Columns

I am not a good reader. I rarely accept recommendations for new books because I read so slowly. That is not to say that I don’t want to hear about your favorite book, I might want to give that author a try. I have a few favorite authors and have some books I would highly recommend. I love a good fictional story, especially one that is fast-paced and has a few twists.

My reading stays mainly in the Christian fiction, although I have strayed a few times with especially good authors or stories. I have also taken to listening to books while traveling. My wife has gotten me to listen to some authors I may never have considered, but whose stories I have thoroughly enjoyed. I have even listened to several popular fiction writers while driving back and forth to work. If the story is really engaging, I have stayed in the car listening long after I arrive home.

While I prefer fiction, I will read non-fiction. One friend encouraged me to read a gripping book about people who survived unimaginable situations. Naturally, I have read some devotional books through the years. There are a few popular non-fiction authors whose books I have enjoyed.

I am always on the lookout for a new book. I always try to find three or four books to read when school lets out. I normally can’t wait to dive into a good book once the kids have gone home for summer. We recently visited Barnes & Noble, where I thoroughly enjoy walking the aisles looking for something good to read. There was a book in the discount section that grabbed my attention. I picked it up several times because of its catchy title, “God Winks.”

I left the store without the book but couldn’t get the title out of my head. The next day I was looking around Amazon and found the book again. I read a little bit about it, but just couldn’t resist the title. I decided this might make some good lunchtime reading, and I was right. The book contains short stories about people who are going through rough moments, who receive a sign from heaven that God is with them. Some may want to write these moments off as coincidence, but the author strongly disagrees.

The author contends that God is watching over us, and when we are in a very difficult moment or struggling with a loss in our life, God will send us a reassurance from heaven that we are not alone. The stories are short, fun, and enjoyable, making for great lunchtime reading. I believe that God is actively involved in our lives, and have received many winks from heaven to let me know that He is right here beside me.

I have also had the high privilege and honor of being the one to give others an encouraging word from heaven. I believe God whispers a name in our spirit so we can pray for those who are struggling. I also believe He will encourage us to call or write a note to someone who is in the heat of the battle and needing to know they are not alone. A simple word from heaven can lift our burdens and give us the courage to carry on.

Life is not easy. Each of us has a story filled with difficult moments, ones that might cause us to want to give up. That’s when that encouraging word is critical to our survival. God knows how to stir people up to pray, call, or just happen by at just the right moment. We all need to know we are not alone, because the devil is working overtime trying to convince us we are.

I believe God wants to use you to encourage others. There is someone you know who needs you. They are struggling and God is putting them on your heart. He wants to use you to give them hope. Hope is one of God’s most powerful weapons, that can help us overcome insurmountable odds. Faith, hope, and love can sustain a weary spirit through the most difficult times.

I want to encourage you to take action on being an encourager for God. If you are willing, God will open doors that you never imagined. You might be surprised who might need that little boost from you today. The simple acknowledgement that you are standing with someone may be all they need to get back up and fight. We all fight seemingly overwhelming battles; you might be just the one to help someone be the overcomer they were meant to be.

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

Has it only been a week since I last wrote a column? It seems like more than a month. It has been a crazy week. We were back to school today after being off for a few days because of the hurricane. I asked my students, “How many of you lost power?” It was about a third that lost power for at least a few hours, with one student who had not received power back before she came to school.

We lost power on Thursday afternoon. When darkness settled in on Thursday evening it became apparent that the power would not be returning. We had lanterns and flashlights and we cooked supper using the gas grill. We were pioneering it.

When Thursday turned into Friday and the prospect of power seemed out of reach, pioneering began to lose its appeal. I cleaned out the refrigerator on Friday before the trash men came. We were still hopeful that power would be restored before the freezer thawed. That did not happen, so we cleaned the freezer out on Saturday. Pioneering had completely lost its appeal.

Throughout this process we remained thankful that our home had not been affected and that the weather was nice and comfortable. We were thankful for each other and we were thankful for our many blessings. On both Thursday and Friday night I went outside and could not believe how many beautiful stars I could see.

I have great neighbors. We were all checking on each other. While we had some trees down in our neighborhood, thankfully, none of my neighbors had any storm damage other than struggling through the loss of power. We are thankful for each other. We were happy when the power came back on Saturday evening.

We cleaned up all the pioneering stuff, started some laundry, and rejoiced again each time we flipped a switch and the lights worked. With the power back on, it was time to start getting things back to normal. The refrigerator looks nice, clean, and spacious.

Once the power was on and the cleanup was well underway, I slowed down and took a few minutes to catch up with the internet. Looking at things on your phone is just not the same as the computer screen. I watched several videos about the destruction left behind by Hurricane Michael. My heart broke for so many people who are suffering from the powerful destruction left behind by the storm. The storm affected people from Florida to Virginia.

When I finished watching the videos, I asked God to comfort those who were suffering. I asked Him to activate His church to reach out to those who need help. I asked God to let His love flow through His people and to bring healing.

I thought about the news reports where people kept saying that they were praying to God for help. They were thankful to be alive and for His protection through the storm. They were thankful to be safely on the other side.

When the storms of life are wailing it’s hard to be thankful. When our health is failing, finances are drying up, the enemy has stolen from us, we have been wronged, and when doubt, fear, and discouragement have camped out in our minds, it can be difficult to thank God. Where is the justice? Where is the reward for serving God? We must quiet our minds and turn our hearts toward our Daddy in heaven. We must thank Him for never leaving us. We must thank Him for the courage and strength to face our circumstances. We must thank and praise Him for all that is good and right in our lives. I know it is hard, but we serve a good and loving Heavenly Father who WILL come through for us.

I know many friends who are facing overwhelming circumstances. I know God will help them. If you find yourself in the storm, then I want to encourage you to take your eyes off your situation and look to your loving Heavenly Father. Focus on Him. Then start to thank Him for all the good things in your life. Praise Him for who He is. If you can, worship Him. You will discover what you may have temporarily forgotten, that He is closer than you thought. He is with you. He will see you through the storm that you are facing. I am praying for you right now, trusting and believing that God will reveal Himself to you, and that He will help you find His peace in the midst of your storm.

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

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