Doug’s Columns

By Doug Creamer

Passing the Torch

            After a long pause caused by COVID, our church has decided to begin offering children’s church again. Our children enjoy the music with their parents, and then we take them to their own space for a lesson that is on their level. We divide the children into two groups. There is the two- to four-year-old class…God bless them and their teachers. I do not have the skills or abilities to teach or reach that age group.

            I work with the older kids. Currently, they are from five to ten years old. We start these children off with a Bible lesson, and then we will do an activity to reinforce what they learned. After that, we take the kids into a room where they can play on some inflatables. Where were they when I was a kid? Naturally, the kids have fun while they are learning.

            The interesting thing is that the kids are learning. Our first lesson began with a short video that I thought was a little corny. The kids laughed hysterically at the corny jokes. The lesson itself was short, but packed with details. After the video, there was a quiz to test what they learned, and the kids got most of the questions right. I was very impressed with what they picked up on in the lesson.

            The kids left with knowledge about the Bible story, a few laughs at the corny jokes, the activity we did, and a few minutes of fun in the inflatables. They were excited and told their parents that they liked it and want to come back. Isn’t that what Jesus would want, leaving them hungry for more? That is exactly what will happen as the students and teachers engage with the curriculum.

            I was thinking about attending Sunday school back when I was a kid. I can still remember some of the lessons I learned. One in particular that stands out is making the tablets with the Ten Commandments on them. We cut Styrofoam into the shape of the tablets. We covered them with some type of paper that looked like stone. Then we pasted the Ten Commandments on them. I remember that lesson vividly, and that was more than fifty years ago.

            The point I want to make is this. I assure you that the two women in the room helping us to create our stone tablets did not have seminary degrees. I imagine they were just moms from our congregation. They taught the children in that classroom lots of lessons, and at least one of those kids grew up to believe in Jesus as savior.

            I assure you that my co-worker and I made mistakes while we taught our lesson the other day. The women who taught me as a child made errors. But the point is that we each got in there and did our best to pass on our faith to the next generation. What will the kids remember? They will remember that we loved them, laughed with them, and taught them something from the Bible. We passed our faith on to them.

            That’s what we are called to do: pass on the torch of our faith. Whether it is the next generation of children, or our neighbors, co-workers, or friends, Jesus calls each one of us to pass along our faith. We are called to let others know the reason for our hope and joy. We can’t live with our faith hidden; it must shine brightly in the darkness.

            Jesus came into the world to reveal God’s great love for mankind. We were already painfully aware that our sin had separated us from God’s love. Jesus showed us the way back to the Father through the sacrifice of His life. We are forgiven and welcomed home like prodigal sons and daughters. How can we keep silent with such a wonderful message? If you stumble and make a mistake while sharing this message of hope, don’t worry, because God’s love is greater, and the lost and little children need to hear it.

            I want to encourage you to share the light of hope that burns brightly inside you. I imagine your church could use some help one Sunday a month with the children. It’s a great place to start. Don’t forget the waitress, cashier, your neighbors, and your lost friends. Share a smile, give them an encouraging word, and let them know that they are loved by the God who made them. It’s our job to pass the torch that we have been given. Let’s dispel the darkness with God’s glorious light. Share God’s love with others.

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

By Doug Creamer

Spread the News

            I saw on a weather website the other day that we are expecting an inch. Can you believe that we might actually see an inch…of pollen? Did you think I meant snow? I looked out at my driveway the other day after a shower blew through and it was yellow with pollen. Sometimes if you look outside, you can see the pollen particles in the air, there is so much out there. I was wondering if the mask wearing for COVID was helping people who suffer from allergies.

            All the pollen comes with the beauty of spring. I was so afraid the cold nights we had a few weeks ago might spoil spring. The dogwoods, azaleas, flowers, and other blooming trees seem to be coming on strong. I love driving down the road and seeing all of nature coming back to life. It makes me wonder what heaven’s beauty might look like one day. 

            We made our first spring trip to a garden center last week. It is our favorite place to go every spring. We go often and stay for a while. For us, it’s better and often cheaper than going to the movies. Naturally, we want to see our old favorites, but we also want to see what is new in the world of plants.

            I spent some time picking out my vegetable garden seeds. I stuck with my tried and true varieties. I didn’t pick out any tomatoes or other transplants yet. I want to give it another week before I put them out. We have gotten some surprise frosts on more than one occasion.

            After a warm and dry week last week I decided that maybe I could till the garden. I have four raised beds and hoped to get one of them worked up. My tiller glided through the soil easily. I thought that maybe I could do two beds. The second bed went smoothly, too. I needed to be cutting the grass, but maybe I could try a third bed. When I finished that bed, well, there was only one more to go. I didn’t finish cutting the grass, but my garden beds are ready for planting.

            There is nothing quite like planting seeds in freshly tilled soil. I love the feeling of the soil and the excitement of getting seeds in the ground. I will go out every day to see if they have sprouted. Nothing can bring greater joy to a gardener than to see the soil starting to erupt and those new seedlings emerging.

            The truth is we should feel the same kind of joy when we have the opportunity to share the seeds of hope with those who are lost. When those opportunities arise where we can speak those words of life to another, we want to be ready. There should be a peace and a joy in our lives that others find attractive, something that they desire for themselves.

            Some people spray their religious thoughts like the annoying pollen of spring. It fills the air and turns people off to God. We need to be like flowers that attract bees to collect the pollen. People should be attracted to our lives, and then the pollen of our faith just sticks to them. It becomes food for their souls and they keep coming back for more.

            Jesus dealt with each person tenderly and compassionately. He never pushed His faith on anyone. People were attracted to His servant heart. They were drawn by the love that they found in His eyes. He didn’t espouse judgement on people, but He did encourage them to go and live changed lives. He welcomed all people, especially those who were living sinful lives and trapped with hopelessness. Jesus planted in them the seeds of life and hope.

            I am dependent on the Lord’s mercy and grace every day. I want to be the kind of vessel that extends His love, grace, and mercy to those I encounter who are hungry and thirsty for more of God. I want my life to be attractive to others. I want to have the same servant heart that Jesus has for the lost and hurting around me.

            I want to encourage you to bloom where God has you planted. He put you there so He could attract people to Himself through you. You are unique and God can express part of His unique character through you. People are hungry and thirsty, let them come to your well and drink and let them pick the fruit in your life and eat. God wants to use you. Yes, YOU.  

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

By Doug Creamer

            Our family was hoping for some good weather for Easter. With a few cold nights before Easter, we weren’t sure the weather was going to cooperate. We wanted to get our family together, outside and socially distanced. God gave us a glorious day and the opportunity to see each other, which made for a wonderful Easter.

            All the traditional Easter food was present. There was ham, salads, desserts, and candy, too. While we remained spread out, you could hear the laughter and the conversations. It was so nice to relax and spend some time together. It was so nice to catch up with family, including nieces and nephews. I love hearing about what is going on in each of their lives and talking about their hopes and dreams. The BIG news was that one of my nieces is expecting her first child.

            My family has been without small children for a number of years, so there have been no Easter egg hunts. This year there were little children present. It was so much fun watching the children and their parents during the Easter egg hunt. There must have been 10 cameras vying to catch the magical moments.

            After the children finished hunting and eating their treasures, it was announced that there would be an adult Easter egg hunt. I think it might have been more fun watching parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents hunt for eggs. The competition was fierce. Inside the plastic eggs was candy and fake money. But the fake money could be turned in for prizes. I only found a few eggs, but I had enough money to buy some movie-theater-sized boxes of candy. I was thrilled with my prizes, as the competition for prizes was intense as well.

            I was thinking that it wasn’t that many years ago that my nieces and nephews were the ones hunting for eggs. Now they are grownups. Some are in college, while others have gotten married and started families of their own. Some of them live far away. All of them are living interesting lives. All of them, all of us, are still connected as one big family. My family has remained close even though miles separate us.

            Gathering together as a family is important. It helps to strengthen family bonds. I think all of us are hoping that things will get better soon so we can bring families back together on a regular basis, especially for holiday gatherings. We need each other. When you can’t get together, it reminds you how much you really want to be together.

            I am very thankful for my biological family, but I am also thankful for my spiritual family. We are a part of a great church family. I love my church family, and it is nice to be gathering together even though we are at a reduced capacity. We need each other. We need to be together so we can encourage and pray for each other.

            I think Easter reminds us that we are in the family of God. Some family members have wandered far away from their Heavenly Father, while others have chosen to stay close. God wants every member of the human race to come to His family gathering, but sadly, many have chosen to reject God and live their lives for themselves.

            On Good Friday, Jesus made a way for every person to come back into the family. His shed blood offers the forgiveness from God and the open door for each person to come home. Some may feel unworthy or fear they will not be accepted. That is the wonderful miracle that God offers if we are willing to accept what Jesus has done for us. He makes a way home even though it seems impossible.

            On Easter morning, we discover the impossible: Jesus rose from the dead. No other religion offers the hope of eternal life through a savior that died and rose again from the grave. He paid for everything wrong we have all done. All we have to do is accept this glorious gift from God. He opens the prison doors and invites us to join the family of God.

            I want to encourage you to join the family of God. Jesus is preparing a place for you. If you will accept His free gift you will be welcomed to a huge family cookout. There will be so much laughter and long conversations. There will be unbridled joy because we will be all together, no masks, no social distancing, and no weary or sick bodies. I can’t wait to be a part of that celebration. Hey, you are invited, too. Come on…

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

By Doug Creamer

Using Your Talents

            It seems like we have been fighting water problems for several weeks at our house. First, we had an underground leak. We got that repaired and the ground fixed and thought all our problems were behind us. Then our water pressure dropped. Fearing another leak, I checked everything I could to discover what was going on.

            Thankfully, we know a retired plumber who was kind enough to help us. After confirming it wasn’t a leak, he used all his knowledge to figure out where our problem was occurring. Plumbing is a methodical, step-by-step process. We worked on one part and confirmed it was working properly. We fixed one issue, thinking we had discovered our problem, only to find out the problem still existed.

            My retired plumber was persistent. We had to do some extra work to get to the source of my problem. When he showed me what had caused my problem I couldn’t believe it. We put everything back together and we finally heard the sound we had been listening for…water flowing through the pipes. You never saw two happier guys. My wife and I are so thankful that he persevered until he finally got it. It is so nice to have free flowing water again!

            I saw the same concept at church the last couple of Saturdays. We had some work days to do spring cleaning and a list of other projects that needed attention around our facility. When it comes to working around church, I prefer to work outside. I like getting the flower bed cleaned up, planting the spring flowers, and putting the pine needles down. There is also trimming some limbs off trees and using blowers to clear the parking lots of loose debris. Some of the other guys were cleaning out the gutters, using the power washer to clean the building and the sidewalks, and spraying all the weeds.

            There was lots of work being done inside, too. There were people cleaning out closets; yes, churches collect junk, too. The kitchen, refrigerator, and freezer needed attention. Light bulbs were replaced throughout the building. Wow, did that make a difference.

            There were others who cleaned up the children’s rooms. We are preparing to begin children’s church again and things needed to get straightened up. We had a couple of our carpenter-gifted members creating an awesome classroom for our older kids. Then there were those who can paint that were making dynamic and exciting classroom art.

            There has been some creative genius released at our church. There are going to be some excited kids learning all about Jesus, faith, and the Bible when they come to these classrooms. The kids are going to be in an exciting environment, have fun while they are learning, and go home with a deeper love and knowledge of God’s word.

            One of the things I noticed as I walked around to see what others were doing is how much talent we have at our church. I watched guys doing carpentry work; I don’t have those skills. I watched the painters create really cool designs on the walls of the classrooms. I can’t do that, either. I saw people organizing rooms; that’s not a skill I possess. I saw people cleaning and repairing things. While I could do those things, I prefer to be outside working. Some of the younger guys were doing heavy work that I prefer not to do at my age.

            What I am trying to point out is that it took each person bringing their individual talents and abilities for all the work to be done. God needs each one of us to use our talents and skills in order for the work of His kingdom to be accomplished. He needs teachers, evangelists, pastors, elders, deacons, choir members, bookkeepers, and maintenance workers. He needs you to use your talents, skills, and abilities in many different ways to get all His work done. The most important thing all of us can do to move His Kingdom forward is prayer. Prayer changes everything.

            I want to encourage you to offer up all your talents to God. Sometimes He needs your hands to help clean things up. Other times He needs you to be His mouth to speak words of life and hope to the discouraged. He may need you to put your arm around someone and let them know they are not alone. God needs you to let your light shine in your corner of the world. You are His representative and He will use you uniquely to reach people with His love. God needs every skill, including the ones you have, to get all His work done.

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

By Doug Creamer

Turn to the Word

            My wife used to work as an elementary school librarian many years ago. She read and talked about many children’s books. Some titles I don’t remember, others just stuck with me. I remember one that I thought was great: “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”

            Have you ever had a day like that? I felt like that was the kind of day I had last Friday. Now, please understand that we did not have anything tragic happen. It just wasn’t a good day.

            When my feet hit the floor that morning, I thought it would be a good day. I always think every day is going to be a good day. I was wrong that morning. It seemed everything was stacked against me. I ran into problems and nothing worked out. Everything was going south. I tried over and over to turn my day around, but then something else would go wrong.

            By dinner time, I was thoroughly discouraged. It’s hard to get me discouraged, but it does happen. Why didn’t anything work out my way? We ordered some food for dinner and I went to get it. I didn’t even want to turn on the radio. The upbeat music from KLOVE would just rub salt in my wounds.

            I turned on the radio anyway. The music began to help. Then one of the announcers read the verse of the day. It was from Isaiah 43. I was familiar with the verse and part of the chapter. I determined that I would read it before I went to bed. We had dinner and watched a light-hearted romantic comedy, which helped to lift my spirits.

            When we were finished with dinner and the movie, I went and found my Bible. I opened to Isaiah 43 and began to slowly read and re-read down through verse four. I meditated on the words and the promises contained in them. I personalized it and read the promises with my name in them. I thanked God for His promises and reminded myself that these were promises for me.

            I am not telling you that I did cartwheels before bed, but I am telling you that God’s word and His promises to me began to turn my stinking thinking around. When I put my head on my pillow that night, I told the Lord that while things did not go in my favor, I knew that I was standing in His favor and that was good enough for me.

            That chapter of the Bible talks about walking through the raging river and walking through the fire. Just because we ask Jesus into our lives does not mean that every day is going to be a great day. This chapter teaches us that we are going to have to walk through the fire…did you catch the promise there? God’s promise is that we will make it to the other side AND it also says that God will walk WITH us to the other side. We are promised that we will never have to walk through anything alone.

            I can tell you that on Saturday and Sunday the scales started to tip back in my direction. I know why, because the favor of God is on my life. God is going to allow me to walk through difficult and trying days so I can learn that He is right there with me, helping and supporting me each step of the way.

            I believe there are three things that can turn bad days around. The first is always prayer. We have a loving Heavenly Father who is always on our side and ready to send us the help we need. Second is His word. God’s word is full of promises that will help us face every situation that comes our way. The third is being with other believers. I know God can use our brothers and sisters in Christ to help lift us out of the pits. We all stumble and fall and need a hand to lift us up.

            I want to encourage you to look into God’s word and discover the promises that He has made to you. When we have bad days, we need to remind ourselves that God is with us. He has promises that will help us get through those bad days. There is a song we sing at church that has a line that says, “my God only knows how to triumph.” You are going to see the victory, hang on to His promises. He will get you through to the other side.  

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

By Doug Creamer

            We received our water bill the other day and I nearly fainted. It was about triple what it normally is. I pulled some recent bills. My water usage has been steadily climbing over the last couple of months. This month it was sky-high. I learned that we can look on the internet and see our water usage. I discovered that we had water running 24/7.

            I checked inside and nothing seemed to be running. I crawled under the house, thinking I might discover a swimming pool under there. There was no pool, and it was nice and dry. Where was all the water?

            With all the rains we have been having lately my whole yard has been soggy. I didn’t notice anything unusual. After a couple of sunny days, I did notice one area where the ground was especially soggy. A friend came over and we started to dig. We thought we would find the water line within two feet. We kept on digging and digging. We were just shy of four feet before we found the line. We needed a backhoe to get to this leak.

            Every plumber I called was backed up for two weeks. With the cold and rainy weather subsiding, the plumbers were getting back to work. I have a few friends with tractors but none with backhoes. Then I found out that a fellow church member had a backhoe. I talked to him and he was on board to help.

            One of my neighbors is a plumber and he said that if I got it dug out, he would fix the leak. I didn’t realize that the gentleman from church was also a retired plumber. I was truly blessed. I went from not being able to find a plumber to having two plumbers here to fix my leaky pipe.

            We dug through that soaking red clay and got the hole big enough to repair the leak. The plumber got the necessary parts and got down into the muddy hole to fix things back up. We made a muddy, soupy mess of my front yard, but we repaired the leaky pipe. Now all I have to do is hope that the city will work with me on the terrible water bill.

            When we got done I asked the guys what I owed them. Neither one asked for enough. I know if I had gotten a plumbing company in here I would have had a huge bill. These guys had been a blessing to me and I wanted to be a blessing back to them. I paid them both more than they asked. God has blessed me with good neighbors and friends from church.

            I have had my insurance with State Farm since I was sixteen. Their slogan is, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” I have been thinking about my situation. I wonder if Christians should have that attitude, “Like a good neighbor, your Christian brothers and sisters will be there for you.” These two guys made me feel that way. I was in trouble, and here came two godly men to help me.

            I imagine if you looked around, you would find people who could use a hand. Some might need practical help like I did, while others might need emotional support. Maybe they are going through a loss or difficult time and they need you to listen and be there for them. Some might be struggling with mental health issues, something we don’t talk about in church. Still others are facing a health crisis and need a miraculous touch.

            Maybe you feel unable to help in a practical way, but you can still help and make a profound difference in people’s lives. You can pray. Often prayer seems inadequate. We feel like there ought to be more we can do, but prayer makes a supernatural difference. Inviting the divine into any situation will change that situation. The enemy will try to convince you otherwise, because he knows the divine power of prayer.

            I want to encourage you to consider what you might be able to do to help someone else out. Be wise and careful because there are people who might want to hurt or take advantage of you. Pray and ask God to guide you as you use your talents, gifts, and abilities to be a blessing to someone else. While praying for others ask God how He can use you to be a blessing. Sometimes a card or phone call can be worth a million dollars. The goal is to be a blessing, and in the end, you will get blessed.

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

By Doug Creamer

            I am not sure I want to admit this in writing, but I did watch the interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. I thought I would watch for just a of couple minutes, but I couldn’t pull myself away. It was interesting to hear them talk about their private lives in such an open way.

            There were so many interesting revelations, and I imagine that by now most of you are tired of hearing and reading about them. While many might be jealous of their lifestyle as royalty, the two of them revealed that it is not an easy way of life. There are certainly some drawbacks and things that we really don’t know about living as royalty.

            One of the more powerful revelations was Meghan’s personal struggles mentally. Thankfully, she reached out to her husband, who stood beside her and determined he would find the help she needed. Sadly, the royal family nor the administration that surrounds them reached out to offer any help. Harry made some very difficult choices to protect his family and get Meghan the help she needed.

            I believe it is possible for all of us to find ourselves in places where our minds are not working properly, where our thoughts are not dwelling on the positive and good in life. Like Meghan, we have to reach out and keep reaching out until we find the help we need to get through to the other side. Find those people who believe in you and support you to help you through the dark places. Never give in or try to fight those battles alone. Always keep fighting.

            While Harry and Meghan have removed themselves from the daily routines of the royal family, they are still royalty. They have access to the Queen and stay in touch with other members of the family. They are still part of the family, much like each one of us are members of God’s royal family.

            We are members of the most important royal family of all time. You are a prince or princess. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. You have complete access to the King of Kings on a daily basis. Your calls for help will never be denied or overlooked. God cares very deeply and compassionately for every situation in your life. He will never leave you. He will ALWAYS walk with you through whatever trial or tribulation you face in life.

            Prince Harry and Meghan told us that they had lost their royal protective services. I want you to know that you always have God’s secret service (His angels) watching over and protecting you on a 24/7 basis. I imagine we can all think of times when our angels were working on our behalf to protect us and keep us safe.

            I think it is important to be reminded that we are royalty. I think it is easy to become discouraged and think less of ourselves because we are haunted by our failures or shortcomings. We need to remind ourselves that those have been taken care of by His royal blood. Since we are clean and forgiven before God, we can take on our roles as the royal priesthood.

            We have complete access to God and can ask for His intervention in any and every situation in our little corner of the world. God not only wants us to take up our positions, but expects us to be people of prayer to intervene. Our prayers have royal power and authority. When we pray, according to God’s will, we have the King of Kings backing up our prayers.

            One last thing I felt as I listened to Harry and Meghan was a sense that the royal family had rejected them. I want you to know that there is nothing you can do that will cause God to reject you. When you sin, and we all do, all you have to do is turn around and ask God to forgive you, and He will. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you are in the royal family. The choice is yours. God wants you in the family.

            I want to encourage you to make sure you have made that all-important decision to accept Jesus and be in the royal family. Then, never forget that you have a special place in His family. You have a very important role to play in His royal priesthood. And remember, you are always protected by His royal angels. It’s good to be in The Royal Family; remember your responsibilities and enjoy your privileges.  

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

By Doug Creamer

Your Father’s Love

            I remember the day my wife called me and told me about a kitten that had been left in the bushes at her work. It was going to be a very cold night, and what were we going to do about this little kitten? Naturally, we decided to bring her home.

            We had an older cat at the time and didn’t really want to put him through the process of adding another family member. But she won and made it into our home. Our beloved older cat has since passed on and is now awaiting our arrival in heaven. For the first few years the new cat was aloof. She “let” you pet her when she wanted to be petted. She was highly independent.

            A few years ago something changed. She decided she wanted to be a lap kitty. The change was sudden and a little disconcerting. She would jump into my lap and begin purring. I would commence petting and that would be okay for a few minutes until all of a sudden, she would begin trying to nip me. That didn’t go well. She ended up on the floor.

            Over time she has come to enjoy being in my lap for longer periods of time. It still ends suddenly. She also loves it when I take a nap. She wants to snuggle with me. She purrs and seems happy and content. When she decides the petting is over she curls up against my legs.

            Over the last couple of months she has been teaching me about our Father’s love. I know that might seem crazy, but stick with me. Sometimes when I sit down she will come along. I know she wants to get in my lap. She circles me over and over again. She looks up at me and I call her. She just keeps walking around me. I call it being in the shark mode. 

            I have tried to pick her up and she runs away. She comes right back. I call to her and she resists. She will put her front paws up on the chair and survey my lap. I encourage her to come up in my lap, but still she resists. I’ll ignore her. She continues to circle me. I can hear the “Jaws” theme music playing, and then finally she will jump up in my lap. Once there, she is delighted.

            This is what I have learned. God wants us to come up in His lap. He wants to pour His great love out on us but we are stubbornly resistant to God. He calls us to come close and we run away. He tries to pick us up and we wiggle out of His hands. Yet we circle around Him, wanting desperately to get into His lap. We want to receive His unconditional love and affection but something is holding us back.

            Some people grew up without much demonstrative love so it is hard to imagine God wanting to hug them. Some people struggle with guilt and shame, and they have either forgotten or not learned that Jesus took guilt and shame away with our sins on the cross. Some people feel God is too busy with all the crazy things going on in our world. They don’t understand that God is omnipresent. He can be close to me and to someone on the other side of the globe at the exact same time. Still others are facing doubt, fear, and worry, and pull away from the agape love of God.

