Welcome!

A message from our minister:

Hello, my name is Dan Toney and I am the new minister at Fir Road Christian Church. I'm glad that you found our website. I am so excited about what God is going to do through this church family. I would like to personally invite you to come and check us out and be a part of the excitement. I think you'll find out that it is worth a little drive. We are out in the country just SW of Carl Junction at 6245 County Road 303 (the corner of Fir Road and County Road 303). It is a scenic area with God's beauty evident all around us. Across the street from the church, we have a walking trail (great for prayer walks) and our soccer fields, where we have our Upward Soccer program.

We are seeking to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, no matter what their past looks like and where they have been. God has shown us grace and we want to show grace to others. The Bible is truly our guide.

We also want to find areas for people to be able to plug into and serve and be able to use the gifts that God has given them. We are all part of God's body and he wants to use us.

Our worship services have a contemporary feel to them and we try to keep them fresh and exciting while bringing home the truth of God's word. If you have children, we have plenty to offer for them as well.

I hope to see you soon. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

In His Service,

Dan Toney
Senior Minister

Service Times

Sunday School 9:00am
Worship Service 10:15am
Sunday Evening Service 6:00pm

Contact Information

You may reach our secretary at linda@firroadcc.org or call us at 417.782.3058.

Dan's Devotions

Stranger [Show/Hide]
Recently, I performed a wedding in a tiny town called Hartford, Kansas. I was looking for a restaurant to eat some lunch in town and I only found one place. It said it was a "bar and grill." I walked in and I would say it was definitely more bar than grill. As I walked up to the bar to try and order some food all eyes were on me. I could tell they were thinking, "Who is this strange guy and what is he doing here?" I had seen a board with a food special written on it as I walked in, but I didn't see what it said for sure, so I asked the lady behind the bar what the special was. She said, "Oh, that special is for next Tuesday." So I asked her what the special for that day was. She said the special was "beer". I told her that beer probably wouldn't fill me up very well so I ordered a double cheeseburger, which by the way was excellent. However, I definitely felt like the outsider that day and I wasn't very comfortable.

This situation reminded me that on the spiritual side of things I shouldn't expect to be completely comfortable in this world either. The Bible gives reference several times that as Christians, the world is not our home, and we should never really be completely at ease here. The book of Peter uses words like aliens and strangers to define followers of Christ in this world. Jesus addresses this as well in John 15 with some pretty sobering words. He said, ¹⁸"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

As believers, if our goal in this world is simply comfort or fitting in, it seems that we are missing the boat. There will be times when people don't "like" us because of who we are in Christ. That is to be expected and it is not a bad thing. It is just the way it is. Let's not back away from that, but embrace it, knowing that our wonderful permanent home is waiting for us when the time comes.
In Christ,

Dan
I Can't Dance [Show/Hide]
For those of you who don't know, my church has a Christian soccer program called Upward Soccer. It is a really neat program designed to teach kids about soccer but also about Jesus.

On Monday night we had the year end celebration. We invited a Christian magician to perform. At one point, he wanted a volunteer from the crowd. Guess who he chose? Yes, he chose me and I didn't even raise my hand. Apparently, he picked me out ahead of time because he thought I would be a good sport.

As soon as I got up on the stage he said, "Oh, I have to go get something, entertain them for a minute." Dance music started playing so I started dancing. What a sorry sight that must have been. I even attempted a little bit of moon walking. It seemed like he was gone forever, but it was probably only about 15 seconds. I'm sure my face was pretty red. It was confirmed in front of hundreds of people. I can't dance.

The rest of the time up there was basically a series of him making fun of me. I do think the crowd was entertained through it all and that is what was important. I don't think "Dancing with the Stars" will be calling anytime soon though.

There was a time in the Bible when a king was dancing, but for a much more noble reason. It was King David and he was so excited that the Ark of the Covenant was returning to Jerusalem that he was dancing with all of his might. He even stripped down to his under garments as he danced. His wife saw all of this and it says that she despised him in her heart. But David responded to her by saying this, "I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." 2 Samuel 21b-22a. David didn't care what he looked like. He just wanted to praise God.

I want to leave you with a few questions. Are you willing to look like a fool in the world's eyes for your God? Are you willing to make a stand for your faith and risk ridicule? Are you willing to go against the flow of society? Is your God worth it? I hope all of us can answer those questions with a resounding yes. If not, maybe we need to re-examine our faith a little bit.

In the meantime does anyone know where I could get some dance lessons?

Trying to dance for the Lord,

Dan
God Even Loves Cardinals Fans? [Show/Hide]
As most of you know I have started a new chapter in my life as the new senior minister at Fir Road Christian Church in Carl Junction, Missouri. Carl Junction is in SW Missouri in the heart of St. Louis Cardinals country. Many of the people at my new church are Cardinals fans. Most of you know that I am a Cubs fan. Cardinals and Cubs fans mix about as well as oil and water. They are natural enemies. Much to my amazement however, I am starting to discover that God actually loves Cardinals fans too. (I think he does anyway, the verdict is still out.)

All kidding aside, one of the coolest things about coming to a new church is getting to meet a whole new part of God's family. There is something amazing about meeting other followers of Christ. There is an instant connection because Jesus is at the center of our lives. I have experienced this many times throughout my life as I have traveled to various places, even overseas to places like Taiwan and China. Even if we don't speak the same language we have the ultimate bond of Jesus Christ.

I Timothy 4:9-10 says, "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially those who believe." We have a common bond because our hope is in the one true living God and that is an awesome thing. That's even a big enough connection for Cubs and Cardinals fans to overcome.

Have a great day and Go Cubs!

Because of Him,

Dan Toney