Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

mohican miracles — August 26, 2026

mohican miracles

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I like to plan.  Sometimes I even plan to plan.  But my plans have their limits especially when they bump up against the sovereign strategies of God. 

Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:1, “The intentions of the heart belong to a man,

but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord” (NETBible®).  What?   Euguene Petersen’s paraphrase makes this easier to grasp.  He wrote in The Message, “Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word.”

A case in point: I began planning 16 months in advance for a family gathering to celebrate the 50-year anniversary of my wife and I.   Along the way I watched as God confirmed my plans at times and confounded them at others.  

I decided to book 4 cabins at the extremely popular Mohican State Park in Ohio.  But I had to wait until exactly one year prior to the date to book them.  When the clock struck 8:00 am, I locked in the only 4 cabins available, better known as The Last of the Mohicans. 

I also booked a trip to an Amish Farm that featured a horse-drawn wagon ride through an exotic animal park (Would the horses be dressed in black too?)  Finally, I made a banquet reservation at an excellent Amish restaurant.

Our cabins were next to a tubing river, and our daughter was able to snag 21 tubes on clearance.  All four of our families were excited about the trip and we found a date we could agree on, (And that’s a miracle).  It truly felt like the Lord went before me and streamlined the process. 

BUT, when the time finally came, the forecast could not have been worse.  There was a high probability of storms – every single day.   These storms would wash away most of my best laid plans and I was deeply concerned. 

God took over the planning process, without asking me, and after some wrestling, I determined to trust Him with the outcome.

On Day 1 it was most definitely storming.  We had our eyes on the weather radar the whole day, and what we saw was a ring of fierce storms very near to and all around us. Hourly my wife would check her weather app, and hourly that ring surrounded us but the weather at the park stayed peaceful and dry.  I thanked God for the miracle!

Day 2 it was overcast but no storm – perfect for a 4-hour float on the river. 

While on the river, Sharie, my wife, injured her knee.  Definitely not a part of my plan. 

On Day 3 she was really hurting so we decided that the Amish Farm would just be too much for her.  (You know how crazy those Amish can be) so we all opted to stay near the cabins for the day, but I worried that the kids would be disappointed.    

Our cabin was situated right next to the shallow river.  There was easy access and a good view.  So, all 11 kids, from ages 2 to 17, were in the river playing, fishing, swimming, and floating all day long, while their parents happily rested and watched.  God provided just the perfect plan for us. 

Then I discovered that I had booked the dinner reservation at the wrong restaurant.  It was an hour-long drive from the campground.  We grudgingly loaded up but ended up being surprised by a beautiful and interesting ride through Holmes County Ohio, where we dodged many an Amish buggy.

This was topped off with a fabulous banquet, where laughter abounded, tributes were given, vows were renewed and dinner was served family style.  Tina, our full-service waitress even snapped some great family photos.   

It is good to make plans.  Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty”- NETBible®.  And yet my Mohican memories remind me that we need to loosely hold onto the plans that we make. 

If God is to work all things in our lives together for good, then He should be free to redirect us when needed.  I am so glad that He did! 

A PRAYER: Lord, when my plans are shattered, remind me that your plans for me are not.

a sticky situation — August 19, 2026

a sticky situation

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Back in the days of cassette tapes, I was in a band.  And after we performed a concert, people would sometimes ask “Hey do you guys have any tapes?”  I would say, “Yes we do, I got one from the Eagles and Gary has one from the Gaithers.”  Most people didn’t appreciate my witty reply.

But I’d like to discuss a different kind of tape here – the sticky kind.

I was invited to speak at a marriage retreat.  There were several couples present and they shared much in common: each person had been married and divorced before, and each couple had lived with their current spouse prior to marriage.  Each couple was also quite troubled. 

And I was reminded of the parable of the duct tape. 

Think of fictitious Bill as a piece of duct tape (you can choose the color).  He is alone and longs to be wanted.   Like tape, he is ready to adhere when applied to another person.

Bill met Sally.  She is also alone and ready for a partner.  Bill fit the bill.  After a couple of dates, they ended up in the bedroom and became “one flesh.”  Their sticky sides met and they deeply bonded. 

It was more than physical. Their union was also emotional, mental, and even metaphysical in its nature.

After several months of dating, Bill tried to pull away.  But stick two pieces of tape to each other, and it’s almost impossible to separate them.  If you succeed, both pieces are mangled beyond recognition.  And what is left loses most of its stickiness.

Bill eventually married another, but it was a deeply troubled marriage mostly because Bill was emotionally mangled and had lost his stickiness in several prior relationships. 

Back in Genesis 2, God created one man and one woman and invited them to become one flesh with each other – to marry for life and bear children.

This became the template for mankind going forward. God expected us to commit to lifelong relationships and reserve our sexual passions for our spouse alone.

