Life Cancelled for a Bit

by   July 1, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

For over twenty years I have lived life with my wheelchair. I was 55 when I had the  accident that made me a T 5-6 paraplegic, and as expected and required, over those years I have adapted. Adaption is easier written than done, but with the help of family, friends, and medical professionals, I have matured into my life from a wheelchair. However, I would be dishonest if I do not confess to certain feelings—such as pining for the days when I raced everything from 400 meters to the marathon; or the ability to bound up a flight of stairs two at a time;  or my day-long hikes on The Ridgeway in England each July; or taking a walk with a loved one on a cool evening. While I learned to manage the new life, I did miss aspects of my old one and at times, I admit, to wallowing in a self-dug pity-pit. But I always remembered the words of Tom Oberdorfer, my counselor, “It’s alright to go there, just don’t stay.” So, whenever I fell into the pit I always crawled out-usually after a good wallow. However, a recent happening has changed my view of my life and what I can’t do.

I got COVID! I had had two shots and one booster, but the horrific infection made me extremely ill for three days. To breathe I sat on a sofa for over 24 hours with my feet propped in my wheelchair. When I was finally able to transfer out of the sofa onto my wheelchair, I had developed my first pressure sore-right on my tailbone. Still feeling the issues from COVID, I went to the ER to have the sore examined. Home again, my wife and I had directions and the name of a local wound-care doctor. Two weeks and two appointments later and after great care by my wife Mary Ann, the sore has lessened a bit. But like all pressure sores, it will only be cured by not applying pressure in any way, which is simple in one aspect–don’t sit. Yet how to do that when a wheelchair is my only way to move? The remedy is to lay in bed to reduce the pressure on the sore. A pile of good books and bandages and butt cream make the hours and curing go faster and better; but it represents lost hours of living as I knew them-wheeling about, living  life in my wheelchair. The pit Tom warned me of looms larger and deadlier.

However, I have concentrated on the things that I used to be able to do—all during my last twenty years. I remember how good it felt to vacuum the downstairs and screen porch and to pick-up pines cones in the front yard and to ride my stationary bike and to and to and to.

Like all good lessons learned by living, my appreciation of the many things I did just a few weeks ago is being  re-taught to me by this experience. I knew that my life was rich and full these past twenty years, but not being able to do those things just now has made them more attractive and appreciated. They become like the old English proverb that describes stolen fruit as the sweetest. There may some wisdom in that proverb because once on the Thames Towpath my friend Druin and I stopped our run to pick delicious cherries from a garden tree overhanging the towpath. We stood stuffing ourselves until a stern voice on the garden side of the wall reminded us that those were not our cherries. Correct. But they were so good.

Soon the cancelled life I led so brief a time ago will return, and I shall celebrate it by vacuuming the downstairs and picking up pinecones. Until then, however, I will read and appreciate my good care.

Trust

by   June 28, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

There are goals we will not accomplish. There are problems we will not overcome.

We will not be everything for everyone that we want to be. We will not do everything for everyone that we want to do.

We need to stop — being so hard on ourselves. We were never promised a perfect and problem free life.

Job 14:1 says, “Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.”

Short of days? Full of trouble?

That reality comes across as a bit gloomy, doesn’t it? But, Psalm 118:24 tells us that this is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

It does not say we should rejoice and be glad in it. It says we will rejoice and be glad in it.

So — short of days. And — full of trouble. Rejoice and be glad in it.

It seemingly comes down to one word — trust! Trust gives us the power to rejoice and be glad in it!

When my children were toddlers and I would hold them tightly in my arms while in the pool or ocean, they would still sometimes be fearful. When that happened, they would hold on to me a little more tightly, because they knew deeper waters were starting to surround them.

The deeper the water got, the more afraid they were. Until they went all the way in. Once they went all the way in — they never wanted to get out. They would beg to go a little deeper because they soon realized they had trust. Trust had been gained and there was no stopping them.

Is that how we are with trust?

Once we completely trust that Jesus will carry us in his arms through the deep and troubled waters of our lives, we will be able to rejoice and be glad in it — not just some days — but every day.

There is a peace that enters our spirit that we cannot explain. It is called the peace of God. It is called trust.

