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7/30/2018

Light v Dark Toast

I am one of those folks who likes my food ever so slightly overcooked. I like the cheese on my pizza to be golden.. maybe even a 'dark' golden. I like my bagel toasted dark contrasted with a spread of cream cheese. I want it to hear a slight CRUNCH when I bite into it. And I like DUSK where the sun has just dropped peacefully below the western horizon but before the black of night,

Of course choosing dark over light in the weighty matters of bagals and pizza is fine, but in matters of the SPIRIT.. always choose the LIGHT.

This Present Darkness is a Christian novel by Frank Paretti published in 1986 for adults showing a contemporary view on angels, demons, prayer, and spiritual warfare as demons and angels interact and struggle for control in our lives and communities. And though this book was fiction, I believe this battle is real.

Of course there is obvious DARKNESS of this world, but I am surprised by many Churches Frog in the Boiling Pot perspective on life where God is fit into societal norms rather than the other way around as God intends.

"In God We Trust" may be the official motto of the United States of America, but in this world's shadows we move closer to a Godless reality found in Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

How else can explain our society where

Crass is considered clever
Profane is considered Profound
Greed and Envy is in the heart of man
Hatred, War, and Genocide exist
Women are degraded and used via Pornography

The gentle word CHOICE masks the ongoing hollocaust of Aborting babies
LGBT is lauded as normal and
Gender is just another 'selection' on the happy meal of life.

Some items from this list of our world's woes are pitch black dark, but all of them lurk in this land of shadows where Wrong is considered a gray area defined by man rather than God.

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. John 3:19-21

So these very words of Jesus make it clear.. It matters what we believe, our choices matter. JESUS WAS NOT TALKIN' TOAST.

So I prayer God finds us IN THE LIGHT, living in obedience to His word, loving and truthful in our words and deeds with others, and never lingering in this world's shadows.

Enjoy this life in the LIGHT.

Blessings

Jeff (dark toast please) Larson

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7/16/2018

2 Comments

Too Too Much

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:5-7

I live in America where moderation is not the modus operandi. We like big, and more, and we supersize whenever possible. Too much for us often is not enough.

I am not saying having nice home, car, etc are bad things at all, but modesty and moderation does not come easy to Americans. IMO

But what if we temper our lives with those 3 verses in Philippians. What if we were known for our moderation, prayerful, and thankful to our God? Then the peace of God that does pass all understanding is there for each of us no matter if we are living check to check or encumbered with the trappings of wealth.

Be poor in Spirit (humble) Mt. 5:3 , faithful to our God and caring of others in the moments that make up your day. Then this whole moderation concept should take care of itself.

May God lead, use, and bless your lives in ways that are beyond your dreams.

Jeff

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7/4/2018

0 Comments

Speck on a Blue Ball

I have this prayer prep that I recently turn to when my mind is busy and unfocused. I slow my mind to take a glimpse of my significance.
Specifically, I am a speck on a blue ball (Earth) that spins at 1000 mph orbiting around our sun in our Solar System of 8 (or 9) planets, which is one of countess galaxies in our infinite Universe. ..

AND this existence.. my existence is just a microscopic blip on the timeline of history.

So while I admit I should lose like 25 pounds I also am feeling very small. Then to think of the intricacies of the human body the human condition, and that I have a free will and I believe a spirit that makes me a very special speck on this blue dot.

While I attempt to grasp this perspective of significance.. I pray Psalms 8:4 Who am I that you are mindful of me? .. and I am in awe of creation and more importantly our creator and His inexplicable love for each of us. Better yet, y'all best read all of Psalms 8

Now .. I am ready to pray as the world slows down.. I am an awe of God, and thankful for this day (even the bad ones), and pray that my life, my family, my friends, church, community, state, nation, and world come to realize the significance, purpose, and place as their own speck like roles on this blue dot.

Love God, love others (argue politics less).. and all glory to God on this day! Cuz ya know, the rest is trivia by comparison.

Blessings!

Jeff (a 225lb speck) Larson

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Light v Dark Toast

Too Too Much

Speck on a Blue Ball

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