He Loves Us

by   February 11, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I went to the drugstore the other day and was confused. I walked down the candy aisle and saw both Valentine candy and Easter candy on display. Which holiday is coming up in a few days? Did I miss Valentine’s Day? Can you give Easter candy for Valentine’s Day?

            It is nice to have a holiday that celebrates love, especially during the drab winter. Many of my neighbors have flags or wreaths that celebrate the season of love. There are many great romantic comedies to enjoy watching at this time of year. And who can forget the Peanuts special where Charlie Brown is hoping to get a Valentine from the little redheaded girl in his class?

            I always thought Super Bowl Sunday was the first Sunday in February, but this year it is the second Sunday. That thought made me wonder if the Super Bowl could collide with Valentine’s Day. According to Google it hasn’t yet, but the possibility does exist. I hope whoever is in charge of planning the date makes sure that never happens. Can you imagine the potential turmoil in many homes if the most romantic day of the year happened to be on Super Bowl Sunday?

            All that worry aside, it is nice to take at least one day out of the year to focus on love. It is important to make sure we express our love to our family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and our children need to know that they are loved and appreciated. Now, expressing our love for co-workers, friends, and neighbors is a little more of stretch for us guys. It is a little more acceptable to express our love for our brothers and sisters at church.

            Most of my life I have attended churches where guys can hug and express their love in Christ for each other. I know that in many churches women find it easier to express love and concern for each other. The guys will stand around and talk about sports, hunting, fishing, and if you get close to me…weather! Just because guys don’t express it as often as women doesn’t mean that we don’t love and care for each other. If you need help with something, most guys I have attended church with are going to be there for you. When you can find the support and encouragement of your brothers in Christ…that is love!

            Jesus had no trouble expressing His love for us. Jesus expressed His love through both His words and deeds. Jesus told us over and over again that He loves us. He also told us many times that God, His Heavenly Father, loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine. But Jesus demonstrated His love for us when He died for our sins.

            What many people fail to understand is that God is completely without sin. He has never had a bad thought, said the wrong thing, or acted in any wrong way. He is holy. He cannot tolerate or live with sin. When He created the earth and mankind there was NO sin in our world. The trouble arose when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and brought sin into our sinless world. God could no longer live with man. The relationship between us was broken.

            God created a plan to fix it. He loved mankind and wanted to connect with us. So God sent Jesus to become a living sacrifice in order to take away all the sin of mankind. His blood cleansed all of our sin away. Now, because of what Jesus did, we can be in a relationship with a Holy and pure God. Jesus’ love paid the price. Jesus expressed His love for us through His words, but more importantly, through His actions. There is no greater love one person can have for another than to lay down one’s life for the other.

            I want to encourage you to consider the example Jesus left for us…especially all you guys out there. Jesus expressed and professed His love for us. He demonstrated His love by His actions. Can you imagine how radically we could change the world around us if we learned to express and demonstrate that kind of love for each other? Look at the world around you; hate, violence, and anger are strong, but we know that love conquers all. God’s love through Jesus washes over all our sins and now we can live forgiven and guilt free. If you accept Jesus, you will be accepted and welcomed into the Father’s presence…a place filled with love, peace, and joy. Let’s celebrate LOVE… Happy Valentine’s Day!

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

What’s Your Fuel

by   February 10, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

                                                What’s Your Fuel

In reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians this morning, I read this verse: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” (1 Cor. 3:6, RSV) Paul is writing to explain to the Corinthians that they must mature as Christians and understand that all power comes from God. While he and Apollos and others may bring God’s message of salvation, they are merely servants like all humans.

The verse reminds me of a poem by Marcie Han titled Fueled

            By a million

            man-made

            wings of fire-

            the rocket torn a tunnel

                        through the sky-

                        and everybody cheered.

                                    Fueled

                        Only by a thought from God-

                        The seedling urged its way

                        Through the thickness of black

                        And as it pierced

                        The heavy ceiling of the soil-

                        And launched itself up into outer

                                    Space-

                                                No

                                                One

                                                Even

                                                Clapped.

Jonathan Martin wants to win Winter Fest

by   February 9, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Always a very special effort by a quality athlete is needed to win the very competitive Winter Flight 8K, and most often, the winners have to travel a ways to come to Salisbury to race. This hasn’t been the case with the male winner over the last three years since China Grove brothers, twins Matthew and Jonathan Martin, have taken the last three titles.

Matthew just happens to be getting married during the same weekend and will miss the race, but Jonathan is back to defend his title from last year. Jonathan ran the historic rolling course in 24 minutes, 35.45 seconds, a 4 minute 56 second average.

