The Man Gift

by   January 12, 2021 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Do you find it hard to buy for the men in your life? You’d think living with someone for nearly forty seven years would give me a clue. Nope… still clueless. Currently we are trying to improve our little love shack. Not a full blown remodel; just a few things to make our nest more efficient. Since David enjoys cooking I ordered a large slab of butcher block to enlarge his workspace beside the stove. The box was delivered to the front steps where only strangers venture. I mean really. Look at the entrance. There are enough spider webs covering that space to suggest it’s still Halloween. Maybe that’s why the delivery guy dumped the box on the ground beside the steps. He must’ve took one look and decided not to risk it.

Even though it was very heavy I figured I could slide the box around the house to the real door. Well, I tried. About three inches and several painful warning signs later it hit me. Apparently I am not a spring chicken any more. I have to say I was not quite ready for that shocking revelation. Sometimes life is just not very polite. About three hours later I got a Christmas miracle. One of our daughters and a grown granddaughter happened by and were able to get the box into the house. Those girls are freakishly strong for a couple of skinny chicks. I did a happy dance… actually a happy waddle and took joy in the gift that I knew my sweetheart would love.

Christmas morning came. I clapped like a little girl rejoicing that for once his present did not contain socks or underwear. He pulled his pocket knife out and carefully opened the gift. The look on his face said, “You bought me countertops?” So I explained how the piece would have to be cut to fit over the dishwasher beside the stove then fastened to the wall so he could “Mise-en-Place” [arrange all his ingredients] and chop to his heart’s content. Again the look. This time it said, “How wonderful… a project.”

I know this man. He’s not unkind. He just wasn’t sure what to do with his face. Then we pulled the rest of the box off his gift to discover even more wonderfulness. The thing was busted. BUT it was actually broken at exactly where we would have cut it. Though the edge is a bit jagged, we decided to use it rather than go to the trouble of sending it back. David stained it, sealed it, put it in place and invited me to see how it turned out. I tipped my head at the broken piece against the wall standing up as a backsplash.

“It’s like a live edge,” he explained. I looked at him wondering what to do with my face. He gave me a smile and I realized. He DOES like it! So we shall enjoy it just the way it is. Together throughout our many similar adventures we have learned that things do not have to be perfect to be good and useful. That wisdom along with so much contentment only comes with age. Perhaps it’s a good thing I’m not a spring chicken any more. To that I say, “Waddle on!”

Winter Flight is Back

by   January 12, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Salisbury and Rowan’s biggest race, the 38th Annual Winter Flight, is back with its 2021 version, with the race date set for Jan. 17. Normally the last Sunday in January, the date change isn’t the only thing that will be different. But first, we’ll cover the things that stay the same.

New Sarum Brewing is the title sponsor again and will continue for four more years. There are still the 8K (4.97 miles), 5K (3.1 miles) and a fun run (1/2 mile). All the race proceeds will go to Rowan Helping Ministries. Meredith Abramson’s very popular hoodie is back for all 8K, 5K and wheelchair participants. Ainsley’s Angels will again provide able-bodied runners to push physically challenged kids in wheelchairs to kick off the 8K/5K races.

The 8K will again be nationally certified through the United States Association of Track and Field (USATF). A dynamic sound system will be in place to enhance race announcements and Neal Wilkinson’s stirring pre-race national anthem while also providing pre-race and finish line music. The race will again be chip timed by Agape Timing of Concord.

Here are the differences. For the first time in 38 years, the race will not be held in Salisbury. All races will start and finish at the Millbridge Ruritans building across from Sloan Park. The race location is at 490 Sloan Road. Instead of city streets, the race will be run entirely in a rural, low-traffic environment with two rolling hills and lots of flat stretches. Locke and West Rowan fire departments will handle the safety on the courses with various volunteers, including many from Rowan Helping Ministries, supporting them. The western Rowan area around Sloan Park and Kerr Mill is one of the prettiest road race courses in the county. It’s dairy country and you’ll see way more cows than cars.

