Psalms 23:4

by   March 29, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” -KJV
You’ve tumbled into a deep dark valley. It feels like death and you can’t seem to dig your way out. Fear surrounds you and grips your poor heart with something so frightening that you wonder if maybe this is the end. You try to pray. The words don’t come. So you just close your tear filled eyes and beg.
God. I need help.


A hand rests on your shoulder. It should feel comforting. But instead you feel shame. Why must you be so weak when you know the darkness is just a shadow. A life of faith has taught you this.
Yet you can’t help the weakness and fear you feel.
A solid hand reaches down to grip your own. He pulls you to your feet and into the circle of His love. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” He whispers.


Together you take a step; then one more; then another until the shadows disappear and you look up to see you’ve survived the darkest time of your life. As you rest in the Savior’s comfort and marvel in His protection you realize.
Up ahead is another dark valley. A fellow traveler lies face down in the dirt. With courage you’ve never had before, you make your way down the rocky path and place a hand on their shoulder.
Then together, you walk out of the dark valley and into the light.


As you notice the familiar look of shame on your companion’s face, you share what you now know. The Shepherd’s rod and staff are not for beating His sheep. They are there for protection and comfort. Nothing can get to you when He is near.
“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid. For You are close beside me. Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.” -NLT
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 gives a bit more insight into the blessing of comfort.
“God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. “


Beloved ones, pain is not wasted when the Shepherd is near.

Never Neglect It

by   March 28, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

She was not the only one, but she is the one I remember most.

She was a student in my class.

She was beautiful.

She was intelligent.

She did her schoolwork perfectly.

She never did her homework.

She often came to school dirty.

She rarely talked.

She was a loner.

She was sad.

She was a victim of neglect.

How could a young child be so neglected? I soon discovered that it was partly because her family was going through a crisis and needed financial help. I intervened by seeking assistance to help meet their needs. She was able to receive help in the moment – and hope for the future.

She was changed. She had been paid attention to. She had been cared for properly. She is now a stay-at-home mom who helps her husband run a successful business, and who recently thanked me for not neglecting her.

Hebrews 2:3 warns us, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”

Neglect means to fail to pay attention to or fail to care for properly.

Can we fail to pay attention to our salvation?

Can we fail to care for our salvation properly?

Yes, we can.

We can neglect our salvation by failing to accept the gift of salvation.

     Acts 16:31 tells us that if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be saved.               Romans 6:23 says that the gift of God is eternal life.

We can neglect our salvation by failing to pay attention to it.

     Accepting Christ is not the end of the matter – it is the beginning. It is not just a ticket to heaven. It is not a religion – it is a relationship. It needs to be nurtured and never neglected.

     We can nurture it through prayer, praise, perseverance, reading God’s Word, worshipping our Savior, serving our Savior, and telling the world what the Lord has done for us.

     We can nurture it by making prayer our lifestyle, because when we pray, we are communicating with the One who died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, so that we could live forever.

How can we neglect our salvation and expect to hear the voice of God in our lives?

How can we drift away or take a wrong course when Jesus is our anchor?

Our salvation came at the greatest cost there has ever been – or ever could be – and all we have to do is accept it – not reject it – and refuse to neglect it.

Teacher and Student

by   March 26, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I find myself in an interesting position. I am both a teacher and a student. I am teaching part-time at the community college, and I have just enrolled in a course where I am a student. The course is designed to improve my skills as a teacher. It is an online course which will require me to read, watch videos, and to write about the learning process.

            One of the first assignments was to write about a time when I had learned something. I found the answer right in front of me. Many years ago, I went to see my best friend, who had retired and taken up wood turning. To turn wood, you place a block on a lathe which spins and then you use tools to create a bowl or other symmetrical object.

            My friend determined that he would teach me how to turn wood. We put our first block of wood on the lathe and he demonstrated how to use the tools. Then he got me to use those tools and work on our piece of wood. My friend did some of the fine finishing work and then we used a tool to cut the bowl away from the block.

            As it turns out, we created a funnel instead of a bowl. We had cut away too much out of the center of the block so when we cut it away it left a hole in the bottom. We laughed. That funnel/bowl sits right here on my desk. My friend put another piece of wood on the lathe. This time he made me do all the work. We were careful not to go too deep in the bowl this time.

