May the Force be With You

by   May 4, 2025 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

May the fourth is upon us, and chances are, even if you do not have a Star Wars nerd in your home, you will still hear someone exclaim, “May the fourth be with you!” I have several Star Wars nerds, so I am braced for it. 

The Force. Many have tried comparing it to the Holy Spirit. It is a tempting allegory. Even a casual observer will undoubtedly recognize themes of a great fall and redemption, allusions to a Chosen One or Messiah, and much more throughout the Star Wars franchise. But as with any metaphor, there is a lot of imperfection. Comparing The Force with the Holy Spirit is one of the most significant glaring imperfections. In fact, as I understand it, George Lucas did not really intend for his series to be a comparison to Christianity but rather an exploration of spirituality in general. However, for decades, Christians have tried to draw too many parallels, perhaps at the cost of correctness. Is it a reflection of how Christians have felt, or has it been a tool to wrongly direct unwary saints towards wrong impressions of who or what the Holy Spirit is?

The Holy Spirit is a person of the Trinity that many do not know what to do with. We hear “the power of the Holy Spirit” and envision believers summoning His power in their own efforts. But Jesus told His disciples that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, not usher Him in. We see personable evidence such as He is an advocate (John 14:16), gives life (Romans 8:2), enables others to speak the gospel (Acts 2:4, 8:29), convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8-11), and comforts and abides with believers (John 14:16-18). 

As Christians, we see the Holy Spirit as a giver of both gifts and fruit. He gives us gifts to build up the church and the kingdom of God. Likewise, the fruit of the Spirit we cultivate in a relationship with the triune God helps us deal with all humankind. These are indications of a personal being, not a force to manipulate for the benefit of gaining information from people or navigating life’s good and evils for righteous or nefarious ends. The third person of the Trinity is someone to know, love, and receive from, not an impersonal energy to use or master. 

Achieving balance with an energy field sounds like an exhausting amount of personal effort. Living in the presence of the Holy Spirit as a guide does require submission, but He does the work in our lives to make us more like Christ. It is not a work of our own doing, thus making it life-giving. 

Also, the Holy Spirit points to Christ alone. He speaks what He hears from God. He never points to Himself. Those filled with the Holy Spirit work as empowered by Him in a selfless, modest way, not pointing to one’s own filling or power but to the glory of God alone. A more mystical idea of who or what the Holy Spirit is can result in a self-focused and self-glorifying effort, puffing up one’s own ego or sense of spirituality.

Who or what are you leaning into this May the fourth? May you know the person and presence of the Spirit of the Lord!

Ashlie Miller and her family live in Concord, NC. You may contact her at mrs.ashliemiller@gmail.com.

Work Rest Balance

by   May 3, 2025 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Work Rest Balance

            I have worked with people who watched the clock and when it was time to go, they were gone. I never watched the clock that closely. Granted, there were times that I left as soon as I could, but that was the exception. Generally, I put in many more hours than was expected and I know I was not the exception. There are many teachers who put in long hours.

            I think I may have had workaholic tendencies. For most of my career I put in way too many hours. It wasn’t until I was winding down my career that I began to develop a better work-life balance. I have been retired for nearly six years now and my former school still goes on. Soon it will be time for prom, reviews for the final exams, and another graduation. All that will continue and I am not there.

            Of course, teachers are not the only profession with workaholics. Doctors, lawyers, firefighters, and the list goes on. There are people in every career field who could be considered workaholics. The employers may like it, but it is not healthy. That mindset can take a toll on your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. We have to learn to take a step back and figure out how to create a better balance so we can live a fulfilling life.

            Jesus and the Old Testament both teach us the value of resting. In the Old Testament the Jewish people were told to take a Sabbath day. This was a day of rest, reflection, prayer, and a time to reconnect with family and friends. In other words, the people were encouraged to slow down and enjoy life and each other. The Sabbath day was a call to connect with God. To rest in His presence. To be refreshed.

            Jesus would have obeyed the command to rest on the Sabbath. Jesus went to the temple on the Sabbath. Jesus healed people in the temple on the Sabbath. Jesus taught on the Sabbath. Jesus taught His listeners about the love of God. After Jesus fed the five thousand, He dismissed the crowds, sent His disciples away in a boat, and then went up into the hills to a quiet place to pray, rest, and be refreshed.

            Jesus understands our need to rest. He calls to us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” He knows and understands that life has a way of taking a toll on us. In those moments, He calls to us to come to Him where we can find rest and peace. God wants to meet with us and lift our burdens, comfort us, restore us, and renew our strength.

            Running to Jesus is not a call for us to be selfish, self-centered, or self-indulgent. He calls us to Himself to be refreshed and renewed so we can be ready to serve in His Kingdom. The reason for any self-care is preparation. Jesus wants us to take good care of our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual wellbeing so we can be ready to fulfill His purposes. If we allow ourselves to get burned out, how are we going to be useful to Him? Being ready for service is the purpose for self-care.

            The struggle is developing a balance in our lives. Is it okay to take a break and go on vacation? Yes, we all need time to get away. Does God expect you to do and be a part of everything? No, but He expects you to connect with others in the family of God where you can be encouraged and challenged to grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus and where you can do the same for others. He also wants you to be in prayer and His Word every day so you can develop a closer relationship with Him. There are so many things pulling and distracting us from being with God. Connecting with God will help us maintain a balanced life.

            I want to encourage you to examine your life and see if things are out of balance. If you have allowed things to distract you from maintaining your spiritual life and connection with God, then it’s time to get life back in balance. A life centered around God is a healthy life. A God centered life will give you peace, joy, strength, energy, and a purpose. There will be more opportunities to be used by God if you draw close to Him. He wants you rested and refreshed so you will be ready to serve Him. 

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

Seasons and Sadie

by   May 2, 2025 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

        Seasons and Sadie

            Sometime last week I first noticed the seasonal changes on the mountain. Working in the raised flower garden, I went to the shop for some pruning shears and on the way back, I glanced to the saddle just south of Edinburg Gap. Yep, there was a light touch of yellow, gold, and specks of red. Since that day last week, the change has spread along the ridge, causing the mountain to take on an array of colors like those of an artist’s palette.

            However, before the cold and snow of another winter arrives,  we have weeks of sharp, vibrant colors to enjoy. Not only have leaves begun to turn on the ridge of the mountain, but I have seen some sugar maple leaves turning.  It is indeed a magical season that seems to have arrived unannounced, but I know that lack of awareness  is about me and not the seasonal cycle. Yet, we all are often taken aback by how quickly the change of seasons happens. On the last day of September, while working on a doll house in the shop, I opened the large doors that face the mountain so I could see the same saddle from last week.  I glanced up often to marvel at  how the colors had increased. Not only had the ridge taken on more color, but also the base shone with a dull orange tinge that announced the coming change. Sanding and painting the intricate parts of the doll house, I thought how as this seasonal change has come  many of us in the valley have continued on with our daily lives—the joys, the sorrows, the squabbles, and the mundane, without taking heed of the dramatic change happening on the mountain and around us. Then I thought of Sadie and her words to Mary Ann, my wife.

                        When Mary Ann and I first met, one of the first people in her life about whom she told me was her long-time friend, Sadie, who now lives in Gettysburg. Attending the same church, Sadie and Mary Ann had shared much in their lives until Sadie was called to counsel violent, male prisoners in the Pennsylvania state system. Over the years of her prison counseling, Sadie came to realize that, until she became an ordained minister, she would be limited by the restraints of the state prison system. So, this  spunky lady in her late fifties enrolled in the Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg so that she could do more for “her” violent prisoners. After years of hearing about her and her work in the prisons with the men that she said had been forgotten, I was finally going to meet her.

                        Sadie and Mike, her husband, invited family and friends to her ordination. It was a lovely service in an old Lutheran Church near Gettysburg. However, what struck me was how much energy flowed from the small frame of Sadie. Like many celebrations, her ordination was over a weekend, but her glass-framed, smiling face seemed to be in all places with all her family and friends. With her ordination, her prison outreach expanded, and we began regular trips to Gettysburg to race the local marathon, see the historical sights, and share time with Sadie and Mike.

                        Sometimes we would share time with both, but on occasion  Mike would be out of town, so we had Sadie to ourselves. She showed us interesting, seemingly unknown parts of her hometown, she shared with us her work in the prison system, and her work as an assistant pastor. She told us how the men she ministered to had done horrible, unspeakable things, but also how they were human beings who had suffered abuse. She could sit over a meal and tell of these men without  judging; she acknowledged their horrific crimes and their humanity. And always, she was cheerful, bright, wise, and kind. Then  three years ago she shared, over a light salad, how she was having discomfort and could not eat much. That discomfort progressed into cancer.

                        Tears. Treatments. Pain. Fears. All of it and more, she and her family have gone through  much. Yet, like some people, Sadie has somehow continued to smile and radiate energy—until this week when she told Mary Ann, “I knew this would happen (her decline). Do what you have to do…it happens so fast.” The vibrant, loving lady who went to seminary late in life in order to serve humanity now has only about an hour of energy each day.

                        Change is happening on the mountain and in our lives. In the midst of all that change,  we are occupied with the ordinary concerns of life. But, are we living or just going through the motions? Perhaps we should heed Sadie’s words-”it happens so fast”-and do what really matters.

WRBTA & May’s Races

by   May 1, 2025 with No Comments

By David Freeze

WRBTA and May’s Races

       In last week’s column, I inadvertently left out a very important paragraph. The WRBTA 5K and Fun Run, held last Saturday at West Rowan Elementary School, set a major Rowan County record. The race raised over $40,000 in proceeds and it had 450 registered participants. All of these proceeds benefit the Bible teachers in West Rowan Elementary, Middle and High Schools. To donate or for more information, please contact Deb Gusler at 704-902-5237.

      May is loaded with races. The first one on May 2nd is the 20th Annual Teens with a Mission 5K and Fun Run with a new home and course. After many years of holding the race at their church, First Presbyterian, this time the event will use Overton School as headquarters. Since TWAM remains a Friday evening run, organizers this year will use a Glow Run theme to enhance the experience. Organizers will provide the “Glow.” As the first race done on the new Overton course, spectators can see the runners three times during the event which uses most of the former Bare Bones/Greenway course that previously finished at Knox Middle School. All proceeds benefit First Presbyterian Church teen mission trips.

     The next morning, May 3rd, will be the latest Girls on the Run 5K at Salisbury Community Park. About 300 girls will graduate the GOTR 10 to 12 week program by running the 5K cross country course around the park. More a celebration than a competitive race, most of the girls, each with a designated running buddy, will complete their first 5K. Community runners are allowed to participate in the event.

      Then on the next Friday evening, the China Grove Main Street Challenge 5K takes center stage. Officially owned now by the Town of China Grove, the race has a new date and an earlier start time. The kids’ fun run and tot trot kick off the fun at 7:15 pm near the China Grove Fire Department. The 5K course, starting at 8pm, has the official designation of having the state championship fastest time for a 5K. Donnie Cowart ran the fastest official 5K time in NC of 14 minutes and 6 seconds in June 2022 on this out and back course.  

       Then it is on to another popular race, the Ed Dupree 5K on another fast course at East Rowan High School. The May 17th race starts and finishes on the track while honoring Dupree, long-time Salisbury Post sportswriter, runner and coach. Proceeds benefit the Ed Dupree Scholarship.

      And finally, the venerable Bare Bones 5K and Fun Run will also use the Overton course. Owned by the Salisbury Rowan Runners, this race originally started when a significant title sponsor dropped a race two days before the event. All this happened 24 years ago when SRR stepped in to still have the race as a thank you to our running community. Now, one of the area’s oldest races and renamed the Cathy Griffin Realty Chillin’ to the Bare Bones 5K and Fun Run, the event benefits Relay for Life. All participants, volunteers and sponsors get free ice cream at the finish. Wayne Crowder, one of the best runners in NC history, will serve as race director and is available for a no-charge photo opportunity during and after the race.

     Other Bare Bones sponsors include Novant Health, Lazy 5 Vets (providing the ice cream), Carter Law Group, CT Overton School and City of Salisbury.

      Look for more information on all of these May races at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

     The 126th Boston Marathon is set for Monday, April 21st and will be covered by ESPN2 again. Just over 24,000 runners have qualified for the race out of 36,000 applications received. The first of a series of races goes off at 9:06 AM in Hopkinton, Mass. If you have the time, this is a great event to watch and usually the international competition for the win is amazing. All runners competing must have beaten a qualifying time based on age and gender.

Lynna’s “N” & Blessings Piled On

by   April 30, 2025 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Nahum is an obscure little book in the Bible. But one of my favorite verses is found there. Nahum 1:7- ” The Lord is good, a Stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows the ones who trust in Him.”

Dear sweet Lord, this crapstorm is heavy. I really don’t love the things we are going through. But You are good, and You know how we feel. Today I choose to trust in You. You alone are my Stronghold.

Sometimes in life we get the feeling that it’s one bad thing after another. Like being on the bottom of a bunch of players scrambling for the football with everyone else piling on. It’s suffocating down there. According to my very knowledgeable husband, there may even be some uncouth activities going on in the bottom of the pile. This little story is to tell you about the opposite of that. How even though our only vehicle blew a head gasket when we needed to make numerous doctor visits, our nephew stepped up with a spare car. “Use it as long as you need to,” he assured us back in October. “We just keep it in case someone needs it.” Who does that?

Then there’s another young relative who sent a giant Food Lion gift card because they heard we’d started ordering groceries to be delivered. An older lady we’ve never met who heard through her Sunday School class that we’d both been very sick, sent a card with a check to help us through hard times. Along with it was the reminder that God is working all things for our good. Not only does she truly believe that, but she also doesn’t mind contributing to His care.

Then there’s the neighbor who dropped off a card with a hundred dollar bill in it with the promise not to bother us, but also the assurance that she is there if we need her. Also a niece who made homemade chicken broth and bread while I healed from a second surgery and David endured chemo. Nothing says “Get well soon,” quite like that. It is also the Southern version of “I love you very much.”

Others text and call, but most of all pray; enough that I know I can count on their prayers! Faithful ones who drive us to appointments, wait during infusion, pick up meds, or stop by and clean out the guttering: yes, that really happened. We are just amazed at all the care the Lord is giving us through His people. That’s not even counting the daughters who’ve spent hours on the road, stayed with us overnight in the hospital, watched each others kids in order to free up the caregiver, and countless other “little things” so that our many needs are met. It reminds me of the verse in John 1:16. “From His abundance, we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” Piled on, but in a very good way.

Grace heaped upon grace! That’s how our Lord Jesus gives.

In case you didn’t know, David was diagnosed with stage four cancer last July. A short while later my intestines ruptured requiring emergency surgery, as well as a follow-up hospital stay and another surgery in March. It felt like we were being piled on then, but now, nearly a year out from his diagnosis, we are seeing just how faithful God is through others. One more sweet story then we’ll save the rest for another day.

David had been so sick and so weak for such a long hard time that I had no strength left at all. My sister happened to show up at just that time to help me navigate applying for a financial grant to help with medical bills. Instead we ended up sitting on the back deck as I wept through just plain grief for my beloved husband who could not catch a break. She held my hand as we both cried. No words were spoken, no audible prayers were prayed, no advice was given. She just held my hand as long as I needed. Again it felt like the very Spirit of Christ was there to personally comfort me.

Did I say one more story? I meant two, and this is my favorite. We have a neighbor who rides his mower over and cuts our grass on the days he cuts his own. He did this last summer and has kept it up ever since. He is a quiet unassuming guy who never slows down to let us thank him. Last week I was determined. I waddled out back as he zoomed by the picnic table and flagged him down. “Oatmeal cookies!” I held up the zippy lock bag in his direction. He cut the motor as I thanked him for all he’s done. “How’s David?” he asked. I couldn’t speak, but tears began leaking from my traitorous eyeballs. I shook my head and tried to answer, but what do you say? I was embarrassed for the poor guy who was just trying to mow and get out of dodge. His quiet voice surprised me with an old hymn.

“When we all get to heaven…” he sang. Then he zoomed off on his mower, cookies in hand, as I thought about entertaining angels unaware. How many folks have loved us so well during this very difficult time? How many prayers have been sent up by saints who only know of us, but care enough to breathe a prayer on our behalf?

Yes. We have been “piled on.” I guess you might say on both ends of the spectrum. For today at least, I will bask in all the wonderful ways God has heaped grace upon grace.

Last June when we took this picture for our 50th anniversary, we had no idea how many people would love us so well. Praise God and thank you!

Our wedding day. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!

Out of the Ashes

by   April 29, 2025 with No Comments

How do you recover after a fire takes your restaurant business? Steve Hartman tells the story of how something came out of the ashes and it brought hope. ENJOY!

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