Fall Creek Christian Church

"They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman." John 8:7-9 Our world reminds us everyday that it is so much easier to write "offensive" people off than it is to take time to understand them and treat them with grace. I talk with people all the time who are convinced stones will fly if they are honest about their past or current struggles. I need to find a big empty bag for my office just to let them know I don't have any stones to throw. I am in no position to be anyone else's judge. A woman caught in adultery was dragged before Jesus. She was humiliated, brought in front of the crowd facing the very real possibility of death by rocks. What would Jesu...

"Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards those who are not believers, making the most of every opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so you will know how you should respond to each person." Colossians 4:5-6 Upon realizing that the process was not going to be as efficient as I originally thought, two paths were laid out in front of me. I could whine, fuss and complain or I could patiently wait with a smile on my face and communicate kindly to everyone involved. To God's glory, the latter option was most prominent. Remaining respectful and calm helped everyone and made it easy to be gracious to each other.        Paul, in his letter to this church, didn't want to sign off before telling them in no uncertain about how to behave when with people who don't share your beliefs. Wisely - so you don't miss any chance to let them know how awesome Jesus is. Graciously - so that when you speak you both prese...

"Jesus cut him short. 'Be quiet! Come out of the man,' he ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further. Amazed, the people exclaimed, 'What authority and power this man's words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!" Luke 4:35-36 Two of the men whose words have impacted me deeply are with Jesus now, but their influence on my life remains in full effect. One taught me what it means to work ... harder, longer and until someone else says to stop. The other continually spoke of God's magnitude and the privilege of his children to dream big dreams and to follow him into their realization. Those who followed Jesus around were afforded the privilege of being immersed in the very words of God. Words of power. Words of healing. Words of deliverance. Words of hope. Words of instruction. Words of rebuke. Words of life. Peter, even in the face of everything ...

“But Moses told the people, 'Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!'" Exodus  14:13-14 "What? ... Where in the world did that come from?" False accusations are troubling to us aren't they. As we all have, I've heard some whoppers over the years. One ministry friend was arrested at a park during his prayer and Bible study time because someone accused him of being a flasher. All charges were dropped as fraudulent, but still. When I've been attacked, my knee jerk is to want to strike back and defend myself. What about you? The people of Israel were in trouble. An attack was imminent. As a recently freed nation of slaves, they were in no position to fight. So they did what came natural ... panic! God led them to this very real position of helplessness to teach them to tur...

“while Jesus was having a meal in Matthew's house, many tax collectors and other outcasts came and joined Jesus and his disciples at the table. Some Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such people?" One evening during my youth ministry days, I remember staring at this kid showing up to youth group and I said, "Uh-O." He had these clothes that were torn and oddly assembled with a dog collar and matching wrist collars. It was his hair, however, that really captured my attention. He had a mohawk made of five to six ten inch high multi-colored spikes. "Better keep an eye on him", I said to myself. In time, I came to know him as one of the most Jesus-centered teenagers that I had ever met. Our verses today reveal that prejudice and "better than you" attitudes have been around an awfully long time. Jesus didn't prescribe to that type of thinking. He welcomed anyone. He didn't put up any artificial bar...

“'Come now, let us argue this out,' says the Lord. 'No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool...'" Isaiah  1:18 The first snowfall of the year always seems to be the most dazzling. The flakes are so clear in flight they appear to be translucent. It's only as they accumulate that the brilliant white is truly revealed. It's remarkable to me how spellbinding it is to watch those flakes drift down so effortlessly out of the sky. And then, once the clouds roll on and the brilliant sun strikes those collected flakes, it's as if a switch has been flipped to reveal a spotless and radiant carpet of light. I believe God was appealing to his people using just such a scene to powerfully communicate what it means to be forgiven by God. He alone is uniquely positioned to do the impossible -- remove any vestige of the stains of s...

 " Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love." I John  4:18 It's a great relief to have negative things expelled from our lives. After having my wisdom teeth removed, they went into dry sockets. Pain and misery were my only companions for nearly two weeks. There is no way to describe the elation when they finally healed up. I felt like jumping, dancing and doing flips for joy. The only reason I didn't is because I can't really jump, dance or do flips, but you get the point.  In our verse for the day, John tells us something truly remarkable. Fear has been expelled from the life of the one who truly embraces the love of God in Jesus. How does that happen? Fear involves punishment. If we still think we are going to be punished for our sin, we haven't fully understood what Jesus was doing on the cross. He took our punishment. Why? ...

“For David had done what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and had obeyed the Lord's command throughout his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite."  I Kings 15:5 I remember reading the roster for the sixth grade basketball team. I felt pretty confident going into the tryouts that I would get on the team. If memory serves me correctly, there was an "A" and a "B" team. Surely I was on one of the lists. Nope. It felt like everyone made a team except me. I learned very quickly the sharp stinging edge of the  except . The narrator/author of I Kings was compelled to publish David's  except  once again. Adultery. Conspiracy to commit murder. It was a very ugly story.   David followed God ... most of the time. In Psalm 51, he came to terms with his e xcept  ... "Have mercy on me, O God." God did.  You and I have some of those  excepts  too don't we? We can let them haunt us. We can pretend they never happened and hope they go away. We c...

“The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah' (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter).  John 1:41-42 I've had a few nicknames over the years. When I was young, my friends tagged me with the name "Weeser". I have no idea why I was given that name nor do I have any idea what it means. Honestly, I'm not even sure if that's the correct spelling. In my late high school and early college years, I was "T-ster" or simply "T" for short. Those were simply taken from my first initial. Apparently, this practice of giving nicknames wasn't new with my friends or yours. Jesus did it too. "Hey Simon, I'm calling you Cephas." The Greek version of this name, Peter, may be more familiar to us. Both of them mean the same thing ... Rock. That's ...

"   The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart.  There is nothing that can be hid from God; everything in all creation is exposed and lies open before his eyes. And it is to him that we must all give an account of ourselves. "  Hebrews  4:12-13 The time had come. I was done being "friends." I was twenty years old and ready to head out into the future with a beautiful young woman on my arm. I was convinced that she was the one, but was  she  convinced? So, with my heart in my hands, completely exposed, I told her how I really felt about her. She responded with, "I think you should ask someone else out." ... Ouch! My poor little heart was broken! I put myself out there only to be crushed. Fortunately, however, in time she decided that I was the one for her too. After twenty six ye...

"'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...

"He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy.  He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit.  He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did.  He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness.  And now we know that we will inherit eternal life."      Titus 3:5-7 As I leaned over to grab my ankles, a wide variety of thoughts raced through my 13 year old mind ... "Is this going to hurt?  I'd rather not be here.  Is this really happening?  What will my parents think when they find out?"  Whack!! Ouch!  My inquiry as to the painfulness of getting a swat from my burly history teacher was rather convincingly answered.  While reflecting on this particularly vivid memory, I notice that at no time then or since then did I ever think or say, "I'm innocent!  This punishment is an injustice!"  Nope.  Never. ...

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18 NIV) Who in your life do you need to go to God, in prayer, and forgive? Does it make what they've done ok? No. Does it say that you will all of the sudden feel differently about them the next time you see them? Probably not. So what does forgiving, letting go of your grudge, actually do? It sets you free. It kicks those people out of your head. It allows you to fully relate and embody Jesus through your life. How would you want them to treat you? Do that. Be like Jesus. What follows this will change your life.

"So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him." Heb. 11:6 Generally speaking, being rewarded is a wonderful experience. "Great job! Here is your bonus." "Thanks mom. Thanks dad. I know it hasn't been easy, but you were and are great parents." "Kids, you did it! We're off to Disney World!!" "Honey, I'd marry you all over again. You are simply the best." Rewards motivate. Rewards encourage. They remind us that all the sacrifice was worth it. God thinks about rewards too. Here in our verse for the day, he tells us that he has a reward for those who seek him. Wow! Imagine that. What reward could God give that in any way, shape, or form speaks to his grandeur, his majesty, and to his glory? The prophet Jeremiah provides us with some insights regarding the answer to that question....