Any departure from this is considered to be immoral.  The Scripture says, “Marriage must be honored among all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers” – Heb. 13:4. NETBible ®

God expects us to honor the institution of marriage.  We do that when we say, “I do.”  We are also told to keep the marriage bed undefiled.  Sex was designed to take place within the boundary of marriage, not before it, or with anyone who is not your spouse.

The author indicates that to do otherwise is to be immoral.  The word in the Greek from which this is translated is, “porneia.” Notice the root word “porn.”

Back in 1st century pagan circles, there was a huge number and diversity of sexual deviancies.  So many that God would have needed to compose 1,000 commandments to address each particular offense – so He summed them up instead with this word, “porneia.”

But why would God be so stingy and deprive us of the pleasures of unrestricted sex?  Only because He wants us to experience the richest marriage possible. 

He wants to see two fresh pieces of tape, stick to and bond with each other, so that their relationship will flourish and even endure the hardships of life.  He wants to protect us from the trauma of being mangled by multiple sexual partners.

God is not limiting us – He is looking out for us! 

Many of us, including myself, have already blown it in this area.  Know that God’s grace and forgiveness are great when we seek it.  There’s no need to despair. 

But, we can get it right going forward, and we can teach the parable of the duct tape to our kids and grandkids so that they might experience God’s very best for them.    

A PRAYER: God, how we need your help in this area. 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

to the end — August 12, 2026

to the end

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I had a good friend who had a terminal disease.  His immune system was shot, and the doctor ordered him to remain at home to avoid people who might infect him.  But then my wife happened to run into him at Wal-Mart.

She asked him why he was out.  He said, “I don’t want my tombstone to say, ‘He was cautious!’”

Like my friend, there are some of us who are very aware that our time on earth is almost done.  Some can’t sleep because they fear they’ll never open their eyes again.  Others try to reconcile with distant family members.  Some rest in peace before they die because they know they are secure in Christ. 

Christ also lived in the shadow of His death.   What was on His mind during those days?   

John 13 begins the telling of the Last Supper.  This, of course, was the last meal that Jesus would share with His disciples before His crucifixion.  His execution would take place only hours later. 

The Apostle John wrote, “Just before the Passover Feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father” – John 13:1. No question here, Jesus clearly understood that the time of His crucifixion had arrived.  

John continued saying, “(Jesus) Having loved his own who were in the world…”   

That is quite an amazing statement.  Jesus loved – who?  Well, those who were gathered around that table. 

They had left everything for Him.  They shared countless adventures together; they saw the glory of God penetrate the gloom of Israel; and together they suffered rejection.  They were a tight bunch, and Jesus had loved them well. 

Then John completed his sentence by saying, “He now loved them to the very end.”  His end was near, but His mind was focused on this group of people that he dearly loved.  This is quite amazing for at least two reasons.

One: Jesus was thinking of others when most would be centered on themselves.

And Two: Those disciples were going to disappoint Jesus over the next few hours.

They eventually left the supper that night to retreat to an olive grove called Gethsemane.  Jesus took His inner circle: Peter, James and John with Him, and asked them to watch while He prayed and wrestled with the Father over His crucifixion. 

It would be incredibly stressful for Jesus and He wanted them to be with Him and to pray for Him, but they fell asleep instead.  Jesus was deeply disappointed, but His love for them persisted.

Judas had been present at that meal.  But at Gethsemane he would betray the one that loved him with a meaningless middle-eastern kiss on His cheek.  A heartless betrayal, and yet Jesus would love even that man to the end. 

Jesus was apprehended in the garden and His hands were bound as they led Him away like a sheep to slaughter.  The disciples vanished like roaches when the lights come on.  It was every man for himself.  And yet Jesus’ love for them endured to the end.   

And then of course there was Peter, who covertly slipped into the courtyard of the home where Jesus was on trial.  Three times Peter denied knowing His master, when in fact he probably knew him better than most anyone else. But even Peter was loved by Jesus till the very end.

Jesus threw caution to the wind and loved His own – His ungrateful, unreliable, unpredictable own – until the end.  How comforting it is to know that He loves you and me with that same unrelenting love. 

Paul wrote, “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 8:38-39.

A PRAYER: Lord, thank you; thank you; thank you for such love.

God bless you!

Scripture is quoted from the NETBible ®

a soothing aroma — August 6, 2026

a soothing aroma

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Our granddaughter is in second grade and she is ridiculously cute.  Her auntie found a sweat shirt at an estate sale that she thought she might like.  Her grandmother, whom she calls Mammo, ran it through the washer and then gave it to her.

The top was too big for her, but she chose to wear it to a school event anyway.  When asked why by her mom, she said, “I like the way it looks, and it smells like Mammo.”

She treasured the familiar smell of someone that she loved.  Did you know that this is true of God as well? 

In the Old Testament era, God’s people would present “offerings” to Him.  The offering might be for the purpose of covering sin, or restoring fellowship with God, or maybe a freewill offering solely to demonstrate one’s love for Him. 

