Category: Obedience

3/26/2021

10 Commandments & 5 Suggestions

Of course we all know the Ten Commandments Moses brought down from the mountain.

These Commandments if obeyed would solve most if not ALL of societies Ills.

Paraphrased loosely 1. worship only God, 2. no idols, 3. don't take God's name in vain, 4. honor the Lord's day, 5.respect mom & dad, and.. 6-10. don't kill, commit adultery, steal, curse, tell lies, or covet.

These 10 Commandments are simple but profound directions from God to honor our creator and play well with others. Why would anyone disagree the 10 Commandments?.. unless of course you are the ACLU.

Now while I would never command anyone except my dog (though he does not always listen) I have opinions on everything and so I would like to add a few suggestions.

These suggestions are not delivered on stone tablets, but instead on this one digital blog via the web.. cuz stone tablets would cost too much in shipping charges.

But I digress..

BEHOLD... The Five Suggestions -

Thou shalt NOT think out loud. husbands beware!
Thou shalt NOT chug 2 Red Bull energy drinks then post on TWITTER
Thou shalt NOT hide God's word in your HEAD it's meant to move to your HEART
Thou shalt NOT drink except strong coffee
Thou shalt NOT blame God for living in Minnesota that would be your own fault.

There you have it.. Five Suggestions that while they pale in comparison to the Ten Commandments you must admit.. but hey I'm Jeff not Moses so it's the best I can do.

May God bless your day with God's Truth, and obedience of His loving commandments.. and while you may not listen to my 5 suggestions.. at least you guys listen to your wife when she says you are not going out in public looking like that.

Jeff (out of suggestions) Larson

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3/20/2021

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Your will v My will

Our Father who is in Heaven, GREAT is your name.. Your kingdom come, YOUR WILL be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven.

As many of you know this is the start of the Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:9-13), and is what is not a part of this prayer to gloss over.

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, while intentionally disregarding God's ways.
So I check out Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc) where censorship of Christians and traditional family values are anything but God's will.
And even in our Churches I find progressive 'self-enlightened' 'Christians' focused on social justice, & CRT doctrines rather than God's word. This also is so NOT God's will.

With all the tension among believers I am looking for an MMA pay-per view event featuring 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.

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

Through my life (I am 63 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 have come to realize this prayer "what is your will for my life?" can become me-centric.

Prayers focusing on the right job, house, finding Mrs. Right/Larson, or even a car purchase wanting God's can become my own little Prosperity Gospel prayer rather than 'thy will' pointing to God's kingdom (souls saved, and a society honoring Him)..

Looking back I wish I could have heard an audible voice from Heaven telling me if I was close. :)

God could be heard from the Heavens with the words.. "Warmer, warmer.. hmmm.. colder, colder.. now you are FREEZING. And so I guess living in Minnesota and being COLDER is about what I deserve.

ANYWAYS..

Truth is (insert light bulb moment for me here) The prayer "Lord what is your will for my life?" should be more specifically.. "Lord how can I serve you today, show me what I can do for your kingdom." "How can I be that part in the Lord's Prayer helping God's Will be Done?

What would that look like if God's will was being done by those of us in the church? What if we were faithful in the moments that make up our days? What if we truly worshipped God in words and deeds with our eyes first on God then on the needs of others? What would that look like.

Even my little Back Pew Ministry. I am blessed to be used by God in a way that He uniquely wired me. but even in my world of cartoons I can take my eyes off of humbly being used by God in this small way to praying for God to bless The Back Pew into being.. The FarSide, or Calvin & Hobbes of Christian cartoons, complete with a modest (OR.. substantial) income. "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"

In recent years I have become more intentional in pursuit of God. While I am and always will be a work in progress and not resulted in an exorcism of my old self, it has become both a convicting and inspiring journey where today my prayer is .. "Lord what is your will for my life going forward? How can I serve you? Lord help me NOT to bury my talents in the sand, but instead do my part so YOUR will is done on Earth as it is in Heaven. AMEN."

I write this hoping it does not take any of you 63 years to figure out God's will for you is to serve Him. But if it does, 63 is not too late. Love God, Serve God where your will is God's will.

May God bless you all in this journey of discovering who you are intended to be in God's Plan and for HIS Kingdom on Earth.

Amen

Jeff (slow learner) Larson -->

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3/5/2021

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The Biblical Postman's Creed

Neither rain, nor wind, nor gloom of..

DC Politics,
gender confusion with pronouns gone awry,
Mr Potato Head free to choose his gender,
Dr. Suess writings declared racist,
lingering COVID-19
misguided SJWarriors embrace CRT nonesense, and
an LGBTQ movement making a $1,000,000,000 offer to purchase the remainder of the alphabet..

will keep me from my appointed service to the one true God.

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10 SAY NO MORE, SAY NO MORE

note: the LGBTQ item above is the only one I made up.

Simply put, any ills our ill society can throw at us... with God's Help .. will not make me flinch.

.. as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

Blessings, Mister Jeff Larson

note cartoons below from a simpler day reminding me when a Potato could be Mister Potato, when one mask was one mask too many, and when I knew the secret to being content.

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1/29/2021

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Abraham, home of the WHOPPER

I shared recently the Bible story where a mysterious voice saying "If you build it, they will come." happened way before the movie 'Field of Dreams'. This was when God spoke to Noah instructing him to build it (an Ark) and they (the Animals) will come two by two.

Next big event IMO in the book of Genesis paralleling pop culture was when the phrase 'Home of the Whopper'. Let me share how this pop culture phrase was coined way before a single Burger King fast food joint existed, and certainly before America's presidential election process. Let me explain.. but first..

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
In Genesis 12 Abram enters the Old Testament story. Abram is maybe a spry 85 years young, his bride Sarai is maybe 70. The Lord tells Abram .. “Road Trip.!!.. pack up the Winnebago”.

So Abraham loads a destination of Canaan into his GPS and says goodbye to Sweet Home Haran with Lynard Skynard playing in the background.

HOME OF THE WHOPPER!
The next thing you know Abram was in Egypt with his wife Sarai while there was a famine in the land. While in Egypt, Pharaoh spies Abram's wife Sarai who rumor has it was a 'fetching' 70 year old hottie. So Abe tells a little fib that Sarai is his sister as he is afraid they will kill him to take Sarai as their wife. Ok, that is not a white lie this is a WHOPPER of a lie.

So Pharaoh takes Sarai into his palace, and treats Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels out of the exchange.

side note: I am not sure my wife in Sarai's place would have been such a good sport.

But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.

side note 2: While Abraham would become known as a great man of faith, Honest Abe was our 16th president and never confused with this Abram guy pawning his wife off in Egypt.

After Egypt, Abe travels to southern Canaan as a very wealthy man with cattle, silver, and gold. But tension arose between Abram and his nephew Lot because there were simply too many animals for the land to support. So Abe says to Lot, “Let’s not bicker over land. If you choose the land to the left, I will go to the right, and if you choose the land to the right, I will go to the left.” And Lot chooses the land in the direction of Sodom which could have been named LOT VEGAS!

In chapter 14, there were battles, but I gather that military tactics were a bit primitive. One particular lesson learned is still taught in the Soldier’s Field Manual at WestPoint stating a soldier should always avoid the short cut across the TARPITS.

During all this time, the Lord often reminds Abraham that he will be blessed by God so that to try to number his descendants will like trying to count the grains of sand on the shore, or the stars in the skies. There was of course the minor problem that AARP collectors Abram and Sarai had no kids.

So now the plot thickens as Sarai (the good wife) says to Abram, “Why don’t you sleep with my slave girl Hagar?” I have a couple of Back Pew comments with this part of the story.
1. When I think of Hagar, I think of that Viking cartoon character Hagar the Horrible.
2. My wife has never offered me a slave girl to sleep with! Of course if she did I would say very politely, “Why Mary, thank you very much for this most generous offer, BUT (with the vision of Hagar the Horrible in my head) I’m good.” I may not be a great man of faith like Abram, but my momma didn’t raise NO DUMMY!!

But Abram ignores the tell tale warning signs that this idea is DUMBER-ER than a bag of hammers, and wanders out onto THIN ICE IN THE HOT DESERT and says more than howdy-do to the lovely miss Hagar.

Hagar now becomes pregnant by Abram and Sarai lets Abram have it by probably saying something like, “I told you to sleep with her, but not SLEEP with her!” To which Abram so eloquently in his defense says, “Huh? What? But you said!!! I thought I could.... Huh?”

