searching.. mega wally world chuch

April 24, 2022 by Phil Larson

Being a tad sensitive to pounding bass that vibrates my teeth and organs, I choose the vibrating chairs in the foyer.. last two attempts made me physically sick at the int3nsity of vibration.. I can control volume with my bionic ears, but not the vibration

this means I can’t enter into singing worship, which I thrive on. maybe if the turned the foyer screens toward the chairs

public water baptism is cool.. a key part of faith and community

the greeters were friendly and a a today. usually cold and taking to each other.. not as gauntlet intimidating but space to allow for people to enter without being blocked

good parking available today even with a good crowd in services

coffee and tea bar bustling

yuppieville

foyer is so loud, no ability to visit with a member, greeter, pastor, group leader

I’ve tried emailing a few times and never got a response ..

Reserves

March 10, 2018 by Phil Larson

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11 NIV

Morning Moment

Reserves in the insurance industry are the monies set aside to pay claims. A company with low reserves could be on big trouble if too many claims came at once. A company with adequate reserves is hedged against hard days. They have a future.

How are your reserves in Jesus doing?

In Jesus, we invest in reserves. Our personal devotional time, fellowship in church, Bible study, praise, and service to the local church and to others build reserves. In all of this we are depositing faith actions of life against death actions of self ideologies and the world. The world will press us. Evil will tempt us. Our natural desires will drag us. The reserves of Life in Jesus defend and build us.

Worldview is Bought

Buy a lie. Live a lie. Buy a truth. Live a truth. Simple. Reckon, count, add up, deposit in your reserves that you are alive to God and dead to sin and live a Jesus worldview. Reckon, count, subtract, extract from your reserves that you are dead to God and destined to sin and mistaken living and self rule and live a normal world view. Choose. Break the lie pattern. Buy the truth. Invest in your future.

Faith Actions

Faith actions depend on God for results while moving forward. Our actions come from the deep well of belief. Faith is active and obedient. That is why Jesus responds to a woman this way.

As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Luke 11:27‭-‬28 NIV

To say we believe in Christ, yet live against His wishes is a dangerous position. Do we really believe? We live what we believe. I can scratch my way into heaven through grace and forgiveness. I can live in joy and fulfillment through grace and forgiveness and faith and hope and love. Obedience emanates from a life lived in the love of Jesus. To say I love Jesus and live against His wishes is a dangerous gamble. My actions are based in death. I am counting myself dead.

Turn the Tables

Go ahead. Switch gears. Turn the tables. Put on Jesus, the Christ. Live in faith. Drop the self fulfillment cycle of destruction and doubt. Build reserves.

Let us pray:

Father, here I am. This is Your child. I have been bought with a great price. Let the words of my mouth and the testimony of my heart be acceptable in Your sight. Let me forsake all others and cling only to You. Let my heart lock in and live with Your heart. Build in me solid reserves against hard days that I might find only joy and peace and fulfillment in You in this life and the next.

An Oklahoma Sky- Rejoice In The Lord Always

May 27, 2013 by Phil Larson

credit David Schweitzer

As the Oklahoma sun sets incredible in beauty, my heart floats over the last week.

Mental synapses skim over the last 50 years and beyond.

No, I haven’t seen more than 57 years.

No, I can’t remember all I’ve touched and felt and heard.

But, through the face of a father or a grandfather or an aunt or some other, I have been there.

But, through the face of a mother or grandmother or uncle or some other, they have been there.

We have been there. With pain and joy and defeat and victory, we have been there.

As a nation, as a people, as a unity of many heritages, we have been there.

And we will be there again.

This week had no predictability. No week does.

A quiet Monday explodes into a horrendous and murderous Monday. All held breath and wept. Children’s bodies were dug from rubble.

Some live. Some don’t.

It isn’t over.

In Joplin it isn’t over. On the Jersey shores, it isn’t over. In Japan it isn’t over. In cities across a world, the torrent and recovery of natural impact will never be over until the world is over. It is our experience.

War isn’t over. WWII and Korea and Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan and beyond leave our families with lessened strength and battered men. We have been there, and we are wounded.

Greed isn’t over. Selfish business decisions leave scars and death. It isn’t over. We live here, and we are wounded.

But. There is a but. There is an however. There is a yet.

This morning I prayed with friends in unison. We cried out to a good God. The God of Another Chance.

“Give us joy in the morning, God. Let us see goodness in this land of the living. We are still here. Show us joy and gladness for as many days as we have seen pain.” We agreed. We stood together and decreed. Pain will not stop us. We will have joy.

Then the preacher, a friend, Pastor Jeff, took us deeper. “Rejoice in all. Rejoice in The Lord. Get your focus on Him. Rejoice in Him when nothing else has joy. And in case you did not get it the first time. Again, I say, “Rejoice.””

He is right. We are right.

We are on our feet. We are defiant. We are shouting to the pain. “I will rejoice! You can’t defeat me.”