Fall Creek Christian Church

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights." Habakkuk 3:17-19 50 was a particularly distressing birthday. I determined to keep myself busy to not think about it. As I hurried to an appointment that morning, I neglected to pay attention to my speed. Unfortunately, an attentive state trooper did. After noting it was my birthday, he rightfully gave me my speed earned ticket. Even though the day started out rough, I decided to just be thankful I was around to have another birthday.    During Habakkuk's time as a prophet, the spiritual condition of God's people was in sad shape. He was bummed out because

"Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord -- now and always." Psalm 131:1-3 "Grow up!" I remember hearing this from my sister when I was a kid. A really annoying kid. I don't know what the motivation for me was to be annoying. I just was ... a loudmouth know-it-all, selfish person with plenty of mean words. My family really couldn't wait for me to grow up. The annoying stage had worn out its welcome. David painted a powerful picture of spiritual maturity is his short Psalm. The mature are not proud. They avoid the "I'm better than you" attitude. They've set aside their futile attempts to create little boxes for God. They don't fear his immensity, they embrace

"This is real love -- not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression."  I John 4:10-12 Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The cooler evenings and the changing of the leaves. Good stuff. We have a tall tree in our front yard whose leaves are some of the most brilliant orange and red I've ever seen. The colors slowly turn until one day ... Wow! They hit full expression. Driving in one evening with sunset colors hitting the glowing leaves, my wife said, "Now, it's just showing off." Jesus' best friend, John, wrote his account of Jesus' life and his letters much later than the others did. He was the only disciple to see old age. His reflections and observations from that unique perspective led

"The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." I Peter 4:7-8 Being a part of a family that loves to watch movies, we fancy ourselves as armchair movie critics. We all throw out our two cents about the plot, the pace, the acting, etc, but the thumbs up or thumbs down is disproportionately dependent upon the ending. Lousy ending = Lousy movie. Endings really stick with you. Peter, who wrote our verses for the day, had an ending in mind when he wrote this particular letter. It wasn't a movie ending though. It was the end of the world. That's right. The big finish of everything. That time when tomorrows will cease. He said it's coming soon. We need to be ready for it. How? Pray. Love. Wow! If we get those two things right, a great ending lies ahead for us. Peter wrote these words 2000 years ago, but here we still are. It

"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw close to God and he will draw close to you... "  James 4:7-8a Our family loves to take walks in the woods. When they were too little to walk, they rode on our shoulders. As they grew, they moved up to holding our hands. Eventually, they just took off. Exploring. Searching. Climbing. Running. Pausing only for the occasional photo. We're very excited for the opportunity to repeat this journey with the next generation. In our verses for the day, James lays out a path towards spiritual maturity. It begins the moment we set our prideful selves aside. God is God. We're not. Immediately we are confronted with a relentless enemy that must be resisted and, with God's help, overcome. Then, we grab a hold of God for all we're worth and in so doing we find his grip on us tightening as well.  Humble yourself. Resist the devil. Draw close to God. When this happens, we take off

"I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I would not have to destroy the land, but I found no one."  Ezekiel 22:30 I should have returned to the main trail much sooner. Wandering off alone in the woods is never a good idea to begin with, but there I was clinging to a rock on a narrow ledge with absolutely no where to turn. I frantically looked around. I cried out for help. No rescue 911. No SWAT helicopter. Nobody showed up. For several minutes, which felt like hours, certain doom flooded my heart and mind. The prophet Ezekiel records God's intense search for help too. He didn't help. The people of Israel did. They were piling up sin and wickedness setting the table for certain and utter destruction. God was trying to avoid executing justice. He prefers mercy and grace. However, no one was found to stand in the gap of the wall. There were no righteous peop

