Bare Bones of Winter

by   January 14, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Much like a Bob Ross painting, I delight in looking at the deciduous trees of NC winters. Although snow may not majestically blanket the landscape, the gift of our winters is that we can clearly see the beauty in the structure of our many trees. The observation is quite revealing.

In winter, we see a tree stripped away from its signs of growth, mainly its leaves and fruit. We may often mistakenly refer to it as a “dead tree.” However, life indeed is happening in the stillness and quiet of rest.

January and February can be difficult for many of us in the South. The excitement and joy of the holidays have passed, we face the reality of returning to schedule, and another vacation or extended holiday seems too far off in the distance to bring hope. Without the charm of a snow day, winter can seem dreary. But there is beauty in bareness, profoundness in simplicity. Seeing nature in its quiet, bare-bones form can be poetic and inspiring.

We can overlook people and even ourselves during the winter seasons of life. We can get stuck in the mundane monotony of our lives and assume nothing is happening in our routines. In a sure structure, God is working in the stillness and rest. How often have I mistaken the quiet, content, still life as one where nothing awe-inspiring or beautiful is occurring? But there are stories of victories, success, and – most importantly – God’s presence in a heart at rest. There is beauty in a solid structure that has been communing with the Creator and Savior over time. When we encounter someone who seems to be in a winter season, we can ask them to reflect on the victories in their lives to refresh them, which can also restore us in our winter seasons.

However, winter trees can also reveal structural problems. For instance, while looking up into our backyard trees, I spied a favorite tree with damage near the top. Though not a detached widowmaker branch, it is clear this tree needs further examination. We could choose to ignore it and let spring leaves on other branches attempt to cover up the problem, but eventually, the whole tree (not to mention the life that surrounds it) could suffer if the issue is serious.

Sometimes, winter seasons in our lives can also reveal an underlying issue. Stress over time takes a toll. Neglected things begin to suffer. There could be drastic results if we ignore these things and simply hope for the best in the next season. Are we busy fighting when we should be resting or waiting on the Lord (see Exodus 14:14 or Isaiah 40:31)? Are we afraid of the living Word of God that “discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” from which “no creature is hidden from His sight” (see Hebrews 4:12-13) that can deal with the structural damages in our heart and character?

Our winters reveal what is supporting our life. If you find yourself in a winter season, assess your foundation and structure. Praise the Lord for good foundations that allow us to rest in our winters. Ask Him to reveal foundational issues that need His restoration.

Ashlie Miller is pastor’s wife to Chad and stay-at-home homeschooling mom to five children in Concord, NC.

Home

by   January 13, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I wrote last week about spending time with my sister and her family over the holidays. We spent New Year’s weekend with my wife’s mother and sister. It was a good trip home and we had a nice visit. It was nice to have the opportunity to spend time with family while we were home.

            It was also good to come home to our house. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed after being away. It’s also nice to be around your own stuff in your own home. It’s been busy since we got home, getting Christmas taken down and put away for another year. There were also other tasks that needed our attention.

            I have been thinking a lot about the word home since we got back. I told people we went home for Christmas. Then I told some other people that we were really glad to be back home again after our trip. Then the word home comes up in that famous song that is sung around the holidays, “I’ll be home for Christmas.”

            Where is home? I referred to my mother-in-law’s house as home. I referred to our house as home. There is also the spiritual idea that someday I am looking forward to going home to be with the Lord. All these places can’t be home for me, can they?

            Naturally, I wanted to find the definition of home. We commonly define home as the place where one lives permanently. It’s where the family resides. There is another definition that says home is where one is put who needs professional care or supervision. Thankfully, I am not at that stage in life. So the place where I reside is my home. Then why do we call our parents’ house home? I think our parents’ house is where our childhood memories reside. It’s home.  

            So we have the place where we currently reside, the place where we grew up, and then we have our eternal home. I believe our eternal home trumps our current residence and our childhood home. Our eternal home is our destination. We live this life in hope that we will spend eternity with our Savior in our eternal home.

            There is so much speculation about our heavenly home. What will it look like? How big will it be? Will it be a castle? Will it be more like an apartment? I believe we don’t know because each of our homes will be unique to our personality. Also, we don’t know because the marketing department hasn’t produced their promotional campaign. I really believe if we knew how nice and wonderful our heavenly home is going to be many of us would want to “pop off,” as my grandmother used to say, to our heavenly home.

            It really doesn’t matter what any of us thinks about our heavenly home because I am convinced of this one thing: it will be far better than any of us could ever imagine. The main reason I believe our heavenly home will far outdo anything we can imagine is that Jesus will be there. In fact, we will get to be with Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and our Heavenly Father. I am not worried about what home will be like or look like as long as I get to be with Them.

            Where will your home be? Are you ready to be with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? We don’t have to wish or even hope that we will be there. We can know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will be with Them. When we ask Jesus to be our personal Savior, to forgive us from all our sins, and to wash us clean through His blood, we can be assured that our eternal home will be in heaven. It’s not up to God, it’s up to you. You determine where you will spend eternity. If you have made that decision, you can rest in peace, but if you haven’t you are choosing to live away from God’s love, Jesus’ forgiveness, and the amazing Holy Spirit.

            I encourage you to make this vital choice while you have time. When you stand before God it will be too late. Accept God’s invitation now so you can know that you have a reserved home in heaven. I want to meet you and see you there. Heaven will be far more wonderful than your mind can conceive. I am hoping for a home with a nice garden spot and maybe close to some water. What about you?

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

What is Truth?

by   January 12, 2024 with No Comments

“What is Truth?”

The above question posed by Pontius Pilate to Jesus is well known and often used to counter or support various points of view.  However, when we examine the actions of Pilate concerning the “trial” of Jesus before he asked his famous question, we see that Pilate knew: The charges of the Jews against Jesus were lies and knew that Jesus was innocent; he was deeply impressed with Jesus; and that he did not want to condemn Him to death (even though he did). Pilate tries various means to remove himself from the “trial”, and in John 18:38 we are told how Pilate poses his question to Jesus “Pilate said unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all.” How Pilate later acquiesced to the crowd is well known, but just examine his action after he asked that question of Jesus. John tells us that Pilate asked the question, then without waiting for an answer, he leaves Jesus to address the crowd.

Jesus’ answer to Pilate will never be known, and we can only offer conjectures. However, what I want to question is the action of Pilate as he asks such a question from a man that he admittedly admired. Also, we can only guess at why Pilate did not wait for an answer to his question. Was it his well-known arrogance? Was he cynical? John does not offer any information, but for us during the times we face today, we can draw at least one conclusion from Pilate’s action.

Truth! Yours, mine, theirs? While we may be presented with various thoughts, only one truth can exist. To quote Senator Moynihan , “You are entitled to your opinion, but not your facts.”  

As mentioned, Pilate was impressed with Jesus and looked forward to meeting him and talking with him, which he did. Conversation and debate are healthy. Questions directed to ourselves and others force reconsideration of a particular stance, and may lead to new or stronger positions. Yet, here is a Roman governor who fails to take advantage of an opportunity to learn from Jesus. Pilate asks the question but does not wait around for the answer. What did he miss? What does his exit cost us? We will never know, but we can learn from Pilate one important fact.

If we are genuine when asking a question, we will stay to hear the answer. Pilate did not, and my guess is he was using his power against Jesus, allowing his arrogance to over-ride his judgement. At that moment he was in charge and wanted all to know it. He asked an honest question and missed the answer.

Truth is an absolute. We cannot survive as Christians if we all have our individual truths. We may have different opinions, but we cannot all have our individual truth. For example, it is a list of Ten Commandments, not ten suggestions. Also, we may have opinions regarding the action of Pilate, but we cannot deny his decision to murder Jesus.

