The author of the book of Hebrews does not mince words when he wrote  
.. it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of NOT LISTENING!  ... You ought to be teachers by now, yet here you are needing someone to go over the basics on God.. AGAIN! You need MILK, and  Milk is for BABIES!  Hebrews 5:11-14 (MSG).

BUT then again..  there are plenty of meaningful scriptures exhorting us to have the the faith of a child.


Mt 9:14 (LIV) Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me! Never send them away! For the Kingdom of God belongs to men who have hearts as trusting as these little children’s. 

and how about...

I live in the beautiful state of Minnesota, and one of my favorite places here is on the North Shore of  Lake Superior.  I can sit on the rocky coastline and listen to and watch the peaceful waves as they roll in. So soothing  to  my  mind  and  spirit and in stark contrast to the rush hour pace of life back in the city. 

But there are  other  times where the winds and waves are stormy.  Just  last October 2018 there were strong winds and spectacular waves crashing into the shoreline. I did not have time to  venture North for the 3 hour drive to see this  example of  nature on display, but the news and social media shared many pictures  like the one on the right->

My fascination with waves is ironic since I don't like the waves in my life.  Of course the waves in my life are a ripple in my kiddy pool existence compared  to others, but still they are real, and they affect me.

The answer of  course is Jesus who calmed the literal stormy seas with three words "Peace be Still".
​
There was the other time when Jesus walked to his disciples on the sea, and Peter following Jesus instructions stepped out of the boat on to the waves defying physics and walked on the water too, UNTIL he put his focus on the very real real waves instead of Jesus who both walks  on the waves and calms the  storms.

So I need to remember any financial, family, or health crisis I may face is not greater than our Jesus who calms the literal and figurative seas. Even when the waves are from our own mistakes, Jesus is still the answer. 

​Impossible situations do not exist for the creator of  all things and master of the seas. Jesus does not look at any circumstance and think .. "Hmm, this  one  is going to be a challenge."

​Personally,  I am an  alcoholic (sober now for about 5 years) but there were about 15 years where drink compromised my  life.  I thank God for grabbing my hand while I was  sinking like  Peter into my  stormy  sea.  From here I found God's  Grace, and a path for restoration.

That's just one piece of my story, but I know everyone  has their own story filled with ups  and  downs and waves. Some waves we are to enjoy as part of God's creation like  the peaceful waves rolling in on the North Shore of  Lake  Superior,  while other waves we need the master  of the waves close by. In these stormy waves, and when you feel you  are sinking know God is with you. Be prayerful, dillegent in your obedience  to God, and focused on Jesus knowing He is your safety in all circumstances.

Think about it.. Our Heavenly Father, creator of Heavens  and  Earth is  our  personal God, and He forgives our sins and  remembers them no more. We are Forgiven, and He is Forgiving.  I like how this whole forgiven thing works out for me.

Now I  am pretty forgiving kinda guy when it comes to family member, and my friends. I even forgive my dog.. most of the  time. BUT THEN as obvious as a rogue adult acne is on my 60 year old nose is the truth, I AM NOT always so forgiving for those who wrong  me and are not in my inner circle of  friends... especially those who don't want forgiveness, and/or don't even like me.  DON'T LIKE ME? I am aghast! 

​Truth be told I have one particular incident that I  have a hard time letting go.. as  my employer let me go.

It was January 2018 when I  was  working  in a job that I did  not enjoy, and I did not appreciate or respect my manager and  supervisor.  So much was wrong at this company (IMO), with ongoing management and respect issues all the way up to the day I  was  terminated. 

Well let's just I was more than a  bit indignant about being let go.  My disdain for my former employer peaked to the point where when I was letting my mind spin until (embarrassing to admit) I  would  imagine a paraphrase of Psalms for my former employer.  No not the Psalms 23 kind of Psalms, though I  thought my existence was  in the Valley of  the Shadow of my former employer.  Instead.  More of a Psalms 18:37-42. (please insert 'former employer' everywhere this  Psalm  refers to enemy)
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. 39 You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. 40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. 41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them. --- to the Lord, but he did not answer. 42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

Ok,  I exaggerate  a bit, but I know I was far from forgiving about my termination. I  needed to let it go, and truly forgive. No I don't get to destroy them, beat them into fine dust, or trample them.  I  mean good grief I  lost  a job ( I did not like), they did not raid and pillage my townhome.

