Invertebrate: an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, .. and some forms of Christians. ​

But first a bunny trail> 
With all things  COVID-19 related it is easy for everyone including Christians to hyperfocus on this very real health risk.  So hyperfocused that we almost forget to breath.  Almost.

But the world does not truly go on hold.  Life  is still lived and as Christians we should not lose focus on Jesus and living out His truth.  The evening  news does not give you truth.. it gives you what will get you to watch their 'shows'.  Cynical much? you ask. No, I think of it as  being realistic.

So no matter, we all of course need to be careful, stay healthy but this is NOT the Black Plague. Stay informed, but don't swallow the bait cast out every night at 6pm at your favorite news fishing spot.
<End of bunny trail

Now put down your Purell for  a  moment and  let's talk about the Church.  Not the buildings where we all gather in,  but  those good folk  called  to be the body of Christ.

A strong body will have bones, muscles, a heart pumping, brain thinking, lungs breathing, and we have eyes, ears, nose to enhance our senses to the world around us.  This is why the body analogy works well in describing the Church and how  it should function. All parts of the body are different but important.

So here is my concern of the day.. the church appears to suffer at times from a hardened and/or weak heart.. and our brain perplexed while attempting to blend God's truth into a 'very' secular world view (a true square peg in a round hole dilemma). Of course we should instead share how this very secular world needs to align with God's Truth. 

Hmmm.. let summarize my concern with these attitudes.. Any Church (or person) without Biblical convictions.. that does not follow Christ teachings,  listen to the Holy Spirit cannot truly worship/obey God and.. is maybe not really a Christian.  And certainly appears to be a 'Christian Invertebrate'

To exist in a luke-warm compromised Oprah Winfrey morning blend of religions that serves self with at best a wink and a thumbs up gesture towards Heaven will not get you to Heaven, and certainly not lead others to God.

So what better time than now to grow a SPINE. In the midst of the pandemic panics, partisan politics, border & homeless crisis, racial tensions, failing marriages, and LGBTQ confusion we (The Church) best grow a spine. I MEAN NOW.

SICK DAYS: 
Back in my working days.. I would sometimes say with a smile.. "I never met a sick day I didn't like." And let's be real, no one wants to waste a sick day with strep throat, or a 102 fever. It makes more sense to be 'a little under the weather' and call in sick when the sun is shining.

Looking back I realize so many followed MY LEAD that Human Resources departments across the country coined a more user friendly term.. PTO (personal time off) days.

So I personally believe I was the catalyst in the creation of PTO. No more calling in and fake coughing.. no more intentional weak voices. Now with PTO you can simply call in to work with a strong voice and say .. "I'm not gonna come in to work, there is Netflix binge watching that needs my attention.
​
So for all of you that have benefited from PTO ..

YOU ARE ALL WELCOME.

Don't look at me that way.. Are you saying you never feigned a sick day? Hmm.. how about did you ever take such a day off and called it a 'mental health day'?  Ok then, at least I was not claiming to be 'sick in the head' .. LIKE YOU! 

PANDEMIC DAYS: 
But more far reaching than any random sick or PTO days you may have there is a much more concerning is the today's headline where Coronavirus (aka COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic by the Center of Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. This sobering bit of news has put our lives on hold until further notice.

In response to COVID-19 were are closing of schools, stores, restaurants, sporting events, churches, and  about everything else you can think of.  The practical affects of this  troubling news are the shortages of canned goods, cereal, and.. toilet paper.  TOILET PAPER? 

​side note: I heard  someone say if you are hoarding TP you most likely have a greater 'problem' (rogue IBS?) than catching COVID-19.

ETERNITY:
​Also, I have heard it said more than a few times.. 
​

• We listen intently to the CDC when it warns us there is a pandemic. We must take precautions to minimize COVID-19 from taking lives.  BUT
• ​We don't listen intently when the Bibles warns us the wages of SIN is death. Wide is the road that leads to destruction, but narrow is the path to Heaven.

​
I am concerned that our society and even the church is more focused on a possible pandemic than a pending panDAMNit. (Maybe a poor choice of puns, but you get my point.)

Your Will on Earth? So how is that working out?