Ask questions of each other, knowing that “iron sharpens iron.” But hang around to hear the answer. It matters.

Challenging Yourself in 2024

by   January 11, 2024 with No Comments

By David Freeze

As the resolutions begin, all of us have an opportunity to start anew with the New Year. I heard a popular female disc jockey say that the end of the year couldn’t get here quick enough for her and that all she wanted was a clean slate to make herself a better person when the new year begins.

We all have the same opportunity this coming week. But here is another way to look at bettering yourself. Think of a doable challenge, something measurable and achievable, that will benefit your overall and lasting health.

I am about to finish my own challenge for 2023, one that had been on my mind since 2018. My running career began in 1980. Since that time, I have totaled more than 2,000 miles each year with most ending over 2,500. Since my annual bike riding adventures began in 2013, I have only reached 2,000 miles once in 2018. With a shorter ride this year, I realized I had another chance to make 2,000 in 2023.

To make my own challenge happen, I began tracking my mileage with a vengeance in early November. I knew what I needed daily to make the goal happen and began methodically recording my progress in writing on a wall calendar. I am ahead for daily average goal distance as I write this column and fully expect to achieve the total distance by Sunday. It wasn’t easy, just as few goals worth achieving are. I expect to reach my lifelong running goal of 100,000 miles in late 2026.

It is my experience that we don’t do well by making statements like I plan to start dieting, lifting weights, running, stretching more, etc. without a clearly achievable number to shoot for. Keep it simple and write it all down and it becomes real.

Monday’s Bradshaw Rogers Financial Partners 5K is a great way to begin your self-challenge to better health. With a low entry of just $10, a safe and accurately measured course, runners and walkers of all abilities are invited to make their commitment to a healthy New Year in the 9 a.m. event at The Forum on Jan. 1. The city of Salisbury and Novant Health support the event with all proceeds going to Rowan Helping Ministries.

The Forum and Salisbury Rowan Runners host the event while Rayna Gardner is the race director. Donations of canned goods, used running shoes and money will be accepted for Rowan Helping Ministries. All participants get a new T-shirt recycled from a 2023 local road race. There will plenty of refreshments and the 10 top 10 male and females will receive a special finishers medal. The Resolution Run 5K will be the first of about 25 races during 2024 throughout Rowan County. A finish line video and photos will be available to view afterwards along with a complete listing of participant results. Race registration is online at Runsignup.com and also available Monday before the race.

To those who want to continue the process of committing to better health, the Salisbury Rowan Runners and the Salisbury Police Department will host the 2024 Spring Beginning Runners Class. First class is March 12 and continues an eight-week series through April 30, all on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. Participants will begin by running/walking a half mile and continues to a successful completion of a 5K (3.1 miles) on April 30. Cost for the class series is $65 and includes individual and group coaching, a training T-shirt, entry into one 5K race and membership in the Salisbury Rowan Runners for one year. Make plans now to join us for the next BRC series at the Salisbury Police Department. The classroom component will include stretching and strengthening, shoes and equipment, nutrition, injury prevention and safety. Registration is available at Runsignup.com.

For more information about the Resolution 5K and BRC, along with other upcoming events, check online at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

All Welcome

by   January 10, 2024 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Mark 11:17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’ ?

  • Prayer is the basis of all spiritual life.  We participate in God’s spiritual ecology through prayer.
  • Where people come together (in church – God’s house) it is a place that we pray and call upon God as a collective body.
  • God made His house a place for anybody, everybody, every nation, every walk of life, there is no one that is not welcome there.  Let us always have that outlook.

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, please raise me up in a power of prayer on a continual daily basis that I will be a person of prayer.  Let me always regard Gods home, Gods church and Gods people as a place of prayer and to have a heart for anyone who wants to pray and not have any judgements against people who are seemingly, possibly less spiritual.  Teach me Holy Spirit I pray.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

In a Word

by   January 9, 2024 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

This is the year! 2024 is when you will FINALLY read the Bible cover to cover. Even the maps! But not the Concordance. That would just be weird. As it turns out, it’s a LOT of reading. You’re five days into the new year and already you find yourself three days behind. But you’ll catch up! Honest you will!