So  the moral of the  story is.. The older I get, the more lessons I get to learn.  Lucky me! Forgiven by God is  priceless, and forgiving of others pretty close to priceless too. I don't know if  I can completely realize forgivness without being forgiving too.  Anger and indignation (righteous or not) does not look pretty on any of  us, especially those of us who have been forgiven much.

May God bless each of you today with the realization of God's Grace and forgivness, and fill your hearts with forgiveness for others.

Blessings

​Jeff (praying 'good' Psalms at ya) Larson

Ok, in my case .. life imitates a cartoon

EXHIBIT A:
In early December here in Minnesota it rained, followed by 6" of snow, and finally freezing cold temps.  You don't have to ask Bill Nye the Science Guy to know our streets were glare ice.  This inspired me to sketch a cartoon called 'Dog Walking in a Winter Wonderland' featuring some poor guy who ended up on his back with his dog looking at his master wondering 'why are you laying down',, and watch out for the doggie doo under you'

This cartoon was left unfinished until a new winter recipe like the one in December. Warm (above freezing) temps where the snow was melting, add a dash of misty rain, then let mixture set for 8 hours with temps again BELOW zero...  and viola' Minnesota streets, sidewalks, and steps were a glistening ice rink again. 

So I step outside (without my ice skates) to walk my dog Cooper slipped on the front steps, fell on my back on the front steps with the brunt of the fall was my ribcage on my right side.  I lay there in pain for several minutes while Cooper gave me that dog look I mentioned above.

So here where life imitates art/cartoon with Your classic bad news good news scenario. Bad news is I  have bruised and/or cracked ribs, but  the good news is I did not land in any dog doo-doo.

EXIBIT B:
How about that well meaning resolution to read through your Bible in the upcoming year.  You start out great with Genesis in the morning, a Psalm or Proverb at midday, and the Gospel of Matthew in the evening.  You are enjoying God's word as He speaks truth into your life even in passages you have read before.

Word of God speak, won't you fall down like rain, washing my eyes  to see your majesty - Mercy Me lyrics

.. and then comes LEVITICUS.. with laws that are difficult to comprehend in our  modern world.

Chapter 11 includes a dietplan of sorts.. Don't eat bats, rats, vultures, weasels, storks, and many more items I was NOT thinking  about eating to begin with.  

Chapter 18 we are set down to have the sex talk... Leviticus style.  When a man loves a woman she  better not be your aunt, half sister, daughter in law, sister in law, daughter, granddaughter, sister in law, a woman having  her  period, neighbors wife, and.. no gay sex, or sex with an animal. While all these sex no-nos I agree with, I have to say these were no areas of temptation in my life. Maybe in Hollywood,  but not in my Minnesota suburb.

The Wow Factor,  I would paraphrase as an experience and/or observation that grabs  your attention and  holds it.. big time.

When I was young I was a decent athlete, and fell in love with sports. The speed, power,  finesse, strategy, and teamwork of great athletes and teams playing to win the game.

​The thrill of victory and  agony of defeat was  the  catch phrase for the old Wild World of Sports show, and this all makes me  go.. WOW!

It also goes  without saying (though I  am saying it) I love Art.  Ok, not true art.. I love cartoons, and have doodled cartoons ever since age five.

​You will never catch me wandering into  an art gallery pondering the works of Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Rembrandt, or Leonardo de Vinci, BUT.. I save  my WOWs for Gary Larson - The FarSide, Berke Breathed - Bloom County, Bill Watterson - Calvin & Hobbes, and Jim Unger - Herman. 

​In fact  one of my favorite Christmas  presents  of  all time my wife bought me The Complete Farside collection (3 volumes) in hardcover.  For most folks this is a waste of time and $$, but  for  me.. WOW!

Others are enthralled by the world of beautiful music.  Personally I enjoy listening to music ranging from Jazz to Rock & Roll, Hymns to modern Worship.

But.. I don't sing so good,  can't clap my hands to a beat, or even play a Kazoo.  Music is that Wow for many.. but for me I am  sorry but I am checking my TV for a game while drawing Back Pew cartoons.

Now as  we travel further from the  center of my universe we find many looking up at the night sky mesmerized by the stars while our planet orbits around a blazing ball of  burning gas and  realizing we are only one planet in one galaxy in an ever expanding universe all with order and functioning with more science and math that you could  shake a stick at (real old  saying that means ALOT) .. and  the  collective scientific community responds in one voice..  WOW!  <-- note this was an 83 word runon sentence.

