Humble!

For Sunday, March 22, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:6 NLT: Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!”

Playing a guessing game with God is not fun. God, as you know, already has all the answers! Put yourself in Samuel’s shoes. You meet one of Jesse’s sons, Eliab, and ask, “Is this the one?”

The Bible doesn’t tell us what made Eliab attractive. Was he the tallest? The oldest? The best-looking? Hair most like John, Paul, George and Ringo? “No,” said God. “He’s not the one,” with no further explanation given.

What about the next sons, Abinadab and Shimea, and four more, as all of Jesse’s sons were presented. “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

So Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?”

There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” Logic would expect God’s choice to be the eldest, the one who has lived long enough to have gained the wisdom of the world. Last place would go to the kid looking after a few sheep.

God explains: “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God doesn’t desire words from your mouth or actions only designed to impress others. God wants to know what’s truly in your heart. Do you honestly love the Lord and love your neighbor? Are you willing to go where God sends you, and willing to do what he sends you to do? How is your heart, really?

God says that we must come to him like little children, innocent, with open minds. Humble is the word of the day. If you think you have it all together, you probably don’t. If you think you’re the pièce de résistance, your mind is already made up and God probably can’t help you. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.”

Selecting the next leader for the Promised Land requires a great deal of discernment. God knows what he’s doing. Remember, the first will be last, and the last will be first.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

God Intervenes!

For Saturday, March 21, 2026:

1 Samuel 16:1 NLT: Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

God no longer favored Saul as Israel’s king (a problem of Saul’s own making.) It was time for a change of regime. God wanted to anoint a new king, and he had someone specific in mind. He sent Samuel, a Holy man and Prophet, to do the anointing.

Samuel hesitates. “If Saul finds out, he’ll kill me!”

As you might expect, God has a plan to keep everyone safe. “Bring a heifer, and tell everyone you’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and go home with him. One of his sons is to be the next king! I’ll show you which son to anoint.” God’s not against deception and a little white lie if it keeps everyone safe and furthers his cause!

Our God, omniscient and omnipresent, always knows what’s going on. He knew all of Saul’s deceptions and schemes. He knew when it was time to set things right.

God still has those same perceptive powers nowadays. He knows what Russia is doing to Ukraine. He knows what China is doing to Taiwan. He knows what Iran is doing to its neighbors, a false god retaliating against our Creator God. I pray that God would step up and settle these matters, but only He knows the best time.

We’d be better off having God anoint leaders for our world!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Love vs Hate!

December 22, 2025, Monday Message:

John 15:24 NLT, Jesus speaking: “If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.”

People are fickle. Their attitudes toward others swing back and forth like a pendulum. We excitedly welcome a new baby, but may grow to hate them later in life. Sometimes that behavior is justified; sometimes, not.

On the church calendar, we draw close to Christmas, celebrating the birth of our savior. Believers had waited over 700 years for the prophesied Messiah. Angels told us that Jesus was the one! God doesn’t send His Messenger Angels on a fool’s errand. If the message is heaven-sent, it’s true!

Here’s what’s odd. Fishermen, laborers and even a tax collector became believers. Priests, religious teachers and Temple leaders never got on the Jesus bandwagon. They weren’t prepared to worship a triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That concept was new, a deviation from their present theology. They thought they had it all figured out. They did not!

I believe power and money stood in the way of a sound decision. Yes, Jesus taught at the Temple, but only in the outer courtyards. He was never accepted into the inner circle of Temple leadership. Furthermore, if Jesus taught and people brought tithes, they were supporting Jesus and his disciples, not the Temple treasury.

Jesus is declaring unbelievers guilty, guilty of not using their eyes, ears and the brain God gave them. If you consider all the miracles and healings performed by Jesus, there is only one logical conclusion: That Jesus is indeed the heaven-sent Messiah. We later discern that he is the Son of God, and his mission is the rescue of mankind.

Today is the accepted day to commit or re-commit yourself to following and believing in God’s Son Jesus. If you consider all the well-documented evidence, you can only reach one conclusion: That Jesus is the key to life after this life. He was sent by the Father to bring us home!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

For Thursday, September 18, 2025:

John 13:36 NLT: “Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”

And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”

Jesus gave Peter an answer, but the answer didn’t fit the question. In this exchange, Jesus never said where he was going. Jesus wisely avoided topics that most people wouldn’t understand. Remember that at that time, there was debate over life-after-this-life. Pharisees thought it was possible, but didn’t know much about it. Sadducees didn’t believe in a hereafter, so it was a dead topic with them. Jesus knew exactly what was to happen, but the true scenario would seem impossible to most people. Dying, going to the place of the dead, back to life in 3 days – doesn’t seem logical. Doesn’t seem possible!

Jesus challenges Peter with a prophecy: “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Simon Peter – I call him Mr. Impulsive – shouts out, “Not me, Lord! I would never forsake you. I would be willing to die for you!” Dying in support of Jesus would be good, but dying unnecessarily would be bad.

In the courtyard: “Didn’t I see you with Jesus earlier today?”

Peter: “Nah, couldn’t have been me. You got the wrong guy!”