"Let us hold tightly without wavering from the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:23-25 After launching back into a home Bible study after being out of one for awhile, I was powerfully reminded of the "why." There wasn't any trembling of the house or angelic appearance. There was no earth shattering revelations or seismic breakthroughs. It was just simple brothers and sisters in Jesus together time. We talked, laughed, ate, shared and prayed, but the sum total was so much more. Why? Jesus was there. Our verses today remind us that "together in Jesus" is a big deal. In God's economy, it's not optional. There are no substitutes. Kingdom advancement requires kingdom members being togeth

"So, we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." Hebrews 2:1 As the huge barracuda circled back around towards me again, I quickly but carefully dropped to my knees on my paddleboard. I have horrible balance on those boards and the thought of falling off and drifting away from what felt like my only place of safety put a good scare in me. The teeth on that fish were like daggers and I had no interest in finding out how sharp they were. The author of Hebrews was very concerned about drifting as well. Specifically, he didn't want them drifting from the truth. Apparently, this was as much a problem then as it is today. Jesus told us that truth sets us free. What does drifting from the truth do to us? The antidote to drifting as he presents it here is very careful listening. Watch out for loud distractions. There is no substitute for truth. Many people are peddling alternate versions of truth knowingly or unknowingly

"Work hard to so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who doesn't need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." II Timothy 2:15 Many a young man has learned what it means to work hard in the hay fields of our great country. I'm one of those. As a teenager, I spent hours of back breaking labor in the hot sun and dust-filled barns. My forearms looked like I'd been attacked by a porcupine with little red holes all over them. Every muscle ached and there wasn't enough water in the red handled well spigot to quench my thirst, but I loved it! Paul appealed to this deep desire in Timothy's heart to be a worker. Not just any worker ... He told him to be a hard worker and a good worker. At the end of the day, be proud of what you've accomplished. Kingdom work is to carry the same passion and zealousness. Live in such a way that heaven smiles and the devil flees. One of the great problem

"My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me." Galatians 2:20 As the interview went on, it was clear to me that this actor was quite serious about his role in a new movie that was based on a war hero's true story. He went to this person's house. He walked around his property. He went into his barns and handled his tools. He watched old interviews of the man and talked to those who knew him well. He was determined to be true to this man's character and life.  Here, in the verses for the day, Paul makes the astute observation that the person who can live most like Jesus is Jesus! Jesus, he says, lives within everyone who believes in him. It's not our job then to "act" like Jesus, it's our job to get out of the way so that Jesus can live his life through us. The key is to trust him wit

"No dear friends, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." Philippians 3:13-14 In a conversation recently, the theme of skeletons in the closet came up. It was dawning on this person that a great deal of life had been lived by others before they were around. We acknowledged the reality that everyone has made choices they wish they could "unchoose." I do. Ugly choices. Hurtful choices. We decided, once properly addressed, there are old bones that don't need to be rattled anymore.  Confession, repentance, forgiveness, and restitution are the appropriate Biblical responses to our moral failures. Once these response have been taken, Paul calls all Jesus followers to a new focus: Look Forward. In the newness of grace, the past

"Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace." Ephesians 4:1-3 After what seemed like an eternity, the minister finally declared, "I now pronounce you husband and wife." I was (and continue to be) so filled with joy. "I'm a husband ... how cool is that!?", I thought to myself. It wasn't long after that day where another thought hit me, "I'm a husband ... how scary is that!?" I fumbled that ball for years until I was finally humbled and turned to God and cried out, "Help!!"  Living up to who we are is a big deal. It's one thing to be called a husband, it's something completely different to live up to being one. Similarly, it

"What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their evil deeds in the dark! 'The Lord can't see us', they say. 'He doesn't know what's going on!'" Isaiah 29:1 "Hide and Go Seek" is a great game. It's a timeless game of mystery and creativity unless you're playing with a two year old. They hide in the same place over and over and over again convinced to their core that you have no idea where they are. They'll even help you find them. All you have to do is ask.  I have to believe Isaiah had two year old Hide 'n Seek in mind when he wrote our verse for the day. It was so sad to him that people would actually think they are out of God's view. "I'm hidden. God can't see me now!" It's incredible how lobotomizing sin is. He's God! He sees everything! Isaiah warns that justice delayed is not justice avoided. Sin leads to sorrow.  What finally happens to a ch

