Fall Creek Christian Church

"'When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn't that wrong? And isn't it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!' says the Lord Almighty. 'Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you.  But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?' asks the Lord Almighty."  Malachi 1:8-9 I'm too tired, too busy, too wounded, too afraid, too ashamed, too inexperienced, too distracted, too broke, too angry, too ...  At one point or another in my life, I've selected from this list of "toos" to explain why I wouldn't extend my best to God. Looking at them now, I see them for what they are - a thinly veiled attempt to make life and living about me. Malachi had the thankless job of breaking the bad news to the people.  He was brutally honest.  Their diseased sacrifices revealed their diseased hearts.  Ouch!  They had lost sight ...

"So he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty'"  Zechariah 4:6 Time and time again in my life, I have found myself in places and situations where my desired outcome and the likely outcome are on two different planets.  I truly desire to see character flaws weeded out, strained relationships restored, a victory won, etc.  Yet, for all my wishing and all my striving, I still seem to stand on this side of true breakthrough. Zechariah and the people of his day understood this experience fully.  God knew they needed a word of encouragement. They were looking around at their difficult circumstances and their meager resources to deal with it and it just didn't add up.  It was right there in their hopelessness that God told them some humbling but fantastic news - "It's not about you. It's about me." I don't know what challenges lie before you today, but G...

"But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah.  Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. ... And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord's strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. ... And he will be the source of our peace."  Micah 5:2-5 After an outstanding man versus rusted lug nut battle, the deflated tire was removed - a small victory.  The now inflated spare tire was then mounted - a small task.  The panicked phone calls we were overhearing alerted us to the need for some money to purchase a badly needed new tire.  We gladly gave them some money - a small gift.  After which, the young mom broke into tears of gratitude.  The van was quiet as we drove away, each person pondering deep thoughts.  Thoughts like, "Wow, small matters." It must have made Micah smile as he wrote down these words of prophecy.  This little out of the limelight village that bar...

"I know all the things you do.  I have seen your hard work and your patience endurance.  I know you don't tolerate evil people. ... You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.  But I have this complaint against you.  You don't love me or each other as you did at first!  Look how far you have fallen from your first love!  Turn back to me again and work as you did at first.  If you don't, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches."  Revelation 2:2-5 It wasn't the fall that got me.  It was the sudden stop at the end.  Apparently, when jumping off a 90 foot cliff into a river, it's important to keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times.  The jolt of my splat landing was simply unbearable.   In our verses for the day, Jesus spoke a few words about falling.  It wasn't a fall from a cliff, an airplane or a ladder that fired him up. It was a fall from a much greater height that was...

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."  I John 3:1-2 "Passport!", barked the immigration officer.  Startled by his unconcealed disdain, I fumbled around for my critical piece of identification.   There have only been two occasions in my life where I have found myself in need of a passport.  It was quite obvious to me that failure to have one would have been bad, really bad.  Countries seem to be quite particular these days as to who they are willing to allow to traipse around their countryside.  Bottom line: they want to and need to know who you are. John, as he was contemplating his word of challenge and e...

"That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision.  Then Daniel praised the God of heaven, saying, 'Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he alone has all wisdom and power.  He determines the course of world events; he removes kings and sets others on the throne.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.'"  Daniel  2:19-21 I like to keep tabs on current events.  It's no fun being the last to know.  However, I treat current events much the same way I treat my speedometer when I'm driving.   I glance at it every once in awhile, but I don't dwell on it.  The greater issue is the road in front of me, namely that I remain on it.  So, that's where I focus. Daniel had quite a ride with God during his turn on the earth.  He served in the circle of the powerful.  He walked with the great kings of Babylon, but never once did he lose sight of the Greater.  He knew those sitting on their thrones were t...

"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.'  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has been conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."     James 1:13-15 I really really enjoy fishing or more accurately - catching.  If I stop catching, I'm done fishing.  I know the fishing purist might find that attitude mildly offensive, but I'm just being honest.  If I find a fishing lure that works, meaning it successfully tempts fish to bite it, I'll use it all day.  I don't need to experiment.  When it comes to fishing and lures, I am an incurable pragmatist. In our verses for the day, James has some insights about temptation as well.  First, it's not from God.  Nope, it's an internal matter.  Within each of our hearts are desires that are incurably...