Sleepless in Salisbury – D

by   February 17, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“Delight thyself also in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.” -Psalm 37:4

When the Lord and His goodness becomes our joy, our mindset changes. Instead of toddlers begging for new toys, we become more interested in what God’s very best entails. Things like strength for the day, the ability to love others in all their messiness; and best of all, the grace to forgive ourselves as we draw near to our God. Bonus verse: James 4:8 invites us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Think on these things as you dwell in His care tonight.

Godsmacked

by   February 16, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

When was the last time you were gobsmacked by love as a recipient or by learning of someone else’s love for another? I’m not talking about another predictable Hallmark love story or a fictional reel on social media created for views. I mean a genuine love story that defies all reason and logic – someone expressing utterly selfless love, and perhaps the recipient doesn’t reciprocate, seems aloof to it, or flat-out rejects it (and no, I’m not alluding to parents and teens).

Our congregation at Mission Bible Church has been reading through Hosea in our reading plan and learning more through a sermon series. The gripping story of Hosea and Gomer is one for the ages. While that is an intriguing story (I would love to have dinner with Gomer as one of my “who would you like to have dinner with from the past?” hypotheticals), it pales in comparison to the greater story God wanted His children to see. 

The divided nations of Israel and Judah both fell into rejecting God (one had a few better kings, but both nations had real issues). Hearts were prone to wickedness. They combined forms of true worship with wicked, pagan worship – child sacrifice, for example. The spiritual leaders of the temples built for their own God were either drunk or bought out for money to do the bidding of wicked kings. When God would woo them, they would put out a stiff hand of rejection. When He would allow them to fall into the hands of pagans they admired as a way to discipline them and give them what they thought they wanted, they still would not return fully to Him in humility. Hosea 11:4 says God “bent down to them to them and fed them”, but verse 7 shows that the people were “bent on turning away from [Him].”

God has perfect feelings. He expresses further in chapter 11, “Though they call out to the Most High, He shall not raise them up at all.” He follows that immediately with, “How can I give you up…How can I hand you over…? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.” God had every right to reject them as His people, or at least in the eyes of modern man. But God says, “I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:9).

Imagine the modern-day advice if you were in a similar situation. You may have experienced someone taking advantage of you, not appreciating all you selflessly do, or turning on you to pursue something or someone contrary to all you hold dear in your life with them. The modern advice: “cut them out” or “cancel them.” In our imperfect human forms, sometimes that is the best way to survive in our broken world. But God can take it because His goal is to have His children back. 

How can He do this? Why doesn’t He wipe us off the face of the earth when we betray Him and reject His love for us?  Because God is faithful to His promises, to His divine character, and to what He reveals about Himself: “The Lord, our Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (fun scavenger hunt – look up this phrase or derivatives of it throughout the Bible).

The holy, perfect nature of God is merciful and patient. It flows from Him effortlessly. Wow, what an unbelievable love – one that pursues us in various ways, sometimes allows us to be left to our own devices, and is faithful in His love towards us! Have you been gobsmacked by it yet?

Ashlie Miller writes from Concord, NC. You can email her at: mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

Unforgettable

by   February 15, 2025 with No Comments

Steve Hartman shares a Valentine’s Story that is truly unforgettable. How do you keep a marriage together to almost 70 years…. Watch and learn! Enjoy!

Being There

by   February 15, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Since I retired I have attended many funerals. Friends and several church members have gone home to be with the Lord. Being retired gives me the opportunity to be there for my friends and family during their time of need. I never know what to say to the family other than I am sorry for their loss. 

I went to a funeral this week for my Sunday school teacher’s husband. I have been to their home several times as they hosted Christmas parties for our class. He always made me feel so welcome to their home. He served in many different diplomatic positions for our government here at home and abroad. He and his wife have served and traveled to many nations around the world.

His experience gave him a great understanding of politics. He personally knew many politicians, and served in multiple administrations including President Ford’s administration. He had insights about where our country is and where we are going. I enjoyed the opportunities to talk with him and get his perspective on current events, issues, and politics. He was a man who had great insight into how our country works and I know he will be greatly missed.  

I think funerals can be very insightful. I love to hear the speakers as they share stories and reflect on the individual being honored. It’s okay to laugh at a funeral if someone shares a humorous story. It’s good to share the pain of the family as they deal with the loss of their loved one. Today my heart was moved by the passionate singing of an old friend who has the voice of an angel.

It’s hard to understand the impact your presence brings at funerals for the family who is struggling with their loss. While I am a writer and I work with words all the time, I struggle to find the right words of comfort to offer families who have lost loved ones. I have come to understand that words are not necessary, it’s the love and support we bring that makes all the difference. I am always glad that I went to the funeral so the family knows my heart is with them. Someday we are all going to find ourselves standing in their place and we will be glad when others show up for us.

