Doug’s Columns

By Doug Creamer

            It has been a hot summer. I tend to stay inside in the air conditioning when summer reaches its peak heat. Recently, I have noticed a few breaks in the swelter. One afternoon, between thunderstorms, I went for a walk. We had a pleasant breeze for a few evenings and we got out and did a little yard work. I even sat on the porch and had lunch one day.

            Something about being outside revives my spirit. Even working out in the yard helps me feel better.  I like to step back and see the results of my labor. Maybe I like the sense of accomplishment. That’s something both my parents drilled into me.

            The other day I looked out the window and saw my wife working on her plants. She was pulling weeds, trimming back dead leaves, and cutting off spent flowers. I asked her why she was doing the work. She explained that cutting the plants back causes them to grow fuller and trimming off spent flowers encourages the plant to grow more flowers.

            I guess that is why the Lord likes to prune us back from time to time. He wants us to live full lives. He wants us to produce more flowers, which will ultimately lead to more fruit in our lives. I think He must work with a twinkle in His eye, pruning, fertilizing, and watering us.

            I have said numerous times that I am not a fan of weeding. I will do it but weeds and volunteer plants have a good fighting chance around here. Since my wife was out weeding, I decided to go out and give her a hand. There were plenty of weeds out front that needed my attention.

            The flowerbed out front has brick chips for mulch that was there when we moved in. Every once in a while, we will get a volunteer pansy or viola in this bed. I admire the tenacity of these volunteers and often leave and enjoy them.

            This year we got a volunteer vinca. It is in a harsh location, but it is blooming beautifully. It is under an eave, has poor soil, and is surrounded by the brick chips. In spite of all the challenges, there is grows, sharing its beauty with the world. I have watered it a few times. I can’t help it, I love the underdog.

            When I finished weeding around the vinca I sat and looked at it and listened to that still, small voice. We don’t always get to pick where God plants us. About two feet away there is a container full of vinca growing in rich soil. This volunteer vinca has to put down deep roots to find the soil and water it needs to survive.

            Sometimes we complain to God about where He has planted us. Our jobs, schools, or sometimes even our churches just don’t feel like the best location. If God has put us there, He can help us grow, bloom and be fruitful in that location.

            There is darkness and hopelessness all around us. People need to see the light in your eyes, the hope in your heart, and the faith that keeps you afloat. There are parents praying for their lost children. What if God decided to send you as the answer to their prayers? Your light might be just the thing they need to guide them home.

            When we become born again Christians we have pledged our lives to His kingdom. God has plans and purposes that we don’t always understand. One of God’s major goals is to win the lost souls. Someone reached out to you, loved you, and brought you into the Kingdom. Now God needs you and me to do the same for those who are living in darkness.

            God needs you to bloom in the harsh conditions where you are living. He needs you to let His light shine brightly through you. He wants you to have the aroma of faith, hope, and love, so others will be attracted to your life. If you can bloom where you are, then God must be real. Your bright light in the darkness will guide them home to Jesus.

            I want to encourage you to bloom where God has planted you. If you are praying for a change and God opens the doors, then go where He leads you. In the meantime, dig your roots of faith deep into God’s word. Let His word water your soul so you can offer hope to those around you. Help that desolate place look beautiful with your flowers and fruit. Your warm smile will seem like His to those around you.

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

By Doug Creamer

He Needs Us

            I was talking with a friend the other day and was reminded of the first couple of years of our married lives. When we got married, we moved to the quiet town of Kenansville, in rural Duplin County. We loved our first years in Kenansville. Being young, we often wondered why we weren’t living in a bigger city.

            We got involved at a local church and worked hard at our jobs. One day in Sunday school class, the teacher asked me if I knew why we were living in that small town. With a smile, she said that she prayed for a godly man to be a teacher in her daughter’s school. The next school year, I taught her daughter.

            It’s great how God answers our prayers. In order to answer our prayers, God has to find someone who is willing to say “yes” to Him. Our willingness to say “yes” allowed this woman to realize that God really hears and answers her prayers. God needs us to do our part so He can answer people’s prayers.

