Regular Maintenance

by   September 28, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I had a great-uncle who was a lot of fun when I was growing up. He was always playing pranks on us kids. You never knew what he might do. I think that is where I get the reputation as a prankster myself. I enjoy pulling pranks as long as no one is hurt and they get a good laugh out of what happens. He gave me lots of great memories.

            One good thing he taught me was the importance of maintaining cars. He said that you have to keep the oil changed in your cars. He said that you need to check all the fluids and make sure they do not get too low. It’s important to keep them running. He said that it’s not good for a car’s engine to sit for a long time without running.

            I was thinking about him recently when I kept putting off getting the oil changed. I could hear him giving me a hard time. I finally got the oil changed. My wife’s car doesn’t run very often now that she is retired. I can hear him telling me that I need to take it out on the road and run it to keep it in good shape. I had to jump it recently because I let it sit idle too long.

            I am trying to run it once a week so it will be ready when she needs it. I also need to get under the hood of both of our cars and check the fluids to see if any of them need to be topped off. I have checked both our cars’ tires to make sure they are inflated properly. My uncle was right, it is important to maintain our cars.

            Friendships need to be maintained as well. You can’t expect someone to be friends with you if you never spend any time with them. Friendships require some checking in on each other if you want to maintain closeness. Naturally, you are going to be closer to some friends than others and you will invest more time in those friendships.

            Maintaining cars and friendships requires something from us. The same things apply to our relationship with God. How can we expect to have a relationship with God if we never spend any time with Him? Maybe the bigger question is: why spend time with God? Some people think that God is distant and busy.

            The fact is that God knows a lot about each one of us. The Bible teaches us that God knows the number of hairs that are on our heads. It also teaches us that God knows all our thoughts. I must confess there are a few thoughts that I wish He didn’t know! The Bible also says that God saw us in our mother’s womb and that He knew the day of our birth and the day of our passing. All this tells me that God knows everything about us.

            We can’t make the excuse that God isn’t invested in us. If we want a relationship then the responsibility to make room in our lives and schedules is ours. We can’t claim we are too busy. We are all given the same amount of time; we have to choose how we prioritize our time. Do we want to get to know God? He has great plans for your life, if you will make room for Him.

            Connecting to God is easy. Just start talking to Him like you were talking to your best friend. You don’t have to get on your knees or even close your eyes. Tell Him what you are feeling, about your struggles, about your joys & sorrows, ask Him for help with your situations, thank Him for your many blessings, and tell Him that you love Him. Those are just a few suggestions for conversation starters. After that, you will be off and running. By the way, this conversation is supposed to be a two way conversation. Listen for His whisper, His thoughts.

            I want to encourage you to maintain your relationship with God. If things have gotten a little rusty, the oil of His presence will quickly fix things and get things moving along smoothly. It’s not too late. It’s never too late to connect with God. The criminal on the cross met Jesus only hours before he died and yet was promised a place in paradise with God. He wants an intimate relationship with you! God loves you! I wrote this so you could know God is reaching out to you and wants you to connect with Him. Open your heart and let Him in.

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

Good People

by   September 27, 2024 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

“Good People”

Just after moving to Lake Norman four years ago, Ethel and I met when I was riding my stationary bike near our road. As I would witness over the following years, she would appear on her morning walk, and she would stop long enough to chat. On that first morning, she asked me a  few questions about my wife and me and why we moved to the lake-the usual inquires that a stranger would make. Satisfied, she said, “Well, you seem like good people,” and turned to continue her walk home.

Many walkers dot our road, but she was one of the earliest every day. If I were any bit past early, I would miss her, except on Thursday’s when she walked after going to the landfill with her week’s collection of pine cones dutifully gleaned from  her well-tended lawn. Oh, and she walked after attending Sunday School and service at Williamson’s Chapel each Sunday, so I would often see her on my way home from our church. She would still be dressed in her “Sunday outfit.” And on Wednesday’s we always knew that she had already walked by because the Mooresville Tribune would be centered on the driveway, telling how she had rescued it from the ditch where the route person seems to enjoy placing it.

When she found out that we had three dogs, she began placing plastic, newspaper bags in our newspaper box. They were used for cleaning after dogs, and they were greatly appreciated. But most of  all, the manner in which she packed the bags was telling of her character. Each bag was folded in her particular way and carefully placed in a larger one. She packaged them as if they were valuable merchandise. And they were because those simple, plastic bags were a reflection, as she saw it, on her. She would not just cram them into a larger bag because that would not witness to her spirit.

Over the brief time Ethel and I shared, she became much more than an elderly widow who lived on the lower end of our  little road. Learning more and more of her life, I became aware that she, like so many of her era, are those who persevere. She was in her later eighties yesterday when she died, and she was a cancer survivor, but I learned not to be fooled by her slender frame that did not speak to her grit.

For the past weeks she has been house-bound, too ill to venture out on one of her walks. While I knew of her illness, I always held out the hope that somehow she would appear on our little road on one of her walks. This morning’s ride offered an absolute answer that no longer would Ethel come by on her morning walk and that our chats had ended.

But I hold to the thought that for these four short years, Ethel always saw us as “good people.” She certainly was.

Three Bay Lake State Parks

by   September 26, 2024 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Three Bay Lake State Parks and a Black Water River

  Labor Day Monday, September 2 seemed like a perfect day to visit some more parks. I headed southeast to see Jones Lake State Park, the first of what is called bay lakes. Bay lakes are not deep, usually topping out at about 11 feet although walking in most of them well away from the shore probably won’t reach waist deep water. Also, the water is more tea colored, due to the acidity in the water.

   Jones Lake State Park is closest to Elizabethton and covers 2,208 acres. Salter Lake is also in the park but is undeveloped, even though it is the same size as Jones Lake. Because of the depth, only canoes, kayaks and small boats with 10 horsepower motors can use the lake.

    The visitor center has lots of information on how bay lakes developed and how they were purchased by the federal government before the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the parks with buildings, trails and pavilions. Jones Lake opened in 1939 as the first African American state park in North Carolina. A large pier juts out into the lake for fishing and a good section of sandy beach is roped off for swimming. Another pier is attached to the boat house.

    There are 20 camping sites, six of them good for RV’s with full hookups. The park also has three walking trails, all to do with the lakes. When I was there, the Cedar Loop Trail was closed for flooding, so I walked part of the Bay Trail out to the fishing pier.

   The area is rich in history since being settled in colonial times. Farming, including timber, turpentine and cotton, overused the land and the government then decided to purchase submarginal land for the parks.

     Less than 20 minutes away was Singletary Lake State Park. On the same day in 1939 that Jones Lake opened, Singletary Lake was leased to the state. Singletary Lake became a group camp for Boy Scouts and 4-H clubs which extends today to many church groups. Any verifiable group of 20 or more can rent the camps. There are two large camps with multiple buildings, with Camp Loblolly Bay built of logs in 1984 and accommodating 48 campers. Camp Ipecac, all red structures and built in the 1930s, is open year-round and houses 84 people. Visitors are only allowed in the park from 8am to 5pm. Canoes are provided for campers, but others can bring their own or other watercraft.

     Singletary Lake also has a beautiful 500 feet long wooden pier on the deepest of the local bay lakes. The lake isn’t fed by streams but relies on rainfall and runoff from the surrounding land along four miles of shoreline. Besides Jones Lake, Salters Lake and Singletary Lake, other bay lakes in the area include Lake Waccamaw and White Lake.

     Hiking trails are limited to the CCC Loop Trail that is easy and stays close to the lake. A short trail goes from the central area between the two group camps and on to the lake and pier. The two camps share a volleyball and basketball area, horseshoes and grilling. Fishing in the bay lakes is limited to only a few species, with yellow perch being the best suited to the acidic water.

     Next was Lake Waccamaw State Park with 2.398 acres and closest to the town of the same name. The state park began in 1976, and fronts on the eastern bank, a small part of the 9,000 acres of water and 14 miles of shoreline. At first glance, I thought of driving all the way around the lake and back but didn’t have an hour or more to spare.

     I did drive to the lake access point after finding no one in the visitor center, except a large stuffed bear. I expect they were short-staffed and closed for lunch. The very small Lake Singletary and Jones Lake Park offices were open. I found passport stamps and maps for pickup. The busiest and biggest park of the day, I didn’t see any rangers or maintenance staff either.

    Boating and fishing are popular, both interesting in their own way. There is no boat access inside the park, but the park does have an access point outside the park. The water, even though still acidic, must be less so because bass, bluegill and sunfish can be found here. The water has a red tea tint, but clear enough to see the bottom. Camping has only two options, one being five primitive group areas. The other is a 16×20 foot wide yurt tent. It is attached to a 16 by 32-foot wooden platform.

    There are four hiking trails, the longest being the 4-mile Lakeshore Trail. This would be a great trail to do at a later date, as it follows the lake from the visitor center all the way to the Waccamaw River and dam.

     The Lake Waccamaw Overlook was the best spot of the day for me. From a parking area at the end of the park road, there is a trail, then a boardwalk and then a pier out to benches and steps down into the water. Full grown adults in the water several hundred feet out were still only at waist deep. From this viewpoint, the lake is huge with lots of waterfront homes.

      28 state parks visited, and 14 more to go.  

David Freeze: Three bay lake state parks and a black water river

It’s All Him

by   September 25, 2024 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Psalms 44:3  It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.

  • All too often we think we achieved something ourselves when in fact it was completely God.
  • The enemy would love for us to focus on make us think that we accomplished things by our own efforts, but it was God who empowered us and gave us those abilities and direction.
  • All that is good, wonderful and victorious comes from His hand and if we face something today even though He gives us the abilities, it is Him that gives us the victory.

Prayer:  Lord I will always give You the glory, because You are the one that gives the victories and the one that causes me to prosper in all ways.  I bless Your holy name and I am so grateful for all that You do for me.  I worship You today.  Amen. 

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

They Do Exist

by   September 22, 2024 with No Comments

By Ashlie Miller

Fall is a time for road trips, at least for our family—day trips, really. Last weekend, we ventured up to Brevard to connect with our oldest son, who is interning in western NC. Brevard is a perfect town with an atmosphere we love. It’s also not far from some favorite hiking trails. 

You may also know the town of Brevard for the local legend – the white squirrel. 

Metal silhouettes of the town mascot sit atop the traffic posts, and across the corner from O.P. Taylor’s toy store is The White Squirrel Shoppe – dedicated almost fully to merchandise of this woodland creature. Alongside the white squirrels, you may also find souvenirs showcasing a Sasquatch. Spying Bigfoot and white squirrels is like a game of Where’s Waldo while window shopping.

I wondered how much of the white squirrel obsession was based on folklore and legend and how much represented something true and observable to the casual tourist. But, other than that, I didn’t give it much thought. The hairy big guy, however, I discounted completely. Say what you will – the grainy photos are less discernible than my firstborn’s ultrasound.

After some window shopping and a fantastic supper at Corky’s Dawg House, we looked on the map for a nearby park with a playground where we could talk with our son while the younger siblings released their energy before our long ride back home. As we approached the parking lot – “Wait, what was that?! Did you see it?” We all saw a white fur ball scampering across the grass. We rushed to exit our car and carefully approached this apparition that had vanished. 

We saw him scurry up a tree, chasing a gray-tailed foe or companion – who can tell? Then, we saw another, scratching away at mulch under a bench before dashing to the picnic tables to taunt another squirrel. At another turn, a third small, white creature darted about. What once felt like myth and legend had become observable reality as we were in the right place at the right time. What a memory to treasure!

Many treat God with the same suspicion I did with white squirrels or, more accurately, Bigfoot. Materialists want observable proof using measures they have established on evidence they regard as observable by those measures. They spend much of their lives trying to prove and argue what they deem cannot exist because the spiritual does not fit their prescribed boundaries.

Sadly, they miss the glory and beauty of experiencing something wonderful and life-changing – a relationship with God – because they cannot observe it with scientific measurements. No, it is not quite like believing in something like a Sasquatch or doubting the existence of a white squirrel. Analogies are generally imperfect, especially when you relate to something spiritual. However, atheists create a world of limits because they do not know the truth that the eyes of one’s heart are opened AFTER submitting to a relationship with Christ by faith…without having all the answers first. Those who trust in Christ know what it means to not understand fully but know sufficiently. 

There are many questions to ponder in life about what we see and more about what we cannot. If we are willing to receive them, there are also many answers to these ancient questions. I hope your autumn adventures give you time to slow down and consider both questions and answers.

Just Checking In

by   September 21, 2024 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            I am enjoying my walks much more now that the temperatures are cooler. Fall is still warm and the days are still long, but I have noticed that the days are shortening with the cooler temperatures. I have also noticed that a few trees are beginning to show a little color. It doesn’t seem like it is time for that.

            I will wave and speak to neighbors who are out in their yards when I walk. A few of the men in my neighborhood have struck up conversations with me on my walks. We are blessed to have good neighbors in our neighborhood.

            Some of the neighbors are struggling with various health issues. I have been checking in on them to see how they are doing. I have even taken the opportunity to pray with a few of the neighbors before doctor visits or various tests. I always try to follow up and check in with them afterwards to find out how things went.

