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 My lack of a sense of direction has led me to countless places I didn't intend to be. Lost is one of life's truly negative feelings. On one misadventure, before the onset of GPS, I circled through the same city three times even after stopping to ask for directions twice. It was like being stuck on repeat and I couldn't find the stop button. Finally, someone else got directions and navigated us safely to our desired destination.   This verse taken from David's sad story with his son Absalom reveals a staggering truth about God. He's a way maker. Our lives, for reasons known only to him, matter to him. He doesn't shrug his shoulders and say, "O well", when it comes to our daily journey...

"Then Mary took a twelve ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, 'That perfume was worth a year's wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.' Not that he cared for the poor -- he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples' money, he often stole some for himself." John 12:3-6 I vividly remember the first time I put on glasses. The detail. The clarity. It was truly a moment. Green and brown blurs were now trees with individual leaves. Signs were no longer red and white or yellow and black splotches. They were stop signs and yield signs. Vision is such an amazing part of our physical creation. Sadly, it can fade or even be lost. Visits to vision professionals help us keep our eyesight sharper and for as long as possible. Ou...

"They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!' Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman." John 8:7-9 Our world reminds us everyday that it is so much easier to write "offensive" people off than it is to take time to understand them and treat them with grace. I talk with people all the time who are convinced stones will fly if they are honest about their past or current struggles. I need to find a big empty bag for my office just to let them know I don't have any stones to throw. I am in no position to be anyone else's judge. A woman caught in adultery was dragged before Jesus. She was humiliated, brought in front of the crowd facing the very real possibility of death by rocks. What would Jesu...

"'The Lord bless you, my daughter!' Boaz exclaimed. 'You are showing more family loyalty now than ever by not running after a younger man, whether rich or poor. Now don't worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are an honorable woman.'" Ruth 3:10-11 Growing up, I spent a great deal of time during the summers at a Christian camp in Wisconsin. The camp director quickly became one of my heroes. He loved the Lord. He loved people. This was evident in his passion to see the two come together. He made no effort to draw attention to himself or prove his was a noble character. He just sought the Lord and did what he told him to do and his reputation took care of itself. Ruth and Boaz were just such people. Noble and unpretentious. Neither one was forced to extend themselves for others. They just did. No one would have had a second thought if they would have simply done what everyone else would have do...