Heroes

by   December 10, 2021 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

He was one of the many young Americans who was part of the planned invasion force of Japan in 1945. Because of the fierce defenses shown by the Japanese on Iwo Jima and Okinawa, the  United States military leaders rightly anticipated a similar defense of the Japanese homeland. The young American soldiers assembled for the invading force stoically faced death. One of those young soldiers on the Liberty ships sailing across the Pacific Ocean, Mr. Graham, was all of 20 years old.

Mr. Graham and I met at a local restaurant shortly after  my wife and I moved to Mooresville. We had gone exploring for a good restaurant and found one that we liked. We had a good meal, and as I passed his table at which he was sharing dinner with his daughter, he reached out and asked me had I served in the military. Had I been in Vietnam? When I told him no, he apologized for bothering me, but explained that my wheelchair had caused him to think that I was perhaps a veteran. My wife continued her walk to our car, but I was struck by his manners and grace, so I stayed in the isle chatting with the dignified gentleman as his patient daughter looked on. Before I left to join my wife, we discovered that he lived at the end of our road. With that “sign” our friendship was born.

Because of his age, Mr. Graham has moved into an assisted living complex. But each week his caregiver Marilyn drives him to his house at the end of our road to check on it,  and he always stops to see me. If I am not outside in the yard or shop, he calls to inquire of my health and location. He never stays long, but his visits are packed with news, street chatter, and complaints of my religion and politics, all in good humor but loaded with a bit of salt. Over the four years during such visits, Mr. Graham and I have shared much. I know about his oil business here in Mooresville, how much he paid for his house in the early 1980’s, his religious beliefs, his four sons and one daughter, how he wishes he had been a better reader, and more. When he first told me about his wife of seventy years, Louise, a moist longing came to his eyes, and he grew silent after telling me her name. But my friendship with this 96-year-old man is also held close because he is one of the many, unnamed heroes of our country.

Mr. Graham, regretfully not a reader, probably has never heard of Wiglaf or the poem in which he demonstrates characteristics shared with Mr. Graham and his generation. In the epic poem Beowulf, the great king of that name grows old, and his kingdom is threatened by a fierce, fire-breathing dragon. He and his followers enter the lair of the dragon, but no longer the warrior he was, Beowulf suffers a mortal wound. All but one of his followers flee the lair, but Wiglaf remains to fight by his king’s side, and he slays the beast as Beowulf dies.

Because of President Truman, Mr. Graham and the other young men would not have to invade Japan. But all the other soldiers on Liberty ships along with him, willed themselves to do what was being asked.  They were prepared to invade Japan, but as is written in Beowulf, “Fate goes as Fate must” and they were spared that peril.

At an age in 1945 that today causes parents to worry if a child drives on an interstate, Mr. Graham and his generation walked into the lair of the enemy, just as did Wiglaf. Not because they wanted to, but because duty to a cause larger than they demanded it.

Always a Way

by   December 8, 2021 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Psalms 112:4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

  • No matter how dim or difficult it seems there is ALWAYS a way. 
  • Even when we can see it, God has a plan and deliverance.
  • God always comes through for us when we belong to Him and exercise compassion and grace towards others, it will come back to us when we need it.

Prayer:  Lord teach me Your ways and help me to always walk with kindness and grace to others that I can expect will be functioning in my life.  I submit to You completely.  Amen.

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Celebrating Girls on the Run

by   December 7, 2021 with No Comments

By David Freeze

On Sunday, Nov. 14, Salisbury Community Park was the gathering place for hundreds of girls, their families and running buddies. The fall class of Girls on the Run celebrated as most of the elementary and middle school girls on hand ran their first 5K under perfect weather. Not always the case, weather was a friend this year to the celebration with blue skies and mild temperatures. Each girl had a designated running buddy, someone who accompanied them on the course for encouragement.

Girls on the Run first brought their fall celebration to Salisbury and Catawba College in 2013. The event moved to Salisbury Community Park in 2017, preferable because the 3.1-mile course could be completed without going outside of the park and onto public roads.

Our runners club and Salisbury Parks and Recreation were big players at the event, but nothing like a solid group of volunteers led by Lindsay Peiffer from GOTR. I met Lindsay for the first time this year amid her planning process of about six months. She started out as a GOTR coach back home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 2016 and completely fell in love with the program. At the time, Lindsay was working for the local YMCA and coaching for GOTR when she saw a Girls on the Run coordinator position opening with the YMCA in Wilmington. Most GOTR councils are considered independent, but Girls on the Run of Coastal Carolina is affiliated with the Y.

