Recognizing the Voice

by   October 24, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

I had a gut feeling my time on earth was up. I wasn’t even sick, just scheduled for surgery on the thyroid. But our oldest daughter was given a plane ticket here by some friends at her church so she could be with me. She’s a pastor’s wife in the mid-west, and seldom gets to come. What if God were preparing for the worst? Then I was at the dollar store with my buddy Sue, and kicked over a stack of buckets. It’s one thing to kick THE bucket. What does it mean to kick over a whole stack? On hands and knees, gathering buckets, I knocked over a display of Halloween tombstones. Not a good sign. Everything pointed to impending doom. Better write kind things about my children and spouse in my Bible in case anyone looks in there when I’m gone. When I spoke to my friend about my reservations regarding the upcoming surgery, she commented, “It’s one thing to let those birds fly over your head. Just don’t let them build a nest in your hair.”

Southern wisdom at its finest.

Circumstances cannot be ignored. They are a part of life, just like people. It’s how we react to them that mark our lives. Nehemiah 4 tells of the mockers and scoffers. It is no fun to be laughed at. Verse 4 records the reaction of Nehemiah to those who laughed and scoffed. He prayed. “Hear us, O our God, for we are being mocked…. Do not ignore their guilt….. They have provoked You to anger here in the presence of the builders.” Nehemiah believed, and I do too, that God takes it personally when His loved ones, those who are trying to build a work, are ridiculed.
Verse 6 says “…for they had worked very hard.” If you are working as hard as you know how to honor the Lord, and you hear ridicule, or even just criticism about your work, remember this: that voice is not the voice of Christ.
Verse seven says the opposition planned to “bring about confusion there.” Satan loves to bring about confusion, and he really loves to do that through those close to us. Right after the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 14 says in verse 33, “God is not the author of confusion,” or disorder. This verse is tucked away in the instruction about how to handle church members who all want to talk at once. Sounds like God knows us pretty well.
So today, or tomorrow, or some other day, when you hear the ridicule, plan to recognize that voice. It is not the voice of God. His voice says, “Fear not, for I am with you.” His voice reminds us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” His strong voice whispers the words of Nehemiah 4:14, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, Who is great and glorious, and fight for your friends, your families, and your homes!” That is the wonderful prize of church done well; Friends, families, and homes, loving and living for Him.
Today, the prayer is for victory in the battle against discouragement, circumstances, and yes, even for those close to the situation who tear down the walls. Stick your fingers in your ears and sing “Jesus Loves Me” if you must. Just stay strong and pay attention to who you listen too. May His voice be loud and clear! And may you live to tell about it!

More: Exodus 14:13,14; Hebrews 13:5-8

I Want A Do-Over

by   October 22, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            Where did last week go? Seriously, where did it go? I am old enough to know that weekends and some weeks go by fast. Even for semi-retired folks, time can fly by. But last week was ridiculously fast. I think my allergies are to blame. My allergies put me to bed for the weekend and I have been taking naps all week. 

            I know you might be thinking it was COVID. I have done my homework. There are some symptoms in common and some differences between COVID and allergies. I have fought allergies for many years; my symptoms were definitely allergies. But after a week, my wife and I were concerned that maybe I could have something more. We thought I should take a COVID test before going to work and spending some time with friends. Thankfully, my test was negative.

            I struggle every spring and fall with allergies. I have to say that I have been lucky the last couple of years. I am not sure if the mask wearing that COVID encouraged helped, but I haven’t been knocked down by my allergies until last week. I guess I am making up for the past couple of years getting off so easy.

            Don’t get me wrong, my allergies were flaring up each spring and fall but not bad enough to put me in bed. I haven’t missed the dragging around. I had plans last week. I guess the key word there would be “had.” The week is gone and I have little to show for it. It would be nice if there was a way to bank up all the extra sleep and make withdrawals later when I need it.

            I never skip church, but I missed it last weekend. I rarely stay home from work, but I did a couple of days last week. Allergies can be rough, especially when there doesn’t seem to be any relief in sight. I take plenty of over the counter products but sometimes the only relief is sleep. That can be hard to get when you are sneezing.

            I do understand what is happening with allergies. My body perceives something is attacking. I am experiencing my body’s defense mechanisms working hard to protect me. That all makes perfect sense, but why do I have to feel so lousy? How do I tell my body’s defense system to calm down?

            God created our incredible bodies and they have tremendous power to protect us and to heal us when we get injured. The dermatologist cut things off my body twice now and I have watched my body heal, which is a miracle. When we get colds or allergies our bodies are equipped to defend us. All of that comes from God who is our healer.

            I have seen people healed miraculously. I know that God is still in the healing business. I believe that prayer is powerful and it has a profound effect on our lives. I also believe that we don’t realize how much influence our prayers have on people or situations. God listens when we bow our heads in prayer. He not only listens but He acts upon our requests.

            I enjoy praying for others, but honestly find it hard to ask for prayer. But in this case I have asked both family and friends to pray for me. I am hoping that this cold spell will kill whatever is causing my sinuses to go haywire. But I know that the biggest reason I am beginning to improve is that I have good friends praying for my health. I have a good Father in heaven who is keeping a close eye on me and has even dispatched angels to guard and protect me.

            When I am feeling bad or struggling with life issues I have found great comfort in the Psalms. This time I read Psalms 1, 23, and 91. While I love Psalms 1 and 23, it was in Psalm 91 that I found great comfort. God promises so many great things to us if we will run to Him. He will cover us, protect us, comfort us, and tell His angels to watch over us.

            I want to encourage you to read Psalm 91. It is filled with great comfort for those who are going through a difficult time. I also want to encourage you to hang on; I promise you will make it through your situation if you cling to your Heavenly Father. He knows about your situation, loves you in your situation, and will help you through your situation. You can count on Him.  

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

Old Wrestlers

by   October 21, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Old Wrestlers

Soon following our move to Lake Norman  five years ago, my wife Mary Ann looked for a representative for a particular beauty product she used. Scanning a long list of saleswomen, she randomly chose one and called her. After their long conversation had finished, Mary Ann came to the library to tell me how pleasant Terri the saleswoman was and how much she looked forward to working with her. It was then that her phone rang, and Terri asked, “Did you say your husband’s name was Roger?”

In 1823 the English Romantic poet, Lord Byron, wrote his poem, Don Juan, in which he writes: “‘ Tis strange – but true; for truth is always strange; /Stranger than fiction; if it could be told,…” Over the years many other writers have expressed the same idea in various words, but no matter what version is written, all readers eventually learn the truth of Byron’s words.

There it was for me: Strange but True;  Life not Fiction.  The husband of Terri and I had wrestled against each other in high school. Mike wrestled for Mooresville High School, and I for A.L. Brown in Kannapolis. We competed in the same weight class for two years over fifty years ago and now we meet again, just not on a wrestling mat.

We four had the obligatory lunch to meet and talk and explore. Mike and I then continued sharing lunches, coffee in my shop, and he guided me around our new home, Lake Norman, which he knew well because his career was with the power company that built the Lake.  We soon discovered that we had much in common.: Both of our hometowns had been textile towns when we were wrestling against each other; our parents had worked in the mills; we lived in mill houses, and both of those houses are still family occupied. So much, besides wrestling, shared.

Each week he would call and ask, “Want a coffee?” then in a few minutes he would appear with a soda for himself and the promised coffee for me. Each weekly visit found Mike helping me with some project in the yard or my shop. He is most responsible for the deck that expanded my small shop– giving me much needed work space. A trained engineer, he made certain it was correct and safe. Exact, even. He would rake the abundant pine needles fallen from the 42 pine trees in our yard to use for mulch in his gardens.  Our weekly visit often included lunch, and when we ate at his favorite fast-food eatery, he would pull a rash of coupons from a pocket before paying and say, “A poor man spends money like he is rich, but a rich man spends it like he is poor.”  Then as we ate, some finer points of theology or politics would be discussed. I will always remember how he once looked at me during one of these “discussions” and asked, “Are you that naïve?”

When I work with a project on the deck that Mike more or less built or move in my wheelchair around the yard gleaning pine cones, I see his presence. The bluebird nesting-box with the red roof still graces the pine tree where he fastened it after I “mentioned” to him how it needed to be there. When I admired a long row of irises in a neighbor’s yard, I asked Mike one day as we returned from a road trip to knock on the unreachable (for my wheelchair) door to inquire if I could have some. The kind, elderly lady must of approved of Mike because she gave me permission to take any irises I wanted, and now next to the back garden gate is a small, varied-colored growth of purple irises that Mike and I planted; and, like our friendship, it grows and thickens and blooms.

Both our lives, like all lives, have had their dips and twists and failures and mountaintops. But for two boys from the mill hills of small, textile towns, we have been blessed and have done well. And as I share life with Mike long after our competitive days, I appreciate more and more the odd, interesting, and fulfilling paths that we all travel, whether planned or not. Mary Ann and I moved to Lake Norman not knowing that the “Stranger than fiction” of Byron would happen, and that a friendship would be forged out of a time long ago when two scrappy, mill-hill boys competed against each other. Byron also writes that “…truth is always strange.”  He’s right, of course, but not always in the way it may appear. It’s not strange that Mike and I respected each other as wrestlers. Nor is it strange that there is something deeper now.

Having a Healthy Fall

by   October 20, 2022 with No Comments

By David Freeze

I love the fall, including the seasonal beauty, better conditions for running and exercise in general plus all the festivals, ball games and more. Here are some of my thoughts on how to make fall a healthier time.

Don’t spend too much time eating high calorie and high fat comfort foods. We’re just started the final quarter of the year when we all have choices to make about whether we take control of our nutrition. Heading into flu and cold season, eat healthy foods with vitamin C like oranges and grapefruit plus other immunity boosters such as garlic, ginger, spinach and almonds. Take time to dine in at home where you have more control of nutrition instead of fast-food choices.

Take advantage of in-season foods like apples, brussels sprouts, cranberries, cabbage, pears, turnips and pumpkin, one of my favorites. Pumpkin is full of minerals and nutrients, plus vitamin A and beta-carotene. Avoid the canned version which is loaded with sugar and syrups. Try something new at the local produce market, especially something you’ve thought of before but were afraid to try.

Stay on top of your hydration. I am never surprised that once hydration is addressed and made a positive, the body responds with better performance. I’m just like everyone else, I have to work at proper hydration when its cool. Watermelon will likely stay in my fridge as long as I can find it. Make sure your pee is clear and a better body response is a given, not just physically but mentally as well. Better skin comes with better hydration too.

Speaking of skin, make sure to get outside to get your vitamin D that helps the body absorb calcium. Salmon, tuna, eggs and milk will help add vitamin D as does a quality supplement, but what better fun to go for a walk in the cool air and watch the leaves and sounds of nature. A walk improves mood and creativity too, so it’s great for the workplace too.

Watch the sugar intake especially since you will likely be at least somewhat less active. Halloween candy is a big culprit and it’s just ahead so be cautious of keeping extra around the house. Particularly anything with Reese’s Cups in it, my energy on a bike ride becomes a culprit for a few extra pounds at home. And about any football or baseball game on TV means a lot of sitting and the possibility of endless high calorie snacks. Explore healthy choices like fruit and veggies.

Fall is a great time to get your physicals and regular screenings. Maximize your insurance benefits while getting the results ahead of the holidays can provide information on specific areas for needed improvement. The average weight gain of Americans annually is 2-4 pounds, and we are headed into the time of year when it typically occurs.

Keep your normal sleeping patterns if they work well. Too little or too much sleep both can be detrimental as described in last week’s column. If you sleep too little, fall is a great time to add time for quality sleep.

Schedule some time for fall fun and stick to it. Looking forward to Interesting events and even day trips boost mood and joy of life. Set aside time for yourself such as reading, going to a movie, writing, long walks and more. You will be better for others when you take care of yourself.

And finally, get your exercise. If more darkness or cooler temps are a limiting factor, explore what the YMCA and the gyms have to offer. Look for classes that you haven’t tried and beat the rush of the New Year to backtrack on bad holiday choices. Moderate exercise boosts immunity and reduces stress.

The next races on the calendar are the Halloween double, the St. Matthews 5K and the Spooky Sprint 5K. Both have great courses, shirts, awards and refreshments. Look for these and more upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

Cost of Following Him

by   October 19, 2022 with No Comments

Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

  • To follow after Jesus means that He gets first place in every way.
  • To be His disciple means that He is our first love and all our decision making is based on that relationship.
  • God wants us to have all these loved ones around us, but He wants to be first in every way so that we can be His disciples.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus I do choose in every way to be Your disciple. I commit my heart and my life to You.  I choose You above all and everyone and everything.  You are the love of my life and You loved me when no one else did. You always carried me and watched over me.  I praise You today and I sing a new song to You today because You are my Savior and my Lord that I follow.  Teach me Your ways I pray.  Amen. 


Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

Peace

by   October 18, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Peace — we all need it.

How do we define peace? Freedom from disturbance, tranquility, calm, restfulness, quiet, freedom from interference and lack of conflict can all be attributes that are used to define and bring about peace.

We need peace in our hearts, in our homes and in our lives. Without peace, there is no peace.

An archaic definition of peace is that it is an order to be silent, and sometimes, that is probably the best way to attain peace.

A more updated definition of peace is to be in harmony and in the absence of hostility.

Peace as the world describes it is the absence of conflict. Peace is not a place where there is no noise or trouble or hard work. It means that when we are in those situations, we can still have peace.

Does God want us to have peace?
• Isaiah 9:6 tells us that God is the Prince of Peace.

• Philippians 4:7 says that God’s peace should rule our hearts.

• John 14:27 promises, “Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let  not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid.”

Jesus gave it to us and the world cannot take it away. Peace is the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. That peace is deep and everlasting.

God’s peace gives us confident assurance in any situation.

  • Do not let anyone destroy your peace.
  • Peace is a battle that is worth the effort it may take to attain it.
  • Peace is achieved by understanding.
  • Peace can even be found in the midst of a storm.
  • Peace comes as we accept the power to overcome.
  • Peace is beautiful.
  • Peace is a lifestyle that we all should seek.

No matter the circumstance, the peace of God can rule our hearts.

Our hearts do not have to be troubled.

Live in peace. It passes all understanding.

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

Guns and Hammers

by   October 17, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Did I mention that I had surgery? Wanta see my scar? Yesterday marked a week after the main event and I decided to celebrate by going to Lowe’s. Suddenly, after being cooped up a while during beautiful weather, mulch sounded very exciting. Shortly after arriving, I had a near death experience in the restroom. I had to be air lifted back home… or was that a plant cart hauling me back to the truck? I really need a sarcasm font. All I know is that the strength I was so sure of was quickly sapped and replaced with near panic.


Nehemiah 4 continues the story of the workers, their frustration, weariness, fear, and overall lack of strength. There’s a lot to love about Scripture. One thing I love is that it doesn’t gloss over reality. These people had worked until they were too tired to think. Then they got wind that they may be attacked, and not just in a verbally abusive kind of way. They literally had to have tools in one belt and weapons in the other. Can you imagine? We helped our youngest daughter and her husband some as they built their house. I cannot even think of how weary we would’ve been if we not only had this huge project in front of us, but also had to be on the lookout for angry neighbors who might take a shot at us. [Not to mention how bad we all needed baths.]


Verses 21-23 finishes the chapter by saying they “worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset….“ Always on guard; and none of them ever took off their clothes. Don’t you know those were some nasty weary Hebrews?
So on to the prayer for today.


Dear Lord of Heaven, thank You for understanding the reality of where we live. You know we get tired. Strengthen us against weariness. Strengthen us to do Your work. Strengthen us with wisdom to know what is worth putting every effort into, and what is worth giving up, so that we are not spread too thin. Protect our families. Help us never give up these loved ones You have so sweetly blessed us with, in order to meet the expectations of others. Remind us often of what is important to You. Give us clear thinking and strength to honor You. Help us do everything we can, but nothing we shouldn’t. And make our efforts successful!


More: Galatians 6:4-10 Psalm 90:15-17

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