            I find myself struggling with the thought that I might be entering the age group where conversations are centered around ailments and doctor visits. My parents are certainly in that age group, but have I really crossed that line? I called my Dad the other day and checked in on him. We talked about his health challenges and about his golf game. My Mom has been facing her own health challenges and my siblings and I have been following up with her.

            My brothers-in-law and sister-in-law all have parents who are struggling with various health issues and are being checked in on a regular basis. It keeps my siblings and their spouses busy as we are checking in with each other more often. As of this writing, everyone is doing okay with their health challenges.

            Depending on the size of your church, there are going to be people you speak to every week and then there will be others that you might only speak to occasionally. It is impossible to check in with everyone every week. What becomes a concern is when we don’t see a member at church for a few weeks. We expect pastors to check in on missing folks, but our pastor reminds us that it can make a big difference when members check in on each other.

            I have a number of friends that I catch up with on an occasional basis. We all live busy lives and can’t keep in touch on a regular basis. We will plan an occasional lunch or a dinner and catch up with each other. In between times we briefly check in with each other to maintain the connection and the friendship.

            What concerns me is that some people treat their relationship with God as someone you check in with on an occasional basis or in the middle of a crisis. People think that God is too busy or people feel they are too busy to spend time with God. Part of the problem is that we don’t understand that God is omnipresent, which means He can be everywhere all at the same time. God can be with someone in the hospital, another person on the battlefield, and with each one of us closely and intimately all at the same time.

            It’s a choice. Each person is given the same amount of time. We choose to spend some time with God every day or we choose other things we think are more important. If we are hoping to be with God in heaven when we pass away, we should spend some time getting to know Him here and now. Why would He want to invite someone who only checks in on Him occasionally to be with Him for all eternity?

            If you only saw your spouse once a week and never talked with them between times, it would be challenging to have a close relationship. If your only relationship with God is on Sunday morning for about an hour, what kind of relationship do you have with Him? I want to encourage you to reconnect with God. Let His forgiveness wash away your guilty stains. Let His mercy fill all the gaps. Let His love fill your heart. We all know that God loves us, but He likes us too! What He desires is a deeper connection with you. He doesn’t want you to check in on Him. He wants you to know Him. We can know God better than our best friend. We just need to connect with Him through His word and through many conversations with Him. What are you waiting for? He’s right there with you!  

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

Nelson’s Spaghetti

by   September 20, 2024 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

The Covid-19 virus has ruined many small businesses, and local restaurants in and around our town of Mooresville, NC are suffering. My wife and I have several local eateries we like, but we especially enjoy two. When the mandate came that closed them to only take out, we discussed our role in helping them stay open, and decided to make a conscious effort to order some meals from each, realizing that, while take out is not the same as dining in their warm, relaxing atmospheres, they needed our business. If we wanted to enjoy them later, we had to support them now. So,  recently we ordered a take-out supper from one, Blu Star, and at the correct time we drove to pick up our waiting dinner.

Usually if we drove to Blu Star’s location during the dinner hour, traffic would be heavy and parking tight. Not this evening of the pandemic. Boom! Pulled up right in front, and Mary Ann hopped out to get our meal. While I waited, I counted cars in the shopping center—seven parked, but one soon left when its driver came out of the juice bar with her cup of cold, multi-colored liquid. One driver of a huge, black truck parked it deftly and getting out walked towards two  restaurants behind me. Waiting for Mary Ann, I recalled the adage that seemed appropriate for so many businesses in the current situation—any port in a storm. While only one customer, the driver was a person who would spend money, I hoped, at one of the restaurants behind me. He was part of the port so needed right now.

Mary Ann returned to the car and as soon as she sat in her seat, said, “You won’t believe what Nelson [the owner] was doing.” She buckled her seat belt and as we drove out of the forlorn shopping center, she told me how Nelson and a worker were busily packing Styrofoam containers with spaghetti meals for Charlotte homeless. When she asked him about what he was doing, he explained that his church was participating in a program to get good meals to homeless folks, and his restaurant was providing nourishing dinners-spaghetti piled high with yummy sauce, garlic bread, and salad.

Before we had left our home to pick up our dinner, we had discussed how much to tip the manager, who we have known since we moved here. Mary Ann suggested a good sum and when she paid our bill, she gave Stephanie the twenty. Yet, driving home and hearing that story, I realized that no tip was large enough for what was happening in Blu Star, one of the many businesses feeling the crunch of this epidemic. There, in the midst of such a need for income, Nelson and his staff were giving to others who had less than he and them.

