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
10, 2 and 4 — August 5, 2025

10, 2 and 4

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Sometimes we are happily able to avoid the consequences of our choices. 

When I first came to Texas, I met their patron saint of soft drinks – Dr. Pepper.  I was fascinated by the tiny bottles – each one largely stamped with 10, 2 and 4.  The advertising advocated a Dr. Pepper break for Texans at 10 am, 2 and 4 pm.   Some regarded it as the daily prescribed dosage. 

I provided support for the senior most member in the family of print shop owners.  He was a lovely Christian man.  I would chauffeur him around town while he made his sales calls.  The first time in the car each morning, he would abruptly launch into a safety prayer (He had seen me drive before).

Each afternoon, I was expected to clean his office.  I am not exaggerating when I say that I found 8-10 of those empty Dr. Pepper bottles there.  Every work day!

Didn’t he know that consuming sugary, carbonated soft drinks poses health risks like weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cavities. Some studies connect them with the increased risk of premature death.

But the man was drinking 60 ounces of Dr. Pepper each day.  And yet, he was pushing ninety at that time, still working every day, slim and trim, fantastic health – even had good teeth.  So, I’m no dummy.  I began my own 10, 2 and 4 regimen  (though it has not worked out as well for me).

Sometimes we are able to avoid the consequences of our choices but that may not be such a good thing.

Do you know that nearly half of all murder cases in the U.S. go unsolved.  Only 1 out of every 2 murderers ever face justice. 

Retailers catch shoplifters approximately 2% of the time.  There are some cities in the U.S. that no longer even prosecute the crime.  Analysts estimate that total retail theft losses are expected to hit around $115 billion by the end of 2025.

Here is something closer to home.  9 out of 10 drivers admit to speeding.  They do that (well, we do that) because more often than not, we are not caught. 

Sometimes we are happily able to avoid the consequences of our choices but eventually they catch up to us.   At least this is true in the spiritual realm.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows” – Galatians 6:7. NETbible ®

This passage was written in the context of the way we manage our money, but it serves as a broad principle that applies to all of life as well.  Note that Paul warns us, “do not be deceived” which is because we often are.  We live like there is no tomorrow, until tomorrow comes. 

What follows is somewhat of a humorous way to think about these things – the lyrics to an original song called “Sow a Little.”

Sow a little, reap a little; Sit around and faddle fiddle; Sow a lot, reap a lot; That’s the way to go

The farmer went to sow his field.    He hoped to get a bountiful yield, But the seeds were few, he didn’t put much in; So he harvested just one wheat thin

The man was driven, he had things to do; No time for family, no time for you; He then retired and he sat alone; Just him and Siri on his cell phone

She had no time to serve the Lord; The worship service left her bored; And then one day she was deep in trouble; With nothing to show but wood, hay and stubble

But one smart brother understood the plan; He tithed his money, loved his fellow man;  He served the Lord all over the place; And he died one day with a grin on his face

Sow a little, reap a little; Sit around and faddle fiddle; Sow a lot, reap a lot; That’s the way to go

A PRAYER:  Lord, please use the future to impact our present.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

love that will not let me go — July 30, 2025

love that will not let me go

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Why does Sarah cling to that stuffed lamb she was given as a toddler?    Why does Eric guard that ratty T-shirt he earned way back in his little league days?  And why does my wife stick with me?   It’s been almost 49 years, and my bones creak, and my bladder leaks, and my face looks like my great Grandpa’s.

My answer is this, once you have deeply loved someone, or even something, you just don’t want to let go. 

Sarah cuddled with her lambie pie every night.   She wore the fleece off the poor beast.   Eric’s team were the champs that year.  He proudly wore his T-shirt until his biceps burst the seams. 

I purchased a classical guitar when I was a teen.  I strummed it in bars and coffee houses before I came to know Jesus.  When I got redeemed, so did my guitar.  I went right back to those bars and coffee houses and sang about Jesus – ‘til they bounced me.

The guitar was used to influence several hundred souls to come to Christ.  I used it to sing my wedding vows to my wife. 

