Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Author: pickleheavenpress

I have served as a pastor in East Texas for 32 years and it is my delight to continue my ministry online
with you — July 6, 2023

with you

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I have sported a horseshoe mustache for a while now.  My wife isn’t excited about it, but she isn’t the only one.  One of my cognitively impaired hospice friends looked at my face, and in her loudest, most incredulous voice, asked, “Why is your mustache melting off of your face?”

Recently I experienced some fiery trials that may have accelerated the melting process.

My wife, two grandsons and I were headed to Florida on a road trip in our Toyota Mini-Van.  We were motoring along when a warning light flashed. 

We cried out to Siri who told us that a Toyota dealer was only 7 miles ahead.  Wait?  We were in rural Mississippi, how was this possible?  Sure enough, we found the dealer, and shortly after, the car died.  The alternator bit the dust.

They promised to tackle it first thing in the morning.  My grandsons were inconsolable, so I tried to help them see the Lord in the midst of it.

I said look, “We discovered the problem not 50 miles from a dealer but 7.  The car could have died in Podunk, MS, but we were able to drive it in. 

But it is an older car and parts can be hard to come by.  So that night we prayed.  In the morning they found an alternator, installed it, and bid us farewell.  We felt like the Lord was looking out for us.

Two hours down the road, another pesky warning light.  We lost our coolant!  We were hot in more ways than one. 

At a truck stop we found a stream flowing from the radiator.  Oh no!   It was about 2:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon.   Repair shops would be closing soon for the weekend. 

So, I sought the Lord and a sympathetic mechanic.  The first 2 or 3 calls were all business.  “Call me Monday!”  But even then, it would be midweek before they could tackle it.

Then I spoke with Shawn of Shawn’s Auto Shack.  He also was closing, and yet he traveled 20 miles to check on our car.   He called a tow truck, and then ferried our family to Niceville, FL where we spent the night. 

Saturday, he drove 60 miles to pick up the only proper radiator in the region.  He then opened his shop, which was otherwise closed on Saturday and replaced it. We thanked him, paid him, and hit the road.   It was an extraordinary experience.

That night in Niceville, I spoke to my fretting grandsons.  I read to them the words that God spoke through Isaiah the prophet.  He said, “Don’t be afraid, for I will protect you. I call you by name, you are mine.   When you pass through the waters, I am with you; when you pass through the streams, they will not overwhelm you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not harm you. For I am the Lord your God.”  – Isaiah 43:1-3

The Lord told His people to fear not.  He pledged His protection because we belong to Him.  So sweet the words, “You are mine!”    

God knew trouble would come.  It always does.  But with that trouble He would be with us.  He would not let it overwhelm or defeat us.   The waters would not drown us or the fire scorch us for He is the Lord our God. 

On that trip we experienced those promises!

We often pray for our grandchildren.  As they are educated about God, we also want them to experience Him.  The whole saga allowed them to personally encounter the Lord as He provided for us.  It truly was awesome.

However, our grandsons are now unwilling to do any more road trips with us.  Hey but the Lord will.

For you who are presently enveloped in flood or flame, know that your God is with you.  Savor the journey and praise Him throughout.

A PRAYER: Lord your presence with us makes even the difficult times desirable.  Thank You!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

Scripture references are from the NETBible.com

communion chaos — July 5, 2023

communion chaos

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If I were you, I would not trust me – at least, in matters of communion.  You see I have been doing ministry for a long time, and in the course of my work I have been privileged to lead many communion services. 

Unfortunately, I have the sad reputation for messing them up. 

I had shared a brief devotional with my congregation, called the servers up, prayed and then handed them the communion trays.  And as they walked away from me, I realized, “Oh no, I just handed them the juice trays, but the biblical order is bread first.”

My smile hid the panic I felt inside.  What should I do?  “Hey guys I need a do over.  Get those trays back here please!”

Well, I decided to let it ride and continued with the service, following up the juice tray with the bread.  But I braced myself for some post service criticism.

Sure enough, a woman made a beeline for me after we dismissed.  She said, “What a wonderful communion service.  It was so meaningful.”  I said, “Uh, well, uh thank you.”

I vowed to never make that mistake again, and yet several months later using a cheat sheet – I got the order wrong again.