May I humbly make an observation? If not, stop reading here.


This is your exit. This is where you will jump off the guilt train. When reading Scripture becomes a chore, then you might need a different plan. Can I make a confession? I’m not sure if chemo caused it or just plain getting old. But currently I am dealing with a large amount of brain fog. For whatever reason, I have a really hard time hearing the words coming off the pages. I seem to have the attention span of a puppy in a yard full of squirrels. Focus is just not happening.


So! Here’s what I’m trying and it seems to be working. I hold my Bible to my chest and get as still as I can. Since it’s all I can do not to look out the windows at the birds on the feeder and the neighbor’s cat and the plethora of squirrels jumping from limb to limb and my bottle tree as it catches the light…

Wait. Where was I.


Oh! I was clutching a real Bible with honest to goodness paper pages which have notations of trials past and answered prayers. I was hugging it to my chest with my eyes closed and I was waiting. Silently asking God for the Words. This week the word Philippians came to mind. One “L” and two “P’s.” Philippians.


So I opened there.


After the intro I read one small paragraph and didn’t hear a thing. So I read it again. Then again. It began to be clearer. So I read it again and asked God for help. More meat was found on that bone. So I stopped and wrote the blog Certain of the Good Work. It wasn’t astounding but it was definitely a word from the Word.


Here’s the thought for today. Let’s not go through the motions in our relationship with God. Let’s not start the day by giving Him His marching orders or by instructing Him on how to handle the things on our mind. Let’s rest in Him. Let’s listen. Let’s pay attention as best we can. Let’s go so far as to ask God for this from Philippians 1:10a.

I want to understand what really matters.


Bless the Lord!

My Buddy

by   January 8, 2024 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

The morning brought a beautiful surprise – snow covered ground. Our view through the front storm door of our home gave us the best of both worlds – warmth- and watching the snow fall.

Our cock-a-poo, Buddy, stood close by – feverishly barking at each flake.

When we opened the door for one split second to see how cold it felt – Buddy darted out, as if he had been plotting his freedom for months. We ran outside in our robes, pajamas, and slippers, screaming his name, “Buddy! Buddy!” He was gone.

He had gone past his boundaries of protection – our home- and the fenced in space in the back yard where he was allowed to run freely.

The roads were difficult to traverse that day, but we started driving through neighborhoods to look for him, windows down, while crying out his name.

As darkness fell, my hope dimmed. He had never been outside the security of home – and it was a dangerous place to be. I knew by now he would be running aimlessly – trying to find his way back.

Signs were placed along the roadside. We drove daily from house to house – calling his name. Two weeks later, we received word that someone had just found him, fed him, gotten him warm, and had taken him to an animal shelter, hoping someone would come looking for him. Someone did.

He was cowered down in the corner of a cage in the shelter. I tenderly and tearfully whispered his name, “Buddy.” He looked up at me, stared for a second – dazed and confused by the surroundings – perhaps wondering how he had gotten to such a low point.

He kept looking up at me- seemingly despondent – and then slowly realizing he was looking into the eyes of one who loved him – and had been searching for him.

I whispered, “Let’s go home, Buddy.” He jumped up – barked – and began clawing his way out of the cage, as if his life was being restored. It was.

The door was opened. How that little dog was able to jump that high up into my arms, I guess I will never understand. Or was it perhaps the joy that comes from being lost and then found?

Oh, my Buddy, why did you leave the boundary we had in place for you?

*It was there for your safety – for your protection.

*You knew better – but went anyway.

*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not want to be.

*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not need to be.

*One decision took you on a journey to a place you did not belong.

*Not only did you suffer – but those who loved you suffered, too.

As we got in the car to leave the shelter that day, Buddy had no doubts as to whether he was forgiven and fully restored. Nor did he have concerns as to whether or not he was lost or found. He knew. He was going home.

I still am not sure if I was holding on to him – or if he was holding on to me during that ride home. I somehow think it was both.

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

Why are we Making Resolutions?

by   January 7, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

“Mom, how long do you want to keep out Christmas decorations?” my son asked four days after Christmas. The standing rule at our house is to have things put away by Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day – not because we celebrate a full 12 days of Christmas after December 25 or the later holidays, but because that seems to be a good “this is too long” measurement for us. There is an itch to get the house reset.

January is when most of us crave a bit of order or reordering. It’s not quite a spring cleaning but more of reestablishing some things. Indeed, this post may be one of many this week talking about resolutions, goals, and words of the year – all great things to consider at this time. I wonder, though, about the “why” of it all. Why do we want order? Why in January? I know many moments of the year when I should just start all over. 

I think my answer came in my first Bible reading of the New Year. There are many reading plans that people follow, but I would venture to guess that most of them start with Genesis – appropriate since the word “Genesis” actually means “beginning.” As I read through the days of creation in chapter 1, I noticed that God separates things in the first three days – day and night, water and sky, land and water. For the next three days, He fills each environment with the appropriate creations – sun and celestials, fish and birds, animals and humans. 

Later, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” and then He does that very thing (Genesis 1:26-27). How are we like God? How do we bear His image? These are questions I asked my 9 and 6-year-old children. We talked about what God was already doing in Genesis. He created, put things in order, and established relationships and communion with humans. As created beings, we also display that likeness. We are creative beings. We eventually get tired of our messy habitat and clean and reset it. We, too, desire relationships, even if we deny them with our apathetic actions and lack of intentionality. 

Whether you find yourself leaning into this type of goal setting or resisting the resolution urge, you are displaying a hint of the image of God. We can choose to ignore this as a divine thing. We can even label it an environmental adaptation to survive as a species. We may be completely antagonistic, but even still, we display marks of the One who created us. 

What do we do with that information? For starters, we can thank our Creator for putting that desire within us, causing us to look a bit like Him. Then, we can embrace this as an opportunity to display God within us (if He truly is) for the benefit of ourselves and others and to glorify Him. It may look like being intentional with the calendar to make space for serving others and sharing time with friends and strangers. We can also eliminate clutter in our hearts and minds. What has too much negative or ungodly influence? How can we fill the voids in our hearts? (Hint – that answer doesn’t come from within; it comes from God’s Word.)

Well, that is enough for now. Two of my sons just found a mound of stink bugs in the shed they are cleaning and organizing. I have decor sitting in front of my fireplace that I need to shelve, and I need to put something on the calendar before I forget and double-book myself.

Ashlie Miller and her husband, Chad, are reading through the Bible with the congregation of their new church family in Charlotte – Mission Bible Church.

A New Adventure

by   January 6, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

                We did it! We stepped into a new year. Does it feel different to you? The New Year came in quietly for us, so I believe that we are in for a nice quiet year. I know that there will be ups and downs; every year has them. I am hopeful that we will all have more ups this year, that we will see God working to bring about good things.

                 If the New Year is anything like the way I got to spend the last day of the previous year, then I am in for a treat. I got to spend the day with my younger sister and her family. Her two sons were home, but her daughter had left because she had some New Year’s plans. Ah, to be young again… One of her sons is in high school and he told me about what life is like for a freshman. Her other son is a junior at VMI and he had recently received his class ring. It was beautiful, and he told me about the meaning behind the symbols on the ring. I enjoyed hearing about the adventures in their young lives.

                Later, my sister and I took her dog for a walk. We walked and walked. Every time I thought we were heading for home, the dog took another turn. It was a great walk on a beautiful day. The walk culminated in a few peeks at the beach. We didn’t walk on the beach but we stopped to take in the beauty. The sky was crystal clear and the water was calm and twinkled as the sun reflected off it. We took some pictures, but they don’t capture the beauty and peacefulness. To have the privilege to stand there and take in a few deep breaths brought a sense of refreshment to my spirit.

