Doug’s Columns

I drove home from work today thinking about my column. That is something I do every Monday, as that is when I write my column. I reflect back on my week and look for times and places where I saw God interacting with me. I believe God is actively involved in our everyday lives. I think that many miss God’s hand because they aren’t looking.

No particular topic was tumbling around in my brain. Part of the reason for that is simple; I was obsessing about the hurricane in the Gulf. I know that is in the past tense for you, but from here it is future tense. I often think about that dilemma when I sit down to write. My future is sometimes your past.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know, I am a weather fanatic. I have been watching trends over the last couple of days, changing the possible tropical storm into a major hurricane. Last week the models were showing a weak, stalled-out storm soaking the Gulf Coast region. My awareness and obsession have exploded as I realize that the storm will be much stronger and faster than previously thought. I am also not prepared for what might come our way.

I recently wrote about being prepared; can’t do that again. I wrote about getting poison ivy last week, which is dramatically improved. I wrote about the battle with seasonal allergies. Those are doing much better too. What do I write about?

I have been thinking hard about retirement…when I am not thinking about the weather. Since I have been entertaining that thought more frequently, I find myself lying awake at night working through the math. My Dad gave me a mind to work the numbers. I have talked to many friends about this very important decision. It looks good and it is beginning to feel right…but…

All these random thoughts reveal a personal struggle; sometimes I struggle with worry. There are some people I know who are professional worriers…not warriors, but worriers. I don’t even come close to their gift for worry. I worry about the future. Lately, I have been trying to lay the worry down and work on my faith and trust in God. He has never let me down in the past, why would He fail me now?

There is nothing really wrong with having an obsession with the weather as long I don’t worry. My faith and trust have to be in a great big God who will take good care of me. I talked to a friend who came through Florence down near the coast. As she told me about the damage to her beautiful home, my heart broke. Then she told me about all the miraculous ways God took care of her and her family…in spite of the damage.

So, retirement, storms, and most important…worry, has to come and bow at the feet of Jesus. No matter what comes our way, God is going to see us through. Friends, family, church members, and maybe even some angels are going to be dispatched to help us in our hour of need. No matter what the enemy of my soul throws at me to discourage me, to create doubt in my mind, to cause me to worry…I can’t let it win. I have to fight, believe, and trust.

I know that many of you are going through some terribly difficult times. Some of you are in my daily prayers. You are struggling with employment issues, trying to get your house repaired, battling health issues, dealing with loss, fighting discouragement and depression, worrying about your family members, and…you fill in the blank. I have news for you. I believe God is walking with you. I believe God is working behind the scenes to help you. I believe there is hope for you even if things look really dark right now. I believe God is greater and bigger than any and all of those situations.

I want to encourage you to pray with me, “God, we give all these things into your mighty hands. We don’t know how you are going to fix or help us, but we believe that You will.” When we pray and think like that, worry has to go. Fear has to die. Doubt gets kicked out. In these fields of our minds we can now plant seeds of hope, love, mercy, grace, and peace. I want to get the worry out of my mind and let these new seeds have a chance to grow. Good luck with your seeds, too. I hope they grow and produce good things in your life.

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

I believe we are off to a good school year. On the first day of school, I got dressed and went outside and took a selfie standing on my front steps. I sent the picture to my mother with the caption, “Could it be my last first day of school?” Even though I feel positive and excited about starting another school year, I am wondering if this will be my last. Some of my colleagues have been teasing me about when and if I will ever retire. I tell them only the Man upstairs knows.

There is a strong sense of optimism running through the school. For a seasoned vet like myself, I know we are in the honeymoon stage. Everyone is on their best behavior right now. I would like this to last for a while, but we all know that challenges will face us. That’s when we will find out if it is just a feeling or truly a new beginning to a great year.

One of the ways that I am refreshed each summer is by my annual trip up the mountain to Sparta to see some great friends. I made the trip the week before school started to give myself that final booster shot. I had a hard time sleeping the night before my trip up because I was so excited to be with my good friends.

We were expecting a high in the nineties here, but as I drove through Sparta the thermometer read the low seventies. I rolled my windows down and enjoyed the refreshing, cooler air. The views as I drove up the mountain and through town continue to take my breath away. The familiar sights were welcome to my spirit.

When I arrived at their house I was greeted by their black lab, Daisy. She was barking up a storm and keeping me away from their house. I honked the horn several times as there was no cell signal. Finally, my friend came out and chided me, “Come on, Doug, Daisy won’t bother you. Just put your hand out for her to sniff.” He was right, she let me pass. Daisy is an interesting dog. She won’t let anyone pet her except my friends, her mother, and me. Once Daisy got a few good sniffs, she was glued to me and wanting to be petted.

