Love & Mercy!

For Saturday, August 22, 2026:

Romans 9:16 NLT, Paul testifying to the church in Rome: “So it is God who decides to show mercy. We can neither choose it nor work for it.”

God is good. God looked at mankind, his creation, and declared it to be very good. Not that WE were particularly good, but that his act of creation was very good. God loves us and he’s not about to change his mind. God is merciful, loving us in spite of our shortcomings.

If we could earn our way into the Kingdom, no one would make it because the Bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, his goals for mankind. We are saved by grace, undeserved favor. Our faith in God’s sovereignty includes us among the faithful.

But make no mistake. Salvation is a gift from the Almighty. Unlike other religions, we can’t work for God’s acceptance. We can’t earn his love. Our God has chosen us! He’s a merciful God, and believers are the beneficiaries of his kindness and love!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Praise & Worship!

For Sunday, September 29, 2024:

Psalm 150:2 NLT: “Praise God for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!”

If we’re espousing a worship event to honor our Lord, the music and preaching should meet that goal. Let me explain.

A surprising number of so-called “Christian” songs fit God’s value system, but don’t necessarily exalt the majesty of God Almighty. Examples: “I Love My Church,” “The Cross,” and “Bless the Children,” all support Christian ethics, but don’t necessarily worship the majesty of our Creator God.

Similarly, a message encouraging us to live a good life isn’t wrong, but we need to include God and Jesus. A few years ago, some of us sat through a wonderful Father’s Day message about being a good dad. It wasn’t so wonderful when we realized the preacher never once mentioned Jesus!

God is awesome, almighty, the Creator of the universe, eternal, all powerful, omni-present and has knowledge of everything. These items are a good starting point for praise and worship!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship