Fall Creek Christian Church

"Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died...On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity." Zechariah 12, 13 After a few days of ultimate frisbee, crawling through caves, sitting by smoky fires, playing football, and battling it out during capture the flag, all while camping out under tarps in the midsummer humidity of Indiana, one is in desperate need of cleansing. There was no chance I was driving all those guys home smelling like they and I did. Before leaving, we strategically planned a stop at the state park's waterfall -- a wonderful nonstop fountain of water to deal with all manner of foul smells and odors. God, through the prophet Zechariah, re...

"You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies, while all of you are building your own fine houses." Haggai "Who's honking?!", I asked more than a little annoyed. I looked around and was mortified to see next to me a car in the shoulder I nearly ran off the road when I changed lanes. Its happened to all of us, hasn't it? Or, at least to enough of us - the newer cars have a flashing symbol on the side view mirror to warn us. Of what? A car in our blind spot. I do not want to know how many accidents and many people have lost their lives due to driver's blind spots. The prophet Haggai reveals to the people of Israel and to us today that blind spots are not just a reality while driving. The people who returned to Jerusalem from exile occupied their time with building nice homes, planting crops and accumulating herds. This, whil...

"How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living according to the truth, just as the Father commanded." 2 John "What?!", I asked, not fully comprehending what I was hearing. "Israel." he repeated. "Do you want to go to the Holy Land, to Israel?" After some more back and forth, I finally understood that he was offering to pay my way to go on a nearly three week long adventure to the Holy Land. I would get to walk where Jesus walked. I would get to go to the places I've only read and dreamed about my whole life. I could hardly believe this was the real deal. I was still in a state of wondering if this was really happening all the way up to the plane taxiing down the runway and then speeding up for takeoff. Truth and living in truth matters. Decades after Jesus ascended to heaven, his best friend John was still writing about him. He could see that there were people who were beginning to try to twist and change the truth about ...

  "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 ...