Ascension!

For Thursday, July 23, 2026:

John 16:5-6 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you.”

John documents the life of Jesus, and Jesus knows he is leaving, returning to the Father. He wants all believers to understand that what is happening is not bad news, but good news!

Surprisingly, those listening don’t even ask where he is going, even though he’s told them about the Kingdom of Heaven. Instead of wishing him Godspeed and cheering for the event, the observers retreated into themselves, grieving the loss of their spiritual mentor.

Jesus: “Good news! I’ll be returning to Father God!”

Disciples: “Terrible. I don’t know how we can get along without you. This whole movement will probably die. I might just as well quit and go home!”

Friends, who should be the focus of this story? Jesus! (It’s not about us!) Who should be in the driver’s seat? Jesus! Who should we trust? Jesus, who is always truthful. Jesus, who is God walking alongside us. He’s celebrating being victorious. Jesus is about to conquer sin and death with one unselfish act. Shout ‘Hallelujah’ for the good path God has created!

As we live out the remainder of our earthly lives, let’s remember to keep God in the driver’s seat. He should set our agenda for each day. Do the right things for the right reasons. Do something nice and don’t get caught!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Prayer!

For Wednesday, July 22, 2026:

Matthew 19:13a NLT: “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them.”

What an opportunity, to have the Son of God pray for your children! Having seen the healings and other miracles, a Jesus touch on their children could only be a good thing. Form a line!

Has anyone ever asked that you pray for them? For some, that means add them to your prayer list when you get home. But for others, the request means stop what you’re doing, lay hands on the person, and pray right now. There’s an urgency to their request that we should not ignore. Some people are shy and reluctant to ask for help. We should still pray. That’s what real Christians do.

Some of the disciples thought Jesus was too busy and shouldn’t be bothered by the wee ones. Wrong! Jesus has time for everyone. He said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them!” Other translations say, “Cause the children to come to me,” or, “See that it happens!” As the song says, “Jesus loves the little children!

Praying for others isn’t reserved for Priests or Pastors. All believers can now have the power of prayer. When Jesus was on the cross, the curtain guarding the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom, ending the separation of God from believers. We no longer need an intermediary. Each of us has the power to pray and expect results. Jesus said we should use his name.

If someone has a need you believe God could address, pray for a positive outcome. Others may like what they see and want to join you in prayer. Use Jesus’ name!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Vast Eternal Plan!

For Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

Colossians 2:2 NLT, Paul speaking: “I want all the churches to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself.”

Our own intelligence can get in our way of understanding God’s vast eternal plan. If you’re good at solving problems by logically thinking things through to their obvious conclusion, God’s plan may not seem like the best idea. Let me explain.

Jesus was sent as the spiritual mentor for the world. He is here to get believers back on track. And that one man, Jesus, was opposed by the Pharisees, the Temple leaders and all of the religious establishment. It’s an uphill battle not easily won.

At first glance, it appears that Jesus lost. He died. But right before he gave up his last breath, the sins of the world were heaped upon him, upon God’s Son! He left mankind’s sins in the place of the dead. Believers were forgiven and offered an opportunity for a good life after this life. It all works out in the end, but getting there requires divine intervention. And for us, divine understanding!

Jesus eventually won. He walked away from the tomb three days later!

I’m amazed at the number of devotees sitting in our pews who don’t really understand how God’s plan applies to them. And I’m really, really amazed by how few clergy actually ‘get it.’ They can’t teach what they don’t know, what they don’t believe or what they don’t practice.

Friends, there is only one church, the Church of Jesus the Christ. One thing Jesus stressed was love for one another, loving our neighbors as ourselves. Start by doing what Jesus did, being nice, being kind, helpful and eager to serve others. Paul wants all believers to fully understand God’s mysterious plan in due time. Paul is advising us to have confidence in the Son, who only spoke truth!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Victory!

July 20, 2026, Monday Message:

Romans 8:37 NLT: “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”

Despite all these things: trouble, calamity, persecution, hunger, being destitute, in danger, or even death. That’s the list, but it’s not an exhaustive list. Let’s just call it, “everything that could possibly go wrong!” These may seem like monumental problems, but to a Christian who has a certain life after this life, they’re just minor bumps on our road of life.