Lord, we don’t understand how you can bring such peace in our lives. It is a peace that passes our understanding. We don’t understand how you can take our lives that are short of days and full of trouble, and give us the power to rejoice and be glad in it, as we trust in you. Help us to remember that this is the day that you have made. Remind us to use it for your glory. Amen

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

Prayer List

by   June 27, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

I hope you’ve had fun on the Nehemiah Bus. I know. I wish it had been a ’67 Camaro too. Here’s a little list to help us remember things to pray for our churches and families. Maybe print it out and stick it in your Bible to bring to the Lord as you pray. What if we continued to pray for one of these per day, as in number 1 on the 1st of each month etc.? I wonder if God might be pleased with that?

  1. Growth; Expand our territory
  2. Blessing and wisdom like never before
  3. Success so great it impresses the lost
  4. Favor in our communities
  5. Our Leadership: great ideas for reaching others
  6. Your service, your life, your work to be an offering of praise
  7. Encouragement and positive speech
  8. Victory against evil
  9. Strength in the work
  10. Financial wisdom & blessing; generous giving
  11. Great harvest of souls
  12. Greater love for the Lord and others
  13. Protection against evil
  14. God’s wisdom and guidance
  15. Time management
  16. Successful testimony in our community
  17. Forgiveness & love for each other
  18. Faithfulness in little and large things
  19. Equipping of our people
  20. Creativity and resources
  21. Numbers; Multiply us for His glory
  22. Care for each other
  23. Steadfastness
  24. Honorable, generous giving
  25. Leadership- protection, blessings & strength
  26. Strong relationship with the Lord
  27. Joy & strength
  28. Protection for our church
  29. Intentional, thankful remembering
  30. Future and hope*
    “For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen!” Jeremiah 29:11

May God sweetly bless each of you as you continue to pray with purpose and anticipation!

Our Memories

by   June 25, 2022 with No Comments

By Doug Creamer

Our Memories

            My family got together last weekend to celebrate Father’s Day and my older sister’s birthday. Which birthday we celebrated, I can’t publish in the paper if I want to remain alive. My little sister was able to attend, which meant that all my siblings were together at one time. That does not happen very often. Of course, we forgot to take a picture together.

            My brother created a fun activity for the evening. We were to share our earliest recollection of my sister, and our best memory of time spent with her. My best memory was easy. My sister worked for the National Park system as a lifeguard on the Outer Banks. I went down to stay with her for several nights. One night we went outside and watched for shooting stars. There was supposed to be a meteor shower that night, and we had the clearest, darkest sky I have ever seen.

            We lay on the picnic table and watched the night sky. The Milky Way was incredible. I never knew there were that many stars in the sky. We saw so many meteors that night, it was unbelievable. There was one that was brilliantly bright, right overhead. The smoke from that one was in the sky for a few moments. I have never forgotten that night.

            Dad thought it would be interesting to hear which house was our favorite from growing up. We moved a lot when we were kids, so there were many from which to choose. My Dad chose one where my parents had made many friends. I chose one where I had my own room, even though I had another room in one house with a beautiful skylight that opened. I am not sure my parents know that I used to go out that skylight and sit on the roof.

            My older sister talked with me after the gathering and questioned my memory about the first time I had my own room. It took me a couple of days to remember other houses where I had my own room. How did I forget? Several family members commented during our gathering that sometimes we don’t have accurate memories.

            In a different conversation with my parents we were discussing major events in our lives. My parents remembered events that they thought were huge and impactful that I didn’t even remember occurring. Events that I thought were life-altering, they didn’t have any memory of at all. It is interesting what we remember and how we remember those events occurring.

            The memories we have shape our lives. We all have good ones and bad ones. But one of the great things about our spiritual lives is that God doesn’t remember any of the bad or sinful things we have done if we have confessed our sins. Our pasts are completely washed away by the precious blood of Jesus. He promises to throw the sinful memories of those things away.

            We have to learn to be like God in two important ways. First, we have to learn to forgive ourselves. If God has forgiven us, we can learn to forgive ourselves. We live in broken human bodies that are going to sin and fail God, but when we turn back to Him it’s all gone. Second, we need to learn to forgive others. If God can forgive us, we have to learn to forgive others. Remember, they are human too and will make mistakes. While we can remember the wrongs done against us, we have to strive to forgive those who wrong us.

            I think the next thing we need to work on is focusing on remembering the good things. God is so wonderful and gracious towards us. He has blessed us in so many ways. We need to reflect and remember those things. We need to count our blessings and remember His goodness towards us. We need to remember all the ways He has helped us and answered our prayers. It is a good thing when our hearts are filled with thanksgiving.