When it comes down to it, it’s not just funerals when we find ourselves in need of people’s love and support. We might be struggling with depression, anxiety, health issues, loss of a job, or some other difficult situations where we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to stand with us. God did not intend for us to make our life’s journey alone. We were created to be together, to come together, to stand together, and sometimes to sit and cry together as we experience the challenges life brings our way.

I like praying alone and with others. When we pray, we hope God will intervene in our situation and keep us from having to walk through the trials and challenges of life. I have witnessed firsthand how God can heal and deliver someone. What a great celebration that brings when we see God’s miraculous hand at work in our lives.

But what happens when God doesn’t move, doesn’t heal, or doesn’t deliver us? We are forced to go THROUGH the challenge. We don’t want to go through, we want to be delivered. Sometimes when we go through we learn so much about God and His incredible love for us. It also reveals the depth of love and support from our spiritual families, which means so much.

That’s what being there is all about. I need you during my challenging times to be there encouraging and challenging me to press on, to keep going, to not give up, to believe God’s promises are for me, and to trust Him when I can’t feel or see Him. Your presence with me can give me the courage to take the next step, to keep moving forward when I want to give up.

I want to encourage you to be there for the people in your life when they are facing difficult and challenging times. I need you and you need me to be there for each other. Your experiences with God can help others who are facing the same challenges you have lived through. Be there. Share your story of hope. Pray and encourage those in need. Let’s take each other’s hand and be there to help each other through life’s challenges. We are not alone and we will get through this thing together.  Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Sojourners

by   February 14, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

            In the epic poem,  The Odyssey, Odysseus returns to his home island after being absent for twenty years. Because the suitors have taken possession of his home, he must return unrecognized in order to attack them by surprise. He arrives home disguised by Athena as a beggar, and he goes to the hut of Eumaios, the keeper of pigs, in order to plan his attack on the suitors. Not knowing who the beggar is, Eumaios treats him with courtesy and feeds him and gives him a place to sleep. When the disguised master thanks his servant for being kind, Eumaios responds, “…rudeness to a stranger is not decency.”

            During the years that I taught Homer’s great poem, I required my students to memorize such lines as that of Eumaios and those of other characters from the poem.  The students then had to relate the chosen quotation to their lives by demonstrating a basic understanding of the quotation and explaining how it was still relevant in their post 2000 world. However, my students and I not only discussed what Homer had to say about hospitality to the sojourner, but also what other ancient writers such as Paul meant when they told followers to  “practice hospitality.” In the ancient world, sojourners needed safe and clean places to spend the nights because the few available inns were full of bandits, prostitutes, and vermin. So, for safety, a traveler looked for a kind person such as Eumaios to share the long, dark night. I suppose, as my students will attest,  in some ways we are all sojourners at times. At various moments in our lives, we have been that traveler looking for a haven for a night, a day, an hour even. And, oftentimes, we have looked for that friendly face to offer us warmth and kindness and understanding about our travels.

            Homer’s use of the lowly swineherd as one of two servants to help his long absent master is, I think, a choice of genius. As many readers may know, a pig parlor is not the most elegant place there is. Raven’s Rock, the home of Eumaios, was a smelly and rather vile place a long distance from the manor house. The swineherd undoubtedly would have smelled much like his charges. And, because of his position he would have held a low rung in the social order of his time. Yet, this low-ranking citizen, like the widow in the Gospels, gives out of his poverty, not his wealth. This seemingly low citizen is the one of the two servants who had remained loyal to his master and helps him rid the manor of the selfish suitors.

            All of this and more has been on my mind as I watch many concerned citizens try to build support in our country to help those in the caravan.  These last few days of damp, cold wind have, for me, been a reminder of the need to help. However, I worry that too many church attendees will choose to turn away from this need. I know that some church groups have stepped up and offered to help by word or deed or both.  I appreciate that some church groups are helping the hungry and homeless in other ways. What I can’t understand is how some church groups find reasons not to help.

            Practicing hospitality causes inconvenience. It means changing routines. It means inviting strangers who may be downtrodden into our spaces. It means being empathetic. Practicing hospitality means sharing time and talk with people who are in need of a hand up. Practicing hospitality can cause you to, as I heard a pastor say last June, “think of what you can give instead of what you don’t have.” Practicing hospitality is an opportunity for personal growth in a faith walk. Practicing hospitality means that we Christians step up and take care of the less fortunate. To do otherwise means that we are just “pew sitters” who attend service to feel better about ourselves. Are you the Christian more worried about the new floor in the fellowship hall or the one who cares about some homeless child?

