Fall Creek Christian Church

"But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28 Serving is not natural. We are born crying and yelling for someone to serve us. Feed me. Change me. Bounce me. Hold me. Wash me. Eventually, as we get a little older, the me-centered life gets challenged. The idea that others also matter is one we have to be taught. I know a few people who really get it. Most of us however, don't. The consuming focus on me, myself, and I leave us very little margin to give of ourselves for others. Jesus was and is fully aware of our perpetual struggle with "me-ism". He pulled the disciples aside for some serious coaching. "Listen guys. All you've ever seen in this old world is people wanting to be served, to be first. You must walk a

"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 his knowledge is proclaimed. They speak without a sound or a word; there's no speech or language where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19:1-3 Talking is a big deal in my family. When the 5 kids were young and all at home ... Yikes! The waterfall of words at the dinner table fell unimpeded. Typically, there were at least two talking at all times and there seemed to be this unwritten rule that any story had to be repeated four times. I never did figure that one out, but I did figure out that if I listened closely enough, I would gain great insight into the world of whoever was speaking.   The Psalmist picked up on this same phenomenon when he looked up. Day or night, it didn't matter. Powerful words were being spoken. The subject of the conversation was and is always the same -- God. When listened to carefully the conversatio

"For the word of God will never fail." Luke 1:37 Fail. I don't like that word. I know it's just a word and it's really not fair to single it out. The problem for me is it's attached to way too many negative memories and emotions in my life. Times I didn't come through under pressure. Times I gave in to temptation. Times I hurt the ones I love. Times I trusted in something or someone and they couldn't endure the crucible of testing. Yikes! Maybe just maybe you can appreciate my struggle with the word fail. Our verse for the day was spoken by one of God's angels. He had front seats to the truthfulness of his proclamation. God's word never fails. Another translation reads, "Nothing is impossible with God." Now that feels a whole better to me. This world is full of pretenders. "Trust me! Trust me!", they say. All we end up with is frustration and disappointment. God's word, however, is better than rock solid. Even m

"Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation." Proverbs 3:3-4 Without reminders, my life would be in chaos. I have them everywhere. Post-it notes strategically placed. Phone reminders going off continuously. Requests to my spouse and coworkers that begin with, "Help! Don't let me forget!" I will still resort to writing on the back of my hand in order to keep me from forgetting. Perhaps, you are a part of the "Reminders Needed" club as well. All indications are that there are a whole bunch of us.    Our verses for today lay out at least two relational skills we do not want to forget. Make a necklace if you have to, just don't forget. Loyalty. Kindness. Make them so much a part of who you are that you cannot be separated from them. Stand by those whom you know. Be friendly to those w

"'Why are you so angry?' the Lord asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.'" Genesis 4:6-7 On more than one occasion, I've found myself spinning in circles on icy, snowy roads. I wasn't driving wildly. Just keeping up with traffic, slow traffic given the conditions. The next thing I knew I was spinning like the teacup ride at the amusement park. Thankfully, these rather unsophisticated departures from the highway never resulted in vehicular or bodily harm. By failing to take the necessary extra precautions, I lost control. It's easy to do isn't it?    Adam and Eve's son Cain was on icy roads going 100 mph and he didn't even know it. Not even divine intervention could convince him to take his foot off the accelerator. Isn't that am