Refreshing

by   July 25, 2020 with No Comments

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

Personal Delivery

by   July 19, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

My day felt as though it had lasted forever and had been filled with problems. I was exhausted — and a little discouraged. I collapsed onto the bed, although the sun was still shining and bedtime was hours away. My mind — and my heart — needed a break.

As I closed my eyes for a few seconds, my thoughts went to when I was a young girl who secretly searched the bathroom closet every night, looking to see if my alcoholic father had hidden his bottle there. My wish was that it would not be there, because I hated how he acted when it was.

As I began to get a little older, I realized I would not be inviting friends to my house — for I had a secret. I dragged that secret to school with me daily, and put it to bed with me at night.

The nights were the worst, when he would start yelling at my mom. The alcohol made him angry. I remember covering my head with my blanket, and trying to go to sleep. I was the child of an alcoholic — and I was scared.

My first night in my college dorm, when I realized that I could sleep peacefully, without being awakened by fear and worry, I determined to become better because of it — and not bitter from it.

Realizing my thoughts of the past were keeping me from the break — and potential nap — I was trying to take in the present, I reached for the comforter at the foot of my bed. As I pulled it up over me, these words from John 14:18 spoke loudly to my heart, “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.”

God is our comforter — and we are not left comfortless. What beautiful words. But on this day, the last part of the verse is what pierced my heart, “I will come to you.”

The comforter would come to me. Yes, he came to me on this ‘not-so-good’ problem filled day.

And over half a century earlier, the comforter came to me when I was a little girl, trying to go to sleep with a blanket over my head. Even before I knew him, he knew me. He sent blankets of comfort, soothed my fears, and gave me rest.

Looking back on my life, these words from Aiden Wilson Tozer ring true, “I don’t want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.” That is exactly what I believe happened in my life — and probably in yours.

He is the God who will not leave us comfortless.

And he will deliver that comfort to us personally.

Things Creep In

by   July 18, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I recently wrote about a lightning strike at my neighbor’s house which had some affects at our house. What I didn’t know immediately was that my garage door opener was affected by that strike, too. The control board got fried and I had to buy a new garage door opener. Buying one and installing one are two different things. I needed help installing it.

            I called my brother and he agreed to come and help me. Basically, that means he did most of the work. I handed him tools and the parts so he could put it together and install it. We had fun doing the work and spending time together.

            He brought his chainsaw with him, and after we got the garage door installed, we decided to do some cutting. When the big tree fell a while back, it damaged some other trees that needed to come down. So he helped cut them down and get them into manageable pieces for me.

            While he was here, he pointed out that many little trees had grown up along the property line. I really hadn’t noticed because I see them every day and hadn’t picked up on the changes. There were some trees that were touching my house and others were leaning towards my house.

            He pointed out that the leaning trees would never really grow right because they would always be reaching for the sun and leaning towards my house. In fact, he said that if we got a good wind storm they might fall onto my house. We took a few of those trees down before he left but he warned me that more trees needed to come down to protect my home.

            I walked along the property line the other day and took note of how many trees have been growing my way. The grass has always been thin on the side of my house, but I now have no grass over there because of the trees. The more I look, the more I realize that the woods have been creeping over on me.

            When I stop and think about it, I never realized how the woods were creeping over into my yard. It is a slow process and if you aren’t watching, they will take over. I remember cleaning up one area several years ago so I could see into the woods really nicely. I looked over there the other day and I can’t see into the woods at all. When did that happen?

            All this got me to thinking about how things can creep into our lives. I am at the age where I can add a few pounds of weight easily without even noticing. Bad habits can start as something small and insignificant and before you know it they have taken over. A sin can slip under the radar and it might be so insignificant that we even forget to repent for it. But that sin is like a seed. Once it gets planted in our mind, attitudes, and actions, then it can take over. That simple, unnoticeable sin and turn into a habit.

            Negative attitudes and thoughts can easily slip into our minds. If we don’t deal with them quickly, they will take root and become more difficult to fix. Bitterness, anger, and un-forgiveness can grow into huge trees if they aren’t dealt with when the problem is small. The Bible tells us to bring all our struggles and sins to Jesus quickly because He knows how to handle them. He wants to help us eliminate the saplings before they become trees.

            I have to admit I can become lazy and not notice an attitude or thought as it slips in. I have even excused things that I needed to repent from. The Bible talks about those sins that so easily entangle. We all know our own areas of weakness. Jesus promises that if we give our weaknesses to Him, He will grow strong in those areas. Do you know what that tells me? I can’t do it alone. I need to call for help and let the Master, who knows what He is doing, fix it.

            I want to encourage you to look around in your life. Do you see areas where some little saplings have grown to become trees? I know a great tree man. He is a carpenter, but He is a Master at cleaning up messes. He doesn’t care how it got there; He just wants to help you clean it up. He loves you and He loves doing the work. Life is cleaner, freer and better when we let the Master do His job.            

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

Be Wise

by   July 14, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

There were four of them — lined up perfectly. They were big. Really big. Each carried an oval shaped seed that almost covered their entire bodies. Their load had to be far beyond the capacity they could safely bear.

They never stopped.

I felt exhausted just watching them work.

There are 10,000,000,000,000,000 of them in the world.

Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider her ways and be wise.”

Go. Consider. Be wise. A simple concept.

But that load — it seemed so heavy for them. I wanted to reach down, take the seed off the back of the one was struggling, and take it to his anthill for him.

*Go to the ant, you sluggard. This means sluggards should find some ants to observe. A sluggard may be lazy, lack drive, irresponsible, sluggish, have no vision, make excuses, or take the easy way out.

Just to be clear, one who may have been sitting on the porch, rocking in a rocking chair, drinking a glass of tea, and watching ants at work, would not be considered a sluggard.

• Consider its ways. To consider means to think carefully about. So, I began to think carefully about the ants I was watching.

• And be wise. Solomon — who was a wise man — wrote these words. It means if we think carefully about the ways of the ant, we will be wise — and not sluggards.

Proverbs 6:7-8 says, “She has no guide, no overseer, or ruler. She provides her meat in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.”

I like this teaching strategy used by Solomon — for he says to consider the ways of the ant, and then goes on to tell what those ways are. I think he was specific because he knew those reading his words may be sluggish in their ant observation.

• It has no guide. The word “guide” can mean the one who shows the way or one who is the commander. There is no ant with that role. They all work together. If the load of one gets too heavy, they unite to assist.

• It has no overseer. An overseer is the taskmaster — one who supervises or checks to see if the others are working. Ants independently work, but are guided instinctively to add to the common good.

• It has no ruler. A ruler is one who has dominion over another. Ant colonies are thought of as a single organism, and the individual ants are limbs of it.

• Yet, it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

They find ways to meet their needs and make preparation for the future.

The ant? Really?

Inspirational for us?

Their abilities and actions are exemplary.

Such a tiny insect with a great lesson.

God’s ways never cease to amaze me.

Admit it. Ants are impressive.

How much more should we be?

God’s word speaks — every time.

If — we can be still long enough to hear it.

Try some porch sitting. It worked for me.

I will leave you with a few questions to ponder:

Why was the baby ant confused? His uncles were ants.

What is the biggest ant? The eleph-ant.

If ants are so busy, how do they find time to go to picnics?

Sibling Rivalry

by   July 13, 2020 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Noah Julian is the reigning Rowan Country high school runner of the year. This fall, as a senior, he welcomes his brother, freshman Eli, to the South Rowan team. Noah knows that Eli can really run and is catching up in stature.

Noah, 6 feet and 140 pounds, said, “Eli and I are usually very competitive in pretty much everything, including backyard basketball, video games or just being right when asked a question. I have started to pull away in races more than when we were younger so I am not worried about him as much. It’s exciting to be on the same team this year with high expectations throughout. My motivation comes from beating a county rival or conference competitor/teams and just getting my times lower to get a college scholarship.”

Younger brother Eli, at 5 ft. 4 inches and 100 pounds, said, “I am a very competitive runner, and excited to be able to run with Noah this year. But most of my motivation will come from the competition on the other teams. Noah’s times will be lower than mine this year so I will just be trying keep him in my sights.”

Both boys’ training currently consists of building distance miles and strength exercises. They will start more speed training as the fall season gets closer. Other interests include swimming, video games, watching TV and staying on top of current events.

Individual and team goals are on their minds. Noah wants a similar year as 2019 when he won the county and conference and placed high in regional and state competition. Noah wants to beat 16 minutes and Eli wants to beat 17 on a 5K course. Eli wants to chase Noah into the conference, regional and state meets.

Noah said, “I’m very excited about our team now, with three seniors, two sophomores and four freshmen, one being Eli. We just need everybody to stay healthy.”

South’s boys are coached by Scott Julian, Noah and Eli’s dad. Their mom, Rebekah, heads the girls’ team. Both parents know their stuff. Noah said, “Being coached by my parents has its pros and cons. The pros are that I am very close to the coaches and they sometimes will ask my opinion on workouts. They also stay after me about working hard and not slacking off when it comes to my strength work. The main con is they push me more if I have a bad workout or race when we get home away from the team. They expect a lot from me as a team leader and their oldest son who they want to see succeed. I love them both a lot though, aware they know what is best for me and they have made me the runner I am today.”

Eli added, “Being coached by my parents is pretty much normal for me. They coached me through middle school cross country because China Grove does not have a cross country team. They would give me the workouts, and then I would go do them on my own. It isn’t much different now because they still expect just as much out of me as they did before.”

Both boys have big running goals, with Noah more specific since he’s about to embark on choosing colleges. He said, “My goal after high school is to get a 4-year degree at a college where I can get a scholarship for running and a degree in aeronautical engineering or cyber security. I have looked into colleges like the Naval Academy, Clemson, USF, Lehigh, Virginia Tech, N.C. State and UNCC. I want to see how my cross country season plays out and then analyze my college pathway options closer, especially after losing my junior track season to the virus.”

Eli said, “I definitely hope to get a running scholarship to a school that interests me in some way. I don’t yet know what field I want, but I’ll know by my senior year.”

While those decisions are in the future, one thing that they do daily is run and run well. Both are great kids and part of Rowan’s premier running family. I suspect that they will end up pushing each other hard to even better results. It will be fun, just as high school cross country always is.

Currently, Salisbury’s Greenway 5K has rescheduled for Aug. 15. Check www.salisburyrowanrunners.org for the most current calendar and information.YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gardening

by   July 11, 2020 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Gardening

            We have been enjoying getting some delicious treats from our garden. We have enjoyed some green beans, squash, raspberries, and a few blueberries. The squirrels have been eating more blueberries than we have. We need a cold winter to get rid of a few of them. We are anxiously waiting for the tomatoes and corn to come in. We got some corn from a friend the other day and it was wonderful.

            The watermelons have begun to flower and the cucumbers had a late start. The butterbeans had to be replanted because a rabbit got into them. I am not sure I am going to get many, if any, potatoes this year because of all the heavy rain we had early in the season. The weeds are growing well. I will have to get out there and work on them soon. I am already plotting what I want to plant in order to get a fall harvest.

            It’s been a little dry lately, but the forecast is giving us better chances of getting some rain in the next couple of weeks. I am hoping we get some showers because we know that August tends to be hot and dry. Between the animals, rain, and weeds, gardening can be a challenging hobby, but it remains one that I really enjoy.

            One of the things that give us great joy from late May through mid-July are our daylilies. We have quite a collection with the desire to get more. It is amazing to me that God creates such beautiful flowers that only last for one day. Every day from mid-May through mid-July we go out to see what has bloomed.

We both take lots of pictures of the beautiful flowers God created for our enjoyment. I am so glad we live in a digital age where we can take lots of pictures and aren’t limited by the cost of film. Sometimes I secretly wonder if God walks through the daylily beds and enjoys seeing all the flowers too. I hope He does.

God is such a creative being He must take time to enjoy the beauty He makes. The other day a shower passed to our east and the sun hit the falling rain just right to create a beautiful rainbow. I came out of the grocery store a few weeks ago to a double rainbow. I sure hope God enjoyed seeing it as much as I did.

The last couple of weeks I have seen some stunning sunrise and sunset pictures on Facebook. All the dust from the Sahara has created some beautiful sights. I saw some thunderstorms go by over the last couple weeks and watched the lightning dance around in the clouds. I hope God enjoys these sights.

            Maybe I should wonder if we are enjoying His creation as much as He is. When you bite into a fresh, juicy peach and the juice runs down your chin, do you praise Him? When you smell the bacon frying, slice your garden-grown tomato, and make that delicious BLT, do you give Him thanks? When you smell and taste a fresh cucumber or take your first bite of cobbler that was made from fresh fruit, do you remember Him who gave it to you?

            When you see the flowers blooming around your home, does it cause you to remember the beauty of His grace? Have you ever stood in the shade under a big tree, enjoying a cool breeze off a thunderstorm on a warm summer day? Have ever enjoyed a slice of cold watermelon during the dog days of summer? Can you imagine Jesus sitting with you, laughing and enjoying it too?

            God has created a beautiful world that surrounds us. I am afraid people get so busy or wrapped up in what is going on in their lives that they fail to notice God’s beautiful creation. There are so many reminders around us of His goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and love. We are so distracted that we don’t take a moment to stop and thank Him, to express our appreciation for all He has done for us. He takes good care of us and deserves our thanks.

            I want to encourage you to stop for just a minute and look around. There are so many things surrounding you that God has blessed you with. Consider your home, your family, pets, flowers, vegetables, His provision… I hope I am giving you a good start. God really does look after us and gives us so much. In these trying times, we need to nurture a heart filled with gratitude. This is the day He has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

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

Land That I Love

by   July 7, 2020 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

“Fireworks! Fireworks!” she screamed, as I pulled up to the intersection. There it was — the source of her excitement — a seasonal fireworks store set up under a tent. My four-year-old granddaughter continued excitedly, with her arms flailing expressively around in the air, “We will have fireworks! They will go way up in the sky! There are lots of colors! They are loud, but they are so pretty! We can go on a picnic and play at the park and sing songs and wave the flag around! I’m so ‘cited!”

I have to admit that the fireworks store looked pretty festive, although without her in the car, my not-so-rosy perspective would probably have been that the store could be creating traffic problems at that intersection for the next week.

The 4th of July has been low on my list of holidays in recent years. It sure has never stirred the emotion in me that I sensed in the voice of a four-year-old.

But, since she was so ‘cited, I thought that perhaps I should bolster my own personal joy pertaining to the event:

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted for independence. On July 4, 1776, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, as drafted by Thomas Jefferson.

John Adams wanted July 2 to be recognized as the holiday. He wrote a letter to his wife, Abigail, stating that in the future, July 2 will be celebrated by succeeding generations. He mentioned parades, games, bells, and illuminations.

The next year on July 4, 1777, there were fireworks in Philadelphia, along with a 13-gun salute in honor of the 13 colonies. The local newspaper stated that the city was beautifully illuminated.

And perhaps somewhere that day, a four-year-old described it this way, “They went way up in the sky! There were lots of colors! They were loud, but were so pretty!”

John? Were you ‘cited on that day? I think you were. I can tell from that beautiful description in the letter to Abigail. Also, you didn’t even want to wait until the 4th to celebrate, since you were in favor of celebrating on July 2. Freedom mattered to you, and to the others.

Thomas? Did you have any idea of the magnitude of that vote? Did you have any idea how fervently we would feel that freedom 244 years later? I believe he was thinking of us when he said this, “I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.”

Both John and Thomas died on July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

How about you, Betsy Ross? You made American flags for over 50 years. How did that feel? When you worked on the sewing of our flag, did you have any idea that centuries later, we would connect your name with our flag? I think you probably waved each flag around a few times, prior to handing it over the the new owner.

How about you, Liberty Bell? Ringing in at a weight of 2,080 pounds, and moving forward with a crack from when you were being tested. You did not ring on July 4, 1776, but rang four days later, on July 8, 1776, to celebrate the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Bearing these words from Leviticus 25:10, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” surely must bring tears to the eyes of some of the over one million a year who come to visit you.

Oh, John, Thomas, Betsy, and Liberty Bell — I cannot even imagine the patriotism and pride felt during this time in our history.

It is so special — that maybe our celebration of freedom should last from July 2-July 8!

Or even better — 365 days a year!

We have so much to do! Fireworks! Picnics! Play at the park! Sing songs! Wave the flag around! Parades! Games! Bells! Illuminations!

Are you ‘cited?

Enjoy!

May God bless America — land that we love.

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