Creator!

For Wednesday, May 20, 2026:

Colossians 1:17 NLT: “Christ existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.”

The Bible describes Jesus as the firstborn of everything, present before anything else was created. He himself is not a created being. But he was an active participant when our world was created.

We often take much of our world for granted, giving little credit to the creator. Mankind doesn’t generally question commonplace occurrences, but some are actually miracles. We are given air to breathe, with enough oxygen to keep us alive. The Earth’s temperature is perfect for sustaining life, warmed by a sun 93M miles away. We have a seemingly endless supply of water. Rivers carry away pollution, which settles in oceans. Only pure H₂0 evaporates into clouds, wind blows them over our land, raining down fresh water! It’s a genius system!

Gravity holds everything together. Even though the Earth speeds around the sun eight times faster than a speeding bullet, we don’t fly off into space! There are more insects in a square mile than there are humans on the planet! A single human chromosome contains twenty billion bits of information. Won’t fit on my phone, my iPad or my laptop – not even close!

God is very good, even when we don’t fully realize it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God is Good!

For Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Psalm 77:13 NLT: “O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you?”

I believe that every word in the Bible is accurate, but sometimes not true. Psalm 77 is one of those times. This psalmist feels that God has abandoned him, has turned his back. I believe the psalmist is depressed, and truly feels that way. But it’s simply not true that God would leave a person in their time of need. That doesn’t fit the character of God, the God-trend!

By v13, the writer’s tone has changed to acknowledging the goodness of God. Turns out God is good, all the time.

Faith in God fills us with hope.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

New Song!

For Saturday, January 15, 2022

Psalm 98:1a NLT: “Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done wonderful deeds.”

God saw everything that he created and declared it to be “very good!” God continues to love us and help us, and drops extraordinary goodness into our lives, sometimes when we least expect it! That’s the permanent God-trend! God is good, all the time!

But even knowing that God is good, he can still surprise us with a new blessing we didn’t see coming. God follows the God-trend; it’s mankind who is freshly amazed! Sometimes we just have to sing a new song to the Lord!

Knowing that God’s love is never-ending fills us with eternal hope!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Thanksgiving Prep!

For Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Psalm 95:2 NLT: “Let us come to the Lord with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.”

What comes into your mind when you hear the word, “Thanksgiving?” Does the whole family get together? Do you roast a big turkey with dressing and mashed potatoes? The US celebrates Thanksgiving on Nov. 25 this year, one week from tomorrow. You still have time to get ready. Franklin D. Rosevelt established the fourth Thursday in November as our country’s Thanksgiving holiday. It’s both a secular and a sacred celebration.

To believers, Thanksgiving is a time to acknowledge all the good things the Lord has bestowed upon us. We say, “God is good, all the time,” so we should thank Him every day. But with Thanksgiving in mind, perhaps we should do a little extra on that day. Find a few minutes to list all the goodness God has poured into your life, things that keep hope alive.

Then thank Him with your prayer!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Psalm 34

February 22, 2016 Monday Message:

“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!” Psalm 34:8a

David had been through a lot, having to hide from all the people trying to kill him. But the LORD always protected him. David’s had tried living both with and without God, and things always went better when God was involved. So David advises others to do the same: “C’mon, give it a try! Taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Ironically, this solid advice came out of a challenging time for David. He was forced to act like a mad man, a crazy person, before the troublesome king Abimelech, who finally ordered David to get out of town. Turns out that was what David wanted all along, to get out from under that king.

Some people believe that “taste and see” is also a reference to the Eucharist or Holy Communion. We eat bread to remember Jesus’ broken body. We drink from the cup to remember his blood shed to redeem us.

Psalm 34:19 speaks about “the righteous,” which would seem to be all Christian believers, but some translate this as “the righteous ONE,” meaning Jesus, with verse 20 being a reference to the crucifixion. “He keeps all his bones. Not one of them is broken.”

So, like David, give God a try; see how well things work out. “Taste and see that the LORD is good!”

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at 10 am every Sunday in the North end (gym) of the Oliver Ministry Building, 2647 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. This Sunday, Feb. 28, 2016, Pastor Michael Pilla wraps up Romans Ch. 2.