Church Curmudgeon

by   January 16, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Long ago my husband had a serious talk with me. It was a rather rare occasion. Generally we are too busy making fun of television commercials or checking the lineup for the Braves or discussing our latest ailments. Our life is very exciting like that.
So anyway, this talk seemed important to the man. At some point he’d recognized his tendency to become a curmudgeon. It may have had something to do with the fact that he taught school for over twenty years. Believe it or not middle school boys, while delightful in their own unique way, can sometimes be exasperating. I remember distinctly David saying to me during our serious talk, “Don’t let me turn into that grouchy old man at church who fusses at the kids.” He followed it up by putting on his old codger voice and growling. “Calm down sonny! You’re in the house of God!”


After I finished laughing at the man, who did a great imitation of the old Muppet guys in the balcony, I considered his heartfelt request. How can we guard against becoming grumpy? I have a feeling the overtaking of our good nature is a subtle process. Scripture advises us to think on good things. But God knows how much life can wear us down.


Today’s good word is from Philippians 3:1. The writer Paul tells us again that no matter what happens, we should make it a practice to rejoice in the Lord. He says he never gets tired of reminding us of that because…
“…this will safeguard our faith.”


An old hymn has the the beautiful request that only the Lord can fill. “Tune my heart to sing Thy praise.”


For me it has to be a conscious effort. I don’t think rejoicing and thankfulness come natural for very many people. And yet, the Lord often asks us to lift up our hearts in praise to Him. It seems to be the key to safeguarding our faith. Maybe with that shield in place we can avoid becoming a curmudgeon.

God Wants Good Soil

by   January 14, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            There is always a mixture of feelings when it is time to go back to work after a nice break. There is the part of you that wants to continue the nice time that you are having away from work. Then there is the part of you that wants to get back into the routines of life. My time off was good and refreshing.

One problem I have is getting up in the dark. The sky is starting to get light while I am eating breakfast, which gives me hope. I read someplace that we will gain 35 minutes of daylight by the end of January. Come on, longer days!

I went to the mailbox the other day and found some seed catalogs. I sat in my recliner and looked at all the fruits and vegetables. My mouth was watering for all those tasty treats. I walked out and looked at the vegetable beds and started dreaming about what I might grow and how I might protect things better from the deer and critters who want to help themselves to my stuff.

I know gardening season is still a few months away. I love springtime because everything begins to grow and I love to get outside and work in the soil. Those seed catalogs sure made me excited for spring.

I think I am going to get a truckload of soil for my garden this spring. I have been growing my vegetables in raised beds for a number of years and the soil needs to be replenished. I put the leaves in the garden, but I think a fresh supply of good soil might improve my harvest. The quality of the soil makes a difference in the harvest.

Between the catalogs and my pastor, I can’t stop thinking about gardening. My pastor talked about fertile soil on Sunday. He wants us to get our hearts ready to receive God’s word. He said we needed to work the fallow ground to prepare the soil of our hearts for all that God wants to do in our lives this year.

            The parable of the sower teaches us about soil. There was the rocky place, the path, the weedy area, and the good, fertile soil. The only seed that produced a return for the farmer was the seed that fell in the fertile soil. It seems to me that Jesus was teaching us that we need to work on the soil of our hearts if we want to produce a harvest for Him.  

            Each spring I run the tiller through my garden. I make at least three passes, going deeper each time. Once the soil is fluffed up I make the rows and add fertilizer. Sometimes I will add some soil to help the seeds start growing.

            If God wants to create fertile soil in us, what does He need to do? The Holy Spirit acts as a tiller to dig the fallow ground in our hearts. We need to work with the Spirit by adding God’s word to our lives. We will also need to add the fertilizer of prayer to get God’s seeds to grow.

            The work will not end there. We will have to guard our hearts from the weeds that want to keep us unproductive. Distractions and temptations can choke out the good seed God plants in our hearts. Once we start to see some fruit starting to form we have to be on our guard against the critters that want to steal our harvest. Laziness or busyness can keep us from enjoying a great harvest.

            I want a harvest in my life this year. I think I hear the Holy Spirit tiller running and I know where He is aiming. My heart needs to be stirred for the things of God. I have been reading the 23rd Psalm over the past few months. It’s hard to believe that each time I read it I see something different about God and His love. In my daily devotions, I am reading more slowly, seeking more, and discovering a deeper understanding and relationship with Him.

            I want to encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to till the soil of your heart and refresh your relationship with God. I believe God wants to do new things in your life. He needs fresh, fertile soil to plant the new seeds in you. If we want God to get a harvest in our lives, then we need to give Him room to work that fallow ground. Let His word come alive in you and pray and talk with Him because I see a harvest on the way.  

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

My First Buechner

by   January 13, 2023 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

                                                                                                                                                                         

My first Frederick Buechner arrived this week;  Speak What We Feel (Not What We Ought to Say)  is his reflections on literature and faith.

Now, I have always been a reader. Not a good student, it is my reading that helped me salvage my academic and intellectual self. Because of my reading I managed to attend college and even read through to obtain an MA. My modest library contains books about literature, biographies of writers and other leaders, examinations of religion, political studies, investigations of nature, and more. As a life-long learner, I subscribe to the words of Abigail Adams quoted by David McCullough in his 2008 speech at Boston College’s commencement: “Learning is not attained by chance. It must be sought with ardor and attended with diligence.” McCullough goes on to tell the graduates to “Read! Read, read…. Read for pleasure, to be sure. But take seriously-read closely-books that have stood the test of time.” Those are words I followed, taught my students, and still follow in my retirement. And I especially like Adams’ use of ardor and diligence. However, I share my reading history not out of arrogance, but so that the reader can better appreciate my feelings when a good friend recently asked me had I read Buechner. My friend, also a retired educator with whom I worked, shared with me how Buchner had influenced his teaching, faith, and life. Interested, I later typed in Frederick Buechner on the Internet search engine only to read that he had died a few days before. I read of  his peaceful death at an advanced age, but I was swept away by the tributes to and the deeply felt appreciations of such a writer/thinker that I only had not read, but one of whom I had never heard. I wondered, as I read, exactly where had I been while Frederick Buechner was being such an influencer of all kinds of folks. Feeling ignorant and a bit self-cheated, I ordered two books—the one mentioned above and my friend’s favorite, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC.

          To the present, I have only read the first two writers Buechner reflects on in Speak, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Mark Twain. His reflections of the writers at first encouraged me to rush on into this thinker’s words. Yet, reading a sentence such as the following one he writes to describe Hopkins cautions me: “Again and again Hopkins chooses words open to so many interpretations that, like prisms when the light touches them, they cast across the page a whole spectrum of possible meanings.” That is a sentence to chew, taste, and savor for what it says and how it says it. If you doubt Buechner’s insight, read The Windhover and then wonder at his depth of compassion that leads to  his deep understanding for Hopkins and Twain.

I look forward to reading and studying Buechner in the same manner that Abigail Adams advises to approach learning–with ardor and diligence.

Mental Benefits to Exercise Program

by   January 12, 2023 with No Comments

By David Freeze

It’s that time of year again! Look around you where many of your neighbors and friends are about to attempt major changes in their lifestyle, but will those changes last? And are their reasons good ones?

Resolution time is here. All the gyms and the YMCA will get very busy. For the next month and maybe two, its going to be hard to get your favorite piece of exercise equipment. Weight loss and a better diet usually lead the list of resolutions. Americans retain an average weight gain of 2-4 pounds per year during holiday season. Multiply that by 30 years and the total is very significant, often driving the rush to the most popular resolutions.

I heard this morning that 57 percent of people who make resolutions don’t even believe themselves that they can have long-term success. Ester Marsh wrote a wonderful column two weeks ago about starting small and then followed up by saying that initial exercise doesn’t have to hurt.

Here are a few thoughts worth considering on the benefits of exercise and are common discussion topics among long-term exercisers. The mental aspect of regular sustained exercise is the real reason that I chase my daily workout. Early on, I didn’t understand why I felt better when active, but I knew without a doubt that it was true.