But the day came when it was so old and cracked and brittle that it was impractical to use – so I sold it to a friend and bought another one.   

Oh my! I was quickly overcome with sellers’ remorse.  I loved that guitar and it sorta loved me back.  I called my friend, and he graciously understood and sold it back to me.

I then hung the guitar on the wall of my home.  Over time all three of my children picked it up and taught themselves how to play it.  Now all three want that guitar bequeathed to them when I die.   To date I have owned that guitar for 57 years and I ain’t gonna let it go again. 

So why should you be interested in all this? 

Well, only because you have been loved, deeply, thoroughly, loved by the Lord Jesus.  God says so.

He spoke through the prophet Jeremiah saying ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love – Jeremiah 31:3.An everlasting love – that’s the best kind. 

And then there is Galatians 2:20 where Paul made God’s love for him very personal.  He wrote, “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself up for me.”   The Son of God loved me and gave himself up for me.    

Now because He has loved us, He refuses to lose us!

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand – John 10:28-29.

Even when we are at our worst, He holds on.  The Psalmist confessed, “My spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain. I was ignorant and lacked insight; I was as senseless as an animal before you. But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand” –   Psalm 73:21-23.

because He has loved us, He refuses to lose us!   Our fleece may be wearing thin, but His love persists and sees us in the best light.  Our seams may be bursting but His love covers us.

Matt Redman put it this way, “Oh no, You never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Oh no, You never let go, in every high and every low;

Oh no, You never let go – Lord, You never let go of me.”

How sweet it is to know that God’s love for us will never ever let us go. 

A PRAYER: A Lord, thank you for your relentless love for us.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

a rupture in the rapture — July 23, 2025

a rupture in the rapture

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There has been a rupture in the rapture.  Some reject the idea that the church will one day be raptured to be with Jesus.  And yet a passage of Scripture that is almost always recited at a funeral service clearly affirms it.   

The old reliable King James says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” – 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17.

Paul teaches that Jesus will return one day to gather His church – both those who have died in Christ and those who are still alive at that time.  We shall be caught up together with them.”  The phrase “caught up” is translated from one Greek word “harpadzo” (which sounds like one of the Marx brothers).    The word means “to snatch up, or to seize.”  And note – this will take place in the air. 

The Latin translation of this phrase is “rapturo” which is where we get the word rapture.  Theologians needed a convenient way to refer to the event of 1 Thessalonians 4.  “The rapture” seemed to be more pleasing to the ears than “the harpadzo”.

If the Scripture is true (and it is) then we can agree with certainty that this event will take place.  But we find it hard to agree as to the “when.”

Some believe it will happen before the 7 years of the Great Tribulation in the book of the Revelation.  Jesus will take His church to heaven, before God pours out His wrath on the earth (1 Thessalonians 5:9)   

Others see it happening in the middle of those 7 years.  Then there are those believe that it will happen when Jesus returns to the earth to reign – as if the city were going out to greet a conquering hero to accompany him back to town.  

Mountains of books have been written to defend each one of these positions.   

Unfortunately, Paul described the event, but he left out that one single detail on which we seem to be obsessively focused – when is it going to happen?   

We assume that it will happen during the period of time recorded in Revelation, but even there we find no clear mention of it. 

I, therefore, assume that God must have had a strategically divine purpose in hiding this information from us. 

Let’s go back and notice the emphasis in Paul’s words, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (vs. 17)

Paul wasn’t concerned about when it would happen, only who he would be with.  He told us that we will meet the Lord in the air and forevermore be with Him.  That’s the climax of the passage.  His focus was limited to the joy of being united with Jesus – forever.   

Jesus, spoke of the future in John 14:3.  Surprisingly He was also focused not on the timing, but on who He would be with.  He said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” – John 14:3. KJV

Jesus with us, and us with Jesus.  That is the grand delight of the rapture.  That is the only thing that is of the utmost importance when it comes to the great “harpadzo.”  Let’s focus on that!

A PRAYER: Come Lord Jesus

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you.

sanctified swamp people — July 16, 2025

sanctified swamp people

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I thought about auditioning for Swamp People.  You see, whenever it rains, there is a section of my backyard that floods with water.  It doesn’t run off as it should because the ground level is lower than the rest of the yard. 

