A Busy November

by   November 21, 2024 with No Comments

By David Freeze

A busy November and more

   20 years ago, it was hard to find a race in November. I was big into racing then and there was very little on the calendar. I remember one year that I was considering driving to Tennessee just to find one. It is fun to find a new race, but this one involved too much driving, and I passed on it.

    There are plenty of good races around now for those who want to run and walk during November. Saturday, November 9th, is the Clean Water 5K at Grace Lutheran Church at 8:30am. Unsafe water leads to illnesses that claim the lives of 840,000 people each year, almost half of whom are children under the age of five. All proceeds from the race will benefit the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Global Water Ministry.

    Next Saturday, November 16th, the Girls on the Run program has their graduation celebration for the fall class at Salisbury Community Park. Girls who participated in the program and their running buddies get center stage, but community runners can register to participate and will be the first on the course.

    Then comes the Thanksgiving Day Butterball 5K at the Forum on November 28th. This is the fastest growing event in the county and is the perfect start to your holiday. It is well planned with an 8:30 start, fast refreshments and awards to get the walkers and runners on the way to other holiday activities. Proceeds go to Prevent Child Abuse and the Terrie Hess House.

   December, another month that used to have few events, has two good ones for our area. The Freeze Your Buns 5K and Fun Run is set for the Spencer Winterfest at 1pm on December 7th. The race is sponsored by Duke Energy and tours the neighborhoods around the festival area near the town hall.

     The following Saturday has the Santa Bigfoot Run 5K and Fun Run at the Millbridge Ruritans building across from Sloan Park on December 14th. All proceeds benefit Rowan Helping Ministries. Be aware that squatch sightings are likely. Race time is 9am.

      I have been running now for 13 consecutive days. Most of the runs have been between four and 5.2 miles and it has been going well. After spending five months being less active than I would like to be, my body is struggling to get going again. I’m aware that my muscles aren’t as strong as they were, and I can’t run as fast. It all seems similar to returning after the summertime bike rides that last 30-60 days. Even those cycling adventures cause me to lose running form and strength for particular muscles.

     The recovery from the broken back is very important to me. I will know recovery has happened if I can achieve again the same level of fitness that I had on the morning of the accident date, May 15th. My lower back is stiff and less flexible than it was that day, so I have to begin stretching and flexibility exercises which will improve that area and others. Most of my lifelong miles have been done without any stretching because I chose to run instead of stretch. Doctor of Physical Therapy Pam Roseman makes occasional fun of me for doing this. She’s going to help on the flexibility and strengthening choices.

       Stretching enhances the flexibility of muscles and tendons, reducing the risk of possible injuries during exercise. When our muscles are warm and flexible, they can better respond to sudden movements or excessive stress. In particular, stretching before and after exercise ensures that muscles are adequately prepared and recovered, effectively preventing injuries such as muscle tears or sprains.

      Regular stretching improves muscle flexibility and range of motion, enhancing exercise performance. Flexible muscles can exert more force, thus increasing the efficiency of exercising. For instance, moving in a broader range optimizes muscle usage, allowing for better performance. I will report next week.

    Look for more info on events listed at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: A busy November and more

There is No One Like Him

by   November 20, 2024 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

1 Chronicles 29:11 To you, O GOD, belong the greatness and the might, the glory, the victory, the majesty, the splendor; Yes! Everything in heaven, everything on earth; the kingdom all yours! You’ve raised yourself high over all. (NLT)

  • Regardless of how things seem at times we remind ourselves that there is only one God who is sovereign.
  • There is no other God besides Him or even like Him and He rules the universe.
  • We belong to Him; and rejoice in the greatness of our God in all situations.

Prayer:  I lift my hands today Lord in praise and worship of You, because You are Lord of all.  I am so grateful for Your love and that You are King and mighty God.  I yield to You and submit and trust You and know that You will make all things work according to Your purpose.  Use me for Your glory today I pray in Jesus name.  Amen.


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Giving Thanks When You Don’t Feel Grateful

by   November 17, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Is Thanksgiving about giving thanks for what we have? “We’re blessed,” we say, often remarking on our surroundings and provisions. But this year, maybe we see other reasons to be thankful because of what is lacking. We really do know many who have lost everything – and that is not hyperbole. What do these people have to be grateful for? Better question – how are they able to seem happy after such destruction?

We were discussing gratitude at our home recently when my husband shared a quote and video from an interview with Michael J. Fox, the famous actor from the 1980s and 90s, who has been living with Parkinson’s for 30+ years. Fox says:  “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable. If you find something to be grateful for, then you find something to look forward to, and you can carry on.” A link between gratitude and optimism. 

Later in the week, my children and I were studying a unit on giving thanks, comparing “happiness” and “gratitude.” How are they similar? How are they different? How are they linked? The illustration was vivid – observe most small children when opening gifts. You will likely see a pursuit of happiness chasing more happiness as they toss aside the unwrapped gift for what is still hiding beneath the tree. “Is that all? Is there another gift? Who is that other gift for over in the corner?” Gratitude may not be genuinely present beyond a parent reminding them to “say thank you.” And so, the child seems more spoiled and discontent than happy. Our lesson taught us that hunting for happiness does not successfully lead to gratitude. 

On the other hand, many of us can think of a cheerful soul who leads their life with gratitude. Each day begins with seeing good gifts from above hidden in the middle of a tragedy or turbulence. The grateful person is the happy person. Or at least they are joyful since we know that happiness is based on circumstances, and joy is more profound.

But what about when you don’t feel like giving thanks? Or do you not like your present situation or the future on the horizon for an indefinite period? What then?

Consider what radio host and ministry founder Joni Eareckson Tada says about gratitude: “God isn’t asking you to be thankful. He’s asking you to give thanks. There’s a big difference. One response involves emotions, the other your choices, your decisions about a situation, your intent, your step of faith.” If you are unfamiliar with her, I encourage you to learn more about her story and the life-altering accident that led to a life of suffering and gratitude. It really puts this quote into perspective.

The idea that we are to give thanks to God whether or not we feel thankful is countercultural to us today. But I pray our friends in the mountains lead the way in giving thanks, letting gratitude be a lens that leads toward optimism, and blazing a path to something more than happiness. 

Ashlie Miller and her family live in Concord, NC. You may contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

Old Friends

by   November 16, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Old Friends

            I graduated from James Madison University many years ago. I transferred there as a sophomore, which meant that JMU did not have to provide housing. I rented a room off campus with eight other guys. It was not a good situation. The guys drank and used drugs constantly. I needed to get away from that environment.

            During this time I attended two churches. One had many college students and the other was predominately an older congregation. I struggle with the use of the word “older” as I am currently the age of many of the members at that time. I told the church that I needed to get out of the bad situation. One couple decided they would help me. They rented me a room in their home. I am not sure if they adopted my future wife and me or we adopted them, but we became family. 

            We have stayed in contact with them since we were in college. He has passed away but she is now living in a retirement center. Last weekend we went to visit our dear friend and surrogate mother. It was a bittersweet time. It was great to see her and to share with her our special memories of time we spent together through the years. It was sad because time and age have stolen many of those sweet memories from our dear friend.

            While we were in town, I went to church in hopes of seeing someone I knew in college. One guy roomed with me during my first year of teaching. He and his wife are still teaching high school. They are considering retirement, which I highly recommended. We shared our teaching, life, and spiritual journeys. It was so good to see him and to catch up with him. We shared some great laughs and memories of our year teaching together.

            I also ran into another friend, a guy who was in my wedding. I used to stay with this friend’s family on some weekends. I became close with his whole family during the time out on their dairy farm. His dad told me I was welcome at their home any time and I could come in at any hour. But…I was getting up with the entire family at some ungodly hour to help bring in the cows for milking. I also had to help with other chores when I was out there.  

            I listened carefully as this friend shared his journey through life. He had been through some difficult times. He talked with me about how he had persevered through the tough times to develop his faith. He shared how the Lord had told him that he had to trust God with the difficult circumstances and not allow worry or fear to capture him. He shared how God was faithful in each situation. The joy in his heart and spirit could not be hidden.

            I exchanged contact information with both of these guys and look forward to renewing our friendships. Both friends have done great things for the kingdom and have plans to continue pouring into the next generations. Spending time with these guys stirred my faith and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. Hearing their stories of faith and perseverance challenges and spurs me to press on.

            I am glad for these two men and this sweet older lady in my life. They strengthen my resolve to continue persevering in my own life. Their fellowship and friendship are more precious than gold to me. Their stories illustrate God’s faithfulness through the challenges and difficulties in life. We need to share our stories with each other so we can spur each other on to greater things in the Lord. We need to share our faith journeys with each other so we can remind ourselves and each other of God’s faithfulness through the ups and downs of life. Sharing our stories helps to build faith, hope, and courage to press on, especially when we may feel like giving up. God will not fail us, leave us, or reject us because He loves us so very much!