            I imagine that every one of us is praying for friends, neighbors, and loved ones who are lost and don’t have a personal relationship with God. I often find myself praying, “God, please find someone who will spend time with this lost soul and will help to bring them home and into a personal relationship with you.”

            For God to answer that prayer, someone is going to have to say, “Here am I Lord, send me.” It is amazing to me that God limits Himself to getting someone to go for Him. He knows who the best person is who can help lead the lost sheep back to God. The trouble is, sometimes that person is unwilling to go.

            God made each one of us with unique talents, skills, and abilities that allow us to reach people in places that other people just can’t go. I have never been very athletic, so for me to reach athletes with the love of God is a bit farfetched.  I am not saying God can’t use me, but I am not the best candidate for the job. I have several friends who love Jesus and who coach sports. They use that open door to reach kids. I know that they are the answer to many parents’ pleas with God for their children.

            Throughout my teaching career there were many opportunities to talk with students about faith, hope, and love. Sometimes the doors and hearts were open, and other times they were closed. Sometimes the opportunity developed because of a personal crisis a student was facing. Other times it was a major world event like 9/11 or the tragic death of a student that opened the doors of opportunity to share my reason for having hope.

            For most people who meet you and me, it isn’t anything we might say or do that will influence and change their hearts. It is the way we live and lead our lives. People are watching us and looking to see if Jesus really makes a difference for us personally. We may never know if or when we will make a difference, but it depends on how we carry ourselves that gives us the ability to speak into situations and people’s lives.

            God wants to use you. You may not feel qualified or ready for service. He just needs you to be available. My pastor often says if we are willing, then let God take care of the rest. He doesn’t need you to be perfect. He needs you to be genuine. You will have good days and bad days, but do you live humbly, full of grace and mercy, and make people feel like they can approach God, with whom you have a personal relationship?  That’s all it takes.

            God needs you. You might be the very person who will share your life and faith with someone’s son or daughter and be the answer to many prayers. Opportunities happen almost every day. There are brokenhearted people who need to know that a loving God really exists and cares about them.

            I want to encourage you to look at the people in your life differently. They need you to be a light in their darkness. God wants every person to be saved. He needs you to be real, your genuine self. Live, love, cry, laugh, and just be available to the people around you. They’ll see that beautiful, attractive light in you and if their heart is open you might get the highest privilege of all…introducing them to your Heavenly Father.

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

By Doug Creamer

By Doug Creamer

            When the weather is so hot I have very little desire to work outside. I will cut the grass. I will also spend time watering, but other than that, I stay inside during this hot weather. But there comes a point in late July or early August that I have to bite the bullet and do some work in the vegetable garden.

            Last weekend I decided that if I wanted to have a fall garden, I would have to get out there and work. It was the possibility that we might get some good rain from the tropical system that pushed me out the door. I needed to get the work done before the rain.

            I started by digging my potatoes. I wasn’t expecting much of a harvest due to the heavy rains back in May. Many of the plants drowned, but I did get a small harvest. I cleared that area of weeds and got the soil ready to plant. Then I pulled all the corn stalks.  

            Some of my squash plants had bitten the dust, so I pulled them out. There was a healthy supply of weeds that I pulled, too. I think I filled the wheelbarrow four times with weeds and debris. The garden was clear and ready to begin again.

            I thought for a while about what I wanted to plant. I put out five new tomato plants, as that May rain hurt my tomato crop, too. I planted a small area of corn and some mammoth sunflowers. I put out two kinds of beans. I had some potatoes that had sprouted, and thought why not see if I can get a fall crop? I have one more area to clean out and then I hope to plant some peas and broccoli. We will probably try to plant some lettuce and spinach too, once the weather cools.

            The good news is my plan worked. I beat the rain and got it done. There are always more things to do in the garden and I hope to get back out there soon. There are about 90 days left in the growing season and I want to see what I can do while there is still time.

            As I stood out there looking at the garden before this major transformation, I wondered if our lives look like that mess to Jesus. I wondered if He sees us as weed-infested and full of dead vegetables. What do we say to Him? I mean, there is always stuff in our lives that we need His help fixing. We can’t do it alone. Do you think that Jesus is angry, disappointed, and sad at the state our lives?

            The revelation I got this weekend is that He is not, much to my surprise. I was excited about the opportunity to get out and clean up my garden. Jesus is excited when He sees our heart ready to work with Him. Those ugly old weeds don’t bother Him. He is just so glad to spend some time with us. In fact, He is humming and singing while He works.

            You see, He is glad to get those life-sucking weeds out of our lives. He sees the potential for Kingdom fruit in our lives. If you are ready to work with Him, He is anxious to get started.

            While I was planting the seed, I stopped a couple of times and just looked at the seeds in my hands. There was something about those dry seeds that stirred hope in me. I guess it was what those seeds represent, the possibility of a harvest. I am hoping they will produce a crop for me before the first frost.

            That’s why Jesus gets excited to work in our lives. He sees our potential. He plants those seeds of hope in us, knowing that He will get a harvest from us. Jesus knows that the seeds have to sprout and grow in us. He will tend the garden because He is intent on tasting the fruit.

            I want to encourage you to open your heart before God and ask Him where He wants to work in your life. Don’t try to fix something on your own. It is a futile attempt to fix something in your life without God’s help. We tend to focus on sin, and He is much more interested in heart attitude, conviction, endurance, perseverance, faith, hope, and love. One thing I have learned recently is that if we will work with Jesus where He wants to work, He will take care of the rest. God loves you and only wants the best for you AND a spiritual harvest for the Kingdom.

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

By Doug Creamer

By Doug Creamer

Keep Watch

            If you think I am hiding from COVID-19, you are wrong. Yes, I am staying indoors, but it is not the virus that is doing it. I am hiding out from summer’s heat. The TV weathermen could actually take a vacation at this time of year in the Carolinas. All they need to do it record themselves saying, “Today’s weather will be hot, with highs in the 90’s with some scattered thunderstorms.” That forecast will work from now until September.

            The high heat and humidity have a bad effect on me. I tend to stay inside in the air-conditioning. I go out in the late evening to water and try to keep our plants and garden alive. Some evenings I can be out there for over an hour watering things and feeding the hungry mosquitos. It is hard to maintain a healthy garden and pretty plants.

            I find it so amazing that the plants and vegetables you want to grow struggle so hard, but the weeds seem to grow beautifully. I don’t think I have ever seen a weed wilt in the summer heat. I need to get out in the garden and clear out both the weeds and the plants that are done and put in some things in hopes of a fall harvest.

            We have been enjoying some tasty treats from our garden as well as some from local farmers. The peaches and strawberries have been good this year. It seems that there is not enough room in the refrigerator to store all the summer treats. A watermelon can take up an entire shelf. This is when I miss the old refrigerator in the garage.

            I have been unhappy about two things this year. My blueberry bushes looked full early this spring. I was excited about the potential harvest. I did my duty and covered the bushes with mesh to keep the birds away. As I watched, I noticed that the bushes kept losing the berries.

            We have quite a large population of squirrels this year. I have looked out and seen a half dozen around the birdfeeders. Where is a hawk when you need one? Those squirrels were crawling under my mesh and eating my blueberries.

            My mouth has been watering as I watched the corn tassel and the silks start to show a little color. Then I went out to water the corn the other day and I saw one of the ears had been eaten. The others looked fine. The next day about a half dozen ears were mutilated. I blamed some raccoons because we put up fences to keep the deer out. I saw the corn doing an odd little dance this morning. When I went out to inspect, two squirrels went running for the woods. My corn was done. They had eaten all of it.

            Farming, I am convinced, has to be the hardest occupation. You have to fight the weather, bugs and pestilence, rodents, and deer. It reminds me of the battle we face every day to maintain our Christian walk.

            We have an enemy that wants to destroy us because we have decided to follow Christ. He infests our lives with doubt, fear, and shame. He knows all of our hot buttons and presses them often. He knows which sins easily entangle us. He sows discouragement in our hearts. He works hard to keep us distracted from following Jesus. He makes us feel unworthy of God’s love. He will do anything to keep us unfruitful for the Kingdom.

