Got Your Permit

by   June 16, 2025 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Got your permit?

I got my permit! Those four words may very well be the most exciting words a 15 year old will ever say to their friends.

A permit is defined as the official documentation or authorization to do something.

But… the emotion that goes along with that permit, may pale in comparison to how the parent feels about relinquishing the driving of their 3000 pound vehicle to them while they practice.

And it does not get any easier when they are allowed to practice at night.

However, even though my preferred bedtime is 9:30, I willingly got in the car and traveled on the passenger side to purchase a much-needed milkshake at 10:00, because my 15 year old wanted to practice driving in the dark.

I reported to my passenger seat duty – ready to alert him to any  – and all – pending obstacles.

The first comment he made after driving a few minutes was, “Look how the light lets you only see what is right in front of you. We are completely surrounded by darkness everywhere else.”

I felt a ‘God moment’ may have come, so I dared to shift my line of vision from the road in front of us and took a look around me.

He was right. We were enveloped by darkness – except for the light shining out from our vehicle.

I think I actually felt the darkness. To the right. To the left. Above. Behind. It was everywhere. Except in that one place – the direction we were heading – where it gave us all the light we needed to see the way. 

Then, a few seconds later, a car was coming from the opposite direction without their lights on, and it honestly seemed a little scary for us both.  That was when my 15 year old asked this wise question, “Why would they do that?” 

I responded, “They failed to turn their lights on, and they probably do not even realize they don’t have light. They will figure it out before it’s too late, I hope.”

As I said those words, I instantly became a distracted supervising driver, because that was when I remembered a Bible verse I had read that morning: Isaiah 45:7 – I form the light and create darkness. I make peace and create evil. I, the LORD, do all these things.

That Bible verse that had seemed unusual that morning sure was making sense on the dark road that night. It enveloped me – hovered sweetly in my mind –  letting me know that my God created the darkness, but He also formed the light – and He watches over us in both darkness and light.

We may prefer to drive through life in the times of light, but we experience both light and darkness, don’t we?

And…both can help us to learn to be the person who God intends for us to be – and to serve the purpose that God intends for us to serve.

*And we do not have to be afraid of the dark because even when it seems to surround us, the light still shows us the way.

*So, I guess we all have our permit – if we know God – because He is the only documentation and authorization we will ever need. He is in control of it all!

Happy Flag Day

by   June 15, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Weddings, graduations, early summer trips – so many things happen this time of year that Flag Day is often an afterthought. I’m speaking to myself here as much as anyone else. Sports fanaticism or celebration of other things has outpaced patriotism for many. Waving a flag outside one’s home may not be as common on your street as it was in a bygone era, or perhaps it is more common in your town but less so in the next town. 

The presence of any flag can still evoke strong emotions and opinions, both among those who hoist them and those who view them. The unfurled symbol can be pretty controversial. While many do not hesitate to plaster various stickers on a car to express their unsolicited opinions to the world, waving a flag from a home can be quite another matter. It serves as an identifier for a unified household, although many homes are divided. (Go by any house with alumni of rival colleges – you’ll see their “house divided” yard signs or banners!) 

Raising a flag over a residence communicates many things. In the days and lands of monarchs, the flag billowing above the castle would announce who was present or that royalty was in attendance. It could symbolize the castle’s owner or whether it is under the control of another country or government. When a castle is used as a military base, that branch of service may hoist its flag while in use. 

If you were to fly a flag declaring who or what is in residence, what would it look like? What would be the symbol?

There is an old praise song that many children used to sing: “Joy is the flag flown high from the castle of my heart showing the King is in residence there. Let it fly in the sky; let the whole world know that the King is in residence there.” Psalm 20:5 comes to mind as God’s people shout for joy over His victory, raising high their banner. Joy – what a great flag to unfurl!

Do others see joy exuding from me?

The “she” in Song of Solomon 2 speaks of the banner of love her lover has for her. That recalls to mind another song I learned as a child – “His Banner Over Me Is Love” – “He brought me to his banqueting table, His banner over me is love.” 

Can others tell that I know I am loved by the Lord, and do I share that they are, too?

Maybe the flag that flutters sends out a more distressing cry – someone or something else is in charge or has invaded. Perhaps a white flag signals surrender because we have been in over our heads for far too long. How did we let something else take control of our hearts? Did we surrender to it? These flags we fly are a disgrace to us personally or to our testimony of professing to believe in Christ as our all-powerful Savior. 

In a quick search for Flag Day events, I did not find many. Perhaps they were a more common event at another time. I did find opportunities to retire old, worn-out flags so that they would not be a disgrace to our country. For some of us, some flags have been flapping for too long. It is time to retire the banner and hoist another flag, indicating a new ruler. Happy Flag Day!

Happy Father’s Day

by   June 14, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Father’s Day

            When I was growing up, I had everything I needed. I look around the world today and I see stories of so many who lack their daily needs or live in a war zone. We are so blessed to be living in America. My parents made sure I had everything I needed for a successful launch in life and for that I am so grateful.

            We weren’t wealthy but we had everything we needed as kids because our parents sacrificed for us. They put aside their wants so we could have the things that we needed. They provided a safe place for us to grow up and they provided a safety net for us as we spread our wings and learned to fly. They caught each of us and helped us to learn from our mistakes. That means they gave us room and grace to make those mistakes without making us feel like failures.  

            My parents did a good job raising us. I would not say our home was perfect…no one has a perfect home. The TV examples of “Leave it to Beaver” or “The Brady Bunch” are idyllic places that we loved to watch as kids but were not reality for any of us. The single father household of “Andy Griffith” who was tasked with raising Opie with the help of Aunt Bee presents an unobtainable dream home where everything seems perfect.

            These TV shows set a standard for dads that is impossible. No dad could ever be that perfect, but we love to watch and dream. My Dad liked to have a catch, shoot some basketball, play a game of pool, and take us golfing. My Dad, who is over 90, still loves to play golf. He and I played in a father-son golf tournament when I was young and won second place, a trophy I still have to this day.

            My Dad admits that he wasn’t a perfect dad. Sometimes he fell asleep on the couch instead of coming outside to shoot some hoops with his sons. Other times he would send us outside to “warm up” while he stayed inside and snuck a few extra cookies while no one was watching. Yeah Dad, I caught you more than once on that one. He also got upset and yelled at us kids, but sometimes we deserved it, like the time my hamster escaped and got into the wall of our house. My brother helped me retrieve it.     

My Dad also took us on adventures. One time we were driving through a tunnel with no lights and he turned off the car lights. Several times he took us out to the airport and we sat near the end of the runway watching the planes take off or land. He took us to see a ship that had been raised from the bottom of the ocean and was being restored. We explored castle ruins. He took us to a presidential debate when we were kids.  

            One advantage of being married is that you gain a whole new family, including another father. My father-in-law welcomed me to his family as a son. He taught me how to fix things. We did a couple of home repairs together. He shared some wisdom with me about marriage, work, and life in general. I think what I miss the most about my father-in-law are his stories. I would love to hear another of his stories of the fascinating people he knew growing up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

            Whether all your stories about your earthly father are good ones or they are mixed, as most people’s stories are, you can be sure that your Heavenly Father is perfect. He also loves you unconditionally. He sees the best in you. He has great plans for your future. He is closer to you than your breath. He will never leave you or forsake you. You can run to Him for wisdom and guidance. You can call Him 24/7. He will ALWAYS answer.

            I want to encourage you to remember the good things about your father. Forgive and forget all the ways he may have fallen short. Turn to your Heavenly Father and ask Him to heal any of the brokenness in your life left by your earthly father. Connect with your Father through His Word and prayer. Allow His love to wash over you and fill you to overflowing. Dad, thanks for all you did for me – Happy Father’s Day! Heavenly Father thank you for your love and forgiveness and for being a good, good Father!

Experts in Grace

by   June 13, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

          An art dealer in Florida has been charged by federal agents with wire fraud, money laundering, and mail fraud. It seems he sold fake art works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol and other well-known artists for millions of dollars. The dealer supposedly purchased one fake work by Basquiat on a website for $495 and sold it to an undercover agent for $12 million. His extensive fraud was uncovered after technology revealed the signatures on the art were false and examinations by art experts collaborated that the works were not originals. However, the dealer assured purchasers that he stood behind the work in his gallery 100 percent and that each purchase was a fabulous deal.

Forgeries have been with us, but the Internet gives the cheater easier access to those who may not have the knowledge to determine if an item is authentic.  However, what if the offering is not a concrete item like a work of art? What if the offering is a promise formed out of words from a respected community member like a teacher or religious leader? How does one not believe someone that is so revered?

In my career as a teacher of literature and writing, I would at times deliberately lie or make an outlandish claim to my students.(For instance: Romeo was too old for Juliet.)  I did this in order to teach them that a teacher was not infallible, and they should not accept as a cardinal truth everything a teacher said. In that small way, I was hoping to teach them that they were responsible for their educations. They had the text and were required to read it and draw their own conclusions based on the text.

Like teachers, religious leaders have influence, even power, over people. They can sway the way people think and act. Just as I did with Shakespeare, a religious leader can use a holy text to teach. However, what if that teaching is that all infidels should be killed, or the holy city of Jerusalem should be rid of all non-Christians. What if a religious leader taught that homosexuals deserve to lose civil rights or that only one political leader deserves a vote?

Christians have the Bible and its teachings. We can read and study the Gospels to guide us. We have the examples of Jesus. The written words of James, Paul, and other writers can instruct. We should read and study those lessons and upon hearing some “pastor” tell us that anyone not in agreement with what he or she shouts from the pulpit is to be despised and shunned, we should go to John 4 and read Jesus talking with the woman who was such an outcast that she had to go to  the village well at noon, in the heat of the day. But she, the Samaritan woman, encountered a Jewish man who spoke to her with kind words.

The Text is our expert guiding us in what we believe and how we act. That Text will reveal any forgery blabbering from a pulpit of lies and misinformation.

Physical Therapy Success

by   June 12, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Physical Therapy Success

   We finished our spring beginning runners class a few weeks ago and during the class I happened to mention to Mike Lippard, an exercise physiologist by trade, that I was still very tight in my core area even though healing well from my broken back. Mike suggested cupping and said he had great success with it and that it improved flexibility for him. I thought about what he said, read some and then contacted Delaine Fowler, owner of Accelerate Therapy and Performance in Salisbury.

     I told her that my back was healing well but that I wasn’t happy with my flexibility. Such things as leg extension and even the ability to reach normally to put on socks and tie shoes were challenging. Delaine’s group was able to set up a series of appointments and insurance helped, making the appointments very affordable with only a $20 copay.

       I had seen basketball players with red circles on their backs, shoulders, etc. I read that cupping and scraping could help me continue to heal in the hands of a licensed therapist. I had scraping before for a serious hamstring injury from softball, but this would be a new experience for me using the cupping and scraping together.

       From Delaine, “Physical therapists use two ancient-yet-modern techniques, cupping and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM), often called “scraping”, to help people recover from pain and movement issues.”.

      What is cupping? Cupping uses special suction cups placed on the skin to gently lift tissue. This increases blood flow, relaxes muscles, and reduces inflammation. It’s often used for muscle strains, tension headaches, chronic pain, and sports injuries. Though it may leave red marks, it’s generally safe when performed by a trained therapist.

     What is IASTM? IASTM involves using metal tools to “scrape” over the skin, helping to break up scar tissue and adhesions. It improves range of motion, reduces pain, and speeds recovery especially useful for tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, carpal tunnel, and post-surgical scar tissue. Mild soreness or bruising can occur but typically fades quickly.

     Why do these therapies matter? Both techniques are often part of a broader treatment plan that includes exercise, education, and movement training. They help restore motion, ease pain, and promote healing. While cupping works by lifting and improving circulation, IASTM works by applying pressure to target tight or restricted tissues.

     Which one is right for you? Delaine said, “That depends on your condition. Cupping might feel like a gentle pull; scraping may be more intense. A licensed physical therapist can help determine which therapy or combination is most appropriate for your goals. Never use these tools on yourself or allow someone untrained to use these tools on you. Always consult with a trained provider of these services.” 

  These therapies are not just trends, they’re tools that, when used correctly, can offer profound relief and foster recovery in an approachable, hands-on way. Results for me so far include the ability to pull my knees closer to my chest and to normally put on my socks just by reaching for the end of my feet. I also seem to have more flexibility in my quads, a less tight IT Band and a general feeling of strength and balance in my legs. I also learned that the hip flexors are attached to the spine in the exact area of my worst injuries, the L3 and T12 vertebrae. I now have a looped strap that helps in stretching the hamstrings, the least flexible muscle in the body for many runners.

     In unfinished business from Special Olympics Torch Run, the Salisbury PD has more benefit events upcoming. Organizational Development Sergeant Adam Bouk said, “We definitely had a bigger turnout this year and hopefully even bigger next year. Between the lunches we sold, merchandise and a few donations we raised $750 for NCLETR on Wednesday. Our goal for 2025 is $15,000…we have never exceeded $7,500, and this year we are doing big things! We have the dead lift on June 7th, a poker run on September 20th and a fall softball tournament in October.” Contact Bouk at 704-216-7556.

      Our next race upcoming is the Fun Fest 5K Trail Run for Nazareth Children’s Home on June 7th. This is a first-time trail run event in conjunction with Nazareth’s Fun Fest that will use the East Rowan YMCA trails for the 5K course. Look for this event and more at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Gotta’ Run: Physical therapy success

Lynna’s “T” & Confidence?

by   June 11, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.” -Psalm 56:8

What an amazing thought; that the God of all Creation would care enough about me to collect and keep track of my tears. When I consider my life, lots of stubbornness comes to mind. Like LOTS. In fact I think that was one of the largest traits mentioned on a recent DNA profile. So embarrassing. But instead of keeping my sinfulness and shortcomings close to His heart, He considers those covered by His Son. All because I’ve trusted the sinless spotless lamb of God. No collection in a bottle there. Instead, Psalm 103:12 says, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.”

Tears collected and kept close. Sins cast far away. Oh how He loves us!

I have never been a strong self-confident woman. I can tuck myself into a corner at home and be fine for days… just so I don’t have to engage with anyone much. My doormat does not say “Welcome!”. I don’t want to add LIAR to my list of sins. But I like this verse about confidence.

“My heart is confident in You O God! No wonder I can sing Your praises with all my heart!” -Psalm 108:1

Don’t worry. It’s a metaphorical singing. And even if the joy comes out, you won’t have to hear it anyway since I’m tucked away in a corner of the house. But yay! Though I am not a strong confident individual, I do have confidence in this. God is faithful. He can be trusted. Philip Yancey said this. “Confidence in what the Lord will do springs from knowledge of what He has done.”

YES! I will rehearse His faithfulness until I am confident too.

Snow at Lake Norman; photo credit Seabert Pittman, my daddy

Graduation Surprise!

by   June 10, 2025 with No Comments

I taught high school for 34 years and this story really touches me. Most kids would be out partying on Graduation Night, but Steve Hartman tells the story of one young man who came by work to get something to eat after he graduated and then stayed to help! ENJOY!

Joy in the Journey

by   June 9, 2025 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Joy in the Journey

We are not just inhabitants of the Earth – we are also designated stewards.

Inhabitants may just live there. Stewards work there.

We are only on Earth for a short time.

It is a beautiful place.

God has blessed us – the Earthlings – with many blessings.

Family. Friends. Freedom.

Health. Wealth.

Religion. Relationship.

Earth. Heaven.

For us on Earth – we tend to focus on Earth.

Reality is – we should focus on Heaven.

Heaven is not just a ticket to keep us out of hell.

It is a ticket to our forever home that is eternal.

My life sure is moving along quickly.

High school graduation.

That was fast.

College graduation.

That was fast.

Marriage.

Babies born.

Babies grown up.

That was fast!

Grown up babies having babies.

That was fast!

Fifty years teaching children.

That was fast!

My love for writing began when I was in 4th grade.

It was because I wanted to write as a way of imagining things in my life that were only dreams.

So I wrote. I went on tour with The Beatles. I went on tour with The Monkees.

You know who they are – John, Paul, George, Ringo. Davy Jones…

There was a corner store in downtown Kannapolis named The Newsstand.

I remember being dropped off there, so I could read.

They had newspapers, books, and magazines.

I could have stayed there forever.

Most of my time there was spent holding a magazine, reading it, putting it back.

If I had money to buy anything, it was probably a Beatles or  Monkees magazine.

Sixty years going to church.

That was fast.

How do I feel about it?

I highly recommend it.

At age 13, I gave my heart to Jesus.

Jesus has been with me on my journey called life.

My journey on Earth will end one day.

It will be on the same day that my journey in heaven will begin.

I walked to Vacation Bible School, rode to Vacation Bible School, taught Vacation Bible School. I listened to choirs, sang in choirs, led a Praise Team,  led a Children’s Choir, taught Sunday School, and was ministered to by some of the world’s greatest pastors.

My parents always took my brother, sister, and me on a Sunday afternoon ride. We rode around in the car, looking at houses we could not afford and stores we could not go in because they were closed. We always rode through and walked around in the cemetery – because it had beautiful flowers.

Finally, we headed back to the place that was my favorite stop  – Rowan Dairy Bar. Hot fudge sundaes would be my order. It was the highlight of the week and a highlight of my memories. As a result, I still eat ice cream most every day.

As an older teen, our youth group began going to a place named Shoney’s  on Sunday nights after church. Guess what? They had hot fudge sundaes, too.

This may not sound exciting to you – but that is because these are MY memories – not yours.

Wild Thing. You make my heart sing. You make everything groovy.

If you read this last sentence – and did not sing those words in your mind – you must not be from my generation. FYI – Wild Thing was sung by The Troggs.

The joy is in the journey.

Our journeys through life are all different – EXCEPT FOR – the paths, trails, highways, and byways where we are all at some point in our lives introduced to the most important piece of the puzzle – Jesus – the Savior of the World.

 John 3:16 – For God So loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life.

Where would I be without my Jesus?

Summer Unscheduled

by   June 8, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

I read a rumor several weeks ago, when school was still in session, that some stores – which will remain nameless – were already displaying back-to-school items. In exasperation, more than one mother cried foul, “Can we just wait a few weeks until the kids are at least out of school before having to think about next school year?!”

It is an illustration of how hurried our lives are. Always rushing to, planning for, or worrying about the next thing, we feel pushed through our present moment and miss the opportunity to marinate in it and enjoy it. Even if we did not have the distractions of our electronic devices sucking our ability to be present, today’s summers are already jam-packed with busyness. 

In mom groups online, the number one question you will read is, “Help a momma out! Please comment with all the activities, VBS, and camps that we can plug into this summer!” New toys, supplemental curriculum, and a planner to fill every waking hour with activities in hopes that those become lasting memories all tempt us. The intention is likely good – to make the most of the time off together – but could we be robbing ourselves and our families of something else?

Sometimes, we need a reminder of wonder always happening around us. My younger children, in particular, enjoy wondering as we wander. Spring and summer provide many opportunities to experience that. One day in particular, my children and I discovered a toad under the strawberry bush from which we were picking that morning; then, a bee lit on a flower right there to gather its precious nectar. Listening to nature’s ongoing symphony around us, we identified a mockingbird and a red-tailed hawk by their distinctive songs and screeches. 

Later that evening, on a walk after supper, my youngest spied another hawk on a fence post, perhaps eyeing his next catch. As my husband and I sat on our front porch, our eyes were dazzled by the relaxing dance of the wind as it blew through the leaves of the trees towering above our neighbors’ roofs, filling the air with the fragrance of daylilies and gardenias.