            I want to encourage you to reflect on the good things in your life. Be thankful for your family, friends, church, neighbors, and all the many blessings God has bestowed upon you. Take your eyes off your failures and put them on your redeemer. Exchange all the worries you have for tomorrow for gratitude for all the ways God has come through for you in the past. When we can remember the goodness of God from the past it will help us to trust Him with the future. Don’t forget, God is working hard to plan a great future for you.  

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

Stonehenge in the Garden

by   June 24, 2022 with No Comments

By Roger Barbee

Two weeks ago, if you had walked through our back garden gate, the gardenia would have made you take notice of it because its full blooming filled the garden with sweet fragrance. And over in a neighbor’s yard, a large Ligustrum would be adding to the scents of early summer. The gardenia is only three years old, but its rich green leaves and its full bright white blooms add to what was a corner of the garden before we moved the fence to the far back, and the Ligustrum’s blooming scent sent waves of sweetness across the yards.

Now all that remains are dull brown blooms on both plants. No more does a visitor smell them before seeing them. But the abelia next to the screened porch has blossomed and its small white flowers not only attract bees but sends a soft scent more subtle than the others and powerful in the way its summons the bees. The going of one leads to the arrival of another, and that is the pleasure of gardens.

Yesterday folks gathered in various ways around the world to mark the summer solstice, but I marked the beginning of the season by observing the gardenia, Ligustrum, and abelia. Their life cycle and fading blooms are my Stonehenge sunrise, my notice that another season has arrived.

178 Miles!

by   June 23, 2022 with No Comments

By David Freeze

Each year, I look forward to the Reno/ Tahoe Odyssey, a team run that covers 178 challenging miles. The Mission Senior Living team consists of twelve runners, six each in van 1 and van 2. On June 3 and 4, the team got together from across the country, and took on the mountains, serious mountains that can’t be found around here. Twice over the course of the distance, we hit about 7,000 feet in elevation, this year with snowy mountains to be seen and a chilly wind blowing.

I flew out to the MSL office on Thursday morning June 2nd, eventually getting there after the 6 a.m. flight to Dallas was cancelled. Flying is different today, with cancellations and delays almost expected in large numbers. A competent American Airlines agent got me to Reno by early afternoon with two rerouted flights, one to Phoenix and the other connecting from there to Reno. I visited with familiar folks in the company office and headed for a good night’s rest at the hotel.

Friday morning, our team in Van 1 consisting of Sarah, Laura, Darryl, Tom, Luis and me started at 8:15 a.m., climbing up from Reno with just about every step. I was the second runner out, climbing with a good view of the mountains we faced. Each runner gets a leg, or a turn of running with a specific distance and difficulty that ends at a checkpoint where all teams exchange to the next runner before starting the next leg.

After our six legs were complete, our Van 1 passed off the relay to Van 2 consisting of Lindsay, Sammi, Shane, Jeff, Nate and Stuart. When our Van 1 was off the road, we tried to rest by napping and also eating with plenty of hydration. Each runner has three legs over the course of the event, all rated in difficulty. Mine were rated the second hardest, but only one of my legs was difficult the whole way. Van 1 was back at work, and I climbed to Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe, just as night was about to fall. The snowy mountain peaks seemed just ahead and above me the whole way. Will all the climbing, there plenty of difficult legs for our runners.

Van 2 took over and brought us quickly back down to Carson City. With Van 1 then back on the road, my third leg was a mostly flat run through neon lit city streets just before the first light of dawn appeared. After my leg, the course turned uphill again steeply into super historic Virginia City, Nevada, once considered the richest city in America and briefly the home of Mark Twain. Virginia City was so wealthy that President Lincoln pushed statehood for Nevada in an effort to help finance the northern effort in the Civil War.

The middle of Virginia City was the final changeover back to Van 2 and began the push for those six runners on to the finish back in Reno. My three legs totaled 16.4 miles. With 241 teams, 36 legs, 2712 runners and 17,775 feet in elevation change, this is one heck of a challenging event! Our team finished 76th, up from 143 in 2019 before the 2020 and 2021 events were canceled for COVID concerns. The MSL team covered 178 miles in 27 hours, 53 minutes and 17 seconds. We also got the award for best decorated vans and honorable mention for our volunteer checkpoint. Great job by all!!

Back in Rowan County and with no snowy peaks around, the next two races locally are ahead in July. The Shiloh Missions 5K is on July 2 in Faith and the Run for the Greenway 5K in Salisbury is July 16 at Knox Middle School. For more information on upcoming events, go to www.salisburyrowanrunners.org

An unofficial 5K state record was recorded at the Main Street Challenge 5K in China Grove last Friday night. Donnie Cowart of Winston-Salem ran 14 minutes and 5 seconds, eclipsing the old state record of 14:08. A story will follow.