The Bible says “victory IS ours,” not “victory WAS ours,” or “victory Will Be ours.” In other words, Jesus has settled the matter ahead of time. Our tribulation becomes a small inconvenience after Jesus. Before we even know that we have a problem, he has the solution all worked out. It’s because of Christ’s love for us, his creations. That love is never-ending. We can always count on this to be true.

Jesus came to earth to bring us home, and he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Jesus himself was victorious, walking away from the tomb after three days. Our eternal future will be victorious if we stick with the Savior and love Him as much as He loves us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Delivered from Demons!

Daily message of hope...

For Sunday, July 19, 2026: 

Luke 6:13 NLT: “The large crowd had come to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed.”

 Jesus and his disciples came down from the mountain after the selection of 12 Apostles. A surprisingly large crowd awaited them. People from all over Israel had gathered both to hear Jesus speak and for healing. Word about Jesus was out!

 Luke, our investigative reporter, took notice that many were healed from diseases and sickness. But many others were delivered from the unclean spirits haunting them. Satan is never on holiday, and constantly sends demons to throw sand into the gears of our lives. Jesus knew this was a first-order problem. People could not be physically healed when evil was side-tracking their lives. We know that divine healing includes the casting out of demons. 

 The crowd tried to get close to Jesus and touch him. Healing power seemed to emanate from him. Jesus isn’t a quitter. The Bible says he healed everyone.

 How many were healed by Jesus? (Say it with me:) “EVERYONE!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church 

Multiply Your Efforts!

For Saturday, July 18, 2026:

Luke 6:12 NLT: “At daybreak Jesus called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be Apostles.”

This is similar to how many things are organized nowadays. Think of the Apostles as department heads, helping to organize the numerous disciples. They fit into the chain of command.

Our military works this way. Enlisted personnel report to a Sargent, who is accountable to a Colonel, who looks up to a General. (I left out a few steps, but you get the idea!)

In the past, I did a lot of work for a bank. There was a president, and then four executive vice-presidents. My contact was in charge of mergers and acquisitions. He didn’t concern himself with tellers, investment strategy or retirement income. He didn’t do checking or savings accounts. He just bought other banks and merged them into the existing operations. I watched the bottom line grow to ten times its previous size through his efforts!

There was only one Jesus, and only 24 hours in a day. The way to multiply his efforts was to send the Apostles to different cities, 2 x 2. That way six more cities could hear the Good News each day. The Apostles would also send out some of the disciples, further increasing the impact. Think of it as the McDonald’s method of evangelism. If we want to sell more hamburgers, we need to have more stores, more locations, more salespeople!

Jesus had many disciples, but only 12 Apostles. You and I are today’s disciples! Are you ready to go out and share the Good News? That’s what Jesus said to do!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Kingdom Assurance!

For Friday, July 17, 2026:

Romans 8:35 NLT: “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?”

The Bible says that God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And it says the same thing about Jesus. God declared everything he created to be “good.” But at the end, after the creation of mankind, he called it “very good.” God has been cheering for mankind since the beginning. That’s the trend, and it continues to this day.

Knowing God doesn’t insulate us from bumps in the road of life. Knowing the Lord is more about finishing strong, about our lives after this life. Jesus walked away from his tomb, proving with certainty that our lives don’t end with human death. So the real question is, in the next life, where will you be spending your time?

If you’re aligned with Jesus, he’ll make a place for you in the Father’s Kingdom. It’s a wonderful place where we’ll know a peace that exceeds our understanding. Like Father, like Son, we are loved. Forever! So, can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? The answer is clearly, “No.”

Have a blessed day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Paid In Advance!

For Thursday, July 16, 2026:

Colossians 1:29 NLT, Paul speaking: “That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.”

After meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was thoroughly convinced. He threw himself into evangelism, telling everyone the Good News and planting new churches wherever God sent him.

But Paul doesn’t think he can do it all by himself. He knows that Christ is working through him to complete heaven’s mission. We also have a divine helper, the Holy Spirit, to be our advocate as we share with others the truth about God, his Son, sin, forgiveness and redemption. Since the Holy Spirit is working alongside us, we’re responsible for the effort, not the outcome. God’s in charge of that!

Paul is working hard to hold up his end of the partnership, as should we. We’ve all been assigned the task of making disciples of all nations. Half-measures won’t get us 50% of the way to the Kingdom! In fact, all-out effort only works when combined with an unshakable belief that Jesus is God’s Son and that his words are the truth. It’s our faith in the Risen Savior that lets us see heaven from the inside!

When I worked in sales, the letters ‘PIA’ on an invoice stood for ‘Paid in Advance!’ There is an invoice due for your sins and my sins, but it’s marked ‘PIA.” Jesus, through his death on the cross, paid the price to redeem mankind from our sin problem. He took those sins to the place of the dead and left them there, never to haunt us again.

Make a decision today to accept Jesus’ gift of forgiveness. Yes, it’s undeserved, but God sometimes does us a solid. Accept the gift with gratitude and a smile!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God's Purpose!

For Wednesday, July 15, 2026:

John 16:2 NLT, Jesus speaking to believers: “You will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.”

In religion, things can get twisted around in unbelievable ways. In this case, those who know the Lord and exalt Jesus are thrown out of the worship center by others who think they know better. They do not! Those on the Jesus team will be killed (martyred) by the misled, who think they’re doing the Lord’s work. They are not!

Let’s use Paul as an example. He was loyal to the law of Moses, trained as a Rabbi, and sought to quash these renegade Jesus worshipers. He asked for a letter from the high priest to capture these Jesus-subversives and deliver them to Jerusalem in chains, or even kill them if chains didn’t work out. But Jesus personally tapped Paul on the shoulder on the road to Damascus. Paul was struck blind until he yielded to Christian baptism! He did a 180º, and became one of Christianity’s biggest supporters!

At the time, Pharisees were the religious elite. But they plotted the killing of Jesus by repeatedly lying. Lying is wrong, but plotting murder is even worse! Power and money kept them from accepting Jesus as the Son of God. They arranged Jesus’ crucifixion, and in a turn of events, Jesus took the sins of the world to the place of the dead, leaving mankind forgiven and able to reconcile with the Father. God used their evil ways for a holy purpose!

I’ve said before that God always wins! He can flip a hopeless situation and use it for his purpose. Jesus, who the Pharisees wanted to kill, is now seated at the right hand of the Father. It seems to be working out for him! And everything is also working out for Jesus’ followers, true believers and disciples like you and me!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

P.S. It’s National Hot Dog Day, in case you’re a little short on nitrites and sodium!

Right Hand Man!

For Tuesday, July 14, 2026:

Romans 8:34 NLT: “Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

Paul is writing to the church in Rome, to those in opposition to the tyranny of the Roman government; in a way, protesters, since the government didn’t have much time for the church. So the ‘us’ he’s writing to is fellow believers, first in Rome, and following the canonization of Paul’s writings, for the faithful everywhere.

Paul asks a rhetorical question: “Who then will condemn us?” Believers should already know the obvious answer. Certainly God won’t condemn us. In fact, he sent his Son to rescue us. And Jesus won’t condemn us. He gave up his earthly life to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. And who is more powerful­ – the creator of the universe or the Roman government? God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is all-powerful. The Romans only think they have power. Their influence is limited and short-term.

There are benefits to joining any organization of like-minded individuals. If joining wasn’t beneficial, no one would ever sign up! Believers have joined the ‘Jesus Team.’ Benefits include fellowship and a sense of community, spiritual education that will serve us well in this life and the next, the Holy Spirit as a helper in this life, and the Father with his Son, pleading for our success from heaven’s throne. They’re our advocates, cheering for us all the time!

Have a blessed day! Stay cool and stay hydrated!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

 Daily message of hope...
July 13, 2026, Monday Message:

Colossians 1:28b NLT, Paul speaking: “We want to present new believers to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.”

When Jesus ascended back to the Father, he left an assignment with the faithful: “Make disciples of all nations.” This task wasn’t only for the pastors or leaders. Jesus was leaving this duty to all members of the first church, The Way. Generation after generation, this project has been passed down to us.

