There you have it.. My Back Pew list of Ponderings.  One part resolutions, one part repentance, and all parts pondering this world, the church, and each one of us.

I pray sincerely we are not conformed to this world as prayerful, obedient children of God FIRST and foremost. Let's be known for being kind and understanding of others in and outside the church and not for snarky Facebook posts (guilty). I pray we are unwavering from His Truth (our Bibles), and obedient to share God's Truth in a world that will call us judgmental hypocrites.  Never apologize for sharing God's Truth because these words (even when hated) are real love.

Blessings as you ponder

Jeff (the wandering ponderer) Larson

I am 63, and now wear hearing aides.  Boo, hiss..I don't like to wear them but just like my bi-focaled glasses they do help. I now hear sounds (especially high pitch sounds) that I otherwise miss. 

And now in 2020 with our Covid masks I miss the facial expressions and the sounds of the voice of those speaking are muffled, and so when not wearing my hearing aides communication is a bit muted and frustrating.  

Like this, when I pray.. but am not still or quiet to hear his voice what I hear from God is also muted. 

Muted at times by my own busy mind and compromised/selfish motives. God speaks, but do I hear His voice. 

The point is.. we need more QUIET and less NOISE.. to seek intentional quiet times where we turn off our 24/7 media blitz on the senses. Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10

Oh it's easy to be pulled down stream by the current of societies raging information river.  I love all modern gadgets, and the ease of communication, and the instant resource of Google searches... But lost in this is the QUIET.  How can I hear the Voice of God over the 'DIN' of our society? 

I pray what I have shared makes sense.  There is no greater pursuit than to know the creator of this world. 

• Set your minds on things above Col 3:1,  
• where the peace that passes all understanding is our promise. Phil 4:7   knowing
• We will soar like Eagles, we will run and not faint. Is 40:31

in contrast if you set your mind on the things of this world.. you will be frustrated, empty, and most likely have a chronic headache that Excedrin won't touch.
​
May God bless each of you on your journey to hear God's voice.

Jeff (hearing aides in) Larson

Let's start with SUNDAYS:  
Football - You can spend the afternoon sitting on the 50 yard line cheering your team as they play their hated rivals on a beautiful fall day doubly blessed with vendors who for a few dollars deliver to you your favorite snacks and beverages.
or..
Church - ​You could spend Sunday sitting on a hard wooden pew in Church singing a hymn or EIGHT, listening to a sermon where the vendors are replaced with ushers who also take your money but there will be no food for you!.. Advantage.. FOOTBALL

THE MORAL OF TODAY'S BLOG?

• Neglect your TEETH.. they become ugly, painful, and will eventually rot leaving you with an empty mouth.
• Neglect GOD.. then life will become ugly, painful, and will leave you empty like the above toothless mouth.
• Neglect your Teeth and/or God for life and there may be either physical or spiritual weeping and gnashing of teeth... or is it gumming of gums?

 

​More 'minty fresh' scriptures below

If I remember correctly, today (August 8th) is the birthday of my good Richard (Dick) Ludzack, and Dick was 6 days my senior as I was born on August 14th. He was a lifelong friend as we grew up in the same home town and attended the same church, played sports together, and both participated in each other's weddings.  Dick passed away suddenly a number of years ago, and at that time I wrote my own memorial of his life.  I would like to share it again today about a life well lived.

THE ONLY CHOICE THAT MATTERS 10/12/2003
I traveled home yesterday to visit my mom and was greeted by the news that a life long friend of mine was killed the day before in a work related accident. This friend was Dick Ludzack, and his dad Karl Ludzack also passed away last January. Please pray for Dick’s wife Tammy, his kids, and for his 10 other brothers and sisters, and mom. It is kind of news that knocks the wind out of his many friends, and hits even much closer to home for his family.

Dick was a great guy, and though we have not talked all that often in the last few years.. I consider him a true friend. He was a good man who loved God and his family.

Dick was one of the guys that as a youth I sat with in the Back Pew of the church. He was also one of us guys that could not sing. NONE OF US COULD. We called it the sin of our parents. You know, when the people asked Jesus why a certain man was blind.. was it because of his own sin or the sin of his parents?? Well there was a core group of guys in our church, and NONE were blessed with the ability to sing. Some of us sang… but we pushed THE JOYFUL NOISE UNTO THE LORD concept to it’s limits. So the joke among a few of us guys was.. Jesus was it our own sins, or the sin of our parents why we can’t sing? The answer we have concluded.. was.. IT MUST BE OUR PARENTS. Lol

So back to the serious sobering point of these days. Dick was a good man, a good family man, and faithful to God. Though he will be missed.. Dick’s life was a success. Never to trivialize the loss to his family, and friends, but Dick lived his life right.. he loved the Lord, and is in Heaven now.  Dick who lived only to be 46 (same age as me) was faithful with the time he had on Earth.

None of us know how long we have here in this world that is a blend of joy and pain. Where there is so much good, and so much tragedy.. so in the end it ETERNALLY makes a difference the choices you make in life. Dick chose wisely.

I pray we are faithful in making the same decision. May the Lord protect each of you.. may he give us all the perspective that is only his.. may his comfort and love be felt by us all, and may we all know Jesus. 

Blessings!!
​
Jeff

​My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,”  James 2:2-3

 James 2:2-3 This is how it looks for me in Minnesota-->

Well, I cannot stop Father time.. or in my case grandfather time.  I will turn 63 this month, and if the calendar did not tell me that.. my body reminds me often.

I can't complain though, or rather I shouldn't complain.  I am in many ways healthier than I was even just a few years ago.  My blood pressure is very good, and I no longer drink alcohol (5+ years sober).  Now on the flip side, I now have hearing aides, a stronger bi-focaled eye prescription, and I describe through exaggeration my spine as a shaken up can of Pringles (vertebraes all stacked up but with a few cracks and crumbles.

There are those grey overcast days where I think the sun will never shine again. Maybe a little foggy, drizzling still morning but then a spot on the clouds glows and just moments later the sun peeks out.  I now see the sun and feel it’s warmth.  Amazing how that feels especially on that cool grey day, but sometimes as quick as the sun appears the clouds return and the sun is gone and so is it's warmth.  

This glimpse of the sun describes often my pursuit of God. I read, and pray and the story of God and the Gospel message makes sense.  This time of clarity is beyond refreshing until.. circumstances and the world distract me, along with my inconsistent pursuit of God until my perspective is clouded and poof my moment of clarity is gone.

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!