Quiet Time

by   April 4, 2026 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Quiet Time

            Have you got a minute? I know you are busy, so am I. Sometimes it feels like I have a million things to get done. Even with the longer days, it doesn’t feel like there is enough time to get everything done. I love the longer days, which allow more time to get outside things done, but that leaves lots of inside things undone. I always have so much to do.

            We all lead busy lives. How do we fit quiet time into our busy lives? I talked to a young mother who told me that the only time she has to pray is when she is in the bathroom because that is the only time she gets some peace and quiet. I talked to a young father who said by the time he gets home from work, helps feed and bathe the kids, reads them a story and puts them to bed he has very little time to give his wife before collapsing in bed. Where does God fit in?

            Some people are working two jobs to make ends meet, where can they squeeze God in? Working at the community college, we have had some students who worked third shift and came straight to class. They have less than 12 hours after class to get some sleep, eat, and take care of a few things around the house before they have to be back at work. There is no time left in their day for God or anything else, for that matter.

            I was thinking about Daniel from the Old Testament. He was one of the highest government officials ruling over an area about half the size of the United States. He didn’t have cell phones, the internet, or Zoom meetings to help him run the land. I imagine he was a very busy man with plenty of demands put upon his day. Yet the Bible makes it clear that Daniel went home and prayed three times a day.   

            Daniel is a good example for us. He worked with integrity for multiple kings. He was a man after God’s heart. He was a prophet, an interpreter of dreams, and a man with uncompromising faith. Daniel had wisdom and spiritual insight because he maintained his spiritual life through prayer.

            How can we follow Daniel’s example? Daniel prayed near a window that faced Jerusalem. We all need to find a place where we can meet with God every day. That is unique for each of us. I know some people who walk and pray. I know some people who pray in a special closet in their home. I like to rock in my recliner or sit out on my front porch. Pick a place that works for you.

            Daniel prayed three times a day. We need to pick a time that works for us. Are you a night owl? Evening might work well for you. Are you alert in the morning? Then a morning quiet time might be best for you. Pick a time that fits your personality and commit to it.

            What should we do in quiet time? My pastor came up with a seven-minute plan. Take thirty seconds to praise and thank the Lord. When you begin by thanking God for your many blessings you set your mind on the positive. Next, spend four minutes reading your Bible. Start with one of the gospels, then read Acts, followed by James. After that, I recommend Psalms and Proverbs. You’ll be on your way to connecting with God.

            The final two and half minutes is devoted to prayer. Begin by expressing your love for God. Next, confess your sins and be honest about it. He already knows and loves you. After that, give thanks for His forgiveness and His many blessings. Finally, lift up your own needs and the needs of others. We know He cares deeply for us and those that we love. Remember to pray for those who don’t know Him that they might come into a relationship with their Heavenly Father.

            If everyone who reads these words would spend seven minutes with God every day, the world would be a dramatically different place. I want to encourage you to commit to spending seven minutes of your day with your creator. He wants you to experience His love and get to know His heart for you and those around you. This habit will change you and help you grow and develop your spiritual life. The enemy doesn’t want you to have a quiet time but God wants you to put down roots into the soil of His heart. The adventure begins with seven minutes a day!   Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Committing to Where we are Celebrated

by   April 3, 2026 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Matthew 10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.

  • It was Jesus’s instruction that we focus on those that are receptive to what we share.
  • We have a message within us and we ought to continually want to give it to those who want to receive it.  Often we don’t know until we give it who will receive.
  • If there is a constant resistance we don’t need to keep pursuing it if they have heard it we can just move on to the next person that will receive it not wasting our energy on those that are not really interested in the gospel or yet ready for it.

Prayer:  Lord I commit myself to You today.  I ask Holy Spirit that You will guide me and make me effective in being a witness and a soul winner.  Lead me to someone today to witness and/or to lead them to the thrown of grace.  I am Yours Lord.  Amen.  

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

That’s My Donkey

by   April 1, 2026 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“Hey man! Don’t be takin’ my donkey!”

That’s what I would’ve said if a couple of strangers came up to my house and started untying the family beast of burden. I mean, how will we get the firewood home, or take grandma to prayer meeting? You can’t just go around taking people’s donkeys.

