​
Cartoonist/Illustrator - Jeff Larson
Minnesota
SUPPORT
BP
  • HOME
  • BIBLE
    • OLD TESTAMENT >
      • LAW >
        • Genesis >
          • Genesis - Garden of Eden
          • Genesis after the Garden
          • Noah
          • Abraham
          • Isaac, Jacob, and Esau
          • Joseph
        • Exodus >
          • Exodus - text & toon
        • Leviticus
        • Numbers
        • Deuteronomy
      • HISTORY >
        • Joshua and Judges
        • 1 Samuel
        • 1 Samuel - David and Goliath
        • I & II Kings
        • Nehemiah
      • POETRY >
        • Job
        • Psalms
        • Proverbs
        • Ecclesiastes
        • Song of Solomon
      • PROPHETS >
        • MAJOR PROPHETS >
          • ISAIAH
          • Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Lamentations
        • MINOR PROPHETS (ie Jonah)
    • NEW TESTAMENT >
      • GOSPELS
      • Acts
      • EPISTLES OF PAUL >
        • Romans
        • 1st Corinthians
        • 2nd Corinthians
        • Galatians
        • Ephesians
        • Philippians
        • Colossians, Thessalonias, Timothy, Titus, Philemon
      • GENERAL LETTERS >
        • Hebrews
        • James
        • 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
      • Revelations
  • CHURCH & FAMILY
    • CHURCH >
      • Preachers & Pastors
      • Worship
      • Church People
      • Baptism
      • Communion
      • Offerings, Giving & Tithing
      • Church Potluck
      • Coffee
      • The Church Body
      • Theology & Church History
      • Sunday School & Kids Ministry
    • FAMILY >
      • Dating & Marriage
      • Parents - Moms & Dads
      • Senior Citizens
  • FAITH WALK
    • PERSONAL >
      • BIBLE Reading
      • PRAYER
      • PRAISE
      • PURSUIT of God
      • Diet & Exercise
      • MONEY & Budget
    • SERVING - God & Others
    • SHARING - the gospel
    • The Christian Battle
    • ANGER v PEACE
    • Worry - stress, anxiety, etc
    • Faith
    • Forgiveness
    • Honesty
    • Temptation
    • The Holy Spirit - Gifts & Fruit
  • MISC.
    • ANIMALS >
      • HOUSE PETS >
        • Dogs
        • Cat
      • FARM ANIMALS >
        • Cows
        • Horse & Donkey & Camels?
        • Pigs & Hogs
        • POULTRY - Turkeys & Chickens
        • Sheep
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • WILDLIFE - deer, moose, bears, etc
      • Mosquito
      • Reptile - snakes, turtles, etc
    • TECHNOLOGY >
      • Computer
      • Smartphones & telephony
      • SCIENCE - math, cosmology, etc
      • TV - audio & video
    • Minnesota >
      • Snowman
    • Canada
    • Cars & Driving
    • Dear Crabby
    • Fashion
    • Politics and Elections
    • Redneck
    • Schools & Teachers cartoons
    • SICKNESS >
      • COVID-19 cartoons aka Coronavirus cartoons
  • HOLIDAYS
    • New Years Day
    • Valentines Day
    • St Patrick's Day
    • April Fools Day
    • Tax Day
    • Earth Day
    • Holy Week >
      • Palm Sunday
      • Last Supper & Gethsemane
      • Good Friday
      • EASTER
    • Mothers Day
    • Fathers Day
    • Memorial Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Veterens Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • CHRISTMAS - JESUS
    • CHRISTMAS - Santa >
      • Stocking Stuffers
  • SPORTS
    • OUTDOOR Sports >
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hunting
    • TEAM Sports >
      • Baseball & Softball
      • Basketball
      • Football
      • ( FOOTBALL ) Packers & Vikings
      • Soccer
    • Running
    • Fighting
    • OTHER sports
  • ETERNITY
    • Heaven is home
    • Hell
  • More
    • USING CARTOONS
    • SUPPORT
    • Comments Welcome
  • BLOG
  • HOME
  • BIBLE
    • OLD TESTAMENT >
      • LAW >
        • Genesis >
          • Genesis - Garden of Eden
          • Genesis after the Garden
          • Noah
          • Abraham
          • Isaac, Jacob, and Esau
          • Joseph
        • Exodus >
          • Exodus - text & toon
        • Leviticus
        • Numbers
        • Deuteronomy
      • HISTORY >
        • Joshua and Judges
        • 1 Samuel
        • 1 Samuel - David and Goliath
        • I & II Kings
        • Nehemiah
      • POETRY >
        • Job
        • Psalms
        • Proverbs
        • Ecclesiastes
        • Song of Solomon
      • PROPHETS >
        • MAJOR PROPHETS >
          • ISAIAH
          • Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Lamentations
        • MINOR PROPHETS (ie Jonah)
    • NEW TESTAMENT >
      • GOSPELS
      • Acts
      • EPISTLES OF PAUL >
        • Romans
        • 1st Corinthians
        • 2nd Corinthians
        • Galatians
        • Ephesians
        • Philippians
        • Colossians, Thessalonias, Timothy, Titus, Philemon
      • GENERAL LETTERS >
        • Hebrews
        • James
        • 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
      • Revelations
  • CHURCH & FAMILY
    • CHURCH >
      • Preachers & Pastors
      • Worship
      • Church People
      • Baptism
      • Communion
      • Offerings, Giving & Tithing
      • Church Potluck
      • Coffee
      • The Church Body
      • Theology & Church History
      • Sunday School & Kids Ministry
    • FAMILY >
      • Dating & Marriage
      • Parents - Moms & Dads
      • Senior Citizens
  • FAITH WALK
    • PERSONAL >
      • BIBLE Reading
      • PRAYER
      • PRAISE
      • PURSUIT of God
      • Diet & Exercise
      • MONEY & Budget
    • SERVING - God & Others
    • SHARING - the gospel
    • The Christian Battle
    • ANGER v PEACE
    • Worry - stress, anxiety, etc
    • Faith
    • Forgiveness
    • Honesty
    • Temptation
    • The Holy Spirit - Gifts & Fruit
  • MISC.
    • ANIMALS >
      • HOUSE PETS >
        • Dogs
        • Cat
      • FARM ANIMALS >
        • Cows
        • Horse & Donkey & Camels?
        • Pigs & Hogs
        • POULTRY - Turkeys & Chickens
        • Sheep
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • WILDLIFE - deer, moose, bears, etc
      • Mosquito
      • Reptile - snakes, turtles, etc
    • TECHNOLOGY >
      • Computer
      • Smartphones & telephony
      • SCIENCE - math, cosmology, etc
      • TV - audio & video
    • Minnesota >
      • Snowman
    • Canada
    • Cars & Driving
    • Dear Crabby
    • Fashion
    • Politics and Elections
    • Redneck
    • Schools & Teachers cartoons
    • SICKNESS >
      • COVID-19 cartoons aka Coronavirus cartoons
  • HOLIDAYS
    • New Years Day
    • Valentines Day
    • St Patrick's Day
    • April Fools Day
    • Tax Day
    • Earth Day
    • Holy Week >
      • Palm Sunday
      • Last Supper & Gethsemane
      • Good Friday
      • EASTER
    • Mothers Day
    • Fathers Day
    • Memorial Day
    • 4th of July
    • Halloween
    • Veterens Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • CHRISTMAS - JESUS
    • CHRISTMAS - Santa >
      • Stocking Stuffers
  • SPORTS
    • OUTDOOR Sports >
      • Camping
      • Fishing
      • Hunting
    • TEAM Sports >
      • Baseball & Softball
      • Basketball
      • Football
      • ( FOOTBALL ) Packers & Vikings
      • Soccer
    • Running
    • Fighting
    • OTHER sports
  • ETERNITY
    • Heaven is home
    • Hell
  • More
    • USING CARTOONS
    • SUPPORT
    • Comments Welcome
  • BLOG
Picture