            Early in The Odyssey, the sage Mentor speaks to the citizens of Ithaca (Odysseus’ home island) about the suitors taking over the manor of Odysseus and the injustice of their action. Mentor laments

the violent plundering of the great leader’s home, but he then goes on to say, “What sickens me is to see the whole community/sitting still, and never a voice … raised.” 

            There is a need in our community. If you choose, you can find many reasons not to help end that need. However, I offer you one good reason to step up and help. Again, the answer comes from ancient literature written by a tax collector turned disciple: go read Matthew 25:35-40. Then ask why you should not step up and help.

Winter Flight, Why it Matters to the Community

by   February 13, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Winter Flight, Why It Matters to the Community

    Several hundred runners and walkers will toe the starting line in one of North Carolina’s most storied races on Sunday afternoon. Olympians have won here and there are great human interest stories each year. It is the only race on the local calendar that attracts people to Salisbury just for the chance to run our most historic event. One year, entrants came from California and Minnesota, as well as five other states.

     But just as important is how this great group of races come together and why it matters so much to our community. As I mentioned last week, the Winter Flight mystique involves a challenging 8K historic course that many runners come back to test themselves on each year. There is an easier 5K course geared toward less competitive runners and walkers. And the fun run, free and open to any age, is a half mile on the Shuford Stadium track.

       While the races are exciting, the biggest victory comes from what Winter Flight makes possible for our neighbors in need. Thanks to events like this, in fiscal year 2023-2024, Rowan Helping Ministries was able to provide:

🍽️ 80,730 meals served to our community in Jeannie’s Kitchen

🛒 1,107,700 pounds of food distributed to 4,235 households in need

🎒 30,469 weekend food bags given to over 900 food-insecure Rowan-Salisbury Schools students

🏠 Homelessness prevention for 944 Rowan County households, totaling $440,192 in financial assistance

🛏️ Shelter and shelter services for 668 men, women, and children

🩺 Medical, mental health, and behavioral health support for 302 guests

📚 Life skills education for 415 guests, including resume building, financial planning, and stress reduction

    Rowan Helping Ministries Executive Director Kyna Grubb shared, “Winter Flight is a lifeline for so many in our community. The proceeds help families keep the heat on during the coldest months and ensure that our community’s children have food on their tables. We are grateful for the Salisbury Rowan Runners, whose dedication and generosity make this event such a success year after year. By participating or donating, you’re helping us provide warmth, shelter, and hope to those in need.”

    The 2025 event is officially called The Forum Fitness Winter Flight 8K/5K and Fun Run. The Forum is the title sponsor among 50 total sponsors. Other major sponsors include the City of Salisbury, Debbie Suggs Catering, The Trophy House, First Horizon Bank, David Post Law, Global Contact Services and Millbridge Ruritans. Catawba College has hosted the event for 36 of the 42 years and offers the perfect setting. The gym will be the center of activity until race time and offers race day registration, pre-registered packet pickup along with several vendor exhibits. Among those vendors planning to be on hand will be Skinny Wheels Pedals and Pints, Rowan Moves and GNC.

    Each participant in the 8K and 5K gets a wonderful commemorative hoodie and fantastic refreshments.  About 180 awards will be given over the three races in the post-race ceremony.  The 8K is the North Carolina State Championship at that distance and separate awards will be given to the major winners in that race. The top male and female finisher in the 8K will get $100 each while the first Rowan County male and female finisher will get $50. The first runner to the mile, male and female, gets $25. Should a new male or female course record be set, that winner would get $750.

    While the accomplished runner has plenty of reasons to chase overall and age group records, the real heart of the race is the regular runner and walker who takes on the distances to challenge themselves. The weather forecast looks great and what better way to spend a wonderful Sunday afternoon of exercise with a bunch of new friends while benefiting Rowan Helping Ministries. If you’ve never walked in one of these events, come see us in Goodman Gym on Sunday from noon to 1:50 pm and we’ll get you signed up. Runsignup.com will offer online registration through the morning. Donations can be made at runsignup or at the event.

     If you have further questions, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or call me at 704-310-6741.I hope to see you at Winter Flight.

Things Without the Lord is a Waste

by   February 12, 2025 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Ecclesiastes 5:19  Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work–this is a gift of God.

  • The persual of contentment or happiness – so many of us search for it.
  • True happiness comes only from God whether we have or don’t have.  Sometimes we can have and not have the ability to enjoy.
  • When we can accept and be grateful for which boundary God has given us and what He has allotted to us, true contentment comes.

Prayer:  I praise Your holy name for Your goodness and Your provision, I am content and I say with David that Your boundaries have fallen in lovely places.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

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