"In that day, the wolf and the lamb will lie down together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all." Isaiah 11:6 I was looking into the face of my new granddaughter the other day and ended up lost in thought. Someday, I'll be able to have a conversation with her. Someday, I'll get to make up crazy stuff to tell her. Someday, I'll spoil her and then send her home. Someday, I'll cheer when she takes her first steps, rides a bike by herself, and walks across the stage to receive her diploma.  There is an inevitability to "someday." It shows up when we least expect it. As a prophet, Isaiah was well acquainted with someday. God revealed to him what was to come and many things, like our verse for the day, that are still yet to come. Isaiah's someday conversations were meant to, among other things, encourage the discouraged, discipline the u

"Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person." Ecclesiastes 12:13 Life is full of conclusions. We conclude high school, college, and apprenticeships. We conclude jobs, projects, and programs. We conclude childhood, our youth, and if we're blessed, our children's childhood and youth. These conclusions are bitter-sweet by any measure. They beg the question, "What's the conclusion behind all the conclusions?" After all, there is one last conclusion for us all ... death. Solomon was a big thinker. He pondered. He examined. He weighed. He observed and he reached, you guessed it, many conclusions. He ultimately came to one and only one final conclusion. Revere God with a holy fear and obey him with an unwavering determination. In so doing, we fulfill our obligations to him. Putting our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins which makes us right with God is the only way to properly fear

  "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the scriptures said."  I Corinthians 15:3-4 I've had the privilege of angling Canadian waters many times. The mesmerizing pristine beauty is interrupted regularly by the pole bending, determined pike. This year's trip is quickly approaching with the critical tour of the fishing tackle supplier already in the books. Ever since I was a kid, my dad has reminded me of fishing's most important axiom, "Son, you can't catch a fish if your line isn't in the water."   Paul had a tough job. He was writing a church that was being tossed around by false messaging. They were told that nobody raises from the dead - "Can't happen, no way!" Much to his chagrin, he had to go back to the very beginning, to the most i

"But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it." I Corinthians 10:13 For a person with claustrophobia, I've spent way too much time crawling around in caves. Each time I've done it, I've come face to face with pure panic. One of the worst experiences was when we were lost for over an hour, hitting dead end after dead end. There are no words to describe my emotions when we finally saw the white "O" (for out) with an arrow painted on the cave ceiling.    A way out has been a big deal for a long time as Paul's words indicate here. The context is a cave of sorts - sin is its name. Dark? Very. Dangerous? Extremely. He was explaining to his readers that Jesus is ever present to illuminate an esca

"Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem! And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was upon me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem."  Ezra 7:27-30 It shouldn't surprise me anymore, but it still stirs my soul every time it happens. On occasion, I pray for something so specific to a moment in time, to a person, to a unique situation and then God, in ways only he can, makes it happen. I've learned that both the nudge to pray for that very particular request is coming from him and so is the answer. Amazing! The goal, I believe, is to encourage my faith. Ezra found himself in one of those head-scratching jumping for joy moments. Here he was a subject to a pagan king, who could command his execution

"'My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.' Then these men got right to work: ..." II Chronicles 29:11-12a The boss of our asphalt crew knew what we could do. He'd leave the site to go make a plan for the next job knowing full well everything would get done right. We shoveled. We swept. We raked. We rolled. We tamped. We cleaned. Truthfully, we made him look good. To be fair, it took two years of coaching and yelling for us to fully get our duties squared away, but when we did, it was fun to see in action. King Hezekiah was a good king. He loved God. He knew that those responsible to lead the nation in worship had been delinquent in their responsibilities. It was time for that to come to an end. He called them out. He reminded them of their great role in the community of Israel. Stand. Minister. Lead. Present. They r