Did I choose your WOW tirgger? Well no matter if it is  science, music,  art, sports, or watching the Wheel of Fortune ( big fan of the wheel)  realize all WOWs come from  our creator.  Our Wow moments are real and there  is  no need to  apologize for  shouting wow (unless you  are in church, or during a funeral).. BUT step out further to realize our God is the source of all things  WOW. 

​If we don't we miss the point of this  big ol' Beautiful world. Life is  not  about me, life is  not about my passions  and hobbies.. LIFE IS ABOUT OUR GOD, and the worship and adoration he deserves.

How great is  our God! WOW!

• For as the Heavens  are Higher than the Earth so are my ways  than your ways,  and my thoughts yours. Is 55:8-9
• He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Ps 147:4
• Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? Ps 77:3
  and last but not least
• For  God so loved the world that he gave his  only son, that whoever believes will not perish but have eternal life. Jo 3:16  Wow,  and WOW!

Thank you  God for your  amazing creation that is your handiwork, and thank you for your love and  grace in this  life, and the promise of  eternity with you our wonderful creator.
​
Blessings

Jeff

I have just changed jobs AGAIN.  After 5 months working a job as a delivery driver of meals  to senior citizens and others  in financial, physical, and/or other needs I am now riding a  bus to downtown Saint Paul, Mn to an office job providing customer service for life insurance policies.

I was  not looking for a new  job, and was  thankful  for the opportunity to  serve others as hands  and feet of Jesus Christ for those in need.  As a driver I met many wonderful people, and  was touched by the spirit of many of my clients. Other clients were just existing as you  could see on their faces the weight of their situation.  Poverty,  sickness,  mental and/or emotional challenges  that were heavy loads.

​So here comes  the FEAR.  While I am  in good  health, I am 61, wear bi-focals  and hearing aides, and with zero experience  with life insurance. 

I  am  in a 6 week training class with mostly millenials to learn a solid  understanding of our  insurance services, and I AM MORE THAN SLIGHTLY CHALLENGED. I  am learning, but I started  this  class  about a week and  a half after the rest  of  my group, but if I was swimming I would be dog paddling my fastest to keep up with a room full of Olympic Swimmers. I think I have swallowed half the pool.

 I have a growing concern for the American Church that we find ourselves caught between THE ROCK and a HARD WORLD.

​This world claims Christians are mostly judgmental hypocrites. Weak minded, Insensitive, pious hymn singers who naivly believe in Noah's Ark and  other fairy tales. And they LOL believe  the Bible is the inherrent word of  God.

In the process of Photoshop retouching my past cartoons I came across one featuring this important scripture.

2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

With this  great scripture in mind, I feel sometimes like I  am serving 60 years to life in the Alcatraz of my Mind. To often I find instead of holding every thought captive obedient to Christ I have become become captive to my  thoughts.  I become a walking talking Abbott & Costello comedy skit where I end up  on the wrong side of  the county jail bars of my mind.

In these times my weary brain becomes lost  in the tasks of another anxious day living in this very broken spinning out  of  control world leaves me frazzled, weary, and  downright .. pouty.  Now pouty may be cute when it is  my 4 year old granddaughter, but when it is 61 year old ME.. just ask my wife Mary, it's not cute.

So what  do I  do?  I read aloud again 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I am one  of  those folks who likes my food  ever so slightly overcooked.  I like the cheese on my pizza to be golden.. maybe even a 'dark' golden.  I like my bagel toasted dark contrasted with a spread of cream cheese. I  want it to hear a slight CRUNCH when I  bite into it.  And I like DUSK where the sun has  just dropped peacefully below the western horizon but before the  black of night,

Of course choosing dark over light in the weighty matters of bagals and pizza is fine, but in matters of the SPIRIT.. always choose the LIGHT.

This  Present Darkness is a Christian novel by Frank Paretti published in 1986 for adults showing a contemporary view on angels, demons, prayer, and spiritual warfare as demons and angels interact and struggle for control in our lives and communities.  And though this book was  fiction, I  believe this  battle is  real.

Of course there is obvious  DARKNESS of this  world, but I am  surprised by many Churches Frog in the  Boiling Pot perspective on life where God is fit into societal norms rather than the other way around as  God intends.

"In God We Trust" may be the official motto of the United States of America, but in this  world's  shadows we move closer to a Godless reality found in Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. ​

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

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. 

​Be poor in Spirit (humble) Mt. 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.

May God lead, use, and bless  your lives in ways that  are  beyond your dreams.

Jeff