Fall Creek Christian Church

"When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord had sent, the people feared the Lord."  Haggai 1-2 Recently, a rather extensive home improvement project has been occupying the nooks and crannies of my schedule. My son-in-law knows how to build things. I am a highly trained "go-for". If I have to figure something out for myself, it takes a long, long, long time and several trips to YouTube. Typically, I measure five times and cut four times and then I start over. My sweet wife can see the frustration building and she comes in to tell me how great it's going and how proud she is of me. Like magic, my enthusiasm is sparked and I'm ready to build cathedrals! The people of Israel needed a spark too. They were in the promised land, but everything was still a wreck from the time they were conquered by the Babylonians. They tried to plant crops, but the yields were awful. While down and discouraged God sent Haggai with a message. They had built the...

"'Then the Lord said, 'You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?'"  Jonah 1-4 As we pulled into the gas station, I only had one thing on my mind -- my large Diet Dew. The car was barely parked before my door was opened. My feet barely touched the ground as I was flying towards the entrance. The crazy automatic doors were way too slow and I nearly smashed my face into them. It wasn't until I was about to open the car door with my new treasure in hand that I noticed two young women right in front of the store struggling to change a flat tire. Embarrassed, I put my drink in the car and went over and put on their spare tire. Jonah had a hard time with the assignment God had given him. He wanted justice for the Assyrians not mercy. God, however, pref...

"'O Israel and Judah, what should I do with you?' asks the Lord. For your love vanishes like the morning mist and disappears like dew in the sunlight." Hosea 6 & 7 On one of my visits to an elderly church family member, I greeted her with the familiar, "How are you doing?" Her response was priceless. "I'm finer than frog's hair!" she said. I had never heard that expression before. At first, I didn't know if that was good or bad, but her big grin gave it away. Basically, it means that one is doing tremendously well. The turn of phrase is meant to draw special attention to the intensity of how good one is feeling. Words can paint both beautiful and disturbing scenes in our minds.   As God was giving his message to Hosea the prophet for his people, he used powerful expressions that hit us as hard as hit them thousands of years ago. God was describing their love for him using everyday realities as a point of constant reminder -- vanishi...

"Those who live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." I John 2:1-17 I received a piece of counsel many years ago that has served me well when I have heeded it. Basically, it was, "Find someone who is where you want to be and find out how they got there." If you see a marriage that you would like to have, get close to that couple. Ask questions. Observe. Follow in their footsteps. Ditto with career progress, financial management, friendships, parenting, spiritual maturity, etc. Wisdom must be mined. We can't know what we don't know, but we can choose to actively learn.    John was Jesus' best friend. He knew him up close and personal and wanted nothing more than to honor him with his life. He was the disciple who lived into old age. The others were all killed. He wrote this letter decades after Jesus ascended to heaven, but his heart and mind were filled with the memories and the character of his friend. To know God is to love God is to obey God -...

"He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you." I Peter 1:19-20 As we opened the front door, we were met by our daughter who was wearing a gigantic grin on her face. A wonderful smell filled the air. We walked into the kitchen which was immaculately clean where the table was set with a nice tablecloth, linen napkins, flowers, and candles with instrumental jazz completing the atmosphere. The meal was delicious and the fellowship sweet. "I just wanted to do something special for you." she said.    As Peter was writing to Jesus followers who were in the fires of persecution, he wanted to remind them of how much God loved them. He was very detailed about it so they wouldn't miss a thing. He's loved you from before the beginning. He spared no expense in covering your d...

"Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me." Ezekiel 33   I read a story some time ago about Alexander the Great. One restless night he walked out of his tent to stroll through the camp of his massive army. He came upon one of the soldiers on guard duty who was sound asleep. After being woken up, the man was mortified as the punishment was immediate execution. Alexander looked him in the eyes and demanded his name. "Alexander," the man sheepishly replied. After a brutally painful pause, Alexander the Great said, "It's time for you to live up to your name."   Ezekiel the Prophet had a seriously tough job. Time and again the Lord gave him some of the most difficult and unusual assignments that a prophet had been given in the Bible. In today's chapter, we find Ezekiel given another responsibility -- Watchman. He now carried the extra burden of non-stop guard duty. He was ...

"...so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him." Hebrews 9   Movie makers have long ago recognized the profitability of sequels. When a movie hits it big, the wheels start spinning. Possible story lines begin to develop that bring back these now loved characters and their adventures. In high school, I was taken in hook, line and sinker with the "Back to the Future" series and "The Raiders of the Lost Ark" series. Secretly, I keep hoping to see Marty McFly and Indiana Jones on the big screen one more time. The Book of Hebrews presents repeatedly the greatest sequel of all times -- the return of Jesus. In chapter nine, the author lays out clearly what Jesus' mission was the first time he came. Defeat sin. He did that on the cross and proved it by raising from the dead. Now, we wait in eager an...

"As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith."    II Timothy 4   I love reading stories to my grandkids. They keep bringing me books and I'll keep reading them. At their young ages, it's very common to go through the books in snippets. They'll sit still for only so long. You may get a few pages or right to the last page and "boom" the book gets closed and off they run. "Wait," I say. "I want to see how it ends." Occasionally, my daughter will walk by giggling as she sees me sitting there by myself finishing the little children's book. Endings matter. It's what the whole book was leading towards. We all like a good ending.    In this letter to Timothy, Paul was thinking about endings, too. Specifically, his own. Imprisoned in Rome, his circumstances were leading him to conclude that his time ...

"But if I say, 'I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,' his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot." Jeremiah 20:9  "Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section until the whole scroll was burned up." Jeremiah 36:23 Years ago, I went with a church member to his house. It was an odd mixture of sadness, regret, gratefulness and hope. He had put the ash from a fire they had over 24 hours earlier into a metal can and put in the garage. Sadly, the coals were still hot enough to flame up and catch nearby combustibles on fire. Amazingly, the cars didn't explode, the family escaped without harm and the talented firefighters were able to keep the house from becoming a complete loss. As we looked at the charred sections of the house, we both stood ther...

"For you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night." I Thessalonians 4:13-5:11   Our three-year-old granddaughter is now "all in" when it comes to playing Hide-N-Seek. It's quite entertaining. She'll hide in the same place as we did the time before or keep hiding in the same spot over and over again like it's the first time. It gets even better when the dogs want to play too. They apparently don't understand the rules to wait till you count to ten to start looking. My granddaughter tries very passionately to explain that to them. Her counting is another variable. It's 1, 2 and then she starts moving towards you all the way to 10. "Ready or not, here I come!"    The church in Thessalonica, not unlike all of us, was being troubled by their questions. They were watching friends and family die and were wondering what happened to them. They were concerned that they were going to m...

  "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation...For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ." Colossians 1:15-20 Our family loves watching movies. Each of us has our own personal preferences as to what kind, but pop a bag of popcorn and we're all in. One of the genres that I enjoy is the "Who did it?" movies. I love trying to figure out the mystery before the characters do. However, more often than not, I'm clueless until the climactic reveal at the end of the movie. On occasion, I want to know who it is so bad I just can't wait and look it up online.   In Paul's letter to the church in Colossae, Paul wanted to make absolutely sure that they were not left completely in the dark about who Jesus is. There were many traveling teachers throwing out all kinds of interesting ideas about Jesus and the church needed to be prepared and/or corrected. Correction equals ...

"For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55   As the little capsule shaped elevator methodically made its way higher and higher, my lack of appreciation for confined spaces began to kick in. I closed my eyes and started to take long deep breaths as we gained altitude with every click of the elevator. Finally, we made it. The top of the St. Louis arch. It really was an amazing view from the little windows at the top. It felt so much higher than it looked from the ground especially when I felt it sway in the wind. Yikes! I mentally noted there was something about a higher vantage point that allowed for a clearer perspective.    God through his prophet Isaiah revealed so much about himself and his heart for you and me. He invites us to come to him with our ears wide open. The reason for this instruction is the infinite "higher than" of God. We are simply incapable of pro...

  "God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ -- everything in heaven and on earth. As the crew began to wander around aimlessly missing the obvious next steps in the project, it was clear that some direction was desperately needed. Okay, a LOT of direction was desperately needed. Over the lunch break, we assigned leaders to different parts of the project. They each were given a mini crew to help them complete their section. It was so fun to watch this group that was down and purposeless turn into an effective working force. All that was needed was a good plan.   We read today in Paul's letter to a church in the city of Ephesus that God is working out plans, too. Specifically, his plans. His plans, like him, are perfect and good. His plan begins with Jesus and is fulfilled by Jesus. The world God made was designe...

" How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort." Galatians 3   As my daughter's team laced up their soccer cleats for the championship game, it wasn't looking good. More than couple of the players, including my daughter, were trying to battle through their injuries. They played an aggressive attacking style that allowed them to make it this far. When the game went to halftime, they were shockingly leading by a goal. Inexplicably, the coach made a decision to stop their attack and fall back into a defensive formation. The result was completely predictable - a heart breaking loss.   The Galatian believers that Paul was writing this letter to were at a crossroads. Paul had shared the wonderful news that Jesus died on the cross for their sins, was buried and was raised to life on the third day. All who believe in him will be made right with God. They received it with great joy....

  "When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts ..." Isaiah 1:1-20   I remember trying out for the junior high basketball team as a kid. There were a whole bunch of us. It is Indiana after all. We were lined up doing individual dribbling drills in place. I quickly bored of the drills and basically made no effort unless I knew the coach was watching. In the middle of my less than half-hearted attempts at the drills, I saw the coach in the doorway of one of the side doors standing in the shadows. As it turned out, there never was a moment when the coach wasn't watching. When the roster was posted, my name was nowhere to be found.   Isaiah's tenure as a prophet was a real mixed bag. He spoke for the Lord in the good times and in the bad. He served during the reign of godly leaders and ungodly leaders. He spoke of judgement and restoration. He rebuked and he encouraged. His book ...

" This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" II Corinthians 5:11-21  There has been quite a bit of home construction in one of my kids' neighborhoods. The houses are starting to get some age to them and the care over the years has been inconsistent from home to home. As a result, sounds of construction are not unusual. Most of them are reasonable fixer-uppers. Some, not so much. One of the homes was in such disrepair that rehabbing it would have been cost prohibitive. The cure? Complete demo. Everything was taken down to the dirt. Nothing was left of the old dilapidated house. In relatively short order, a brand-new house stood in its place. It's more than a little significant to note that Paul had the options to choose from when it came to the word new in his letter to this church. One Greek word for new means restored, fixed-up and rehabilitated. Another Greek word for new means brand spanking ne...

"It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength." I Corinthians 15:42-43    When the Olympics are held in a country with a different time zone, I have this habit of looking up the result of an event before it's played on primetime in the U.S. I just can't take the tension of the unknown. So, I find out what happens and then I can watch it without the emotional roller coaster ride. It drives my kids crazy. They don't want to know, but I'll keep asking, "Do you want to know what happens?" "No!", they reply with great emphasis. Knowing the end completely alters the experience of the moment.    Paul frequently talked about the end. It wasn't the end of a book or a movie, but rather the end of one...

  "Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah." Acts 3:1-21 When the last hay bale hit its mark in the withering, dust-filled barn, we took our scratched-up dehydrated selves straight to the water pump. We pulled up the bright red handle and waited for that wondrously clear and cold water to pour out. There are few words that capture the impact of that water rushing over our steaming heads and down our parched throats. Satisfying, for sure. Restoring, yes. Life-giving, absolutely. Without a doubt, one of the most refreshing moments I can remember.   Peter had just been used by the Lord to bring about just such a moment to a man who had labored with paralysis his entire life. He healed him. A life of begging, a life of unfulfilled dreams ended in a moment as his legs strengthened. He stood up and walked. Refreshed in a w...

"While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord's Temple, Hilkiah found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses...When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair." II Chronicles 34:15, 19   After waiting for quite a while, the cars in front of me began to weave through what seemed to be dysfunctional railroad crossing arms. Everyone looked twice before they went through, but no train in sight. As I was nearing the front, I kept looking and looking. Still, no train. After a few more cars made their way through, I was at the front. I looked left and then right. Again, no train. I was just about to go when I heard a train horn. Startled, I immediately put my car in park frustrating the drivers behind me ... until they heard the horn too.   Not all sounds are created equal. Sirens and doorbells do not illicit the same response. King Josiah recognized this same reality when it came to written words. Undoubte...

"O our God, won't you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We don't know what to do, but we are looking to you for help." II Chronicles 20   Splat!! After my third belly flop, the stinging and redness were getting a little intense. I was quickly coming to terms with the fact that I had no idea how to do a front flip off of a thirty-foot long rope swing. If not for the group of guys I was with, I probably would have conceded before my next few failed attempts. One of the guys who was laughing at me finally couldn't take it anymore. He quickly explained to me the little secret I had been missing. Determined, I grabbed the rope, jumped and successfully flipped! I still have the picture in my office to prove it.   King Jehoshaphat was a bit hit or miss when it came to following the Lord. This moment that was captured for all times was a direct hit. He got it 100% right. No belly flops needed to humble him and make him teacha...

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation ..." Colossians 1:15-20   Not too long ago, I found myself in a mad search for my identity. It wasn't that I needed to go find myself or that I had amnesia of some kind. It was a search for the physical evidence that proved I am who I say I am. My new driver's license required a birth certificate, a social security card, and some kind of picture ID. It was a chore. I had to go through all kinds of papers. I had to make repeated calls to ask if this piece of evidence was sufficient. What a hassle! However, I received my new license which allows me freedoms that I value highly. It was worth it.     As Paul prepared his readers for the rest of this particular letter, he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to provide them and us with one of the most powerful and detailed revelations regarding the identity of Jesus. He wanted to reassure everyone wh...

"David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the ark of the Lord by asking for his blessings and giving thanks and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel."   -  I Chronicles 16 Walking into the house, I noticed a wonderful smell coming from the oven. Chocolate chip cookies. Warm and gooey. Right out of the oven. I couldn't wait to dig in, so I did! They were as good as they looked and smelled. They were a product of grandma and granddaughter's stellar efforts. All the necessary ingredients were all over the counter, not to mention my granddaughter's clothes, face, hair and hands. They were properly mixed with exactly the right quantities and baked just the perfect amount of time. A masterpiece of culinary delight!!    As David took his rightful place as king, his heart belonged to God. He knew that everything that he had received, the victories, the strength, the wisdom and the support of the people had all come from God. He wa...

  "But the Lord said, 'Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.'" Acts 9:15 "... I am fortunate, King Agrippa, that you are the one hearing my defense today ..." Acts 26   It was 93 degrees. The humidity was 99.99% with barely a cloud in the sky. Simply walking out the door produced severe perspiration. It was the perfect day to NOT do this particular project on my honey-do list. And yet, there I stood in the baking heat with my shovels, rake, and splitting maul. Before me sat two enormous rocks that needed to be moved into holes that I would have to dig through gravel and clay to make. During one of my water breaks, I found my most effective tool...my son-in-law. It felt way beyond good to check that off my list!!      When Jesus introduced himself to Saul/Paul, it was jolt to say the least. However, it wasn't just for dramatic flair that Jesus blinded Paul on the road to D...

  "I have done the Lord's work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the many trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes." Acts 20:13-38   "Why are you happy all the time?" Sadly, it's not every day someone asks you that question, at least me anyway. I'd love to tell you that my answer was bold and unapologetic, a passion filled testimony of God's wonderful work in my life. However, to do so would be inaccurate. No, it would be a lie. I mumbled something about how staying positive helps the time pass ... blah, blah, blah. No Good News about Jesus. No follow-up questions for him. It was a total swing and a miss. The coach put me in, but I wasn't prepared.    The leaders of the church in Ephesus had been blessed to be with the apostle Paul up close and personal. They heard him preach. They watched him work. They saw him suffer. They heard his...

"So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child's, and he was healed!" II Kings 5:1-19   Falling out of bed, my little granddaughter managed to break her collar bone. With a colorful miniature sling in place, she came bouncing into our house announcing, "I broke my collar bone, Grandpa!" I carefully bent over and gave her a little hug and words of comfort. Satisfied, off she went to make sure everyone else knew what had happened. "Grandma, I broke my collar bone!" Within a few weeks tops, the novelty wore off along with the pain. She was healed, the sling disappeared and she resumed her full contact two-year-old life.   Naaman, the mighty Aramean army commander, found himself in a sling too. It wasn't a cloth strap over his shoulder. It was a slow terminal skin disease, leprosy. Given the testimony of a young girl of a healing ...

"You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat and drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors." I Kings 13 My daughter was so proud of her baking efforts. However, after taking one bite of what appeared to be delicious homemade cookies, we knew something was terribly wrong. With faces shriveled and contorted, we attempted to chew and swallow them, but we just couldn't force ourselves to do it. Hurt, she took a bite and quickly removed it from her mouth as well. As it turns out, teaspoon and tablespoon are not the same things, particular when it comes to the ingredient of salt. Details are a big deal. The prophet in our story knew what God had told him. Deliver a message of judgment to the king. Go home a different way and do not stop at the drive thru on your way out of town. Simple. Clear. Go in and get out. Well on his way to a successful mission, a deceptive voice attracted his attention. The voice...

 " That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, 'What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!" I Kings 3:5 Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, and other special occasions are particularly stressful in my little world. It doesn't matter how much time I spend thinking about what to do when these events are nearing, I always end up in the same place, a state of confusion. I don't ever get it right. Several years ago, I decided to start asking. What do you want? What would you like to do? Where would you like to go? Who do you want to see? Chirp, chirp, nothing but crickets. I beg. I plead, but still no help. O well, there's always next year. In the Bible, asking is an ongoing theme. God routinely asked people questions as well as asked them to do something. Amazingly, he invites people to ask him questions too. And, as in the story for today involving Solomon, to ask him for something and/or for him to do something. He appeared to Solomo...

  "... Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, 'Your life will be spared.' ... 'I've decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you.' ... "Come across with me and live in Jerusalem,' the king said to Barzillai. 'I will take care of you there.' ... " II Samuel 19:18-39   I regularly reflect on people of influence in my life. Typically, we call them role models and heroes. Each of the ones in my life share(d) a passionate love for Jesus. They inspired me as I witnessed the Holy Spirit work in and through their life in unique and special ways. They encouraged me by their example to keep my eyes on Jesus, the one who empowers us to advance the Kingdom.   David was just such a leader. He inspired. He called people to a faith in God, a surrender to God that would enable them to experience great victories. He certainly was distracted from time to time, but as we see in this passage, the qualities of mercy, wisdom and generosity...

  "'Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.'" John 15:1-8   As I turned around, I was feeling pretty good about myself. All my shots were in the inner circles of the target. The looks on my kids' and friend's faces, however, were not looks of being impressed. They were looks of concern. My friend told us before shooting this gun that it was important to remain a certain distance away from the scope because of the kickback. Well, let's just say that the blood coming from the bridge of my nose revealed a failure on my part to heed his warning.   Jesus was having quite the talk with the disciples as they walked to the Garden of Gethsemane. He gave them plenty of safety instructions which included warnings as well. They needed to stay as close to him as they could imagine and then get closer. "Remain in me," he said. There was to be n...

  "David replied to Abigail, 'Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands.'" I Samuel 25:32-33  As I stood there puzzling over my home improvement project, my daughter walked by and quickly assessed the situation. I was stuck. The last step in my plan would risk unraveling the whole purpose of the project in the first place. Observing my consternation, she asked what I was thinking. Without hesitation, she said, "Oh, why don't you ... ?" "Huh," I said, "Great idea!" Within minutes, I had it all wrapped up.         Perspective is, at times, extremely difficult to find. Emotions, pride, and limited knowledge trip us up more often than we care to admit. David was in one of those places. He was ticked off and disrespected. He was about to unleash some serious paybacks. Then, good sense showed u...

  "But Samuel said, 'What is this you have done?' Saul replied, 'I saw my men scattering from me ... so I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.' 'How foolish!' Samuel exclaimed. 'You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you.'..." I Samuel 13:1-14   I'd been told many times not to dive into or even jump into unknown waters. Anything could lie under that water just out of sight. Those thoughts went through my mind as I prepared to take a small little jump from the rock ledge back into the dark river swirling beneath the waterfall. I didn't see anything, but the excruciating pain coming from my now severely sprained ankle told me otherwise.   Sight is a wonderful gift from God. Saul, however, had received something from God that was greater than his sight, a direct command from God himself. Go and wait seven days for Samuel the prophet. Easy enough right? In that time, the enemy forces were growing ...

  "So John's disciples came to him and said, 'Rabbi, the man you met on the other side of the Jordan River (Jesus), the one you identified as the Messiah, is also baptizing people. And everybody is going to him instead of coming to us.' ... 'He must become greater and greater, and I (John) must become less and less.'" John 3:22-36  After a few years of repeated warnings, my sweetheart gave me the heads up that the time had come. "We're selling the house," she told me. "Sounds good," I said not thinking anything would happen. 19 days later, it was sold. Yikes! "Now what?" I asked. Without a pause, "We're getting rid of stuff." "Less is more" became the mantra. After a few weeks of winnowing, the kids and I just barely made the "to keep" list.        My wife and John the Baptist would have been good friends. He understood the importance of "less." It wasn't stuff that he had ...

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8 It was already a very emotional moment. Having lived in the orphanage for nearly seven years, the other kids and the good-hearted teachers were the only family our son had. As he was leaving to join our family, the tears were flowing. The other kids were all up near the van as the driver prepared to leave. In the hands of one of the other little boys was a Spiderman action figure. We had bought it for our son and he loved it. Apparently, as he prepared his little suitcase to head into his new life, he gave his action figure away to his buddy. As we reflect on Paul's call to be like Jesus, ...

"And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. ... Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true." Joshua 21:44-45   I wasn't wanting to hurt or disappoint my wife. I didn't wake up that day formulating some dastardly plan to produce unhappiness in her life. Losing her respect is never on my "to-do" list. Sadly, however, that's exactly what happened. I had told her I would take care of this task that was very important to her. "Don't worry sweetheart ... I'll git-r-dun!" Thankful, she moved on to something else. Turns out so did I. Her git-r-dun guy came up short and didn't keep his word. I'd rather not describe the look in her eyes when she realized I didn't come through for her.    The people of Israel were living in enviable times during Joshua's tenure as their leader. ...

"The rich man replied,'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.' But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.' Luke 16:30-31   As the debate between a Christian and an atheist began to wind down, the Christian just simply commented that there was no amount of evidence that could be provided to convince the atheist of God's existence. The atheist responded with the comment that if a huge ethereal being greeted him when he walked out his front door, he might consider it. To which, the Christian said, "No, you would just say you saw a hallucination just like you claimed all those who saw the resurrected Jesus did."   Jesus made the very same observation about the people of his day with this parable he told in Luke 16. Not even the presence of those raised back to life from the dead w...

  "The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions." Deuteronomy 29:29 Years ago, I remember a bunch of press being given to the "discovery" of secret hidden messages in the Bible. I believe some people were taking the first words of certain paragraphs and piecing together some kind of cryptic revelation. "No thanks!" one observer said at the time. "I have enough trouble following everything written in the Bible that's in plain sight." Do I hear an "Amen!"? The people of Israel seemed to struggle with the same problem. Moses passionately laid it out again and again. Obey. Be careful to obey. Do not neglect to obey. Obedience is good. Disobedience is bad. Here he said it again with an interesting twist. God knows things you don't. Don't worry about that. You...

"While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, 'Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the teacher now.' But when Jesus had heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, 'Don't be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.'" Luke 8:49-50   It was a riveting scene in the movie Breakthrough. A teenage boy, John Smith, was underwater for 15 minutes after falling through the ice. After an unlikely rescue, he was rushed to the emergency room where he was declared dead for 45 minutes...until his mother showed up. She went over to his corpse and began to pray over him. Every medical team member watching had that "it's no use" look on their face. Her tearful, passionate cries to God for his life to return was interrupted only by the beep that returned to the still attached heart monitor.   Surely Jairus' knees buckled when word of his daughter's...

  "At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said,'O Sovereign Lord, you have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform such great and mighty deeds as you do? Please let me cross the Jordan to see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon mountains. But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and he would not listen to me.' 'That's enough!' he declared. 'Speak of it no more.'  Deuteronomy 3:23-26 Having a beautiful wife, four daughters and now a granddaughter, I have been powerless in the face of the many long and passionate "Ple-e-e-e-eases" over the years. I would gruffly choke out a "No" every once in awhile, but we were all in on the little secret. Just keep asking. Just keep sounding cute and desperate and Dad would eventually buckle. If Mom were with me on the "no," it would stand....

"This is my command -- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:1-11 Chants of "You can do it!" followed by "Jump! Jump! Jump!" finally emboldened the timid young man to step off the rock wall into the river below. To this day, I can still hear the shouts and the splash.  Popping up out of the water, his expression was unforgettable. Eyes wide. Grinning ear to ear. Arm raised. He was victorious! He had faced down a fear and won. Everyone literally felt the collapse of the unseen wall that had made his life small. This was a triumph that proved to be a watershed moment in his life. I can only imagine the adrenaline release in Joshua when the Lord looked him in the eye and said, "the time has come for you to lead these people." It's one thing to be groomed for a task, but it's a completely different thing to enter into it. God knew that. He knew where...