Lindsay said, “It was perfect. My two favorite things combined! I applied, accepted the position and made the move down to Wilmington in January of 2017. I learned so much about being a program manager and race director in my 4 1/2 years in Wilmington. Over those years my love and passion continued to grow for Girls on the Run, but I knew one day I wanted to work for an independent GOTR council. My wish and dreams came true with my position here with Girls on the Run of the Greater Piedmont working alongside an amazing group of people who share my love of the program tenfold!”

GOTR is much more than just a running program. Lindsay said, “Girls on the Run opens up a safe and empowering space for girls in grades third through eighth to tap into what makes them unique, how to activate their limitless potential and how to build the confidence they’ll need to chase their dreams now and throughout their life. Girls on the Run practices emphasize the important connection between physical and emotional health. At the end of the program, girls complete a 5K, which provides a tangible sense of accomplishment, setting a confident and goal-oriented mindset into motion. We envision a world where every girl knows her worth, her power and her strength to pursue anything she wants for her life.”

From Overton Elementary, Robert Black said, “Ellie really enjoyed the camaraderie and getting into running. She’s excited to be able to continue GOTR in the future.”

Jillian Gersch from Hanford Dole Elementary said, “Girls on the Run has impacted me so much as a coach by creating positive relationships with the girls in a space where they can be their true selves.”

GOTR had solid participation in the fall 2021 season, especially with COVID still around and some schools being hesitant in hosting after-school programs. GOTR continued to utilize parks and greenways and local community sites along with the normal school sites to allow for more options for the girls in our area to participate. Participation came back this season with 303 girls served, 80% of where they were in fall of 2019. There were 31 overall teams and nine of those were from Rowan. The 2022 spring season registration opens on Feb. 1 and the season will start the week of March 14.

Local racing continues this coming Saturday with the Freeze Your Buns 5K in Spencer, part of the Winterfest festival. SRR’s popular Santa’s Run for Hunger and Bigfoot Reunion Celebration 5K follows on Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Millbridge Ruritans building across from Sloan Park. Look for these and other events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org .

Our Greatest Weapon

by   December 6, 2021 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

     Lord, thank You for sending Your Son to die on the cross for us. Thank You for conquering death. Thank You for our salvation.

     You have everything under control. Nothing that happens surprises You. You are all-powerful. You are all-knowing. Thank You for choosing to allow us to pray and make our requests known.

     Lord, You said for us to pray in all things, to pray without ceasing, and to ask in faith believing. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, we are told that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks should be made for all men, for kings, and for all who are in authority, so we may live a quiet and peaceful life in godliness and honesty.

     What a beautiful promise! A quiet and peaceful life in godliness and honesty.

So… we pray.

     Our Heavenly Father, we pray for the United States of America – a land that we love. Help our nation. We pray for our leaders, our government, our military, our citizens, our homes, our children, our families, our workers, our schools, our churches, our spiritual leaders, our missionaries, unity, safety, and so much more! Help us, Lord, to remember the four words inscribed on our money – In God We Trust!

     We pray for those who are living in situations they need deliverance from – whether it be sickness, addiction, trapped in sin, abuse, depression, discouragement, wayward children, homelessness, hunger, poverty, grief, imprisonment, family concerns, and other difficulties – many of which we cannot verbalize to others – because the pain may be too overwhelming.

     Lord, be at work in every heart and heal in every circumstance. Hold us, Jesus. Give us strength. Give us peace. Give us hope. Give us comfort.

     Raise us up, Lord. Help us to proclaim boldly the Gospel to the world, knowing that time is short. Help us to love one another, as You love us.

     Thank You, Lord, for 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, that tells us that You will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet You, Lord, in the air, and we will forever be with You! What comfort those words bring to our hearts!

     We pray that You convict and speak to the hearts of those who need to accept You as their personal Savior. Help them to realize they cannot delay, because You spoke these words – written in red – in Revelation 22:20, “Surely I come quickly.”

      Even so, come, Lord Jesus. May Your grace – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all. Amen.

  *** Prayer may very well be the greatest weapon in our arsenal! We need to use it!

It’s Coming!

by   December 6, 2021 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

The sturdy yellow wagon appeared in my neighbor’s yard. It makes me happy, for I know what’s coming.
Currently beautiful leaves are raining down on stiff autumn winds. Acorns pelt the metal awning so hard it sounds like gunshots. That’s not quite as lovely as the wildly spinning copper colored “tulip” in the flower garden. Too bad that can’t be used to harvest power. Maybe then I’d get a more positive report card from the power company. Not that I’m bitter… but I don’t like being told every month that we are inefficient. Look people. Our house is 87 years old. When you get to that age you’re going to have a few leaks too. How about you guys stop sending grumpy notes each month and see how much paper and postage you can save.
Like I said… I am not bitter.