                The New Year arrived in some different ways for me. I missed a few of the traditional things. But I began with a hunger for God. I quieted myself and listened for His voice. I want to know His heart for me and for the year ahead. God has already seen this year. I wonder what wonderful things He has planned for this year.

                I read the Sermon on the Mount and something jumped off the page to me. Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock. Jesus says that if we ask it will be given to us. Jesus did not mean that we should ask for vacation homes or expensive cars. I think it means that we shouldn’t be afraid to ask for things that we need. Maybe you are struggling financially or you need a physical touch for healing, you should ask. God is our Father who really cares about our needs. Ask Him.

                Jesus tells us plainly that we need to seek. We aren’t supposed to seek fame and fortune. He wants us to seek Him. He wants us to know Him more each day of our lives. If we learned something new about God every day we will still be learning long into eternity. No one knows everything about God. There is always more we need to seek. The good news is that He promises that if we seek Him we will find Him. God is planning to reveal more of Himself to you if you will take on the mission of seeking Him. Seek Him and you will find Him.

                I think when God says we should knock He is implying in two specific ways. If we knock on the door of God’s heart we are going to discover an open door and an open invitation to come in. As I said, He wants us to know Him and His heart for us more and more. I believe the second invitation to knock is related to our hopes and dreams. These are the heavenly dreams God wants you to fulfill in your lifetime. It’s never too late to pursue the things God has placed on your heart. I believe God wants us to knock on the door and allow Him to guide us as we seek to fulfill His purposes. The only way doors will ever open is if we knock.

                I encourage you to ask, seek, and knock this year. You don’t know what kinds of wonderful things God has planned for you this year. The mystery and wonder are waiting just ahead for you. I strongly believe that God has some good things hidden for us that He wants us to seek out. Let’s go; it’s going to be a great adventure.

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

Share the Lord

by   January 5, 2024 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

 Here we are again! Our news is full of reviews of the past year. We have reviews of “the best” of many parts of our lives. Lists of “the best” books, movies, photographs, and more are being written about. And the end of year 2020, the one of the COVID-19 pandemic, is being rightfully celebrated more than usual. But that is not going to correct the misery of 2020.

As I type these words, two grey squirrels are in our back garden under the dogwood tree. One is under the birdfeeder searching for fallen black sunflower seeds. The other runs up the trunk of the tree, rushes down,  rolls in the mulch, sits erect, jumps about and turns somersaults, then pauses to eat a morsel before repeating its acrobatic routine. The one is acting as we expect a squirrel to act while the other’s conduct causes a mix of questions or even concern. Is the flipping squirrel rabid? Is it simply happy to be out and alive? Why is it acting in such an unusual manner while the other acts so normal? The answer is that it has parasites which are causing irritation and itch. It is trying, in its only way, to relieve its discomfort. Unfortunately, it cannot come in to our veterinarian’s hospital to have the parasites eradicated and the awful itch cured. An animal in the wild, it will continue living as it is with the parasites and their itch continuing to be a part of its life.

We are much like that squirrel with the parasites. While it is understandable that we celebrate the end of this awful year,  we will continue to live with the cause of so many of our problems such as massive deaths, a poor economy, and loss of social contacts until we fully contain  the virus. The vaccines are to be celebrated and taken when made available. However, until then we should continue to do what our school children are instructed to do. Its that simple, and it must be done, and done by all of us. If we do not, we will be like that squirrel living as best as possible with its parasites as it tries to  run, bounce, and scratch its way from them.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Proverbs 27:17 in which it is written that “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” That is wisdom for any person, and it seems especially good in our time. We need to sharpen each other by sharing this load we have. It is not a time to squabble and move apart. Let us be the iron that our neighbor needs instead of being the squirrel under the feeder carrying on as usual while the other suffers it misery.

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