Jonathan, 27, currently lives in Charlotte with his wife Jasmine and dog Pumpkin. He said, “I grew up in China Grove and attended Carson High School. I had a fairly unorthodox start to my running career, essentially using it as a way to condition myself as a tennis player and to lose weight in high school. From there, I developed a passion for training and racing, and eventually earned a roster spot on the UNC Pembroke cross country and track teams. The rest is history! I’ll also mention that my twin brother Matthew has had an almost identical running career to my own.”

Jonathan lists his greatest running/racing experiences so far as getting to compete at the 2018 NCAA D2 cross country championship and running his current half marathon PR of 1:07:30 in Myrtle Beach in 2020.

I asked Jonathan what he does when not racing or training. He said, “My hobbies and interests really overlap with my passion for running. I am the manager over at Fleet Feet Charlotte and I am extremely passionate about the run specialty industry. When I’m not running, I love to travel and explore new places with my wife.”

Goals are always on a competitive runner’s mind. Jonathan wants to continue to set personal bests in the 5K, 10K and half marathon distances while simultaneously trying to qualify for the United States Olympic Trials in the marathon in 2024 or 2028. He will be running his first marathon in Chicago this October.

The 40th Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races are next Sunday, Feb. 5. Jonathan said, “Winter Flight is special to me due to it being my “hometown” race. I love coming back to Rowan County to reconnect with everyone! I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention how historically competitive the race is!”

Registration will remain open for all three races, the 8K, 5K and half-mile fun run, through several avenues. Online registration is at www.runsignup.com, and anyone can print off the registration brochure and mail it in through Thursday by going to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org. Race day registration will be held inside Goodman Gym at Catawba College on Sunday from noon until 10 minutes before race time. The fun run starts at 1:30 p.m., a large group of wheelchairs will roll off at 1:58 p.m. and the competitive 8K and 5K health run/walk officially start at 2 p.m.

All participants in the 8K and 5K get long sleeve high quality dri-fit commemorative T-shirts. Awards will be given to the overall and age group winners in the 8K and 5K. The 8K also serves as the North Carolina State Championship 8K. Any age runners and walkers can participate in the half-mile fun run as well. That event is free, and runners, 12 and under, will be eligible for awards, but every finisher will get a participation medal.

As part of the 40th anniversary event, a Winter Flight shirt contest continues until race time. Any runner or volunteer who wears one of the previous 39 year’s commemorative shirts, not already claimed on the website, is eligible for a $250 race day raffle. To participate in the contest, an entrant must wear the shirt for a photo and contact race officials to do so. To enter the shirt contest, for more information on Winter Flight and any other event, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

Things Without the Lord is a Waste

by   February 8, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Ecclesiastes 5:19  Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work–this is a gift of God.

  • The persual of contentment or happiness – so many of us search for it.
  • True happiness comes only from God whether we have or don’t have.  Sometimes we can have and not have the ability to enjoy.
  • When we can accept and be grateful for which boundary God has given us and what He has allotted to us, true contentment comes.

Prayer:  I praise Your holy name for Your goodness and Your provision, I am content and I say with David that Your boundaries have fallen in lovely places.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Oh Happy Day!

by   February 6, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

So yesterday was my birthday. 68. I know right? Confetti flew, roses bloomed, parades were thrown and children sang. And that was just on Facebook. I felt like a Queen! Then I opened my Daily Bread for a bite of wisdom on my special day. The subject was Memento Mori, which means “Remember you will die.”


Hey. Thanks a lot Lord. That was a lovely reminder on my otherwise cloudless day. How funny. At least I thought so. But I’m a bit crazy like that. I’m actually amazed to have lived this long. I kept thinking I’d die and wished I’d hurry up. But no more! The Lord has replaced the evil years with good and I am walking in sunshine! Truthfully it’s more of a swaggy waddle, but hey! You won’t hear me complain! Well, unless you ask me how I feel. Then you’re gonna need to sit down a while to hear the answer to that. There really is no short answer.


All sorts of age related ailment are popping up. Though the doc says my eyesight is fine, I beg to differ. I was reading a book last night and it said the guy stuck his head in the gravy. I couldn’t help but wonder why a man would do such a thing. I kept reading to find out but it just made no sense. So I went back to the gravy part. Turns out he stuck his bread in the gravy. Ohhh… okay. That explains things.


Today’s verse comes from Ephesians 4:1. It’s one of those I have written out as big as a notecard will hold and put on the bulletin board near my nest. Not because my eyesight is failing but because my memory is. Like I tell David when I repeat a story wrong. I’m not a liar but I am a forgetter. Anyway the verse says, “Lead a life worthy of your calling.”


Whatever the Lord has asked us to do as our calling, let’s do that. And no matter what, let’s keep our head out of the gravy.