            I want to encourage you to connect with your old friends. Let them know how much they mean to you. Share with them how God has seen you through the challenges of life. Each of us has a unique perspective and experience with God and sharing those experiences can be encouraging and life changing. Old friends are treasures that need to be savored. I thank God for my old friends, for their spiritual battle scars, their testimonies, and their commitment to God and our friendship.

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

Learning History

by   November 15, 2024 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The cultural war is full of blather concerning how our schools teach history. In Texas, a heated discussion is on-going about a book’s treatment of one of that state’s icons, The Alamo. I remember watching the Walt Disney movie version of that battle and its heroes and villains but know now how wrong Disney’s telling was. But I remain curious about the process of our learning history whether in the classroom or during independent reading or watching a movie.

For instance, I am reading a memoir by President Carter. I am reading it because I liked the man when he was President, and, because I grew up in a small town, the sub-title of the book attracted me: “Memories of a Rural Boyhood.” The title, An Hour Before Daylight, offered me much to learn about a young boy’s life in rural Georgia during the early 20th Century. Now, I accept that because it is his memoir, President Carter is entitled to his memory and his purpose for the book as he writes in the dedication: “To my newest grandson, Hugo, with hopes that this book might someday let him better comprehend the lives of his ancestors.” I, too, hope the book gives Hugo a window into the lives of his grandpa and other ancestors; it has certainly taught me. It has also raised questions concerning President Carter’s interpretations of events during his early life, and thus how we learn history or what we are told is historical by writers.

On page 149, President Carter writes: “ I also knew about some of the serious crimes that were committed in our region. One tragic and horrible measure of poverty in those days was the lynchings that occurred, at least partially because of growing competition even for the least desirable jobs, which in the past had been saved for black workers. As the Depression deepened, an Atlanta organization adopted the slogan ‘No Jobs for Niggers [sic]Until Every White Man Has A Job.’ The number of lynchings in America quadrupled in 1933 over the previous year, and remained equally high during the hard time that followed.”

This explanation of lynchings comes from a Naval Academy graduate who also served one term as President of the United States, so what could be wrong? Well, Carter is correct when he writes of lynchings as “tragic and horrible.” He also is correct in that the lynchings of Blacks quadrupled in 1933 as compared to 1932. But is he correct when he credits the lynching of Black citizens “partially” to the Depression and its hard times?  Hardly.

Lynchings were not a “horrible measure of poverty in those days”  as President Carter writes. Every study of every lynching shows that the “tragic and horrible” act took place when the hate filled injustice of a white majority avenged any real or perceived violation of the Jim Crow code. Any minority could be lynched, but the violence was mostly reserved for Blacks as a way of striking fear in the local population. I don’t know why President Carter writes of the history of lynching as he does, but on that page his memory collides with historical fact, and he is wrong in his interpretation of history in this example and one more that I will mention,

“Worse Than Slavery” (Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow Justice)  is the story of the feared prison farm in Mississippi by David Oshinsky. In his well-documented book, Oshinsky shows us an American gulag that allowed prisoners to be “hired out” to wealthy landowners to work on their plantations.  Parchman Farm would not have differed much from the chain gangs in Georgia that Carter writes of with the convicts, mostly Blacks, dressed in their horizontally stripped shirts and pants. He describes the chains used to tether the men together and he shares how he and his buddies romanticized the lives of the men they saw on the chain gangs. However, on page 61 he writes: “Georgia law permitted the chain gangs to be contracted out to private employers, so they helped with road construction, railroad maintenance, and other such jobs.” Oshinsky details the same system used in Mississippi and it is one of harsh treatment to any convict “hired out” to a private contractor. What Carter gives us is a romantic view of life on a chain gang much like that when he was young, and  I doubt that any prisoner brutalized under such a system would view his labors as helping with public works improvement.

I don’t know why President Carter would write such historically wrong interpretations. Yet he has, and that fact is dangerous because he is a respected person and his word, like the word of many well-known people, is revered. Years ago, when the brand-new alternator my mechanic friend Larry had just installed in my Jeep failed, he explained it this way:” It was made by people, and any people made thing can fail.” So can people’s view of history.

The Favorite

by   November 14, 2024 with No Comments

STOP IT!

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT. You cannot cry now… You are on your way to work! So, keep it in the box, girl! You can do this!… Except I cannot do this. I cannot keep the grief inside; it keeps leaking out of my eyes …

It’s a very odd place to be, because it is not a sad situation. I really am very happy for the groom and the bride! I am only sad for me, and it’s a conundrum because I know I should be more happy. Their lives seem to be going very well, even better than I had hoped, and possibly better than the two of them had expected. But I just miss her so much!!!

This past summer, she and I had many (but too few!) opportunities to walk and talk in the early mornings before she went to work.  She had no idea I was intently absorbing every minute, every detail of her face and her body language, the natural way she makes me feel at home. The thing is, I taught her that:  the whole body listening thing!  Out of my three children, she is the one most like me.  Of course she has flaws, but I take responsibility for a certain portion of those because I let her get away with those same things when she was little.  Many times, I’ve threatened to buy her one of those shirts that say “it’s not my mouth that get me into trouble; it’s my face!” And, admittedly, my face would get me into trouble, too, if I was the kid born behind two very responsible children!  

She is unlike me in that she can turn anything into fun.  I am not like that.  I was a rule-follower, a stay-out-of-trouble-even-if-I-have-to-lie-a-little-bit kind of kid.  I am a middle child, and it shows! I didn’t have forgotten-child syndrome until I was an adult.  I loved being helpful, a grown-up pleaser,  and earned a reputation for “being good.” But she can even make following the rules feel like a game!  But I can relate to her fun-seeking personality because I was also a little sister, and I was the one who had all the fun!  Now, my sister is three years older than me, while her sister is barely two years older.  That somehow made it harder for the two of them to get them along than my sister and me.  And, her older sister is somehow more logical than her even older brother!  When her brother was old enough to be the “caregiver,” we would leave him in charge but tell him to listen to his sister, (the middle one, lol, not the little one!)

This fun-loving daughter was frequently the Instigator but almost never a tattletale. I guess she didn’t mind getting into a little trouble if she had had some fun getting there! But now that she’s out of the house, I long for more time with her! The kids love to tease me about a particular instance:  When I was in the hospital with a cardiac event, I called the youngest over at some point and whispered to her “don’t tell anybody, but you’re my favorite!” Of course, she was absolutely delighted, and promptly relayed this information to her siblings!   At this point in my recovery, thankfully, they realized that I had absolutely no filter whatsoever. I guess my brain was literally still recuperating from oxygen deprivation. And all memory of the cardiac event and the seven days afterwards is completely nonexistent.  Honestly, you could tell me anything that I said during that time, and I would not doubt it!  So apparently, the youngest really is my favorite, ha ha! In reality, each of my children hold special places in my heart that makes me declare each one of them “my favorite,” which makes me wonder… Is there any area of my life in which I am my Father‘s favorite?  I am well aware that He loves all of his children, the psalmist declared himself to be “the Apple of His eye” so he must have felt like the Lord‘s favorite!

So in this time of unexplained grief, I would certainly love to have that same sense that the Psalmist did, of being my Father‘s favorite. I am thinking in this moment, how wonderful it would be if He could just write me a letter… Or call me on the phone… Or shoot me a text and let me know how much I mean to Him! And of course, in the next thought, I am scolding myself for thinking such things. Because of course He has already done all of those! He sent a good friend, just yesterday, to be with me for a while. To let me know that I am loved, and valued, and important to her.  Because she declared how important I am to her, and that is what the family of God is for: love and support, to literally hear each other’s burdens. . And, He already has written me a letter… it’s actually 66 books, in the middle of which, is a beautiful love story that describes His relationship with me as deeply intimate and intricate.  And I have actually studied that book in particular in depth, and even created original, sketches and watercolors for many of the scenes in that beautiful love story. 

So why am I flailing now, why is that ugly blob of depression creeping out of the plexiglass box that I keep him in?

It’s because my emotions are pretty big right now, and they have been for many months. My heart is tired of lugging them around and I would love to lay them down and walk away from them!  But that is impossible. They are with me wherever I go, and there is no getting away from them. Just like my own shadow, they are impossible to ignore, impossible not to see. At times, they are longer than others, but they are always there. No matter how “cloudy” the day, I can still see and feel them.

But unlike my shadow, they are not silent.  They clamor for attention, for acknowledgement, for avenues of expression.  Grief, Sadness, Loneliness, and Fear all band together as a gang of formidable proportions and strength.  Disappointment and Anger are in the gang, too…

But God.  

He promises to never leave me, never turn His face from me, never walk away from me in disgust, never abandon me to my own devices.  Even when I’m the one who turns my face and walks away in disgust or disappointment, He never even sighs.  He just waits, hands spread out, still holding my best interest in prominent view.  