But most wonderful throughout the day was watching my little image-bearers displaying the creativity and playfulness of their heavenly Father. They made books from printer paper or worked on larger stories on the computer. Some played out stories in their rooms with their favorite stuffed animals or built little worlds with blocks. In the cooler evening, some played pickleball, frisbee, and sword fighting in the cul-de-sac while others cozied up to read on the porch. No agenda. There was plenty of time to be bored, which meant plenty of time to explore their imaginations. My thoughtful daughter even thanked me later for letting her have time to be creative and even bored.

What a time to be delighted by the majesty of a glorious Creator who paints in tiny, miraculous, everyday things like toads and bumblebees. What a magnificent gift of a season to slow down, breathe, and not have the next week thoroughly planned. Oh, we will still participate in camps, VBS, and other activities, but the pursuit of boredom and wandering wonder is what I hope will drive us. We mean well. We want to redeem the summer, the time we miss together throughout the rest of the year. But is busyness the only answer? So, before we all buy our back-to-school items and fill our summer agendas, let’s take a moment to take a deep breath and reconsider soaking in the new season. 

What is Faith?

by   June 7, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

What is Faith?

            How can it be June already? I have so much I still want to do outside before it becomes too hot to get it done. Most of my garden is planted. A local farmer is advertising that he will have corn this weekend and mine just got planted. I need to replant my beans for a third time, not because of the rabbits that love to eat them, but because the seeds did not germinate. I am also hoping to put out some sweet potatoes.

            Gardening has a lot to do with faith. We put things out in the ground with faith that we will get a harvest from our labors. The reality is, things happen. One year we got so much rain that my potatoes rotted. We fight pests that require us to spray pesticides. Then we have the rabbits, and this year we have quite a few. The squirrels beat me to my corn the last couple of years. Then the deer have learned to jump my fences so they can enjoy my vegetables, too. If I can outwit all these challenges, I might get a harvest.

            That is where faith comes into the equation. Gardeners have faith that our work will give us the harvest we are working to achieve. Faith is believing and trusting that God will reward your hard work. Here is the part that some people forget. I can’t just plant seeds; I have to do many other things if I want to see the harvest. I have to water my seeds. I have to weed the garden. I also have to do the work of preventing all the above named pests from getting my harvest. Even then things like weather conditions can ruin a harvest. It requires faith!

            If gardening requires all that faith and hard work to achieve any level of success, then why do we believe that our spiritual journey will be an easy one? The idea that I can walk the aisle and ask Jesus into my life and then expect I will live on easy street is crazy. It requires faith to ask Jesus into our lives, but if we believe the hard work is over we are sadly mistaken. We have to work to protect this seed of a new life in Jesus so it can grow and produce a harvest for His kingdom.

            The enemy is like a squirrel which will come and dig the seeds up and eat them before they can germinate. If the squirrels miss out, then when the first leaves of our faith emerge the rabbits will be waiting to eat them and keep us from growing. If we keep them out, the weeds of distraction will grow up and choke our seeds. If we get past that we have to watch out for the deer of doubt, fear, and worry that will try and steal our harvest from us. Yes, spiritual gardening requires faith and hard work.

            If we can manage to defeat all the critters that want to steal our harvest, we still have to do the hard work of growing roots. Our roots will grow as we read God’s word. Here is the important part about reading the Bible: we have to do more than just read it. We have to add faith and then apply it to our lives. Some people can quote the Bible but they have never applied any of it to their lives. Knowledge without faith and application will not produce a spiritual harvest. Faith in God’s word requires application.

            Another important part of growing faith is having a conversation with God. Some people believe that prayer is talking at God. Prayer is a two-way conversation. We need to listen for God’s voice in our lives. He can speak to us through the Bible, but He also wants to speak to us in our spirit. He will nudge you, guide you, and give you thoughts. Naturally, we need to carefully weigh what we hear and make sure it lines up with God’s word. Hearing from God requires faith!

            I want to encourage you to grow your faith. Growing faith requires hard work. It requires daily maintenance. The enemy wants to distract you, separate you from other believers, and keep you in a state of doubt, fear, and discouragement. God is with us. He is fighting for us. He wants to see us grow a strong faith that will endure the many tests we must face in our spiritual journey. Having faith is not easy, but the reward is great because we will get to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

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

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