Joy!

For Tuesday, May 5, 2026:

John 15:11 NLT, Jesus speaking: “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”

Jesus spent a lot of his time teaching the faithful. He wanted everyone to know how his Father expects them to live. He states unchangeable principles such as honesty and truth. And he foretells the future, wanting believers to have hope.

Many things will happen to fulfill God’s plan, things that may be confusing. Jesus wants to clear things up and let everyone know what to expect. One example is that mankind’s sins will be forgiven, taken away as if they never happened. That sounds good, but the human side of Jesus will die in the process, and that sounds bad. The truth is that everything is good that lines up with God’s plan. Seeing God’s plan come to fruition should bring us joy.

Happiness can be fleeting, but the joy of the Lord comes from substance. Happiness results from circumstances, and the circumstances around you are forever changing. Interestingly, “circumstance” is the same root word as “circus!” Does your life have three rings and a bear on a bicycle? That’ll put a smile on your face, make you happy, but nothing of substance, nothing that really matters lives there. When the bear falls off the bike, the smile falls off your face.

Not so with the joy of the Lord. God gives us a new day each morning and fills us with joy! We read God’s word in the Bible, and that reinforces our joy! We meet our friends and coworkers – more joy! God’s joy is permanent, something that matters, something of substance. It was God’s plan to rescue repentant believers. He took us under his wing, adopted us into the holy family, and that’s forever! We can look forward to living in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom in the place Jesus has prepared for us, where joy abounds!

We can decide how to live our lives – substance or circumstances, God’s way or the world’s way, fleeting happiness or rock solid joy. Choose wisely!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Family business!

For Friday, August 4, 2023:

Romans 4:13 NLT: “Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on Abraham’s obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith.”

No one other than Jesus has ever followed 100% of God’s Laws. So our relationship with God and our salvation is based on love, forgiveness and faith. We need to realize not only the power of God but how much he loves us. With that love comes forgiveness and second chances. That is grace, our gift from God.

Mankind’s part of this equation is to love the Lord, repent when we are wrong and have faith that we will be forgiven. God’s love for us is unchanging, and our love for him should be unchanging too.

Our salvation comes not from being perfect – no one could ever achieve that – but from having a right relationship with our Lord. Jesus told us to think of God as “Our Father in heaven,” and we’re to love our Father. And like any good parent, God loves his children. Remember that if children misbehave, they’re disciplined but they’re still in the family!

Our relationship with the Lord is family business!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Constant Contact!

July 31, 2023 Monday Message:

Psalm 81:7a NLT: Words of God: “You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you”

God is sending a message to the Hebrew people, referencing their rescue from Egypt. The people had been miserable, they cried out to God, and God responded with a solution, with a rescue. If God did that once, he can certainly do that again! God (and his Son Jesus) are unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. I call that the “God-trend!”

The point is that our Father should be our constant resource. We should always be connected with God, so problems can be solved while they are still small. God should be a constant part of our lives, not a just last resort only when there’s trouble, only when there’s no other solution.

Life goes better when we’re closer to God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Faithful Love!

For Thursday, July 08, 2021

Psalm 138:8a NLT: “The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.”

David is counseling us to not concern ourselves with what life holds for us. Rather, concern yourself with being a true believer, having faith in God and his Son Jesus Christ. After all, your Father in Heaven wants only good things for you.

Quirky circumstances come and go; but the everlasting lovingkindness of the Lord endures forever, and that fills us with hope.

My God is like a rock, unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow! And it’s all good! Count on it!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

Unchanging!

For Friday, June 4, 2021

2 Peter 1:3 NLT: “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.”

I like to reverse the two halves of this sentence: “As you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord, God will show you more grace and give you more peace. That’s so much peace that it’s beyond our understanding! And receiving more grace and more peace fills us with more hope!

Unfortunately a lot of our world is in turmoil. I find it difficult to believe that after thousands of years, mankind can’t decide who owns which piece of land and what form the government should take. So wars – the battles and fighting – break out endlessly. Thankfully our God is like a rock, unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God is dependable, and that gives us comfort.

God’s not about to change his mind!

Blessings today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

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

God for Mankind!

 For Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Hebrews 6:19 NRSV: “We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain.”

God made a promise to Abraham who endured patiently and then received the promise. God cannot tell a lie; if He promises hope for the future, his word is true!

God wants us all to understand the unchangeable character of his purpose. God's desire is that none would perish, and Jesus was the final piece of the puzzle insuring mankind's redemption. We should all take hold of the hope set before us!

When Jesus died, the curtain separating mankind from God's presence in the Holy of Holies was torn, top to bottom. Now all of mankind has access to God the Creator. Because of Jesus, all of mankind has access to hope!

Blessings and safety today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship 

3249 30^th Ave. S.Minneapolis, MN 55406

Yahweh is God!

For Sunday, November 8, 2020 

Numbers 23:19 NLT: “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”

Mankind is made in the image of God; God is NOT made in the image of mankind! God cannot lie or change his mind, he always does what he says and he holds all knowledge and strength. 

God blesses the believers, those who claim his Son as Savior, and God cannot go back on his word! The blessing sticks! Forever. And that’s really Good News for us! As we ride on life’s roller coaster – closer to God, farther from God – his connection to us is unwavering! The God who provided a rescue for mankind can never change his thinking about us. His desire is that no one would perish, we’re all included in that, and that gives us hope!

Blessings and safety on this Sabbath day! 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

The God Trend!

For Wednesday, November 4, 2020 

Hebrews 6:18 NLT: “God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.”

When someone is honest, we say, “He’s a man of his word.” God, who cannot lie, is therefore, “A God of his word!” Sounds odd, but it’s true! 

God gives us a good way to live, teaches us right from wrong, and isn’t about to change his mind. I call that the “God trend.” We can always count on God, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

In his wisdom, God sent his only Son Jesus to take our sins to the place of the dead, thereby making it possible for us to experience heaven, a life-after-this-life in the presence of the Lord. This is a good plan, benefits mankind greatly, and gives us eternal hope. 

God’s not about to change His mind!

Blessings and safety to all this day! 

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406

Psalms 102 0 Hope!

July 24, 2017 Monday Message:

“You, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.” Psalms 102:12a

Without hope, people perish. This psalm is the story of a young Jewish man who became ill while under Babylonian exile. He prayed to be well enough to return home, to see Judah, before he died.

Knowing that God sits on his throne forever gives the man hope, and it gives us hope too, as we live our lives. When we know that God is still in charge, we can stop worrying. Whatever your problem is, just give it to God. He’ll be up all night anyway.

You can count on the unchanging character of God. If he says it’s right, it’s right; and if he says it’s wrong, count on it being wrong. God doesn’t change his mind. That’s Good News for us, knowing that our God is like a rock.

“You, Lord, will always be the same and your life will never end.” v27

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers next Sunday, July 30, 2017, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. We’ll look into the story of God’s call on Jonah, with the help of a big fish! See you at church!

Psalms 93 - God's Truth

May 15, 2017 Monday Message:

“Your statutes, Lord, stand firm.” Psalms 93:5a NIV

God doesn’t change his mind. His value system is forever. If God’s law says that something is wrong, that we shouldn’t do something – that thing was wrong yesterday, today and tomorrow, because God’s not about to change his mind.

Similarly, if God says that we SHOULD do something – that something is good to do, then we should keep on doing it, because it will remain good for all time.

You can count on God’s word; God keeps his promises. God promised that if we would repent and return to Him and ask his Son to cover our sins, that we would be assured a place in God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus even said that he himself would go on ahead and prepare a place for us. Therefore we have “Assurance of Salvation,” and that’s awesome!

No other religion has “Assurance of Salvation.” With other religions, you try to be good and hope that it’s enough. But with Christianity, Jesus did all the work FOR us. With Jesus, our sin problem is permanently resolved, and we don’t have to worry if we’ll see heaven from the inside – because we have “Assurance of Salvation!”

God’s truth lasts forever!

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers Sunday, May 21, 2017, at the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. I’ll be talking about “Jesus traits” – unconditional love, compassion, and forgiveness. See you at church!

Psalms 89 - Hope in the Kingdom

April 17, 2017 Monday Message:

“One of David’s family will always be king, as long as there are skies above us!” Psalms 89:29

Many psalms were written by David, but Psalm 89 was written by Ethan the Ezrahite ABOUT God’s anointed King David, and about God’s Kingdom, both in heaven and on earth.

The prophesy in verse 29 was fulfilled! We know that Jesus, our King of kings, in his earthly form, was a descendant of King David. Of course Jesus is our King for all time – God’s promise is forever – God’s not about to change his mind!

This gives us hope. A lot can go wrong in this world, but God is like a rock – steady, unchanging, the same day after day. If God promised to take care of us and meet our needs, it will be done. If Jesus said he was going to prepare a place for us in the Kingdom, count on it!

I recently overheard a couple of pastors talking. One asked, “How’s your day going?”

The other replied, “Great! I’m going to heaven!”

For me, that says a lot! Many things will go on in our lives – good things, bad things, things we really like, things we detest – it’s like a circus happening all around us! In the long run, most of it doesn’t really matter. Most of what happens has no eternal significance. Just know that God doesn’t change, and focus your eyes on the prize: “Eternity in the presence of the Father.”

God is forever, and Jesus is forever. “Because I (God) am holy I will not lie to David. His descendants will always continue, and his kingdom will go on as long as the sun shines.” Psalms 89:35b-36

Norton Lawellin

Let’s worship together! Jesus in the City Fellowship gathers Sunday, April 23, 2017, at the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30 AM. Following the resurrection, we meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. See you at church!

Psalm 54 - Unchanging God

July 25, 2016 Monday Message:

“Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” Psalms 54:4 NIV

God doesn’t change his mind. When he anointed David to be the next King of Israel, you can count on it happening just that way.

Others, not realizing this was a God-thing, sought to keep David from becoming King. In fact Saul, King at the time, felt especially threatened by David, so David was hiding in Ziph, near where his family lived. David had helped defend the people of Zipf from their enemies, so he assumed it would be a safe, friendly place. Wrong! There’s always a snake in the grass, someone who will betray you for personal gain, and that’s what happened to David.

But God was still on David’s side – God doesn’t change his mind. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If God hand-picked David, “a man after his own heart,” God will stick with that commitment. God’s decision is irrevocable.

The Good News is that our God of second chances is in the rescue business, and if you’re now adopted into the holy family, God will go to work for you too, just as any father would defend his children. This message of assurance of salvation is for you, too! God knows that you, like David, will need protecting from time to time.

“I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.” Psalms 54:6b

Norton Lawellin

This Sunday, July 31, 2016, Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) meets at the Akina Church, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406, 10:30am. This week – Pastor Retha examines Romans 15.

For the Love of God

December 24, 2012 Monday Message:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that all who believe in him would not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

God could have turned his back on us, and gone back into heaven. “Those humans are no good, full of sin; I’m outta here!”

But He didn’t. Jesus came to earth to rescue us because God so LOVED his creation – mankind. Nothing the humans did - no matter how badly they messed up – could alter the loving character of God.

The character of God is unchanging, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Therefore God loves us just as much as he loved Adam and Eve.

I saw a TV show where a young boy was excited about his Christmas gifts, about how much he was receiving. But his TV father corrected him, saying, “Christmas is about GIVING!”

I’d like to correct the father – Christmas isn’t about getting or giving; it’s about Jesus coming to earth on a mission trip to rescue mankind. That’s how much love God has for us.

Merry Christmas!

Norton Lawellin

Tonight is the beautiful Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at Trinity Lutheran of Minnehaha Falls, 5212 41^st Ave. S., 55417. It will be a special night with good worship led by a truly special worship team. If you don’t have plans for Christmas worship, or if you’d like to take in an extra service, you’re invited!  Remember – you have come up and say hi!

Sunday, Dec. 30, 10:30am Jesus in the City Fellowship (JICF) gathers in the North end of the Oliver Ministry Building, 27^th Street & Bloomington Avenue, Minneapolis. I’ll be teaching Luke 2:21-32, the young Jesus is presented at the Temple.

NL