Need Comfort?

by   October 27, 2019 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

*In the darkness of the night, the baby cries. You walk in the nursery and whisper, “Shh…it’s okay.” You give them a gentle pat of encouragement. Comfort comes.

*The doorbell rings. It’s a friend – with a meal and a hug. They knew you were hurting. Comfort comes.

*A co-worker stops you at work. They know you are embroiled in a daunting storm in your life. They pray with you. They offer help. Comfort comes.

*You are not even sure if you sat down at all today. You work as hard as you can, feel overwhelmed, and get weary. But then, someone speaks kind words of affirmation into your life. Comfort comes.

*As you begin to wake up, you know you will still be facing the huge battle in your life that you faced the day before. Fear momentarily fills your heart. You open your Bible and your eyes land on a verse that seems to be there just for you. Comfort comes.

*Why is the world still going on while you are grieving? Hopelessness overtakes you. But, through the prayers of others – even when you are too disheartened to pray for yourself – one day the sun begins to shine again. Comfort comes.

*A loved one is on their deathbed. It seems as if they are waiting on something – or someone – before they slip away into eternity. That visitor arrives to say good-bye. Comfort comes.

Each of these circumstances have happened in my life – and some of them have probably happened in yours, as well.

To comfort means to strengthen in spirit and body, to encourage, to console, to support, to refresh, or to free from distress.

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our advocate, our helper:

*John 14:16 – I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.

*John 14:18 – I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you.

Not only does the Holy Spirit comfort us, but we are to comfort others:

*Isaiah 40:1 – Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

2 Corinthians 1:4 – God, who comforts us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort that we ourselves are comforted of God.

Does the comfort brought by others take away our times of adversity? No.
Does the comfort brought by others ease our adversity? Yes.
And… it can give us renewed strength to do what we need to do.

*And…as our day draws to a close, we slip into bed, pull the comforter up over us and wrap ourselves in it, allowing our bodies, minds, and spirits to rest.

And…the real Comforter covers us – and comforts us – that blanket of protection over our lives, reminding us to rest in Him.
He was with us today and He will be with us tomorrow.

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

Creative Trek

by   October 26, 2019 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            We took our annual trip to Asheville last week. I wasn’t expecting to see any fall colors, but we did see some up in the highest mountains. There were just a few trees up close that had color. I noticed up there what I was noticing around here, many trees are losing their leaves without changing color at all. I think that is a result of all the dry weather.

            We picked a beautiful sunny day and I still enjoyed seeing the mountains. I can understand why so many people want to live in Asheville. It is so beautiful… fall colors or not.

            Our trip to Asheville was to attend the annual Southern Highland’s Craft Guild show. This is not your grandma’s craft show; these artisans are juried members of the guild who create fine crafts. We both like to walk through the show and see all the beautiful creations.

            My wife is drawn to the jewelry and specifically to one designer who uses glass beads. Her creations, including necklaces and earrings, are all unique. She has been doing her craft for many years. While my wife looks at all her beautiful creations, I enjoy talking to the artist. I like to talk with her about the marketing of her products (surprise, since I taught marketing for 34 years.)

            I like the pottery and the woodworking. The woodworking reminds me of my friend from Sparta, whose work sits around me here at my computer. I can’t say that I like one piece better than another because each one is unique. I will admit that I am partial to the one we made together. He taught me how to use the lathe and we worked on a bowl one day when I was up in his shop. He finished the bowl after I went home and then mailed it to me with a note that says, “Sometimes the value of an object can be determined by its uniqueness.” He signed both our names and it has been on my desk for ten years.

            I also like to look at the pottery. My favorite potter no longer displays at this show. I have a number of her pieces and I miss seeing her each year. I have several of her large mugs and drink my tea from one of them each week. So I decided that I would try to find another artist whose work spoke to me this year.