Water pools there and sticks around for as much as 5 days.   The lawn underneath gasps for breath until it finally gives up the grass ghost.   It is a swampy, unsightly mess.

What should I do about it?   I could order a dump truck load of topsoil and bring the whole area up to grade.  Then spend some serious bucks on some centipede sod and carpet the area.  Nah!

Instead, I decided to raise the level of the soil gradually!  I took bags of topsoil and lightly spread the soil throughout the area.  I then raked and watered it in.  Soon, the grass underneath began to poke through. 

I did this every couple of weeks, a little at a time, and the level of the soil gradually rose.  The water now runs off, and I have a healthy green lawn.

Gradual is also the way the Lord raises the level of holiness in us. 

The process of being processed is called sanctification.   It began the very moment we came to faith in Christ.  The Lord took a spiritual swamp person, removed his sin, placed the Holy Spirit in him and good things began to happen.   Paul wrote, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” – 1 Corinthians 6:11.

At that point the believer is liberated from the dominating power of sin.  This is known as positional sanctification, and it is all God’s doing.    

There is also practical sanctification.  In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul wrote, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” – NIV.   It is interesting if not a little baffling to find that both God and man are responsible for this aspect of sanctification. 

On one hand we are to take what God has given us in salvation and work it all out.  This is to take the potential for holiness we were given the day we were saved and roll it out and implement it so that it becomes an essential part of who we are.

So much of the New Testament targets this process.  I think of Hebrews 12:1, “…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

On the other hand, Paul tells us that it is God who is at work in us.  “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus – NIV.” – Philippians 1:6

Practical sanctification is a lifelong process.  It is facilitated through our prayers and digesting and obeying the Word of God.  It involves finding fellowship with others at church and offering heartfelt worship. 

These are the efforts that we make to facilitate sanctification.  God does His part by empowering us, teaching us and using divinely appointed experiences to shape us.   He gradually raises the quality of holiness in us.

There are times that slow, and steady are needed to get the job done.  This is certainly true of sanctification

Paul said it would culminate on the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).  This third aspect we might call perpetual sanctification.  

When Jesus reappears, or if we should die before then, the process will be completed forever.  The apostle John wrote, “We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” – 1 John 3:2 NIV.

Hey, it’s good to know that we won’t be swamp people forever.

A PRAYER: Lord, we sure need it, sanctify away

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the New International Version

a note from a bass player — July 9, 2025

a note from a bass player

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Our band had just finished an evening of music ministry at a summer camp on the shores of Lake Erie.  It was a phenomenal time with several kids having given their lives to Jesus that night. 

We happily tore down our equipment and packed it into the trailer.  As we pulled away, there was a disturbing crunch that was heard.

Our bass player cried, “Oh no!”  He jumped out of the car and found his bass guitar beneath the wheel of the car.  He had leaned it against the car while we were loading and had forgotten about it.

We backed up the car and surveyed the damage.  The old wooden case was completely annihilated – nothing left but splinters.  No doubt, the guitar, within was wrecked as well. 

But our bassist picked at the splinters and found that the solid body Silvertone guitar was in excellent condition.  It was a miracle of sorts.  He even played a tune for us, but it wasn’t in one of the flat keys. 

The case was pulverized but the guitar was preserved.

That sorta sounds like my life these days.  My case is degrading.  Three years ago, I was on zero medications.  Two years ago, I started my first two.  Last year I added two more.  

At a rate of addition of two per year, I am going to be a mess if I make it to my 80‘s.  Plus, I’ll have to take out a loan to pay for it all. 

All this because my body is wasting away. 

In fact, here is my personal lament to aging – to the tune of These Are a Few of My Favorite Things. 

