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Moving to the beat at 101-years-old

Often when I visit our church’s matriarch, 101-year-old Mary Whitaker, I play music for her. I’ve created a playlist of her favorites and have it ready to go when I enter her room. Recently, when I walked down her hall, I could see from a distance that she’d dozed off while sitting in her chair. I stepped in the door just as “She’ll be Coming Around the Mountain” started playing from my phone.…

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Busy moment transformed to Kingdom witness

When I am in a retail outlet, I tend to choose the register being operated by a Black person. When possible, I choose Black men. It’s just my way of being an anti-Karen, of saying, “I trust this Black person to handle a financial transaction.” One day, having already gone to three dollar stores that were closed, I decided to brave the MegaMart. After what felt like an eternity of wandering around…

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Hearing the news: Tommy Bratton 7-15-23

When I get a phone call after 9:00 on a Saturday night it’s not good. Everyone who knows the pastor’s life, knows that Saturday nights are off limits. So, when my phone announced my good friend Anne Raybon was on the line, I knew it was bad news. Paul and Anne Raybon are friends-made-family. Their son, Will, is a year older than our daughter, Trellace; their daughter, Kate, is the age of our son,…

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Living Water and Scattered Grace

This summer, I have two plants on my porch. One is a showy fuchsia plant with bright pink and purple flowers. I call her Esther because she’s so beautiful, she could be picked out of a line-up of beauties to be crowned queen of the plant world. The other one is Scarlett. Scarlet is a red (duh) and white impatiens plant I got just before Pentecost Sunday. Esther and Scarlett both need a lot of…

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Wednesday Short: Will 1000x make it true?

“If the person says it 1000 times, will it make it true?” I can’t remember if someone else taught me this saying or if I read it in a children’s book or something. There’s even a chance I made it up myself. Not sure. In any case, it’s a great question to help kids (or adults) deal with bullies. It works like this. Bully: “You are a poo-poo head!” Person to self: If this bully says this 1000…

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Wednesday short: can you agree a tiny bit?

In this time of extreme opinions and divisive conversations, I find it helpful to ask myself the question, “With which part of this can I agree?” Of course, it’s not always possible. There are times when the conversation is so contentious that you need to use other tools. But often, this strategy can be very helpful. College student examples: Comment: Majoring in History is stupid. You’ll never…

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Linda Stout: from WNC to Harvard & back

Linda Stout At home in WNC “I’ve always loved it here,” Linda Stout says of Western North Carolina. Her home in Reynolds reflects that devotion. The open floorplan allows light to pour in from one of her several porches; her expansive lawn is meticulously landscaped to showcase the area’s natural beauty. “That’s why we bought that land on Garren Creek Road in Fairview and built that little round…

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Juneteenth: know history, improve present

I’ve always enjoyed history. In fact, I still feel a little jolt of happiness when I think of the biography section in my elementary school library. It’s not surprising then, that I majored in history in college and later completed a master’s in education with a concentration in history. Years later, when my oldest was a senior in high school, one of her friends was at our house talking about a…

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To the SBC: a Baptist preacher has her say

Imagine me standing at the podium on stage at the Southern Baptist Convention. I know it’s farfetched but do your best. Picture me standing there dressed in what I wear when I preach each week: probably black pants and shirt with a stole that matches the liturgical season. Got the picture? Okay. Now I open my iPad to my notes, adjust the mic for my height, and begin. Baptist born of…

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Wednesday Post: "Maybe I'm wrong. . ."

You remember that time you were absolutely certain you were right? You had no doubts; you were RIGHT! This thing you thought? 100% objective truth. You were so certain, you made sure everyone knew the truth you had discovered. Those who disagree? Idiots! You were just that sure, right up until you realized you were completely wrong? Raise your hand if you’ve been there? (Insert video of me…

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Simon Gurdal: Photographer, Hero, Survivor

“Never!” the ninety-five (and a half) year old photographer, said when asked about his employment at the Fairview Town Crier. “I was just a volunteer.” He laughed a hearty “Ha! Ha!” and shrugged his shoulders, his hands open as if offering a gift. Simon Gurdal and his wife, Gilberte (Gil), found Fairview, NC somewhat by accident. Nearing retirement, they were travelling from their home in New…

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Kim & Stan: at home in WNC & Cuba

Stan Dotson, an AC Reynolds and Mars Hill University alumnus, met his future wife, Kim Christman, a Demon Deacon from Winston-Salem, in 1985 when they were both seminary students in Louisville, KY. Back then, neither of them had even visited Cuba. Today, they split their time between their home in Fairview, NC and their lives in Cuba.  Two homes: Fairview, Cuba In Fairview, keeping Cuba…

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Wednesday Post: : You Can't Say Can't

How many times a day do you say “can’t or cannot?” 10? 5? Stop that! When you say, “I can’t” you demean yourself and shut down all possibilities for your success. Just as bad? Saying someone else “cannot or can’t.” Saying such a thing dismisses the potential and inherent value of another human being. So don’t say “can’t.” Use one of these alternatives instead. “I haven’t yet.” This says, “I can.…

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Church. Is it on your calendar?

Do you keep a daily calendar? An agenda of upcoming events? Maybe you use Google Calendar or have an app to keep track of your schedule. I’ve tried a lot of different things over the years, but my favorite is a good old fashioned paper calendar. I like the ones that include monthly and weekly grids so I can have an at-a-glance option plus a space for more details. If things are super duper…

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Religion: dangerous &/or beneficial?

Religion. The word itself can be so off-putting, particularly, and most importantly, to those outside traditional religions. In a 2010 article in the Psychiatric Times, Dr. Simon Dein discusses “Religion, Spirituality, and Mental Health,” While much of the article illustrates how strong faith and religious practices can create pathways to mental health, Dein also says that “Religion can promote…

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Folks of Fairview: Nita Owenby

For Nita Owenby, former (unofficial) Mayor of Gerton, it’s all about community. Whether it’s volunteer work, advocacy, or employment, for her it comes down to caring for the people in her life—family, friends, neighbors, and those whose paths have not yet crossed hers. Gerton childhood “I was born and raised here; my folks [Roy and Marjorie Owenby] were too,” she says and then corrects herself,…

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Folks of Fairview: Velvet Cook

“Well, we wanted to get back to the area,” Velvet Cook says about living in Fairview, NC. She and her husband are from Western North Carolina originally, but they had been living in South Carolina since her graduation from Clemson University in 1988. “We moved here in 1996, before the 74A expansion. We’ve been here ever since,” she says. Across the room, hand-painted garden totems in various…