It’s true.  It’s all true.  What do I do when I know what’s true but knowing still doesn’t help? When believing doesn’t help either? I don’t do anything.  I choose to trust. I choose to NOT want anything other than what I already have.  I choose to acknowledge, but not empower, my emotions. 

Yep.  Very challenging. Toughest thing I’ve ever done.  Ok, tried to do, with very little success, I might add! But I recognize the truth that, as long as I am wanting what I want, I’m not wanting what He wants.  If I’m living in my own little world of self-pity, I am of no use to Him.  I must push past the selfishness of being emotion-driven and acknowledge the truth of His Word, regardless of my experiences, to become what He has designed and ordained me to become! 

I really am not very good at it at all.  But I’m determined that, when I am tried, I will come forth as gold.  So I keep asking, seeking, knocking; I continue trying, failing, and trying again.  Likely I will meet Him face to face before I’ve attained the goal.  But that’s ok.  His hands will be spread out, arms wide open, with my best interest in prominent view, because I’m His favorite. 

With joy,

Rhonda

“God is not looking for those who can but those who will.”

Healthy Conversation

by   November 13, 2024 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

  • Jesus said it is not what comes in but that which comes out that defiles, we ought to watch our words.
  • Our conversation should be filled with the goodness and grace and the kindness of God.
  • When we answer it should have the nature and the heart of God.  Let God give us grace and help us to speak correctly.

Prayer:  Lord I pray that You would put a watch in front of my mouth that I would be careful what I say, that it would be life giving and only be helpful to other that I will be seasoned with kindness and Your grace Lord and that I would not be mean and unkind.  Teach me Your ways.  I want to follow Your path and not the path of man.  I need You Lord and Your help and Your strength in Jesus name.  Amen.
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Thanksgiving in the Midst of Unrest

by   November 10, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Like many parents of young children, I took my youngest two children and a neighbor to the Cabarrus Arena’s Touch a Truck event last weekend. In addition to touching the trucks and other vehicles, there were many opportunities to express gratitude – even though that was not our plan for attending. There were also a lot of opportunities to receive candy or marketing swag – stress balls, pencils, frisbees, and the like. Rather than telling my kids to say “thank you,” I try to lead with, “What do we say to someone who gives us something?” We also tried to thank each civic member for their contribution – often unseen or considered – to our daily lives. Thankfully, by now, more often than not, they remember to do so without much prompting, but like most humans, in a sea of candy and freebies, it is easy to walk with a sense of entitlement, leaving the gratitude behind. 

It seems we need a reminder to be grateful in our own country these days. Last year, I discussed the space between the skeletons and the trees – Thanksgiving gets crowded out. We are a people with a flair for the sensational. Both Halloween and Christmas fulfill that for many. Do we know what to do with a much quieter holiday with less fanfare? Is it a necessary holiday anyway?

Have we forgotten that the days of our nation’s conception were moments of gratitude – surviving fatal winters, accepting help and advice from native Americans, and being in a place that promised many freedoms? We have. But we are not alone. Did you know that it was not until 1863 – the middle of the Civil War – that a lady named Sara Josepha Hale implored the current president to establish a nationally recognized day of Thanksgiving on the same day for all states? Guess which president conceded to her requests for a day of common unity built on gratitude and gathering – President Lincoln. Of course, this was amid our nation’s saddest times – with brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. Lincoln likely was already searching for something to repair the breach, to be a balm. Mrs. Hale’s letter led him to the proclamation of a day where shared experiences of gratitude and acknowledging a reliance upon an Almighty Power was an excellent place to start. He was right.

Would President Lincoln remind us of the same need for this moment of shared gratitude and gathering this Thanksgiving? We need it more today than most of us realize or would concede to. Already, I see Christians and non-Christians alike spewing hate and disgust at those across the aisle, or more closely – down the street – because of differently expressing their right and privilege to vote. I have even read resolutions not to share Thanksgiving with those of differing opinions.

How does something like gratitude help us? In the grand design of life and history, it brings us all to an understanding of who we are, or more importantly, who we are not. It recognizes we are all vulnerable and dependent on someone, though many do not yet know Who that is. For the Christian, the gratitude goes outward and upward. All we have is a gift from above. Even all the things we have that we do not want are gifts if they bring us to a place of humility, contentment, and recognition that we can live through any season or election result that comes our way. That’s worth giving thanks for.

Ashlie Miller and her family enjoy friendsgiving and Thanksgiving meals (and day-after sandwiches!) in Concord, Salisbury, and NC beaches. You may contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

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