– Dropping my phone but I can’t bend to get it; Needing to buy my prescriptions on credit; Searching the house, cause I misplaced my teeth; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Sweeping the floor and pulling a muscle; Missing one piece from the whole jigsaw puzzle; Growing a gut while my hairline recedes; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Making a list of all my prescriptions; Finding a spot that defies a description;  Getting my news from the AARP magazine; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Gigantic toenails, I can’t reach to trim them; Trying to dance but losing the rhythm; Sneezing and finding that I sprung a leak; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Trying to say diverticulu-titus; 3 crooked fingers from raging arthritis; Learning to walk on my transplanted knee; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Finding a town where there’s no Cracker Barrel; Shopping and finding no modest apparel; A grandkid who tells me my car’s an antique; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Calling and talking to another computer; Sharing a bed with a spouse who’s a tooter; Getting new glasses but still I can’t see; These are a few of my least favorite things.

– Wrinkles that rival my beloved Shar Pei; Using a map app, to help find my way; Trying to learn how to work my TV; These are a few of my least favorite things.

Yes, aging can be agonizing.  The case in which we are enclosed is falling apart at an alarming rate.  BUT the essence of who we, like that bass guitar, is still in perfect shape. 

The apostle Paul said, “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” – 2 Corinthians 5:1. NETBible ®

Our temporal earthly house is crumbling but we are not – and one day we will be housed in a body fit for eternity. 

Hey, I left out the chorus to my song parody.  It goes like this: 

No sense raging, that I’m aging, cause it’s not the end; Cause Jesus awaits me, in heaven up there, and things will be better then

A PRAYER: Lord, help me hang on, as my case falls apart.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

out of debt — July 2, 2025

out of debt

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Once upon a time I was in a Christian band.  We called ourselves tetelestai (te-tel-es-tai).  In one respect that was a fantastic name for our band.  This was the last word that Jesus uttered as He died on the cross. It means, “It is finished.” 

On the other hand, it was a lame name for a band.  Most people couldn’t pronounce it. 

There was a time when we had won a preliminary round in a Gospel music competition.   The finals were to take place at the end of the week. 

In the meantime, they announced the names of all the preliminary winners over an FM radio station each evening.  The announcer managed to mispronounce the name of our band in a different way, each night, for 7 consecutive nights. 

Maybe we should have gone with an easy name like The Preach Boys.    

But tetelestai is a precious word.  It is a Greek word, which is the language of the New Testament.  The phrase in the middle, “teles” means to be finished.  The prefix “te” tells us that it is in the perfect tense.  This means that something was done that has results that never end. 

And this was the very last word Jesus uttered before He died.  The Scripture says, “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost” – John 19:30. (KJV)

His very last word.  Must be significant right?  Makes me wonder what was the “It” that was finished.

Maybe He was referring to His sojourn as God in the flesh.  But He didn’t say, “I am finished” but rather “It is finished.”

Maybe He had in mind the intense suffering He endured on the cross.  Certainly, He was glad to be finished with that.

Or maybe He was thinking of the saga of annoyance and disappointment in His handpicked disciples who seldom seemed to get it.

Tetelestai was a common word in the first century, and it was used often in the area of finance.

A pile of papyri documents dating back to Jesus’ day has been discovered.  These are receipts that were given to people after they had paid their taxes.  They have the single word, “tetelestai” largely written across each receipt – meaning that the tax debt had been paid in full. 

It was Jesus’ life purpose to hang on that cross.  He humbled Himself and took on human flesh, then endured 30 years of obscurity and then 3 painful years of notoriety.  At Gethsemane He braced Himself for the saga of suffering to come.  He allowed Himself to be hung on that cross because there was a debt that needed to be paid. 

The apostle Paul put it this way, “And even though you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he nevertheless made you alive with him, having forgiven all your transgressions. He has destroyed what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross” – Colossians 2:13-14.  NET

Paul portrayed our sins as being written out on a certificate of debt.  Christ took that certificate and pronounced the word “tetelestai” over it.  That debt of sin, has by virtue of His death, been paid in full.

Warren Wiersbe tells the story of an eccentric man named Alexander Wooten who was approached by a flippant young man who asked, “What must I do to be saved?” 

Wooten replied, “It’s too late.”   The guy was alarmed, “What, do you mean?  Isn’t there anything I can do?”

