Fall Creek Christian Church

“When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God ... prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he's above others ... prevent him from turning away from these commands ... ensure his reign and his descendants..."  Deuteronomy 17:18-20 Ten years or so ago, I joined with a group of men on a mission trip to one of the island tribes of Panama. We built homes and started construction of a school for the tribe. It was definitely an adventure as we tent camped for 4-5 days and nights. Food, water, and bathroom facilities weren't like home to say the least. I think we only bathed once with soap and that was in the ocean. Being a person who is a big proponent of daily hygiene, this experience was way out of my comfort zone.  Simply said, there are some activit...

“(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.) In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them." Deuteronomy 1:2-3 I could have had her on a leash. I could have picked her up before I crossed the street. I could have done a hundred things differently in that moment. If I would have, one of my worst childhood memories never would have happened. Life is given to us in a series of moments. Once passed, the moments cannot be rewound. There are no do-overs or reset buttons. We live. We chose. We experience the outcomes of those choices, both positive and negative.  The people of Israel were no different. God had led them out the bondage of Egypt. They were standing at the entrance of their divinely appointed land. God said, "Go!" They said, "No!" Forty years later they returned with none of the nay-sayers in tow. In one moment, they...

“David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the  Lord .’  II Samuel 23:15-16   Breakthrough. The word is irrepressively positive. Our lives are measured and treasured by our breakthrough moments ... riding the bike without training wheels, acing the impossible exam, standing true when tested, defeating the demons of addiction ... Facing down my fears of the unknown have provided some of my most treasured breakthrough moments in life. What about you? Our verses for the day provide a picture of what a breakthrough looks like and who gets to experience them. David's hometown was in trouble. The dreaded Philistines had shown up. David wa...

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.  4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,  5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,  6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,  7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3:3-7 All of us at one point were not who we currently are. This is certainly true of my Grandpa Hodges. My dad recounts stories of my grandpa when he was younger. He has memories of my grandpa being very angry, having a foul mouth. My grandma did the work of getting their three kids to church on a regular basis.  Then  one  Sunday  something changed with my grandpa. He de...