The ants go marching one by one hooray! hooray! The marching of the little people is what makes this world work.  You see there are presidents, kings, superstar athletes, CEOs of major corporations, and then there is me.  There are men of great strength, Hollywood celebrities, super models, great authors, and there is me.

So where do you fit into this world? Are you a superstar or a worker bee?  Do you run a major corporation or are you just part of life's ant farm?   Truth is I like it here on the farm.  Just another face in the sea of faces.. and you know what they say.. all ants look alike. 

I have not polled any ants or bees, but I think the message they have is being about the business that needs to be done, and not being jealous of the queen bees or the bossy foreman of your ant farm staff.
​
​So how does that fit in with the body of Christ?  Selfless service and simply doing what needs to be done no matter if you are the next Billy Graham, the next church janitor, or even.. a cartoonist! ​

Whether you are the head of a corporation, work in the mail room, or a server at the local pie shop.  What if you are a mom buried with the responsibilities of caring for your preschool children, or a teacher of 4th graders, or a senior widow woman slowed by old age?  All one body of many parts, and all parts important. 1 Corinthians 12

The list of possibilities go on and on.. , BUT.. 

• What if each of us were selfless?  Romans 12:5
• What if we really believed this life was only a stepping stone to eternity in Heaven then what would it matter the recognition, what would it matter our bank account balance?  1 Corinthians 15:52
• What if we were each faithful in the moment to our neighbors in need, and not worried about our status and recognition in this life?  Matthew 22:36-39

What a life this could be if we were all happy living in God's ant farms or being His little worker bees. A life not burdened with the status of man but instead living for the Kingdom of God.

 God's Bugs? what a high calling!  Maybe the bar should set a bit higher, lest the classic Hymns for us 'bugs' be The Ants Go Marching One By One, Hooray! and the Flight of the Bumblebee.

note: This is not a call to a life of underachievement where you settle for less than what God has called you, but simply a call to be useful and to serve as God leads in the moments that make up each day.

My prayer for each of today is to be true to who God made us.  This makes God smile, and leads us to a place of contentment and success.

Blessings

Jeff ( a bit buggy ) Larson

I am reading through my Bible again this year and learning so much.  One of the interesting facts I have been reminded of is the number of different kings of Israel or Judea that there were. 

Some bad, some just plain evil (see Ahab in toon on the right), others good.. but even good kings were often reported to being good EXCEPT for leaving up a few Temple Idols here or there. 

Now when Josiah became king he was 8 years old!  That's a year younger than my grandson Everett, and while he is a great kid.. he is not ready to be king.  Anyways, Josiah was a good king and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord 2 Kings 22:2.

Sometimes Christians are just so smiley and so ‘Ned Flanders-like’ happy I could just slug-em.  I know the joy of the Lord is my strength, but what’s with the ‘goofy-grins’? 

I heard a good sermon a while back about the Fruit of God’s Spirit.  You know.. love, joy, peace.. blah, blah, blah… and included in this list is JOY which I happen to misplace from time to time in my life..  

Real Joy is not a serene surreal spiritual experience, but instead every day rubber meets the road with a pot-hole or two along the way experience. 

So where do we find Joy today?
Now with all of the bad news in our world right now.. my joy is challenged. I think of the Covid-19 related issues, racial tensions, hatred, greed, the media who lie as easy as they tell the truth, and all this stirred by the 2020 elections.

All of this and what I see as the Church (Christians) who are not salt and light. A church that compromises God's loving firm truth with the compromised views of our secular society. ​A church that lives in fear and too often is more concerned with offending the world, than offending God. A church that lives in Fear instead of Hope. 

note: I am not pointing a finger at others here.. as I am a part of the Church.  This is a sober reminder to love one another while we love and obey God.

Now back to the answer of the question.. Where do we find joy today?  Know that joy is not found in who wins the upcoming elections. There are consequences to our actions, our votes, and in the direction our country chooses. 

Our joy is found in the Lord through difficult times. It does matter that we love and obey God, but even if the whole world chooses NOT to obey God.. we must stand strong with Him always. Through good times and bad.. Joy is ultimately and eternally found in obedience and love of our God.

• .. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength! Neh 8:10
• The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Ps 28:7​

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

So there you have it.  Maybe there is a world of Christian existence that is somewhere between a Ned Flanders goofy grin, and those Christians who look like they are in pain in church. 

How will those people survive in Heaven when they learn they will have to be happy.  So ‘Smile Mon!’

Joyful Christians without goofy grins?  I know it will be a challenge, but we are just the people to do it.

May God bless and use each of you in ways that are beyond your dreams. I pray you find joy in the Lord in every circumstance.

Jeff (silly smirking) Larson

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!

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

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

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

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

Let me leave you with a couple more scriptures of perspective in a world and even some in the church where moderation does NOT come easy.

• ​Be poor in Spirit (humble) Matthew. 5:3 , faithful to our God and caring of others in the moments  that  make up  your day. Then this  whole moderation concept should take care of  itself.
• ​Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God Micah 6:8​

​

When I am weak.. you make me strong.  When I am blind, you shine your light on me.. and I will never get by standing on my own abilities. – This is the lyric of one of Casting Crown’s songs and it makes me smile.

The KINGS of this world delegate to those like me who are COGS, and I am OK with that arrangement. The Kings we all know about but us Cogs are the every day folk who are vital to the world functioning.. and when the world struggles to function the optics shine on the bad king/leaders of countries, states, cities, companies and the church.  But know while the world sees the kings.. the importance of us cogs goes unrealized.

While this world’s measure of a man’s worth is.. his bank account balance, his home on a lake, fame, a trophy wife or two, and a really hot ride for someone my age.. Unfortunately it IS NOT traditionally based on how many colors he has in his coloring box, but if it was my answer would be 64 bright and shining Crayolas.

It is amazing the complexity of society, and how each of us are wired differently but together with our own set of gifts are called to serve God and others to make society function. We are all the hands and feet of Christ in our jobs, families, churches, and society.

​Some are gifted to be kings and God bless those kings they are gifted to be leaders as God uniquely wired them.. BUT in the same way God has wired so many COGS too.  The body of Christ is made up of many parts as called by God to serve Him and care for others.

 I watched a show a while back on the often overlooked fuel of sleep. When I short myself on a proper amount of sleep I compromise my mood ( i get pouty), capabilities, productivity, clarity of thought, and in general my outlook on life becomes negative.  Without good sleep any circumstance I face may be tainted with depression, anger, impatience, with maybe more than a smidgen of hopelessness. Admittedly I am kind of a baby.

It is often easier said then done when sleep deprived is to get more sleep, but.. when I do get enough sleep those clouds of confusion and irritation part, and what once felt hopeless is now met with a more rationale and healthy vantage point leaving me scratching my head why I ever thought my situation was hopeless.

 I wrote a while back about GETTING WHAT I DESERVE from God. I shared in this blurb I deserve God's Grace, I deserve His Love because I am a child of God and God the Father is the perfect parent, and even as an imperfect parent myself I would always forgive and forget and strive to be patient and graceful towards my kids no matter their mistakes.

This GETTING WHAT I DESERVE writing was met with mixed reviews as some shared Grace is a gift we do not deserve, and our goodness is as filthy rags in comparison to our creator. This is also true.

​Here in lies for me the PARADOX as both seemingly contradictory statements are true. We are all God's children, and He desires each one of us choose Him, BUT I know first hand my weaknesses my failures, my selfish desires are sometimes far from the heart of God.

I could ramble on about this topic and may do so another day, but today I will use the PRODIGAL SON as a great story of this paradox. This rebellious son chose his own way with his own free will and was allowed by the father to separate his life and choices totally from the father. During this time he was still the son and was loved, but far from doing anything remotely obedient or loving.

Once the prodigal son hit bottom, he grieved his poor decisions and with his same free will CHOSE to return to the father who welcomed him NOT with scolding words of disappointment BUT with open arms and love and a celebration of a son who was lost but is now found. My son was  lost but now is found.

This prodigal son was both selfish, sinful, rebellious, and also loved beyond description by his Father. Both aspects of the son were true.. he was a walking talking (smelling like a pig pen) paradox... and so are we.

Our very best is NOTHING compared to our Heavenly Father. He deserves and desires our love and appreciation but we have the choice to 'GO PRODIGAL' on Him. Isn't it great to be loved like this. Unconditional love that welcomes us back when we blow it. 

Of course you may be like the other son who has NOT wandered far from home and was good, BUT please take on the heart of the father when those who have suffered prodigal moments have returned. We should celebrate the return of a brother or sister, and not EVER shake our heads comparing our relative goodness. Note: The very best of any of us is still truly filthy rags compared to our Father. Not shaming anyone, but the very best virtuous,  moral, giving, talented, gifted orators are clanging cymbals without God's love.  So be thankful, stay humble, and rejoice with others and with the Father always.
 ​

I know I am getting older when many have no idea who the SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN was. 

HE IS NOT.. a 'moderately paid pro athlete'. I am speaking of the TV Show from 1974-1978 about Steve Austin who was in some terrible accident where all the FDA 'doctors', and all the CIA men couldn't put Steve back together again.. so the OSI was called in to install him with ‘bionic’ parts. ​

Kind of a combination of Humpty Dumpty and Inspector Gadget. 

And back at the day of this show the going price for bionic reconstructive surgery was $6,000,000.00!  I think it costs about $4000 for Lasic Eye surgery so this to me seems like a SWEET DEAL.

This 6Mil-Man could run 60 miles per hour (though it appeared in slow motion), he had superman like strength, vision better than Lasic combined with 'carrot' steroids, and whenever the bionics kicked into gear, it would make this techy-spring like noise.  Not unlike a cartoon BOING.. but a sound that made it clear his 'bionics' were in use.

All this madness happens and honestly I am not sure the church knows how to handle it. I observe many if not most churches are afraid of secular man and public opinion rather than afraid of disobeying God.

If anyone espouses traditional Christian values we are deemed judgmental, hateful bigots or worse. But what of that? They hated Jesus first for telling loving truth, so why are we afraid to be hated for the Gospel?

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