Living Off The Land

by   August 26, 2026 with No Comments

Living Off the Land

by Lynna Clark

Did you miss the holiday? No, not Mother’s Day. You can’t miss that if you watch television at all. Every jewelry store on the planet makes sure to remind us. Last Saturday was not only Cinco de Mayo, the day for which we stock up on limes and avocados and don’t know why. It was also Naked Gardening Day… according to our cousin Michael. The event seems to be an important one to him as he always reminds us of it on Facebook. Thankfully we don’t live near the man as we choose not to observe the holiday. Our garden is not that big. We did however get our binoculars out and keep them handy in case our neighbors decided to celebrate.

Though we didn’t observe any tiptoeing through the tulips, we did discover a family of groundhogs. The daddy is huge and looks like a bear when he stands on his hind legs. Not like a Kodiak but more like a miniature brown bear with a long tail. His fur is reddish and fluffy but I was not fooled by his cuteness. A few summers ago either he or one of his cohorts stripped the leaves off my mom-in-law’s tomato plants leaving only a naked stalk. The daddy groundhog’s wife is gray and smaller. She tends to make her way over to our yard when she notices the truck is not in the carport. The ground there is soft and dusty and she seems to enjoy rooting around in it for some reason. I nearly soiled my undies the other morning when I stepped outside unaware of her presence. She stood on hind legs as if questioning my being in her space. So I did what any normal person would do. I barked like a dog until she waddled home on her short chubby legs.

Sorry. I have no right to make fun of anyone’s short chubby legs. [Yet another reason to refrain from observing Naked Gardening Day.] I must add she was surprisingly fast for such a plump creature. She scooted her fluffy body under the neighbor’s shed and peeked out at me. Even with binoculars I couldn’t see through the lattice where she hid. I envisioned her gathering her one pup near her side and warning that if a person acts that strange, especially in broad daylight, they probably have rabies.

Hopefully she will not be back. This is the first time David has tried having a little garden in a long time. All he wants is a good tomato sandwich, a few cucumbers for pickling, and a couple zucchinis to make bread. Is that too much to ask? It only cost us $537 to build a raised bed, haul in good dirt, pay the kid next door to help us unload it, and buy the few plants.

Oh and cages for the tomatoes. It makes me laugh at how tall they are compared to the tiny plants inside. David looked at them the other day and spoke with his dry humor. “Somebody has high hopes.”

Yep. We are determined to eat something from our backyard this season… living off the land and all.  I just hope it’s not groundhog.

Home Sweet Salisbury

The Emptied Nest

by   August 23, 2026 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Photos and videos of families dropping off children at college have filled my social media feed in August. Family and friends made treks to colleges near and far, tools in hand, supplies being stocked, beds and desks being assembled. There are smiles and hugs but also tears.

While releasing our children can bring bittersweet tears, tears are not necessarily the only measure of love. The heartache of this moment does not look the same for each family.

Some families rejoice in new chapters as they see their children spread their wings, while also mourning their empty nest. Perhaps the child contributed joyfully to the environment of the home. Their absence in the daily routine will be greatly felt.

Other families are almost paralyzed without their children at home. Sometimes a parent’s identity is wrapped in parenting for 18 years. While children are finding themselves at college, parents are wondering if they have to start all over, finding themselves as well.

Still, for other families, the feelings may be things they do not want to say out loud. There is a sense of guilt in being glad at the release. Maybe, like some birds that leave the nest, they dirty the nest in the months and weeks leading up to departure. “Why has she or he been acting so distant? Why is our relationship strained when it wasn’t before?” Some argue that this is a defense mechanism as these young spirits are anticipating change that they may not even be fully ready for. Others have been dirtying the nest for years – rebellion, loss of love, confusion. Many things can put a strain on relationships despite a parent’s best efforts to provide a loving environment.

Wherever you find yourself in these scenarios, here is some encouragement:

* Your child does not have to navigate this new season alone. The children of Israel were encouraged that their God would go before them as they entered the Promised Land, facing insurmountable odds. He would not leave or forsake them (see Deuteronomy 31:8). God cares for your child (and you!) as well. We can entrust our children to their Creator’s care for their physical and spiritual well-being.

* If you’re uncertain (like many parents) that you did enough to prepare them for all that is ahead of them, recall how God was faithful to His people in the Old Testament during their distressing time of exile. Through raging waters and fiery trials, He was with them (see Isaiah 43:2). We, too, are often unprepared for hard times. We can pray our students will lean into the One who loves them and can protect and direct them. (See Psalm 121 for more encouragement.)

* For those whose goodbyes were marred by a dirty-nest departure, you do not have to feel guilty about feeling peace when your child is gone for a season. Just as Jesus left His disciples with a declaration of leaving His peace with them upon His departure, He can do the same for you, even in the midst of strained relationships. He can even do the same for your child. Pray that they will know that Peace is a Person.

It’s Back to School

by   August 22, 2026 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

It’s Back to School

            How can students be going back to school already? It still feels like summer. When I was a kid, school started the day after Labor Day. That changed long ago. It’s so hot students might as well be in the air conditioned classrooms. It’s not just the public schools that have started, but colleges are back, too.

            Hopefully, families enjoyed a vacation and spending some quality time together. It’s always great to get away and hard to come home and head back to work and school. One thing good about returning to school is that families can get back into their routines. Routines help us maintain our daily lives.

            It’s time to be back in school and learning. Did you take a “first day of school” picture of your kids? That was an annual event at our house when I was growing up. We got some new clothes and shoes for the new school year. You have to take a picture. I took a picture of my last first day of school the year that I retired. Then I took another picture of my very last day of work when I retired. I have a t-shirt on that says, “Retired teacher, every child left behind!”

            Hopefully, teachers are refreshed and ready to teach a new group of students. Trying to teach a post-Covid, tech-savvy group of students has got to be a challenge for even the best teachers. Teachers must learn to apply new teaching methods to reach the next generation of learners. I hope our students have a good, safe year where their minds are challenged and they create great life-long memories. 

            I am currently teaching in the high school equivalency program, which operates on a year-round schedule. We enroll new students several times a year, hoping to help them graduate. For some of our students it has been many years since they went back to school. For others it hasn’t been too long since they were in school. What we hope is to catch them on fire for learning so they can see themselves not only graduating but pursuing their dreams.  

            Sometimes the problem is that we don’t see in ourselves the ability to grow and move past the challenges to succeed. That’s why we need to go back to school. This same concept applies to our spiritual lives. We find ourselves up against a challenge that feels too daunting. We begin to believe the lies that we will never be able to overcome, never graduate from the struggles to success. That’s when we need to head back to school.

            We don’t literally need to go back to school, but we need to re-educate our minds which have convinced us that we can’t do the thing that God knows we can. How do we change our thinking when it begins to work against us? We have to head back to a spiritual school. The first stop is in The Book! We need to read The Good Book and see what God says about us. Doesn’t the Bible teach us that we are overcomers, champions, and victors? We need to dig into the scriptures and find those promises and meditate and memorize them.

            Next, we need to engage our faith. We need to tell our minds that we believe God’s words and His promises to us because the Bible is the truth. Our faith and trust in God need to educate our minds. We need to begin praying in faith the promises of God; then things are going to begin to change. When we begin to see ourselves the way God sees us, the newly educated mind will start working with us as we take steps of faith to be the overcomer God made us to be.

            All of us struggle to grow into the image that God made us, to be the men and women of faith He called us to be. I want to encourage you to go back to school and learn the things that are missing in your journey of faith. Retrain your mind to apply faith in areas where you are struggling. Don’t settle for less than God made you to be. Learning something new is going to be a fight, but I believe it is a battle worth fighting because I know you can and will win. How can I say that so confidently? I know He has called you to be an overcomer. Don’t be afraid to go back to school and learn what you need because I believe you will find the victory you desire.     

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

Self Doubt

by   August 21, 2026 with No Comments

Who hasn’t struggled with self doubt at times? We all struggle. Here is a short video to help you understand self doubt and give you the framework to change your thinking. There is a more complete video of their conversation if you want to learn more. Listen as Mel Robbins offers you the help to overcome self doubt….

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