Fall Creek Christian Church

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath. ... And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you."  Psalm 39:4-5, 7 After waiting on hold for who knows how long and finally getting my question asked and answered, I said to myself, "Well, that's a part of my life I'll never get back." It's frustrating to see precious moments consumed by something not nearly as precious. I have noticed, however, that, by and large, I'm much less discerning of wasted time than I ought to be. David made it a point to ask God to remind him of life's brevity. David did not want to fall victim to the illusion of timelessness on this side of eternity. For David, the reality of a fast approaching end provided a deep motivation to tightly focus his life in one dire...

“A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. 'If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,' he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed."  Mark 1:40-42 I have very few vivid memories from preschool age to early grade school. I do, however, have one very strong memory while on a field trip as a kindergartner. The road the bus traveled was hilly and curvy. My motion sickness began to kick in big time. I felt awful and all I wanted was my mom. One of the teachers could see I wasn't doing well at all. She joined me on my seat, pulled me close and kept me company while the other kids poured out of the bus. I felt safe, cared for, and loved. The leper who came to Jesus believed he could heal him. The only question was, "Would he be willing to do it?" It's at this moment where an internal ...

“Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, 'Teacher, I'm not the one, am I?' And Jesus told him, 'You have said it yourself.'"  Matthew 26:25 "Love the Lord, all you faithful ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the Lord."  Psalm 31:23-24 As I heard his words, spoken with genuine affection, my heart filled with life. In a very difficult context, this man stood up for me, defended me and protected me. I didn't ask him to do it. He just did and I will never ever forget it. Loyalty is a powerful force. It changes people. It is honored in virtually all cultures. Why? Simply put, it matters to us because it matters to our Creator. Jesus' "friend" and disciple, Judas Iscariot, for reasons known only to him, chose disloyalty. Betrayal is the antithesis of loyalty. Judas was cold-hearted. He played the part of t...

“But Moses told the people, 'Don't be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch the Lord rescue you. The Egyptians that you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense!'" Exodus  14:13-14 "What? ... Where in the world did that come from?" False accusations are troubling to us aren't they. As we all have, I've heard some whoppers over the years. One ministry friend was arrested at a park during his prayer and Bible study time because someone accused him of being a flasher. All charges were dropped as fraudulent, but still. When I've been attacked, my knee jerk is to want to strike back and defend myself. What about you? The people of Israel were in trouble. An attack was imminent. As a recently freed nation of slaves, they were in no position to fight. So they did what came natural ... panic! God led them to this very real position of helplessness to teach them to tur...