            I found one who had something unique, but it was only coffee-mug size. I looked at his work several times while I was there but decided not to buy. I found another artist who had a very tall mug. I asked if they were for drinking and she said yes, holding up hers. She said she was an iced tea drinker and liked a tall mug. She had two designs and both were in colors that I like. I held both in my hands for a while.

            The one that ultimately won had a vine with leaves growing along the side. It is totally unique and I don’t have anything like it. I told the potter that I look for something that speaks to me. She said she liked watching me as I connected with her art. I don’t believe in positive energy, but I do believe that being around creative people and their created things can spur one onto creativity. When artists exercise their creative gifts, they are allowing His creative Spirit to work in and through them.

            When God, our Creator, created each one of us, He made us unique. There is no one exactly like you out there in the world. When He made you, He endowed you with a unique combination of talents, skills, and abilities. Now He wants to see what you are going to do with what you have received. When you use these gifts from God, you reflect His creativity. I told the potter I bought the mug from that I couldn’t throw pottery like her. I don’t have the skills. I create with words. That’s how I reflect my Father’s creativity.

            I want to encourage you to explore the gifts God has placed in you. Some people are great with numbers, others with words, and still others using their hands to create things. Others have gifts to repair things, and still others the gift to manage people. God gave you special abilities; how are you using those gifts to honor Him? God is powerfully creative and when we exercise the gifts He gave us, we are being like our Father in Heaven.

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

Take it Back

by   October 20, 2019 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

It could have become a big problem. Two of my 6th grade students were on the playground pushing and shoving. As I approached them, they wrestled each other to the ground and appeared ready to throw a few punches. Students gathered around – to watch – and provoke – the fight. One bystander yelled out a reminder, “You can’t let him say that about you!”

As I pushed through the crowd to try to break it up, the boy that was on top began screaming, “TAKE IT BACK!”

The boy on the ground hesitated, gritted his teeth, pulled himself up on his knees, and then softly said, “I take it back.”

The words had been taken back. The fight was over.

They got up.They shook on it. They ran off to play.

Problem solved. All was well. Life was good again.

Can it be that simple? Can we really take our words back?

*Ecclesiastes 5:2 says for us to let our words be few.

*Ephesians 4:29 says that we should use our communication to build others up.

*Proverbs 21:23 advises us to guard our tongues to keep ourselves from calamity.

And…calamity means causing great – and often sudden – damage, distress, or disaster.

That seems to indicate that perhaps the old adage, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me,’ may not hold true. Words can hurt – a lot.

The two 12 year olds had not wanted to fight – and they were miserable doing so.

They actually were great friends – and had put their friendship in jeopardy – because of words. Words had gotten in the way. And as we all know, friendship is more than just words.

The boy on the bottom, groveling in the dirt – was eating his words for sure. He wanted to take them back – so he did.

The boy on top had initiated the pathway for ‘taking it back’ to happen.

His friend took the words back – and all was forgiven – and forgotten.

(Well, maybe not forgotten, since I remembered it 30 years later.)

So, how can we take it back?

*Decide what we need to take back.

*Decide how to take it back.

*Then – TAKE IT BACK!

*No, I would not recommend the fight – but I would recommend the friendship.

*Ready? Set? Take it back!

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

Prayers

by   October 19, 2019 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I love to pray and talk to my Father. Sometimes, it is a little more talking to Him, and if you know me, you know I like to talk. Sometimes it is listening. There is so much God wants to tell me, I have to learn to be quiet and listen. His love is so profound that I really don’t think we grasp how deeply He loves us. I love spending time with Him.

            I have a number of friends who are going through some big things in their lives. There are six specific friends who are getting prayed for multiple times a day. I think of them often and when I do, I lift them up in prayer. We don’t always know the power of our prayers or how they are impacting the individual on our hearts. I believe they make a huge difference, and for some people it is what gives them to strength to carry on.

            I think about when I have asked for prayer, I know the impact prayer has on my life. The prayers reinforce areas that are weak in me. The prayers bring health and healing to my body, mind, and spirit. The prayers and support help me to get up, brush myself off, and to begin walking again. We all fall down and we need each other to get back up.

            When I receive prayer I feel the power to persevere rise within me. Think about it, the enemy’s job is to accuse, hinder, and destroy our faith. When the battle is raging around us, we need our brothers and sisters to join our battle, strengthen our faith, and help us win the victory. The enemy doesn’t fight fair. He attacks when we are weak. He throws doubt, discouragement, fear, condemnation, or whatever he can find at us.

            Each Sunday I begin our worship service at church with a scripture. This past Sunday it came from Isaiah 43. It says in verse one, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!” Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit all know each one of us by our name. We are His! I know God watches over His people. He wants to help us win our battle. In fact, He will send us the resources of heaven to help us in our fight.

            Recently, I asked God to help me look over my life. What did He want to work on? One day I discovered Him digging around one of the foundational truths of the faith. “What are you looking there for?” I asked. He kept digging and exposing the area. I did some reading, praying, and even developed a statement of faith about this area. I read the statement daily for a period of time. Each day I felt the impact that simple statement was making in my life.

            BOOM! The attack came. That’s right, Jesus exposed this foundational area and the enemy made a full frontal attack on me. How could this foundational area be weak? I have loved and walked with the Lord for a long time. Back to reading the statement and more prayer. Meanwhile Jesus found the cracked bricks in my foundation and began to remove them. We had created better bricks and we were now in the process of putting them in place. Jesus stepped back, examined His work and then showed me the new and improved foundation.

            I am not sure the concrete is set yet so I think I might keep reading my statement. I have thanked the Lord for His work, but I asked Him why He did it. I read a little farther in Isaiah 43 and saw this, “Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you…” Imagine that, I am precious in the creator of the universe’s sight. When I walk into His presence, He honors me! He loves me. The God of all creation loves ME! He loves YOU, too! God wanted to fix something so it would NEVER again become an issue between us.

            I want to encourage you to be brave enough to ask God to look into your life and ask Him if there is anything that needs work. I had no idea this area needed work. I imagine this is going to open the door for further inspection of other areas of my life. That’s a good thing, right? The goal is to grow closer to God, to become mature in our faith. Growth and maturity are going to require work. I have a heart for God and want all He has for me, even if that means working on a simple foundational truth that needed repair.

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

Decadent Cheesecake Recipe

by   October 15, 2019 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

My kids seldom ask for anything. It’s true. Our three grown daughters with children of their own seem very content with the life they live. It’s hard to get them to share a Christmas list. So they end up getting bedroom shoes or something exciting like that. Our middle daughter Amanda is much like me in that she cannot eat whatever she wants all willy-nilly. Both of us are fearfully and wonderfully made; actually more fearful than wonderful. So when she had a special request for her birthday I determined to grant her wish.

I had no idea she’d request a gluten-free cheesecake. She could compromise on the dairy and the sugar since it would be her birthday dessert. But what could I do for the crust? Besides, I’ve never made a good cheesecake in my life. My first attempt was lovingly dubbed the Chainsaw Cheesecake. It was not delicious. But it was memorable.

A later attempt was made when my sister Tamra gave me her recipe. It came out beautiful… until I removed the spring form pan. That thing ran right down the side of the counter into a puddle on the floor. I think I may have shed a few tears. The details are a bit fuzzy. It was not delightful.

This time David and I put our heads together and gave it another shot. For the crust we used toasted pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Then using recipes from my sister and my niece Sara we gleaned enough to try again.

It turned out perfect!

However! Here are a few tricks that seemed to make a difference between this cheesecake and the others.

  • First, set your cream cheese out early so it’ll come to room temperature
  • Next spray or grease your spring form pan way more than you think you need to
  • Bake the crust at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then COOL the pan for about 20 minutes
  • Pour a little of the cheesecake batter onto the crust; smooth with a spatula then slowly add the rest; this helps the crust stay in place
  • Tent the top of the pan with foil but don’t seal; this keeps the top from browning too much
  • Add a pan of water [about one inch] on the rack below the cheesecake to prevent cracking
  • Don’t open the oven while baking
  • Leave in the oven overnight
  • Chill the cheesecake before serving
  • Pray

What? You mean you’ve never prayed over a dessert before? Me neither! Maybe that’s why this one finally turned out. Here’s the recipe. You’re also going to want to top this with homemade caramel sauce.

And we wonder why we waddle.

Crust:

Toast about 2 cups of pecans in a little butter in a skillet; salt very lightly; chop then add to bottom of greased 8 inch spring form pan; Top with semi-sweet morsels; bake at 400 for 10 minutes; cool 20

Cheesecake:               Preheat oven to 400; reduce to 300 when cheesecake is put into oven

Cream together:

  • 3 blocks of cream cheese
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 5 eggs [one at a time]

Smooth batter over cooled crust; bake one hour; turn oven off but don’t open; let cheesecake rest in oven overnight

Okay, so I peeked at it a few hours later once the oven had cooled. But I didn’t move it… honest.

Caramel sauce: [From the Pioneer Woman]

In a saucepan on medium heat melt and stir together

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • ½ cup cream or half and half
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Stir until smooth; cook 2 minutes after it starts to bubble; whisk until smooth; cool before tasting or you will scorch the roof of your mouth; don’t ask me how I know.

David also made homemade whipped topping from heavy whipping cream… because obviously this dessert needed more yumminess. It was a little bit decadent.

May your dessert turn out lovely! May your birthday wishes come true! And may you never have to cut your cheesecake with a chainsaw.

Believe You Can

by   October 14, 2019 with No Comments

By David Freeze

  I teach regular classes in wellness, both for groups and individuals. One thing that I enjoy doing most is a group class for those who aspire to be runners. These classes are taught several times a year and the series always lasts eight weeks. We have a classroom session one night a week and follow that with a run. The classroom sessions are enjoyable and cover topics like nutrition, stretching and strengthening, form, injury prevention and safety. The runs increase in distance each week from a half mile to 3.1 miles on the last evening. Class members run three other nights a week on their own.

   Last spring, I got an email from a lady named Robin who asked about the next class. Robin said, “I need to lose weight and get in shape!” I told her that we had one in progress with three weeks to go but wouldn’t have another until early September. I did invite Robin to come join us free of charge for the last three weeks and then retake the class in September.

    It isn’t unusual to get these calls, and about a third of those who call don’t show up. In my current class, another woman contacted me three times about the class, two of those with excuses for missing the first two meetings. She never showed up.

     Back to Robin, she did show up back during the spring and mixed in a lot of walk/running while the others who were much fitter by that time finished well ahead of her. But the truth was that Robin had stepped way out of her comfort zone to start this process. Always pleasant and encouraging to the others, Robin had only to decide whether she would come back in the fall to do it all the right way.

     With the start of the new class, we were mired in the late summer heat wave that lingered for weeks and just recently broke. Heat is the hardest thing on new runners and many of the experienced ones too. Robin had seemed sincere, but I gave her only a 50/50 chance of showing up again and sticking out the eight weeks.

      Today is October 13th, and with a bump in the road, Robin is about to complete her seventh week in the class. Last week, she completed 2 ½ miles of running without stopping. This week, she will do it again and next week, Robin will complete her first 5K (3.1 miles). I have no doubt she will finish the class because everyone who makes it this far does.

     That speed bump threatened to end her effort. Things were fine after week one. At the start of week two, Robin took off running way too fast on her one mile run. She faded fast and struggled to finish. Week three, she wanted to quit. Robin sent me a message and said she wasn’t coming. Her therapist said running was causing her too much anxiety.

    I disagreed and told her so. She needed regular exercise for many reasons. The anxiety would go away and her confidence would build after each new distance conquered. Robin agreed to resume her effort. She came back ready to work, believing her goal of 3.1 miles was just ahead.

    Just last week, on a beautiful night in downtown Salisbury, Robin cruised through 2 ½ miles. She’ll do it again this week and then complete her first 5K on Thursday, October 24th.

    My point is that we all have to believe in ourselves. Believe and go for what we want to achieve. Great things are done by people who believe they will!

Who’s Your Pastor?

by   October 13, 2019 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

Jeremiah 3:15 says, “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

Sometimes, I literally shake my head in amazement at how God sent just the right pastors into my life at exactly the right time – and in the right season of my life.

It could only have been perfectly orchestrated by God, because as each pastor was sowing into my life in one way, they were surely also sowing into the lives of others in the church in completely different ways at the exact same time.

Who’s my pastor?

Pastor Victor Trivette – taught me when I was 13 years old about being saved by grace. I accepted Christ and was baptized. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Garland Faw – taught me what living a life for Christ looked like – Believing. Praying. Worshiping. Submitting to God. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Terry Brown – taught me about serving with my heart, letting the Spirit lead, and stretching myself beyond what I thought were my capabilities, as I grew in love for Christ. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Chad Miller – taught me to thirst and hunger after God, to spend more time in God’s Word, and to look to Jesus completely. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Beaver Hammond – taught me that when God leads, I need to say YES. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Marty Payton – taught me the importance of missions outside the church, and about discipling others. It was exactly what I needed.

Pastor Brian Rabon – leads by example – which makes it easy to desire to go to a deeper spiritual place in my life. He is seemingly tireless as he reaches out to those in need, prays, preaches, teaches, serves, mentors, and disciples, in an authentic, loving, and encouraging way. It is exactly what I need.

To my pastors:

Thank you.

As 1 Thessalonians 5:13 says – I esteem you highly.

As 1 Timothy 5:17 says – I give you double honor.

Thank you for feeding me with knowledge and understanding.

Thank you for giving to the Lord – I am a life that was changed.

Who’s your pastor? How has their leadership impacted you? Be sure to let them know – October is Pastor Appreciation Month.

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

Prayers

by   October 12, 2019 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I love to pray and talk to my Father. Sometimes, it is a little more talking to Him, and if you know me, you know I like to talk. Sometimes it is listening. There is so much God wants to tell me, I have to learn to be quiet and listen. His love is so profound that I really don’t think we grasp how deeply He loves us. I love spending time with Him.

            I have a number of friends who are going through some big things in their lives. There are six specific friends who are getting prayed for multiple times a day. I think of them often and when I do, I lift them up in prayer. We don’t always know the power of our prayers or how they are impacting the individual on our hearts. I believe they make a huge difference, and for some people it is what gives them to strength to carry on.

            I think about when I have asked for prayer, I know the impact prayer has on my life. The prayers reinforce areas that are weak in me. The prayers bring health and healing to my body, mind, and spirit. The prayers and support help me to get up, brush myself off, and to begin walking again. We all fall down and we need each other to get back up.

            When I receive prayer I feel the power to persevere rise within me. Think about it, the enemy’s job is to accuse, hinder, and destroy our faith. When the battle is raging around us, we need our brothers and sisters to join our battle, strengthen our faith, and help us win the victory. The enemy doesn’t fight fair. He attacks when we are weak. He throws doubt, discouragement, fear, condemnation, or whatever he can find at us.

            Each Sunday I begin our worship service at church with a scripture. This past Sunday it came from Isaiah 43. It says in verse one, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!” Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit all know each one of us by our name. We are His! I know God watches over His people. He wants to help us win our battle. In fact, He will send us the resources of heaven to help us in our fight.

            Recently, I asked God to help me look over my life. What did He want to work on? One day I discovered Him digging around one of the foundational truths of the faith. “What are you looking there for?” I asked. He kept digging and exposing the area. I did some reading, praying, and even developed a statement of faith about this area. I read the statement daily for a period of time. Each day I felt the impact that simple statement was making in my life.

            BOOM! The attack came. That’s right, Jesus exposed this foundational area and the enemy made a full frontal attack on me. How could this foundational area be weak? I have loved and walked with the Lord for a long time. Back to reading the statement and more prayer. Meanwhile Jesus found the cracked bricks in my foundation and began to remove them. We had created better bricks and we were now in the process of putting them in place. Jesus stepped back, examined His work and then showed me the new and improved foundation.

            I am not sure the concrete is set yet so I think I might keep reading my statement. I have thanked the Lord for His work, but I asked Him why He did it. I read a little farther in Isaiah 43 and saw this, “Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you…” Imagine that, I am precious in the creator of the universe’s sight. When I walk into His presence, He honors me! He loves me. The God of all creation loves ME! He loves YOU, too! God wanted to fix something so it would NEVER again become an issue between us.

            I want to encourage you to be brave enough to ask God to look into your life and ask Him if there is anything that needs work. I had no idea this area needed work. I imagine this is going to open the door for further inspection of other areas of my life. That’s a good thing, right? The goal is to grow closer to God, to become mature in our faith. Growth and maturity are going to require work. I have a heart for God and want all He has for me, even if that means working on a simple foundational truth that needed repair.

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

Falling Down Drunk

by   October 8, 2019 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Have you ever been so embarrassed that you wanted to crawl under a table and hide? Like the time when I was a young mother and my skirt fell off at homecoming. We’re talking church gym full of covered dishes and gloriously sanctified saints. This was in the eighties so picture a cute little yellow wrap around number that tied on the side. My darling middle child, who was about five at the time, poked a hole in the bottom of her Styrofoam cup with her pointy little finger. Red punch poured freely onto those nearby while she examined her homemade fountain with wonder. Being a young nimble woman, I jumped into action. Unbeknownst to me the knotted end of my skirt tie was caught in the foldy part of the metal chair where I was perched. In one fell swoop my skirt was left behind as I bounded toward the buffet line for napkins. Praise God for petticoats.

Fast forward to 2019.

We’ve been dealing with a health issue for quite a while. I say “we” because David, my better half for 45 years has journeyed with me through all kinds of treatments. A few weeks ago the pain increased to the point that we decided to consult our family physician. I’ve been through so many tests and “cures” down through the years, that frankly even though I love my new doctor and have the utmost respect for her, I’ve never actually talked with her about this mystery. I decided it was time.

Together we chose a medication that might relieve some of the pain. By the second week in, I could barely toddle without help. Thank the good Lord I haven’t had to be in a hurry to fetch napkins. Annyyywayyy…

At my urging, David took me to a baby shower. Since I really wanted to see our nieces and nephews and all the new babies they’re having, I assured him I’d be fine. We parked close to the door but as he helped me inside, the August heat hit full force. I stumbled and could not tell which way was up. I’ve never been so drunk in all my life. Suddenly I felt very old and feeble. It was even more embarrassing than losing my skirt at church. Later one of my sweet nieces asked if I’d like to hold her baby. I shook my head no then mumbled something about being on drugs. Seems like I laughed quite a bit longer than I should have. Thankfully though, I still had all my clothes on.

When we left, David led me to the car. I stumbled again and hung onto him for dear life. Bless his sweet heart. Like the gentleman he is, he took the drunk girl home. I settled into my recliner and had a good cry. A short while later his sister Gail sent him a text to check on me. Her kindness reminded me of several things.

We all go through embarrassment. Some events are still funny forty years later while others are too fresh to laugh at just yet. AND the people who love us are going to love us no matter what. So since I’m not quite ready to laugh at my current embarrassment, here are two quotes found on Facebook lately that relate.

One: “I can talk an awful lot of smack for someone who tips over when putting on their underwear. Two: “People who are chronically ill are not pretending to be sick. They are pretending to be well.”

By the way, I called a nurse to ask for advice. She was very kind and suggested three things.

One: Stay cool. Two: Move slowly. Three: Call her back if I pass out.

First of all, this is the August from Sheol if I’m not mistaken. Second, I can’t move any slower. I’m already in sloth mode. Third, if I pass out, surely someone else will call 911.

Update:

One month later it’s still hot. But thankfully I was weaned off the extra meds and got the bulk of my balance back. So if you were one of the many people who gave me grace during the questionable times, I love you. And someday if you find yourself staggering, I promise to give you the benefit of the doubt.

It’s just no fun falling down drunk without a party.

Traveling Back

by   October 5, 2019 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            My wife and I decided to take a trip back to our Alma Mater, James Madison University in Virginia. We had a nice drive up. Our intention was to visit a very dear friend and my niece, who is now a freshman at JMU.

            Our dear friend is living in a retirement community, which offers an apartment for visitors. It was a beautiful place and we were blessed to enjoy staying close to our friend. She gave us a royal welcome and treated us like family. While we talk on the phone and exchange cards, we haven’t seen each other for many years.

            We took a wonderful tour down memory lane. We saw the dorms where my wife stayed when she was at JMU. Then we drove by the places I stayed off campus. We shared stories about our first date and places we liked to go. The campus has more than doubled in size since we left.

            We drove by the home where my friend lived when I stayed with her and her husband for a semester. Then she took us by another home they lived in later, and her daughter’s home. Finally, we drove out to where her husband has been laid to rest. It is such a beautiful location.

            We shared several meals, old memories, and lots of laughs. The weather was perfect and the time flew by. Now we can picture where she lives and reflect on our wonderful time together.

            My niece is just beginning her college experience. I am so proud of her. I met her for coffee and we shared lots of stories. She told me about her classes, what life is like living on campus, and a lot about how things have changed since I attended JMU. She told me about organizations she is joining and budding new friendships. I am so excited for her next four years and told her to enjoy every moment. She is going to do great!

            We had such a great trip that we talked about making it an annual tradition. Both my niece and my dear friend would welcome us warmly and there are still some things we would like to rediscover.

            It’s good to reflect on good times and examine the foundations in our lives. My wife and I were blessed to get good educations that led to good jobs. But I believe it is important to examine our spiritual foundations and look at how we have grown in the Lord.

            We both grew up going to church and knowing the Bible stories. We learned to believe and trust in the Lord at an early age. Life has a way of testing faith. There are always challenges that seem bigger than life that we all face. The question in those moments is will we turn to God or will we run from Him?

            The truth is that there is no challenge in our lives that God can’t help us through. It may look impossible, but we serve the God of the impossible. If may look dark, but He is the light of the world. It may seem frightening, but He is the God who promises never to leave or forsake us.

            When life challenges you, look back at the past. Look back on all the other times that God has come through for you. He didn’t fail you in the past; He will not fail you now. Our lives are full of stories of God’s faithfulness to us. When we reflect on previous trials, we will remember how He came through for us. Those testimonies to His goodness can comfort and guide us through the storms of today.

            God is good, loving, and kind. He sees the best in you and believes that you will make it through to the other side of whatever challenge you face. The God of heaven is rooting for you. He has sent His angels to guard and protect you on your journey. He knows you will stumble and make bad choices along the way, but when you turn back to Him you can be sure He will be there for you. He is there for you. Your past proves it.

            I want to encourage you to reflect back on your life. Look for God’s hand as He guided you along life’s way. Look for the provision He gave you. Look at the friends He sent at just the right moment for you. He is and always has been there for you. Let your faith rest on the rock of your past experiences with God. I believe He has good things for us in the future.

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

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