            We have to guard the seeds of God’s word in our hearts. We need to water those seeds with God’s promises and prayer. We have to stir up faith in our lives. We have to pull those weeds of doubts and fear from our lives. When we feel distracted or tempted to sin, we need to ask for help. God knows we can’t win those battles alone. We need to live our lives in such a way that we bring glory and honor to God, which is our spiritual fruit.

            I want to encourage you roll up your sleeves and prepare to get sweaty and dirty. We all have spiritual gardens to maintain. We need to encourage each other and challenge each other to a deeper walk with God. Those deep roots will help us during dry spiritual times. Ask God to make His word alive as we read it. Pray for your friends and loves ones, your prayers are making an impact. Never give up, because the fruit you are producing will have eternal rewards. We need each other if we intend to see the harvest that God intends.

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

By Doug Creamer

By Doug Creamer

            I like to have my quiet time on my front porch. I do this most of the year. It is a quiet place and I sense the Lord’s presence when I am out there. During the warm months, my wife has some beautiful plants on the porch. I like watching my neighborhood and praying.

            When we get into the dog days of summer when the heat and humidity can choke you, I don’t spend as much time on my porch. Some evenings if we get a nice rain shower, I will go out and enjoy the cooler air. I really miss spending my quiet time out there, even though I know that we can pray anywhere.

            In my recent quiet times, I have been reading in the books of First and Second Timothy. Paul has a lot to teach the young pastor. While there are many great theological lessons packed into these two books, I was struck by a simple passage that I have overlooked in the past.

            In II Timothy chapter one, Paul mentions Onesiphorus. Paul hopes that God will show mercy to Onesiphorus because he often refreshed Paul. The scripture says that Onesiphorus searched for Paul and was not embarrassed by his chains or imprisonment. The two men spent time together and when they parted company, Paul was refreshed.

            The word refreshed means to regain your strength and energy, to be revived, or to be invigorated. I can easily imagine Paul being discouraged because of his imprisonment. Who wouldn’t be discouraged if they lost their freedom? I imagine the conditions in the jails at that time were not very good. No heat, comfortable beds, or three square meals a day.

            Paul says that spending time with Onesiphorus revived and refreshed his soul. There are certain people that I really enjoy spending time with because I feel refreshed after being with them. They stir up my faith. They encourage me in my walk with the Lord. They challenge me to grow and become more mature. Sometimes they are willing to give me a swift kick in the rear if I am walking out of line or struggling to do what I know I need to do.

            My pastor and many previous pastors have talked tirelessly about the need to be in fellowship with other believers. It is easy to become discouraged, especially since that is one of satan’s favorite tools. I need you and you need me so we can stay encouraged, challenged, and refreshed. The best way for that to happen is through fellowship.

            It’s hard to be in fellowship with other believers when we are supposed to be social distancing because of COVID-19. So many people have avoided gathering together to be safe, but at the cost of losing that sense of refreshment when we can spend time together.

            I usually meet up with friends for lunch in the summertime. I haven’t even thought about doing that because we haven’t eaten in a restaurant since all this began. We have eaten plenty of take out, but not actually in a restaurant. So the thought of meeting friends in restaurants is not appealing. But, I still miss the fellowship we share over a good meal.

            I am an extravert. I need to talk with people. I need the connection. I thrive on talking and listening to my friends. That is the way I recharge my batteries. I am refreshed by the fellowship of good friends.

            Choosing to follow Jesus is the single most important decision we will ever make. Maintaining that walk with Him is not easy. We have an enemy who will use an arsenal of tools to keep us distracted and off track. But good friends will help you, encourage you, and refresh you along your spiritual journey. The trip through life was never intended to be a solo trip. We were intended to share our experiences and to help pick each other up along the way.

            I want to encourage you to find ways to be in fellowship with other believers. It’s important to have similar interests and other things you can talk about, but it is critical that you spur each other on in your spiritual walk with the Lord. We all, including this upbeat and positive writer, need to be encouraged, strengthened, and refreshed in our walks with Christ. Take time to notice and to encourage others. You’ll be a blessing, just like Onesiphorus.

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

By Doug Creamer