Cartoonist/Illustrator - Jeff Larson
Minnesota
 There is so much contention in the online Christian community. Everyone MUST take a side, and just like politics, it seems people pick a side while leaving no place for the nuance of opinions. YES v NO, BLACK v WHITE, Calvinist v Free Will, OSAS or NOT, Women Preachers...Yeah or Nah, and of course, CATHOLIC versus PROTESTANT. And now, today, we have WOKE-Theologians powered by Big EVA. Woke? Theologians? Is that an oxymoron?  We are not content on majoring on the majors to love God, & care for others as the two greatest commandments Matthew 22:36-40 and minor on the minors (almost everything else) because on X (formerly Twitter), EVERY TOPIC is treated as a MAJOR. While minor issues are often important, let's prioritize and share the core message of our faith. Let's not lose sight of the Gospel message for salvation. Our goal should be to lead others to know God and to seek to honor Him in all that we say and do.  If you spend any time on X, you find most all faith topics are debated in short, terse, blurted opines and/or put-downs of those they disagree with. The unspoken rules are 1. There must be a winner or loser, and 2. an unspoken bonus is available if you declare someone a HERETIC. It is easy to get caught up in a situation even when you believe you are the peacemaker. I have too often tried to share the voice of reason until someone blows up on me with a snide post.  Ohhh, then I want to (and sometimes do) send return fire in hopes of putting my 'now declared enemy' in their place. But I digress, as I am posting today imploring for a kinder, gentler X. The truth is, no matter how smart or spiritually deep any of us think we are, we are very finite and limited, and so we are better off spending most of our time encouraging each other in this life to love our God with our lives. The rest will be trivial pursuit by comparison. Blessings, Jeff (armed with strong opinions) Larson
7/19/2022 Those Waves are .. REAL! Most of us remember the story of Jesus telling Peter to walk on water, but as 'Pete' noticed the VERY REAL waves about him and as the seeming nonsense of walking on water began to sink in.. so did Peter. When I was younger I thought “Oh Pete of little faith, I would have done cartwheels on the sea with my perfect faith of Jesus intact”. But now after wading around in the seas of life’s experience.. I see the waves in my life are just as real as those literal waves Peter faced 2000 years or so ago, and at best I look like Gilligan hollering for SKIPPER!.. but of course this analogy falls flat as I am not comparing the Skipper with Jesus... and I am too 'husky' to be Gilligan... BUT I DIGRESS!  So with my assessment that my faith is often at best an undersized mustard seed as I choose to get out of the boat and trust God. I may sink at times like Peter but.. the same Jesus who calmed the seas, healed the sick, fed the multitudes, walked on water, and rose from the grave is my answer to life’s figurative (but VERY REAL) waves of health, finance, family, or fear. I could expound on this fact, as like many of you I experience seasons of waves, and tests that put my trust in God to the test. Trust in the Lord with all your heart soul and mind and lean not unto your own understanding .. in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Pr 3:5-6 EASY WORDS to say.. DIFFICULT WORDS to comprehend just like walking on water MAKES NO SENSE.. but I choose to believe both to be true. May God bless each of you this day in your journey. May we all learn to trust God when life is great, when life is difficult, or when all seems lost.  Trust in the Lord as your providence, Trust in the Lord as your source for answers, Trust in the Lord for blessings, and Trust in the Lord for perspective that is beyond the limits of any circumstance.. so even when the waves swell and the storms rage.. we can give the triumphant shout..
SURFS UP Blessings! Jeff 7/13/2022 I.. dunno! I Dunno = I Don't know You would think the older I get and loner I have been a Christian the less questions I have regarding my faith. Well, it's not working out that way. In fact I have more questions than ever before. Let me very clear though.. questions are not necessarily doubts. In the same way for example I have questions on how my high speed wireless internet connection works does not mean I doubt it work.. in fact I put my browsing faith in this not seen nor really understood wi-fi wonder. In a similar way I am ok with unanswered faith questions as I trust in the goodness of my God much more than my wi-fi connection. NO BRAINER THERE. So back to matters of faith.. Here's a dozen doozey faith questions of mine. My questions may be your questions, or not.  Q: Was the world created in a literal 7 days, or a figurative 7 days which may be much longer? Q: On the 7th day did God set aside Sunday for rest only.. or rest and football? Q: Where do the dinosaurs fit in? Did Adam name them or Fred Flintstone? Q: Where did Cain's wife come from? Q: Should I believe in an old earth, or young earth? Q: Evolution, does it fit in with the creation story? Q: Sewing together fig leaves.. how did Eve keep them from bunching up on her Singer Sewing machine? Q: How old is too old for building an Ark? Noah was over 600 years old while his sons were still spry 100 year old. How did the local desert OSHA balance the obvious concerns regarding safe Ark building guidelines without appearing discriminatory towards these VERY senior citizens builders.  Q: How did Noah board all the animals let alone herd two cats? And what do we mean by ALL the animals? Other of my boarding concerns are self evident when it was time to board Lions, Tigers, and Bears.. OH MY!.. and Crocodiles. Q: Old Abraham and Old Sarah being the proud parents of .. the entire nation of ISRAEL? REALLY? Q: Jacob marries the wrong sister? Was Jacob outrageously nearsighted, or outrageously buzzed by like 50 light beers before he said I do. Q: Solomon has 700 wives? Seems like God would have nudged Solomon gently telling him he was over the marriage limit by about 699. And after how many marriages did Solomon have to give up his wisest man in the land title? Q: Jonah in the belly of the fish? Sounds like a whopper of a fish story to me. Q: The story of Job? No, wait I can relate to that one. Q: Jesus feeds the 5,000 with a few loaves and a couple fish. I believe it, but like a magic trick I would like to watch Jesus hands closely to see how he did it. Now finally my big question outside of Bible stories.. Q: Do only those who believe in Jesus go to Heaven? This is what I have always been raised to believe and I know the gospel is the great news that we must share.. BUT what about Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Of course as I often do.. I mix real questions of mine along with 'silly' questions (and images) of mine, and you might think they are all silly. Oh Jeff of little faith.. BUT no matter our questions I believe all answers are only obvious to our creator. Isaiah 55:8-9 For your ways are not my ways, or your thoughts my thought says the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are my ways than your ways, and my thoughts than yours. I love that scripture.. it gives me peace (not a copout) for my questions. Also there is a worship song 'Good Good Father' by Chris Tomlin which shares the message of God's perfect love in balance with God's all knowing ways described in Isaiah 55:8-9. "Good Good Father" <-- click here to listen Oh, I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like But I've heard the tender whisper of love in the dead of night And you tell me that you're pleased ... And that I'm never alone You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am Oh, and I've seen many searching for answers far and wide But I know we're all searching For answers only you provide Cause you know just what we need Before we say a word You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am Cause you are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways to us You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways You are perfect in all of your ways to us Oh, it's love so undeniable I, I can hardly speak Peace so unexplainable I, I can hardly think As you call me deeper still [x3] Into love, love, love [x3:] You're a Good, Good Father It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am You're a Good, Good Father (You are perfect in all of your ways) It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are And I'm loved by you (You are perfect in all of your ways) It's who I am, it's who I am it's who I am  Never ever be afraid of your honest faith questions, but I also want to encourage each of you to not let your unanswered questions injure your faith. Pursue God, pursue answers, study God's word, research apologetics, and prayerfully seek truth.
