Fall Creek Christian Church

"'My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.' Then these men got right to work: ..." II Chronicles 29:11-12a The boss of our asphalt crew knew what we could do. He'd leave the site to go make a plan for the next job knowing full well everything would get done right. We shoveled. We swept. We raked. We rolled. We tamped. We cleaned. Truthfully, we made him look good. To be fair, it took two years of coaching and yelling for us to fully get our duties squared away, but when we did, it was fun to see in action. King Hezekiah was a good king. He loved God. He knew that those responsible to lead the nation in worship had been delinquent in their responsibilities. It was time for that to come to an end. He called them out. He reminded them of their great role in the community of Israel. Stand. Minister. Lead....

"David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle." I Samuel 18:14-16 The other day I was attempting a car repair. One of my offspring had located a mailbox with the side view mirror of the car. Initial attempts to reattach said mirror were unsuccessful and a complete removal/replacement was needed. Nearly an hour into the project, the new mirror was solidly attached and shouts of joy ensued when the power button actually moved the mirror --- success!! Our verses today reveal that David was a very successful guy ... "in everything he did." He was a leader. He was an inspiration to warriors. Those he protected and served loved him. His enemy feared him. The secret to his success? "The Lord was with him." He was God's man following God's lead for God's glory. I...

“So Jesus called them together and said, 'You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.'" Mark 10:42-45 I've never enjoyed working for someone who took pleasure in bossing people around. I've been yelled at and falsely accused. I even had one who angrily kicked my trashcan across the room. I can only assume it was an attempt to intimidate me. These are scenes that are not unique to me or our time in history as we see in our verses for the day.  The disciples were trying to position themselves at the top of the pecking order. They were losing sight of the perfect picture of leadership they witnessed every moment they were with Jesus. He nee...

“...God did promise, however, that eventually the whole land would belong to Abraham and his descendants -- though he had no children yet. ... As the time drew near when God would fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased."  Acts 7:5, 17 Promises are a big deal. We receive them. We give them. We are angered when others break them and grieved when we break them. I am so thankful that my wife has kept hers to me ... "till death do us part." It hasn't been easy for her. Trust me. Yet, through all these years, she has stood behind her promises. Stephen, in his speech to the religious leaders, made a point to emphasize promises ... specifically, the promises of God. He reminded them of their fulfillment as a precursor to identifying Jesus as the fulfillment of God's ultimate promise, the promise of a deliverer. Their rejection of God's fulfillment of his promise placed them outside of the blessing of the promise. Their res...

"Moses listened to his father-in-law's advice and followed his suggestions.  He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people.  He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten.  These men were always available to solve the people's common disputes.  They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves."     Exodus 18:24-26 There are moments when I feel like I have it all figured out.  Moments when my understanding is full and complete void of any blind spots whatsoever.  Moments when they are wrong and I am right.  These are the moments when I am at my worst.   Moses is described in the Bible as one of the most humble people who ever lived.  Today's verses reveal this quality of humility in Moses in unmistakable terms.  He was teachable.  He didn't feel the need to impress his father-in-law with his newfound celebrity...