Big Creek Church

06/03/2026

COILED BUT NOT CRUSHED
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

Proverbs 24:10, “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” I once read of how the Peace Corps instructs it’s people who serve in Brazil how to react if confronted with a hungry python. The instruction reads: “Remember not to run away, the python can run faster. The thing to do is to lay flat on the ground on your back with your feet together, arms at your side, head well down. The python will then try to push its head under you, experimenting at every possible point. Keep calm. You must let him swallow your foot. It is quite painless and it will take a long time. If you lose your head and struggle, he will quickly whip his coils around you. If you keep calm and still, he will go on swallowing. Wait patiently until he has swallowed up to about your knee. Then carefully take out your knife and insert it into the distended side of his mouth and with a quick rip slit him up.” Sounds comforting, doesn’t it? That makes me want to join the Peace Corps—just kidding. But the core of the instruction deals with remaining calm, level-headed and resolute, in spite of the temptation to “fall apart.” This is not just true in facing a python in the jungle, but in facing any difficulty life brings our way. All of us face trials. New challenges cross our path almost daily. What should we do? Do we lose our composure, and as in the case of the python, let our troubles wrap their “coils around” us and crush us? Or do we keep our focus, directly face the difficulty, maintain our resolve and follow a wise and proper path out of the trial? The choice is ours. Publius Syrus in 42 B.C. said, “Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” 2000 years later, that’s still true. Rough seas make good sailors. You may not be facing any South American python’s today, but you may be facing something worse—a lost job, a broken family, or a bad medical report. The good news is, you do not have to be crushed by your trial. You can be victorious. Keep your head, and keep your faith. God will give you a plan for victory, for this and for each new day.

06/02/2026

AN ENCOUNTER WITH GRACE
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

1 Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” Mel Trotter was an alcoholic. Again and again he promised his wife that he would give up drink for good. Once he managed to stay dry for eleven and a half weeks. At the end, thirst overcame him. His wife and child suffered terribly for his sin. His son was two years old when Mel came home after a drinking spree to find the child dead in his mother’s arms. He swore on the baby’s coffin that he’d never touch another drop. Two hours after the funeral, he staggered home blind drunk. On January 19, 1897, Mel Trotter made the decision to kill himself. He staggered drunk through Chicago, determined to throw himself into the freezing waters of Lake Michigan. Unable to break his habit, unable to keep his promises, he wanted to die. His progress brought him past the door of the Pacific Garden Mission. Harry Monroe, who himself had been an alcoholic, was leading singing. As the doorman helped Mel in, Monroe stopped to pray for Mel. “O God, save that poor boy,” he pleaded. Monroe told the audience of his own past and how Christ had delivered him from alcohol. Mel listened and believed. That night, he answered Monroe’s invitation to make room for God in his life. Monroe explained that Jesus loved him and would change him. And that is what Jesus did. Asked later how he knew he was saved, he replied, “I was there when it happened, January 19, 1897, 10 minutes past 9, Central time, Pacific Garden Mission, Chicago, Illinois, USA.” Three years later, Mel was asked to head a rescue work in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He went on to found a chain of missions throughout the United States to help men like him who could not escape the slavery of alcoholism. Friend, history is filled with men and woman whose lives seemed to have come to an end and then they encountered a God of grace. Your life isn’t over. You’ve not gone too far that this same God of grace cannot likewise give you a fresh new life through Jesus Christ, beginning now, with this new day.

06/01/2026

BOMBED
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” During World War II, a farmer near London wrote to the Scripture Gift Mission enclosing a five-shilling offering. At that time, this would have equated to approximately $1 in U.S. currency. In his letter he requested prayer that no bombs would drop on his small farm. His harvest had not been good, and his farm was very dry, with no water, and he had to buy water. The secretary of the Mission wrote back and said he could not ask that, but instead would pray that God’s will might be done. Soon afterwards one of Hitler’s biggest bombs came down on this man’s farm. It broke all his windows, but no one was hurt. It was so big that it went down very deep and unearthed a spring. The spring not only watered his farm well, but it enabled him to let others have water too. The next year, he had the best harvest ever and he sent a fifty-pound check as a thanksgiving offering to the Mission. The Lord had done “exceeding abundantly above all” he asked or thought. How good and how wise is our heavenly Father in all His ways! Listen, friend, so often we think we know how our lives should be orchestrated. Like the farmer in our story, I find myself at times somewhat dictating to the Lord in my prayers of how I believe events should transpire to bring about ideal circumstances. But the true intent of prayer is not to dictate to God our will, but to align ourselves with His will. If prayer is anything, it is us acknowledging that God is sovereign and He knows better than we in running our affairs and thus, we submit to His direction and His orchestration in our lives. You see, God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). We only focus on the present, He sees past, present and future. We see the brush strokes of our life up close, yet God sees the entire masterpiece from His heavenly perspective. It is our complete trust in Him that will enable us to see His plan for our lives unearth the hidden springs of blessings, for this and each new day.

05/31/2026

Congratulations to Ashlyn and Carley on their baptism today. We are so proud of you.

05/31/2026

Summer feeding program starts tomorrow!

Our summer feeding program starts June 1st!

05/31/2026

05/29/2026

I KNOW WHO HOLDS MY HAND
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” Ira Stanphill recalled when, as a boy, he and his father would frequently walk together through the fields and neighboring pasture of their home. Although his hands were too small to grip his father’s hand, the little lad would grasp one of his father’s fingers for stability. Invariably, he would step into a horse hoof-print or stumble over a rock or branch, his grip would fail, and he would go down in the dust or snow. Without giving up, he would get up, brush himself off, grab one of his father’s fingers, and begin walking again. Needless to say, the boy would eventually fall again, and the scenario would be replayed. One day, looking up from the ground, the little lad spontaneously exclaimed, “Daddy, I think if you would hold my hand, I wouldn’t fall.” From that day forward, the lad stopped holding onto his father, and his father began holding his hand. As a result in the change of strategy, the little boy never fell to the ground again. In 1950, Ira Stanphill penned these words: “Many things about tomorrow, I don’t seem to understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand.” In our Scripture lesson today, Jesus reminds us of our position in Him. We are firmly in His grip. In other words, we do not hold His hand, but He holds ours. The difference? If we take the initiative, like little Ira, as soon as we stumble, our grip gives way and we fall to the ground. However, if He holds our hand, then we are in His grip, and, thus, are under His control, guided safely by His sovereign power. In that case, we still may stumble, but His hand keeps us from falling. So, friend, let me ask you this question today—to whose hand do you hold? The fact is, in this life, we all stumble—such is the frailty of human existence. If you depend upon your grip to keep you safe, ultimately, the obstacle upon which you stumble will outstrip your strength and you will fall. But if you allow our heavenly Father to hold you firmly by His hand, you may trip, you may stumble, but He will never let go and He will keep you from falling. Today, change strategies. Let go, and allow Him to hold you, uphold you, and lead you; and you will realize new peace and new stability, as you walk with Him from your previous path, into the security of this new day.

05/28/2026

HE KNOWS YOUR NAME
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

Psalm 8:4, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” During a lull between the charges at the second Battle of Cold Harbor, in June, 1864—the only battle that Grant said he regretted fighting—officers going through the Union ranks saw the men sitting on the grass under the trees or in the thickets sewing their names on the sleeves their coats. Why were they doing that? It was because they expected to die in the ensuing charge, and shrank from the oblivion of a nameless grave. They wanted someone in the hills of western Pennsylvania, Vermont, New York, or Wisconsin, to know who they were after their death in that battle. It is the nature of mankind to be known—not relegated to a nameless grave, or for that matter, a nameless life. There is a yearning within us for identity. Identity gives us purpose. Humanity desires not just to be born, and consigned to a meaningless cycle of daily toil, to end only in a fading departure from this life. The Psalmist, in our Scripture lesson today, reminds us of a poignant fact—God is ever mindful of us. You may feel as if you are one of billions on the earth, caught up in the “rat race” of life; a number on your employer’s payroll records; a number in governmental records; a consumer in the trillion dollar economic system; a nameless face amid the countless other nameless faces. You may be unknown by private and public institutions, or society in general, but be assured, you are known by our heavenly Father. He knows your name. In the Gospels, Jesus even reminds us that the very hairs on our head are numbered (whether they are many or few). Like the soldiers at the Battle of Cold Harbor, you may, at times, be compelled to take extraordinary measures to ensure your identity is not lost. Take comfort, my friend, there are no unmarked graves in the Kingdom of God, and certainly, no unmarked lives. You have distinct value to our heavenly Father, and your name is every present before Him. Be mindful of this fact today, just as He is ever mindful or you; and with that revelation, each day can be transformed, from a day of anonymity, into the bright promise, of a brand new day.

05/27/2026

THE HEAVENLY TRANSLATOR
By: Pastor Johnie Akers

Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” I am very proud of my Appalachian heritage. There are many unique qualities to the culture of the peoples who settled and reside throughout Appalachia. The music, food, traditions of worship, strong family ties, and artisanship are but a few remarkable cultural distinctives. Recently while in a business setting, I was engaged in dialogue with a gentleman from another region of the country. During the conversation I could tell by his facial expressions he was having difficulty understanding what I was saying. At first, I thought the problem was that he was not hearing my voice clearly. But since I have a natural projecting range to my voice, it soon dawned on me that the problem he was having, was with my Appalachian dialect. Usually, I do not think it is that pronounced. But to his ears, it was. After consciously modifying my speech pattern, we were able to have a substantive conversation. There are times of deep intercession when we may feel like our words are inadequate. As the Apostle Paul said in our Scripture lesson today, “we know not what we should pray as we ought.” Sometimes words are replaced with tears; petitions are supplanted with sorrows. During those times of a burdened heart, we need not be concerned about modifying our speech patterns to be understood by the Lord. Our great Helper, the Holy Spirit, can serve as our Advocate by communicating on our behalf to the throne of God. He is the heavenly translator. So today, if prayer is a struggle to you because of the issues that weigh heavily upon your heart, take comfort. There is One who can intercede on your behalf and make your petitions known to our heavenly Father, who clearly hears and responds to His children’s prayers for this and each new day.