Fall Creek Christian Church

"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!"