            My friend had placed a very special piece of wood called a burl on the lathe for us to work on this time. A burl is a highly sought-after piece of wood because it will create a stunning piece of artwork. It was just a piece of wood to me. We worked on it until I had to head for home. The next day he finished it, sanded and sealed it, and carved our names in the bottom.

            My friend mailed me our bowl, which sits near my computer. My friend sent me a note that sits with the bowl which reads, “Sometimes the value of an object can be determined by its uniqueness. This is pretty unique.” The bowl is a beautiful, completely unique piece that I treasure.

            This reminds me of the unique and wonderful opportunity I have every day as a teacher. When I show or teach something to someone it gives me great joy as a teacher. I love being a teacher. I love helping someone acquire new skills or knowledge. I don’t do it for the paycheck, although it does help to pay the bills. I do it for the joy of watching someone spread their wings and fly.

            In the last week, I had the privilege of seeing a couple of students achieve success in the program I am teaching at the community college. One of the students was one of mine, and she had worked very hard to apply herself to the subject material. When she succeeded, my supervisor and I celebrated with her. We were so excited and happy for her. The other student I met today while she was waiting for her results. When she found out she succeeded my supervisor and I celebrated with her, too. To see the great joy on these students’ faces is far greater than any paycheck I could ever earn. They worked hard and earned their success.

            Our Christian walk will end with what we hope will be a similar celebration. God gives us His word, which is filled with many challenging lessons. If we apply these lessons to our lives, it will help us have a successful trip through life. We’ll have some good times and go through some rough patches. If we stick with it and continue to apply ourselves to what we have learned then we will hear these words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come and enter your master’s rest.”

            I want to encourage you to press on in your Christian walk. Don’t quit! There is a great reward waiting for those who believe and persevere. God is preparing a wonderful celebration for each person who endures to the end. We are living in challenging times. Don’t give up on God; instead, run to Him. We don’t need to understand what is happening, but only to trust Him. I want to see you there, so let’s encourage each other and press on until that great day.

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

The Red Maple

by   March 25, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Death is all around us, but the death happening as I type these lowly words this early spring morning is unnecessary. It is happening because a neighbor is inconvenienced and has the power to create a patio with fire pit and grill less troubled by the roots and seed pods and leaves of a magnificent red maple tree. The man high in the bucket cuts with his chain saw and drops limbs that have taken perhaps thirty or more years to grow, and the modern machine grinds them into a mulch that will leave no history of their shade and vibrant fall colors. As Hopkins wrote of the Binsey Poplars-“Felled, all felled….” The crew of men will be gone in a few hours after removing what took years to become, but no matter-the tree, as my neighbor said, was messy and in the way. In our modern Lake Norman manner, we remove any in our way because we have the resources.

I understand that there are times that trees must be removed because, for instance, they pose a danger to a house foundation or septic system. However, it seems to me that on Isle of Pines Road, many owners are willing to cut any bush or tree that is, in their eyes, a hinderance of some sort. And, the reader may say, the tree belongs to the homeowner, and that is true, but in some way, if we are community, each tree belongs to all of us. In a community, what I do on my little postage stamp of land affects the community, and since that is true, I have an obligation to honor that commitment.

But for me, there is another commitment besides the one to my community on Isle of Pines Road. In my favorite story of creation, it is written: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it.” No words such as cut, remove, destroy are here, but words that imply stewardship are.

In 1879 Hopkins wrote these words in his poem Binsey Poplars,  “ O if we but knew what we do/ When we delve or hew —/Hack and rack the growing green!”

To answer Hopkins, yes we think we know what we are doing because in our short sighted decisions, we are believing in the myth that man is in and can control.

God Will Strengthen & Protect You

by   March 23, 2022 with No Comments

By Ed Traut


2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

  • Everyone goes through challenges and storms.
  • We can be sure that God is faithful in all things and that He will strengthen us.
  • We have this confidence that He shields and protects us that the devil can do us no harm.  God is our fortress. 

Prayer:  My Father today, regardless of what I am going through, I look to You because I know that You are faithful and that You will strengthen me and I will not be focussed on the difficulty but on Your goodness.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

He Maketh Me Lie Down

by   March 22, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Psalm 23:2 KJV


Rest.


It’s a gift we should never take for granted. Just ask the man who works a double shift at the warehouse where he’s paid according to the number of boxes he loads. Or the young mother who is doing her best to raise good children but has so much on her plate she can hardly breathe. Or the doctor who can’t get around to all his patients without rushing through the information at hand. Or the cancer patient who’s up all night sick as a dog.