I arrived just before lunch and stayed until after supper. We spent the day talking and sharing our lives. We have a very open and honest relationship with each other. My friend’s wife has told me many times that I know some things about her husband that she doesn’t. We have been the best of friends for more than twenty years. Over the years we have shared our struggles and talked through problems.

This year our two biggest topics were health issues and me trying to decide when to pull the trigger and finally retire. The latter is a tough issue for me because I love being a teacher. It’s hard to decide to walk away from something I love. I have been assured by many teacher friends who have blazed that trail already that I will know when the time is right.

On the health front, we talked about the many health issues we are facing. We aren’t getting any younger and as my great-aunt used to tell me, “Old age does not come alone.” We aren’t old, but age is sneaking in and giving each of us health issues. It’s nice to have someone safe to talk with about such private issues and to realize that we are not alone as we struggle with them.

As I hugged my friends good-bye and got in the car to leave, I had to wipe a tear away as I love to be there and hate to leave. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the two of them standing on the porch. They snuggled and kissed, which made me smile. They remain close as ever in spite of the ups and downs in their lives. Their love burns strong, which is one of the reasons why I like to be there.

I want to encourage you to treasure your friends. Work to maintain the fire of that friendship. Life is full of good days and bad days; good friends will stand with you no matter what kind of day you are facing. You know that faith and prayer are the cornerstones of my life, but sometimes the love, hugs, listening ears, and understanding of good friends can be a source of strength to make it through life’s trials.

Doug Creamer’s books are at Amazon. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

I know I must have written about this topic at some point, but it seems to be stirring in my spirit again. I have been thinking about the power of words. I have recently had the privilege of spending some quality time with some good friends and family. The conversations have been deep, rich, and encouraging.

What has struck me the most is that we all have stories, ups and downs in our lives. We all carry scars from the lessons that life has taught us. While some lessons are easy to learn, others require us to acquire some new bruises. I am not sure why we are so determined to learn things the hard way when we could learn from each other.

Another thing I noticed is that age doesn’t exempt us from new lessons. Some we learn and move on, while others require deep inner struggle. When I was young, I thought that by a certain age we would master the lessons and live peacefully. It seems that God has a different plan. We learn a lesson, enjoy a brief sigh, and it’s on to the next lesson.

I think we all have much to learn about our careless use of words. We fail to understand the power of our words. As a teacher, I see students who rarely (if ever) hear the words: “I love you” or “I am proud of you.” These are simple yet profound words that we all desire to hear. As a teacher, I feel it is inappropriate to tell my students I love them, but I have made it a priority to let them know I am proud of them. I have watched the powerful impact of those words as I look directly into my students’ eyes.

I believe we have to watch our words when we talk about our aches and pains. We think they will last forever so we say, “I will never get over this.” These words are powerful because they leave no room for God to heal and restore. When we believe that we will not get better, it becomes like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Let me share a personal example. I always have trouble with my sinuses in the fall and the spring. I will usually be in bed for several days. In saying this, I leave no room for God to protect or to even heal me. I own it. My grandmother had some very serious surgeries in her lifetime and she would always say, “I will be home in a few days and I will get over it.” Do you know what happened each time? She recovered quickly and was home.

We have to learn to watch our words. I am not suggesting when you have the full-blown flu that you come to church and tell everyone you are healed. But you can rest in bed and believe that you will recover quicker than most people because you serve a God who heals. Give God room to work in your life. Believe that He can heal you.

We have to learn to watch our words as we speak to and about each other. We have to remember what is said when a person is not present is heard by our Father in Heaven. That should make us all stop and think. The words we say to each other have profound and long-lasting effects. As a society, we are quick to tear each other down and we fail to build each other up. We should be using our words to encourage and strengthen each other as we endeavor to live out our Christian faith.

With the power of the tongue we can create or we can destroy. Our Father always speaks words of love and hope to us. We can choose to be like Him and build each other up, or be used by the enemy to discourage. Our words can change the destiny of others for good or bad. I want to believe the best for others and my words to be filled with love and hope.

I want to encourage you to choose your words carefully. Are your words filled with venom intending to kill and destroy, or are your words filled with life and peace? You have the power to choose. God is listening. I want to surround myself with people who believe in me and will speak words of life to me. I hope people see me as that kind of person: a builder, a supplier of hope, a person of faith, and one whose words bring life.

Doug Creamer’s books are at Amazon. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

After coming back from a refreshing time at the beach, we had many things that needed our attention around the house. We have worked our way through the laundry pile and tried to catch up on the watering. Even getting back to some of the routines of life hasn’t tarnished too greatly the sense of refreshment I had when I left the beach.

