Fall Creek Christian Church

"The next day, as gale force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. The following day they even took some of the ship's gear and threw it overboard. The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone." Acts 27:18-20 As the hour quickly dissipated, my frustration level had peaked and I was done. The escape room had beat us. We had no clue giver to help us get unstuck and we had twisted ourselves up in all the circles in which we had been running. Simply put, all hope was gone. No amount of positive thinking or picking ourselves up by the bootstraps was going to move us forward.  All the people on this boat with Paul had reached a similar place where they felt completely and utterly without hope. None of their seaman skills could save them from the teeth of this storm that had absolutely crushed their spirits. It was there at the end of their ropes where they were fi...

"'How long has this been happening?' Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied,'Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.' 'What do you mean, If I can?' Jesus asked. 'Anything is possible if a person believes.' The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!'"  Mark 9:21-23 I love hearing stories of people doing big things. Don't you? Specifically, regular people just like you and me who through means we cannot fully explain get to be a part of the impossible. The stories of our Congressional Medal of Honor winners are great examples. Mother Theresa and Billy Graham are two more. One life with lifetimes of impact. The father in our story today was struggling with the impossible. He had watched his son suffer terribly for years. With his back against the wall and tales of deliverance ac...

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are defiled. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good."  Titus  1:15-16 I'm sure there were moments in my life growing up where my parents wish they could've denied knowing me. Moments where it would have been easier to simply say, "Nope, I have no idea whose kid that is", than to deal with the reality of my actions. I'm thankful they didn't as I'm sure my kids are glad that I've never denied them. It's a real bummer to be denied, to be disowned, for someone we care about to just walk away. Here in Paul's letter to Titus, we find out that it's possible to deny God. Here, he's not speaking about the person who says, "I don't believe in God." He's talking about the pe...

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. - 2 Corinthians 3:12 People cannot shut up about things that they are looking forward to. When was the last time you had a co-worker or family member that was headed to a tropical island, and didn't taunt you with it each day before they left? We love talking about that which we are looking forward to, and we don't care who hears it. When was the last time you were like that when it came to your faith in Jesus? When was the last time you were unafraid to talk about what God was teaching you and what he was doing in your life? Most of us are a little bored with our faith, and to be sure, it doesn't have anything to do with God being lackluster. Maybe we are bored because we have ceased to engage God like we did before. Challenge for today? Recapture that passion for reading, studying, and applying what you find in the Bible. Hit your knees in prayer at the end of the day. Interact with the God who loves you mo...

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ... So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them. God blessed them and told them, 'Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Be masters over the fish and birds and all the animals.'" Genesis 1:1,27-28 Each time the ball drops on a new year, the first thing I want to do is kiss my wife ... a long honored tradition at this point. It's kind of a "Wow, we made it!" Shortly after that, my thoughts begin to drift to the idea of possibilities. A new beginning. What could or should be a part of the newest chapter of this great adventure called life? New Year's Day stirs within us a powerful combination of dreams, hopes, potential and mystery. Our verses this morning draw us back to the first beginning, "the" beginning to be precise. God's creation in perfection, including those image carriers - men and women. Imagine ...