Fall Creek Christian Church

"You made me; you created me.  Now give me the sense to follow your commands." Psalm 119:73 My dad was meticulous in giving me instructions regarding gun safety.  I, however, wasn't quite as meticulous in putting those instructions into practice.  As a kid, when dad and I were on a rabbit hunt, I neglected to follow the rule regarding keeping your finger away from the trigger until shooting time.  I tripped over some railroad tracks, reached out to catch myself with the safety off and my finger on the trigger.  The barrel was so close to my head when the gun went off, that all I could hear for the next several minutes was ringing.  Thankfully, my foolish failure to follow the instructions didn't cost me or my dad our lives, but it sure was a powerful lesson. The Psalmist here points out something so obvious we simply say, "Duh."  However, he still needed to say it, because he and we needed to hear it.  God made us.  Life was his idea.  H...

"Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, 'My lord the king!'  When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, 'Why do you listen when men say David is bent on harming you?'  This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave.  Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, 'I will not lift my hand against my master, because he is the Lord's anointed.'"  I Samuel 24:8-10 Having taken many road trips, I've been faced with the question time and time again as to what speed the cruise control should be set.  On a few occasions over the years, the lights in my rear view mirror indicated that I had chosen poorly.  The fact that certain speeds were available to choose did not mean that I should. David, in our story for the day, wrestled with this oft-repeated life dilemma.  He could have killed the man who was trying ...

"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger."  Proverbs 15:1 Once while we were traveling, we stopped at a truck plaza for the usual: snacks, restroom and gas.  I noticed when I came to the counter where my wife was asking the clerk some questions and paying for the snacks that a drunk man was there also.  He was talking to my wife and judging by the reactions, I was convinced immediately that the comments were inappropriate.  I came up between them and asked if everything was okay.  Very gently and calmly she took my arm as she said, "yes" and led me out the door. The author of the proverb for the day had seen enough human interactions go awry to be able to identify a common theme.  Challenging situations can go from bad to worse.  They can also go from bad to better.  The key factor?  Did the parties involved respond or react?  Reactions are what we say and do before we think things through.  Responses are...

"'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...