Sticking Together

by   February 4, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Most of you know that I have retired from teaching full-time but I have not retired from teaching. I still teach part-time at the community college. It is such a great, low-stress job. There are so many things you are required to do in a full-time job that are not required in a part-time job. I get to spend most of my time actually teaching. There is such joy in helping someone learn something that they did not know how to do.

            In my career I have worked with many different people; some I enjoyed and some I do not miss. The people you work with can make or break a job. I know people who have changed jobs because they did not enjoy working with their co-workers. I can think of at least one job I left because of the people.

            I love the people I am working with on my current job. We get along, see things alike, work hard to do an excellent job, and we laugh all the time. I have always been a jokester at work. We have to spend so much of our lives working, why can’t we have some fun and laugh while we work?

            One of the best parts about my current job is that we are there for each other. We work well together to accomplish our goals. If one of us has to be out, we all pull together to get the job done. We are a team. Our supervisor and her supervisor strongly encourage us to be there for each other and they demonstrate that by their example. I feel their support every day at work.

            I feel that same support in my church. My pastor and the whole leadership team at our church are there for each other. It doesn’t matter what any of our members are walking through we are all there to love, support, and encourage each other. Jesus never intended for any of us to walk out our faith alone. He intended for it to be a team effort.

            The enemy wants to convince us that we can walk out our faith alone. His plan is simple because it is easy to pick off people who are alone. If we are alone, the enemy will fill our minds with all kinds of doubts, worries, and fears. It is easy to get our mind focused on negative thoughts. When we are alone there is no one there to help us turn our thoughts around and focus on the positive.

            I always have areas of my life that need to be worked on. There are times that I see great victories and I am moving forward. Then there are other times when it seems like I am losing more battles than I am winning. It is easy to get discouraged when the battles seem intense. We often lose sight of the previous victories. We don’t realize that we are about to break through.

            Those are the moments when we need each other. I need you to look in my life and say, “Hey, don’t give up! Keep fighting! You will overcome and win!” The truth is we need each other. When the battle is raging and we feel overwhelmed that’s when a brother or sister in Christ can make all the difference in the world. They can encourage us to keep pressing on because a breakthrough is just ahead.

            It’s powerful when we pray quietly and out loud for each other. The enemy wants us to stay apart so he can pick us off. Coming together and sharing each other’s burdens is how we succeed in the battle. We have to be careful who we share our struggles and worries with because we want to find those who believe in us and will fight with us to overcome. We need people who will build us up.

            We are in a fight. It is important who we pick to be on our side. Knowing that I have your back and that you have mine makes us pretty hard to defeat. We will all get knocked down. It’s critical that we surround ourselves with people who will pick us up and fight with us.

            I want to encourage you to consider carefully who’s on your team. Are they speaking words of life and hope to you? Are they praying and believing for your best? Are they there for you? Choose people who have faith in you. It is a team effort. Be there for them too! We are in a fight together. If we stand together we will see the victory.

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

Ways of a Young Fool

by   February 3, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

            In May 1968 I graduated from college with a degree in English. I went home that summer to work in Cannon Mills, Plant 1, but as soon as August came, and Uncle Grant sold me that two-toned green rambler, I headed to what I viewed as the “promised land” of the North, which for me was Washington, D.C. I remember on the long drive to my apartment in Maryland seeing a “Wallace for President” sign somewhere in N.C., and thinking, “No more of that.”

            During my college years I became good friends with William MacPherson, who had grown up in Arlington, Va. I visited his home and thus, D.C., over the four years of gaining an education. I came to think of the area as the “land of milk and honey” for such a fired-up, young radical as I. The time of my graduation was the time of George Wallace and “Clean” Gene, who were candidates for President. It was also the time of Dr. King, Jr.’s assassination and the subsequent riots. It was the time of protests. It was the time of Howard Zinn and nightly newscasts of battles in Vietnam, complete with the day’s body count. It was an exciting time to be twenty-one years old and beginning a teaching career in a rural county of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

            Or so I thought until I recently ran across a reference to a man named Clarence Jordon. Jordon was a strong believer in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the fall of 1941 when he met a gentle missionary named Martin England who believed as he, they began dreaming of establishing Koinonia Farm as a way of countering the plight of farmers.  Life on Koinonia Farm would follow Scripture, especially the Sermon on the Mount. In 1942 they purchased a run-down farm southwest of Americus, Georgia, and the work to establish a community of all people began. But, the local population objected to the Koinonians eating together because some were white and some black, and just wages were paid to black workers which went against the rules of Jim Crow. Violence was not long in coming and until his death of a heart attack in 1969, Jordon peacefully followed the tenets of the Sermon on the Mount as angry whites burned down buildings of the farm, stole from it, destroyed its equipment, shot at its members, and local merchants refused to sell seeds and fertilizer to the farm. In describing the personalities warped by hate that tried to kill the farm, Jordon said, “We have too many enemies to leave them [without hope].”  I am indebted to Joyce Hollyday for some of this information.

