Heavenly Home!

For Friday, May 29, 2026:

John 15:19 NLT, Jesus speaking: “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”

When we were children, most of us lived where our parents lived. But as believers, we’ve been adopted into the Holy Family. So, question: Where does Our Father reside?Kingdom, 

Our Father reigns over a magnificent Kingdom. (By definition, a Kingdom has a King!) His Son, Jesus, sits beside him. He prepared a place in that Kingdom with your name on it. Know that as a believer, you are now registered as a resident of the Kingdom. We have a temporary visa to visit planet earth on a mission trip to share the Gospel with others. It’s a fun assignment, working around good people with good attitudes and good values. Smile as you go about your long-term assignment today!

The earth is not our home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Restoration!

April 20, 2026, Monday Message:

John 14:23 NLT, Jesus speaking: “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.”

As his ministry wraps up, Jesus wants to reassure the believers of what’s coming next. First off, there IS life after this life. Death is not the end! Jesus said so, so we know it’s true!

As Christians, we talk of dying and going to heaven, but my Bible says that’s kind of temporary. At the end of this age, God will create the New Heaven and the New Earth. By then, mankind will have really messed up the planet, and God will be the restorer, putting things back to the way they were designed. I’m thinking “Garden of Eden” specs, but only God knows what needs to be done.

The fully restored New Earth isn’t for all mankind. It’s a sanctuary for believers only. Everyone who lives here will have the same God. There will be no false gods. Mankind will all be on the same page, so to speak. There are no more wars. Everyone will love their neighbor. We will know shalom, the peace of God that surpasses our current understanding.

Jesus says, “We will come and make our home with them.” In other words, we’re not going somewhere to live with God. God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is going to walk the earth alongside us! God has it all planned, and it will be marvelous, beyond all expectations!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Father's House!

Dear followers of Monday Message/Daily Message of Hope: I’ve been out of the US for about a week, with spotty, irregular phone/internet service. Messages were sent each day, but many were not delivered or were delivered late/on the wrong days. Experience tells me that those with Apple phones fared better than those with Androids. This should self-correct as I’m back on US soil. Thank you for your patience, and for opting “IN” to receive the daily messages. Please tell a friend, or send me their cell number for a once-a-day ping based on God’s truth. If you wish to be removed from the list, let me know as well.

Blessings, Pastor Norton

For Tuesday, March 3, 2026:

John 14:2 NLT, Jesus speaking: “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?“

Before returning to the Father, Jesus poses a rhetorical question. His question answers a lot of our questions!

Nowadays, believers accept the fact that there’s a life after this life. Death is not the end. Believers look forward to an eternity in paradise in God’s heavenly Kingdom. But 2K years ago, people weren’t sure. The Sadducees didn’t believe in an afterlife. Pharisees thought it might be possible, but couldn’t say for certain.

The important point here is that Jesus knew that there was life after this life. Jesus! He put his name on the line, attesting to what he knew to be true. After all, he had been present at creation. He knew he was on a mission trip to earth, sent at the Father’s direction. And when his work here was finished, he intended to go back home. After all, he had promised to prepare a place there so that the loyal believers could join him in paradise. Jesus needed to leave first.

In the next reality, we’ll spend a great deal of time praising God. He chose to rescue us while we were still sinners and include us in the “saved” group. Extinguishing our light forever would have been the painful alternative, and God didn’t want that. After all, we’re made in His image!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

The Best is Yet to Come!

For Sunday, February 15, 2026:

Hebrews 13:14 NLT: “This world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.”

If only we could more clearly see the future! The Bible is truth. It tells us not only what happened, but also what lies ahead. History is interesting and important, but we can do nothing to alter what has already transpired. So it might be more beneficial to spend more time on Jesus’ words about what is to come. That’s something that we can change and make better!

Interesting sidebar: I’ve found that most Christians could retell a reasonably accurate version of the Christmas story with only a couple of missteps. They’ve sat through a number of Christmas pageants! The same group isn’t so clear about creation. Some know the Bible version, but don’t necessarily believe all of it. But when I teach about life after this life, I get a lot of blank stares. Our churches seem to teach a lot about what has happened, and very little about what is to come. Friends, I believe that we need to be prepared for the future!

Here’s the deal: If you’re alive today but headed in the wrong direction, there’s still time to set things right. By recasting our behavior, we can positively improve our place in eternity. We can join the group that calls Jesus the Lord and Savior of their lives. We can pray for Jesus to forgive our sins, wipe our slates clean and prepare a place for us in the hereafter. Eternity is a very long time! We want to be in the right place!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Reciprocal Love!