In the end realize whatever you choose to believe will require faith and .. faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1. May God bless you on this journey to know him better. Jeff 5/11/2022 Stay in your Lane bro.. As a guy.. I am a TV Commercial aficionado. While I respect my wife.. when it comes to TV Commercials hands-down I have a deeper appreciation for their .. art. Case and point is a TV commercial by AT&T where a tattoo artist tells his client he is just an ok tattoo artist but not good one. Then the concerned client questions the tattoo artist not drawing the image before inking the real tattoo.. and this 'just ok' tattoo artist tells him "Stay in your lane bro." Funny stuff, and it makes me smile every time it pops up on TV. Message of this commercial? Don't settle for just ok.  But hidden in this TV ad.. I have gleaned a spiritual correlation. OK, you have to look very very closely but I swear there is one. When I talk to (aka pray) God, I am not talking with a just an OK deity.. I am talking with the 'only' Creator of this World. Omniscient, Omnipresent, and our perfect loving Heavenly Father. So when I vent (aka pray) to God my busy mind fretting about never ending pandemics, inflation, midterm elections, my family, friends, and mix it all up in a big bowl of worry with more than a splash of media hype.. I tell God "I don't know how this is going to all work out." And this is when God whispers to me.. "Stay in your lane bro."  But unlike a 'just ok' deity our God is sovereign. He has this bowl of worries of mine along with everyone else's favorite rage or anxiety recipe and though mankind has again made such a mess of things.. He was not caught off guard. He is not surprised, and NEWS FLASH none of this is a ripple in God's great plan. Note: I do want to be clear there are consequences for anyone and/or nation's actions and/or rejections of God, but still there is peace in knowing God is sovereign. Another NEWS FLASH.. this life, our moment in time is not about us.. it is about each of us being faithful in word and deed as we hear God say "stay in our lane bro, I got this".  I will confess, I struggle in understanding this. It's not that I doubt God is sovereign but that He allows the free will of mankind to make a mess and so what am I to do. So with this in mind, I will pray to our God who is good. I pray we then love Him with our words and deeds knowing God answers our prayers. And finally, I pray..  Heavenly Father bless and use each of us for your glory in ways that only can be described as beyond our dreams.
Remember God loves us. Jeff (changing lanes often) Larson 12/2/2021 Some call me.. TronIn this modern world 'good parents' monitor the time their kids play video games, and the content of those games. Video games can be a sensory overload for young impressionable minds.  After all, staring at a screen for hours clicking on buttons living a virtual existence stimulated by role playing, and first person shooter games while never interacting with a real person is not healthy, wealthy, or wise. And let me add my 2 cents. "Hey video playing KID, turn off your Xbox/Playstation/Nintendo game thingy, get outside breath some air, talk to real people. build something, read a book, do something, ANYTHING that does not involve electronic brain manipulation." Kids these days.  Then I settle in after busy busy day. I'm tired per usual and plop down in my comfy chair and with one hand I turn on my HD TV to watch the evening (all bad all the time) news, followed by 3 hours of channel surfing (200 channels of sameness). I then order pizza delivery from my smartphone with my other hand while tweeting with my 'peeps'. By my side I have my laptop to browse for any nook or cranny of info my overloaded brain may have missed with my smartphone and HD TV. -gasp- My life is becoming like the 1982 movie TRON! where a computer hacker is abducted into the digital world with little chance of escape. My captors are all the above electronic feeds into my life where I prepare to be assymilated. Then I hear tapping on my window, and the above mentioned kid shouts to me.. "Hey OLD MAN, turn off your TV, smartphone, and laptop too. Go outside make some friends that are not on Facebook, and stop tweeting. Build something, read a book, do something, ANYTHING that does not involve electronic brain manipulation". I hate that kid.. and I reply to him.. "GET OFF MY LAWN." But then in my Bible Paul shares words of truth and gentle conviction for me, maybe you, and certainly that video playing kid that is still on my lawn. whatever is true, .. noble, .. right, .. pure, .. lovely, .. admirable, AND if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—I will think about such things. Phil 4:8.  BAM! So Lord I pray not be sucked in by the 24/7 gloom & doom, fake & baked news vortex to sin. I thank you instead for my very REAL family, friends, FAITH, and a church home that desires to serve you. May God bless each of you with your faith journey and that you avoid a life found in a reboot of Tron. I even thank you for that smart mouthed kid who is still on my lawn. - Amen - Jeff (not Tron) Larson  sad confession: I like video games too. Insert PRAYER INTERVENTION here?
10/29/2021 Using a SKOSH-meterSKOSH.. From the Japanese word "sukoshi," pronounced skosh. That also means a little bit. For example, "I'll have just a skosh of that pie..."  Skosh is a great underutilized word, and though I don't recall Skosh ever making it into any translations of the Bible I am sure it can by implied and rest assured it will be in my Back Pew paraphrase. In fact I would like to create a Skosh-Meter to measure small amounts (a skosh) of.. 'stuff' you cannot measure with your standard ruler or scale. For example, Ned crossed through the Red Sea with the nation of Israel in Exodus 14 and the Skosh Meter would indicate with just a Skosh of faith.  or.. when God asks Adam and Eve "Did you eat of the forbidden fruit?" .. They answered in unison.. "Umm.. maybe just a skosh." but.. the Skosh-Meter is waved and.. beep, beep, beep Oh they ate more than a skosh.  Next, how to insert the word 'skosh' in a loving words shared between a husband and wife. Wife: "Honey, are these pants too tight?" Husband: "umm, maybe just a .. skosh tight" Ok on this one, don't wave your Skosh-Meter anywhere near your wife's butt (can I say butt?) You might as well paraphrase President Trump and say "My dear, you look a bit BIGLY for those pants! Then using a SKOSH-METER to measure my love for God Let's try it on God's two greatest commandments. Q: Do I love the lord God with all my heart and soul and mind, and others as myself. A: After a long work day, I would sigh, but still say.. Yes but.. I am not really sure what my trusty SKOSH-METER will say. I want it to be pegged all the way to the right by the words WITH ALL MY HEART, and far from the left side of the skosh-meter by the red letters -just a skosh- and no beeping sounds please  Then again, I really don't want a Skosh-Meter thank you very much. I prefer God's grace and God's Truth better. God will not reject me from Heaven for scoring 67/100 on Heaven's Entrance Exam. He knows I have problems memorizing scriptures and story problems confuse me. I mean missing out on Heaven by 3 lousy points (technically a skosh) is very un-Godlike. *note* To those of you that I worried for a moment.. There is no Entrance Exam. No minimum score.. only grace for the repentant heart. But seriously back to loving God with all your heart soul and mind and others as yourself. These truly are the two greatest commandments and my daily pursuit until someday Heaven. Pursue God with my whole heart (not a skosh) put all (not a skosh) of your hope in Him, and I believe my love cannot help but grow for Him and a natural extension of this love for God is a love for others.  May God bless each of you in your journey to know God, and.. to know God is to love God in ways that are much more than a SKOSH but instead BEYOND YOUR DREAMS.
Blessings Jeff Oh, and if you ever have the need to move a mountain.. I hear just a skosh of faith (mustard seed size for you gardeners) will be enough. 5/14/2021 Changing Lanes? As a guy.. I am a TV Commercial aficionado. While I respect my wife.. when it comes to TV Commercials hands-down I have a deeper appreciation for their .. art. Case and point is a TV commercial by AT&T where a tattoo artist tells his client he is just an ok tattoo artist but not good one. Then the concerned client questions the tattoo artist not drawing the image before inking the real tattoo.. and this 'just ok' tattoo artist tells him "Stay in your lane bro." Funny stuff, and it makes me smile every time it pops up on TV. Message of this commercial? Don't settle for just ok.  But of course in my mind I see a spiritual correlation in this commercial. When I talk (aka pray) to God, I am NOT talking with a just an OK deity. I am talking with the Creator of this World. Omniscient, Omnipresent, and our perfect loving Heavenly Father. And when I vent (aka pray) to God my busy mind swimming in a big bowl of worry. I tell God "I don't know how this is going to all work out." And this is when God whispers to me.. "Stay in your lane bro." ok, I paraphrased.  Unlike a 'just ok' deity our God is sovereign. He has this bowl of worries of mine along with everyone else's favorite rage and/or anxiety recipe and though mankind has again made a mess of things.. God is not caught off guard. He is not surprised, and NEWS FLASH none of this is a ripple in God's great plan. I do want to be clear there will always be consequences for anyone and/or nation who rejects God's will, and there is pain in being a part of this world compromised by sin, but there is peace in knowing God is sovereign.  Important NEWS FLASH.. It is also important to share this life, our moment in time is not about ME or YOU. This life is about being faithful to our God in word and deed. This our lane.
So I pray.. Heavenly Father bless and use us for your glory in ways that only can be described as beyond our dreams or understanding. This is God's lane Jeff (drifting over the center line) Larson 3/8/2021 Figures of Faith-Speech The teachings especially in the New Testament are full of figures of speech that if taken literally would be reason for a great deal of angst in our lives. Here are just a few.
But thankfully these are much more than figures of speech for those who place their hope in God. These are words holding important life changing/saving truths.
 Finally let me leave you with a phrase I don't think can be found in our Bibles. This phrase is maybe not a figure of speech, but words that also have a double meaning when they are wielded together.
When the dreaded 'Fine, Whatever' combination is muttered by a wife.. well it is anything but FINE, and WHATEVER is the last thing you should consider. May God bless your day with clarity, with purpose, a strong understanding of God's word, and nary a FINE, WHATEVER mentioned to you husbands. Jeff 12/28/2020 It is really .. A Wonderful Life Even in the year 2020 (the mother of all bad years) the classic It's a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed plays on. The story of George Bailey through the assistance of apprentice angel Clarence learns the impact he is unknowingly having on those around him... culminating in George realizing though in a true moment of despair.. HIS LIFE IS WONDERFUL! Just hours before the angelic intervention of Clarence, George Baily is stressed, depressed, desperate, and feeling hopeless to the point of contemplating suicide believing his life has been a waste never accomplishing anything of significance, and the world would not miss him in fact would be better off without him. So he whispers a prayer (while sitting at a bar) .. "If you are out there God, I need your help."  So here I am Jeffrey ( George Baily ) Larson who at times feels a tad stressed and depressed, and at times feeling less than a success. Often I am 'financially challenged', my body aches while wincing in pain from arthritic joints, failing eyesight, a herniated disc or two, and in my case a surgically repaired knee reminding me my physical prime is in my rear view mirror... on the distant horizon. Then, I look in the mirror to see an aging face made for radio, a voice made for blogging, and my gramr & spellin not 'gooderer' than a 4th grader. Then there are times I become oversensitive to what others think of me like a teenage girl with a big ol' honking zit on her nose on prom night. LIFE IS HOPELESS! Ok, per usual I embellish MUCH to make my smirky points. THIS IS A WONDERFUL (dare I say BLESSED) LIFE!
 I know each of our lives have blessings and burdens, and my wonderful life list above may not be real to you, but I pray for each of us that no matter any circumstance we each may face that putting our faith in the creator of the Universe.. should take our breath away. The promise of eternity with Him in Heaven outshines the weight and burdens of this life on Earth.
May God bless each of you with His Spirit to provide perspective that only comes from Him. That we may realize IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE full of hope, and promise. Jeff 11/24/2020 The Creed-toon From time to time.. ok daily.. I find it important to declare the truth of what I believe beyond any circumstance in my busy busy mind that may be troubling me. Of course that is doubly true in 2020. What I believe should not be reduced to a cute Christian cliche.. but instead it IS a rock steady truth that goes beyond the high or low found in any day. What I believe should not be reduced to a rote list of dos and don'ts. What I believe is in a personal relationship with the creator of this world.. The rest of .. What I believe is trivial pursuit in comparison. So today I am re-sharing (complete with of course cartoons) the song ‘The Creed’ written by Rich Mullins and later performed by Third Day into a cartoon vehicle for the Gospel message. Here we go… THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE TRUE..  THE CREED.. I believe in God the Father, Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth, And in Jesus Christ His only begotten son our Lord. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary. Suffered under Pontius Pilate where he was crucified dead and buried. Chorus: And I believe what I believe in is what makes me what I am. And I did not make it, no it is making me It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man.  2nd Verse: I believe that He who suffered was crucified, buried and dead. He descended into Hell and on the third day He rose again. He ascended into Heaven where He sits at God's mighty right hand. I believe that He's returning to judge the quick and the dead of the sons of men. Chorus: And I believe what I believe in is what makes me what I am. And I did not make it, no it is making me It is the very truth of God and not the invention of any man. I believe it, I believe it. I believe it. I believe it, I believe it. I believe it.  3rd Verse:
I believe in God the Father, Almighty Maker of Heaven and Maker of Earth And in Jesus Christ His only begotten Son our Lord. I believe in the Holy Spirit, one Holy Church The communion of saints, the forgiveness of sin I believe in the resurrection I believe in a life that never ends. There you have it. We all have to believe something, and this is what I believe. It is a powerful song based on the powerful TRUTH of the Apostle’s Creed, based on the very truth of the Gospel message. Of course cartooning the Creed (should be recognized as the CREEDtoon) may make some of you cringe.. but hey.. that’s what I do. May God bless each of you in great ways today with a faith and a creed stating your devotion to the ONE true God. .. accept no substitute! Jeff |
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8/7/2024
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