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
the big win — October 15, 2025

the big win

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Our little Bethany was only 13 months old and was surprisingly verbal for her age.  My wife laid her out to change her diaper one day.  In the middle of the mess, my baby began to happily sing, “vicry Jesus.”  Being translated, it’s “Victory in Jesus.” 

She had heard the song reverberate at church which was reinforced by her mother who joyfully sang it as she worked around the house.  

I’m not sure if the baby knew what the song was about – or maybe she did.  In her world, a diaper change would be a great victory.

And who doesn’t appreciate a great victory?   An election won, a championship trophy awarded; a checkmate to end the game.  There is an indescribable joyful emotion that fills us when we win.

Our younger selves passionately pursued victory, but age has taught and tempered us.

While only a few enjoy the thrill of victory, the rest suffer the agony of defeat.  Competition usually yields one winner and a slew of losers.  As in politics, there is no glory in, “also ran.”

And most victories are short lived.  Win the Stanley Cup this year and surrender it the next season.  Win an election, make your changes, and then watch them unravel in the next administration. 

The trophy from high school eventually ends up in a box in the attic.  Very few remember the name of the former Senator from Vermont.  The once wealthy MVP from the Super Bowl is now selling used cars in Modesto. 

Victory is temporary at best but there is one win that still wows us.  Its benefits and blessings never cease. 

The apostle John spoke of it in 1 John 5:4-5.  He wrote, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

So, what is this about?   John uses the word “world” to represent the earthly system that operates under the subtle influence of the evil one.  He uses this word many times in his short epistle. 

John described this world as being driven by sinful passions.  We have a competitor whose play book includes “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” – 1 John 2:16. KJV

And that competitor has controlling interests in the media today.  It’s on my TV, and my I-pad and my podcasts.  It’s a tidal wave of trash that relentlessly pushes its way into my world and sometimes into my mind. 

But John tells us that we who believe that Jesus is truly the Son of God – have victory.  Our faith in Jesus is the victory.   Elsewhere John reminds us that we can overcome the world because Christ dwells in us – and He who dwells in us, is far greater than he who is in the world, says John (1 John 4:4).

Because Christ lives in us, we can carve out victories on a consistent basis.  We can resist and defeat the lusts, and temptations rife in this world. 

Our victory will not be forgotten or stuffed away in some dusty attic because we experience it every day.  It happens when temptation comes, and we say, ”No. I am not going there.”  

We see it when we patiently relate to an irate driver.  We experience it when we courageously stand up for our faith when it is being ridiculed. 

We find it when we cry out to the Christ in us for His help in a stressful situation.  He who is in me really is greater than he who is in the world.

But maybe the best thing about this victory is that we can all be winners. There does not need to be a single loser among us. 

How about you?  Do you need a win in your column?  Find your victory in Jesus! 

A PRAYER: Lord, I enjoy being a winner.  Thank you for making it possible. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

a fish tower tale — October 8, 2025

a fish tower tale

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Ah, I remember those fun days when we were raising teenagers.  Our daughter knew that I could be a little rigid, while my wife was a pushover. 

So, she would sometimes call our land line to ask permission to do something with her friends.  She hoped to talk with her mom, but if I answered the phone, she would disguise her voice and say, “Hello, is Sharie Johnson there?”   And I would reply “Bethany, I know it’s you, so what do you want?” 

I sometimes felt like a person I know from Scripture – a nobody from a no nothing town. 

The town was called Magdala, situated on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.   Pisa has its Leaning Tower, while Magdala had its reeking tower – a fish tower.  This tower had many open-aired tiers to it where fishermen would leave the catch of the day to dry. 

Magdala was the hometown of Mary Magdalene.   She may have been a prostitute, but Scripture doesn’t say.  We do know, though, that Jesus passed through the town one day, met Mary, and removed seven demons from her (Luke 8:2).  Seven?  She must have been a mess!

But Jesus reached out to that nobody woman from a nothing town and changed her life. 

She left home to follow Him.  Luke said, “…He (Jesus) went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Cuza (Herod’s household manager), Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources” – Luke 8:1-3.

She traveled with Him and helped to support Him and his disciples financially and perhaps by preparing food.  She joined His behind-the-scenes support team.  This was not a hard transition for a person who was used to being a nobody. 

We don’t read much more about Mary in the Scripture until the cross. 

She was there at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified. Mark wrote, “There were also women, watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they had followed him and given him support. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were there too” – Mark 15:40-41.  Every disciple except John was hiding but Mary was there. Mark made note of the fact that she had served in a supportive role. 

She accompanied Jesus’ lifeless body to His tomb (Mark 15:47).  Mary was also one of the first to return in the morning to finish preparing His body for burial (Mark 16:1).

Fascinating!  Once Jesus had risen from the dead, He made sure that it was to Mary, the former nobody, that He first presented Himself (Mark 16:9).   She was the first, not Peter, James or John – it was a nobody of a woman from a fishy smelling place called Magdala.

And why did Jesus choose to reveal himself to her first?  Maybe because Mary had consistently served Him, even in ways that we might deem as lesser expressions of service.  She continued to do so all the way to His tomb, and was, therefore, rewarded with a Supreme privilege. 

What we sometimes deem little, the Lord deems great.  Nobodies do not exist in the family of God.  And every act of service we might render registers with Jesus – even those we regard as insignificant.

Jesus is aware and appreciates the woman who has worked in the church nursery for the last 13 years, and the man who mows the lawn for the widow down the street.  He is moved by the teenage girl who sits with and cares for her dying neighbor. 

He is aware and appreciates what you do as well!

A PRAYER: Lord, we want to serve You, even in what others deem lesser ways.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

Scripture passages are taken from the NETBible.com

lead pipe popgun — October 1, 2025

lead pipe popgun

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Bitterness is like a lead pipe popgun!

Let me explain!  We were kids and we were bored.  One of us decided we should make a bang.  So, he took a piece of lead pipe about 8” long and capped one end. 

He then dropped in some gun powder, packing, and a ball bearing and lay it on the ground.  He lit the fuse, and we ran.  There was an earthshaking explosion and the ball bearing rocketed into the forest.  That was expected.

What was unexpected, was that the lead pipe rocketed the opposite direction – whizzing right between us.  A cold sweat overcame me – knowing I could have been killed.

It strikes me (no pun intended) that bitterness works a lot like that.

When we are hurt by others, we get angry.  The smart person calmly discusses the matter honestly with the offender and the issue is often resolved (Ephesians 4:25-26).  But too often we stuff the anger inside and let it fester into a toxic bitter mindset.

Oh, sure there is a morbid pleasure we get when we punish our offenders by ignoring them, but the cost to bitterness is steep – like a lead pipe popgun careening towards us.

There are physical consequences such as headaches, ulcers, sleeplessness and heart attacks.  There are emotional consequences such as anxiety, panic attacks, tension, and depression.  

There are social consequences.  The bitter person loses the respect of others and often drives away those that are closest to them.  There are spiritual consequences as well that affect our relationship with God (Mark 11:25-26).

Jesus has something to teach here by example.  His ministry was hounded by the Pharisees.  In Luke 5:21 they labeled Him a blasphemer.  In Luke 5:30 they criticized his association with sinners.  In Luke 6:1-2 they accused Him of being a lawbreaker.  

If I had been Jesus, I would have been quite angry and certainly suspicious of every Pharisee.  Yet, we read in Luke 7:36, “Now one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.” 

Weird!  Dining together was a high and holy concept in the ancient middle east.  To sup with another was a positive core relational experience.  So, Jesus, knowing that the Pharisees had it out for Him, still gave that Pharisee an opportunity to speak with Him and perhaps believe. 

He did it again in Luke 11:37: Another invitation to dine – another fresh start – no animosity from His past, no ugly suspicion, no bitterness.  And yet his Pharisee host criticized Him during that meal (11:38-40). 

Surely Jesus eventually learned to avoid the Pharisees.  But then we read Luke 14:1, “Now one Sabbath when Jesus went to dine at the house of a leader of the Pharisees, they were watching him closely.”  He had forgiven and forgotten the past once again and accepted their invitation. 

We can conclude only one of two things – either Jesus was not very perceptive, or He was smart enough to lay aside yesterday’s hurts to give a man a new chance today.  

Perhaps the most phenomenal display of this heart came at Calvary.  The Pharisees watched as He hung on the cross where they had arranged for Him to die.  It was there that Jesus looked upon them and said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” – Luke 23:34.

Jesus was free from bitterness.  I wish the same could be said of us.  Who is it that makes your blood boil when you think of them?  Who do you work to avoid?  Who rates as unforgivable in your book? 

Let it go!  Jesus said, “…if you have anything against anyone, forgive him…” – Mark 11:25.

Booker T. Washington, a former slave put it this way, “I will never allow any man to destroy or denigrate my soul by making me hate him.”  

So let it go!

A PRAYER: Forgiveness is a divine work.  Lord, give us the grace to do it.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of the Lord be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

Krispy Krime! — September 23, 2025

Krispy Krime!

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I was fraught with donut guilt. Not from eating them, but from stealing them. 

You see, my friends and I had morning paper routes when we were kids.  As we biked our way at 4 a.m., we noticed a Krispy Kreme truck that was making its daily deliveries.   

The driver would hide boxes of donuts in various places so that the retailers would have them when they opened in the morning.   

It seemed like a fun game, so we tailed the truck and watched as the donuts were stowed away in cars and various nooks and crannies.   

And we then confiscated and consumed many of those donuts.  Proverbs 9:17 says, “Stolen waters are sweet.” This was especially true of donuts.

We enjoyed our donut feasts.  We longed for some milk as well, but the milkman didn’t deliver that early.

But then, several years later I found myself twisted up with guilt over the many poor choices I had made in my brief life – including the donut thefts.  My guilt finally found its way to the cross, where Jesus paid my way to heaven – His blood shed for my sin. 

Theologically and experientially, I was born again.  I was free of the burden of my sin and its oppressive guilt, and I wanted the world to know it.  So, I took my guitar and sang of God’s grace and mercy.   

But one day it occurred to me that I was not completely guilt free.  If the manager of the Krispy Kreme should have shown up at the church where I was singing – it would have dropped a load of condemnation all over me. 

I wondered if I needed to make things right with him.  So, I studied the Scripture.  

The idea of making restitution was first discussed in Exodus 22:1-15.  For instance, the man who stole an ox needed to repay the person from whom it was stolen.  Granted, this is from the Old Testament and we Christian are governed by the New.

But I also I found Romans 13:8 where Paul wrote, “Owe no one anything.”   Technically speaking I owed many folks for the things I had stolen.   

I also remembered the example of Zaccheus the tax collector, who used the system to steal from people.  When he found forgiveness from Jesus, he knew that he needed to repay those folks from whom he had stolen (Luke 19:8).

I was convicted. I needed to settle the account. So, I wrote a letter to the manager of the donut store.  I told him what I had done and explained that Christ had changed the course of my life and that I wanted to make restitution.  I also enclosed a check.   I did the same thing with anyone from whom I had stolen.  

Not long after, I began to receive letters in response to my letters – each one thanking me for my confession and restitution and each one granting me forgiveness.   I still have those letters. 

This one came from Krispy Kreme: “Dear James, Thank you very much for the letter.  You are one in a million who would admit this.  I am glad to hear that you have met your Savior and that He has forgiven you.  We at Krispy Kreme sure can do the same thing.  Thanks again.  Come in any time.” P. Lockhart, Mgr.

How refreshing and liberating.  I understand now what Paul meant when he said, “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience” – 2 Timothy 1:3. (NASU)

And I have to say that I so enjoy having a clear conscience, that I am prompted to quickly make amends with the Lord and others when I stumble in the present.  My sins these days are not theft related, but they still stain my conscience until I make it right. 

You may not have a donut debt, but you may have a debt of another kind.  Perhaps it’s time to make things right!

A PRAYER: God, give us the courage to clear up the past

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible® unless otherwise noted.

no fueling — September 17, 2025

no fueling

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Somewhere in the state of Kansas I pulled in to get some gas.  But the options on the pump baffled me.  There was regular, mid-grade, premium, diesel, E10, E15, E85, ethanol free and biodiesel.  I wasn’t sure which to get so I tried, “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe; Catch a tiger by the toe.”  

I remembered the story of a friend who borrowed a diesel van and unknowingly put unleaded in it.  The engine struggled to start and then sputtered when it did.  His trip was canceled, and the van’s fuel system got a costly and thorough cleanse.

The kind of fuel we put in our tank makes a difference.   The very same is true of our spiritual lives.  We who know the Lord need to make sure that we fuel our minds with the right stuff. 

The apostle Paul told us to think about that which is true, worthy of respect, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).   Too often we put the wrong kind of fuel in our spiritual tanks and foul up the system.

We need the right kind of fuel, and it needs to go into the right place.  Suppose a teen driver jumped in her car for the first time and found the gas gauge on empty.  Would she be silly enough to remove the cap and gas up the radiator, or maybe top off the cup holder? 

Obviously not!  The fuel needs to go into the fuel tank.  Spiritually speaking, however, the fuel doesn’t always make it there.  Some of us read our Bibles and fill our minds with the right fuel, but we still lack spiritual get up and go.   

That’s probably because the ultimate destination for that fuel is not the mind, but the heart.  The Psalmist wrote, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” – Ps 119:11 (KJV).  So how does the Scripture make it to our heart? 

Psalm 119 is centered around the Scripture.  The concept of meditation is mentioned there at least 5 times.  For instance, verse 48 says, “I will lift my hands to your commands, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes” (NIV)

To meditate is to think deeply and carefully about something.  If the Psalm were written today, the Psalmist might have used the word “marinate.”  When we read the Scripture, we need to marinate our minds with it. 

We need to pause and soak our minds with what we are reading – deliberately think about the verse, each word.  What does it mean? How does it apply to you right now? 

Let me use Romans 8:28 as an example on how to marinate, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” NIV.  Let’s consider it word by word. 

“And we know” – This is a truth that we are certain of.

“That in all things” -All things: not some things, or a few things, not just the pleasant but even the painful.

“God” -Not a fictional person but a very real, powerful person in my life

“Works” -Not once worked or will work but is working at this moment.

“For the good” – The pleasant and the painful things interact with each other in God’s plan, but it results in something very good for me

“For those who love Him” –I do love Him, but how much?

“Who have been called” -He called me out of the darkness into the light

“According to His purpose” – His wise purpose shapes His plan for me.  

Marinate!  Chew on smaller portions.  Take some time and soak your mind. It’s about quality time spent not quantity.   The goal is not necessarily to memorize but to marinate your mind with the truth. 

The next time you go for a fill up – choose the premium option – the Word of God; and marinate the truth all the way into your tank.

A PRAYER: Lord, stir up a hunger in me for your Word

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

a shrew in my shoe — September 10, 2025

a shrew in my shoe

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There was a shrew at our house (not my wife, so stop that).  It was a real live Southern Short-tailed Shrew (I could tell by the southern drawl).  OK he wasn’t really in my shoe, but he was close enough and we were shocked. We didn’t even know shrews were southerners.

He had tiny eyes; a long snout and he squealed like a dog toy.  I learned later that shrews prefer swampy land and eat fungi, slugs and other insects. So why my house?   

Their eyesight is poor, and their bite is painful – sharp and venomous but not lethal to humans.  Oh, and they eat about half their body weight each day.  Finally, something we share in common.

And hey if you ever come to our house for dinner, just skip the salad.  We had to use the salad tongs to remove the varmint.  But it did make into a nice shrew stew (just kidding).

Prior to this my only understanding of shrews came from Shakespeare. Back in his day it was not unusual to refer to a bitter, spiteful man or woman as a shrew.   

An understandable comparison – the beady eyes and the snout that seems like someone is looking down on you, the painful venomous bite like the ugliness that spews from such a person.  And then the poor eyesight – like the grump who seems to be oblivious to others.  Challenge someone like that and they squeal. 

Is it possible that there is a shrew in your shoe?  Do you have a family that treads eggshells around you?  Is arguing a sport?  Do you go through the day angry, just looking for a reason to justify it?   Do you feel a kinship with Oscar the Grouch?

Do you major in the three R’s – Resentment, Revenge and Rage?  Do people perceive you as shouting when you believe you are just talking?  Do you find yourself alone more than you would like? 

Any of these symptoms may suggest that you are more – true shrew than true blue. 

Paul has a two-part prescription for such a malady.  He first told us to sweep away the shrew.  He wrote in Ephesians 4:31, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.”   

Bitterness holds onto an offense.  Wrath is an explosive rage. Anger refers to entrenched fury.  Clamor is what we do when we scream at others.  Slander is how we damage people by lies or even by a truth that should not be shared.  Malice is a heart disposition that is intent on hurting others.

Paul says to “put these things away” (artheto) but not to stow away for later.  The idea is more like to sweep it away, like the dirt on the floor – right out the door.

We need to sweep away the shrew and then start with something new. 

Paul wrote in the following verse, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” – Ephesians 4:32. 

Kind – at all times – when people are nice to me, and even when they disappoint or hurt me.  Kindness begets kindness.  We are to be tender hearted which also means to be tender worded.  We need to speak softly – words that build up, affirm and edify others (Ephesians 4:29). 

And we must certainly forgive – whether our forgiveness is sought or not.  To withhold it is to lug through life an unbearable burden that will break us.

Unfortunately, there is a glue in being a shrew that resists change.  So how can we change?  Well through the Lord!  In Ephesians 6:10 Paul spoke of being “strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”  That’s what we need.  That’s the only way we can change.

So, are we through with the shrew?  By God’s power and grace, it can happen!

A PRAYER: Lord, this fits me too well.  Change me!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NASU.

Photo is from U.S. government picture posted on wikipedia.com

a lemon without the law — September 3, 2025

a lemon without the law

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A man bought a new car, got it home and checked the trunk.  He was shocked to find that the tire-jack had been replaced by the Jaws of Life.

I wonder if that’s how Israel felt when they arrived at Canaan land.  The Lord promised them a bountiful land flowing with milk and honey (Leviticus 20:24) but that was not exactly what they found.  It was actually a really tough place to live. 

The western boundary was seacoast.  This could be a plus for international trade. But the waters of the sea carried sand from North Africa and left it on their shores so that they lacked deep water ports.

There were lots of worthless rocks but few valuable minerals.  They even had to import wood for building.

It was tough to travel – a land of random hills, valleys, swamps, and desert and smaller than New Jersey.

It is earthquake prone.  There is evidence of several cities that were leveled by quakes.   2/3 of the land was arid waste. The coastal areas were swampy.  3/4 of the land was mountainous.  Farming was a challenge.

Caanan was 100% dependent on the rain.  Every bit of the water in the Jordan River came from rain that had fallen in the land.  If it didn’t rain, they didn’t eat.

Because of the thickets and mountains the land was haunted by lions, bears, jackals, hyenas, leopards and wolves – challenges when trying to work the fields or tend the flocks.

Canaan is the primary intercontinental bridge that connects Africa with Asia and Europe.   Therefore, it was and still is the most strategic point of real estate in the Middle east.   In those days Egypt would march through Canaan to assault Mesopotamia and visa versa.   Canaan land would be assaulted and sacked when they did.  

So, God asked Moses and the Israelites to leave the rich bountiful Nile Delta region to move to a place that was poor for shipping, trading, mining, traveling, logging and especially farming.  The place was rocky, swampy, rain dependent, overrun with wild beasts and frequently ravaged by war.

So why would God provide that kind of home for the people He treasured?  He tells us in Leviticus 26:3-10.  

“‘If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments, 4 I will give you your rains in their time so that the land will give its yield and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. 5 Threshing season will extend for you until the season for harvesting grapes, and the season for harvesting grapes will extend until sowing season, so you will eat your bread until you are satisfied…”

God described an extremely prosperous and bountiful place – plenty of rain, fruitful trees, ripened fields, and luscious grapes – each year every year (26:10).  But, He prefaced His promise with an if, “If you walk in my statutes and are sure to obey my commandments…”

He went on to say, “and you will live securely in your land. 6 I will grant peace in the land so that you will lie down to sleep without anyone terrifying you. I will remove harmful animals from the land, and no sword of war will pass through your land” (26:5b-6)

If they were to walk in His statutes, He also guaranteed that they would sleep in peace.  He would manage the wild beasts and stop the marauding nations at the border. 

God wanted them to live in a healthy state of tension.  If they were to obey it would be a fantastic home.  If they deserted Him, it would become a lemon of a land.  They had to live by their faith or languish without it. 

We too would like a milk and honey experience in life, but sometimes we taste vinegar instead.  This may be God’s gentle way of correcting us.  He disciplines the child that He loves (Hebrews 12:6-11).  It may be time to turn back to Him. 

A PRAYER: Teach us the Lord the way in which we should go.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you Scripture passages are from the NETBible

when helping hurts — August 27, 2025

when helping hurts

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His daddy was a pastor.  The little guy had to sit through church to hear his dad preach on subjects like justification and sanctification.   One day his Sunday School teacher asked if anyone knew what “procrastination” was.  The little boy, wanting to be helpful, said, “I don’t know what it means, but I know my dad believes in it.” 

Sometimes we want to help but we unintentionally hurt the cause instead.  The leper of Mark 1 is a case in point. 

He came to Jesus pleading for healing.  Jesus touched the untouchable.  (1:40-42).  Completely cleansed of the disease, the man was ready to tell the world what Jesus had done for him.   

But “Immediately Jesus sent the man away with a very strong warning. He told him, “See that you do not say anything to anyone, but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them” – NETBible.com® (1:44).  

He gave the man three directives. 1) Say nothing to anyone 2) “Show yourself to the priest” 3) And offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded.

Jesus wanted him to keep the miracle to himself, at least until he reported to the priests and offered the appropriate sacrifice to the Lord (Leviticus 14:1-32).  Doing this would help the priests understand that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God.

But the man (previously known as the leper) had a better idea.  He wanted to help the cause of Christ by spreading the Word, but to do so meant that He had to ignore the 3 directives Jesus gave him (1:45a).   Instead of helping the cause, he hurt it.

1. He limited Jesus’ ministry: Verse 45 says, “Jesus was no longer able to enter any town openly but stayed outside in remote places.”  The multitude that heard, wanted to be healed as well.  So, Jesus, couldn’t go to the cities to seek out the lost.  The lost had to go to the desert to seek Him.

2. He misdirected Jesus’ ministry:  Yes, throngs of people still sought Jesus but for their physical healthcare, not spiritual welfare.  The message of the Kingdom of God was obscured.

3. He embarrassed Jesus’ ministry: If he had he gone to the priest, he would have been ceremonially washed and freshly dressed.  Instead, this evangelist was dirty and smelly, with tattered clothes.

4. He discredited Jesus’ ministry: Jesus told him to do what the law required.  Not only did he disobey Jesus but the OT law as well.  So, Jesus became associated with a lawbreaker and rebel.

5. He destroyed Jesus’ ministry to some:  The law required a leper who had been helped to subject himself to the inspection of the priests.  To see the man and hear his story may have inclined the priests to believe in Jesus.  In fact, this was likely the beginning of the offense that the religious leaders felt towards Jesus.  Some of those priests may be in hell today partly because of the man’s disobedience.

Though the guy had good intentions, his decision was very harmful to the cause of Christ.  

So, when does helping hurt?  When we disregard the Word of God to do it. 

Sarah wants her husband to become more of a spiritual man, so she pesters him about church and family devotions and ignores 1 Peter 3:1-2 and the need to win him without a word.   

Andrew’s parents require him to pass English if he wants to go on the youth mission trip.  But Andrew wants to serve God, so he used ChatGPT on his essay.

Ed spends 20 hours a week helping at church but ignores his responsibilities at home. 

Resist the temptation to improve on our Lord’s commands.  Make sure you know what the Word of God says.  If in doubt, consult someone who knows the Bible well.  Submit your plan of action, and your motives to the Word of God and act accordingly.   Because, if we don’t, then our helping might hurt.

A PRAYER: Lord, forgive us for thinking we have a better way.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you`

far ants — August 20, 2025

far ants

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When I was a young naïve kid, I thought all ants were nice ants.  In Ohio we mostly had teeny tiny “sugar ants.”  They are so named because they are attracted to sweets (a trait we both share).   They were happy ants and were never much of a bother.

But when I was transplanted to Texas, I was assaulted by fire ants (which we pronounce as “far” ants).  So named because they are aggressive and bite and keep on biting as they inject bits of venom under the skin. 

These fire ants are red like the devil.  They supposedly came to us from South America by stowing away on a ship.

So how did the fire ants get to be so mean? 

At creation, God made the ants, and they were sweet natured and peaceful.  But then came the fall and all creation was affected by the curse – from a glorious garden to thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18).   

God frontloaded that one original sweet natured kind of ant with the capacity to adapt itself to its environment.  Over time that one kind was multiplied into the roughly 14,000 species that are recognized today.

This did not involve the evolution of one species to another, but the simple adaptation of the original ants to their environment.

So, I am guessing that the fire ants came to be so fiery because they grew up in a tough neighborhood. Hey, the jungles of South America are rife with giant anteaters.  Those guys had to learn to defend themselves somehow.

Though I am loathe to admit it, we Christians are a lot like fire ants.  We live in a worldly environment that pressures us to adapt ourselves to it – to allow it to reshape the values and character that have defined us.

We who were birthed in Christ’s righteousness are surrounded by the squalor of sin.  These forces pressure us to adapt ourselves to this toxic environment in which we live.

There is certainly plenty of evidence of it happening today.   Seldom a week goes by without the news of another prominent Christian who has compromised and capitulated to the pressure. 

At the moment, I am grieving the loss of Michael Tait, former member of DC Talk and the Newsboys. 

And yet, I could also take a painful introspective look at my own values and character and realize that there has been some erosion.  Things are just not as sharply defined to me as they once were.

But – we cannot – we must not adapt.  We must resist, says Peter.

“Be sober and alert. Your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him…” – 1 Peter 5:8-9.

James agrees, “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

But how?  How do we resist these vicious assaults and the corrosion of our character?    Paul has an answer.  He wrote, “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” – Ephesians 6:13. (NASU)

He then provided us with a detailed review of the full armor that the Lord has provided for our defense.  Included are such things as the belt of truth, the breastplate of Christ’s righteousness, the foundational footwear of the Gospel, the shield of our faith, and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  – (Ephesians 6:14-18)

We are, says Paul, to put it all on…”take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist”  This armor won’t do us any good when its packed away in the closet.  We must take it up and put it on.  We need to wear it and use it. 

Resist not adapt.  That’s what we must do.

A PRAYER: Lord, help us to stand against the tidal wave of this world. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

changing table — August 13, 2025

changing table

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I suspect that the only people who really enjoy change are infants.  And yet we who are angry, depressed, lustful, abusive, addicted and lazy need to change. But it feels so hopeless.  Is it possible?

Consider a man who is being considered for a pastoral position. The search committee interviewed his references.  There were several significant comments that caused them concern. 

“The candidate does not like to assume a leadership role.”   This is a red flag.  A pastor needs to lead the church, manage the staff and represent the church to the community. 

“The candidate tends to avoid responsibility and obligations.”  This guy would likely do as little as possible to get by.  Could he manage the plethora of details that a pastor encounters or even follow through with a task?  

“The candidate likes to make his own decisions.”   In other words, he does not play well with others.  Board meetings would be a nightmare.

“The candidate is very timid and shy in a group nor does not like to have a large group of friends.”  We don’t need a hermit as the pastor.

If you were on that committee – how would you vote regarding this candidate?  Well, I would definitely cast a no vote.  I would not want to hire – ME.

This is a fictitious scenario, but the comments were taken verbatim from the notes of counselor, based on a battery of vocational tests that I took in January of 1972. 

And yet, in June of 1986, I was unexpectedly hired as a pastor and successfully served that same church for 32 years.  Were the tests wrong?  No – that was truly me in early 1972.  What happened?

I stopped in at the “changing table.” I met Jesus 10 months after I had taken those tests.  At that time, I was “born again” (John 3:3) and I became a “new man” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  The old passed away, and new things began to emerge. 

God was doing a great work in me, but I did my part too.  Paul wrote, “present your bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God—which is your reasonable service” – Romans 12:1.

A sacrificial lamb in ancient Israel had no say in the matter, but we do.  We can choose to give ourselves wholly to the Lord – a living sacrifice not consumed by fire, but by a passion to serve the Lord.     

He went on to say, “Do not be conformed to this present world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” –12:2. 

We are to be “transformed” says Paul.  This word is derived from the Greek word, “metamorphose” as in metamorphosis.   The dictionary captures the word this way, “a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means.”

Paul tells us that change is very possible.  In fact, we are expected to change and grow.  Anger can be tamed, depression lifted, lust extinguished, abusers repentant, addictions canceled, and laziness turned into productivity. 

It happens as we experience the renewing of our minds.  So how is the mind renewed?  It happens when we read and marinate our minds with the Word of God.  Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us that Scripture is alive – meaning that the Holy Spirit actively uses it to help transform us.

Renewal also takes place when we take what we read and let it shape the way we pray.  It also happens when we spend meaningful time with other Christian people whose thinking begins to impact our own.

The things we read and media we watch also tend to either conform us to this world or transform our minds. 

Change is tough.  Don’t give up on yourself.  Take time today to say to the Lord,  “I really want to be different and better.  I am laying my life on the altar and asking You Lord, to make it happen.”  

A PRAYER: Lord I am ready to change.  Would You change me – gently please?

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®