For Thursday, December 4, 2025

Romans 5:5b NLT: “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

Love is reciprocal. Bi-directional. God loves us so much that it becomes easy to love him back. So put the Lord up on a pedestal and add worship to your lives in abundance!

God’s timing is always perfect. When mankind was floundering, he sent Jesus to rescue us. Now that Jesus has returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit has been sent to be our helper and our advocate. As children of God, Heaven is where we belong. Eventually. God is trying to make it easy for us to come home. The Holy Spirit will guide us. Home is where when you go there, theyhave to let you in!

 When we become believers, we’re adopted into the family of God. We receive the rights, privileges and benefits of being a family member. We can inherit salvation! As we transition from this life to the next, Jesus will be there to welcome us with open arms. Jesus is the light of the world, and we should always pursue light, not darkness.

I wish churches would teach more about the Holy Spirit. He’s one-third of the Trinity, but seems to be on the short end of receiving screen time. Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations, but I don’t think I could ever do that on my own. The Earth is just too big! But a team with each member possessing different God-given gifts and talents can bring Jesus’ goal into focus.

Can you heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons? By yourself, no. With the Holy Spirit, maybe, if it fits with God’s purpose and timetable. For example, if someone is dying because God is calling them home, we should leave well enough alone. But if someone is dying because demons are disrupting things, we should cast out the demon(s) and heal the illness. God’s way is always the right way! The Holy Spirit will help!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. He’s already loving you back!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Home Eternal!

For Tuesday, November 4, 2025:

Hebrews 11:16 NLT: “God’s people were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has (already) prepared a city for them.”

People should always want to advance, to do better. Thinking that life can just settle in one place is lazy thinking. The truth is, we’re either moving closer to God or backsliding. Close to God should be our goal!

God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) created a lot more than inanimate objects. There are plants, animals and finally, human beings. After we were created, God declared the results to be “very good.” In fact, God loves us. He said so. His desire is that none would perish, that all would repent and return. When mankind got off track, he sent Jesus to take away our sins. He wants us to appear sinless so that we can join him in the next reality. There is a special place prepared for believers. We have a reservation in Heaven’s hotel! God said so!

It will please the Lord to have believers join him in the hereafter!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Father's House!

September 22, 2025, Monday Message:

John 14:2 NLT, Jesus speaking: “There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?”

Jesus had been saying that he would soon return to the Father, and believers could go with him! So a natural question would be, “Just how big is your Father’s house?”

To gauge their mindset, we need to understand the times. 2K years ago, many people spent their lives living out of a large tent. It kept the rain off of them, was a place to sleep and was somewhat portable if they needed to move. Those who owned land had a small, one-room residence, often with usable space on the roof. Since the Sinai was so hot, it felt good to relax on the roof and catch a breeze. They cooked outdoors.

But Jesus isn’t talking about any of those things. He’s speaking of the “Kingdom of Heaven,” not a tent or a building, but an entire Kingdom! Friends, there will be plenty of room for all who are included! Jesus said that he will prepare a special place for each of us. Think of it like moving into an apartment, and finding that your name is already on the door! Of course, God is a spirit being, and our souls, our spirits will be welcomed into that reality. Our God of provision will see to it that we have everything we need.

Jesus counsels us, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” A worship song sings about a “big, big house with many, many rooms.” That’s our heavenly Father’s house! That’s where believers are headed – to God’s mansion in the sky!

Everything will be all right in the end. If it’s not all right, it’s not the end! God will see to everything!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Agape Love!

For Saturday, February 11, 2023:

Matthew 7:9 NIV, Jesus speaking: “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?”

It’s been said that home is where when you go there, they have to let you in. No matter what! That’s unconditional love, which the New Testament calls agape love, not to be confused with sexual love or brotherly love. Agape is the highest form of love, the love of God for mankind and our love for our Lord. It’s similar to the love a parent has for their children. We love our children unconditionally, in spite of their faults.

Jesus teaches us to think of God as our Father in heaven, and he’s saying here that if we pray for bread, God will not give us a stone. If we pray for a fish, God won’t give us a snake. Parents forgive their offspring’s shortcomings and always want them to have the best. God is good – all the time!

"To all who believed Jesus and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Not from a physical birth or plan, but reborn according to God’s grace, adopted into the Holy family, beneficiaries of agape love - forever!

We’re all family now!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship