The Seasons

by   August 23, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Sometimes, we have tough seasons in life.
Can we make it?
Yes. We can.

God sits on the circle of the earth. God thinks of us more than there are grains of sand. God holds our right hand. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. His power is absolute!

We can do things we have never done.
We can face situations we have never faced.
We can grow spiritually.
We can prosper financially.
We can thrive emotionally.
We can strengthen ourselves physically.

Sometimes, it feels as though a difficult season will never go away. But, God brings us peace in the promise that it is just a season. It will pass. We can make it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ten verses later, it says that God has made every thing beautiful in his time.

Every thing means every thing.

Genesis 8:22 says that as long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, winter and summer, day and night.

The word season can mean for a while.

Being in a difficult season for a while is when we need to hang on, pray fervently, ask others to pray for us, and trust God in the process. It is only for a while.

Remember:
• Seasons remind us that change is a part of life.
• No season lasts forever.
• The season we are in is not the end of the story.
• We can learn from the season we are in — and prepare for the next.
• Seasons that are hard to endure help make us who we are.
• We need to hold the previous seasons in our hearts — for we have grown from them.
• Remnants of the previous seasons will remain. That is good.
• Seasons pass. Lessons from them last a lifetime.
• In every season — God is still God.

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

Grow Where He Plants You

by   August 22, 2020 with No Comments

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

He Needs Us

by   August 15, 2020 with No Comments

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

Our Focus

by   August 11, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

If I had a dollar for every time I told a student they had to focus…

Honestly, they were focused — just not on what I felt was the priority. There were so many distractions that diverted them from what they needed to focus on. Distractions like: The boy across the room. The girl across the room. The pencil that was not quite sharp enough and would benefit from several more trips to the pencil sharpener. Looking out the window at nothing. Is that a bug on the floor? Why is he taking apart that paper clip?

Focus as a verb means to concentrate.
Focus as a noun means the focal point — or center of interest.


Many times, I have whispered to a student, “Would you just try to focus?”
It’s not just kids, is it? Adults also lose focus on what they need to be doing and begin to focus on something that is not a priority.

Hmm? So, what should our focus be? It should be focusing on our focus.
And our focus should be what is at the center of interest.
And our center of interest — if we are Christians — should be Jesus.
Why? Because Jesus’ focus was on us as he went to the cross.

• Focus should be fed. Distractions should be starved. What we focus on will grow.

• Focus on things of the spirit, for being spiritually minded brings peace and life.

• Focus our eyes on what lies before us, for each day we get closer to home.

• Focus on doing our best — God takes care of the rest.

• Focus on working hard — God will bless our hard work.

• Focus on prayer. As Martin Luther said, “I have so much to do that I have to spend the first three hours in prayer.”

At times, our focus on focus will drift.
At times, our priorities will tend to shift.
But if we focus on Jesus — God’s presence, God’s power, God’s peace, and God’s promises will prevail.

We are not Superman or Superwoman, but we sure do have a super God.
A God who is worthy of being our No. 1 focus!

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

Sweet Caroline

by   August 11, 2020 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Ahhh… summertime in my sweet home of North Carolina. Where it’s not only hot enough to fry an egg on the hood of a truck, but also a great time to try out the meatloaf recipe you can bake in your mailbox. Where construction crews are busy spreading molten tar but are kind enough to put up warning signs if there’s going to be a bump in the road. A magical time when children run through the sprinkler just to cool off; that is if you can coax them outside into this blazing Hades we call July. But first they must be coated with sunscreen compatible with the surface of the sun. A thick layer of bug repellent is also mandatory lest mosquitoes the size of chickens carry them off. Then of course it’s important to thoroughly wash all that off the moment they come back inside so the poison applied for protection doesn’t cause brain damage.

Don’t tell anyone. But being the tired grandmother that I am, I’ve begun ditching the obligatory outdoor time. Instead I just toss them into a bath of lukewarm water where they can slosh and play all they want. It’s my idea of skipping the middle man. They’re not permitted to get bored until their little fingertips shrivel up like tiny raisins. Then and only then are they allowed to dry off and go to the next level of entertainment. I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!” Well… and also, “Legos don’t look so boring now do they?” MUWAHAHAH! This granny wasn’t born yesterday! [Obviously]

When their moms return from grocery shopping they are greeted by excited chatter explaining their Lego village. I stand amazed at the construction before me which easily rivals the Charlotte skyline. There are shops and vehicles and picnic tables and rooftop patios and even a little windmill suggesting a miniature golf course. Suddenly their moms are having a hard time getting them to leave. So a timer is set for thirty minutes of grace given for extra play. The adults retreat to the den with blankets and cups of coffee since the air is cranked up to a comfortable “granny level.” Though the timer has long ago sounded, everyone is quiet lest the spell is broken and playtime grace is ended.

When our three kids were small, they played outside all day. It was a necessary strategy in order to maintain my own delicate psyche. So at first I felt guilty for allowing my grands to play inside. But dang it’s hot! This happens every year and I’m just now recognizing this little bump in the road. Therefore I’ve decided: the kids can play outside this fall. And if they beg to come in, the reply on our lips shall be, “Sure! I’ve got a laundry basket full of socks to sort. You can help!” MUWAHAHAHA! Suddenly jumping in the leaves will look pretty fun again!

OH! I must go. I almost forgot to retrieve the meatloaf from the mailbox. Our mail carrier might think I’m nuts if I let that thing burn!

Never too old

by   August 10, 2020 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Meet Charles Newsome

   Over my years of personal training and wellness coaching, I have often marveled at some of the older adults who have continued to honor their body with good wellness practices. And I have often talked with others who said, “I’m too old to get in shape now. It would just be too hard. I should have started years ago.” But once in a while, I meet the senior citizen who wants a strong body.

   My focus since late July and now into August has been on a varied group of clients. One of those is Charles Newsome, an 83 year old long time resident of Rowan and Salisbury. Charles has managed Johnson Concrete for more than 51 years and is well known for his missions work through Thyatira Presbyterian Church and other community projects. I met Charles about six years ago on a mutual project but honestly didn’t expect him to call about a desire for better physical conditioning.

     Early in July, I got that call and Charles quickly explained that he had another big project in mind, working to become the United States Ambassador to Zambia. He’s visited there regularly over about 30 years, much of it involving missions work. Along the way, Charles helped build a hospital, a school and provide electricity and clean drinking water. Charles calls Zambia one of the most beautiful and safest countries in Africa.

    Charles has been compiling a large number of congressional endorsements and arranging a move to Charlotte where he will leave his wife, Cris, with friends once he gets the ambassador appointment. But one big thing was also on his mind. Charles wanted to get in better shape knowing that the physical rigors of his job will be demanding.

      Charles and I began meeting at The Forum on July 6th and have continued twice weekly since. Our focus has been on cardiovascular and balance work. Charles uses an upright stationary bike and the treadmill and has made steady progress in July and in early August. We also currently use dumbbells and kettle bells. Charles also walks between 2 and 3 miles nearly every day and has for about 30 years. Last week, he purchased a step bench and risers for use by both him and his wife. While the treadmill and bike build strength and stamina, the step bench and various leg exercises are focused on balance improvement.

     In just one month, Charles has extended his revolutions per minute on the bike from about 65 to a max of over 100 during interval sessions. He has been extremely competitive recently and pushed himself to a fastest walking pace of 3.7 miles per hour while on a 1.5 incline.

     With a normal body mass index (BMI), Charles didn’t especially intend to lose weight, but he has dropped a couple pounds so far. Charles said, “I tightened a belt notch and feel lighter on my feet and am able to walk at a faster pace.” Already conscious of what makes a good diet, Charles loves fruit and nuts and limits his sugar and salt intake. He learned this past week about the importance of proper hydration and how it can affect a serious workout. He was already thirsty less than midway through our hour and promised not to let that happen again. At just under 147 pounds, he still needs at least 74 ounces of water a day and more to cover his exercise. A water bottle needs to always be close by.

     Encouragement by staff and other members at The Forum has helped boost our success so far. Charles has committed to exercise for life and said, “Because I want to be effective in everything I do, I have always been conscious of my fitness.  I want to remain an active part of not only my wife’s life but those of my children and grandchildren as well.”

     The Forum general manager Rayna Gardner added, “He has a goal in sight and he’s going for it. We encourage everyone, no matter what their age, to improve their overall fitness for better quality of life.”

     Charles reminds me on occasion that he is 83, cautioning about pushing him too hard. The truth so far is that he pushes himself just as much. Charles has already proven that its never too late to decide that success is the reward of effort given, something that we should all realize. Love your body and treat it well!

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