All races will follow Road Runners Club of America and North Carolina coronavirus guidelines. Masks are required when not racing and wave starts will be used. The event will not include an indoor gathering and all participants are encouraged to practice proper distancing.

Now for more of the usual good things that make this event one of the best in the Southeast. The 5K run/walk encourages walkers to participate and they can win age group awards. There remains a 90-minute course limit for the 8K. All race participants will have a chance to earn about 180 awards provided by the Trophy House.

We expect another highly competitive race with top local runners, Matthew and Jonathan Martin, in the lead pack. The twins finished 1-2 last year. On the women’s side, Rebecca Parker will again return to chase another win in the 5K. Multi-time winner Molly Nunn from Clemmons returns in the 8K. There are cash payouts for a new 8K course record which can be won by beating the Salisbury course best times. Other 8K cash payouts go to the first male and female to the mile and first Rowan County male and female finisher and first male and female overall finisher. This race usually draws participants from five or six states.

The men’s course record is a sizzling 23:07, set in 2015 by Kenyan Eliud Ngetich. Olympian and Carrboro resident Joan Nesbit set the long-standing women’s record of 26:48 in 1992. In its long history, the 8K has hosted many Olympic hopefuls.

Rowan Helping Ministries Executive Director Kyna Grubb said, “This year has been about protocols, partnerships, prayers and pivoting. Planning for Winter Flight and how our partners have re-imaged and overcome barriers to ensure a fun and safe run has all of these components. Winter Flight will provide much-needed funds to our agency and give our community a healthy, fun, and safe opportunity to participate in this longstanding tradition.”

Top sponsors at press time in addition to title sponsor New Sarum Brewing are the Millbridge Ruritans, the Trophy House, Dr. Robert Glassgow, David Post and Catawba College, even though the event will not begin and end on their campus as usual.

A packet pickup and late registration will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 16, at Ralph Baker Shoes, 428 N. Main Street in Salisbury.

Online registration continues at runsignup.com and a printable race brochure with more information available at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org .

A Brand New Year

by   January 9, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I think that most people are glad to see 2020 come to a close. It was a tough year by most standards. We watched the famous ball drop in Times Square, and welcomed 2021. My wife and I rejoiced to see the New Year born. We are hoping and believing for a better year.

            I woke up New Year’s Day hoping to see the Rose Bowl Parade. The floats are always stunning and the work that goes into them unbelievable. I wasn’t totally surprised when the parade didn’t happen. But I was pleased that the networks put together a program that celebrated the Rose Bowl tradition. It was nice to see how the floats are created. Then they showed some beautiful ones from previous years. It was a good beginning to the new year.

            One of my least favorite tasks of the new year is taking down all the Christmas decorations. I love putting them up, and hate taking them down. I usually begin outside and pack all the boxes and get them back up in the attic. It is a nice feeling to get all the boxes out of the garage and have everything all cleaned up again.

            My pastor asked the congregation on Sunday if we had made any new year’s resolutions. It was at that moment that I realized that I hadn’t even thought about it. I am not suggesting that there aren’t things that I need to improve and change. I just hadn’t given it much thought at that point.

            I did start something new this year. I am reading a new version of the Bible. Sometime in early December I decided that I wanted to try a new translation. It makes me consider God’s word and what it means in my personal life. Over the years I have read several different translations. While my standard is the NIV, this year I am giving the Passion Translation a shot. It already has my attention as it contains many footnotes. It explains why a particular word was chosen and the meaning of that word. These details really grab me and help to deepen my understanding of God and my faith.

            When you stop and think about it, a goal or resolution we should always have is to deepen our faith. I believe it is very important that our faith grows from year to year. That means we have to invest time and energy into our Christian walk. That can include many things, from Bible study to reading books, and especially, engaging with other believers, who will encourage and challenge us to a deeper walk with Christ.

            Besides growing our faith, we ought to plant some seeds of hope in our lives. I always enter a new year believing that good things are going to happen. I believe that God is going to bring good things into my life because He is a good Father. I also believe that if I am looking for the good I will find it. The reverse is true too, if we are looking for bad, we will find it. I make a conscious choice to stir my faith and base my hope on the goodness of God. God does not and will not disappoint me.

            When we think about the future, there is a bit of mystery. We have a blank canvas set before us and I choose to see that as exciting. While the year is a mystery to me, it’s not to God. He is not bound by time and He already knows what is going to happen. I am not naïve in thinking that nothing bad will happen. I do believe that God can work all things out and bring good into my life. He is planning and working on it. My job will be to listen and follow His guidance and to place all my trust in Him. Then at the end of this year, I will be able to look back and see His fingerprints all over my life.

            I want to encourage you to walk with me in faith, believing that God is planning good things for our lives. He is a creative and wonderful Father. He wants what is best for us. No situation we encounter is too big for Him. So if I put my hand in His and hold on tight, I will have a spectacular ride. 2021 is going to be a great adventure. Let’s keep our faith, hope, and trust stirred up for all the good things God has in store for us.

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

Poimen and Tekton

by   January 8, 2021 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

            Robert Fitzgerald, the highly regarded translator of Homer, writes in his postscript of The Odyssey: “… It [The Odyssey] can no more be translated into English than rhododendron can be translated into dogwood. You must learn Greek if you want to experience Homer….” Not a reader of any foreign language, I am glad to have such a translator as Fitzgerald who admits that his craft is not sufficient to do justice to the original.  I recently encountered David Bentley Hart’s new translation of the New Testament which I enjoy and use. In our Sunday School, we are reading and studying The Forgotten Jesus by Robby Gallaty to better the Eastern Rabbi, Jesus.

            Reared as a Southern Baptist, I grew up reading or hearing the KJV translation of the Bible. As an adult I wandered– sometimes a Catholic, a Lutheran, a Brethren, and sometimes a none. Yet, as an English teacher, I read and sometimes taught stories from the KJV. No translation I read had its poetry and grace. We memorized the 23rd Psalm and Lord’s Prayer and knew what the archaic words meant. And out of the KJV I held to certain beliefs, such as from Matthew 13:55: “Is not this [Jesus] the carpenter’s son?” Then last week I read in Gallaty this: “Read aloud Matthew 16:18; 21:24; and 1 Peter 2:4-5. If Jesus likely grew up working with stones as His father did, ….” I thought Gallaty had made a huge mistake or the printer did, but when I asked Pastor Steve about the passage, I learned that my understanding of Josephs’ craft was wrong and came to realize that I had been a lazy reader of Scripture who accepted Church tradition. As if to follow that experience, this past week in Wednesday night Bible study, Pastor Jerry taught about sheep and shepherd. Another enlightening followed by my friend Mike who directed me to my favorite commentator, William Barclay, and his view of Mark 6: 1-6.

            I faced my arrogance and re-read and listened. I discovered the various meanings of tekton. I learned about the relationship between a 1st century shepherd {poimen) and his sheep, I felt like some of the disciples who asked Jesus to explain certain parables. For a brief and silly time, I felt as if I had been betrayed by my cherished KJV. But as I listened to my two Pastors, I came to realize that, just as I had told my students of literature, I had to be an active reader of my text and commentaries. I had to see the wisdom of Gallaty and his guidance into the life of an Eastern Rabbi during the 1st Century.  It was then that I came to see Joseph and Jesus as craftsmen (Hart and Barclay’s word) or carpenters, or handymen and could grasp the idea of Jesus as a shepherd over His flock. Then I came to a deeper understanding of foundations and shepherds.

            And perhaps I will try to lean Greek. Then I will not be dependent on any translator.

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