Time Spent Teaching

by   June 21, 2022 with No Comments

By Ann Farabee

A code word was said over the intercom. My students looked at me. Not a word was said. Not a sound was made. In unison, we all began to walk to the classroom closet. I counted my students as they entered, joined them in the darkness, and closed the door.

“It is a drill. It is only a drill,” I told myself.

But I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

Our job was to be calm, still, quiet, and to open the door for no one.

Several minutes later, although the classroom door had been locked and closed, it slowly opened. We heard each footstep of someone heading across the classroom and stopping at the closet door. The door handle was shaken and pulled on by the “pretend” intruder.

Only the locked door separated us — and as the teacher — I was the closest one to the door. My students were huddled behind me. Waiting silently and breathlessly, we soon heard the “pretend” intruder walk back out through the classroom doorway, and close the door. We still knew not to move, just in case his closing of the door had been a trick and he was still in our classroom.

Finally, we heard the principal say over the intercom, “The lockdown drill is now over. Everyone can return to class.”

This was my first experience practicing what to do if there was a potential threat to our safety during the school day. I am sure the procedure has changed over the years, but for me, it felt very personal. It felt very lonely. It felt scary. Mostly, it felt overwhelming for me, as I realized the responsibility I would carry on my shoulders if there ever was a real threat to my students.

This lockdown required a totally different mindset than what students and teachers experienced during fire drills. I felt every ounce of the seriousness from my 6th graders, who were also experiencing their first lockdown.

As I waited with them, my thoughts were, “Why are the schools doing drills like this? A fire drill, I understood. But has our nation really come to the need for a drill like this one? This is America. These are children. No one would come to a school and put our children at risk.”

Now, decades later, I look back at the innocence I had that day — the innocence we all had — during those years.

It was a drill that I could not understand at the time. It was also my first introduction to the world that was coming.

As a student, teacher, parent, grandparent and as a retired teacher who continues to teach, I have spent much of my life in schools.

As I watched the news recently and kept up with horror of the killing of school children in Uvalde, I naturally thought of the many students I have taught over the years, and asked myself this question, “What would I have done?”

That is a question I feel that I can answer.

Without a doubt, I would have laid my life down for any — and all — of my students. I do not know a teacher who would not do the same.

Teachers and students have a bond that cannot be explained, but can only be felt. We are not family by blood — but we are family.

As another school year ends, may I express a “thank you!” to our teachers for all that you do for our children. You are valued and appreciated. May your career be blessed.

Cherish every moment.

Time spent teaching is never lost.

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

When Did This Happen?

by   June 20, 2022 with No Comments

By Lynna Clark

Just yesterday I graduated from high school. David and I took our new ten speed bikes to the beach and rode for miles. Never once did I think of the consequences of forgetting sunscreen on the tops of my legs. Well… until that night when I couldn’t sleep for the pounding of my pulse through my broiled thighs.
You know, I never planned to get old. Yet here I am, 49 years later and surprisingly…mature. So many things I want to do but can’t anymore. When did this happen? I shouldn’t be surprised. The Lord has been gently telling me for quite a while now that things would not remain the same as they were in my youth. And even though I have sense enough to apply 946 SPF sunscreen, I no longer have the strength to ride a bike on the beach.
Heavy sigh.
But look at this! Psalm 92:14 is speaking of those who love the Lord and seek to serve Him.
“Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.”
I may not look vital… or green… or even able to produce a significant amount of fruit. But according to the Word of God, He hasn’t given up on me yet. In fact I think he kinda favors old people. Some of those who were used to show off His power were waaay past their prime. Look at Abraham and Sarah; and Elizabeth and Zechariah. Both produced sons in their old age. Side note: I gave David an anniversary gift in a bag that had baby clothes on the outside. I didn’t notice what was on it, okay? But he sure did. “Are you trying to tell me something?” he asked. We got a good laugh out of that but only because it was such a ridiculous thought. That’s probably how the old couples above felt, only the joke was on them. Apparently the Lord has a great sense of humor. Or maybe… He was telling future generations that He likes using old people to accomplish His great purposes.
Folks like me.
Maybe you too. Are you feeling a little past your usefulness? May the Lord give you strength to share a little fruit with those around you today. God knows you still have a lot to give.

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