Trust in the Lord!

For Thursday, May 28, 2026:

Romans 8:28 NLT: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

Trust. We are called to trust in the Lord, even when we don’t understand what’s going on. Only God can see the big picture, how things will turn out next week, next month, or even generations from now. Our job is not to question the Lord, but to trust in Him!

Believers are born again into the Holy family. We become sons and daughters of the Most High God. Jesus taught us to think of God as “Our Father,” an extremely good Father. Parents naturally love their children and desire only the best for them. God may answer your requests, “Yes, no, or not just yet!” Though we may not realize it at the time, God’s answers are always what’s best for us!

That’s a given in Christianity, that God’s mind is focused on giving believers the best. So today’s question is, “Do we trust God?” He always wants the best for us, even if we don’t understand it at the time. God can even take Satan’s mischief and turn it in our favor!

Thank the Lord for taking believers under his wing and for always delivering what’s best for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Goodbye Law!

For Friday, January 30, 2026:

Romans 6:15 NLT: “Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!”

The Law enters people into a contest. Can we do enough good to outweigh the bad? Can we do enough good to qualify for heaven? Christianity doesn’t work like that. We are no longer under the Law.

Believers are living under grace. Our salvation is God’s free gift to us. His desire is to include us in his eternal heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, if we confess our wrongdoings and declare allegiance to the Son who took away our sin, we will be fully forgiven. Heaven won’t be filled with perfect people. Heaven will be filled with forgiven people. “I once was lost, but now I’m found.” God’s love and grace bring us home. Jesus said so!

I work with church musicians, and our goal is to bring our best to the Lord and the other believers. Mistakes will happen from time to time, but if everyone is doing their best, I can’t complain. I encourage grace for one another, and forgiveness. That’s what Jesus would do! God wants our love and offers us grace, undeserved favor, and forgiveness.

Pray and thank God for his grace and forgiveness, and always do your best for the Lord!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Sing To the Lord!

For Wednesday, October 9, 2024:

Jeremiah 20:13 NLT: “Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! For though I was poor and needy, he rescued me from my oppressors.”

Jesus can rescue you from physical, earthly problems, like being poor and needy. And Jesus can stifle your oppressors and buy you some breathing room. If you trust in Jesus, he can also solve your spiritual dilemmas, freeing you from sin and preparing a place for you in the hereafter. That’s why he deserves our praise and worship!

So let’s wrap up our discussion of worship. Q: Are you singing TO the congregation, or leading so that THEY can sing songs of praise? I was taught to maintain 2 different song lists, one for each of those categories. The songs we LEAD – that the congregation sings – are the ones we use in our church service, like hymns in traditional worship. Songs that we sing TO the congregation are used as pre-service walk-in music, offertory, sermon support and exit music. A sermon support song is about a specific topic, reinforcing the message and scripture for the day.

All our music for church should be the best that it can be. We strive for excellence, but keep in mind that there’s a fine line between striving for excellence and OCD. Some days things will go better than others. That’s gonna happen. The important thing is that everyone tries, that everyone gives 100%. After all, this is for the Lord! If everyone tries their best and the performance doesn’t work out, I don’t chew anybody out. That performance is over – it’s history! After all, they gave their best. But next time we hit the platform, we will again give it our best, and it will go better!

As we’re rehearsing music, making suggestions and corrections, someone always comments, “It’s not a show.” True, but we have a program to lead, and it starts at 10AM! (Insert your own number.) People will be coming in, and newcomers will be getting their first impression of our church, and as the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression! As we present Jesus to everyone present, we need to make a strong, positive presentation, creating the impression that we’re happy to be there and that we’ve really got it together. We’re praying that newcomers like what they see, and that they would want to become a part of our church family.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Well Done!

For Friday, April 26, 2024:

Colossians 3:23 NLT: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”

We all have earthly work to do. Paul is saying that each of us should endeavor to be the best at our tasks.

Some job descriptions are unique. If you’re a dad, be the best father that you can be for your family. No one else fits that job description as father of your family. Same for moms.

If you work for someone else, do your best. Do a good job. Don’t do shoddy work. It matters not if you work in a field or at a bank. The person paying you should get their money’s worth!

Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance a reward for your time on earth, and that the Master you are truly serving is Christ.

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship