A Death Louder Than Words

by   May 24, 2026 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

My latest $2 splurge at a recent yard sale was “The American Patriot’s Almanac: Daily Readings on America.” Written as a “this day in history,” it prompted me to go down online rabbit holes to learn more about Memorial Day.

On April 26, 1866, many gathered in the South to decorate the graves of fallen Confederate soldiers. This date, April 26, marked the surrender of the Confederacy in North Carolina in 1865. Yet, during those commemorations, some Southerners noticed the unadorned, neglected graves of Union soldiers left behind. Some may have been brothers or uncles. Many could have simply been strangers. But all were fellow humans, fellow Americans. This acknowledgment—the sanctity of life even in death—tugged at their heartstrings. These men once belonged to someone. So, they also decorated the graves of their enemies in battle (Union Soldiers), but brothers in humankind.

Can you imagine something like that happening today – recognizing the humanity in someone who varies so vastly from you, even to the point of death? This is not a call to celebrate the difference, but to look past their opposing point of view to see the person.

A few years later, in May 1868, Major General John A. Logan commissioned Decoration Day, calling 5,000 people to gather at Arlington National Cemetery for this day of remembrance. Late May was chosen for the abundance of blooms throughout the North and the South available to bestow upon the graves. General James A. Garfield, who was not yet president, gave a speech that may be worth taking your time to read in full this holiday weekend. A quick Google search will bring it up. I was struck by the following:

“I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men, whose lives were more significant than speech, and whose death was a poem, the music of which can never be sung…We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”

Being remembered for how one dies, not what one says – we will not likely be asked to pay such a high price. But while many of us work to cultivate a perfect social media post, do we seek to live lives built on action? At the end of the day – the end of our lives – what will matter most is what we did, not what we said.

We would all do well to remember the men “whose death was a poem” this holiday and strive to live lives louder than our words.

Ashlie Miller lives with her family in Concord. You can contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

Is it Real or Fake?

by   May 23, 2026 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Is it Real or Fake?

            A while back I was going through a tough time. I felt like I was in a hole and couldn’t find my way out. One night while I was scrolling social media I discovered a podcaster. I was about to scroll past her when something she said caught my attention. I listened and her words comforted and encouraged me in my situation. I watched additional posts from her and found some rays of hope that lifted my spirit.

            It’s never one thing that pulls us out of a rough spot. It takes the prayers and encouragement of good friends. In my case, talking with my pastor and his wife helped to get my thinking straightened out. Sometimes we need help to work through the challenges of life. God sends help from a variety of places, including a podcaster.

            Last week I was scrolling social media when a neuroscientist offered some insight into how our brains work. I listened to several short clips from her as they popped up on my feed. Many of her clips were focused on positive motivation. She explained how the brain can aid us if stimulated properly, which I found fascinating.

            Her posts were generated from her home office, in her car, out by the swimming pool, and sitting in her living room. I wanted to find out more about her background, so I Googled her. The search brought up a movie star with the same name. I dug deeper and discovered that she didn’t have a website. She only had a presence on Instagram and Facebook.

I went to her Facebook page and discovered something unbelievable to me. She was not a real person. The videos of this woman were all AI generated. That means this woman does not exist. The AI created character has quite a few videos on a variety of topics. The homepage plainly states that this is not a real person but an AI generated character. The information is neurological science on how to be motivated to change.

I wasn’t sure how to take this discovery. The AI character seems warm and friendly. The information provided should be based on facts and research, but would I trust it? We all trust Google when we ask a question, but can we trust an AI character that shares information that we are seeking?

I have used AI to help develop curriculum for teaching. I wondered what else I could get AI to do. I went to an AI platform and asked it to write a column in my personality. I gave it some specific guidelines and sent it to my website. Then I waited a few minutes and out popped a column. I have to admit the AI did a good job, but not a great job. In some places you could obviously tell it was not my style, but in others it picked up on the way I write pretty well. With a little extra training…who knows?

There is one place we can all look to find the truth in a world that has made it increasingly more difficult to distinguish between what is real and fake. The Bible is God’s truth and it can be trusted in every situation to tell us the truth. It can guide us as we make important life choices. It can reveal the true character of God: His faithfulness, kindness, love, mercy, and forgiveness. It can encourage us in and through difficult times. It can challenge us to change and live up to higher standards.

In an AI world filled with fake news it is comforting to look into God’s Word where truth is revealed and darkness is shattered. God wants to reveal the truth to you and set you free from the lies you have heard. He wants you to know that He created you and that you are beautiful in His sight. You are His son or daughter with complete access to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Your prayers are heard, valued, and answered. You have influence with God. He knows everything about you and loves you more deeply than you can understand. That’s the truth!

I want to encourage you to open your Bible and read the truth. You can trust God and His Word completely. You can learn about His character. You can learn His ways. You can learn to hear His voice. You can enter His presence without fear. You can believe His Word and trust in His promises. God is real and He has great things planned for you. That is the truth and you can trust and believe it.

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

War in the Mind

by   May 22, 2026 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

  • The enemy tries to sow bad and difficult thoughts in our heads.
  • But by the power of God, we destroy those arguments and the thoughts that come to us.
  • Taking captive every thought that is not from Him and submitting it to the word of God and focussing our thoughts on all Gods ways.

Prayer:  Lord I yield my mind and take every thought captive that it is subjective to the word of God and to God’s plan.  I will not allow the enemy to make my mind rush into different directions and think different things.  I yield my thoughts to Your life and let the Spirit of God renew it daily.  Amen.

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

My Bucket List Done and Undone

by   May 21, 2026 with No Comments

By David Freeze

My Bucket List Done and Undone!

