The Good Gifts

by   February 15, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

This season we are living in — just keeps on giving us more reasons to frown — and to smile.

I prefer the days that give me reasons to smile. As I was waiting for my groceries to be delivered to my car at Walmart, a father dressed in mud-covered work clothes was leading his three children to their car. They followed him dutifully, smiling broadly, for they each carried a rather large box with a toy in it.

The joy on their faces clearly indicated that access to these gifts was a blessing — and carrying them was not a burden. Neither was their desire to follow in their father’s footsteps as they kept their eyes fixed on him, while walking through the parking lot.

It was a beautiful thing to watch.

I wondered.

Did they ask their father to buy them the gifts?

Probably.

I believe the father was just being their father.

Loving his children and wanting to give them good gifts.

I totally understood.

Matthew 7:11 says that if we, as evil as we are, know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?

It reminded me of the love of our heavenly father for us — we are his children. As we follow him, we hold on with joy to the indescribable and unspeakable gifts he has given us:

The gift of God is salvation — Ephesians 2:8 says that by grace we are saved through faith, not of ourselves: it is the gift of God.

The gift of God is eternal life — Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Who can give the gift of salvation?

Who can give the gift of eternal life?

Only God.

We do not deserve it. We cannot earn it. It cannot be bought or sold.

We just have to accept it — for it is the gift of God.

The three children that day were happy. I saw it in their faces. They knew they held something special that their hearts longed for. I did not see them open their gifts that day, but I did spend time thanking God for his gifts to me:

Oct. 15,1967 — The gift of salvation.

Then, now and forever — The gift of eternal life.

John 3:16 explains those two gifts more clearly than I ever could:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

We are that whosoever.

Our father who art in heaven — holy is your name.

Thank you for salvation and for eternal life. Amen

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

We Are Called Victors

by   February 13, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Last Sunday most people watched a football game with some commercials. I watched commercials with some football. If you are a Tom Brady fan then you got to see an older player perform exceptionally well on the field. If you are not, then it was a long game for you.

            The commercials did not disappoint. Dolly Parton turned her 9-5 song into a 5-9 song for one. It was good to see Tracy Morgan doing commercials. Bruce Springsteen’s promotion about the chapel in the center of our country really grabbed me. There were plenty of stars, and it’s always fun to see who might be in the ads.

            I really enjoy much of what takes place before the game. The pageantry and the patriotic nature of the videos and songs can stir your spirit. This year there was an emphasis on unity and the power a good competitive event has to bring our nation together. There was the message from the President, the young poet, singing America the Beautiful, and of course, our National Anthem. It makes you feel good to be an American and that there are good people living across this great and beautiful land.

            Most of you know that I do not follow sports. I do not know the buildup to this big game. I just sit down to watch what I hope will be a close and exciting game. From my novice eyes it appeared to be a battle between a youthful quarterback and one with much experience. Youth is always hopeful that they can take experience down a peg. In the end, experience outperformed youth.

            In the Christian walk, we hope that experience can outperform youth. We hope that we learn some things along the way so we can walk out our faith. But the truth is, no matter how long you have walked with the Lord, you are going to get knocked down at times. Experience teaches us how to get back up, but sometimes we need our teammates help to get back on our feet.

            God never intended for any of us to walk out our faith alone. We need each other to successfully fight our way through to victory. We need to surround ourselves with people who believe in us and will challenge and encourage us. I have family, friends, and my pastor who are on “team Doug.” If they see my life going in the wrong direction, they are quick to encourage, challenge, push, pull, or do whatever it takes to get me back on track.

            In the same way, I will do the same thing for them. I know that I have the gift of encouragement and that God uses me in that way with other people. I want to use my gifts to honor the Lord and to encourage others to press on. The Christian walk is a battle that causes us to grow stronger daily. But there are still going to be those times when we are going to have to come together to engage in battle to overcome and find victory.