A disciple is one who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. In this case, we’re to share everything that we learned from the Son. Nowadays we study our Bibles to determine what was important to Jesus. Good disciples make more disciples.

Since this mission was assigned by Jesus himself, we should honor him by doing an especially good job. Don’t shirk your responsibility. Do your best. That’s all any of us can do. The Holy Spirit will take care of the rest!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Help When Needed!

For Sunday, July 12, 2026:

Luke 6:10-11 NLT: “Jesus looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, ‘Hold out your hand.’ So the man held out his hand, and it was instantly restored! At this, the enemies of Jesus were wild with rage and began to discuss what to do with him.”

In this scenario, Jesus is teaching the religious elite a lesson in kindness. According to Jesus, every day – even the Sabbath – is the right day to be nice!

Jesus had the power of healing, and as it turns out, this man needed his hand fixed. It could have been next Tuesday or Thursday, but as it was, this was the Sabbath. Jesus wasn’t concerned with what day it was. The important principle is that this man needed help, and Jesus was available. The hand was restored!

Kindness and helpfulness don’t just happen on specific days. The command to love our neighbors doesn’t have any particular day attached to it. Nor should the day of the week preclude being nice!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sabbath Again!

For Saturday, July 11, 2026:

Luke 6:9 NLT: Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”

Saturday is the Jewish Holy Day, so everyone had gathered at the Synagogue. The group included a man with a deformed right hand. At this point, it’s pretty clear that the Pharisees were no fans of Jesus, so this was kind of a trick question. If Jesus healed the man, the Pharisees planned to accuse him of doing work on the Sabbath. After explaining the situation, Jesus healed the man.

Here’s Jesus’ explanation for what happened. While honoring the Sabbath is good, it does not supersede any of God’s other commands, in this case loving your neighbor. Being kind and helpful are always good things to do. Jesus was always doing the next right thing, and this is one more example of that. Our lives should always be modeled after Jesus!

Christians worship on Sunday, the third day after the crucifixion, when Jesus walked away from the tomb, conquering sin and death through the same event.

Q: Is it OK to mow the lawn on Sunday afternoon? A: If it’s just to cross one more thing off your honey-do list, the answer is no. But if it puts a smile on your spouse’s face because they like the yard neat and tidy, do it for them. Show pride in ownership and gratitude for the house and yard God gave you. Take good care of it. Joke with God about why the landscaping barely grows but grass doubles in volume each week! (God likes a good pun, I think!) Then take the kids to a pool, a splash pad, or just let them run through the sprinkler in the yard. Make the Sabbath a fun day for everyone!

God gave you the spouse, the children, the house, the yard and the Sabbath. Enjoy everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Faith!

For Friday, July 10, 2026:

John 16:1 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.”

Believers are saved by grace through faith. Grace is undeserved favor, a gift from our Creator. Faith is a perpetual belief that Jesus is who he claimed to be and that he can and will do everything he said. He warned the faithful about imminent persecution. Life wasn’t going to be easy. But Jesus always spoke the truth. Being God, one-third of the Holy Trinity, he could not do otherwise.

When others come down on believers, we could easily become discouraged. Jesus is trying to prevent that. When bad things happen to good people, believers don’t give up. We know that this is “prophecy playing out, just as Jesus told us.”

Our reward comes in the life after this life. When we die and stand before judgment, Jesus has our sins covered. He went ahead to prepare a place for us in his Father’s Kingdom.

So in a weak moment, don’t abandon your eternal gift. Ill-treatment on earth is for just a brief moment, but your heavenly residence is forever. Stick with Jesus!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Rescue Plan!

For Thursday, July 9, 2026:

Romans 8:33 NLT: “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.”

Who can stand in God’s presence? Certainly not anyone with a sin history! To make that so, the Son and his Father first chose believers. Then, knowing that sin and holiness cannot coexist, Jesus personally took the sins of the world to the place of the dead and left them there. A further check into the Book of Life will find believers’ names inscribed, and the column titled ‘Sin’ will be empty. No scratch-outs, no erasure marks, just blank white space. In the official record of our life on earth, it will appear that we never sinned.

That’s not quite true, and to be honest, Jesus has to keep on his toes! By nature, mankind will sin again. But now, having a relationship with the Almighty, mankind will be sorry and repent, and Jesus will be quick to forgive, keeping our flawless record intact.

