A Revival Movement

by   February 18, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Have you heard the news? Have you read about what is happening at Asbury University in Kentucky? Last Wednesday they had a chapel service, a routine mid-week service that started at about ten o’clock in the morning AND it is still going on a week later! You read that right…a service that began about a week ago has been going on 24 hours a day since it began. There is worship, scripture reading, speakers, and people standing up and giving testimonies about what God is doing or has done in their lives.

            I read some of the reports and even watched some livestreams that have been posted from the chapel service. The worship I have witnessed is pure and sweet. I have seen some pictures of people crowded around the alter praying and crying in repentance. There is prayer and intercession going on for the students there at Asbury, their community, and our nation. I have read that the carpet around the alter is wet with the tears of the people.

            What is happening? Some are calling it a visitation by the Spirit of God. Some describe a peace that is so tangible that it impacts the body, mind, and spirit. In the midst of the singing, praying, and speaking, people say their hearts are touched by His presence. God is moving and people are repenting and turning back to God in faith.

            In the pictures and videos that I have seen the chapel is filled with people of all ages. It is not only impacting the college students but anyone who comes in the place. Other colleges are busing students over to experience what is happening at Asbury. People of all ages are coming by the carload to see and be a part of what God is doing. I saw older people and younger people joined together in worship.

            I have also read reports that people from various ethnic backgrounds and other countries have joined in the worship, singing in various languages. In God’s Kingdom all people are welcome. That seems to be the case in what is happening at Asbury University. I would love to experience the harmonious sound of all those languages joined as one in worship of our God. The thought alone stirs my spirit.

            I hope that this awakening will spread to other places. I have done some digging and discovered that at least one other university is experiencing a multi-day prayer and worship time on their campus, Lee University. I read a story that said over 24 other universities have sent buses to Asbury University filled with students hungry to experience God’s divine presence. Word of what is happening is spreading through social media and other schools are beginning to see God move on their campus, too. Students and pastors are gathering to pray and these gatherings are lasting for hours.

With all the buses and more people showing up all the time, Asbury University has opened two other auditoriums in an attempt to accommodate all the people who are coming. I believe these are signs of a new awakening, a new revival that I hope will continue to spread across our country and the world. These signs are present: a broken repentance, a weeping and calling out for God, intercession, and a heart to worship God.

            Jesus talked about new wine being put into new wine skins. His implication was that when God wants to do something new He will move among the younger generations who are open to seeing God move in new and unique ways. College students are certainly new wine skins and they seem to be drinking this sweet new outpouring of God’s Spirit. What I find encouraging is that people of all ages are tasting this new move of God’s Spirit and welcoming His presence with open arms.

            I want to encourage you to join me in praying that this outpouring will continue and spread to other college and university campuses. As our young people pray, repent, and call out to God, I believe God will hear from Heaven and answer their call. When we join our hearts with theirs in unity and call upon God to move upon our communities, I believe God will hear our cry and bring times of refreshing upon all of us. I want to see God move. I want to see people touched, healed, and saved. My prayer is that this is just the beginning of something great…a story that will stir our children and our grandchildren for generations to come to seek God.

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

A story about Revival…

by   February 18, 2023 with No Comments

Here is a CBN story that I encourage you to watch about the revival and the truth that you can have revival right where you are right now. You can go to Kentucky, but Jesus is right there with you right now. Open your heart and welcome Him…

https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2023/february/line-stretches-half-a-mile-as-the-fruit-of-revival-is-on-display-at-asbury-a-very-very-healing-experience

Encounter With Racism

by   February 17, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

This morning before the early church service began, another member was telling me about his years of playing college football before joining the Army, then continuing his education after the Korean War. Another fellow joined the conversation, and I, the youngest of the group at 73, commented how today’s antics of many athletes irritated me, and the football player said, “I never had to play with ‘em, so it wasn’t a problem in my day. If we’d acted that way our  coaches would have gotten on us.” The other man then shared how he had been a teacher and coach until he saw that the looming integration of our schools would not work, so he quit education and went into another profession. I said that the problem was not one of race, and integration was not the issue. With that, the service began, and we chose our seats.

 I have had many individual conversations with both men at church, and I have always been impressed by their manners and pleasant personalities. But they are racist members of my church. Their comments prove it. Later when I shared the conversation with my Sunday School class, which expressed disagreement with the racist comments, a member reminded me that church is a place for sinners, so I should not be as upset by the conversation as I was.  But I am upset and here is why.

I doubt that either man would publicly take the Lord’s name in vain in church in a conversation. In fact, I doubt that either would break that Commandment in private. I also think that both follow other Commandments and beliefs of Christ because they see themselves as good Christians, or at least as individuals who try to be Christ followers. And I doubt that either would see his words as violating any tenet of Christianity. But their belief concerning integration and blacks as expressed in their words, casually spoken to me in church, demonstrate a deep-seated and denied racism which goes against all that the Bible teaches because their words express a vile feeling against fellow creations of God. Both men, and others in our church and the world, need to, in the words of Dr. Clarence Jordan, “… choose whether you are going to look upon things through the eyes of Christ or the eyes of the world.”

When the new Apostle Philip goes to tell Nathanael, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael responds, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” To that racist remark, Philip gives what I think is a perfect response: “Come and see.” What a fine response to a mean question. No attacking or preaching, just an invitation, just like the invitation each of us is given. “Come and see” and be changed. See all people through “the eyes of Christ.”

How to Enjoy Winterfest

by   February 16, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

When we think of the Catawba College campus on a Sunday afternoon, first thoughts probably include peaceful and quiet. This Sunday will be quite different! The Indians baseball team will be playing at noon in the third game of their first series of the season. And about the same time, nearly 400 runners from at least seven states will descend on campus for the New Sarum Brewing 40th Annual Winter Flight 8K, 5K and Fun Run. Peaceful and quiet will exit until the game and races are complete.

If you’re new to watching races, especially one of the oldest and best in the state, here are a few tips. Especially on this day, parking around the baseball and football stadium, the finish area for all the races, will be at a premium. As I said, the game starts at noon, but the races start later. My suggestion is to park somewhere else on campus and walk down to the stadium.

Here’s the schedule. The fun run at 1:30 p.m. is open to any age and is set for the track inside Shuford Stadium. The distance is a half mile, approximately two laps around the track. Mostly dominated by kids, 12 and under, this will be a mad dash back to the finish line that’s worth seeing.

Next at about 1:55 p.m., Neal Wilkinson will sing his rousing national anthem just ahead of the wheelchair start at 1:58 p.m. About seven racing wheelchairs with special needs children as riders will be pushed by strong adult legs as they get a head start on the rest of the field. They will start in front of the Goodman Gym.

Then comes the main start for most of the competitors. All participants in the 8K and 5K races will officially start at 2 p.m. from that same Goodman Gym location.

Once the races start, tremendous energy will remain in the area as the runners and walkers follow their courses before all 5Kers and 8Kers return to finish on the track inside Shuford Stadium. A popular vantage point is Catawba’s homeside football seating. Names of participants can be heard from the stadium announcer as they loop about 3/4 of the track before crossing the actual finish line. Most participants push as hard as they can once they reach the track and then on to the finish.

The historic and competitive 8K (4.97 miles) leaves Catawba on Yost Street and then turns right on Statesville Boulevard. Then another right on Milford Drive until the course joins Jake Alexander Extension. Next comes another right on U.S. Hwy. 601/Innes Street before entering Catawba’s campus again on North Park Drive before a left on Yost and a sharp right turn into the stadium for the finish. Finding a safe place to park along the course gives spectators a unique opportunity to see the runners pass by. It’s also a great way to encourage them.

Notable runners to watch are China Grove’s Jonathan Martin and England native and current Charlotte resident Luke Greer. Both are in their mid-20s and should be at or near the front of the pack. One of Winter Flight’s favorite runners is 93-year-old Dr. Dick Rosen of Greensboro who will be trying to set a record for the 90-94 age group. Runners coming from the farthest distance at press time were Michael Zachow of Bemidji, Minnesota and Cindy Moser of Wilton, Connecticut.

Awards for all races will be announced inside Goodman Gym starting with the 5K winners about 3:20 p.m. and will conclude when all participants have finished.

The awards ceremony is free and open to anyone. Spectating is free, but registration for all the Winter Flight races remains open until about 1:45 p.m. on Sunday, both online and in person. All proceeds go to Rowan Helping Ministries.

For additional information, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org or www.runsignup.com. You can also call 704-310-6741.

Can’t Be Afraid

by   February 15, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  • Challenges there will always be.  Varied, more intense and less intense, but troubles are not uncommon.
  • The Lord has us covered and expects us to not react or be anxious about them because where fear and panic is faith is gone.
  • It is for us to give thanks and to pray and to ask God what we need so that we may have His peace in the midst of any storm. 

Prayer: Lord I do receive Your peace and thank You that You have paid the price for me to have the fullness of that peace and I will focus and give You thanks and tell You of my needs trusting that You will take care of me.  Amen. 
 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

His Love

by   February 14, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Since today is Valentine’s Day I thought we’d look at Ephesians three for those beautiful verses about love that I spoke of earlier. I know. Once again, I’m a day late and a dollar short. But we had a refrigerator hoopalah over the weekend. I’ll tell you about that later. It was not delightful. But what the devil meant for evil, God turned for good. Ha! So annyyywayyy… back to the love words. Frankly, after the past few days, it’s a wonder I can think of any words decent enough to print. But here you go.


Ephesians 3:18- “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ though it is too great to understand fully.”


But wait! There’s more! The next few verses indicate that when we begin to grasp His wonderful love, a different level of life is opened up to us. The kind where His great power is available and our life is made complete. Like the writer said earlier, that’s too great to understand fully. But I think I want that!


“Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” And because of His love and power, we can “accomplish infinitely more than we can ask or think.” Wowee.


One summer, our family went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The place we landed was desolate… as in no people in sight. Well, except for our thundering herd. As far as I could see there was only a beautiful beach with pristine white dunes behind us. Gentle waves lapped at the shoreline. Dark sapphire water indicated the depth of the peaceful scene. The gorgeous sky stretched heavenward seemingly without end. To me, it was a rare picture of what we as earthbound creatures can hardly imagine.


“How wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.”


Picture that scene and warm yourself in His unending, everlasting love today. He is worthy of our heartfelt praise.

Believe For It Part 1

by   February 13, 2023 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

I love the sound of that — Part 1.

But I love the sound of this even more — believe for it.

This column begins with an honest Q&A session I had with myself: How often do I pray?

My answer — not often enough.

How long do I pray?

My answer — not long enough.

Why is that?

That is what I am going to attempt to figure out over my next few columns — so join with me. I think we will all be blessed — and hopefully renew and strengthen our prayer lives.

Our lives are busy. I know very few people who get to stay home all day while having the luxury of doing whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it. So, how do we handle our prayer lives in the midst of our busy seasons and daily routines?

As you read my column over the next several weeks, I will be looking into what Jesus said about prayer. I will be sharing about times I “failed” to pray. I will share about times I “fell” to pray — on my knees.

Seeing, hearing, feeling and touching Jesus as He works is perhaps the most amazing thing in the world, except for knowing that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again after three days, so that we could have victory over death and live with God forever in Heaven!

So, if you are looking for great knowledge about prayer, it probably won’t come from my writing, but if you are looking for one who has experienced the power of prayer and the results of prayer, stay tuned, as I will attempt to share some personal insight into the importance of staying committed to a strong prayer life.

How would I know this? It is because I have been on both sides — committed to a strong prayer life — and also committed to a life of barely praying at all.

If we just pray at church, at a meal or at a time that someone expects for us to pray, we are missing out on the power of prayer that God has unleashed in our lives!

I have certainly been in a place and a time where praying was not what I wanted to prioritize. But making prayer my priority is where my heart desires to be and where I know I should be. So join me on this journey as we delve into making our prayer lives greater and stronger than ever! It sounds like something worth pursuing!

Our prayer lives may feel personal and private, but the results are often public. Prayer gives us a way to talk personally with Jesus. That is unfathomable, to say the least. To think that God provided a way for us — you and me — to connect with the creator of the heaven and the earth. To connect with the one who said let there be light and there was light. To connect with the God who made the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night — and the one who made the stars also.

Feel free to share some thoughts on your prayer journey with me at annfarabee@gmail.com, so that I can have more ideas to share with my readers.

As I was completing the writing of this column, I received an email prayer request. Here is part of what it said, “Will you believe for me until I can believe for myself?”

I sure will. I sure will.

I knew immediately that God was putting His stamp of approval on this prayer journey! Believe for it part 2 will be next week!

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


He Loves Us

by   February 11, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I went to the drugstore the other day and was confused. I walked down the candy aisle and saw both Valentine candy and Easter candy on display. Which holiday is coming up in a few days? Did I miss Valentine’s Day? Can you give Easter candy for Valentine’s Day?

            It is nice to have a holiday that celebrates love, especially during the drab winter. Many of my neighbors have flags or wreaths that celebrate the season of love. There are many great romantic comedies to enjoy watching at this time of year. And who can forget the Peanuts special where Charlie Brown is hoping to get a Valentine from the little redheaded girl in his class?

            I always thought Super Bowl Sunday was the first Sunday in February, but this year it is the second Sunday. That thought made me wonder if the Super Bowl could collide with Valentine’s Day. According to Google it hasn’t yet, but the possibility does exist. I hope whoever is in charge of planning the date makes sure that never happens. Can you imagine the potential turmoil in many homes if the most romantic day of the year happened to be on Super Bowl Sunday?

            All that worry aside, it is nice to take at least one day out of the year to focus on love. It is important to make sure we express our love to our family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and our children need to know that they are loved and appreciated. Now, expressing our love for co-workers, friends, and neighbors is a little more of stretch for us guys. It is a little more acceptable to express our love for our brothers and sisters at church.

            Most of my life I have attended churches where guys can hug and express their love in Christ for each other. I know that in many churches women find it easier to express love and concern for each other. The guys will stand around and talk about sports, hunting, fishing, and if you get close to me…weather! Just because guys don’t express it as often as women doesn’t mean that we don’t love and care for each other. If you need help with something, most guys I have attended church with are going to be there for you. When you can find the support and encouragement of your brothers in Christ…that is love!

            Jesus had no trouble expressing His love for us. Jesus expressed His love through both His words and deeds. Jesus told us over and over again that He loves us. He also told us many times that God, His Heavenly Father, loves us beyond anything we could ever imagine. But Jesus demonstrated His love for us when He died for our sins.

            What many people fail to understand is that God is completely without sin. He has never had a bad thought, said the wrong thing, or acted in any wrong way. He is holy. He cannot tolerate or live with sin. When He created the earth and mankind there was NO sin in our world. The trouble arose when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God and brought sin into our sinless world. God could no longer live with man. The relationship between us was broken.

            God created a plan to fix it. He loved mankind and wanted to connect with us. So God sent Jesus to become a living sacrifice in order to take away all the sin of mankind. His blood cleansed all of our sin away. Now, because of what Jesus did, we can be in a relationship with a Holy and pure God. Jesus’ love paid the price. Jesus expressed His love for us through His words, but more importantly, through His actions. There is no greater love one person can have for another than to lay down one’s life for the other.

            I want to encourage you to consider the example Jesus left for us…especially all you guys out there. Jesus expressed and professed His love for us. He demonstrated His love by His actions. Can you imagine how radically we could change the world around us if we learned to express and demonstrate that kind of love for each other? Look at the world around you; hate, violence, and anger are strong, but we know that love conquers all. God’s love through Jesus washes over all our sins and now we can live forgiven and guilt free. If you accept Jesus, you will be accepted and welcomed into the Father’s presence…a place filled with love, peace, and joy. Let’s celebrate LOVE… Happy Valentine’s Day!

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

1 … 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 … 200