Fall Creek Christian Church

"Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike -- the necessity of turning from sin and turning to God, and of faith in our Lord Jesus." - Acts 20:20-21 I have some wonderful truth tellers in my life. My wife is one. My kids. The leaders at church. Close friends. Truth tellers are those who care more about us than whether or not we like them at any given moment. They says things like, "You're just being selfish. ... That was rude. ... Self-pity doesn't look good on you. ... That's not right. ..." Sometimes I receive these kinds of conversations well. Sometimes ... not so much. I, like all of you, am a work in progress or at least I hope I am. Paul was a truth teller. He was consistent. He didn't present a public face and then a different private face. Truth didn't change with the person's heritage. He was passionate about three things: not sinning, seeki

"But Naaman became angry and stalked away. 'I thought he would surely come out to meet me!' he said. 'I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! Aren't the Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel put together? Why shouldn't I wash in them and be healed? So Naaman turned and went away in a rage. But his officers tried to reason with him and said, 'Sir, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he simply says to go and wash and be cured!'" II Kings  5:11-13 Approaching the big 5-0 has caused me to pause and consider life's journey so far. Why didn't I ask for help when I needed it? Why wouldn't I heed the wise counsel of those around me? Why did I persist in a course of action that was clearly flawed? Why do I dwell on 'I' to the neglect of others? Why do

"But Elijah said to her, 'Don't be afraid! Go ahead and cook that last meal, but bake me a little loaf of bread first. Afterward there will be enough food for you and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be plenty of flour and oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!" I Kings 17:13-14 Many times in our lives, my wife and I have looked at each other completely befuddled at what we were hearing God tell us to do.  Many indicators at the time pointed to this "word from God" being an unrealistic, not to mention "unwise" move.  From financial decisions, to professional decisions, to child rearing decisions, to adoption, to giving, to relational decisions and everything in between, we've looked up to heaven and said, "God, are you sure?" All throughout the Bible, we see people brought to a similar place in their lives again and again.  It

"Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong.  For who by himself is able to govern this great nation of yours?  The Lord was pleased with Solomon's reply and was glad that he had asked for wisdom."  I Kings 3:9-10  On a more noble day, if I were given one wish, I'd wish for cures to all diseases or world peace.  On regular days, I'd wish for all the money in the world, an infinite number of more wishes (most times this game is played this wish is not allowed), the ability to play every sport better than anyone else, to be smarter than everyone else, all of Superman's powers ... you get the idea. As far as we know, there has only been one man granted the privilege by God to make one wish and that was King Solomon, David's son.  He wished for wisdom.  Wisdom!?  I think he should have at least tried the infinite more wishes wish just to see if it really is a rule.  Regardless, his answer

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."  John 13:34-35 The gift was overwhelming.  Our family was about to go to five and a minivan was such an incredible blessing.  A fellow church member, moved by God's Spirit, gave of their resources to bless a young and growing family.  Love. Not talked about.  Not intellectually affirmed.  But expressed.  Love becomes love when it's given away. As it turns out, in our verses for today, Jesus promoted this love in action.  Even more than that, he told us that loving one another was a megaphone to the world.  It was the iron clad evidence that proved we belong to him. So, the request to make to God this week is this, "Please work through me to provide positive proof that I am a follower of Jesus."    Grace and Peace, Tom