Arriving home, I enjoyed my dinner, even if not eaten in the cozy confines of Blu Star. But the more I think of what Mary Ann witnessed, the more I realize that there, on the spread-out tables of Blu Star, was the Sermon on the Mount being played out in real time. Right there.

Raleigh Area Parks

by   September 19, 2024 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Raleigh Area Parks in One Day!

  I had three parks to visit on Wednesday, August 28th, and the Raleigh area had three close together. My first stop was at the Falls Lake State Recreational Area with 5,035 acres. The lake itself is 38,000 acres and has several access points at Beaverdam, B.W. Wells, Highway 50, Holly Point, Rolling View, Sandling and Shinleaf. Falls Lake is about 10 miles from Raleigh and 12 miles east of Durham. Prior to 1978, regular flooding caused extensive damage to public and private properties. The Falls Lake Project included the construction of a dam that was completed in 1981, thus harnessing the Neuse River for water supply, flood control and fish and wildlife conservation.

    Fishing, boating and swimming are the main activities, but the park has over 300 campsites. Tent, trailer and RV camping are first class with centrally located bathhouses. I saw the expansive sandy swim beach at Sandling, and two more are at Rolling View and Beaverdam. To enter the swimming and boating areas, a fee of $7 per person is charged, but only $5 for seniors. One lady said, “If you are over 62, it is only $5.” She deserved an extra $5 for saying that. The fee is charged daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with additional weekends in April, the rest of May and September. 

    A nice visitor center has exhibits on area wildlife and a separate map for each access point. Fishing and boating are allowed, but some of the access areas are limited to non-gasoline motors. Kayak, paddleboard and canoes are available for rent.

     William B. Umstead State Park in Wake County between Raleigh and Durham is also home for three man-made lakes. Big Lake is 55 acres, and Sycamore Lake and Reedy Creek Lake are about 25 acres each.  Fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and a boat launch are available. Umstead has 21 miles of hiking trails and 13 miles of multi-use trails that allow mountain bikes, horses, runners and hikers. I walked about half of the Sycamore Trail which follows the creek of the same name. Many of the trails here overlap and I found myself following the blue markers often to make sure I was on the right one.  

     The early park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and opened its doors in 1934, named for North Carolina’s 63rd governor known for his conservation efforts. The park itself is surrounded by busy highways, so this peaceful place seems shielded by massive trees from the city sprawl not far away. The land was bought and preserved as the cities crept closer. The park now totals 5,579 acres, part of it the former Reedy Creek Park, an African American park.

    Tent and trailer camping is available at 28 sites and there are 50 more sites within the park for primitive camping. Groups camps are also available for 60-120 people. The nine hiking trails, varying in distance up to 7.2 miles, are all well-kept and rated easy or moderate. Each state park in the passport book has a landmark item to be seen and not missed. I asked at the visitor center where I could find the Sycamore Bridge, an arched stone bridge over Sycamore Creek. The information desk person told me there were in fact two of them. I was happy to finally spot the CCC constructed one noted in the passport book.

       Authorized by the US Congress, the B.Everett Jordan Lake Dam was completed and filled in 1981, again for flood control, an adequate water supply and to promote conservation and recreation. Then Jordan Lake State Recreation Area near Apex on US 64 opened in 1982 and now has 12 different access sites. It is again an area dominated by water sports and the almost 14,000-acre lake. The Jordan Lake State Recreation Area itself encompasses 4,558 acres and has boating, group and tent camping, fishing, swimming and picnicking.

    The large visitor center has a wonderful exhibit area, much of it about the area’s history and the bald eagles that frequent the lake. I asked the receptionist where the best chance was to see an eagle in mid-afternoon. She said that the eagles normally feed morning and early evening but are often seen flying over the Seaforth Day Use area during the afternoon. I watched and didn’t see one, and still have only photographed one in all of my running and cycling travels.

     The Seaforth area had a beautiful beach and a wonderful trail, according to the attendant. I found the trail immediately and noticed that it was closed with a sign and caution tape. The reason given was the trail area was subject to flooding. I ducked under the tape and started on the trail and quickly noticed that the area had dirt and sand on the tops of all the knee-high undergrowth, noting the high-water mark of recent flooding. The flooding probably had something to do with the most aggressive mosquitoes I have yet discovered in a state park. The beach area was spectacular with dozens of shaded picnic tables under massive pines. The same $7 day use fee, $5 for seniors, is charged at Jordan Lake too.

    On a day dominated by beautiful lakes near big cities, I have now visited 25 state parks. 17 still to go!

David Freeze: Raleigh-area parks in one day
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