Since reading the reference to Jordon and the Koinonia Farm, I have read his Cotton Patch Version of Luke and Acts, a brief sketch of his life by Joyce Hollyday, and have begun his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount. I am captured by his faith, adherence to Scripture, and his legacy of Koinonia Farm. And I can’t help but go back to my years of college in the 1960’s and my mistaken belief that everything I desired was in a large, northern city.

A son of the South, I highly anticipated the time I could move to a world more suited to my beliefs—equality for men and women, peace, honest work, learning, in brief, everyone coming together to make the world better. I saw my dream in D.C. and went there. But, now, all these years later in 2018, I “discover” a man and a place that had everything I desired. Now, I am not fool enough to think that, going back these fifty years, everything would be peachy. Perhaps Jordon would not have appreciated me or my ways; maybe I not his. So be that. Yet, I am intrigued by my not seeing what was almost right in front of me and held all that my radical heart desired in 1968.   

Molly Nunn: The Face of Winter Flight

by   February 2, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

I mentioned in last week’s column that our very popular Winter Flight races are just ahead on Feb. 5. One of the best things about one of the state’s oldest races is that I get to see and meet great people from the state and region when they visit Salisbury. One of the best of those is Molly Nunn, and here is her story.

As a small child and tomboy, Molly often set up obstacle courses in her neighborhood for friends to race through. Neighbor’s yards, the surrounding woods, hills, over logs, creeks, etc. were tests for Molly and her friends.

Then came soccer where Molly was good enough to have aspirations for the Olympic Development Program, hoping to be the next Mia Hamm. She said, “I ended up practicing with the boys’ team in high school and tearing my ACL in practice one day. My soccer dreams were ended.” Frustrated and depressed and in a full leg brace, Molly limped to the road and hobbled one step at a time to the top of a big hill, Molly added, “I stood there crying and angry that one dream had ended but that changed into a fire and determination to keep going, and that’s where the birth of my running career began. Every ending is a new beginning.”

Born in Hickory, Molly with mom, dad, and brother Adam moved to Winston-Salem at age three. Molly spent her school years at Calvary Baptist involved in sports, student council, choir, Quiz Bowl, chess club and as a camp counselor in the summers. Next came Wake Forest University where she majored in English and journalism and also walked onto the cross-country/track and field team. Having never run a track race upon entering Wake, Molly was simply told, “Molly, just go left!”

After Wake, Molly taught students with learning and attention disorders at Forsyth Country Day School and coached the running teams, even including being a 20-something terrified bus driver. After five years of teaching, she decided to change careers and went back to Wake to get her MBA. Molly said, “I was working full time, going to school and also pursuing a goal of qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials. What I came to realize was that all the hard work, the journey, and the commitment to that goal provided me with invaluable lessons that help me today.”

Molly worked in global finance for 10 years with the great gift to travel internationally and see a lot of different countries. She’s now with Lowes Foods in Winston-Salem as a finance director and about to hit her one-year anniversary.

Molly’s top running memories include leading a blind runner through the Outer Banks Marathon for 6 hours and 33 minutes, running a super muddy cross-country race in London as “Myrna Dune” because she couldn’t use her real name, and missing the Olympic Marathon Trials time by 8 seconds while puking all over the finish line. Lesson learned-take on a goal way bigger than you think you can achieve, and you will surprise yourself.”

For fun, Molly has taken up golf and after a year and a half, she hopes to soon break 90. Always reading, she’s currently enjoying a book on Winston Churchill.

For 2023, Molly said, “I’ve trained very hard for almost 20 years and so I decided for this year, I will find joy in simply being able to run, pushing myself or not, while finding the freedom that comes with why we fall in love with running in the first place. In the future, I would like to break 5 minutes in the mile again and run a low 17-min 5K.”

Molly summed up her Winter Flight experience, “When I traveled extensively, I loved ‘coming home.’ When I started running the Winter Flight 8K, it was about winning, trying to set records and running a fast time. The course is tough and I loved the challenge, but as the years go by, it got to feel a lot like coming home with that warm sense of welcome and seeing familiar faces, catching up with friends that I sometimes only see once a year at the race, and with each year we make another year of great racing history. So, it is an honor to be able to a part of the Winter Flight races.”

The female 8-time winner of the 8K, more than double the wins of any past entrant, Molly will be at the 40th Annual New Sarum Brewing Winter Flight races again. I hope you will too.

All proceeds benefit Rowan Helping Ministries.

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