Recently I was asked to fill the pulpit for a pastor friend.  His secretary sent me the order of service and it had me down for doing the welcome, and several prayers and – oh no – leading communion. 

When I arrived, I found that someone had thoughtfully provided the communion elements for me.  They sat on the outside ledge of the pulpit.   Two minutes later I clumsily knocked them over.  Fortunately, all this was before the service.

A servant hearted man cleaned up the sticky mess and replaced the elements.  Once the service began, I greeted the visitors and as I did, my hand accidentally grazed the second cup.  The communion service became a baptismal service as the congregation was sprinkled. 

After that I sat on the platform with my eyes closed while a trio did a special number.  I think it had something to do with, “a wretch like me.” 

But then I sensed someone near, so I opened my eyes to see a man holding more replacement elements just inches from my face.  He scared me and I jerked in surprise nearly sending the elements to the moon. The congregation laughed.

Wow – I sure know how to mess up a communion service.  But then the Holy Spirit felt sorry for me and reminded me that spilling the juice actually captured the spirit of communion quite well.

When Jesus gave us the rite, He took a cup of wine and said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”  –  Luke 22:20

The blood of Christ was unique.  Peter described it as being “precious” and “unblemished.” – 1 Peter 1:19.  But its practical value to us is that it was “poured out.”  It was shed for us.

Hebrews 9:22 says, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  The animal sacrifices were given to Moses and his people, to help them understand that sin is detestable to God, deserving of death.   The blood of a lamb was poured out on the altar as a token of the life given. 

In the same way, our perfect Savior stepped up and absorbed the wrath of God by surrendering His life on the cross.  The crimson flow that came from His side was the evidence. 

The word “pour” that Jesus used at that first communion service, is elsewhere translated as, “spilled.”  (Luke 5:37). Christ’s blood was spilled as was the juice on the pulpit, to remove the stain of sin.

I shared this insight with the congregation prior to taking communion.  As they left that day, they were probably thinking, “What a wonderful communion service.  It was so meaningful.”

A PRAYER: Lord I am so glad that you redeemed that communion service, and grateful that you redeemed us.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Jesus be with you.

Scripture references are from the NETBible® 

the cast away castle — June 29, 2023

the cast away castle

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We were stranded 2 hours east of El Paso and were baking in the searing Texas sun.  The day started well.  We had 2 vans and a trailer full of gear, that belonged to our mission team. 

Our group was scheduled to rendezvous with the rest of the team at the San Diego airport, with the final destination being Rosarita, Mexico.  We were excited and ready to serve Jesus there by building a church, and by reaching kids through VBS and their mothers through a Bible study. 

Chuck was behind the wheel of the van pulling the trailer.   The scenery was brown and boring, but then there was something of interest.   The van was being passed by a lone tire.  And it was a fast tire – speedier than our 75 mph – and it was OUR tire.

We pulled over to check it out.  A cotter pin had broken on the trailer and the castle nut that secured the wheel had spun off.  The hub was mangled and so was our mission trip.

Our team was completely dependent on the materials we carried such as the camping gear for lodging, and the building and educational materials we planned to use.

Should we fail to show, all the training, money and prayers that had been invested would be wasted and the potential blessing to the folks of Rosarita lost. 

First task – find that essential castle nut.  Four of us backtracked our way down I-10 scouring the overgrown grass for a piece of metal smaller than a child’s fist.  A needle in a haystack would have been an easier quest.

We needed help!   Fortunately, Scripture says, “Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.” – Hebrews 4:16 – NETBible ®

Mark remembered and suggested that we pray.  The four of us circled up and bowed our heads there in the median of the interstate.   We prayed with an intensity that even the roar of the passing semis could not deter. 

At the sound of Amen, Jordan, one of our teens, opened his eyes and there at his feet was the castle nut.  Four parched mouths dropped open in amazement and in awe of our gracious God.

Did God find the nut and move it there while we prayed?  Or were our eyes blinded to it until we prayed?   Don’t know about all that, but we were sure grateful.    

There were, yet other obstacles to breach.  The studs had broken off the hub.  It would be impossible to find a new hub and nearly as impossible to repair the old one. 

Plus, it was late Friday afternoon – time for businesses to close for the weekend.  But we made some calls, found a service station that was within sight of us at the very next highway exit.    You had to have traveled west Texas to appreciate the magnitude of this miracle. 

The mechanic there agreed to stay late and help.  He called a parts store in another town.  They also remained opened late to sell him the new lugs and studs.  The mechanic welded and machined our poor hub that night until it was road worthy again and we were on our way. 

Thanks to God and the mechanic we made it to San Diego in time to pick up the rest of the team and launch our mission. 

But it took 4 helpless, hapless, highway vagabonds to stop and approach the throne of grace to see it happen.  The Lord was so generously faithful to provide mercy and grace in our time of need. 

He is still on the throne and available to you – anxious, in fact, to hear your voice and to provide that which you need.  Pray, whether it be in the middle of highway, or as you kneel by your bed.  He is ready to respond with a surplus of mercy and grace.     

A PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for searching for the castle nut first and You second.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

sign of the fish — June 14, 2023

sign of the fish

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It took place in Vancouver, B.C.  My wife and I wanted to try some authentic Canadian food, so we went out for some pizza.  We were surprised to find that beaver was not included with the 3-meat pizza option.  So, we settled on Canadian bacon instead.

A teenage waitress came to take our order.  She happened to glance at the words on my T-shirt and asked, “What’s that about?”  I had no idea.  I am still asleep when I put my clothes on each morning. 

So, I looked down at it and could make out the word “worship.”  So, I stuttered and said, “It’s about worship.”  She said, “Yeah, but what’s that about?” 

So, in my articulate way I said, “Well, it’s about worship!”  She said, “Yeah but what’s that about?”  At that point my wife rescued me and said, “He is a Christian and the shirt says that he is committed to worshipping Jesus.” 

The girl said, “That’s what I thought.”  Then she put her order pad down and took the waist band at the front of her pants and lowered it 4 inches – to the point that I was trying to find somewhere else to look. 

It was a tattooed outline of a fish.  She wanted me to show me that she was also a Christian.  But I wasn’t sure what to say, “Yeah, that’s a nice fish!” 

She was actually following a practice that dated back to early days of Christianity.  For the first 300 years, believers were fiercely persecuted.  They learned to cautiously connect with each other by using the sign of the fish. 

When a Christian met a stranger back then, he or she would draw the outline of a fish in the sand.  The two intersecting arcs, were meaningless scribble to those who did not understand it, but for the fellow Christian, it opened the door for the two of them to talk about Jesus. 

Why a fish?  The Greek word for fish is “icthus.”   The letters formed an acrostic in the Greek language that was understood by Christians.  The I stood for Jesus; the CT for Christ, the H for God; the U for Son; and the S for Savior.  The sum of it being, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.” 

An amazing weight of truth is bound up in that acrostic.  The fish is a perfectly simple symbol to communicate the essence of our faith.

I was embarrassed that day in Canada.  No, it wasn’t the brazen tattoo but rather my buried faith that bothered me.

It was the apostle Peter who wrote, “…always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.” – 1 Peter 3:15 – NETBible ®

I was not ready!   The girl was asking me.  She was relentlessly questioning me trying to get me to own up to my faith.  I wasn’t ready – I was resistant. 

She must have been a young believer and probably needed a little more modesty and I a lot more initiative.

I have never been stellar at personally sharing my faith.  It is true, I have stood before thousands and fearlessly preached the Gospel, but I am not always ready to spontaneously share with others.

So, these days I often ask the Lord in the morning to remind me to mention His name throughout the day.  When the clerk at the convenience store asks, “How you doin?”  I might say, “My Lord is taking good care of me.”   When the man in line, in front of me, says, “Looks like bad weather is coming.”  I could say, “Yes, but it makes me glad that Jesus is looking after me.”

I am praying that such comments might be kick starters to more substantive conversations about Jesus. 

Not only do I want to be prepared to share my faith, I want to be proactive about it.  I’d like to make my little Canadian friend proud. 

A PRAYER: God gives me the boldness of that young Canadian girl. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

will it be enough? — June 7, 2023

will it be enough?

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I bought my car, thinking that I would drive it to the funeral home on the day I died.  The mileage was low, and it was a reliable car. 

It should have lasted, but then I became a Hospice Chaplain.  Now I use my car to travel all over East Texas, and the numbers on my odometer are rising faster than the national debt.   Now I wonder if I am going to have enough car left at the end of the year. 

I am guessing that this may be what the Jewish folk felt like when they trod the wilderness. 

They were famished and they let God know about it.  He provided in this way, “and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth.  When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” – Exodus 16:13-15

“What is it?”  My mom would have spanked me for insulting one of her meals like that.

Israel gave it a name. they called it, “manna” and it was delicious.  The text says, “it tasted like wafers with honey.” (16:31)

And with this manna they made all kinds of good things to eat like ba-manna bread and manna-cotti.   OK maybe not. 

An interesting tidbit – Jewish tradition suggests that manna adjusted to the culinary preferences of each individual who could, by wishing, taste in it anything he or she desired.  Why can’t bologna be like that!

Manna was nutritional and tasty, but its availability was perplexing.  God caused it to fall from heaven to the ground every morning.  By noon the manna dissipated.

Each person was instructed to gather an omer of it which was about 4 lbs. each day.  But God made sure, that regardless of how much they gathered, it always amounted to 1 omer.  (16:16-18)

So, suppose that Ezra and his family were starving.  And Ezra saw this food from heaven manna-fested on the ground.  He, therefore, gathered his daily share and maybe a little extra to store for the weeks ahead.  A wasted effort because God would deliberately reduce his gleanings to one omer.

Plan B: Eat less than an omer a day and save the excess for the future.  Unfortunately, God conspired with worms who would ruin the leftovers each night. (16:19-20)

There was but one exception.  They could gather excess on the 6th day to also cover for the Sabbath on the 7th. (16:22-23)

Silly Ezra went to gather on the 7th day as well, but God had withheld it, and there was nothing to gather. (16:27)

The Lord put His people in a peculiar situation.  He chose to provide for them strictly on a day-to-day basis.   They could not prepare for the future but were required to trust God for His daily provision.

When my fictitious friend Ezra went out to gather in the morning, he must have wondered, “Will this be enough?”  And yet, each day he found that it was – just enough, and continued to be for the forty years he lived in the wilderness. (35)

I guess I am too much like Ezra.  When I watch my odometer rack up the miles, I am gripped by the same kind of anxiety, “Will this car have enough life left in it to serve me into the future?”

I want to plan and provision my life to the nth degree.  I want to rely on my planning instead of my heavenly provider.

Perhaps Jesus was thinking about the manna when He taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”   Or in my case, “my daily miles.”

I suppose that this should become my prayer – maybe our prayer.

A PRAYER: Lord how silly we are to believe that our security rests in our self-made plans and provisions.  Help us to proceed each day by faith in You.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture references are from the NETBible.org. ®

repelling — May 31, 2023

repelling

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Repelling is not a sport, so put away your rope and carabiner.  It is an affect that some of us, like me, have on others.

When I first came to Christ, I was excited to tell people I became a Christian.  They would often respond with a pained look that said, “Oh that’s too bad.”  

It got worse when I went into the pastorate.  We bought a house, and my new neighbor and I were making our introductions.  He told me he was a bartender.  I told him I was a pastor – and he tensed up and broke into a cold sweat.

It’s even worse now!  When I meet someone new and tell them that I am a Hospice Chaplain, well – they check their pulse, turn pale and pass out. 

I’m not alone in my grief.  Lots of us seem to be a little repelling these days.  You see, it’s just not the thing anymore to be a Christian. 

In early 2023, the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix, AZ voted to sever their relationship with Arizona Christian University.  

Over the past 5 years, the college would send their education students to do their student teaching in that school district.   One school board member, Tamillia Valenzuela, did some digging and this is what she found,

         “My concerns, [is] when I go to Arizona Christian University’s website, [ they are] ‘committed to Jesus Christ, accomplishing His will and advancements on earth as in Heaven.’”

         “Part of their values is… [to] ‘transform the culture with truth by promoting the Biblically-informed values that are foundational to Western civilization, including the centrality of family, traditional sexual morality, and lifelong marriage between one man and one woman,'” she said.

         “I want to know how bringing [teachers] from an institution that is ingrained in their values so directly, brings impact to three of your board members who are a part of the LGBT community.”

There was no precipitating offense.  The lines of decorum were respected by every student, but because they believed the Scripture, the relationship was severed. 

Fortunately, just a few months later, the issue went to court and the University prevailed.

And yet, that board member was correct.  Our Christian values are contrary to those of the prevailing cultural trends in this country.  Therefore, these kinds of collisions will become more frequent in the future. 

Christians will very likely be dinged for what we believe.  Many today are being accused of being hateful when we talk about marriage from a biblical viewpoint, or Christ as the only way to the Father (John 14:6). 

We repel some folks. But that’s OK, Jesus predicted as much.  He said to His disciples, “Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” – John 15:20

I guess it’s just our turn now!  So, what do we do?  The apostle Peter had some appropriate words for us, He said,

         “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it, than for doing evil.”  – 1 Peter 3:15-17

to briefly recap, He says to…

1 Make sure Christ is truly your Lord and that your life is submitted to Him

2 Be ready to discuss your faith and why you believe with your critics

3 Do it with courtesy and respect

4 and if you must suffer, let it be because you choose to do the will of God

There will always be some who, though initially repelled, will come to love, and serve Jesus because of the way we handled the heat. 

A PRAYER: Lord be with us and help us to be forbearing and faithful.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.org ® 

don’t let it reign! — May 24, 2023

don’t let it reign!

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The boys needed to earn their merit badge for camping.  So, Anthony, a devoted daddy and I, set out on a dreary December weekend to help them succeed.  The boys were in good hands though, because Anthony had earned the revered rank of Eagle Scout. 

Rain was predicted, so we opted for a screened-in shelter.  The weatherman was on the mark.  It was pouring outside the unit.  But life on the inside wasn’t much better.  We sat on an ice-cold concrete slab, with an arctic draft blowing through the screens – but at least we were dry.

Now as we cooked our dinner, the steam coming from a boiling pot seemed to warm things up just a bit.   So, we augmented the effort.  We set more water to boil in an electric skillet and in a second propane stove.

It was kinda getting cozy. In fact, we decided to play a card game while we relaxed. 

And then, a droplet fell on my cards and another on my head.  The other guys were getting wet as well.  It was raining in our cabin.   How in the world? 

We looked up to see the ceiling, thick with condensation from the steaming pots.   There it cooled and collected and then rained down in our shelter for the next several hours.   We created on our own little weather system.  I bet they didn’t teach that lesson in the Boy Scouts! 

_______________

These days my shelter from the storm has been the church.  The church is the assembly of those who profess faith and are loyal to Jesus.  It has always been a comfort for me to worship and serve with a community of people that love Jesus and are governed by His Word.

The Greek word for church is “ekklesia”.  It’s a compound word that literally means, “the ones who are called out.”  The Christian is called out of the sinful world to be a part of God’s holy community.  Though sin may reign in the world outside, righteousness should always be the hallmark inside of the church.

And yet, these days, sin seems to be raining within as well!   Churches are becoming comfortable with the sins that we once cried against.   Leaders are falling because of it.  Families are imploding due to it.  The church is losing its distinctive character as a result of it.

But what is the church but an assembly of individuals who daily make moral choices.  You can’t have holiness in the church unless the individuals who make up the church choose to pursue it.  The apostle Paul certainly understood this, which is why he penned Romans 6:12-13.  There he wrote,  

“Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness.”  NETBible.com ®

Paul was incredibly direct.  He didn’t delve into the psychology of sin, or the victimization that might have led to it.  Sin was not a complicated issue to Paul.  He simply said, “Don’t do it!”  Do not let sin reign in your mortal body!  

At the same time, he was painfully aware that overcoming it was very hard. (Romans 7:21-25) It is actually impossible, apart from the empowerment that the Lord gives.  Which is why he also said, “present yourselves to God.”  

It seems to me that it is time to put the reign of sin back outside where it belongs.

A PRAYER: O Lord resensitize us to sin through reading Your Word and tuning our hearts to Your Spirit.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

gotcha covered — May 23, 2023

gotcha covered

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I’m gonna share a personal secret with you that nobody else knows – and I am ashamed – a little. 

You see, the car I drive has wheel covers that do not match.  There is a matched pair on the driver’s side, and an entirely different matched pair on the passenger side.  So those entering the car from the right, see properly coordinated wheel covers, and the same if you enter from the left. 

But nobody knows that the covers are mismatched side-to-side, because it’s impossible to see both sides of the car at once.  Hey I have tried. 

___________

It strikes me, that you and I may have more in common with my car than we might prefer to admit.  There is the side of us that blesses the folks at church, but our boss endures a different kind of person at work.  Or maybe our in-laws are impressed with us, but our kids detest us or at least the person they experience at home.

We put on a proper show when we need to and let it all hang loose the rest of the time.  Our character projections do not match!  But it’s OK because few can see every side of us at once.

But there is One who can!   King David wrote these words about the Lord in Psalm 139.  He said, “You squeeze me in from behind and in front; you place your hand on me.”  (139:5-6) NETBible®

In this one sentence David recognized that God was before him, behind him and over him.   God can be somewhere and be fully present everywhere all at the same time.  He is omnipresent. 

David continued, “If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.   If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.  If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn and settle down on the other side of the sea, even there your hand would guide me…” (139:8-10)

This of course means, that God is in the boardroom and in your bedroom.  He is there at the communion table and our dining room tables.  This also means that He stands on both sides of my car and is aware of the mismatch.

If it were possible to strip God of His omnipresence, it wouldn’t matter because God is also all knowing.  He is omniscient.  The apostle John wrote, “…God is greater than our conscience and knows all things.” – 1 John 3:20. NETBible®

He knows all things.  God knows the past, the present and the future simultaneously.  He even knows what might have been.  And sadly, He also knows about the inconsistencies in our lives of which others may be unaware.

But what if they were?  What if your small group at church knew that you were cut-throat at work?  What if your in-laws knew that you were verbally abusive with your kids? 

I am thinking that my work ethic might improve, if my boss was also an Elder at my church. 

We pick and choose the people that we want to please because the approval of some matters more to us than the approval of others – much like the Pharisees.  Jesus described them in this way, “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.”  John 12:43 – KJV

So maybe it’s time to elevate God’s approval in our thinking over that of men.  Why?  Because God sees every side of us, but He may not be pleased with every side of us.

His grace, however, can produce consistency in our character if we will let Him.

Guess what?  I have ordered a complete set of wheel covers for my car. 

Both sides will soon match and there will be consistency in what I drive.  I hope to see the same with how I live.  I wish it were as simple as ordering it from Amazon.

A PRAYER: Lord we need more than we got – to live the way that we need.  More grace please!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!

a word to the wise — May 17, 2023

a word to the wise

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My 7-year-old grandson had one life left to lose in his video game.  He was not going to get zapped again – but – then he did.  And without thinking he loudly blurted out, “Aw (bleep)!”  His opponent, who happened to be his dad, froze in stunned surprise. 

Dad properly reprimanded him and asked, “Where have you heard that word before?”   Without hesitation he said, “I heard Papaw say it!”  

What?  No fair!  I wasn’t even there to defend myself.  And he has never heard me say such a thing. 

However, to be fair, long before he was ever born, back in my pre-Christian days, most every sentence I said was spiced up with a foul word.  After I came to Jesus, my language was redeemed, but I did retain the bad habit of using sanctified expletives like, “Aw darn it.” 

BUT I plead “not guilty” to my grandson’s accusation. 

I was reminded that I have influence in the life of my grandson.   According to the dictionary – to have influence is, “to affect or change someone or something in an indirect but usually important way.” (Miriam-Webster)

Let me try to make this a little less abstract.  When I was a kid my parents both smoked.  So when I went out to play with my friends, I smelled of cigarettes.   When I became a teen, I also began to smoke.  It was not a command or even the desire of my parents, and yet I began to smoke.

They hugely affected my behavior by theirs.  That is influence!

My grandson learned from my example to respond to sudden disappointment with a rude exclamation.  Beyond that he assumed that my general behavior was the rule by which his should be measured.   He figured that if he could persuade his dad that Papaw cussed, then it was OK. 

Influence is something that you probably have as well – for better or for worse.  Those closest to you are especially impacted.  They watch and learn as you do life.   Other are impacted as well such as your coworkers, neighbors and your church family.  

Even a young person can have influence.  Timothy of the New Testament was a young man who was charged with managing the church at Ephesus.  It was a tough gig leading a crowd that exceeded him in age.  In fact, Paul wrote, “Let no one look down on you because you are young…” – 1 Tim. 4:12a  NETBible.com ®

He was young, but he had influence.  Paul went on to say, “but set an example for the believers in your speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity.  – 1 Timothy 4:12b  

It was as if Paul knew that the folks there would have a hard time respecting authoritative words, but they could not resist the influence of a godly life.

The influence we have is far more potent than the words we say.

We can’t confuse influence with authority.  Authority forces a child to conform to a parent’s will.  Influence compels them, by the child’s choice, to follow their parent.  A person may have authority and yet lack influence.

So how do we develop this influence?    

1-Choose the influence of Jesus for yourself.

This world doesn’t need anymore alcoholics, drug addicts, or even mediocre church goers.  Live a life worth emulating.  Follow the example of Jesus.  Experience His resurrection life and you won’t go wrong.  (John 13:15)

2- Cultivate a warm relationship with those you wish to influence.

It is the people that we love and affirm and serve and encourage that are drawn to us and are most influenced by us.  Like a moth drawn to the light, they come. 

The converse is true of course.  When we fail to nurture relationships, those people drift farther away from us, and take little of us with them.

As for me, I hope that my grandson takes more away from me than my sanctified expletives.

A PRAYER: Lord help us to understand the power we possess to positively affect others.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

don’t spoil your dinner      — May 10, 2023

don’t spoil your dinner     

/pickleheavenpress

  

When I was young, I might ask for a snack at 4 o’clock and my mom would say “No we are going to eat at 5, and you don’t want to spoil your dinner.”  And yet maybe I did want to spoil my dinner.  We might be having liver and onions that night. 

But what was she trying to communicate – that the roast would become toast if I ate a cookie?

That wasn’t it.  She just wanted to take my appetite and direct it towards dinner, rather than allow it to be fooled by a snack.  She was concerned with what I needed, not what I wanted.

Sometimes I wonder if God does not parent us in the same way. 

As we age, our bodies show the scars of time.  I can still see the discolored spot in the heel of my hand where I accidentally punctured it with a pencil in Junior High School. 

The physical aches and the pains from the breaks and the strains of the past catch up with us.  They become the eventual cause of knee and hip replacements.  Aleve can relieve some of it, but there is much left to courageously endure. 

The only time I feel really good these days is right after a colonoscopy.  That anesthetic is amazing. 

Our aches and pains create somewhat of an appetite – to be healed and pain free.  That becomes our pet prayer, doesn’t it?  “God I just want to sleep without that shoulder pain tonight, would you please help me?”  But God sometimes says, “I could give you a snack, but it will spoil your dinner.”  

He used the apostle Paul to explain.  In 2 Cor 5:1-3 Paul compared the human body to a tent that is breaking down.  He wrote, “For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens.  For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling…”

Paul wanted us to know that it is standard operating procedure for the human body to break down over time.  We can thank Adam and Eve for that legacy. 

But he went on to argue that the sad state of our bodies, creates in us an appetite for an eternal home, not built by human hands.  He says, “we groan – with desire” for that time when we will be given glorified bodies in heaven – where we will be forever pain free.  

That’s what we really need, and our bodies desire it.  They groan for it. 

I’ll tell you – that hour between 4 and 5 was tough.  I had been playing all day, and my body had burned every calorie over twice.  I was in pain – hunger pain.  Didn’t my mom care about that? 

Sure, she did, but she also knew that the pain would be brief.   At 5 she would serve up a fantastic meal that would satisfy both my appetite and the nutritional needs of my body. 

But hey it’s OK to pray for healing too.  The apostle John wrote to those he loved and he said, “I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.” –  3 John 2

It isn’t inappropriate to ask for a snack.   But don’t let it ruin your appetite.

A PRAYER: O Lord give us the grace we need to suffer through the present and help us fix our hope on what is to come. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavnpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you 

Scripture references are from NETBible.org ®