If anyone questions this, they’re not just doubting man; they’re doubting God himself. Never forget that God’s desire is for all to repent and return. He doesn’t want to lose a single soul! And God always gets his way!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Sabbath!

For Wednesday, July 8, 2026:

Luke 6:5 NLT, Jesus, answering the Pharisees: “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath.”

Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man.” He is the Son of God, but born into this Earth as a man, hence this description. Being God’s Son, one-third of the Holy Trinity, and heaven’s only earthly representative, he has every right to be “Lord of the Sabbath,” God’s designated Holy day of rest.

The Pharisees had memorized God’s Commandments, often called the Law of Moses because God delivered them to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The first four commandments are about our relationship with God, while the next six talk about our interaction with our fellows. (There are actually 613 commandments!) I summarize the Law like this: Love God, and love your neighbor! Simple, right-to-the-point.

Pharisees honored God, but didn’t get the “love your neighbor” part. Instead of teaching their followers the right way to live, they preferred to catch them doing something wrong and punishing them. The commandment in question here is, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” They defined that as doing no manual labor on the Holy day.

The disciples were walking near the edge of a grain field, and found some stalks left unharvested. You could roll the grain in your fingers, remove the husk, and eat the inside. They were accused of working on the Sabbath. I don’t see that as any worse than if somebody left a tray of nuts on my table, and I quick grabbed a few for the drive to church. Speaking of which, is driving a car to church a kind of prohibited labor? Chassidic Jews don’t drive on their Holy day!

I don’t picture God splitting hairs on this, i.e. rigid enforcement. In our minds, we are to hold a “special” place for the Sabbath, remembering our Creator. After worship, a Sabbath day should be family time. God also wants us to use common sense. If we’re driving home from church and see a single mom with three kids and a flat tire, should we stop and change the tire for her? Even though that’s work? Yes, we should always be kind, helpful and do the next right thing. Loving our neighbors isn’t optional, and God will view your helpfulness as honoring His commands!

Jesus attended his Synagogue on the Sabbath. He would be called upon to teach, preach and read from the scrolls! Most of those present hadn’t learned to read or write, so they appreciated Jesus’ skill. Jesus even healed on the Sabbath, which got him in a lot of trouble with those Pharisees, but that’s another story. For now, “Love God and love your neighbor!”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Warning!

For Tuesday, July 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:28a NLT, Paul speaking: “We tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.”

Spending eternity in paradise sounds ideal. The alternative is unthinkable. On the road to Damascus, Jesus personally called Paul into service. Jesus said that all believers, Paul included, should share the Good News of salvation through the Son. Paul’s unique testimony includes a warning about what happens if you are not given a home in God’s Kingdom.

Christianity is largely built on attraction. We share the benefits, the good parts, of following Jesus. We encourage people to join a fellowship community, an association of like-minded souls with their eyes on heaven.

But some people need to hear the bad stuff too. What is our lot if we are NOT with Jesus? Imagine living near the lake of fire, forever! Imagine looking across a great chasm, seeing people on the other side living a good life, and knowing that you can never cross over. For me, the eternal separation would be the greatest penalty.

Paul warns people of the bad things coming for those who don’t know Jesus. But then he teaches the good stuff, the benefits of knowing the Savior. People have been warned. Now let them choose wisely. We’ve shared all the information needed to make an intelligent decision!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Spiritual Healing!

July 6, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Yesterday, we looked at physical illness and Jesus’ part in physical healing. Today, spiritual healing is our focus.

Friends, Satan isn’t on vacation. His mission is to disrupt our lives, to instigate turmoil, and he’s good at it. His little demons are constantly putting sand in the gears of our lives. Our ‘machine’ may still run, but not nearly as well!

Spiritual neglect oftentimes results in physical illness, so it can be confusing. In such a case, Doctor Jesus is the only answer. When Jesus would heal people, he’d also cast out the demons at the root of their problem. Demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God, hence their fear of him. Jesus authorized believers to use his name when dealing with such a problem, so we should do that.

With the Son of God on our side, Satan doesn’t stand a chance!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church