Fall Creek Christian Church

"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 ...

"'Be strong and courageous! Don't be afraid of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are just men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!' These words greatly encouraged the people." II Chronicles 32:7-8 On a regular basis, I speak with people who are on the edge of the edge. It may be at church. It may be at the gas station. It may be in my home. It may be the face looking back at me in the mirror. Life is hard. Storms are raging and thundering bringing us to our knees. We are left weathered and wondering. Will they ever pass? Will we ever rise in victory? The nation of Judah was in a bad situation. Outnumbered and outgunned, they were looking down the barrel of certain defeat and destruction. King Hezekiah, however, viewed the situation through a different set of eyes. His people were not the easy prey the enemy determined they were. They were ...

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:2-3 As the movie scene rolls on, the battle between the special forces and the terrorists, along with those helping them, reaches an extreme crescendo. One of the bad guys manages to drop a grenade right in the middle of the good guys who are pinned down by machine gun fire. Without hesitating, the commanding officer yells, "Grenade!", and then dives on top of the grenade buffering his troops from the explosion. His death saved their lives. Intense? Heart-breaking? Sad? Yes. Courageous? Selfless? Honorable? Also yes. The writer of Hebrews recounts a similar, yet true story. The salvation story he reminds us of however, involves Jesus. His mission? Save the...

"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go ... for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:7,9b Whether we can readily articulate it or not, we all have a list of desires for our children. At times, this list can be too long, too demanding, too unrealistic, and in all honesty, too important. Many a child has been crushed under the weight of their parents' expectations. I've had to come face to face with some wrong-headed desires I've had for my children more often then I care to admit. On paper, the desires seem reasonable and even responsible. However, regardless of whether or not the problem is intrinsic to the desire or whether it's in the communication of said desire, the results are often times ... bad. Hurt feelings, mistrust, and questioned love are a few of the examples of bad resul...