Fall Creek Christian Church

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24 The headlines of today sound more like an apocalyptic horror story than news. Accounts of senseless killings, missile launches, war, financial collapse, starvation, drug abuse, human trafficking and the like are sure to pour out of the anchorperson's mouth like a river at flood stage. Additionally, we also have all of our many personal stress points. Gut wrenching relational breakdowns, financial despair, unemployment, depression, addictions, foolish decisions, bitterness, injustice, and abuse are sure to headline some of our autobiographies. It doesn't take long for the anchor of anxiety to pull our broken hearts and troubled minds deep into the dark waters of despair. I don't know about you, but it makes me want to stand and shout, "Stop the world, I want off!!" As we read our

“Don't be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison and put you to the test. You will be persecuted for 'ten days.' Remain faithful even when facing death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelations 2:10 There was no way to describe the feeling that came over me when I finally received my diploma. Completed. Finished. Done. Over. No more papers, projects, or tests. Yippee!! What an incredible relief. It was day I had looked forward to for a long, long time. As we read our verse for the day, we discover in no uncertain terms that testing is not the exclusive domain of this world's educational system. It is also an integral part of God's spiritual educational system. Here we find Jesus telling the people in this church that the devil was going to be putting them to the test. Suffering. Persecution. Death. Talk about a final exam! I wonder what thoughts raced through their minds as they we

“I lift my eyes up to the hills-- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber; ..." Psalm 121:1-3 It was no use. The path that I thought I wanted to be on had ended. I was on a ledge twenty feet above the boulder covered creek bank below. I could not jump out far enough to reach the water. In front of me was a sheer rock face. There was no way to retrace my steps and no one there to hear my cries for help. On top of all that, no one knew where I was. Stuck and desperate, I began to pray. It's amazing how desperation improves one's prayer life. It was at that time that a thought entered my mind, "Look up." I slowly adjusted my position and looked up the side of the rocky hill. There, growing out of collections of dirt on the rocks, were some small trees, hand grip sized. I jumped for all I was worth, grabbed the little tree and

“But all these things did happen to King Nebuchadnezzar. Twelve months later he was taking a walk on the flat roof of the royal palace in Babylon. As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’ “While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.’" Daniel 4:28-32 It was a Monday afternoon in the 7th grade. It was time to pay the piper. The substitute teacher from the Friday before had taken meticulous notes. These notes identi

"And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness." James 3:18 Growing up, our family was rarely without a garden. It would vary in size and variety of vegetables, but that we would have one was rarely in question. We kids were all "invited" to help with the planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting of the gardens over the years. I remember very distinctly digging in the dirt, planting the seeds, and covering them back up. I really enjoyed it. I kept quiet about that fact though, because I didn't want to get "invited" to help too often. Given that we were planting many different kinds of plants, we liked to mark the rows with a stick, to which, we would attach the empty seed packets. It was a test of my childish patience to watch the plants begin to break through the soil and take the form of the picture on the package. Eventually, however, we would enjoy a wonderful harvest. The Bible speaks often

"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.

"The word of the Lord came to me: "Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people." Ezekiel 12:1-2 While driving to school, my daughter asked me an odd and random question, "What do blind people see?" I looked at her quizzically and replied, "Nothing. It's just darkness." She then asked, "Wouldn't they have to have seen light to understand darkness?" "Well uh...", I responded with incredible insight. She then followed with, "Would they know what you were talking about when you describe something if they were able to see before they went blind?" Fortunately, we arrived at school before the questions escalated any further. My coffee deprived brain wasn't fully engaged yet. I suppose we'll need to ask these questions to people who are blind someday to get any genuinely insightful answer

"Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. But now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he made the universe and everything in it. The Son reflects God's own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly. He sustains the universe by the mighty power of his command. After he died to cleanse us from the stain of sin, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God of heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3 As a point of confession, there are many times where I come up dreadfully short in the listening department. As a point of example, there are occasions when my wife communicate

"... I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return." II Timothy 1:12 On a regular basis, I meet with my financial adviser. Given the not so bigness of the finances under discussion, our conversations are pretty short and sweet. We make sure my life insurance coverage is at the appropriate levels and that the funds I'm invested in are returning what we need them to in order to reach our retirement goals, etc. It's all pretty typical planning, implementing, and monitoring type activity. Mostly, we just enjoy each other's company and catch up with what's happening with our families. If, however, someone were to ask me, "Why are you working with him?" It would come down to a three word answer, "I trust him." Fundamentally, I trust him because I know him. I don't believe for a second that he would do anything to harm my family or me. Trust is a big

"Then he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his very self?  Luke 9:23-25 I keep this quote taped on my bookshelf: "Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at something that doesn't really matter."  It reminds me to ask myself some very important questions when making decisions and setting priorities.  Is this decision about God's Kingdom or is it about my little kingdom?  Do my priorities reflect Biblical values or do they reflect my personal preferences?  I often ponder how terrible it would be to come to the end of my days and then realize that my life didn't matter.  The older I get, the more acutely aware I become of the fact that my days are numbered.  I want them to count for something

"Tell Archippus: 'See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.'" Colossians 4:17 As I rounded the second turn, it occurred to me that I was not only in last place, but I was in last place by a lot. My fragile little 8th grade ego was not prepared to face the humiliation of such an embarrassing defeat. So, I simply just walked off the track unnoticed as I was so far behind. At a meet later in the year, another slow sap got picked to run the same race and found himself in the same dust eating place I had been. However, instead of quitting, he tightened his jaw and gave it all that he had. To my surprise, no one made fun of him. No insults or slow jokes. Instead, they cheered. I cheered! Not a little ho-hum cheer; I mean we yelled at the top of our lungs. He was the only one left on the track and we cheered for him more than the kid who won. Hmm ... it seems perseverance and courage moves even the junior high crowd. In our verse for

"Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. But those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do." Psalm 73:25-28 Not too long ago, I had the privilege of sharing a cup of coffee and some riveting conversation with one of our WWII heroes. As a Marine, he fought in the Pacific theater from one island to the other in brutal, close contact, jungle warfare. In one fight, his position was being overrun with all, except him, being killed. He stood firing his machine gun into the charging enemy waiting for his turn to die. At the very last moment, he was rescued by another nearby unit who had flanked the charging enemy and killed them before their bullets or their bay

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..." Ephesians 3:21 Before the poster found its way into my son's room, it used to hang in my office. Under the picture, I wrote in marker the words, "No Limits". The poster is a frozen moment of one of Michael Jordan's many highlight reel feats. It captures him in mid-flight between the free throw line and the basket during a late 80's slam dunk competition. Needless to say, he won. The picture served as a reminder for me that the impossible is possible with God. Seriously, I'm just as likely to slam a basketball as I am to catch a bullet with my teeth or make an elephant tap out in a wrestling match. It's just not going to happen. So, to see the "impossible" expands my vision. Paul thought about limitlessness as well. He writes here that God can do infinitely more than anything that we can ask or ima

"And so the Lord says, 'These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away ..." Is. 29:13 As parents, my wife and I try our best, failing often to be sure, to do the right thing to prepare our kids for a future out from under our roof. When they were little, we would often repeat a scene certainly familiar to you that looked something like this ... An offense against a sibling was committed. The offended sibling cried or yelled or simply just tattled. The offender presented a defense that almost always broke down under cross-examination. The offender was then properly chastised and instructed to apologize to the offended sibling for their offense. The words, "I'm sorry" passed through their lips, but tone and body language revealed their insincerity, never mind the fact that they normally did the same thing again the next day. In the Bible verse for today, God calls out his people for the insincerity of th

"...I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and day adrift at sea. I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers ... I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm." II Corinthians 11:23-27 As the thunder and rain continued to escalate as the night went on, it was clear that we were not going to be able to finish our camp-out under the stars. We had taken cover under a tarp covered pavilion, but the water was blowing in sideways and the ground was quickly becoming a little river. In the late hours of the night, the decision w

"...Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right." Ecclesiastes 8:5b I knew what I needed to do. My nagging conscience and the constant turmoil in my heart was simply not going to go away until I made things right. The man in the gas station had taken a look out the window with his binoculars to look at the pump that I had just finished using and told me it said, "such and such." I gave him the money, got in my car and pulled away. Curious, due to the oddity of the experience, I glanced over my shoulder and saw that the pump said, "such and such .05". Yikes, I thought. He missed the nickel. Running a little bit late already, I kept on going. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get that 5 cents out of my head. It stalked me like the beating heart in Edgar Allan Poe's story. Needless to say, the guy working at the gas station when I returned to slap that nickel down on the counter was more than a little b

"As the deer pants for streams of living water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God." Psalm 42:1-2 After a long hard day of yard work in the heat, I simply cannot wait for those first gulps of ice cold water. When my stomach is growling and it's mid-afternoon, the taste of that hold-me-over candy bar is indescribably satisfying. After being separated from my wife for a few days, the aching in my arms and heart for her can only be eased with a long embrace. We all understand longing, thirsting, and desiring something so bad that, simply put, it just hurts. In our verses for the day, David introduces us to the longing of all longings - the longing for God. In the deepest part of our soul, there is a reality that we either embrace or attempt to erase. That reality is that we have been made by God and for God and until we understand that, life just won't make sense. The longing for God is the greatest longing that we have. Whether we re

"If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble." Proverbs 21:23 As a young pastor, I seemed to find myself in awkward conversations more often then I care to admit. Upon introducing myself to a guest one Sunday morning, I noted who she was with and then turned back to her and asked, "Are you her mom?" After a shriek of horror, she let me know that they were sisters. I attempted to apologize, but was rebuffed most severely. My foot was firmly entrenched in my mouth and there was no escape. She left with great anger and disgust never to visit again. Yikes! I felt horrible. Thankfully, those moments are decreasing with age and experience, but every once in awhile I still visit the terrible land of Foot-In-Mouth. In our verse for the day, the Bible is so completely clear and concise in regards to our words. Just keep your mouth shut. Ponder this question for awhile, "How different would your marriage be, your family be, your workplace, yo

"And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, 'Hush! Don't weep! For this is a sacred day.' So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God's words and understood them." Nehemiah 8:11-12 Over the last several years, my level of attention and appreciation for that moment of reflection and respect during the national anthem has grown tremendously. Sure, part of it is just that natural maturing with time. However, I believe it has much more to do with the people that I've met who in some profound way have been shaped by sacrifice and duty for their country. It doesn't take too many conversations with veterans and/or active duty military personnel and their families to begin to appreciate the price of our freedoms. In our scripture today, we see God's people re-encountering his word. As the Book of the Law was opened, all the people rose

Even though the people were afraid of the local residents, they rebuilt the altar at its old site. Then they immediately began to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord. They did this each morning and evening." Ezra 3:3 At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced the grief of bullying either personally or through the eyes of someone we love. Bullying is an egregious attempt on someone's part to elevate themselves or their agenda at the expense of someone else's dignity or efforts. It is horrible through and through. As a grade school kid, I was pretty excited when the local paper boy said that he would pay me to deliver the paper route for him from time to time. I honored my half of the bargain only to discover later that he had no intention of honoring his. He was quite a bit older and bigger than me and I was afraid of him. I had a choice to make. I could either keep being used or I could stand up to him and tell him that I wasn't

And when trouble came to King Ahaz, he became even more unfaithful to the Lord. He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, for he said, 'These gods helped the kings of Aram, so they will help me, too, if I sacrifice to them.' But instead, they led to his ruin and the ruin of all Israel." II Chronicles 28:22-23 After about the fourth or fifth pop rivet that tore away from the metal I was working with, I finally concluded that pop rivets just might not be the solution to my problem. I know, I know ... I'm a genius. One attempt wasn't enough. Not 2, Not 3, Not 4 ... You've been here before haven't you? The billion dollar question for the day is ... Why is it, after proving an idea to be bad, do we continue to try it thinking that the outcomes will be different the next time. If I only give it more time, more energy and more resources, it will finally work. So ... we pour more money into a sinking business. We stick with rel

"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'

"But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done." Romans 3:21-22 "What do I need to do to make this right?" I cannot begin to tell you how many times that I've wished for a customer service representative to ask me this question. Accounting errors, incorrect fees, unannounced pricing changes, wrong orders and the like have resulted in much frustration over the years. How refreshing it would be in those moments to work with someone who wanted me to feel like the wrong was addressed in a satisfactory way. An equally frustrating experience occurs when I am in the wrong and am unable for whatever reason to make things right with someone. Regardless of what side of the coin we may be on, in

"The man who finds a wife finds a treasure and receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 18:22 Like many young boys growing up, I absolutely loved collecting sports cards. Baseball, football, basketball, it didn't matter. I would spend hours sorting them, counting them, and looking up their values in the sports card value books. I remember very vividly the anticipation of opening up the packs, hoping to get that big name player or the special limited edition cards. I put my favorites in plastic pages or cases in order to protect them and to show the other kids. My friends and I would negotiate trades that at times would take days to complete. I still have some of my cardboard treasures in a box in a closet. I don't think about them very often these days, much less get them out and sort through them. I might get around to re-engaging with my collection someday, but for now, it simply collects dust. In our verse for the day, the author directs our attention t

Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God." II Kings 19:19 What is it about those "World's Strongest Man" competitions that cause even the most determined channel surfer to pause and watch? These men are able to perform feats of strength that are normally reserved for comic books. So, we watch. There is something magnetic about strength. We marvel at it. We wish we had more of it and truth be told, we are vulnerable to the temptation to believe that strength lies within us. For the most part, we realize that Superman is only a comic strip character. Yet, at times and places, there are some, including us, who have come to see themselves as a pretty big deal. It's usually about that time in my life where I experience one of my epic fails. What about you? In our story today, we see a contrast of two kings. They are on polar opposites in their understanding of where strength an

"Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them,'Truly, truly, I say to to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." John 5:19 Sight is a marvelous sense. Our eyes are the lamp of our body. The intricacy and complexity of the human eye has been well documented. It's ability to quickly focus, to adjust to various levels of light, and to distinguish colors and patterns is one of God's special gifts to us. Good eyesight, however, does not always equal good vision. Good vision has far more to do with our heart, mind, and will than it does with the quality of our eyesight. As many false eyewitness accounts reveal, the eye will see what the heart, mind and will want to see and/or what they have prepared the eye to see. We've all heard the expressions, they have a "trained" eye or a "real eye for that", meani

"O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below -- you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it -- as it is today." I Kings 8:23-24 I hesitated as I reached for the phone thinking that I had too much happening for phone calls. The kind voice on the other line said, "Sorry to bother you, but I was just calling to see what your plan was in regards to picking up your daughter from school today." "O no!! ... I'll be right there.", I said. I arrived to a little red-eyed, tear-stained face looking at me with the most profound sense of disappointment and hurt that I have ever seen. "Daddy", she said, "You told me that you would be here to pick me up." Ouch. No one needs to tell us that promises are a big deal. We

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you -- even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:19-21 With the dust so thick and the temperature so high, I was beginning to doubt that we would make it out of that barn alive. However, after hours of loading wagons and stacking hay bales, the field was cleared. The dust covered us from head to toe. Our arms stung from all the scratches earned by heaving the bales high onto the wagon and into the upper recesses of the barn rafters. We made our way out of the barn as the dust descended upon us like a light snow. The relief of the fresh air was quickly overcome by the scorching sun beating down upon us. There was only one thing on our minds. Water. To say we were sweaty and thirsty woul

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." Ps 119:105 At the first flickering of the lights, we instinctively began to round up all the candles and some matches. Sure enough, the next round of lightning with its accompanying thunder, that was close enough to shake the house, caused the power to quit flowing and the house went dark. Immediately, the matches were struck and the candles were lit. It truly is an amazing atmosphere when the only light available is candlelight. There was a warm glow, dancing shadows, and sense of uneasy yet appealing nostalgia as we 21st century technology dependent individuals were sent back to a bygone era. None of us could simply run up the stairs or into the next room. We had to take a candle with us or we couldn't see our feet or what they were about step on or trip over. The candlelight was good for one step at a time. The Psalmist who wrote this very famous line lived in a world of oil lamps. The every singl

"After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, 'I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.'"  John 13:21 More times than I can remember, I have had conversations with individuals who prefaced the discussion with something like this, "The last time I trusted a pastor and shared confidential information with them, they turned right around and broke their word."  In short, they felt betrayed.  I once had a "friend" who decided that it was their job to judge me and then pass his judgment along in the form of gossip.  I was absolutely floored when I found out it was him.  On the other side of the coin, having betrayed others in some form or fashion myself, it is nothing short of heart-breaking, adding one more rock to the pile of regrets.  Regardless of what end of the betrayal equation we may find ourselves, "troubling" is a very appropriate description of its impact.  Betrayal is brutal. The Bible c

"But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearances or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'"   I Samuel 16:7 As we turned down the road congested with warehouses and other industrial buildings, we began to wonder if the directions we had been given were accurate or if we had simply made a wrong turn.  In any event, nothing appeared to us like the quaint little local restaurant that had been described to us.  We called again to verify we were on the right road and were told to look carefully for a small obscure sign with the restaurant's name on it and an arrow directing us to its location.  We finally found the sign and followed the road between the buildings to a warmly lit and truly unique establishment.  It turned out to be our favorite restaurant of the whole trip.  With its uneven floors, tacky lights hanging from the ceili

"But Ruth replied, 'Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me.'" Ruth 1:16-17 Just short of 24 years ago, my wife and I stood before God, friends and family, and each other and said, "I will." Little did either of us know the implications of those two little words. From my wife's perspective things like, "I will put up with your snoring, not to mention your too often junior high boy behavior." Other implications include: I will love you even when I do not like you. I will serve you. I will be kind to you. I will sacrifice myself for you. I will remain ever faithful to you. I will all of these and so much more regardless of whether you will or not. And finally, at

A couple of weeks ago I looked at my wife’s vehicle and noticed some wear on her front right tire that didn’t look quite right.  After further inspection it became fairly obvious to me that the vehicle was most likely out of alignment.  This must have been a pretty easy diagnosis based on the fact that maintenance of any kind isn’t my area of giftedness. After this quick assessment it was necessary to ask my wife a few questions:  Any issues in how your vehicle is handling?  Is it pulling to the right?  This all led to a fairly quick answer of not really.  A few days later my son drove her vehicle and I asked him the same questions when he got back only to hear yes to the same questions. The reason for this is because it started pulling gradually and she drives it every day and hadn’t really noticed it but for him it was obvious because he hadn’t driven it for a while.  This is exactly what happens to us we gradually start having areas of our life we get out of alignment in a

“Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer----Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.  The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab."  Judges 3:15 As my car spun out of control on the snowy highway, all I could do was wait for it to stop.  Neither braking nor turning the steering wheel made any difference whatsoever.  We came to a stop in the plowed snow on the  other  side of the highway just as the oncoming traffic blew by.  What could have been our last day on earth instead became a simple phone call to get towed out.  The difference between those two outcomes?  Timing.  A second earlier, a second later ... disaster.  Fundamentally, timing involves two things - people and circumstances.  Consider your introduction to your spouse.  Two people at the same place at the same time who happened to be predisposed to being attracted to each other.  Rather remarkable really.  Take Ehud, our left-handed deliverer for

Definitions to consider: a network of friends, colleagues, and other personal contacts: Strong social networks can  encourage healthy behaviors. an online community of people with a common interest who use a Web site or other technologies to communicate with each other and share information I spent a day this month in a meeting learning about social media as part of being on a task force for our  company. The above definitions really got my attention especially some of the key words above such as  “Encourage Healthy Behaviors” and a “Community of People.” About 4 hours into our meeting it hit me that the really cool piece of this online community is that  most people don’t have a clue about what anyone looks like or what they use to be known as in the  community etc, so you guessed it the prejudices that are unfortunately built into us from a young age  don’t exist. We just simply connect with people based on common interests, and sharing information  and we don’t let any

"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go ... for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:7,9b Whether we can readily articulate it or not, we all have a list of desires for our children. At times, this list can be too long, too demanding, too unrealistic, and in all honesty, too important. Many a child has been crushed under the weight of their parents' expectations. I've had to come face to face with some wrong-headed desires I've had for my children more often then I care to admit. On paper, the desires seem reasonable and even responsible. However, regardless of whether or not the problem is intrinsic to the desire or whether it's in the communication of said desire, the results are often times ... bad. Hurt feelings, mistrust, and questioned love are a few of the examples of bad resul

"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?'  The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'  Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'" -  Luke 10:36-37 Our home group Bible study had just finished dinner and we were beginning to settle in for a time of sharing, prayer, and study.  It was a beautiful evening and the kids were out playing.  Our neighbors were walking dogs, doing yard work or just sitting on their porches enjoying the sunset.  It was one of those Norman Rockwell moments - Americana at its finest.  Our conversation inside was lively and warm as we listened to each other's life updates and reflected on some thought provoking Bible verses.  About that time, the once distant sound of lawn mowing began to grow louder and louder.  It sounded like it was just outside the window.  The eyes of the group members told me immediately that it was in fact just outside the wind

This is the time of year that is we often hear people start to talk in terms of this Spring Cleaning Attitude that they are getting into, and this means something different for everyone. The Garage is the place that we typically tackle with this Spring Cleaning attitude.  We remove all the items, sweep it out, empty the shelves and dust them off and next comes the fun.  We play with things we had forgotten were there and then discuss what is still in good shape that we don’t need that someone else could use and if we know someone specific or if we should donate it.  The next step is more difficult and that is we discuss what needs to be disposed of because for whatever reason it doesn’t have a place in our life any longer. In surveying the garage last night I started to take mental notes of items that might fall into that last category and then occurred to me that that this Spring Cleaning Attitude fits right in line with Matthew 12: 43-45. "When an impure spirit comes

"I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Luke 3:16 On a regular basis in my home, my beautiful wife generates quite the extensive "to-do" list. The list includes cleaning bathrooms, laundry, fix-its, vacuuming, dusting, yard chores, light bulb changes ... well, you get the picture. For any one person, it would be a formidable list, to say the least. Mercifully, however, one person is never charged with the whole list. We all get our own list. The alphabetized sub-categories are cleanly divided between the familial labor force. We all moan and groan equally. Yet, at the end of the day, we are all thankful for at least three things: none of us had to do the entire list, the house is clean, and mama's happy. John the Baptist had a job to do. He was preparing the path for Jesus. He cleared out the overgrown vegetation

This is the time of year when whether you are an NCAA basketball fan or not you are going to hear about basketball.  If you are a fan, then you have no doubt been working through your bracket, trying to figure out who is going to win each game and ultimately win the National Championship. You are truly excited that March Madness has arrived.  I will admit that this is a fun time of year for me as I really enjoy college basketball.  This many quality games back to back is just a lot of fun to watch and enjoy with friends and family.  Sunday, after the selection show, I was watching all the commentary regarding the brackets from quite a few individuals with a great deal of knowledge about these teams.  It really struck me how they all put their personal spin on what team would eventually be the National Champion.  It seemed funny that they all had the same information, the same teams, and yet, they each put their own personal opinion into their analysis and developed a different answer.

"Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd put their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, 'I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on.'" Mark 12:41-44 In the context of family budgeting, the idea of an emergency fund or "rainy day" fund is one most of us are familiar with even if we are yet to establish one. Basically, an emergency fund recognizes that life is unpredictable. Unexpected financial storms can kick up at anytime leaving us at risk and in peril of serious consequences. To prepare for that, we create an emergency fund, something to bail us out when the going gets tough. I