4/13/2020

2 Comments

Making Sense of God

 
Picture
Making Sense in Life.  The more things change, the more they stay the same. With this 2020 Coronavirus pandemic holding us captive my mind wanders to a range of intellectual and theological topics.  Some of my thoughts are 'relatively' deep (for a cartoonist) while other thoughts just dip their toes in the shallow end of the kiddie pool of intellectualism. 

​My shallow thoughts might be.. "What does my dog Cooper dream about?" or "Why is it snowing in April?"  Answer to the snow question is "You live in Minnesota, you dummy."

Now what I consider a little deeper topic is .. 'Is God really fair?'  No, not just saying He is fair afraid of what others in the church think, but is God really fair.  ​​
​
Picture
So in my mind wanderings I was thinking about the story in Genesis where God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac.  This is absurd, maybe even pagan.  Could this have been a moment where Abraham replies to this seemingly grotesque request.. "If you are a loving God, why are you asking me to do such a murderous thing? If you are God, you are no longer my God."  

No, Abraham while troubled by God's request did not question God, or debate Him. He proceeded to be obedient to God to the point of killing his son.  This is when God said "STOP", and provided a lamb to sacrifice in Isaac's place. WHEW!

My wife and I watched the 1979 movie Jesus on Good Friday this year.  It was remastered and included this story of Abraham and Isaac explaining Jesus (the Lamb of God) took the place for our sins just as God provided a lamb to take the place of Isaac.  I love this analogy of Biblical proportions.

Now let me take this 'trusting God' thing a step further as I think out loud and type. Let's start with God is perfect, good and just in all He does. We are His creation that He can do with us whatever he chooses, and then realize God's Love and His Wrath are both attributes of God. note: read 'Knowing God' by J.I Packer for a better understanding of who God is.  Finally, there is eternal life for those who accept Jesus as their savior, and Hell for those who say NO to God.