            There are many reasons to pull away from God. I want to encourage you to stop. Turn to God and leap into His waiting arms. He has crushed the power of sin, shame, and guilt. His perfect love casts out all fear, doubt, and worry. He has all the time you want because time doesn’t exist in heaven. Give God the chance to shower His love upon you. Maybe your parents failed to give you a good example of love, but the Bible teaches us that if your parents failed you, God will be your mother and father and He will never fail you.

            I want to encourage you to open your heart to the perfect love of God. He does not reject anyone who comes to Him. No sin is too great. No failure puts you out of His reach. Jesus paid the entire price to make you a son or daughter. Accept Jesus’ payment and receive a love beyond anything you can ever imagine. God is calling you to jump into His lap. He is waiting for you so He can pour out His healing love in your heart.

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

By Doug Creamer

            High schools offer some great clubs for students. There is FBLA for business, FFA for agriculture, HOSA for health occupations, and my personal favorite, DECA for marketing students. I sponsored the DECA club every year that I taught school. It was a great opportunity to connect with the students in a deeper, more meaningful way.

            I can’t remember all the different fundraisers we did, but we sold about everything you can imagine. I sold a lot of candy. I also sponsored a number of fashion shows. Some of the shows were for spring, summer, and prom. Some shows were exclusively for prom. One year, one of the girls wore a wedding gown to end the show.

            I took the students on many trips through the years. We went to the Women’s Show, Spring Show, radio stations, TV stations, newspapers, and sports arenas. Early in my career I took a group of students to New York City. I do not think my students realized how nervous I was taking them up there.

            I went to the International DECA Conference a number of times in my career. I will never forget what wonderful experiences they were for my students. I will also never forget the students and the great fun we had on those trips. I have some hilarious stories that I have told through the years.

            The big story every year was going to the state DECA conference. All DECA members attend the district level of competition. From there I usually took six to twelve students to the state competition. It’s a three day conference where you are up against students from across the state. It was always a great experience and something I looked forward to as a teacher. The students took tests, completed role plays, and wrote papers in competition to go to the International Conference. Many of my students had never stayed in a hotel before, so it was a fun adventure.

            For over ten years I have worked with the election process, where the students elect their state officers for the next year. Last year we got the conference in right before COVID. I figured the conference was out this year. Then I discovered they were having a virtual conference. It is amazing that they figured out how to hold the conference without having to get together.

            Right from my living room I hosted a committee meeting. A group of students interviewed the various officer candidates. The committee members and the candidates did an outstanding job. It went super smoothly over Zoom. If the whole conference goes as smoothly as my part, DECA will have a great 2021 state conference.

            While I would prefer meeting and seeing the students in person, I liked how things worked out. It’s hard facing restrictions on gathering together. While things are always better when you can get together, we have to figure new ways to do things.

            I think the same thing applies to church. My pastor is passionate about discovering ways that we can safely gather together. We need fellowship. We need each other if we hope to persevere through these trying times. Since this pandemic began and the meeting restrictions have been put into place, he has encouraged and challenged us to find ways to stay connected.

            I attended our church service online for a while, and it is good to hear from my pastor what God is saying to our congregation. But it is still not the same as gathering together. We need to be able to encourage and challenge each other to stay true to our faith. We have limited gatherings at my church now, and I am so glad to be back in the house of God again. We do so much to keep our people safe, but everyone has to do their part or we could lose the opportunity to gather together. There are three simple things that we are requested to do: wash our hands, social distance, and wear a mask. Sadly, people around the globe resist, and the virus continues to spread.

            I want to encourage you to determine how you can safely gather with fellow believers. Can you join a Zoom meeting and connect? Can you connect by phone, email, social media, or Facetime? Soon the weather will break and we can gather in some way outside. We need the human connection, that word of encouragement, knowing we are standing together and that we aren’t alone. Gather by phone, Zoom, through the computer, and at church when yours is open. We need each other now more than ever.

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