Fall Creek Christian Church

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12 There are way too many human train wrecks at the intersection of stupid and opportunity. I've crawled away from many of them myself. For example, BB gun wars where I just about got my eye shot out. Arguing while driving nearly ending the lives of my family and others in a two car, narrow highway crash. Countless negative words, moral lapses, impulsive financial decisions ... I'm pretty sure you're familiar with the list. The author of the book of Proverbs, King Solomon, was too. He was a strong starter, but later in life veered off track in directions he knew full well were no-go zones. His failures set-up the splintering of his kingdom and the slippery slide into national moral decay. He was described as the wisest man who ever lived. Even still, he fell victim to the foolishness he so eloquently and accurately described years earlier.  Our world is inundate...

"But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15 Nearly 31 years ago, I stood before God, family and friends and made a choice as did my sweetheart. "To love and to cherish as long as we both shall live." Honestly, there have been too many days where one or both of us didn't feel particularly loved or cherished. What's the deal? We chose that day so what's going on with this day? Perhaps there is a much tighter connection between that day and this day than we could have ever imagined. When Joshua called the people of Israel to decision, he emphasized today, this day. Yesterday was over. Tomorrow was not promised. "Choose this day", he said. He was calling them to a decision about whom they would follo...

"As he entered a village there, ten lepers stood at a distance, crying out, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!' He looked at them and said, 'Go show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went, their leprosy disappeared. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, 'Praise God, I'm healed!' He fell face down on the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?'" Luke 17:12-17 Raising kids has been and will always be a difficult and hopefully a wonderfully rewarding experiencing. The tension of both meeting their needs and training them to be grateful is such a fine line to walk. We don't want them living longing for love nor do we want them living with an entitled attitude. One of the tools that helped us when our kids were little was a kids song entitled, "'Please' and 'Thank you...

"Be dressed for service and well prepared, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for his return. I tell you, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, there will be special favor for his servants who are ready." Luke 12:35-38 I remember very vividly as a kid racing to the lakefront with my dad early in the morning to catch a ride in a boat with some guys who had invited us to go fishing with them. We got up, scrambled around to get our fishing tackle together and raced down to the lake as we were cutting it pretty close. As we hurried down the path popping out near the shoreline, we could see the boat halfway across the lake motoring to THE secret fishing hole. U...

"Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever." Psalm 73:25-26 I love a big ol' burger and fries. Hmm  ... so good. It just my be my favorite meal. Well, a big juicy steak might just edge it out when push comes to shove. Then, there's pizza. I can't get enough pizza. Yikes, I can't forget seafood. Grilled jumbo shrimp, lobster, crab legs, fresh fish. Appetizers of crab stuffed mushrooms covered in cheese. Okay, I give up. It's too hard for me to find that more than anything food.  Asaph, the author of the psalm from which our verses of the day come, was in some real turmoil in regards to his favorite as well. Not his stomach's favorite, but his heart's favorite. He was angry and frustrated that people who didn't care about God at all had everything this world could offer and he didn't. His visio...

"And now, Israel, listen carefully to these decrees and regulations that I am about to teach you. Obey them so that you may live, so you may enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. Do not add to or subtract from these commands I am giving you. Just obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving giving." Deuteronomy 4:1-2 We tend to chaff at instruction. Rules and regulations are not things we typically get excited about. As parents, we've given many instructions to our children over the years. For the most part they understood the "why" and were even willing to trust us, albeit begrudgingly, when they didn't. There were times, however, where minor things like "Wear a coat" or "Put on sunscreen" were ignored and they experienced the subsequent consequences. Other times, like all of us, they ignored some seriously significant instruction and tasted the bitterness of regret.  In M...

"Then Moses spoke again to Korah: 'Now listen, you Levites! Does it seem a small thing to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the people of Israel to be near him as you serve in the Lord's Tabernacle and to stand before the people to minister to them? He has given this special ministry only to you and your fellow Levites, but now you are demanding the priesthood as well!" Numbers 16:8-10 "...the ambition of treacherous people traps them." Proverbs 11:6 Growing up, our kids had what we called the "Whiner's Timeout Chair." It was located in the room next to the kitchen and faced the wall. All day long, the chair would be filled and emptied several times. When one of the four girls began the screeching, high pitched whiny voice, off to the chair they'd go. We'd say, "We can't understand you when you're whining. Sit in the chair until you're done and then you can come back and join everyone else...