Fall Creek Christian Church

"...A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. ... But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went." Acts 8:1-4 When our family gets together these days, numbered among us is one dog, one puppy, and one fully mobile 1 year old granddaughter. The three of them are quite the friend group/partners in crime, full of energy and into everything. It doesn't take long for them to take all that's within reach and scatter it all throughout the house -- shoes, clothes, toys, water bottles and the like. They serve as a tangible reminder of life.  It didn't take long for the same group of violent religious leaders who killed Jesus to continue their attacks against Jesus' followers. They murdered a Spirit-filled man named Stephen and began to actively pursue more. As a result, this ini...

"I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of the Lord, sent me ... to explore the land of Canaan. I returned and gave from my heart a good report ... I followed the Lord my God completely. So that day Moses promised me, 'The land of Canaan on which you were just walking will be your special possession ... because you wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God.' ... Today I am eighty-five years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey ... So I'm asking you to give me that hill country that the Lord promised me ..." Joshua 14:6-14 Starting and finishing are not the same thing. I've driven my wife crazy and myself too for that matter by leaving things half done. As I write this devotion, my garage is half-cleaned and half-sorted leaving it nearly half-functional. I, of course, have lots of great reasons (lame excuses) why the mess remains, but the painfully obvious reality is that finishing it would be awesome.  Caleb was a ...

"They answered Joshua, 'We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your word and does not obey your every command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!'"  Joshua 1:16-18 As the last bag of mulch was hauled out of the minivan and spread out under the bushes, the job was done. Those who had agreed to take on that challenge followed through. Their "yes" was truly a "yes." It's great to work with people like that isn't it? It only takes one time in the trenches with someone whose "I will" ends up being an "I didn't" for us to further treasure those whose "yes" means "yes." After Moses' death, Joshua was the guy. The newly anointed leader went right to work calling the people to be faithful to their obligations to God. Th...

“The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, 'Mighty warrior, the Lord is with you!' 'Sir,' Gideon replied, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, 'The Lord brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.'"  Judges  6:12-13   Some of the most heartbreaking stories I hear are of those who come home one day only to find out that their spouse is gone. Their pain is palpable as they testify to the unexpected and unwanted demise of their marriage and family. The lonliness and abandonment they feel send a cold shudder down my spine as I imagine walking that miserable path.  A similarly hopeless and defeated spirit engulfed Gideon as he pondered on the sorry condition of his nation. The people of Israel abandoned their pursuit of God and were experiencing the devastating consequences. Gideon, even in the...

" I waited patiently for the Lord to help me and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me up out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be astounded. They will put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3 Growing up near Lake Michigan, I've made many trips to the sand dunes of Indiana and Michigan. They truly are a wonder to behold. Sitting on the top of those dunes watching the sunset sparkle off the surface of the water speaks peace to the soul. To get to this joyful place, however, one must endure an arduous hike up the sand dune. The energy expended for every step is absorbed by the sliding sand. It is slow and it is fatiguing. It is also, once at the top, worth it. We read in our verses for the day that the longing for stability and a new perspective is not a new phenomenon, nor is i...

"'Don't call me Naomi (pleasant),' she told them. 'Instead call me Mara (bitter), for the Lord Almighty has made life very bitter for me. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me home empty. Why should you call me Naomi when the Lord has caused me to suffer and the Almighty has sent such tragedy?'"  Ruth 1:20-21 Typically, we see the glass half empty.  Sometimes, on a good day, we might see the glass half full.  On a bad day, that glass is a desert.  When I'm frustrated with my wife or one of my kids, I can't see much positive to put in their corner and vice versa.  Difficulty, pain, loss, frustration and all of the other negative emotions have this vision shrinking effect upon our lives. We see this in full effect in Naomi's life.  She had endured multiple tragedies and as a result had settled into a deep bitterness, a bitterness that blinded her from the obvious.  She didn't return "empty".  The Lord had blessed her wit...

"Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of your sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you." Romans 8:10-11 I was very careful to let the landscaper know that my wife and I are not good with plants, bushes, trees ... basically anything green. Watering, weeding and feeding plants are simply not our strong suit. We needed something planted that was foolproof. He did a fantastic job finding those tough, hard to kill plants. I might trim them up every once in awhile, but basically they are on their own to fend for themselves. There are times, however, when rain is sparse that I will pause to check in on them. I look for any signs of life -- a green leaf, a flower, a bud, basically anything that says, "I'm still kickin'...

"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he does have will be taken from him.'"  Matthew 25:26-29   As the snow began to fall and accumulate on the driveway, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would need to find all the essentials for clearing the snow off the driveway.  This list, of course, included my son much to his chagrin.  In all fairness, he is a good sport about it.  After the snow stopped falling, we grabbed our coats, boots, gloves, and shovels and headed out to make short work of the powdery intruder....

"At that time, his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, 'Once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.'  The words, 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken -- that is, created things -- so that what cannot be shaken may remain.  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"      Hebrews 12:26-29    Unshaken I have a family of amusement park junkies.  It is simply not possible to satisfy their thirst for wild rides.  The faster, the twistier, the crazier, the better.  Their favorite time of the day is right about closing time when the crowd has thinned out enough for them to ride the rides over and over and over again.  Me ... not so much.  Motion sickness has relegated me to the cheering fan lea...

"...for it is light that makes everything visible.  This is why it is said: 'Wake up O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'  Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."  Ephesians 5:14-17   Some people are morning people.  Some are not.  As we get older, responsibility and obligations do not not allow us to stay in our particular niche, but kids and teens, however, simply can't hide it.  I have two children who are night owls ... who, subsequently, are not morning people.  In their world, mornings are pure torture.  They are nothing short of angry if they have to get up before noon.  They despise being woken up and have no problem communicating that fact.  Whichever parent is charged with the unenviable task of waking th...