Anyway, back to the yellow wagon. I know from years of happy observation that when it appears, abounding blinkage is soon to follow. Probably sometime after Thanksgiving a village of snowmen, a reindeer powered sleigh, Santa, and huge snowflakes will surround a manger scene celebrating the birth of our Savior. The lights will come on about 5:30pm each evening to enhance the beautiful venue. One year we even had a little dusting of snow to complete the look.


Oh how I LOVE it!


Another peek through the fall foliage between our house and theirs reveals the wagon is full now and about to be moved to the front of the house.


Apparently tis the season to be jolly.


Okay… so forget what I said about about the power company.
For without them, there would be no abounding blinkage.

Right?!

Family Trees

by   December 4, 2021 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            It is hard for me to imagine that my parents are now great-grandparents. My parents don’t seem that old to me. They are just Dad and Mom, not great-grandpa and great-grandma. Recently, my little sister took a picture at a family gathering where my parents and my brother’s in-laws, who are also great-grandparents, were present.

            I can remember many family gatherings when my siblings had small children, and now those children have grown up and are bringing their children to the family gatherings. I have looked at the picture my sister took several times. There are my parents, my siblings, their children, and my siblings’ grandchildren all together.

            All of the grandchildren’s families weren’t present for the picture. It is so hard to get everyone together for any occasion. We are all pulled in many different directions. Siblings have spouses that want their families to gather together, too. Whenever you can get a crowd that includes four generations, it is worth stopping to take some pictures. It is a rare event to get my siblings together with our parents.

            My siblings try to get together to celebrate my parents’ birthdays. They were born one day a part. We take my dad out for dinner on a weekend close to his birthday. Sometimes my siblings have all done separate things for my mom, extending out her celebration, and other times we have gotten together for some family fun.

            For several years now, we have gathered at my mother’s house and put up her Christmas tree. My Mom loves Christmas and the holiday season. When we were kids, we weren’t allowed to put up our Christmas tree until at least the middle of December, so to put up her tree in late November is a real treat. She loves having us around and is glad to have the tree up.

            I store my Mom’s Christmas decorations in my shed. Some years I have arrived with her decorations, only to discover her living room filled with stuffed animals. Mom heard of a program that gives stuffed animals to needy children and they needed help collecting them. Mom spends the entire year scouring thrift stores looking for stuffed animals. Some that she finds still have their tags on them, while others need to be washed, mended, and given new ribbons.

            I have lost count of how many stuffed animals my mother has donated to help needy children through the years. But I know that many children across the Triad have been touched by the love my mother put into their new favorite stuffed animals. It doesn’t matter if it is her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, or a child in need, my mother wants them all to feel loved, cared for, and to have something special for Christmas.

            I know that no family is perfect, mine included. But that doesn’t take away from the need that each of us has to feel a part of a loving family. I am fortunate because I know that I am loved in my family and in my wife’s family. I am also loved and appreciated in the family of God, at my local church.

            If your parents or grandparents have departed from this life, there are people in a local church who can help fill the hole that has been left in your heart. If your children or grandchildren have moved far away and you rarely see them, I can assure you that there are children in a local church who need your love and guidance in their lives. That’s why we are called the family of God. We need people in the body of Christ who will be the elders, leaders who can guide the family through faith and wisdom. We need young people who will stand on the shoulders of the elderly and push the church forward and advance the Kingdom of God. I need you and you need me. That’s why we are the family of God.

            I want to encourage you, if you are not already connected into a local church family, to get connected in. There is much for each one of us to do. We need to pass on the Good News that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to save us from our sins. He came to heal our broken hearts. He came to help us find our place in the family of God. He came to tell us and show us how deeply God loves and cares for each one of us. Come on, join the family of God and let’s celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Doug Creamer’s books are at Amazon. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Strong and Full of Courage

by   December 1, 2021 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

  • We only get this encouragement because of what we face or what we go through.  
  • We will take courage because we have a God that will help us in every circumstance. 
  • He will NEVER forsake or leave, we can bank on that, regardless of how we feel or what it looks like.

Prayer: How grateful I am today Lord that You will never leave nor forsake me.  I can be strong and courageous regardless of what things look like.  I will not be afraid or let the enemy lie to me or make me feel guilty or shameful, because You are my helper and my strength.  You are the constant God in my life.  I bless Your holy name today.   Amen.
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

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