Fall Creek Christian Church

“I, the Lord, was very angry with your ancestors. Therefore, say to the people, 'This is what the Lord Almighty says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord Almighty."  Zechariah 1:2-3 Having watched my children play soccer for many years, it took them a long time to learn that sometimes they needed to return the ball to the back in order for it to go forward. It's counter-intuitive, but critical to changing the point of attack to exploit the weaknesses of an opponent.   In our verses for the day, God let the people know they had some returning to do. Before they could move forward as a nation, they had to go back and return to the one they had left. They had to own their past mistakes, look hard into the mirror of reality and then come clean before God.  Returning can be an extremely tough proposition. It typically involves apologies, restitution and a large helping of humble pie. Are there any places you need to return to? It may be that your next breakthr

“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are. But Jonah got up and went into the opposite direction to get away from the Lord." Jonah 1: 2-3a As soon as I made the turn, something told me that things were not quite right. I'm sure it was my sharp tactical senses that alerted me and not the fact that the oncoming traffic was in the exact same lane as I was. Thankfully, I was able to swerve off the road before the inevitable and unfortunate lead news story materialized. As our verses for the day clearly indicate, going the wrong way is not unique to me. Jonah got all turned around too. However, his wrong way moment was not caused by an unfortunate bad guess. He was on the run. Not from some dark sinister force. No, he was on the run from God! This wrong way decision led to that whole nasty belly of the fish business. Eventually, Jonah did do his job. However, we're never quite sure if his heart eve

“Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God."  III John 11 I remember listening to a speaker many years ago who posed this question to all of us in the audience. "If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" My mind drifted to a whole series of questions. Would I be found guilty? Do words alone suffice? What would be the nature of the evidence? Would everyone agree on just exactly what evidence would be needed?  Jesus' best friend John had put some thought into this very question as well. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he identified in this verse one of the clear indicators of a person who is walking with Jesus - they do good. When faced with a decision to do things God's way or the world's way, they consistently choose God's way. In y