As you can read in chapter 16, this arrangement is nothing you ever see discussed on Focus on the Family, Oprah, or even The Jerry Springer show. These chapters are NOT in the Bible as an example how to model the perfect marriage, but to instead show us God is faithful and caring for Abram and Sarai even when they do really dumb things. Fortunately for all of us, our foolish choices are covered by God’s grace and goodness.

In chapter 17, God says to Abram to change his name from Abram, to Abraham. I wonder if this was so that he could start fresh and people would not know he was the guy who lied that Sarai was his sister, and slept with his wife’s slave girl. Sarai also has her named changed to Sarah. Then near the end of the chapter 99 year old Abraham is circumcised. This profound scripture emphatically reminds me not to complain about my own aches and pains. And all men collectively shout AMEN!!.. and .. YOWTCHEE!!

So there you have another story of a very flawed man used by God in great ways. I thank God for His love and grace not dependent on my perfection.

I pray God finds us all faithful in words and deeds and willing to hear God's voice when He calls us.

Jeff (my wife is not my sister) Larson

2 Comments

1/19/2021

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Church Narcissism?

Narcissist - a person who has an excessive interest in or admiration of themselves.

PSYCHOLOGY
selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration, as characterizing a personality type.
PSYCHOANALYSIS
self-centeredness arising from failure to distinguish the self from external objects, either in very young babies or as a feature of mental disorder.

Today, a narcissist is a term thrown about to describe politicians, Hollywood celebrities, and pro athletes who appear to live a self-adoration existence believing they MUST share their 'enlightenments' to us 'common folk'. How else could we carry on?

Unfortunately, I believe narcissism is alive and well (actually a sickness) in the Church where 'celebrity' preachers' tweak God's Word for the itching ears of the masses seeking entertainment not God. These preachers are more concerned with offending society than God. note: never tweak God's Word, and never come to church for entertainment. Luke 18:10-14

Narcissism in the church exists when...

putting our self interests ahead of God's teaching.
we prop ourselves up be noticed for our talents, our service, sharing nuggets of wisdom, or displaying a general aura of Godliness.

Also, a subtle church narcissism can be fueled by insecurities. We skew our thoughts often fueled by anxious busy minds, and/or hurt feelings to where we lose sight of God. These self preservation fears will drive us inward, and away from God's will as much as any of the above ego-motivated narcissism. Sadly none of us are exempt from the pull of 'Christian Narcissism'.

note: Of course Christian Narcissism is a oxymoron of Biblical proportions. The behavior of Narcissism is anything but Christian, but makes for a catchy title.

Recently my wife and I started a small group Bible study with friends from our church. We are reading The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer .. and in this short book Tozer prescribes the cure for Narcissism.

Know God pursues us, and we should pursue God Matthew 18:11-13
Read & Study God's Word (His Truth) Psalm 119:11-18
being quiet and prayerful before God, Psalm 46:10 , Matthew 6:5-6
Repent of our sins, and receive His Amazing Grace. 1 John 1:9
From here we can truly love God, and others as ourselves... Matthew 22:36-40

* free of narcissism *

This is my prayer for God's Church. To pursue His Truth, and to serve in the church and in the world in ways that make us the Body of Christ. We (the Church) are one body with many parts (denominations, giftedness, talents) and designed for the Glory of God.

Blessings

Jeff (one body, many aches) Larson

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11/21/2020

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Drawing a Line 2020

Drawing a line.. is a topic I can so easily relate to. Drawing lines, and coloring inside those lines.. and viola' I have a cartoon. Everybody loves cartoons.. ok, some of us more than others, but hey.. it's what I do.

Now the beauty and curse of a cartoon it allows me the liberty of exaggeration. Exaggeration in a world with big noses, bellies, expressions, and points of view. The lines drawn in cartoons are just outside the lines where reality exists and in this world, I am among friends.

So while I like cartoons and the work of great cartoonists they are obviously not likely found in an Art Gallery.

True art draw lines along with colors and shadows that are amazingly true to the subject of their creation.

This world of true art exists in sharp contrast to my world of cartoons with the above mentioned exaggeration of lines, shadows, and colors to distort truth for the purpose the humor or illustrate a particular point of view.

