My Biggest Challenge Conquered Out West

by   June 26, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

My Biggest Challenge Conquered Out West

   Last year during the long night of May 15th, I had plenty of time to think. Although I didn’t know the details of the damage to my back, I knew I would miss one of my favorite running events for 2024 and the already purchased airfare tickets wouldn’t be used.

    The Reno/Tahoe Odyssey is what I call a crazy team race, but the details are what makes it a must do for me. About 220 teams of 12 runners cover 178 miles over a day, a night and part of the next day. The course is intriguing, starting at about 3,000 feet of elevation in Reno and climbing to Lake Tahoe, then eventually climbing even more to just above 7,000 feet past Virginia City, itself at 6.148 feet. From there the course gradually falls back to Reno, this year finishing in an outdoor event center.

    Most teams consist of two vehicles with six runners each. My group’s vehicle just had five runners, including Nate and Sammi Williams, both former college runners, triathlete Greg Southard from New Mexico and Luis Abundis, a super high mileage runner who would do two legs of each round of six.  We had a deluxe Wagoneer as our transportation and left our motels at 8:15am Friday morning for a 9am start. After a finish line celebration and photo shoot, we got out of the vehicle for the last time and back at the motel close to 2pm on Saturday. All of us were sleep deprived, hungry and dehydrated by that time and each of us had run somewhere between 13 and 16 challenging miles over that time.

     At the outset, the Wagoneer was loaded with water and snacks for the group’s use, plus we each had our own backpack of the things experienced runners might need. We had a small amount of personal space until each of us took his or her turn running. I had three legs, numbers 6, 18 and 30. Swapping to the next runner happened at what are called exchange points, the biggest of those happened when both vans converge to finish the legs of one vehicle and start the next set of legs for the second vehicle.

     Runners ran day and night. Lighted vests, headlamps and flashlights were used to see and be seen. The slowest teams had started early, and the fastest teams started last, with the hopes that the finish line celebration would stay busy as teams completed the course on Saturday.

     Weather complicated things as record highs were set in the Reno area for both Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31st. Verified highs of 96 on Friday and 99 on Saturday offset low humidity. A weather warning of 30-40 mph winds for Saturday didn’t prove correct thankfully. Night running at elevation dropped temperatures into the mid to upper 50s.

    With all that said about the team concept for the Odyssey, I had my own concern about how I would run. Still only 85-90% back to “prior to the accident” pace, I had several poot runs in the week leading up to the Odyssey. Watching the first five legs for our group left me more time to think about my first run. I was admittedly anxious.  

    My first leg (6) was 5.4 miles and ended at Boyington Mill Campground near Truckee, California after a sharp climb to the exchange point. I felt especially good on this early afternoon run and suddenly the pressure was off. I could relax and enjoy the fun the rest of the way. Our group rested at the edge of Lake Tahoe on a spectacular afternoon while the team’s other runners were on the roads.

    My second leg (18) was 4.6 miles from Lake Tahoe Community College to Stateline, Nevada at another van exchange point. Before the run, I was told the distance was just over 3.4 miles, but the distance grew to 4.6 with a late course update. I was decent on this one but slightly slower per mile than my second leg.

       The third leg (30) was the one I had been dreading for a couple of months. The hardest climb in the event is leg 30, a 3.4 mile run up the steepest grade I have ever faced. Parts of it are impossible to run, reducing nearly everyone to walking some. I struggled but got it done and found myself with almost immediately sore quads. They are still sore as I write this recap on Monday.

     Our finish-line celebration and photos took place at J Resorts Glow Plaza in downtown Reno. In some ways, we were sad that the Odyssey was over but with plenty of talk of next year. After everyone went their separate ways, I knocked out a breakfast burrito, 3 or 4 PB&J prepacked sandwiches and eventually a small pizza along with six bottles of water. All that was wrapped around a deep nap. I eventually went to bed early. My quads were no better.

     A great connecting flight to home started in Reno, stopped in Phoenix and finished in Charlotte. I was back home at 5pm Sunday after what I realized was one of the most important weekends of my life. I was able to celebrate with great friends the successful recovery from the accident. Once in a long while, we have an event that we’ll never forget. My fourth Odyssey was one of those.

     Next week’s area race is the Myles for a Mission 5K at Grace Lutheran Church. Look for it and other area events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: My biggest challenge conquered out west

Lynna’s “V”

by   June 25, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” -John 6:47

“Verily” is one of those old fashioned words we don’t use very often… well, maybe never. But it does start with V and works in this context. Back in the 70’s when I first met the Lord, this verse became very special to me. It was explained that “verily” means “truly.” When said back to back it is even more emphatic. The Lord was speaking to me so gently, but with such assurance. “Truly, truly!” Believe this child! Trust Me and become a part of My family.

So I did. And He saved me.

Here’s a picture of me and David a few years later. He is the one who took me to a place where I could hear the Word of God and understand that salvation came “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to God’s mercy.” Fifty years later, we are still skipping through life together. Except for the skipping part. That would not be wise as one of us could fall and break a hip.

Verily, verily I say unto you, trust the God of the universe. He loves you and has covered your sins with the blood of His own dear Son.

Truly!

The rule of thumb is, “The bigger the corsage, the more you are loved.” Apparently I was very very loved. Still am.

Deals, Dust, & Divine Encounters

by   June 22, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Another Friday evening, and I think my Aunt Sandi is scouring the online and printed ads for yard sales in the area. She often hopes for a sale that will keep both her and her chauffeur-husband interested – they both are looking for different things. 

For many, hosting a yard sale is a daunting task because it means another d-word – decluttering! I had been wanting to purge our attic and some other storage areas for months, but with homeschooling as my priority, I had to put a yard sale on the back burner. Yet, I would often toss random things into piles, bins, or corners of the garage. Finally, the day came (actually, because I was desperate to purge, two days came!). I was one of the few who decided to try a Friday pre-sale. 

Unless having yard sales is regular supplemental income, many of us do not look forward to nor anticipate much from them. Other than looking for treasures myself at someone else’s yard sale, I don’t usually expect to unveil beauty in hosting one. But what special treasures we did uncover! We met new neighbors – or rather, new to us. In the hustle and bustle of life, it is common to go months or even years without meeting neighbors. We were able to bless others by charging pennies for items. However, some friends and loved ones generously supported our efforts by giving more than we cared to charge them: “It’s to help the kids because I know most of this will go to them.”

There were special finds that some were looking for specifically. What a joy to help them on their quest – shoes still in excellent condition but too quickly outgrown by our household; lovely outfits for the graduation of a loved one the next day; a cedar hope chest for a high schooler.

The showstopper ended up being a banged-up craft table covered in old, rusty tools. I priced them low because they just needed to go. Every man (and some children and women) slowed their pace as they approached that table. One gentleman said he liked the smell of those corroded tools because they reminded him of his grandpa and the home and tools he had to leave behind in pursuit of a better life. 

There were other memorable moments – a lady came looking for nothing in particular until she saw our table of free Bibles. She asked, “How much? My husband just came to Christ, and we were talking yesterday about trying to find him a Bible he could read and understand.” “Free,” my husband and I replied. She walked away with two versions her husband could read. She thought she came looking for someone else’s old treasures, but she walked away with something far more priceless. 

Even though we were decluttering the home in hopes of making a little money to redo the children’s rooms, bargaining with me was still pretty easy. My daughter was watching, unbeknownst to me, as I negotiated with a lady over some children’s clothes, finally giving her more than she could reasonably pay for so she could bless her grandchildren. “Momma, I saw what you did there. That was really nice,” my daughter observed. “Well, I think that was the true goal of all this, after all, wasn’t it?” I replied. 

At the end of those two hot days in May, I was blessed more than I could have blessed anyone else. My body was tired, and we certainly didn’t make nearly enough to redecorate the room of anyone’s dreams, but I walked away refreshed and rich in spirit. 

But make no mistake, I will not be hosting another yard sale anytime soon – it’s the hot, humid South, after all!

Peace & Rest

by   June 21, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Peace & Rest

            Is it just me or does the world seem to be a scary place? I watched the volcano erupt in Hawaii, which was cool and scary. Did you see the images from the recent plane crash in India? Last year we had terrible flooding in western North Carolina, and we are now starting a new hurricane season; do we need to be concerned?

            There are a number of wars going on around the world that are scary. The war between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for three years. Few people realize that India and Pakistan are fighting each other. Israel has been fighting with the Palestinians and now they are engaging in a war with Iran. I would hate to live in a war zone. 

            The humanitarian needs are growing daily around the world with many people unable to find food and shelter. Did you hear about the assignations and the attempted assignations up in Minnesota?  I am beginning to wonder if the whole world has gone crazy! We are lucky and blessed to be living in America where most of us can meet our daily needs for food, shelter, and have a general sense that we are safe.  

            Yet many of us fail to live with a sense of peace. It is hard to feel peace when so many in our world are suffering. I believe most people want to get up and go to work, come home and have dinner, watch some TV with their family, and go to sleep in their own beds. People crave the routines that many of us want to escape when we take our summer vacations to the beach or the mountains.

            I know we need to be aware of things that are happening in our world today. We need to be up on the news, but we need to learn to limit our intake of news and breathe. Feeding our minds all that bad news is going to give all of us anxiety and fill us with depression. Awareness is one thing but allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed is something entirely different.

            I have been encouraging my Sunday school class to turn off their TV. There are some great and wonderful things happening all the time that the news will not tell you. For example, last year after the terrible floods in the mountains I know relatives and neighbors who went up and helped people who were suffering. No one knows when someone reaches out to help a neighbor or elderly person. People like you and me do kind and nice things to help others all the time, but there aren’t reporters out there putting that on the evening news.

            Jesus tells us that if we are feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances or the world around us to come to Him and He will give us rest. Philippians 4 tells us not to be anxious about anything but to pray to God with thanksgiving. If we do that, He promises to give us His perfect peace. We are further challenged to consider our meditations and to think about good and beautiful things. God will help us, but we have to do our part.

            God’s peace is available to all of us. We have to read and meditate on His word. We also have to go to Him in our prayers and lay our burdens down. The trouble is we want to pick those burdens up when we leave His presence. We have trust Him with our problems, our families, our jobs, our homes, our cars, our communities, our nation, and our world. We need to look for the good and beauty around us. We need to seek Him with our hearts and minds. We have to make room in our minds for His peace.

            I want to encourage you to be aware of what is going on in the world but not to let it overwhelm you. We serve a great big God who remains in control in spite of what things may look like to us. Release your burdens to Him and accept the gift of His perfect peace. No matter what is troubling you, He can and will help if you let Him. It may not work out the way we think it should but we have to trust Him with all the details. When we can take the steps of trusting Him and believing in His goodness, we can find the peace that we all need. I speak the PEACE of Christ to you…to your heart, to your mind, and to your spirit. Receive it! Now rest in it!

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

Busy Berm

by   June 20, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

            Our house on Lake Norman was built in 1996 and is as modern as the date states. Since it is of the newer era, there is a sixty-foot long berm between it and the house of our neighbor. There is no need to complain about such matters because that is the way things were done, just like all eras of any culture. However, ….

            The landscaper that built and planted the berm must have believed that “more is better.” In the sixty feet are three crepe myrtles, two hollies, five azaleas, two dogwoods, one unknown species of evergreen bush, and one camellia. That is what remains after we had two hollies removed and all plants professionally pruned. We did not commit “crepe murder”, so they have tall, strong limbs that are about to bloom, giving the berm an umbrellaed look, and one large gap where a holly grew gives a view to and from our neighbor. Yet, the berm plants still need thinning so that all its plants can get light and fill out into their natural selves., especially the ageing azaleas that struggle under the canopy of dogwoods, crepe myrtles, and the holly.

             When it was planted, all the trees, shrubs, and plants were small, so the berm was pleasing to look see. The black, landscape matting gave a false promise of no weeds growing in the berm, and the top layer of mulch gave it all an appearance of controlled, natural beauty. Then the plants did what they do, they grew in height and size. They spread their limbs reaching for sunlight. They sent out roots in search for water. They became competitors, and some won more than others, but the fight was so fierce that there was no winner, just sixty feet of exhausted warriors. Because of poor foresight or just not caring, the once fine-looking berm had expanded into a frightful mess. For the sake of the berm, some plants had to be removed, killed.  The berm has been a constant reminder for Mary Ann and me since we moved here nine months ago. As we plant our flower gardens, we are conscious of not planting too much. The temptations of Brawley’s Garden Center are many, but we remind ourselves that everything we plant will require space, water, and attention.  In years hence, we do not want our flower gardens to look like the berm did, but to be a joy to share and see.

            So many modern lives are like our berm—overplanted. We accumulate items in the belief that the wealth of our lives is stated in how much stuff we have. We commit to more and more charities, committees, luncheons, and such as if our worth as a person is tallied in how busy we are. We purchase houses and automobiles beyond our means to stay in the running of the race to financial ruin. The landscaping fabric of our lives, cheap credit and empty promises and beliefs, will not keep out weeds, but eventually be covered by dirt and seeds that will sprout into unwanted growth.

            Like any gift giver, God does not dictate what each of us does with His precious gift of life. Our free will allows us to spend our years on earth as we wish. But the life overfilled with things, commitments of all types, and desires of the world is like an over-planted berm that will  one day be too crowded to bloom as it should and full of unwanted growth.

Cycling & Museum Opportunities

by   June 19, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Cycling and Museum Opportunities

    Two of my favorite things, other than running, are cycling and chasing history. I just found out about two opportunities that fit those interests. On August 23rd, there is an annual charity cycling event sponsored by All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Concord, NC. The event offers fully supported 50k, 50 mile, and 100k routes that wind their way through the beautiful countryside of Eastern Cabarrus and Rowan counties. It’s a wonderful event that draws cyclists from all over our area. The All Saints rides are known for their great rest-stop snacks, a delicious post-ride lunch, and a post-ride beer garden sponsored by Cabarrus Brewing. 

    Safely pulling off the multi-distance cycling event with well-supported rest stops requires the assistance of four other churches, two private landowners, a Boy Scout troop, the Concord Police Department, the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Department, the Cabarrus-Stanly Ham radio operators, numerous volunteers, and financial sponsorships from local businesses. This is the 13th annual All Saints Episcopal cycling event, and to date it has raised over $130,000 for local charities and collected over 12.5 tons of food to feed the hungry in our community. 100% of the proceeds from Tour de Saints 2025 will be donated to the following local organizations: Early Childhood Foundation of Cabarrus County, Cabarrus Meals on Wheels, CVAN, Community Free Clinic, Habitat for Humanity, Cooperative Christian Ministry, and the Salvation Army’s Tucker Center of Hope.

    Rowan County rest stops are at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in Gold Hill and Organ Lutheran Church in Salisbury. All rest stops along the route offer Gatorade, Water, snacks (fruit, baked goods, pickle juice, etc.), and either restrooms or portable toilets. Rest stop lemon bars are very popular! Usually somewhere between 200 and 300 riders compete.

     Jennifer Cook of Landis is one of the co-directors. She said, “We invite area cyclists to join us because, at its heart, the Tour de Saints is all about community. It is an opportunity to have fun and connect with other cyclists while also supporting individuals in our communities who are in crisis. Many riders come back every year to experience our beautiful and well-supported route and the camaraderie of the event.  My event co-directors are Ben Smith and Joy Marie DeBlock.  We can be contacted with questions at tourdesaints@allsaintsconcord.org.  In addition to riders, we are always looking for additional event sponsors. Interested parties can contact us via email for that as well.”  

     Here is a link to their website: https://tourdesaints.com/index.html

    Also, the Price of Freedom Museum on Weaver Road is participating in the Miles for Museums Summer Passport Program. Created by the Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society in 2023, the program was expanded with a redesigned passport, interactive map, and website created by the Matthews Heritage Museum. This fun, family-friendly program encourages community members and visitors to explore local museums and communities throughout the summer while collecting passport stamps along the way for a chance to win prizes.

         The Miles for Museums program offers free or low-cost adventures with an educational twist, giving participants the opportunity to learn about regional history while discovering new places across the area. Visitors can begin their journey by picking up a passport at the Matthews Heritage Museum, then collecting stamps from each of the participating museums.

      The program is free and runs through Labor Day. To collect a stamp, simply present your passport at each museum. Once you’ve visited all 13 locations, take a photo of your fully stamped passport—making sure the section with your name, phone number, and email is visible—and email it to info@milesformuseums.org to be entered into a drawing for the grand prize.

Participating Museums:

  • Badin Historic Museum – Badin, NC
  • Eastern Cabarrus Historical Society Museum – Mt. Pleasant, NC
  • Historic Rosedale – Charlotte, NC
  • Hugh Torance House & Store – Huntersville, NC
  • Kings Mountain Historical Museum – Kings Mountain, NC
  • Matthews Heritage Museum – Matthews, NC
  • Mint Hill Historical Society / Carl J. McEwen Historic Village – Mint Hill, NC
  • Mount Holly Historical Society – Mount Holly, NC
  • Oakboro Museum of History & Oakboro Railroad Museum – Oakboro, NC
  • President James K. Polk State Historic Site – Pineville, NC
  • Price of Freedom Museum – China Grove, NC
  • Stanly County History Center – Albemarle, NC

    For a map of all locations, FAQs, and more information, visit the new website: www.milesformuseums.org

     The next race locally is the Shiloh Run for Missions 5K and Fun Run on June 28th at Shiloh Reformed Church in Faith. Look for this and other coming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: Cycling and museum opportunities

Lynna’s “U”

by   June 18, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”-Psalm 143:8

The older I get, the less I know. However this one thing always proves wise. Take one thing at a time. One day, one step, one problem and don’t overlook the joy that the Lord sends each morning. Listen for His Unfailing Love as you trust Him for the next step. Give yourself to Him and ask Him where to walk.

“Let the heavens be glad, and earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout His praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the LORD, for He is coming!” ” -Psalm 96:11-13b

Man’s Best Friend

by   June 17, 2025 with No Comments

Steve Hartman is not in the habit of telling stories about himself, but in this case he tells how a dog won over his heart. Pets have this way of wiggling inside men’s hearts… ENJOY!

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