A common thread stated by Jerry Kanipe, a long-time local runner, is this: “We are better people because we run. My wife knows when I need to go for a run.” After a good workout, we feel lighter and better prepared to handle whatever stress comes along. I believe the good things start working in the brain when we separate ourselves from a certain situation for a little while.

Known for a long time that body chemicals called endorphins help to reduce pain and enhance muscle performance, they now seem likely to have little to do with what is going on in your head. According to David Linden, Ph.D., a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, those endorphins can’t cross the brain barrier. He suggests that endocannabinoids, a group of neurotransmitters that travel in and around the brain, really deserve the credit.

Endocannabinoids have the incredible ability to reduce feelings of anxiety and encourage calm. As you likely guessed, endocannabinoids are produced in higher-than-normal concentrations during your runs or intense exercise. While you’re out running, these special chemicals are actively at work. According to researchers from the University of Maryland, regular exercise can actually rewire the way your brain reacts to stressful situations and make you better prepared to handle these challenges in the long term. What’s more, a study published in Health Psychology examined the emotional stability of over 2,000 American adults and compared it with their level of activity. In short, the researchers wanted to see how regular exercise impacted how people dealt with stress. Not a surprise, the team found that individuals who were regularly active had greater emotional stability and were more likely to maintain a positive viewpoint even during stressful events.

As Professor Linden notes, “Exercise has a dramatic anti-depressive effect. It blunts the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress.” Overwhelmingly, the runners felt more confident in social situations, had a greater sense of accomplishment, slept better and were able to focus more on their work. Confidence and sense of satisfaction grow, furthering the mental health benefits of running.

Finally, there is some solid evidence to suggest that intense exercise can actually make your brain an even more incredible thinking machine than it already is. In fact, numerous studies, including research from the American Physiological Society, have shown that exercise stimulates an impressive-sounding process known as neurogenesis, or the growth of new brain cells.

Running and sweat producing exercise literally make your brain grow. This growth has been most noticeable in the hippocampus, a region of the brain associated with memory. As a result, running has been shown to improve memory, focus, and creative thinking while even slowing cognitive decline.

So, stick with those exercise producing resolutions and extra benefits are just ahead.

Monday’s Bradshaw Financial Planning Resolution Run 5K at The Forum is intended to get your exercise off to a great start for 2023. Runners and walkers are welcome, even if you’ve never done one before. You don’t have to be fast! A low-key and fun event benefitting Rowan Helping Ministries, donations, including food and used running shoes, will be accepted.

Look for this and more upcoming events at www.salisburyrowanrunners.org.

Future Things

by   January 11, 2023 with No Comments

By Ed Traut

Jeremiah 33:3 NLT Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

  • God is omnipresent.  He is in the past, He is in the future, He is in the present.  He knows all things to come.
  • All we have to do is ask.
  • He will tell us things that are unknown (secrets) but there is a purpose that we may be devoted to Him and full of confidence in Him.

Prayer:  Lord I do ask that You reveal and show me the way and things to come that I can be prepared in my heart.  I am confident in You that You are in control and that I am not to be afraid.  Teach me and show me Your ways.  I belong to You.  Amen.

Ed Traut
Prophetic Life

In a Word

by   January 9, 2023 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

This is the year! 2023 is when you will FINALLY read the Bible cover to cover. Even the maps! But not the Concordance. That would just be weird. As it turns out, it’s a LOT of reading. You’re five days into the new year and already you find yourself three days behind. But you’ll catch up! Honest you will!


May I humbly make an observation? If not, stop reading here.


This is your exit. This is where you will jump off the guilt train. When reading Scripture becomes a chore, then you might need a different plan. Can I make a confession? I’m not sure if chemo caused it or just plain getting old. But currently I am dealing with a large amount of brain fog. For whatever reason, I have a really hard time hearing the words coming off the pages. I seem to have the attention span of a puppy in a yard full of squirrels. Focus is just not happening.


So! Here’s what I’m trying and it seems to be working. I hold my Bible to my chest and get as still as I can. Since it’s all I can do not to look out the windows at the birds on the feeder and the neighbor’s cat and the plethora of squirrels jumping from limb to limb and my bottle tree as it catches the light…


Wait. Where was I.


Oh! I was clutching a real Bible with honest to goodness paper pages which have notations of trials past and answered prayers. I was hugging it to my chest with my eyes closed and I was waiting. Silently asking God for the Words. This week the word Philippians came to mind. One “L” and two “P’s.” Philippians.


So I opened there.


After the intro I read one small paragraph and didn’t hear a thing. So I read it again. Then again. It began to be clearer. So I read it again and asked God for help. More meat was found on that bone. So I stopped and wrote the blog Certain of the Good Work. It wasn’t astounding but it was definitely a word from the Word.


Here’s the thought for today. Let’s not go through the motions in our relationship with God. Let’s not start the day by giving Him His marching orders or by instructing Him on how to handle the things on our mind. Let’s rest in Him. Let’s listen. Let’s pay attention as best we can. Let’s go so far as to ask God for this from Philippians 1:10a.


I want to understand what really matters.
Bless the Lord!

Safe Arrival in 2023

by   January 7, 2023 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

            We were all freezing for Christmas. One week later, I walked the beach with my sister on a beautiful New Year’s Day. There were very few people on the beach. The sky was an incredible blue and the water was calm. It was so incredibly peaceful as I watched a pelican gracefully glide through the sky. The fresh salt air does wonders for the soul.

            My sister and I caught up on all the family news. She has three great kids; two are in college and one is ready to be all grown up. We talked about our parents and health issues that various ones are dealing with in the family. We talked about our jobs and daily routines. It was a good day.

            Later that evening I sent her a picture of us on the beach. She sent a text back, “Who are those old people in the picture?” We both laughed. I told her that I didn’t see anyone old in the picture, but later realized that this year I will be adding a zero to my age. Maybe I better look at that picture again?

            It has been nice to see our family over the holidays. Life is precious and I want to enjoy each moment because we really don’t know what the future holds. It has been nice to catch up with some friends over the Christmas holiday, too. It is interesting to hear what people are up to and how life has been treating them. The holidays give us the opportunity to catch up with those that we love.  

            I have read about people making predictions for 2023. Some have made dire predictions about a difficult year. Others have predicted natural disasters. Still others have predicted war and great suffering.

            To be honest with you, I do not put much stock in that kind of thinking. I can assure you each one of us will have some good days and some bad days this year. How am I so sure about that? I have walked with the Lord for many years and I know that He is good. He keeps a close watch on us. He will allow some difficult moments to test our faith. He will also send us some great blessings if we will keep our eyes of faith open to see and receive them.

            The Bible teaches us that God makes good plans for a hope-filled future. I don’t hope for bad things, I hope for good things. God, our Father, wants us to have a good trip through life. That does not mean that there won’t be any bad or sad moments, but it does mean that we will not have to walk through those moments alone. Like a good Father He will walk with us and if necessary, carry us through the challenges in life. He promises never to leave or forsake us. God keeps His promises.

            I believe God is planning great things for 2023. He wants to see us grow stronger in our faith. He wants to see us overcome and succeed. He wants us to be healthy even though we face challenges. I believe He is still in the healing business. Some of us are facing financial challenges but God has unlimited resources. I believe God wants to help us financially so we can invest more into His kingdom. Some of us are struggling with relationships. God has a way of restoring broken relationships, but we have to be humble and work with Him to experience His intervention.

            I believe that God is planning a good year for you no matter what your situation. He wants to help you. He sees the good and positive in your life. He knows all your challenges and has solutions ready to be revealed to you. He has blessings sprinkled throughout the year; some are hidden and will require effort on your side to discover. Others are waiting in plain sight and He is so excited for you to discover them. He sees the best you and wants to bring it to the surface in your life. He will bless your life beyond what you can imagine.

            I want to encourage you to believe that God has a hopeful future for you. God is planning things that are bigger and better than your dreams. We don’t need to walk in fear but have a heart filled with faith. We can lean back into the loving arms of our Father and trust that He is making good plans for 2023. I believe we will all discover more of the goodness of God in 2023.

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

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