Mouse in the House

by   June 6, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

How do you respond to fear? Do you pull the covers over your head and hide? The other day a field mouse was staggering around on our porch. When he saw me, he stuck his little head in a hole between the step and the ground. He tried to wiggle down out of sight, but his hinder parts were sticking out. I’m sure this seemed like a perfectly logical solution to his fear, probably because he had his beer goggles on. You see, we also have snails which are eating the plants on our porch. A friend told me that if you put beer out, the snails slither in and die. But it’s a happy, painless death. Anyway, we had a little mouse get in our house. Traps weren’t working, so we resorted to poison. Apparently the mouse on the porch had just come from the house and had tried to quench his thirst with the beer put out for the snails. No matter how hard he denied impending doom, his fate was sealed. I am glad to report, but also sufficiently sad, that the mouse in the house is no more.


Nehemiah was terrified. He was the taste tester for the king. He made sure no poison was in the soup of the day. So when he came before the king, looking sick and sad, alarms went off in the royal head. Nehemiah’s boss could literally cause the ax to fall. Severance package took on a whole new meaning. But because Nehemiah had prayed ahead of time for favor in the king’s eyes, God gave him a wise response during a terrifying experience. Chapter 2, verse 4 tells of his quick prayer to the God of heaven, and the king’s very favorable reply, “Well, how can I help you?” Verses following tell of Nehemiah’s list and how the king granted all his requests, “…because the gracious hand of God was upon him.” –vs. 8


Nehemiah did not go to the king all willy-nilly. He prayed. He waited til the time was right. Neh. 2:1 says, “…the following spring.” He asked God for favor, like we talked about yesterday. When the opportunity presented itself, he was ready. He sent up a quick prayer before answering. And he recognized it all happened because God was in charge.


Today- for our churches: Ask God to go ahead of us to the powers that be, so that when it is time to make decisions, or expand our ministry, or take a city for Christ, those who see us coming will make the path smooth. Pray for those God puts in our path, that they will say, “Well, how can I help you?” And that God will receive glory as we bring whole communities to Him!

More: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Psalm 4:3 Psalm 17:6,7

Defending Our Faith

by   June 5, 2023 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

During my senior year in college, I attended a seminar with other prospective teachers, where the leaders shared information and responded to questions about government and local issues. The discussion veered to Christianity, and for the first time in my life, I knew what it felt like for my faith to be personally attacked. I remember feeling very small in that moment, as the hurtful, intimidating comments continued.

My mind was telling me to say something to defend my faith. Anything. I felt my heart flutter and I knew I had to speak up, right then. I also knew that if I did, my voice would quiver, tears would flow and I would probably be unable to respond effectively to any counterattack. (Yes, I am the girl who always had, “Ann is shy,” comments from teachers on my report cards.)

The words did not form and my mouth would not move. The seminar ended.

I stepped into the crowded elevator where the tears began to fall, as I stared at the doors blankly. I had let God and myself down.

Looking back, it felt that I was having a “rooster crowing” moment like Peter encountered, when he realized he had denied Christ three times. He responded by weeping bitterly.

My faith seemed to have dwindled to zero that day, not because of what I said, but because of what I failed to say.

Decades later, I think back and wish I had said something — anything — even in spite of the quivering voice and tears that would have coincided with my words.

I doubt my words would have mattered to those in the room at all. But, I believe it would have mattered to me to have spoken them.

I am sure I am not the only one who has had times they were afraid of the giants. Yes, we had plenty of weapons. We could have pulled out our sling and stone, but we didn’t. We just sat there, afraid. Trying to shrink away into invisibility. By the lack of taking action, we failed to stand up for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yes, denying Christ still happens.

It may be what we say. It may be what we don’t say.

It may be what we do. It may be what we don’t do.

Encouragement can be found in how Jesus responded to Peter, who failed Him often, but loved Him much. Jesus restored Peter and used him greatly.

We are not perfect. We fail daily.

But God can use those events in our lives that seem to be evil and work them for our good — to help us know, grow and go. For me, something about the hurt from that day never went away.

That day did not define who I was.

I still belonged to Jesus. But, that day began to refine who I was. I began to desire to let my faith be known by the way I lived and by the words I said.

We may be followers who fail, but that is better than failing to follow.

We cannot let our failures define us. Instead, let our failures refine us.

Nowadays, I try to show up, step up and even speak up. (My teachers would be proud of me. Ann isn’t shy anymore.)

Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.

Honoring Others

by   June 3, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            My supervisor asked me and a co-worker if we could help her with a program she was presenting at the college one evening. After a bunch of phony excuses and lots of teasing, we agreed to be there to help. I have done awards ceremonies before and I know from experience it takes a team to get the job done right.

            When we arrived the place was already humming. There must have been about six of us there, all doing various things to get ready for the program. The awards stage was set up. We put tablecloths out. We got the food and drinks for the reception nicely displayed. There are so many details to a program like that.

            The program was to induct new members into the National Adult Education Honor Society. The teachers collaborated with the supervisor to determine who would be nominated for the award. There are specific criteria that the candidates had to meet in order to be nominated. The winners were all outstanding students.

            The program began with a guest speaker who had experienced every unlucky break in her young life. These bad breaks led her down a path to a life filled with drugs, alcohol, and time spent in jail. She even shared a story where she was shot in the stomach multiple times.

            She shared that through some people at the community college who believed in a better future for her, she was able to begin to believe in a better future for herself. She took some classes, worked at the community college and earned her associates degree. She went on to the university to earn her bachelor’s and master’s degree.

            Then she returned to the place and the people who believed in her and now works full-time at the community college. She is an energetic and compassionate person who can help others because she understands the challenges and difficulties of life. She is a true advocate for students and a blessing to everyone she meets.

            My supervisor took the stage and began by honoring her supervisor and the teachers that she supervises. We have a great team led by two outstanding supervisors. Next, my supervisor spoke about each of the students we were there to honor. She pointed out specific character qualities each student possesses, thereby bringing honor to each one of them. She imparted her faith in them and seeds of hope for the great future she envisions for each of the students.

            Isn’t that something we all need, someone who sees the potential in us that we can’t see? I can remember two men in the Boy Scouts who saw leadership potential in me when I was young. I feel indebted to them for all they did to help me grow up and become a man. I can also look back on my faith and I remember another man who poured into me so much and asked for nothing in return. The deposits he made have produced great fruit in my life.

            Growing up spiritually requires effort on our part. We have to do the work of reading and applying the scriptures to our lives. We have to invest our time in prayer and fellowship with God our Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The third thing we have to do is to be around people who are mature in the faith so they can invest in our lives and help us on our journey of faith. No one can or is supposed to walk out their faith alone.

            I think one of the most important steps in our faith is when we reach the point where we are making deposits in other people’s lives. We aren’t supposed to take everything in and keep it; we have to give it away. The lost need to hear that there is hope and a way to salvation. The discouraged need a word of encouragement and a helping hand. God sends people like you and me to be His hands and His voice through the darkness to help them into the light.

            I want to encourage you to consider how you can lift up someone else. There are people you will see today who need an encouraging word and God may be sending you to them. There are people who are lost who need you to shine your light of God’s love on them. There are also people in your life whom you should thank and honor for many deposits they have made in you. When we lift each other up we are doing what Jesus does, and that is the best thing we can do.

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

Come and See

by   June 2, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

“Come and See” (one year ago)

Philip spoke the above three words to answer a question by Nathanael who when told of the presence of  Jesus of Nazareth  asks, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  This is, on the surface, a fair question since the poor village of Nazareth was known for the  Roman garrison, the despised rulers of the Jews, that was stationed there. Is Nathanael prejudice or realistic?

In Latin any foreign person was labelled barbarus, and the Greek word for any person who did not speak the cultured language was barbarous. Nathanael, a learned Jew, expressed the prejudice of his culture: Nazareth was a crude and barbaric village.

Later in the Gospel of John, we are told of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The hate between the Jews and Samaritans was palatable. But we are given this story and the parable of the Good Samaritan.  More prejudice.

 Recently, in Chicago, a well-known comedian and actor attempted to use our prejudices against President Trump supporters, blacks, and homosexuals to gain some kind of pathetic support for him and his floundering career.

A few days ago the main building of the historic (civil rights)  Highlander School in Tennessee was burned. A “white power” symbol was painted in the parking lot of the destroyed building.

In the just published April 1 Washington Post Magazine, is an article about the 1975 disappearance of the Lyon sisters from a Wheaton, Md. shopping center. In the article the writer Mark Bowden describes members of the Welch family, who were involved in the horrific rape and murder of the sisters as, “the clan”; coming from “mountain-hollow ways”; as having a “suspicion of outsiders”,  “an unruly contempt for authority of any kind”, “a knee-jerk resort to violence;” and “Most shocking were its [Welch family] sexual practices. Incest was notorious in the families of the hollers of Appalachia,…”

One last example. . A recent film is being touted as a “must see” for people who support abortion. All and well. However, way back in 1975-’76, the surgeon Richard Selzer wrote the essay “What I Saw at the Abortion: The doctor observed, the man saw.”  A simple internet search will bring up the essay. Read it but pay attention to its sub-title before you do.

In none of the above examples of prejudice, except the first, is the invitation to “Come and see” what is spoken against. Those three words carry power. They place the cure for prejudice on the pre-judging person. What would happen if the pre-judger sat with the woman at the well and heard her story? Can the hating burners of the Highland School not learn from its historical involvement in the civil rights movement? A talk with supporters of President Trump probably will reveal that they,  too, have their humanity and its inherent struggles. Let people who see themselves burdened with an unwanted pregnancy read what the man Richard Selzer saw while watching his first abortion.

“Come and see,” Philip says as he invites a fellow seeker to examine his own mis-conceptions. Prejudice is  real and comes in many colors and forms. But all is an evil that need not exist, if we all “Come and see.”

Testing in a Big Way

by   June 1, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

This running story is one of the best, and I’m taking a break from the county seat visits to include it. Brayden Self, a regular runner through high school at East Rowan, texted me a little over five weeks ago that he and Preston Whicker were committed to running a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles, and they wanted to do it with just a month’s training. Brayden hadn’t run much since early in his freshman year when he did club cross country. Preston’s last running was as a high school senior year in track. At least two years of very little running for both of them.

Running a marathon is a huge challenge, even on the normal 12-16 week training cycle. The marathon is usually taken on by people who are already running regularly, but Self and Whicker had youth on their side. And the right kind of attitude.

With just a month of training time left, here is what Whicker did to get the challenge rolling. He said, “One day I was sitting around realizing my life was too comfortable. So, I decided to take on the challenge of running a marathon with 30 days of training and asked Brayden to do it with me.”

Self said, “I was working out one day and Preston randomly texted me, ‘Hey let’s run a marathon in a month.’ We both thought it would be a good challenge mentally and physically. It’s always good to challenge yourself and set difficult goals you will push yourself to attain. And if you do not reach your goals the first time, getting there afterwards shows your motivation to do so.”

Both guys set out to up their distance running but had to be careful to mix in recovery time too. Both also had knee issues and had to take a few extra days off. Overall, both ran 3-4 days a week and emphasized building up their long runs, topping out at 18 miles. Their marathon of choice was the New River Marathon on Saturday, May 13, just down the road from Boone at Todd. The course had two challenging long hills but most of it was flat along the scenic river. The website lists 20.8 miles of the course as flat, most of it on Railroad Grade Road in the New River Valley and surrounded by Christmas tree and horse farms.

Self had to drop out with an injury just past 15 miles, but Whicker completed the course in 4 hours, 44 minutes and 30 seconds.

Whicker said, “I felt good, the course was beautiful, running 20 of the 26 miles along the river. There was a one mile-long hill around the 11-mile mark which wasn’t that difficult going up but was worse going down, for me. I will definitely run more marathons but the next race I will be training for will be a 50-mile ultra marathon. I am going to keep on running, stay focused on the ultra-marathon and not get distracted.”

It isn’t over for Self either. He added, “A marathon is very taxing on your body, and I am still recovering at the moment. My favorite memory from the course was the start, I’ve never seen that many people on a start line besides at a regional xc meet in high school. My plan now is to train for 3-4 months and run another marathon as soon as possible and hopefully break 4 hours and 30 minutes.” He did the marathon attempt with a herniated disk.

Self just completed his junior year and is majoring in exercise science. Whicker just completed his sophomore year and is majoring in banking and finance. Both are at Appalachian State University.

Racing locally has the Ed Dupree 5K on Saturday, May 20, and then the nighttime China Grove Challenge 5K on Friday, June 2.

Look for these and more at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

Face it

by   May 31, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

  • No doubt we all have things we face that seem ‘undoable’ or seemingly impossible.
  • But through Him there is no limit.
  • God does give us strength to do everything and we embrace every challenge because of it.

Prayer:  Hallelujah!  Thank You my Father that I can do everything and anything because You give me strength.  Thank You for Your strength that I can rely on everyday.  I praise Your name for all that You are and all that You do.  Amen. 
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Faithful Friends

by   May 29, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Today’s devo is a really short one… unless I think of more stuff before I finish. You know how I can be when I get to hopping down a rabbit trail. Lord help us all.


The verse that stood out this morning is 1 Thessalonians 1:2: “We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly.”


Sweet. I actually do thank the Lord for each of you and when I check to see who clicked the like button or left a comment, those people get an extra prayer.


Just sayin’.


Verse 3 continues with “As we pray to our God and Father about you we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.”


Did you notice the trio of faith hope and love? [Like in 1 Corinthians 13]


Beside that verse I have a few names written down. Faithful people that have loved the Lord and served Him for years. Who would you list?


As we continue our day, let’s lift these faithful friends up in prayer and thankfulness to the Lord. I’d love for you to name someone faithful in your life.


Much love from Clarkville.

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