So then we come to God's Word, His never changing Truth. There are clear lines drawn within it's pages of right and wrong, good and evil, love and hate. The pages of our Bible's are TRUE ART. These lines are perfect with a message that is both honest and loving.

Of course using my finite mind I struggle at times to grasp the depths of these truths and honestly at times DO NOT UNDERSTAND what I am reading.. BUT.. never the less these NEVER CHANGING truths are constant, flawless, and does not need the collective so-called enlightenment of any man from Adam through this very minute including a certain cartoonist from Minnesota.

Here in lies the dilemma.. I observe a trend in today's church to believe the perfect lines of God's unchanging truths need to be redrawn. Too many believe the Bible is outdated and in order to fit God's word into their 'evolved cultured' sensibilities they in effect redact passages they do not agree with and/or use scripture out of context to fit their narrative. These man 'inspired' efforts draw new progressive lines and proceed to color outside the perfect lines of God's inspired word. These efforts make a cartoon out of God's perfect loving Bible truths.

Let me share examples of these sharp contrasting lines

SIMPLE RIGHT & WRONG

GOD'S LINE.. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

MAN'S LINE.. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 17:6 or today we might say with a smirk.. Whatever happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas... or maybe.. what happens on the internet, stays on the internet.

GENDER & MARRIAGE

GOD'S LINE.. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” Mark 10:6-9
(note the red ink text.. are Jesus words)
(note 2 - notice their are two genders.. no mention of gender being a social construct)
MAN'S LINE.. Our slogan "Love is Love!" 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. Romans 1:27

LUST & ADULTERY

GOD'S LINE.. 27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28
MAN'S LINE.. We live in an over sexualized society now ranging from youth where lust and fantasy are fueled 24/7 on full display in ads, on our streets, all the way down a truly dark road of pornography which damages the soul and fuels sex trafficking.

CARING V SELFISH

GOD'S LINE.. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27

MAN'S LINE.. Man seems to prefer greed, and putting self ahead of others to the point we are not even aware of those in need. We look the other way. ie Lazarus and the Rich man Luke 16:19-31, and the Final Judgement Matthew 25:31-46, are sobering examples with eternal consequences... AND think about the goal of the whole 'Prosperity Gospel' movement where our earthly prosperity is paramount. Living for self is not the road to Heaven!

We are called to of course be sensitive, compassionate, and loving regarding all issues of the day but this includes God's firm loving Truths. Remember true love is found only in these firm Biblical Truths.

And.. the next time someone tells you "I like Jesus but not Christians because Jesus was about love. Christians are mostly judgmental, hateful, bigoted, sexist, patriarchal homophobes." In response to this read them Luke 12:49-5

Not Peace, but Division Luke 12:49-53 49 “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

Finally, if we are not careful even those of us who are not progressives allow God's lines to be changed into a caricature at best, or even worse into a big ol' ugly cartoon instead of the beautiful piece of art God's Word is. STAY INSIDE THE LINES, LIVE INSIDE THESE LINES.

May God bless each of you with discernment regarding God's Truths while being salt and light in bitter dark society.

Jeff (Drawing lots of lines) Larson

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11/19/2020

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The Smell of Fear in 2020

I just finished reading the book 'The Danger of Shallow Christianity' by AW Tozer (can never lose by reading Tozer) where he in one chapter spoke on the dangers of living out of prosperity and adversity. One is self sufficient, one is hopeless. BOTH are wrong thinking.

Prosperity by the world's standards (money, status, lifestyle) have never been a 'problem' in my humble life. But prosperity can lead to the wrong thinking of self-sufficiency, and an air of superiority.

Adversity can be found on the other end of the spectrum of prosperity. Adversity can challenge us on to persevere through the challenges of life, or instead fuel anxiety, doubts, and even a sense of dread.

Now while prosperity has never been a 'problem' for me.. or even on the radar for me.. but adversity I can relate to. Don't get me wrong, life is good, but I have no illusions of being self-sufficient as my bank account can attest to. Also, I do relate to issues of doubt and insecurity.

Anxiety and depression are emotional first cousins that have come to visit me more frequently than I would like to admit.

Then let's add the realization I am not getting any younger. I am 63, wear bi-focals, a 'couple or 20' pounds over my ideal weight, and arthritis now speaks to me which I hear fine without the aide of my hearing aides.

Then, outside my control are societal ills including IMO oppression by Covid-19 related government mandates with more than a dash of 'Big Brother', political unrest, voter fraud, and a truly Godless media gaslighting lies while suppressing truth all to promote their own biased narratives.

We also have Social Media (ie Twitter & Facebook) actively suppressing conservative and traditional Christian free speech by allowing certain views to be spoken and others are 'fact checked into oblivion'.

It's not fact checking at all but is manipulating the public conversation by banning (ie fact checking) conservative and/or traditional Christian voices. THIS fans the flames of FEAR.

At the core of this suppression is not actually the politicians, but the 'we the people' who voted these partisans into office.

While I agree we all have the right to vote our conscience, but the problem is too many and too many in the church itself do not vote with a Christian world view.

We want to be 'progressive', and want the world to like us so we act like the world.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. John 15:19

Too many in the church support

'love is love' aka gay lifestyle even though the Bible clearly condemns it.
Too many even watch a little porn as we justify it as we are not hurting anyone even though viewing porn supports indirectly sex trafficking, and damages our own spirit.
We are entertained by the movies the world watches,
use profanity almost as freely as the world does,
we have the RIGHT TO DRINK like the world does. and
Many even 'madly' justify abortion to show empathy for the mom by ending the unborn life violently. ...

these are views IN THE CHURCH!

So the people in our country and in our churches (including me).. worry me.

This is The Smell of Fear in 2020

I share all this because I don't think I am alone. Many if not most of us face challenges that we did not sign up for. Our individual situations and/or challenges may be our own doing, or out of our control. It could be a diagnosis that compromises your life. It could be a lost job that was or was not your fault. Maybe problems in your marriage or with your children or grandchildren that break your heart. Maybe the issue is a vice/addiction. So we become afraid... and we can smell the fear.

The issue front and center for me today in November 2020 where Covid-19 is king, and FEAR is our God. It is dividing our nation, our families, it is suffocating our churches as we live muted lives zooming our faith instead of in person as God wants us to be. I know Covid-19 is a risk for the elderly and those with compromised health issues, BUT shutting down our economy and our freedoms have a cost too.

Through all this I know God to be the answer in my life. I believe He is loving, and NOT indifferent to any of our situations.

From Job to the Prodigal Son God was faithful and caring. Look through the Gospels and read Jesus teachings, and look at his examples where He listened, wept, He healed, and He was truth in love, and even on the cross he promised paradise to the thief on the cross next to him.

What a blessing it is to serve our loving God. The creator of the Universe is intimately interested in each us and our fears.

I pray God's blessings and providence for his church today, and for a lost world that needs to know our loving Savior. As the slogan goes No Jesus, Know Fear. Know Jesus, No Fear.

Jeff

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11/5/2020

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Open Hand.. Closed Fist 2020

Hmmm.. sounds like a lesson for the Karate Kid (ie wax on wax off).. BUT IT IS NOT!

Life is busy, and every day in our busy lives is filled with choices. I feel like a contestant on the Price is Right TV show and I randomly choose door number #3 today.. and hope for the best.

So to help guide my life decisions I have incorporated a Closed Fist and Open Hand approach.

Open Hand Views are those up for discussion and possible change.
Closed Fist Views on the other hand are not negotiable. Closed Fist views make up the foundation we build our lives on.

But.. a serious dilemma occurs when we mix our Open Hand and Closed Fist views. Just think if an alcoholic who continues to drink, a marriage without fidelity, or if I decide not to pay my bills on time.. or pay them at all. All are a recipe for disaster.

Of course, Open Hand and Closed Fist views are rubbed in our faces when we turn on the evening news where Washington is filled with Closed Fists ready to punch political opponents in the nose.. or lower. I guess this is what Washington calls 'reaching across the aisle'.

Now finally, how's the old Open Hand v Closed Fist working with God's people? From my vantage point, not so good. Just a glance on my Twitter account I could imagine..

Catholics v Protestants in a steel cage match on Pay-Per-View?
Charismatics v Baptists in a competition combining aquatics and calisthenics ,
Beth Moore v John Macarther in a stare/sneer down?
A King James Only v The Message Bible Drill
Benny Hinn 'healing' SnakeHandlers just for fun, and finally
Should Church Coffee include gourmet coffee (lattes, mochas, and espressos), or is this a steep theological slide instituted by 'progressives' that will not stop until there is 'beer on tap' in the Fellowship Center?!

Seriously, the church can be a prickly place. Not just your basic Predestined v Free Will, eternal security, or are Infant Baptisms ok debates?

There are more serious divisions where when we do not agree on the interpretation of a passage of scriptures then someone must be a HERETIC... when maybe we really don't know and simply disagree. But then to be fair again.. some teachings are heresy.

God save us! No really, GOD SAVE US!

Now take it with a grain of salt that you are reading a blog from 'a grownup' who draws cartoons, but the following is my exhaustive (or exhausting) guide to Closed Fist and Open Hands in the Church.

Closed Fist issue #1 - love God and others. Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40 Have this be true and we are off to a great start.
Closed Fist issue #2 - Stay true to God's word, be in a church that preaches and lives out these timeless truths of love and Grace. God's word is not malleable dependent on cultural 'enlightenment'. Belong to a church that is passionate about His word and not just on Sundays.
Closed Fist Issue #3 - It matters what you believe. Not all roads lead to Heaven, and just being a pretty good guy or gal will not cut it. For God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have life eternal John 3:16. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. Acts 16:31 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Closed Fist Issue #4 - It matters how you live. While our salvation is secure and we are not in and out of God's grace dependent on a good guy or gal score card, but realize.. God is not mocked. To willfully choose to live in sin, to live for self instead of God is not a safe place to be. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7 , What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-26 So, what does my life look like to God? Are their works born out of love for God and others? If not, what good is my faith? I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelations 3:15-16
Now.. Open Hand Issues (to me).. there are a bunch. Note, I have opinions on most of these issues (just ask my wife) I simply pray that where we differ with other believers is tempered by evidence of the above Closed Fist Issues 1-4. So here is my Open Hand Issues.. Women Preachers, Infant Baptism, Predestined v Free Will, The Gifts of the Spirit (Tongues & prayer languages), Catholicism, eternal security.. and I am sure about 150 more. So while I have often strong opinions (again, just ask my wife) on most of these issues, they are for me at this time open hand issues in comparison to the above CF 1-4.

The reason for writing today's blog was fueled by ongoing battles among well known evangelicals, and then watching the 'Christian' media and 'Christian' social media fanning the flames that divide us.

Let me be clear, I do believe in addressing sin and true heresy in the church. BUT.. I pray for a biblical approach.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
1 Corinthians 12:26 but also..
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

Sigh.. Maybe from time to time I will just open my clenched fist and slap myself.

I am not positive today's blog is helpful, but the spirit of it is on my heart. May God use my fumbling words to speak truth or the desire for us all to seek truth.

May God bless you in your busy lives. Be true to God, stand for Him, follow His Word not the words of man, have good friends, and eat all your veggies. :)

Jeff ( in between a slap, tickle, & a fist fight) Larson

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10/6/2020

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Lukewarm Coffee 2020

Lukewarm Coffee (LWC) exists in a land between hot and cold where room temperature is king. It is the 'Twilight Zone' of brews. Most LWCs were once a well intended piping hot cup of coffee until forgotten or ignored. They (LWCs) are the 'stale donuts' of the beverage world.

And last I checked, neither Starbucks or Dunn Brothers feature lukewarm coffee. GO FIGURE! Not not even for a niche target market of very plain boring people dressed in old sweats, bed hair, and a 2 day beard eating plain white bread from the bag while demanding their LWC.

NO ONE wants lukewarm coffee, and I believe the only acceptable use for it is .. when I have a splitting headache with two Excedrin in my hand and I spot a half a cup of LWC sitting around from this morning to wash down the meds before my head explodes.

Of course our Bibles speak often on the topic of coffee (ie Hebrews hahaha.. old joke), and even tackles the specific topic of LWC in Revelations 3:15-16 where the angel of the church of Laodicea speaks out..
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth (like a cup of lukewarm generic instant decaf coffee with non-dairy creamer and a sweetener substitute).

note: If you did not guess, the part in parenthesis was not from 'The Message'.. I added it myself to emphasize my LWC point.

But there is a very sobering interpretation of this scripture. Being a LWC believer (even with sweetener added) is not a safe place to be. Will lukewarm get me to Heaven? Well, the whole God spitting me out of His mouth is a pretty clear NO... IMO.

God is not amused by half-hearted devotion. In fact God sounds frustrated, dare I say disgusted in Revelations 3:15-16 when we are only playing church.

So I read this passage and look at my life. I am a good guy, no major ( or minor ) crimes, I go to church most every week. I love God, my family, and have good friends making this life good.. for ME, BUT.. am I actually living a lukewarm cup of decaf and a stale donut communion lifestyle? I like to think not, but this is an honest GUT CHECK.

Do my thoughts, and passions revolve around ME?..
Do my resources, and my prayers feature ME?..
Does the movie of my life stars ME?

If I attend church not with worship in my heart and mind but instead it has become my weekly good deed ritual for pretty good guys . Then maybe I am a LWC believer.

So in my 'Hot Coffee Analogy' how would an angel of God describe you? Hot, cold, or a 3 day old LWC brew with cream curdling at the top?

I am NOT saying being anything less than the next Billy Graham or Mother Theresa is lukewarm.. but please LET'S NOT be indifferent about the creator of this world or others in need. Frankly being OK is LWC.

My bigger concern.. I observe the Church as a whole is so seeker friendly to the point where attendance numbers and a great Sunday Worship 'Show' are their primary measure of spirituality. Our motto is 'Give the people what they want? ' instead of 'give them what they need.'

Read John 6:60-63, 66-69

When many of his disciples heard it (Jesus teaching), they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” (The Truth? You can't handle the Truth!) 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. ..
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him (so NOT seeker friendly of Jesus). 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him (with Hot Coffee Faith), “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:60-69

Using today's Seeker Friendly church model (with the motto no one get's burned with LWC).. was Jesus a failure?

My prayer today is God will bless and speak to each of you. May we listen to His voice and serve Him like never before in a way that is anything but lukewarm.

Jeff (aspiring to be a Grande Latte) Larson

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9/14/2020

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Between THE ROCK and a HARD world (rr)

I have a continued concern for the American Church that is caught between THE ROCK and a HARD WORLD.

This WORLD mocks Christians as

mostly judgmental hypocrites. Weak minded, Insensitive, pious hymn singers who naively believe in Noah's Ark and other fairy tales... and
LOL believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

In response, THE CHURCH claims our ROCK is Jesus... and sing 'A Mighty Fortress is our God', but our knees shake as we become hyper-introspective based more on the world's judging lens instead of God's loving truth.

We apologize and/or hide our views when God's unchanging truths do not fit nicely with our secular society. We go mostly silent as not to stir the anti-Christian hornet's nest world view. We don't like people to call us names.. who would. So we become like a deer caught in society's pious headlights and honking horns.

This HARD WORLD demonstrates a compromised view of a life equally cynical of Christians and mocking of our God.

"The Church is more afraid of offending the world than offending God". - A W Tozer

So the choice is ours. Serve God or appease man. Stand up for God's Truth or attend a Sunday Social club we call church and live our muted lives as Christians in name only.

Only one life 'twill soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last. - Charles Studd

Truth is GOD'S TRUTH is not lost... not in the Church, not in the world. God cares deeply both for his church and for a world that does not know him.

This is our opportunity to make a difference not just attending church but being the church.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Col 3:17

Oh we will stumble but get back up again where Jesus is our Rock while living in this Hard World. Don't be caught in between THE ROCK and this HARD WORLD. Instead stand on THE ROCK. Psalms 18:2

I pray as always His church (we the people) turn daily to God, seek Him first,.. love HIm with our lives, serve Him in all that we do, and love and care others like Jesus did. May God find us faithful, bless us, and use us in ways that are beyond our dreams and for His Glory only.

Blessings

Jeff

side note: See below a good barometer for life.

“Rules for Self Discovery:
1. What we want most;
2. What we think about most;
3. How we use our money;
4. What we do with our leisure time;
5. The company we enjoy;
6. Who and what we admire;
7. What we laugh at.”
― A. W. Tozer

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Forward

10 Commandments & 5 Suggestions

Your will v My will

The Biblical Postman's Creed

Abraham, home of the WHOPPER

Church Narcissism?

Drawing a Line 2020

The Smell of Fear in 2020

Open Hand.. Closed Fist 2020

Lukewarm Coffee 2020

Between THE ROCK and a HARD world (rr)

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