Where are all the summer scattered showers and thunderstorms? I don’t think we have had a shower in over two weeks here. The last band of showers that pushed through didn’t give us a drop. We did get quite a bit of wind, which gave us a pleasant gift from heaven.

I don’t ever recall having several cool days in July. The air was humidity-free, the temperatures were delightful, and the northerly breeze was refreshing. I worked in the yard all day on Saturday, which my muscles reminded me about on Sunday. Even Sunday was a great day. I read in the shade of the trees for a while and even did a little more yardwork.

I sat outside late in the evening and early in the morning. I ate my lunches outside. I just couldn’t get enough of that cool, refreshing air. I am not naïve; I know that summer’s heat has returned to stay, but those couple of days were awesome. I was enjoying the cool air so much that I didn’t mind weeding…I didn’t say I liked it, just didn’t mind it.

I recently wrote about being refreshed at the beach. I think we all find a sense of refreshment when we are away from the routines of life. When we can rest, do enjoyable things, eat delicious food, and connect with those we love, refreshment has a way of washing over us. But I believe there are other ways to be refreshed.

I know that many churches hold revival services. This is when we bring in a guest speaker who brings words of encouragement and challenge to stir us deeply in our spirits. Spending several evenings in church listening to the word of God being taught will almost always revive the spirit. The word of God is like living water flowing in and through us which undoubtedly will renew us from the inside out.

The Bible teaches us that repentance can also bring renewal and revival. I am not sure whether repentance breeds revival or revival brings repentance, but all I know is the end result is a refreshed spirit. I have been praying for revival for our land for longer than I can remember. I know that when people repent from their sinful ways, God washes over the people taking away the blight of sin and the pain of guilt, which in every case will refresh the soul.

Some may think that they really don’t need to repent, but God’s word teaches us that none of us is free of sin. There are many good people out in the world that I have had the pleasure of knowing, but they still sin. We need the redemptive power of Jesus’ blood to turn us from sinners into the sons and daughters of God. There is nothing more refreshing than seeing a sinner become born again. When we are born again we are fresh, clean, and redeemed. Jesus paid a high price so we could be refreshed and set free.

Whatever trial you are facing, whatever trouble you are in, I know someone who has all the answers. He is humble and gentle and cares more about your situation than you do. He is filled with forgiveness, hope, and the strength you need to overcome every obstacle and set you free. He loves you more than you can imagine. He will never turn His back on you, never give up on you. He knows the pains of your past and wants to bring healing and peace. All you need to do is turn around and call out His name because if you do…He will come running to you.

I want to encourage you to turn around and call out to the savior Jesus who stands ready to receive your broken life because He can make it brand new. It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, Jesus accepts all. Think of the criminal on the cross, he had nothing to offer but an eternity with Jesus to receive. The free gift of God which includes unbelievable love, complete forgiveness for your past, a peace that goes beyond understanding, and times of deep refreshing are waiting for you. I encourage you to ask the living God, He will not disappoint you.

Doug Creamer’s books are at Amazon. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

Last week I went to the annual Career & Technical Education Summer Conference in Greensboro. It’s an opportunity for teachers to learn some new things to bring back to school for next year. I do enjoy learning and being exposed to new things. I also enjoy seeing my colleagues who teach across the state. The older I get the fewer familiar faces I see each year. The older teachers have retired and others have gone on to different opportunities.
While I enjoy reconnecting with old friends, I also enjoy learning new things. Since I love technology, I always try to sign up for sessions that will expose me to new programs or apps that might appeal to my students. This year I discovered several new programs that I want to use in my classroom.
I took my ipad with me to the conference so I was able to go to the websites or download the apps right away. I used some of the programs and saw how they could improve my instruction in class. It’s tough to get and keep the students’ attention because they have so much pulling at them. If I can incorporate technology in the lessons it might help the students engage more with my curriculum.
In one of the sessions we learned how we could play learning games with our students. Some people believe that learning should be hard work, while others believe that making the learning fun helps the students connect better with the material. There are some people that believe the students need to sit in straight rows and face forward, while others believe in making the students move around the room while playing learning games. Who’s right?
I believe that every student learns differently. I am an auditory learner, if I hear it, I will learn it. My wife is better at learning through reading. I have taught many students through the years who didn’t learn something until they had to do it. So a good teacher, in my opinion, needs to incorporate a variety of learning techniques in the classroom. There is no one method that guarantees success with all students.
As a veteran teacher, I realize that I still have things to learn about education and educational methods. I look at my colleagues and see so many different techniques they are employing to instruct their students. When I consider these things I realize that I don’t know everything about teaching, and the same can be said about spiritual things.
I have been a Christian for a long time, yet I realize that there is still so much about God that I do not know. I have been fortunate to have some great pastors who pushed me deeper in my faith, yet I realize that even they have to learn about God. My current pastor is always reading and learning more about God. He is hungry for the things of God. That energy and desire challenges me to apply myself to what I have learned and to dig deeper and grow stronger in my own faith.
Like all learning, spiritual lessons are absorbed in many different ways. Some people only learn in the school of hard knocks. I want to grow by reading God’s word and applying it to my life. I want to grow because I am seeking God for a more intimate relationship. I want to grow because I have a pastor who pushes me because he is pushing himself. I want to grow because I am investing my life in others and they are investing in me.
I want to build my life with things that have eternal value. I know that if I apply what I learn spiritually I can build a reward for myself in heaven. That means that I don’t want to just grow lots of leaves, but I want to produce fruit for the kingdom. I want to be a blessing to the people in my life. I want to be a light in the darkness. I want to continue to grow and feed my spirit so I can have a positive impact on my little corner of the world.
I want to encourage you to never give up on growing and learning more about God. Each of us knows Him in a unique way and we have much we can learn from each other. My parents taught me by example that you should always be reading and learning more. God wants us to grow and learn more about Him. He has a purpose for each of us. His purpose is that we would know Him, which means we will never stop learning.