Well then we can question.. Is life an even playing field? We do not have the same opportunities, circumstances, or aptitudes to know God, or even more specifically know who Jesus is. To this I think honestly is NOT just, loving, kind, or FAIR!  It seems at it's best to the judgment of a God who could be described as indifferent.  This is a God who says "I am God and I will do whatever I want."  If this is true my response is equal parts of being afraid, sad, and maybe appalled. 
​
Picture
But maybe it is like the sacrifice of Isaac, or Jesus dying on the cross for my sins. I don't understand why, but in these examples I see God's love for those who are faithful. A lamb provided in place of Isaac, and Jesus in place of a sinful mankind.

But.. I still know life is not fair, and beyond this life the opportunities to know Jesus or even know there is a Jesus are not fair.  This is true, but like Abraham we are called to be faithful and obedient to God even when we do not understand.

Picture
All of us will some day come right down to the end of life (young or old) and for some life has been blessed while others it is seems cursed. This is where we are called to be obedient, pray. and trust God like Abraham did when asked to sacrifice his only son.

I believe I am sharing is a glimpse of truth at least for me. I don't find my self debating deep theological issues with great theologians.. but it is an important part of my faith journey. To seek God and to TRUST God.

​I believe God cares beyond this life for those injured by injustice even when I do not understand and/or are troubled by God's direction.

My prayer is to be faithful, humble, but not shaken by pandemics or 'worse'.  I believe in both the goodness and sovereignty of God, and we are to trust God for this life and the next that He will make all things fair and right in the end. 

​Jeff (thinking deep thoughts with my theological water wings on) Larson
2 Comments
Connie Bowers
4/13/2020 06:43:38 pm

Thank you for this. It is a very needed reminder.

Reply
Elaine McElhaney
4/13/2020 08:53:03 pm

I am struggling with the question of what happens to all these children nowadays whose parents never took them to church. And trying to reach some of them in my limited way.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    The mutterings on life and faith by cartoonist Jeff Larson

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014

    Categories

    All
    4th Of July
    Abraham
    Addiction
    Adoption
    Alcohol
    Angels
    Anger
    Animals
    Anniversary
    Anxiety
    Apostle Paul
    Armor Of God
    Assurance
    Attitude
    Awkward
    Baby
    Bible
    Bible Reading
    Big Bang
    Birth
    Blessings
    Boredom
    Cell Phones
    Christians
    Christmas
    Church
    Coffee
    Cold
    Computers
    Creation
    Creed
    Darkness
    Dating
    Death
    Despair
    Devil
    Diet
    Dogs
    Donkey
    Drinking
    Driving
    Easter
    Education
    Ego
    Elections
    Entertainment
    Eternity
    Evil
    Evolution
    Excuses
    Faith
    Faithful
    Family
    Fathers
    Fear
    Fight
    Fishing
    Follow
    Food And Coffee
    Free Will
    Friends
    Full Armor Of God
    Gender
    Genesis
    Gifts
    God
    God's Love
    God's Word
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Grace And Forgiveness
    Happiness
    Health
    Heaven
    Heaven And Hell
    Heritage
    Holidays
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Honesty
    Hope
    Humlity
    Hunting
    Insurance
    Intolerance
    Jesus
    Jesus Loves Me
    Joy
    Judas
    Judgement
    Justice
    Kindness
    Life
    Light
    Love
    Loving God
    Marriage
    Meditation
    Microagression
    Miracles
    Misc
    Missions
    Moderation
    Money
    Mother
    Music
    New-year
    New Year Resolutions
    Noah
    Obedience
    Obedient
    Old Testament
    Opinions
    Other
    Pain
    Palm Sunday
    Patriotism
    Peace
    Pets
    Politics
    Poor
    Pouting
    Power
    Prayer
    Preachers
    Pregnancy
    Presents
    Prodigal
    Profanity
    Psalms
    Purpose
    Pursuit Of God
    Quiet
    Redeemed
    Redneck
    Repentance
    Rescue
    Resolutions
    Respect
    Ressurection
    Resurrection
    Revival
    Rich
    Right And Wrong
    Running
    Rush Hour
    Safety
    Salvation
    Santa Claus
    School
    Science
    Seat Belts
    Secular
    Seeking God
    Selfish
    Senior Citizens
    Serving
    Serving God
    Sin
    Small Town
    Society
    Spirit Of God
    Sports
    Suffering
    Tax Day
    Technology
    Temple
    Thanksgiving
    Tradition
    Trust
    Trusting God
    Truth
    TV
    Victory
    Video Games
    Voting
    Walk The Talk
    Wealth
    Weary
    Weather
    Winter
    Witness
    Women
    Work
    Worry
    Worship
    Worship God
    Wrong

    RSS Feed

Back Pew - Draw Close to God
116 pages of cartoons of 'Clean Humor & God's Truth'

CRITICS ARE SAYING..
  • The Back Pew (vol 1) offers spiritual insights rarely found in 'most' coloring books.
  • On a good day The Back Pew is.. Gary Larson's The Farside goes to church!
  • On a bad day The Back Pew (vol 1) is still useful under the leg of an uneven coffee table.
Laughter is just a CLICK away
-click- HAHAHAHA! 

$9.99
christian cartoons, the back pew
PERMISSIONS
COMMENTS
DONATE
©2019 Jeff Larson - All Rights Reserved