            God intends us to win the victory. That implies that God knows that we are going to fight battles. He knows keeping the faith is going to require our best effort. He knows that the enemy of our soul strikes when we are weak. When was Jesus tempted? When he had completed a 40 day fast and He was hungry. What does the Bible tell us the devil did after Jesus overcame the temptations? The devil left Jesus and decided to come back at a more opportune time.

            If the devil is going to attack us when we are weak, then we need to make sure we have people who will fight for us and with us so we can win the victory. I know the battle is the Lord’s and that He Himself will come and fight for me. I also know that victory comes through the power of prayer, through words of encouragement, and through the endurance I discover because I have brothers and sisters who will not let me quit.

            I want to encourage you to determine who are your teammates. Who are the people you can count on when the chips are down? Who is going to stand beside you and fight when you feel too weak to fight for yourself? Who is going to bring you that word of encouragement when you feel the darkness closing in? Lock arms with your teammates. You are going to need each other. I know you are going to see the victory because my God never fails.  

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

Follow the Recipe

by   February 9, 2021 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

As you probably know by now, my hubby David is a fantastic cook. He just knows stuff: Like how to combine the simplest ingredients into a one dish wonder that causes unbridled yummy noises to flow as I delicately woof down whatever he’s concocted. Plus, he never seems to need a recipe. For instance last night he made a chicken and rice dish with sautéed mushrooms and onions. Apparently he has a secret supply of angel nectar stashed somewhere with our emergency beans because the broth was heavenly. I slurped it down like it was my last meal. Of course that’s currently how I roll in every part of my life. One can’t assume too much at my age. We don’t even buy green bananas.

Unlike Chef David, I like to bake and I ALWAYS use a recipe. Never have I thrown stuff into a bowl all willy-nilly and exclaimed happily at the results. In fact, I now have a system whereby I put all the ingredients to the left of the mixer then as they are used I move them to the right of the mixer so I can remember if I’ve added them or not. It’s a good system. That way I hardly ever leave the pumpkin out of the pumpkin bread anymore.

This morning I came across a passage in Scripture that seems to combine both mine and David’s style. It’s a great recipe.

“He that would love life and see good days:

  • Keep your tongue from evil & your lips from telling lies
  • Turn away from evil
  • Do good
  • Search for peace and work to keep it”

Not only do we get a rather easy formula for loving life. We also get a promise that the Lord will answer our prayers.

  • “For the eyes of the Lord watches over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers.”

Then comes the warning: “But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil.” Sheesh. Ain’t nobody gonna want that!

So if you’re like David and you just know stuff, toss goodness and peace into your life, refrain from negative hurtful talk and reap wonderful results. If you’re more like me and need a recipe, refer to this list often; because who wouldn’t want to love life, see happy days, and have answered prayers. Apparently this recipe turns out so well that it’s given in both the Old and New Testaments. [See Psalm 34:12-17 and 1Peter 3:10-12]

Beloved Reader,

May the Lord bless you with many good days, where you love life and know He is attentive to your prayers. May He also give us strength against evil, deceitful speech. And may your pumpkin bread always contain pumpkin.

The Safety Net

by   February 8, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

In a recent column, I referenced feeling as if traversing through difficult circumstances was like trying to keep my balance on a 3.9 inch wide balance beam.

I now have an update.

Lord, could I please have my balance beam back?

The news came. Not just one — but two friends — lost their lives to COVID this week. They were too young to go. It was too soon. They had families that needed them. It was hard for me to understand.

COVID continues to impact all of us daily. The struggles seem to be front and center and multiplying. In a way, it feels as though our balance beam was removed and replaced — with a tightrope.

As a young girl, I remember watching a tightrope circus act from the upper level of the coliseum. I gasped in horror as I saw the acrobat on the tightrope fall. She fell and fell and fell. The fall seemed to last forever.

Then came her landing. She fell — right into a safety net. It was so far down from where I was sitting that I had not even realized that a safety net was there. She jumped up, smiled, and waved to the cheering crowd.

I caught my breath. Whew! That was close. Or was it?

No, apparently, it was not close at all. It was part of the show.

That memory has now become a message.