• I turn on the evening news (SHOW) I doubt I hear mention of God or His will. 
• In Washington DC there is a lot of MY WILL BE DONE attitudes legislated in their 'swampy' ways, but nary a mention of God or His will.
• So I check out Twitter (I should know better) and find the same world as in the news where chaos is king.
• So I filter down to tweets by 'Christians' and while there are very good views, scriptures and inspiring quotes shared with the hope of Jesus love..I still find chaos.
  
  

Christian Tweeters are all quoting the same Bible and while there are honest differences, tweets tend to be divisive as tweeters congregate in their own denominational or theological camps/gangs?. 

With all the tension I am looking for an MMA pay-per view event with Catholics v Protestants to determine once and for all.. who really is saved?  It can't be the both.. can it?  I mean, one of the two must be on the fast track to HELL.  Or will there be a Pro(testant)-Wrestling match with a high flying Beth Moore coming off the top rope attempting to way-lay John MacCarther. 

kidding, I think.

But while I DO LIKE TO DIGRESS.. let us now return to the LORD'S PRAYER. God your will be done on Earth.. starting with me.

Through my life (I am 62 now) I have prayed "Lord show me your will for my life." many times. At times regarding big decisions and that is a good always to seek the Lord and His will, but I am just recently realizing often the prayer"what is your will for my life?" is me-centric. Prayers focusing on the right job, house, finding Mrs. Right/Larson, or even a car purchase.  

​
​If you sneeze, I will politely respond "Bless you." If you sneeze again.. you are on your own as I adhere to a strict one blessing per sneezer rule.  This is not negotiable.

But sneeze blessings are not the topic of the day instead a Father’s Blessings, and ultimately God’s blessings.  These blessings I want, and like I say often in The Back Pew .. ‘BlESSED beyond my DREAMS’. I want Prayer of Jabez supersized blessings.

TWINS!
It seems just like a chapter ago Isaac was just a boy, but now in Genesis 25 Isaac is all grown up and with his wife Rebecca has twin boys. The first to enter the world was Esau, and right on his heel literally (Ge. 25:25) was Jacob.

These boys were like so many brothers as they were very different from each other. Esau grew up to be a scruffy/hairy outdoors type who loved to hunt. Jacob on the other hand was not scruffy, and liked to hang out in the kitchen with maybe a reputation as a mamma's boy.  

The Father's Blessing
Next we are introduced to the power of the Father’s Blessing, and especially the blessings set aside for the first born in this case.. by beating brother Jacob in the 'birth canal dash' was scruffy/hairy Esau.

I am not sure how or why they worked the way they did in the Old Testament, but it seems like the 'Father’s blessing' had the power to make or break the future of the ‘blessee’. It was like winning the family inheritance lottery.. and there were no TAKE BACKS.

The Blessing Plot Thickens
So one day Esau comes in from hunting famished and is met by his brother Jacob. Esau is so desperate for food, that Jacob talks Esau out of his birthright since Esau replies, "what good is my birth right if I die today from starvation." 

​note: It appears Esau was a great hunter, but a bit of a drama queen. ​

So Isaac asks Esau to hunt, and then fix him some wild game for him and at that time he will give Esau his blessing. 

Well, Rebecca overhears this and wants this blessing to got to her favorite son (and kitchen apprentice) Jacob.  So while Esau is out hunting, she comes up with a planso simple, so ingenious, but with more than a hint of .. WHAT?

Mom schemes to put animal skins on Jake’s arms to appear hairy like his brother Esau. 

As strange as this sounds.. this plan works and Isaac though he was suspicious thought it was Esau, and in the end gives Jacob THE BLESSING OF THE FIRST BORN. The Ol' Birthright  SWITCHEROO​​ is complete!

​So this caper of the misplaced blessing is over.. without me understanding the blessings of Isaac, except the fact that there are no take backs.  The fact is God did intend for Jacob to be blessed as he  continues to bless the descendants of Abraham as promised, through Isaac, and now Jacob to continue the promise of a great nation.

Moral of  the story for us today? Be faithful like Abraham so that God can bless and use you  as part of his plan. Whether you are the first born, that dreaded middle child (kidding), the baby, or you are adopted.. God loves you,  and has a plan to bless & prosper all who love and obey Him.  

Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I Know The Plans I Have For You' Declares the Lord, 'Plans to Prosper You and Not to Harm You, Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.

Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 

May God find us faithful and full of love for the one true God, and blessed by him in ways that are beyond our dreams.

Jeff (first born) Larson

Now onward and forward we go..

​Do you remember Hagar in Genesis 16, The fact that she had a son with Abraham now complicated life. Tensions and jealousy rose between Hagar and Ishmael with Sarah and Isaac, so Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away.

I obviously do not understand this whole dynamic or know how to justify this.. except I do know that Hagar and Ishmael were not how God planned to bless Abraham but through the birth of Isaac. 

This story is harsh, but in these verses we learn God heard the cries of Hagar and was with the boy. 17 ..the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven "Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying ..Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Last we chatted, Abraham was healing from.. a ‘MINOR procedure’. 

Next in chapter 19, Abraham is met by three men and welcomes these visitors into his tent to allow them to rest out of the heat of the day.  Abraham then tells Sarah to bake some of her world famous homemade bread while he gets some red meat cooking on the grill.

After dinner, the visitors informed Abraham that Sarah will have a son one year from now. Well Sarah was listening at the entrance and LAUGHED to herself since she was so old.  The guests heard her laughing and reminded Abraham and Sarah that this is not too difficult for the God who created the world. After this the three men left, and headed towards Sodom (aka Sin City). 

Sodom and Gomorrah
Now Sodom and Gomorrah were the twin cities of evil, and God had enough with their behavior, and tells Abraham he is going to destroy them. But Abraham humbly bargains with God to spare these cities if there could even be found 10 good people.  This is an interesting negotiation, and a great example of God hearing our pleas, and being sensitive to them.  The prayers of a righteous man is heard by God with Abraham, and this is still true today.

Next the two angels arrive in Sodom and Lot pleads with them to come into his home and off the streets because it was not safe there.  They wanted to spend the night in the City Square, but did agree to come to Lot’s home. 

After dinner, the men of this wicked city came asking Lot to send out these men so that they could have sex with them.  Lot being the good host.. good host??? says “no.. don’t do this evil thing, BUT.. you can have my two virgin daughters.”  This is another one of those jaw dropping moments that transcends culture, and to compound the level of wickedness, the men yelled back.. “get out of our way Lot.. we want the men!”

Lot and his Family flee
So these angels, blind these evil men, and then told Lot to warn his family that the Lord is about to destroy these Old Testament sin cities.  In the morning, Lot, his wife, and two daughters flee the city while his future son-in-laws thought Lot was joking and stayed behind. 
​

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
So the two men/angels took Lot and his family and led them from the city, and once they were safe, and they were all instructed.. “don’t look back.” 

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur from the sky and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah completely while an emergency weather alert was issued 'it's gonna be a hot hot day'.

finally as Lot and his family ran for their lives, Lot’s wife looked back and is turned into a pillar of salt.  Her last words were.. "I think I left the oven on".

FIELD OF STREAMS (Ge 6-9)
If you have ever seen the movie Field of DREAMS you will know  it’s about an Iowa farmer who hears voices telling him to plow under his corn crop and build a baseball field where the ghosts of old pro players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, would play.  Now of course, the neighbors and the town folk think he is nuts, and that he is risking his farm for the sake of old baseball players that no one can see but himself.

The decision for this Iowa farmer to listen to whispering voices saying, “If you build it, they will come”, and then to build a ballpark without having a real explanation of what this is all about takes some faith.  So what about Noah? 

The Bible tells us that Noah was a righteous man, and faithful to God in a world of sin.  
​
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. Genesis 6:5-6

and so God tells Noah, If you build it, they will come.  Genesis 6:13-21 in this case THEY are a literal ‘boat-load’ of animals.

Next, please note the Ark Project was constructed by 600 yr. old  Noah with the assistance of  his 100 year old sons.  

Think about it, Noah was approximately 10 times older than me, and his three 'boys' were 3 times older than my two sons.
​
ALL ABOARD!
Anyways, the ark is built, and then the collection and storing of the animal pairs begins.

Let me add a little perspective here..

• if my ONE DOG was in line to board the ark, and spied Mr. & Mrs. Squirrel about to board.. he would be gone with any chance of him getting back in line before the rain falls is almost NILL.
• Then there would be the other house pet of choice.. THE CAT. There is a reason why the phrase 'like herding cats' is used to describe near impossible tasks, and so it goes without saying boarding two cats onto a big boat filled with numerous other animal sounds and smells is not a given.

and Regarding dogs & cats folklore has it if not for Noah’s keen 600 year old eyes and senses, the demise of the common house cat would have been a certainty.  

Also illustrated below are a few more boarding the Ark highlights.. including the demise of the Unicorn.

LIFE AT SEA..
So now there is a time where God floats the boat. Loaded with animals of every kind I cannot imagine how this all worked out.  I am challenged to get my one rescue dog out several times a day to ensure he does not do his 'bizness' on the carpet so 'say-no-more' bout' waste management on this sea sick petting zoo. But on the bright side the excursions and amenities not found on any other Cruise line, and since they would be in the Ark for I believe 371 days, they might as well make the best of what Noah's Luxury Cruise had to offer..

• Good time for FISHING, or
• maybe WATER-SKI, or
• enjoy the irony of having two GOLDFISH on the Ark
• and let's not forget Noah's summit of MT EVEREST.  

I found a web site which lists the oldest people living today. When I checked it I read of a lady who was 115, and another that was 125, and then some lady I think from Peru that was supposedly 140!  There was a picture of this lady and, yes, she looked every bit of 140.  Of course I am not sure how we can really know she is that old (count her wrinkles like the rings on a tree?), but there is no doubt she is very, very old.

​So segue back to Genesis after Cain kills his brother Abel we move on to a ‘a whole-lotta-begetting’ going on. God’s command to “go forth and multiply” was one command mankind took to heart well beyond just knowing simple math facts!

But old in Genesis is a relative thing.  People in Genesis times lived to be sometimes 800 or 900 years old.

Adam lived to be 930 years old after God created him on the 6th day Genesis 5:5. His son Seth was 912 Genesis 5:8, Noah later on in Genesis we learn lived to be 950 years, and the long in the tooth award winner is .. Methuselah... the oldest man in the history of .. HISTORY. Methuselah was cut down in the prime of life at the age of 969 Genesis 5:25-27

I figure if I eat my veggies, drink milk, get 8 hours of sleep a night along with daily exercise and in only 908  more birthdays I will have Methuselah beat.  That will be in the year.. 2928 when I am neighbors with George Jetson.

They say you are only as old as you feel and I find this to be very little encouragement some days when feeling 'Genesis5esque' old.  Maybe not Methuselah old, but at least somewhere in the mid 500s.  and to think they did not have Ibuprophen.
​

The other interesting pattern of this was how old people were still.. um.. still.. ‘begetting’. While one of today’s serious society concerns is teen pregnancies, this was not the problem with society recorded in Genesis. 

In Genesis 5 it was not unusual for a couple to wait 70 to 500 years old before starting a family.  I guess those 500 years were spent playing golf, world travel using up frequent flyer miles, paying off the mortgage(s), credit card debt, or marking hot yoga off their bucket list. 

Maybe women in Genesis 5 wanted a career as a shepherdess, garden mogul, or working as a Mary Kay Cosmetics specialist before settling down and having kids. ​

​Let me close these early chapters of Genesis with a few more images sharing a Back Pew perspective. 

• Before Salt Lake City Lamech  was living with his daily double, 
  
• Enoch walked with God, and was no more. And finally
  
• the Nephilum. The Hebrew word for Nephilum  is “Fallen ones (maybe angels who smoked)”.. and they were certainly fallen... “fallin’” for the women of Earth – and God was not pleased.

So while it is hard for me to grasp the fact that I am 62.. a Methuselah like age (969) boggles the mind.  But like so many things in the Bible, just because I don’t understand does not make it not true.  

​From Genesis through Revelation I find the evidence and promise of God’s love and grace.
From the Garden to the Flood to the Cross all the way through life today sitting in my Back Pew there is this promise and evidence of a loving God.

May God bless each of you today in ways that are beyond your dreams. I pray you place your faith and hopes in the one true God of our Bibles.

Jeff (Methuselah like aches & pains) Larson

Admittedly Cain did overreact when his ‘garden salad gift’ was rejected by God by killing his brother.  No more Red Bull energy drinks for Cain.

When God asks Cain what happened to his brother he gives the time honored answer. “Am I my brothers keeper?” and perhaps then deflected from his guilt mumbling about his PETA membership being disrespected. 

So there you have it. Adam, Eve, a Garden neglected, and two boys that fight. God's creation is certainly off to a fine start. ​