Wooten replied, “It’s too late.  It’s already been done!”  Christ did what needed to be done.

Ours is but to receive with gratitude the gift He died to give.  Savor that blessing if you know Him.  Seek that blessing if you don’t.  Tetelestai! 

A PRAYER: What a wonderful word of forgiveness that you left to us. Thank You Lord.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always

Scripture references are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

sword play — June 25, 2025

sword play

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One of my heroes was a klutz. 

During the Middle Ages it was common for a university graduate to carry a sword.  No one is completely sure why, but the best guess is that it was an honored symbol of the value of education and the sharpening of the intellect. 

And yet, a sword would have been mighty handy to have in my High School days. 

Ironically swords were inexpensive back then, but leather sheaths were usually beyond the means of a student. 

So, the story goes… In 1504 the collegian, Martin Luther traveled to his home to celebrate Easter with his family.  Along the way, his unsheathed sword accidentally cut his leg, severing a main artery. 

Hmm – maybe the scholar wasn’t so smart after all!   Luther was bleeding to death when a local doctor finally showed up with a sewing kit. 

He survived, but the accident caused a change in the course of his life. He switched his major from law to theology and began to prepare for the priesthood.  For the next decade he filled himself with the musings of musty theologians who described God but who never knew Him. 

And the knowledge that he accumulated became more lethal to Luther than the sword he carried.  Academia obscured the truth. 

The prevailing teaching at that time required a person to fast and pray and receive the Sacraments, do penance and good works in order to get to heaven.  Luther was fanatical his efforts to do this.

But the more he strived to know God, the farther away he moved from Him. 

Paul spoke of this kind of phenomena in 1Timothy 3:7 – people who were, “always seeking instruction, yet never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.”

Elsewhere he wrote, “Knowledge puffs up” – 1 Corinthians 8:1.  In other words, the more we learn, the more our ego tends to blind us from truth.

Like the sword that pieced his leg and nearly took his life, the sword of knowledge threatened his chance to live eternally.

But then he sought God through the only true and reliable source – the Scripture.  He wrote, “I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, “The justice of God”… Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the just shall live by faith.” Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.”

He came to understand that we cannot save ourselves – it is by faith in Christ and Him alone that we are justified before God and made righteous through Him.

And with that very critical, but basic slice of understanding, Luther was saved.  Isn’t it curious that Luther was stabbed by the sword of the academy but saved by the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17).  

Thanks to the internet, knowledge is streaming today at a breakneck speed.  AI is astounding in its ability to glean the entire internet and summarize its findings on any given subject. 

Good stuff, but always we need to use Scripture, as the informational referee to either affirm or correct what we learn.  

Galileo is known as the Father of Science.  He is credited with developing the scientific method, which governs the sciences to this day.  He was a significant force in the development of astronomy, mathematics and physics.  And yet he candidly wrote, “Holy Scripture could never lie or err, but its decrees are of absolute and inviolable truth.”

Learning is great!  Learn all you can, but make sure that you judge it properly.  The absolute guide to truth is tucked away in that leatherbound book there on your desk. 

A PRAYER: Thank you for Your Word Lord.  Help me to better understand it.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always.

Scripture references are from the NETBible.com ® 

I, me, mine — June 18, 2025

I, me, mine

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These 3 may be the most overused words in the English language.  As toddlers, they were our first attempts at communication.  “Me do it!”  “No mine!”  And we carry them with us all the way into our twilight years, “Gertrude, I want the thermostat set on 86.” 

In fact, I was thinking about my prayers as an infant Christian.  At age 19 I offered up a lot of, “I, me, mine” prayers like, “Lord, my acne has broken out and I have a date.  Would you help me please?”  Or “Lord, could you transfer my acne to that guy that’s picking on me?” 

When we have the “I, me, mine” disease, it makes those around us sick – – of us.  No one appreciates a fussy, demanding child.   People run from egocentric adults, and they barely tolerate even the elderly mother who has run-on complaints about her health.

The Beatles once recorded a song called, “I, me, mine.”  It was written by George Harrison as a bold self-disclosure of the infighting going on within the band at that time.  

The lyrics lamented the self-centered orientation of humanity.  Ironically this was the very last song that the Beatles ever recorded. That mentality was responsible for the end of what was probably the most influential rock band ever. 

And that’s what it does to rock bands, friendships, churches, business partnerships, families and marriages. 

As a pastor I did a fair amount of marriage counseling.  Like other counselors I discovered that financial disagreements were often the fuel of marriage conflicts and divorce situations.  And it wasn’t whether a couple had money or not.  The conflict was over how the money should be spent.  I was an “I, me, mine” problem.   

And what about churches?  I did a study of the New Testament Epistles. I found that the churches at Philippi, and Thessalonica and Colossae and all the rest had some kind of serious conflict going on – all fueled by the “I, me, mine” mentality.  The church today is in no worse shape than it was in the first century.

The Spirit of God understands this problem, which is why He gave Paul these words for us,

“Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well” – Philippians 2:3-4. NETBible.com

He gave us a “you/yours” solution to the problem.  Let’s just tackle that one phrase, “treat one another as more important than yourself.”

I found that when I act as if my agenda, is the most important, then it pushes others to do the same.   When I expect my demands to be met, others react by asserting their counter demands.  When I think of myself as being number one, others must either accept that they are number two or aggressively compete with me for the number one spot.

Scripture tells me that the better way is to begin with a number two mindset.  My opinion, my will, my agenda need to be set aside on behalf of that other person. 

I have found that when I defer to others, they very often respond by deferring to me. When I enter a public building, I will often hold the door for that person behind me.  If there is a second door, they will typically hold it open for me.

“Treat one another as more important than yourself.” 

If I practiced this in my marriage, I would just put on a sweater when my wife cranks the thermostat down.  If we had this attitude at church, we would include a hymn or two for the older folks. 

If we were to do this at work, the productivity of the team would dramatically increase.   If we were to practice this in Congress, well, well that would be a miracle, wouldn’t it?

A PRAYER: Lord, I know we can’t do this without your enabling grace.  Help us.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

live to tell about it — June 11, 2025

live to tell about it

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Six months ago, it happened.  In the words of Fred Sandford, “Oh, this is the big one! I’m coming to you Elizabeth?!”  Yes, I had a heart attack, but it wasn’t just any attack.  It was a widow maker. 

The left anterior descending artery (known as the widow maker) was 99% blocked and the pain was rapidly growing in its intensity.  I got to the hospital just in time, and they were able to stent the growth.  

But here’s the thing. I recently learned that, of all who experience a widow maker, only 12% survive.  12 out of every one hundred people live to tell about it.  

I read that and wept – well almost.  It made me wonder, however, “Wow God, I got through that and with no permanent damage.  Why did You allow me to be one of the 12%?” 

Then I was reading my Bible, and I got a reasonable answer from Romans 8:29.  There Paul wrote, “…those whom He foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

Here we understand that God exercises sovereign control over all of creation.  His mastery reaches the past, controls the present and projects into the future.  

He in fact, predestines or in other words, predetermines that life should always follow His comprehensive plan.  There is nothing that has happened or will ever happen that has not been preordained by Him. 

Which is why Romans 8:28 precedes 8:29, “And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

His sovereign power works for those of us who love Him.  The words, “work together” are translated from one Greek word, “synergei.”  The basis for our English word “synergy.”

Synergy is a popular word in our culture.  It involves the combined power of two things when they work which is greater than the sum of either thing by themselves.  It’s sort of like mixing Hershey’s chocolate syrup with milk.   Milk is good, chocolate is good – but together they are delicious!

Likewise, God takes the good things and the not so good things and works them together so that the end result is like a delicious gulp of chocolate milk. 

Why does He do this?  He answered that back in verse 29.  That we might be, “conformed to the image of his Son.”

That is God’s grand game plan, to progressively shape His children so that they end up with a profound resemblance to the Lord Jesus.  The Greek word for “conform” is “sum-morphus.”   Which contains the basis for our English word “morph.”

Morphing is what they do in the movies.  They take an image and slightly alter each successive frame until it becomes a whole different image.  A flower becomes a person or a frog a prince.  The process on the screen is extremely subtle.   

In a similar way God, takes our experiences and uses them to continually slightly adjust us, so that one day we blossom and bear the full and beautiful image of Jesus Himself. 

And like the movie, the process is so subtle that we are hardly aware of it at the time it is happening.  And yet, today I can look back at my 50 plus years with Jesus and clearly see that a lot of conformation has taken place in my life. For which I am profoundly grateful.

This explains life with God fairly well, every setback, all the blessings, the health challenges, the victories, the hurts, the encouragements, the failures and successes, all are divinely purposed to make us more like Jesus.

OK but why did God allow me to be a widow maker survivor?  Well, on the day of my heart attack, I went knocking on the door of heaven.  I am guessing that the Lord looked through the peephole and He said, “O my!  You are still pretty rough. I’m gonna have to send you back for some more conforming.”

A PRAYER: Lord, have Your way our lives!  Conform away – please!

This has been Jim Johnson and picklheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.com

the burden of the booth — June 4, 2025

the burden of the booth

/pickleheavenpress

It was dark and foreboding as I knelt there in that claustrophobic little confessional booth.  I was feeling trapped both by the booth and the burden upon me.  Then the small door to the other side slid open.  I could see the dim outline of Father Missimi through the screen. 

That was the cue for this little 8-year-old to begin.  I said, “Bless me Father for I have sinned.  My last confession was 1 week ago.”  And then it was time to unload my sins. 

But what could I say?  For the most part, I was a good little boy.  I was obedient to my parents, and I got good grades in my Catholic school. This created a quandary for me. 

I feared my teacher, Sister Mary Cletus.  She was hovering outside the booth expecting me to confess my sins.  Father Missimi was on the other side patiently waiting to hear them. But I couldn’t think of any sins to confess. 

And if I went to confession without confessing a sin, would that not be a sin in and of itself?  So, I decided to cooperate.  I needed to fabricate a few sins. “Go with the ten commandments,” I thought.  “Father, I took the name of the Lord my God in vain, and I did not remember to keep the Sabbath day holy – oh and I coveted my neighbor’s goods.”

And then I thought, “Wait a minute – I am presently bearing false witness.  I am lying about sins I did not commit to a holy priest, but I can’t tell him about it because then he would never believe my confessions in the future, and I will therefore be forever unforgiven. 

So, I finished up with my false confession, and he uttered his words of absolution and then ordered me to pray 10 Our Fathers, 10 Hail Mary’s, 10 Glory Be’s and to light a candle and give some money to the poor.

Oh, and by the way, Father Missimi, this post is my official confession of my bogus confession. – Smiley Face!

Confession was so difficult and confusing back then but much simpler now. 

According to 1 John 1:9-10.  John wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.”

When we violate the expectations of God, we put a kink our relationship with Him.  He does not cease to love us, nor does sin imperil our salvation.  But sin muddies our relationship with God. 

When I took my dad’s hatchet without asking, and then lost it, he was not happy with me, but He didn’t disown me.  My standing as His son was always firm.  I had wounded our relationship, however, and that needed to be addressed. 

Likewise, our forgiveness is founded on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.  His blood washed us legally clean, but ongoing confession removes the spiritual, emotional distance that sin creates.  It cleanses us from all unrighteousness.

When we injure our relationship with God through sin, we need to confess it.  And we don’t need a booth to do it.  God is omniscient and knows where we are, what we’ve done and what we need to do about it. 

Neither do we need an intermediary in a dimly lit cubicle to assist.  We are to confess our sins to Him, the Lord Himself, according to John.  And the Father will promptly forgive us and restore the sweetness to our relationship with Him.

Silly me!  I once fabricated fictional sins to confess, yet John says, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.” – 1 John 1:10. A really honest person doesn’t have to manufacture sins.

Well, I have left the dim booth for the light.  And the weekly chore, I once abhored has become a sweet time of reconnecting with the Father, whom I so deeply love.  He waits to hear from you as well. 

A PRAYER: Father, forgive us, for we have sinned!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®