In the courtyard: “I think I recognize you. Aren’t you one of the 12?”

Peter: “You’re thinking of someone else. I’m from out of town!”

In the courtyard: “You were talking to Jesus earlier, over by the fire.”

Peter: “You keep talking about Jesus. I’ve never even met the guy!”

Rooster: Cock-a-doodle-doo!!!

Some folks call Peter a coward or say that he abandoned Jesus. Yes, he saved his own skin, but I prefer to line that up with God’s vast eternal plan. You see, God had already earmarked Peter to lead the disciples following the resurrection. He was the point-person for the first Christian church, The Way. Peter needed to stay alive to do the work God had given him to do! God gave Peter purpose.

If you’re not dead, you’re not done! Peter lived to fulfill God’s purpose for his existence. We all live to fulfill God’s purpose for us. We can love our neighbors, serve others, love our Lord and encourage others to love him too. That’s our mission; that’s our assignment.

Without purpose, it may be our time to leave the planet. (Just my opinion.)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Pentecost – God's Day!

For Wednesday, June 4, 2025:

Acts 2:6 NLT: “When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.”

On the Day of Pentecost, God created a loud sound like a roaring wind. The Jewish visitors who had pilgrimaged to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost were a curious lot, and had to check it out. They were met by believers, most of whom were from Galilee. The visitors were amazed and confused to hear the believers speaking their own languages! At least that was their perception.

Logic tells me that the disciples, many of whom were simple fishermen, didn’t instantly learn new languages. Besides, the visitors were from all over Asia Minor. How many languages could one person muster? The truth is that this was a God thing. It’s as if God filled the air with a universal translator, giving each visitor the ability to understand what was being said. Simon Peter only spoke one language, but he was working with the Holy Spirit. That’s the big difference!

Speaking of Simon Peter, he was the one who denied Jesus three times on the night before the crucifixion. That was to save his own skin. But believe it or not, that too was a God thing. God had preselected Peter to lead the believers after Jesus’ ascension. God needed Peter alive and well to fulfill Peter’s calling in God’s vast eternal plan!

It was speech-making day for Peter, but he had nothing new to share. He would reiterate what Jesus and John-the-Baptist had said: “Repent and return to the Lord, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” Many in the audience had shouted, “Crucify him,” on Good Friday. But now they’re having second thoughts about what had happened. God had opened their minds to see the truth. It was time for a mass moment of “repent and return!”

What an exciting day to be on the “Jesus Team!” We need another Pentecost in our country and in our world. Sooner rather than later should be our preference!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Leadership!

November 4, 2024 Monday Message:

1 Samuel 16:1 NLT: “Now the Lord said to Samuel, … ‘Find a man named Jesse, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.’”

The favored son turned out to be David, the shepherd-boy who eventually conquered Goliath and rose to prominence in Israel. God planned the whole thing!

David was not perfect. You see, God must choose our leaders from the mankind-pool, a flawed, sinful supply! But God will often choose someone who is redeemable, someone who will repent and return to the Lord. You can read about David repenting in Psalm 51.

Tomorrow is election day in the US, and my prayer is that God will have his hand on the election. Compare the candidates with how Jesus lived his life and with God’s commands in the Bible. Don’t vote on just a single issue. Rather consider the entire scenario, the big picture. Whoever is the best fit should get your vote. Ultimately, God will have his way.

Realize that corrupt, immoral leaders can be a judgment on an imperfect nation! Yikes!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Joyful Noise!

For Tuesday, October 8, 2024:

Psalm 100:1 ESV: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!”

We continue our discussion of worship today. The question often comes up concerning in which key the song should be sung. The key doesn’t matter as much as the range of the melody. If we’re asking people to sing along, as worship leaders we need to make sure that’s possible!

Churches missed the boat on this one for years! Hymnals are written SATB – soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The soprano melody would be too high for most people to sing. And most of the congregation doesn’t actually read music, so the harmony parts don’t count for much. Nowadays, most of us use contemporary worship music, so let’s look at that.

Most women will prefer an alto range. Soprano gets way too high for most, just as second alto is far too low. Similarly, male voices prefer a baritone range, not a high tenor or a basement bass. If we look at a treble clef staff (with men singing an octave lower), there’s really only one good octave of singable notes for everyone, from Bb to Bb. Below that, many people bottom out of range. Above that, women switch from chest voice to head voice, which is like falsetto for men. The tone can change drastically, and some women simply can’t go there. Most men can sing a bit higher, but they’re pushing, kind of shouting, which works for a lead singer on stage. But most men in a congregation won’t sing that hard. It matters not if a male or female is leading the song on the platform. It deserves to be in a congregation-singable key.

Settle on musician-friendly keys. Move things a half-step up or down if it makes sense. For example, B major has 5 sharps, which is just asking for mistakes. A half-step up would be C, a key with no sharps or flats and can be played in first position on a guitar. Down a half-step would be Bb, the most common key if you have a horn section. Try to simplify things so everyone on your team can easily do their best.

I’ve noticed a lot of songs lately that start with the singer croaking out low tones in the basement range, barely able to sing. Then later the melody jumps up an octave, which sounds great and adds energy to the performance. I really like that, but I’m not a fan of the ragged performance at the beginning. Just my opinion. Not only can’t the singers sing it very well that way, but the congregation doesn’t stand a chance!

God gave each of us unique gifts and talents. Recognize that your talents may be different from the next person’s. So it’s not only OK, but also a good idea to adjust things to fit your team’s skills. That’s good leadership. When we offered our personal services to our worship teams, none of us signed up to join a Chris Tomlin cover band. (Insert name of your favorite Christian group.) We each have our own level of talent, our own style and our own personality. So let YOUR gifts shine through, so that your worship team can be the best that it can be!

Put your God-given resources to use! A little more on worship tomorrow!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Shepherd!

For Sunday, June 23, 2024:

1 Peter 2:25 NLT: “Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.”

I like sheep. I think they’re cute animals, soft and woolly, but incredibly stupid! Sheep would forget to eat if the shepherd didn’t lead them to where new grass was growing. Sheep would forget to drink water unless the shepherd led them past the pond. Sheep can wander up a ravine, hit a dead end, and not know how to get back out!. Sheep wander away from the herd, because, just like the saying, the grass is always greener somewhere else!

Sheep need a shepherd and mankind need a solid leader. Thank God we know about Jesus the Christ! We can follow him anywhere, and he will keep us safe and well fed. When this life ends, he will prepare a place for believers in his Father’s house. Then we’ll eternally enjoy our shepherd!

What someone commits to being a Christian, their life should change – a lot! This should be a change for the better. We call it a radical transformation, the difference between someone living a sinful life and someone following their new shepherd, Jesus.

Jesus is the only way. He teaches us only truth, and the life he offers is eternal. Jesus wants to be your shepherd! You need one!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Called!

For Tuesday, May 21, 2024:

Ephesians 5:8 NLT: “Once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”

"All you have to do is change everything!” Does that sound simple to you, or quite complicated? When a person becomes a Christian, a radical transformation should take place. Rather than sin, the Christian now takes the high road. Rather than living in darkness, Christians now live in the light! An observer who knew the old person might not recognize the new person! That’s OK!

The change we see isn’t just for the sake of change. It’s a change for the better. Because our sins have been forgiven and we have an inside track to the hereafter, there should be more joy on our faces! By loving one another, everyone will know that we are Christians!

Jesus didn’t forgive you so you could mope around being earnestly pious. Jump for joy! The Bible says that we should share the Good News with everyone, that we should make disciples of all nations. In other words, teach Jesus’ redeeming truth to those who don’t look like you and don’t speak like you.

The Bible speaks of the “priesthood of all believers,” a priest simply being a religious leader or teacher. In the Old Testament, priests followed in the tradition of the tribe of Levi or the priest Melchizedek. Christians follow Jesus. You’re a priest, a Christian leader, if Jesus says you are. Churches don’t make pastors; Jesus ordains Christian leaders!

Are you called?

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Peter Denying Jesus!

For Saturday, March 02, 2024:

Mark 14:29 NLT: “Peter declared, ‘Even if all others fall away, I will not.’”

Peter will fall away that very night. Scripture predicts that if the shepherd is struck, the sheep will scatter. Timing is important. Jesus says this will occur before the rooster crows, which signals a new sunrise. So in the few hours remaining in that day, Peter will deny the Savior he loves.

In the courtyard, it was dark. Jesus had already been arrested and the guards didn’t want any more trouble. So Peter was asked, “Aren’t you one of the 12?” To save his own skin, Peter denied it. And again, “Didn’t I see you with him the other day?”

Peter answered, “No, that wasn’t me.” He was believed.

And the rooster crowed!

God knows what he’s doing. With Jesus returning to the Father, the disciples would need a strong leader. Peter fit the job description, a little impulsive maybe, but he was the default leader when Jesus wasn’t with the believers. So by denying Jesus, Peter was preserved for future heavenly assignments.

Of course, when Peter denied the Lord, he was lying. It’s a rare exception when God says it’s OK to deceive others, to tell lies. We are not supposed to tell fibs. But leadership for “The Way” was God’s goal, and this made it happen.

God knows what he’s doing, and today we all get to be a part of it! But don’t you lie and don’t you deny Jesus. You’re not Peter!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sheep Need a Shepherd!

March 6, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 9:36 NLT: “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Those who heard Jesus speak were a puzzle. They seemed to believe in God and were obediently at the synagogue, but they learned little and were headed nowhere. They gathered like sheep in a herd, but without a shepherd to lead them. Jesus was sent to change all that!

With the arrival of Jesus we have the “New Covenant,” God’s plan for forgiveness and redemption. Eternity in heaven was now achievable for all who would repent and return and claim Jesus as their Savior!

Jesus never wrote out a mission statement, but I believe it was to spread that Good News of the New Covenant to as many people as possible, and then to personally be the sacrifice for mankind’s sins, paying our penalty and thereby making heaven possible for repentant sinners.

Paul wrote that we should keep our eyes on the prize, and for us that’s eternity in God’s presence – heaven! Each of us needs to personally claim the gift Jesus prepared for us!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship