Fall Creek Christian Church

"You have stayed with me in my time of trial. And just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:28-30 One of the first things my daughter and her husband did when they bought their first house was get a dog. A big happy go lucky golden doodle named, "Murphy." He is, of course, a family favorite and honestly I kind of like him too. They've worked on training him and have made some real progress. He'll stay when told to, most of the time. However, when the activity around is too much, staying becomes optional. Jesus had much to say to his disciples as he prepared them for his imminent departure. He made them some amazing promises: they would have places of royalty in his Kingdom, to eat at his table and thrones upon which to rule. Wow! Those were some incredible promises. What was so great abou...

"They answered Joshua, 'We will do whatever you command us, and we will go wherever you send us. We will obey you just as we obeyed Moses. And may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Anyone who rebels against your word and does not obey your every command will be put to death. So be strong and courageous!'"  Joshua 1:16-18 As the last bag of mulch was hauled out of the minivan and spread out under the bushes, the job was done. Those who had agreed to take on that challenge followed through. Their "yes" was truly a "yes." It's great to work with people like that isn't it? It only takes one time in the trenches with someone whose "I will" ends up being an "I didn't" for us to further treasure those whose "yes" means "yes." After Moses' death, Joshua was the guy. The newly anointed leader went right to work calling the people to be faithful to their obligations to God. Th...

"'Now which of  these three would you say was neighbor to the man who was attacked by thieves?' Jesus asked. The man replied, 'The one who showed him mercy.' Then Jesus said, 'Yes, now go and do the same.'" Luke 10:36-37 After being rocked by waves for over three hours, my poor wife was more than ready to move to calmer waters. As a person who struggles with motion sickness, those waves did her digestive system absolutely no favors. The boat driver took us around the point and then inside the break wall to calm waters. In so doing, he showed her great mercy. Relief was quick and gratitude was high. The story of the Good Samaritan is one just about all of us have heard. A man jumped by thieves and left for dead. Two pass by, but then a third stops to help. One commentator made these observations: For the thieves, the man was a target to rob. For the religious leader, he was a problem to avoid. For the average church goer, he was a curiosity to ...

"Jesus answered him,'Simon, I have something to tell you.' 'Tell me teacher,' he said. 'Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred danarii, and the other owed him fifty. Neither had the money to pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon replied, 'I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled.' 'You have judged correctly,' Jesus said." Luke 7:40-43 I was dreading the day. An inescapable obligation, to which I had no desire to go, was getting closer and closer. I was literally feeling sick about it. All my emotions kept escalating. Frustration gave way to anger. "Clearly, this situation is completely ridiculous," I would tell anyone who would listen. Mercifully, I received a call telling me all was cancelled, done, over and out. Thankfulness flooded my soul.  Jesus had an audience made up of self-righteous religious types, those who we...

"Simon Peter asked, 'Lord, where are you going?' And Jesus replied, 'You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later.' 'But why can't I come now, Lord?' he asked. 'I'm ready to die for you.' Jesus answered, 'Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter -- before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me." John 13:36-38 So, when was the last time your mouth ran ahead of your reality? I won't go into specific details here, but my last one is a very fresh memory. My over confidence set me up for a humbling conversation with Jesus that I would very much prefer to not have to experience again. The minefields in this world set to derail us from being a faithful follower of Jesus are plentiful and painfully effective. The devil is very good at what he does ... deceive and devour. Mr. Simon Peter really took one on the chin here in our verses for today. "I'll die for you ...

"I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me." Psalm 57:2 While fishing with a guide recently, I saw a tool on his boat that I hadn't seen before. It had an 18 inch handle with an "s" shaped metal end attached to the top. Once the fish started to fill the cooler, I saw him take the tool run it down the line to the hook and give it a little flip with his wrist. Immediately, the hook was dislodged and the fish flopped into the cooler. It was a perfectly designed tool to accomplish the purpose for which he made it. Today's verse speaks to purpose as well. Specifically, mine and yours. I don't know about you, but I for one am extremely thankful that we were both made on purpose as well as to fulfill purposes. Accidents? Nope. Random chance? Nope. Dreams and destinies? Yep. It's important to note that the confidence of having God fulfill his purposes for us is found in the one who is crying out to him. Him being "...

"The wise are glad to be instructed, but the babbling fools fall flat on their faces. People with integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." Proverbs 10:8-9 I had someone tell me recently, "I don't like being told what to believe." Regardless of whether we're being told what to believe or not, the reality is we're all going to ultimately decide for ourselves. So, I didn't really challenge the point. However, the "nobody's telling me anything" spirit does cross into the stupid zone pretty fast. If someone tells us to not touch the hot stove or to not run out into traffic and we do anyway ... you get the point. In the verses for the day, the writer of the Proverbs draws one strong distinction between the wise and the foolish. The wise are glad to be instructed. The babbling fool isn't interested in being taught. Instruction is not on their "must have" list. We can learn th...