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the earth..." Psalm 19:1-4  My family and I were on the back porch recently mesmerized by the setting sun. Pinks, purples, reds, oranges, aquas ... amazing! We were reflecting on how each and every sunrise and sunset are different in some way. They are slow and spectacular. It then dawned us how amazing it is that God made us in such a way that we find them beautiful and emotionally compelling.  David, in his Psalms, routinely marveled at God's creation. In our mind's eye, we see David in the fields at night with the sheep staring deeply into the same constellations we see today. How beautiful the sunrises and sunsets were and are over the hills outside of Beth

"When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners." Romans 4:4-5 As a caddie at a private golf club, every dollar I received was a hard dollar. Carrying bags for 18 holes as a 12 year old was tough. Chasing carts and tracking 4 golf balls wasn't any easier. This happened only after I rode my bike down the train tracks for two miles and waited in the caddie shack for who knows how long just to get in line for golfers to request caddies. Between the attitudes and the disappointing tips, I chose to retire early. Many places in the Bible extol the value of hard work. However, here Paul very clearly communicates that the most valuable of all things, salvation, is a gift not a wage. We can earn many things and that's great, but heaven is not one of them. Nope, Jesus paid for our forgiveness. He purchased our pardon. He

"So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said." Acts 27:25 I didn't believe him at first. After all, he's kind of joker. The story? He claimed a lady, while at the buffet table at our wedding reception, leaned over to scoop up some food. Unfortunately, in doing so, her hair, filled with hair spray, got too close to the candles and went up in flames! He then told me that he took his plate of jello and smashed it on her head to put out the fire. "Yea ... right," I thought to myself. However, later on I saw this same lady with an ice pack on her head visibly shaken by what most certainly had been a hair burning, jello smashing experience! Paul in our story for the day, made it very clear about what he thought when God spoke to him, "I believe it!" He never second guessed a word from God. When God spoke, it was go time. It was courage time. For as he had seen again and again, "It will be just as he said."  God

"So now the Lord says, 'I will bring disaster on you (King Ahab) and consume you ... for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.' ... But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning."  I Kings 21:21,27 There are regrets and then there are deep regrets. Deep regrets haunt us. We don't want to think about them, talk about them or even remember they ever existed. Normal regrets are bad enough, but the deep regrets leave us wondering if forgiveness is truly possible. Something inside of us crumbles at the sight of the devastation caused by choices we've made. Is there any hope?  King Ahab was a mess. His rebellion against God was thorough and unending. He worshiped idols. He stole. He murdered. He encouraged his people to turn away from God. His wife Jezebel was right there to fuel his rebellion against God. Along came God's prophet to tell

"As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, 'Go south down the desert road ... So he did and he met treasurer of Ethiopia ... The Holy Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and walk along beside the carriage.' Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah." Acts 8:26-30  I really like listening to the radio when I'm driving. Sometimes music. Sometimes talk radio. It's a nice distraction from the dotted yellow lines. At least once on any trip of length, there'll be a song I'm really enjoying and then all of the sudden it goes fuzzy. Another song starts playing over the top of it or it just cuts in and out. Simply diagnosed, the radio is no longer tuned in. Philip was quite the kingdom warrior. He was on the go preaching Jesus and making disciples. He never knew what was next and he seemed to be just fine with that. The Holy Spirit told him what to do and off he went. Later in this particular story the Holy Spirit even tr

"About that time time, David's son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, 'I will make myself king.' So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, 'Why are you doing that?' Adonijah had been born next to Absalom, and he was very handsome."  I Kings 1:5-6 Something told me it was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. When the family pictures came back and every one revealed a ten year old boy making the worst possible faces at the camera, my earlier suspicions were confirmed. The paddling I received served as a strong deterrent for me to avoid rude and disrespectful behavior in the future.  David ran into the problem of undisciplined children over and over and over again. Adonijah was never disciplined. He was a boaster. He was very handsome. Evidently, he was quite stuck on himself. Being self-centered

"All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him." II Samuel 14:14 On more than one occasion, I've found myself at the mercy of a swiftly moving current. Whether white river rafting or jumping off of a waterfall, there were moments I've been genuinely concerned for my well being. No one can deny the power of a flooded rushing river or tidal wave to sweep away anything in their path. The verse for today records the words of a wise woman speaking to King David. She was encouraging him to find a way to reconnect with his banished son. Her fundamental argument was the character of God. He doesn't just sweep us away. He finds a way for us to be rescued and restored to him. Jesus is the pinnacle of his search and rescue mission. Gratitude, grabbing his h

"You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!"  Psalm 119:4-7 I really enjoy playing golf. I'm not very good at it, but I enjoy it. The fresh air, the fellowship, the challenge - good stuff. Every once in awhile, once or twice in a round of 18, I'll actually hit a shot that any pro on the tour would be happy to claim. It's the shot I'll tell everyone about later. Unfortunately, the next shot I hit is almost always completely forgettable. Inconsistency isn't exclusively a problem for novice golfers. The Psalmist makes the point that it is a real danger as well for those claiming to be Jesus followers. God has loved us so deeply. Our lives reveal whether or not we're thankful for that love. The consistency or lack thereof bet

  "Even death and destruction hold no secrets from the Lord. How much more does he know the human heart!" Proverbs 15:11 Foiled again! I had my Mother's Day surprise all figured out. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but sometimes I get it right. This surprise was right. Everything was going according to plan until the routines my plan revolved around were broken. This reality led to those helping me being busted and the whole thing unraveled. It's awfully hard to keep secrets from my sweetheart. The author of this Proverb appreciated the reality of the difficulty of keeping secrets. The person he had in view, however, wasn't his wife. It was God himself. Death and destruction are fully exposed before God. How much more the intentions, the thoughts, the desires, and the attitudes that lie within our hearts. Full view. Full disclosure. One side of me is so thankful for that truth. I'm known. I'm understood. The other side of me is in

"A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body ..." Proverbs 14:30 I have a built-in stress gauge. From what I understand, I'm not the only one. Mine is located just under my right shoulder blade. Without me even being aware of it, stress starts to creep in and wreak havoc. It can only go on for so long before my stress gauge goes off. The pain alerts me that a life timeout is needed which begins with a long walk and talk with Jesus. Solomon, the one who wrote our verse for the day, was no dummy. He was described as the wisest guy ever. Either observationally, or through direct revelation, he knew the mind and body were interconnected. When good or bad hits one side of the connection, the other has a corresponding response. Here, a heart and mind at peace produce a body in good health. Maybe your stress gauge is in the red zone these days. Headaches, blood pressure rising, panic attacks and the like are built-in alarms that when heeded can direct

"Philip went to look for Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.' 'Nazareth!' exclaimed Nathanael. 'Can anything good come from Nazareth?' 'Come and see for yourself,' Philip replied." John 1:45-46 On a daily basis, someone in our home inevitably says, "Check this out." They hold out their smart phone and show everyone a photo or a video. Depending on what it is, everyone will appropriately respond with "oohs" and "ahhs" or laughter or "No way!" We enjoy sharing with others those things that for whatever reason catch our attention.  Philip would have loved smart phones. He was a "check this out" kind of guy. After meeting Jesus, he wasn't able to keep it to himself. He tracks down his friend Nathanael to tell him about this man he'd met. "Nathanael, he's THE guy!"

"You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:28-30 One of the first things my daughter and her husband did when they bought their first house was get a dog. A big happy go lucky golden doodle named, "Murphy." He is, of course, a family favorite and honestly I kind of like him too. They've worked on training him and have made some real progress. He'll stay when told to, most of the time. However, when the activity around is too much, staying becomes optional. Jesus had much to say to his disciples as he prepared them for his imminent departure. He made them some amazing promises: they would have places of royalty in his Kingdom, to eat at his table and thrones upon which to rule. Wow! Those were some incredible promises. What was so great abou