Rest is a gift from the Lord. While the nation of Israel was being formed, the God of Moses handed down an unusual commandment. While the surrounding nations worked continually just to survive, the Lord promised the Jews that if they took a day off to rest, He would supply their needs. Rest would serve as a testimony of God’s goodness as the other nations watched.


It seems that rest is about trust. Can’t you just see yourself lying back in a plush green pasture, gazing at the cloudless blue sky, thinking of all the things the Lord has done for you? I’d have to spread out an old quilt first because grass makes me itchy, but you get the point. Somewhere in the background is the sound of a gurgling stream. Water flows over smooth rocks with almost a musical quality, soothing and restful.


“He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams.”


Beloved ones: May we take a moment each day to consider the Lord’s great kindness. Trust Him enough to rest in His care. Turn off the world and enter His presence. It’s the best rest you’ll ever have.

Worship or Warship?

by   March 21, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

What is worship?

Worship is a way of life and also an activity, where we praise, adore, and express reverence for God. It is when we give our deepest affections and highest praise to God privately and in public. Worship means we encounter God – with praise!

Why worship?

Because God is our Redeemer.

      * I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.

        Exodus 6:5

Because God created us.

      * God created man in his own image.

        Genesis 1:27

Because God is Lord over all.

       * For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the only God –

         The King of kings and the Lord of lords.

         1 Timothy 6:15

Because God is the Alpha and Omega.

       * I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

         Revelation 22:13

Because God is worthy.

        * You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power.

          Revelation 4:11

Who worships?

      * The woman at the well did.

        She was changed by the living water – and ran to tell others.

      * Paul and Silas did.

        They sang praises and prayed while in prison – and prison doors opened wide.

      * The woman with the alabaster box did.

         She washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

       * Abraham did.

         He was obedient in his willingness to sacrifice his son.

       * Jesus did.

          He prayed in the garden, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

Worship or warship?

 As I was concluding a lesson I was teaching to children about worship, one little guy said, “I thought the lesson was going to be about a warship.”

 I knew that a God moment had arrived.

 I had taught the lesson, but a child had delivered the message:

 A warship is armed.

 A warship can withstand damage.

 A warship is easier to maneuver than other ships.

 A warship carries weapons, ammunition, and supplies.

Worship is our warship.

Worship helps us fight our battles.

Worship keeps us in a place of protection.

Worship arms us with what we need.

As we prepare for battle, may our worship be our warship.

Let us take up our arms in praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

Fellowship

by   March 19, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            For many years my brother and I teased each other about our work. My brother is a supervisor who walks around and points at things and tells his employees to do this or that. What is so hard about pointing and grunting at employees? I am a teacher and he teased me that someone was paying me to talk. I loved to talk as a kid, and I still love to talk today. He couldn’t believe that I got someone to pay me to do what I love to do. “You call that work?” we would ask each other, and then we would laugh.

            I retired from teaching back in June of 2019. I taught online for over two years, and now I am teaching part-time at the community college. I was thinking today, while I was at work, what a great job I have. I still love teaching. I am being paid to talk. I sure feel lucky.

            My new job has kept me very busy, and I have had little time to catch up with friends and family. Things are beginning to settle down into a more manageable routine and I am hoping to catch back up with some friends. As Covid numbers continue to fall, I hope I can meet some friends for meals in restaurants. It is good to share a meal and fellowship together.

            Actually, I have shared a meal with a couple of friends recently. We talked about our churches. We discussed our spiritual lives, family lives, and our work lives. We talked about health challenges we and our families are facing. Both friends talked about their children. Both guys really love their kids and are so proud of them.

            In both cases, the meal ended but the conversation continued to flow like a river. We continued to talk about a variety of things. Both guys love Jesus and our friendship is anchored in our faith. The meal we shared is just an excuse to build and strengthen our friendships. Another thing that happens when you spend time together is that you learn better how to pray for each other and how to encourage each other. That’s the heart of fellowship.

            There are several pictures and decorative items on the walls at my church that focus on the importance of gathering. There is rarely a sermon from our pastor when he doesn’t emphasize the need for us as Christians to be in fellowship with each other. We had a men’s breakfast recently, and it was a great time. The women have also gathered for fellowship.

