Fall Creek Christian Church

  "Hearing this the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament." Daniel 6:1-28 After trying one more time to reach some sort of understanding and compromise, we both walked away as frustrated as ever. Stubbornly, we had given only lip service to a genuine surrender to and pursuit of God on this matter. The weight of this challenge strained our marriage and walls of bitterness began to build between us. We could see it clearly, but we were in the weeds too deep to navigate our way out. Graciously, with all other options exhausted, God led us to a mutually respected couple for counsel who helped us move forward through the maze of crazy.   King Darius found himself in just such a place. Who would have thought, the great king of the Medo Persian empire found himself cornered by his own law. Not his position, nor his power, nor his strategic intelligence could do...

"And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So, you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as "foreigners in the land." I Peter 1:17 - 2:10 Every once in a while, I hear this statement from one of my children, "Dad, we all know that ______ is your favorite." The accusation is followed with some kind of evidence that they feel makes a compelling argument. The truth is they are all my favorite and there is different evidence to support that reality for each one. Vantage point is the issue. Granted, I have certainly been guilty of inconsistency of behavior, but not of heart. I would die to defend any one of them. One of Jesus' closest friends, Peter, writes that the heavenly Father has no favorites. He is never inconsistent in his behavior or his love. His assessment of and his response to the behavior of his children is perfectly accurate every single time. He spar...

  "I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day...I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again." Ezekiel 34   As the toy car flew past my face and hit my leg, I thought to myself, "Wow, that just missed my head." For reasons unknown, my granddaughter thought it was good idea to throw the car over the stair railing into the room where we were sitting. Mom and dad quickly and firmly communicated to her that she had found a bad idea. Meanwhile, little brother, who follows her every lead, had made his way up the stairs with the car in hand. The command for him to not throw the car and the car itself hit the air at the same time. He's discovering the need to be a bit more discerning in who he follows.   God, through Ezekiel, had a lot to say about shepherds. In his word to Ezekiel, God spoke to the sh...

  "For they had rejected my regulations, refused to follow my decrees, and violated my Sabbath days. Their hearts were given to their idols. Nevertheless, I took pity on them and held back from destroying them in the wilderness." Ezekiel 20   Once again, I sat there absolutely amazed and honored to have a front row seat to the grace of God being displayed in one of his children. Marriages and families hung in the balance as the betrayed spouse considered her next steps into the future. Still dazed by the revelation and unable to shed another tear, she spoke words that so beautifully reflected the heart of Jesus. Words of forgiveness. Words of fresh starts and new paths. Wounded beyond measure? Yes. Willing to press forward? Also, yes. The people of Israel, as revealed in Ezekiel’s writing, were a wayward and unrepentant spouse of God. The covenant of love they had entered into lay tattered to shreds at the feet of their lifeless idols. At every turn, God’s merciful calls for ...

"If righteous people turn away from their righteous behavior and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, they will die. And if you do not warn them, they will die in their sins. None of their righteous acts will be remembered, and I will hold you responsible for their deaths." Ezekiel 3:16-27   I knew it was time for all our defensive training to be put into action. Our grandson, like his mother before him, was full-on baby energy. His target? The stairs. I was right on his heels as he made his break for the stairway. He managed to scoot up a few stairs before I scooped him up. Unimpressed by quick reflexes, he squealed and waited again for just the right moment to make his escape unaware of the inherent danger the stairs posed for him. It was time for a different strategy -- The Baby Gate. As he watched, I firmly secured it to the wall and it proved to be just the right obstacle at just the right time. Ezekiel had a thankless job. He had all kinds of hardships and had to be...

"Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear." II Timothy 4:1-22 I remember very vividly my last summer as a staff member at the camp I had grown up attending. My time, in that stage of life, was coming to an end. I looked around, as many of my peers had already made their way home and said their good-byes, reflecting on all the memories. That time I was told was coming was almost there. Soon, I would no longer belong. As I faced the reality that time waits for nothing and no one, I felt challenged to make it a life practice to fully embrace every season and every moment God would give me. Timothy was given that same challenge by his mentor Paul over and over again. At the close of his last le...

"If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed." I Timothy 4:1-16 As the specific actions of the award winner are being read and described, I can't help but imagine being with them in those moments where life and death were separated by the thinnest of lines. I, inevitably tear up as I hear the words, "with no regard to their own life" followed by some remarkable expression of courage on behalf of others. As the Congressional Medal of Honor is placed around their neck, everyone there and those watching on television passionately applaud such a worthy recipient.  Paul left his protégé Timothy with a formidable task. His job was continue to lead the church in the city of Ephesus into right teaching, spiritual growth and steadfastness in their commitment to Jesus. In chapter 4, Paul told him to preach the truth and n...