“The Lord needs it.”

That’s what Jesus told his friends to say when He sent them to fetch the donkey. Apparently that’s all it took. The owner had no problem sending his valuable property with strangers. He wasn’t promised a great return on his investment. He wasn’t promised the donkey would be brought back fed and watered… or even returned at all.

All he knew was that the Lord needed something he had.

If I had a donkey, I can hear myself reasoning…

“Sorry guys. It’s the only donkey I’ve got. You’re gonna have to find yourself another mode of transportation. I just made the last payment. Had to finance it for six years, but finally it’s all mine.”

“What? The Lord needs it? The Lord has everything. What does He need MY donkey for?”

I’m afraid me and my donkey would’ve missed the Jesus parade… the only one He ever had.

In fact, I think I would’ve missed a lot of things.

I don’t believe I would’ve climbed a tree to get a better look. People would surely laugh at a grown woman in a tree.

I wouldn’t have called Him up for a night time meeting so He could answer my questions. Folks might talk.

I doubt I would have given my lunch to Him when everyone realized it was time to eat and there was no food. What good would my little pitiful sack lunch do?

And I KNOW I would not have stepped out of a perfectly good boat to go traipsing across the water. Who would take such a risk?

Not me.

In fact, everything is just fine the way it is. So Lord, I’m here for You… right here in my cozy house, with plenty to eat, and my nice warm bed, surrounded by things and people I love, with my precious donkey safely tied outside.

Hmmm… Sounds like a parade off in the distance.

I wonder if I’m missing something.

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When Passover is Personal

by   March 29, 2026 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

If you pass by some grocery store aisle end-caps this week, you will likely see products that you may not normally purchase, but many Jewish and Christian households will buy in preparation for the Passover Seder, a feast dating back to the Exodus in the Old Testament.

It is an amazing tradition, first instituted as God prepared the children of Israel for their Exodus from Egypt, and repeated annually. It marks remembrance of the Angel of Death,  charged with slaying the firstborn in each home (the 10th plague), passing over households that were marked by the blood of a sacrificial lamb. After this initial Passover, the newly-freed Israelites then witnessed the miracle of the Red Sea splitting to allow them safe passage on dry land, and then drowning the chariot-warriors chasing them from Egypt.

Later, in the book of Joshua, the Jordan River splits, allowing safe passage, this time to enter the promised land. And guess when this happened – 40 years after the parting of the Red Sea and during Passover.

I really took note of that for the first time this year in my Bible reading. As modern American readers, it is easy to dismiss notes about the Jewish calendar because our Gregorian calendar is different, and thus we cannot relate to the timeline. But the longer I study God’s Word, the more these little details seem to pop off the pages.

In both instances, amazing miracles of water splitting to allow safe passage were coupled with Passover – the meal marking deliverance, mercy, and safety.

It recalls to mind another passage from Luke 10:20. The disciples have been sent to towns to proclaim the gospel with sign gifts of healing and Jesus’ power through them to cast out demons. They are in awe that the demons are subject to Him. Jesus’ response is that that is a little thing compared to the reconciliation of humanity with the Almighty God through eternal life in Jesus Christ – their names are written in His book.

Miracles are astounding. That God can execute authority and control over nature is remarkable! He is supernatural! But the greatest miracles are those whose lives have been transformed and reconciled with their Creator through the Sacrificial Lamb of Jesus Christ. I love that both of these water-crossing miracles are paired with the Passover Seder – a reminder of the greater miracle.

The miracle of a spiritual Passover – deliverance, mercy, eternal safety – is available to all. Even Rahab the prostitute, who believed in the God of the Israelites, knew enough to bring her entire family within her home for safety, while leaving out a scarlet cord, as judgment and death passed by her, as promised. God is inclusive in that He invites all, yet He is specific in the way to know His love, shelter, and reconciliation.

Whether we participate in a Seder meal this week, watch The Ten Commandments on television, or read through the Holy Week passages (which include the Last Supper Seder), if we are in Christ, we can rejoice over the personal Passover we have experienced. If you do not know about this personal Passover that brings perfect peace and joy, find a Bible-believing church this Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday to find out more.

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