            COVID has kept many people from gathering. Justifiably, many families have avoided family gatherings or reunions for fear of spreading COVID. Unfortunately, isolation is not good for people. We need each other. We need to share our stories so we can encourage and be encouraged by each other. Life is hard. We all fall down sometime and need a helping hand.

            The same thing applies to the family of God. There are times that we may need to stay home because we are sick, and that’s okay. We may need to be away from church because we are caring for loved ones and that’s okay, too. We do need to remain vigilant against COVID, but the fact remains, we need fellowship. We need each other. Being together helps us see that we are not alone in our daily struggles. Being together helps us encourage and challenge each other to keep walking the walk of faith, to keep pressing on when we feel like quitting.

            Being together helps us know how to pray for each other. After spending time with my friends and knowing their hearts, I know better how to fight with them in prayer. I know how to support and encourage them because I know the battles they face. I can also rejoice with them about the good things happening in their lives. We can also spend some time laughing together. You know that laughter is medicine for the soul.

            I want to encourage you to look for and take advantage of opportunities when you can be with your brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be safe and considerate of other’s comfort level with gatherings. Thankfully, warmer weather will allow for opportunities to gather outside. I need my family and am thankful that we are close, but I need my church family and godly brothers and sisters in my life, too. We can pray for each other and encourage and challenge each other to a closer walk with God. United, we can help each other make it until that great day when He comes to gather us and take us to our eternal home.

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

Withdrawn

by   March 18, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Having recently re-read the autobiography of Loren Eiseley, I decided to read a biography of the 20th century eminent writer and scientist. Soon a copy of Gale Christianson’s Fox at the Wood’s Edge arrived, and I eagerly opened the package only to find an ex-library copy that the seller had not advised, so I requested a refund. Now, I own several copies of ex-library books and have no issue with them. In fact, I have read of collectors and book readers who prefer them for several reasons. However, I requested a refund because the particular copy I received had not been so advertised. The dealer refunded the money and instructed me to keep or donate the book to a charity, which is standard practice.

The book had been in the collection of the large public library system of Fresno, California, and it  had the usual stamps of all public libraries. All ex-library copies that I know of have a prominent stamp in them stating in some way that the particular book has been withdrawn or discarded. The Christianson was a bit different for on its front flyleaf page was stamped in the usual, large, black letters:   WITHDRAWN, Worn, Soiled, Obsolete.

If a librarian wishes to determine that a book is too worn and soiled to remain in the collection, I will not argue with that evaluation. Being worn and soiled is in the eyes of the observer, after all, and to make such assessments is, I think, one of the duties of a librarian. I also understand that a public library collection needs culling of its holdings and some books that are not checked out by readers occupy space that could be used for new acquisitions. So, without knowing the use history of Christianson’s biography, I must assume (ouch) that the book was seldom checked out or a duplicate, thus making it “Obsolete”.

This reflection is being written on a lap top, but I learned the keyboard in a high school typing class during the early 1960’s, using an Underwood typewriter. The first telephone I used was a rotary dial one that had finger holes corresponding to a particular number; it was dull black, plugged into a telephone line outlet, and had a receiver for talking and listening that rested in it cradle, There was a time when the television had only three channels and to change from one to another, I had to get out of my chair and turn a dial. To raise or lower a car window, I had to turn a hand crank. As a beginning teacher in 1968 I learned to make multiple copies of handouts for my students by hand-cranking a Mimeograph machine in which I had placed the master copy. In order to conduct academic research, I had to go into a library and sit at a large table to read because the “Reserved Books” could not be checked out. All of this is a short list of things in my lifetime that have, thank goodness, become obsolete because a better way or better product was thought of or invented. Innovation is a great thing, and one that I benefit from and appreciate.

However, there was a time that in any row of stores in an American town could be found a repair shop. The one I favored long ago was Appliance Fix-It, and the owner and “fixer” ,whose name I wish I could recall, would and did fix, it seemed, anything. There were also shoe repair shops where a favorite pair of shoes or other leather item, whether out of adoration or to save money, could be repaired, granting new life to a worn favorite. These fixtures of a past America have, sadly, become obsolete because it is now easier and cheaper to just discard an iron or lawn mower or lamp or any other commonly found items in and around our homes and buy a new one.

 Products and items become obsolete. I understand that, but what I can’t comprehend is the idea that a well-regarded biography of such a writer and thinker as Eiseley can and was determined to be obsolete. Worn and soiled is possible. But like the fixer and the shoe repairman such books should never be thought of as obsolete.

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