”

A honeycomb is a place where bees store their honey. It seems like a good idea to have a storage place for our sweetness and our kindness.

Oh, we do have a storage place. It is in our hearts and in our spirits. God puts it there for us to give out to others.

Good words. Worth much. Cost little.

A kind word — can change someone’s day and sometimes change their lives.

Be careful of the words you say — keep them short and sweet.

You never know from day to day which ones you’ll have to eat!

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

You Are Royalty

by   March 13, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I am not sure I want to admit this in writing, but I did watch the interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I thought I would watch for just a of couple minutes, but I couldn’t pull myself away. It was interesting to hear them talk about their private lives in such an open way.

            There were so many interesting revelations, and I imagine that by now most of you are tired of hearing and reading about them. While many might be jealous of their lifestyle as royalty, the two of them revealed that it is not an easy way of life. There are certainly some drawbacks and things that we really don’t know about living as royalty.

            One of the more powerful revelations was Meghan’s personal struggles mentally. Thankfully, she reached out to her husband, who stood beside her and determined he would find the help she needed. Sadly, the royal family nor the administration that surrounds them reached out to offer any help. Harry made some very difficult choices to protect his family and get Meghan the help she needed.

            I believe it is possible for all of us to find ourselves in places where our minds are not working properly, where our thoughts are not dwelling on the positive and good in life. Like Meghan, we have to reach out and keep reaching out until we find the help we need to get through to the other side. Find those people who believe in you and support you to help you through the dark places. Never give in or try to fight those battles alone. Always keep fighting.

            While Harry and Meghan have removed themselves from the daily routines of the royal family, they are still royalty. They have access to the Queen and stay in touch with other members of the family. They are still part of the family, much like each one of us are members of God’s royal family.

            We are members of the most important royal family of all time. You are a prince or princess. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. You have complete access to the King of Kings on a daily basis. Your calls for help will never be denied or overlooked. God cares very deeply and compassionately for every situation in your life. He will never leave you. He will ALWAYS walk with you through whatever trial or tribulation you face in life.

            Prince Harry and Meghan told us that they had lost their royal protective services. I want you to know that you always have God’s secret service (His angels) watching over and protecting you on a 24/7 basis. I imagine we can all think of times when our angels were working on our behalf to protect us and keep us safe.

            I think it is important to be reminded that we are royalty. I think it is easy to become discouraged and think less of ourselves because we are haunted by our failures or shortcomings. We need to remind ourselves that those have been taken care of by His royal blood. Since we are clean and forgiven before God, we can take on our roles as the royal priesthood.

            We have complete access to God and can ask for His intervention in any and every situation in our little corner of the world. God not only wants us to take up our positions, but expects us to be people of prayer to intervene. Our prayers have royal power and authority. When we pray, according to God’s will, we have the King of Kings backing up our prayers.

            One last thing I felt as I listened to Harry and Meghan was a sense that the royal family had rejected them. I want you to know that there is nothing you can do that will cause God to reject you. When you sin, and we all do, all you have to do is turn around and ask God to forgive you, and He will. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you are in the royal family. The choice is yours. God wants you in the family.

            I want to encourage you to make sure you have made that all-important decision to accept Jesus and be in the royal family. Then, never forget that you have a special place in His family. You have a very important role to play in His royal priesthood. And remember, you are always protected by His royal angels. It’s good to be in The Royal Family; remember your responsibilities and enjoy your privileges.  

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

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