    Things have been very busy in the running world lately, and internationally and back here in Rowan County. It seems every week that a new marathon record gets set and now that we are officially under two hours for 26.2 miles, how low can it go? American women did extremely well in the Boston Marathon, something they almost never do, this year taking four of the top 10 places. I am excited about all things running, just as I usually am. I decided to order a book offered on Amazon called The Runner Bucket List by Jeff Horowitz.

    Bucket list items are special to me! In my mid-50s, I started making my own list and attacking it. Many of you remember my cross-country and regional bike rides, every one of them on my bucket list. Two were the best, Astoria, Oregon to Myrtle Beach over 54 days, and also first on my bucket list. The second was the bike ride from Carson City, Nevada to Anchorage, Alaska because it took me so deep into the unknown. My run across North Carolina in the winter was high on the list but only after good friend Ed Dupree asked me to do it.

     Others that developed were biking in all 50 states, visiting all the 100 county seats in North Carolina and marathons in New York City, Montreal, London, Boston and plenty more. All of these are complete, with great memories and not a shred of regret.  

     On the list right now are at least a few of those super long Amtrak trips across the US, highlighted by many areas that can only best be seen by train. Another is visiting all the NC State Historic Sites. I’m getting that urge.

    When Amazon sent me the offer on the Runner Bucket List, I ordered it, just to see what I have already done, and maybe a few ideas of runs that I can still do.

     So here goes. This is a great little hardback book, and it’s very reasonably priced. I am now devouring it! Some of it is about bucket list items that superhuman athletes do, but most could be done by anyone. For the rest of this column, I am going to touch on a few things covered in the book that I have already done, just regular things that made the list. Some are big ticket items, and a few are available just about any day at little cost. 

      Take a coaching class, I did this through Road Runners Club of America and loved it. Then I did a level 2 class, another big win. Next, I read about running in bad weather, one of my favorite things. After getting caught in horrendous, lightning and wind filled thunderstorms many times on the bike when I was totally alone, little around here seems daunting. I will say it till the day I die; nothing beats running in snow during light wind, another item that made the list. Running in falling snow early in the storm is of course the best, while the footing is still good. Also on the list, join a running club, which I am sure was a great move that paid off almost 40 years ago.

     Gear choices mentioned that I did right include various running logs and always having a good watch to measure distance, pace, time and now heart rate. I don’t care about much of that other stuff the $1,000 watches do.

     In Chapter 10, under ways to give back, sits a segment called simply “Be a race volunteer” I know people who have run hundreds of races but have never once been a volunteer. There are always plenty of jobs to do, and most are easy. And not a single race will happen without volunteers. Certain runners seem unaware of volunteers, just focused on their own struggle or goals. Be a volunteer!

    And finally, run at least one of the world’s major marathons. These are the big ones, London which topped out about 60,000 runners last week, Boston and New York are the ones I have done. Berlin, Tokyo and Chicago are the ones I haven’t done. I do have a Chicago half marathon along Lake Michigan, one of my all-time favorites races, but even more spectacular in the dark.  

     With that, I will save the items still on my bucket list and undone for an upcoming column.

    An omission from last week’s column was Adalie Harrison’s finishing time for her Nashville Marathon time. Her time was 3 hours, 35 minutes and 35 seconds.

     Our next race is the Ed Dupree 5K on May 16th at East Rowan High School. Proceeds go to the Ed Dupree Scholarship and Hospice. Look for this and other upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: My bucket list done and undone!

Church Jerky

by   May 20, 2026 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

church sign2

Our hometown of Salisbury, NC is beautiful, especially Fulton Street. We drive that way often just to enjoy the view of homes and churches. As we circled a block so I could get a better picture of one of the homes, we passed this sign at a church.

Yep. That’s gonna cause a ruckus. Better get there early to beat the rush. But I guess just as I’m attracted to old homes with fern lined porches, others are drawn to the melodious sonnets of church organs. Different strokes I suppose.

On a different day, my husband passed this church sign and went back to take a picture.

church sign

Wow. Can’t you just feel the love?

This one conjures up images of ushers becoming bouncers as they toss visitors into the street for an inadvertent foot tapping.

“Hey buddy. God loves you, but don’t let that trickle down to your feet.”

It’s not just church signs that make me wonder. As we traveled south on I-85 David spotted an advertisement for a Jerky Outlet. It did NOT say “beef jerky.” I guess here in the south there’s apparently a large market for shrunken flesh of any kind, at least enough to fill an outlet store. Because you know… nobody wants to pay full price for jerky.

I think I have a solution to help these groups enjoy their diversity. Perhaps the folks with the new organ could invite the ones from the other church over for a time of fellowship. Organ music generally does not incite dancing. Even when played at a ballgame it only instigates the crowd to raucous singing and the buying of peanuts and crackerjacks. Perhaps the corruption could be kept to a minimum if folks from the Jerky Outlet would hand out samples at the gathering. With all the effort it takes to get jerky down, the service would be kept quiet and orderly… lots of chewing; no dancing. Friends would be made, bouncers could go back to being ushers, and the new organ would be thoroughly enjoyed by tons of well-fed visitors.

Of course the congregation would be reminded to keep their smacking and yummy noises low so as not to interrupt the melodious sonnets. If there were questions about the origin of the jerky, such as “Is this Turkey Jerky or Donkey?” ushers could field those questions as well, especially since their bouncer jobs have been taken away.

Yep. I think it could work! Now if we can just agree on a dress code…

Hmmm… that could be a deal breaker. I bet nobody’s gonna want to get dressed up to eat jerky.

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