Columns

By Doug Creamer

            When my wife and I worked full-time, we rarely called each other. I remember calling her on 9/11. Phone calls to each other didn’t require something that big, but until our last couple of years, we just didn’t call each other much while we were working. So, when she called me one winter afternoon about fourteen years ago, I knew something was up.

            I could tell by her voice that nothing was wrong. She told me that there was a kitten hanging around the library where she worked. Someone had obviously dumped her and she wanted to know what I thought about adopting a new baby. She was concerned for the kitten because it was going to be a very cold night that night. I couldn’t say no.

            She brought the kitten home and we agreed that she wouldn’t come in the house until we had her checked out by a vet. She lived in the garage for several days. We fed her and went out and played with her. She was glad to see us. She seemed friendly and wanted in the house.

            We already had a cat and it took a while for the two of them to learn to get along. Once she made it in the house, we discovered that her personality was true cat. What I mean is that she acted like she could take us or leave us. If you tried to pet her, she only allowed three or four strokes before she would try to nip you.

            When our other cat passed away, she acted a little less aloof. I remember the first time she jumped into my lap. I wasn’t sure what to think. She settled down and I was allowed to pet her seven or eight times before she tried to nip me. As time went on, she would jump into my lap and stay about a minute, during which time I was allowed to pet her. No nipping. She always liked to be in the same room as us, just to see what we were doing.

            When I retired and started to teach the Chinese students something changed. She became my teaching buddy. I introduced her to the students and they fell in love with her. They asked to see her. She would walk between me and the camera and the kids would always laugh. She became a star. “What is Kimble doing?” “Where is Kimble?”

            She sat with me while I was teaching. She became increasingly more affectionate. I didn’t realize that we were getting closer. She would join me at the computer when I prepared for classes and help me do the evaluations after classes. If she wasn’t sitting beside me, she was in my lap. The nipping was long gone and she stayed in my lap for long periods of time.

            Since I am up long before the crack of dawn to teach, I often take an afternoon nap. She would always join me. In the cold months, she would lay right up against me. In the warm months, she would lie beside me or down near my feet. She always wanted me to pet her for a long time before I fell asleep. She would purr loudly.

            She suddenly and unexpectedly passed away last week. Until she was gone, I didn’t realize how attached I had become to her. She entertained my Chinese kids and helped to keep them focused. She was my little buddy, always close by, and always hungry for attention, especially in these last couple of years. My routines have changed since her departure. She left a furry hole in my heart.

            As I reflect on her departure I realize that none of us knows how much time we have left. The “suddenly” can come at any moment. Do you think you are ready to meet your maker? Have you made peace with Him? Have you invited Jesus to be your Savior? We need to make that decision before we take our final breath. All eternity is dependent on that decision. I want to see you in heaven and the only way there is through Jesus.

            I want to encourage you to make the most important decision of your life. Decide to believe and trust in Jesus. You don’t need to clean up your life or have all your questions answered, you just need to invite Him into your heart. He’ll forgive all your sins and welcome you home. No one knows when their time will come. I want to encourage you to be ready. Leave all doubts about your eternal destination behind. As for Kimble, I believe there are pets in heaven. I also believe she is waiting there to take a nap with me. 

Doug Creamer has a new book at Amazon: EncouragingU: Summer Stories. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

By Doug Creamer

            I am a weather fanatic. For the last couple of days I have been watching the model updates on Hurricane Ida. Every model predicts a different scenario of strength, size, impacts, and paths. I am completely fascinated and can spend hours on the internet watching storms. Most of you know that my biggest fascination is with winter storms.

            The amazing thing to me has been how similar the models were running for this storm. Normally, three-to-five-day forecasts change wildly as the storm approaches. This one stayed focused and veered very little off the track. I rarely watch weather on TV any more. There is so much information available to weather nuts like me that I go straight to the sources.

            In following the sources of weather information, I make my own deductions on what I think will happen. If storms, like Hurricane Ida, are not directly impacting my area, I tend to keep my thoughts to myself. If weather, especially winter weather, is coming our way, you can be sure I am not only watching but putting my thoughts out there, too. One friend thinks that my forecasts are more accurate than local weathermen. I think his opinion is a little high of my abilities. But sometimes my “guesses” are just as good as the local weathermen.

            Local government officials warned people to get out of the way of Hurricane Ida. That’s their job. Government officials’ jobs are to keep the public as safe as they can in whatever situation the people they govern are facing. They have to make the wisest and best decisions. My prayer is that God will raise up Daniels and Esthers to give government leaders godly advice. The trouble, we can all see from scripture, is that they don’t always follow godly wisdom.

            You and I are no different than government leaders. We need wisdom from heaven as we make daily choices that affect our families. My father-in-law, who lives near the coast of Virginia said that if a hurricane was less than 100 miles an hour he would stay home. If it reached over 110 miles an hour, he was getting out. He did exactly that for the hurricanes that hit his area. He had lived through some hurricanes as a kid and knew his limits.

            Faith plays a very important part of wisdom in our lives. I have some friends who occasionally enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with their meals. Notice I didn’t say they drink to excess. For them, their faith allows it. I have other friends whose parents were alcoholics and they don’t think you should allow any alcohol in your body, even communion wine. Their personal experiences have affected their faith.

            Is either of my friends wrong? I don’t think so. What I believe could be wrong is if one of my friends became intolerant of the other. If those who didn’t drink condemned those who did, that would be wrong. If those who did drink were insensitive and drank alcohol in front of those who are opposed to alcohol, that would be wrong. We have to allow room for different beliefs and different levels of faith.

            These very same principles apply to what we are facing as a country and the world relating to COVID. We have become very strongly polarized as a nation regarding the vaccinations and masking. We have to stop and ask; what would Jesus do? He would pray and ask His Father what He should do.

            I believe God would tell Jesus to honor and respect people. If He came to my house and we were wearing masks, He would honor us and put one on. If He came to your house and you were comfortable without a mask, He would not stand up in any public forum and condemn you because you had a different viewpoint. Yet this is exactly what we see happening among fellow believers.

            To be honest with you, I don’t believe Jesus would be very proud of people who are behaving intolerantly towards others. I want to encourage you to be careful what you say publicly regarding masking and vaccinations. Jesus is listening. I realize as Christians that we must speak out against sin, but even then we need to extend grace and mercy, because I don’t know about you, but I need plenty of it myself. Let’s speak God’s language towards each other which is always filled with love, acceptance, joy, and peace.   Doug Creamer has a new book at Amazon: EncouragingU: Summer Stories. Contact him at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com