A tightrope is a tensioned wire between two points that you try to keep your balance on by positioning yourself over your base of support. Some use a tool like a pole to help them balance. Others choose to balance by stretching their arms out.

Me? You? Balancing on a tightrope? Let’s see:

There will be times we will waver back and forth, feeling that we will fall. It can be scary, for there will be emotional strain — tension.

How do we keep from falling?

We position ourselves over our base of support while using these tools:

• Balancing pole — that would be God’s Word.

• Stretching our arms out — that would be prayer.

But, we are human. God knows our frame. He made us. He knows our limitations. No matter how hard we try to walk safely on our tightrope, there are times we lose our balance. We forget our balancing pole. We forget to stretch out our arms.

Those are the times we may fall.

We fall, and fall, and fall.

Then we land.

Straight into the safety net.

Our savior’s outstretched arms.

Psalm 145:14 says, “The Lord upholds all who fall.”

All means all.

We See Him Differently

by   February 6, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I was out enjoying a nice walk the other day when my eye caught an interesting sight. There was some mistletoe growing in a tree. I’ve seen mistletoe before, that isn’t what was unusual about the sight. This mistletoe was growing low in the tree. I mean, I could walk up and touch it. I enjoyed seeing the green leaves in the middle of the drab winter.

            I began to walk away with a smile, when I felt the Lord drawing me back to this tree. I try to listen when I get these little tugs on my heart. I took a second look. This time I was struck by how the mistletoe was attached to the tree. Mistletoe puts its roots into the bark and actually draws its energy and life from the tree sap.

            Now my mind was whirling. Naturally, I began thinking about Jesus’ teaching of the vine and the branches. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches that have been graphed in. We draw our life, our energy, from Jesus. He uses us, the branches, to reach out to the world with His great love. He wants to see us produce the fruit in our lives that comes from intimacy with God.

            I received His message and again began to walk away. I had only taken a few steps and was drawn back yet again. I looked at the mistletoe, and then I saw some bright green moss growing on the side of the tree. This is the kind of moss you tend to see on the ground. It was a delight to see.

            I took a closer look at the truck of the tree and discovered lots of different kinds of lichen. Even some of limbs had different varieties of lichen. It began to occur to me that this was something more than a lesson on the vine and branches.

            I asked God what He wanted me to see. I looked closely at these different lichen and moss and saw that each one was thriving in its environment. Each species found its place and interacted with the tree in its own unique way.

            If the tree did represent God, then He was interacting with each of these things in His own unique way. Then, the thoughts began to flood my mind. God was showing me that He interacts with each one of us in His own unique way. We are unique individuals and we each see God differently.

            It should be obvious. We all have unique backgrounds and experiences, and they shape our view of the world and of how we see God. If you grew up in a loving home, it might be easier for you to imagine your loving Heavenly Father. However, if you were raised by a single mother, or your father was abusive to you, then it might be difficult for you to imagine a loving Heavenly Father. Your experience doesn’t leave room for a loving father. Imagine the challenge for those who had an absent father.

            What God began showing me was that He is willing to go to great lengths to reach out and connect with people. He was also showing me that He interacts with each of us in His own unique way. I don’t see and experience God the same way as you, and vice versa. My grandmother once told me that she experienced God’s presence in absolute stillness and in singing old hymns. I need a little more upbeat music and an opportunity to express myself. God meets each of us uniquely.

            This is why it is so vital for us to be in fellowship with each other. I see God in ways you don’t and I might be able to help you when you are struggling. You have experienced God in ways I haven’t and you might be able to encourage me when I am struggling. Your experiences and understanding are different because God is so big and He interacts with you in ways that you will understand. None of us understands all His ways.

            I want to encourage you to open your hearts to the idea that God is so big that He interacts with each of us uniquely. He loves each of us way beyond what we can think and understand. I also believe that He will go to extraordinary measures to reach the lost. Any God that would allow His Son to die on a tree so that He could have a relationship with me is a God I want to know better. So let’s make room and learn from each other about the wonders of our awesome God. Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

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