Doug Creamer has two books at Amazon: The Bluebird Café & Revenge at the Bluebird Café. Contact him at doug@dougcreamer.com

Last night I was taking out the garbage when I got a little surprise. I walked through the garage and noticed something long and black lying on the ground. When I took a second glance at the object to see what it was, I realized it was a snake. Once I was over the initial surprise of discovering a snake in my closed up garage, I helped him find his way out. It was a black snake and I know they are good for keeping the mice and other rodents under control.
Actually, I might like to introduce that snake to some chipmunks that have been causing problems on our back porch. The chipmunks have been getting the sunflower seeds we put out for the birds and planting them in all the flower pots on the back porch. They also ate more than their share of my blueberries.
There have been some other critters that aren’t making me happy. The rabbits have been helping themselves to my sweet potatoes. I have planted slips at least three times and they keep disappearing. I know some of the work has been done by the rabbits but they had some help from the deer.
Rabbits and deer are beautiful animals when they are in fields munching on grass and clover. When they come in my yard and eat my vegetable and flowers, they are no longer cute. My neighbor has pictures of the deer standing in my garden helping herself. I bought an electric fence to help “encourage” the deer to go someplace else.
I also have a box turtle who lives over in the woods but he likes to come to my garden too. He has a taste for the melons…which haven’t been able to grow this year because the rabbits and deer keep eating my young seedlings. I took the turtle a piece of watermelon rind when I saw him the other day.
I thought my beans might have a critter free year, but I was wrong. I went out the other day to discover holes in the leaves. It was some kind of bug that loves to eat bean leaves and they were throwing a big party. The plants are still producing beans, but they don’t look pretty.
I imagine it must be tough to be a farmer when I consider the battles I fight just to grow my garden. I think the battles I fight just to grow my garden are similar to the battles we must fight to grow our spiritual lives. God tells us that He wants to see spiritual fruit in our lives, but I believe there are “critters” trying to keep us unfruitful.
We live in a world where anger and bitterness thrive. These are not fruit of the spirit, yet talk shows and news programs build an audience through displaying these character qualities. If people act this way and they are caught on video, it will go viral.
It seems that hatred towards our neighbors and people who look or act differently has become the norm. Where has brotherly kindness gone? It seems that people are choosing to live in various kinds of sinful situations, so the answer seems to be to ostracize and vilify these people. We are all sinners in different ways; do you believe that God thinks one sin is worse than another? Where have the qualities of mercy and forgiveness gone? Jesus was often found with tax collectors and sinners. He told us it was the sick that needed his doctoring.
My pastor pointed out on Sunday that one of Satan’s purposes is to divide us. He wants husbands and wives to divorce. He wants to break down relationships between parents and children. He wants churches to speak negatively against other churches. He wants gangs and nations to kill each other. God want us to live in unity. It doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything, in fact, it’s OK if we see and believe things differently. We are Christians united around Jesus Christ our Savior. We are Americans united for freedom and liberty.
I want to encourage you to look around your spiritual garden and see what kinds of critters are eating your spiritual fruit. It’s not easy to live the Christian life, but He wants us to be fruitful. What kind of fruit does He want to see? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Imagine if everyone in the world lived like that, what a wonderful world it would be. I want to produce this kind of fruit for my little corner of the world; I hope you do too.

Doug Creamer has two books at Amazon: The Bluebird Café & Revenge at the Bluebird Café. Contact him at doug@dougcreamer.com