A variety of gifts were offered: bulls, goats, lambs, oil, grain, even wine.  But the offering always represented a heartfelt financial sacrifice made by the presenter. 

The offerings were placed on an altar of fire and as the smoke rose to heaven, the Lord metaphorically inhaled it and regarded it as a “soothing aroma.”    

The first instance of it in the Bible is found in Genesis 8:20-21.  Global sin was the order of the day, and God reluctantly brought global judgment because of it.  Noah and his family were spared, and once the waters had receded, we read, “Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind.”

God found the offering to be a soothing aroma.  An aroma is a fragrant scent that is pleasant to the nose.  To soothe is to calm a person’s emotions, to relieve, or to refresh them.  Noah’s offerings did that for the Lord.  

But then the phrase “soothing aroma” was used 38 more times in the OT to describe the burnt offerings that were made and the way they were received by the Lord.  When something is repeated 38 times, it must be important. 

It fascinates me – that a person is capable of giving to God, something that soothes and pleases Him – something that inclines Him to look upon us with pleasure.    

Does God still enjoy a soothing aroma?  He does. 

The Lamb of God became an offering for us.  Of Him Paul wrote, “…Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.”  Ephesians 5:2   

Christ offered Himself.  He satisfied the wrath of God that had been directed toward us.  He saved us and God regarded His offering as a fragrant, soothing aroma.     

Now as we stand in Christ, we have the opportunity to offer gifts that please the olfactory sense of God.   Consider Philippians 4:18. 

Paul was in the process of writing a thank you note to the Philippians for having assisted him financially in his ministry.  He wrote, “For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.”

The financial sacrifice given by that church was received as a wonderful fragrance, very pleasing to God.

As I pointed out, the offerings of the Old Testament were many and varied, but the thread than ran through each – was sacrifice.  When a sacrifice was made on behalf of the Lord, it was received as a soothing aroma.

We sacrifice today when we financially support God’s work, or we give of our time to serve God’s purposes or even to lay our pride at His feet.  He receives any sacrifice, made with the right motive, as a soothing and fragrant offering. 

So, when the Lord sniffs your way – what does He smell?

A PRAYER: Oh God, our hearts want to bring you joy.  Teach us how to do that

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®    

Won’t You Forgive? — July 29, 2026

Won’t You Forgive?

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Something different this edition – a song about forgiveness to make you laugh. 

Check out the link below. 

settlers — July 22, 2026

settlers

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Life has conditioned many of us to be settlers – to be content with much less than what we potentially could have.

My teenage son was ready to get behind the wheel – any wheel.  I promised to match dollar-for-dollar any money he could save toward the purchase of his own vehicle. 

He quickly earned $500.  With my matching $500 he thought he had enough to buy a car.  I tried to reason with him, but he actually found a pick-up truck that he could afford.  So, I played along.  I figured he would learn soon enough how little $1,000 could buy.

The truck was parked in a grove of pine trees, but it would have looked more at home in a junkyard.  The paint was splotchy, panels were dented or missing, and the tailgate was gone. 

We got in and found that even the dashboard was missing and there were holes in the floor.  I was surprised that it started. We took it for a test drive.  He was clearly excited.

But then the truck began spewing a cloud of smoke.  I quickly stopped and the smoke completely swallowed up the truck.  Was it on fire?  I couldn’t tell but I was not going to be held responsible for the death of that piece of junk, so we raced back to the house. 

I approached the pine tree parking space and began to brake, but the pedal dropped to the floor.  We had no brakes and I was headed for a passle of pine trees.  By God’s grace the truck began to slow and come to a stop. 

I sat there and trembled and silently thanked God for barely saving our lives.  My son, however, broke the silence and said, “Dad, dad – can we buy it?” 

He was so willing to settle for a piece of junk. 

We laugh but are often prone to do the same thing.  We have become comfortable with junk – with fractured marriages, and unmanageable debt, and unmotivated kids.  We limp along depending on alcohol or chemicals, or the elusive hope of winning the lottery.    There is emptiness inside of us that we just can’t fill

And we assume that the way we feel is how everyone feels.  We scratch away to find a little pocket of satisfaction.  But we don’t find it, so we adjust our expectations down, “Well I guess that’s just the way that life is!”   

But Jesus says, “No, that’s not the way it should be.  He said, “I have come so that they may have life and may have it abundantly” – John 10:10 NETBible ®.

He says, “Don’t settle.  I want you to have an abundant life.”   So, what is that?

I met a woman in her thirties who recently discovered the abundant life.  She had never been to church and knew nothing about Jesus or the Bible.

She had been a settler for a long time – a broken marriage, a questionable boyfriend, and she was a functional alcoholic.  She did well at her job – maybe the only bright spot for her.

But then she went to church one day and wondered if God might have more for her.   She invited Jesus to be her Savior and Lord. 

And things began to quickly change.  The man she was living with, also turned to Christ.  They were married.  They both gave up alcohol and didn’t miss it a bit.  The children wanted what they had and began to do church with them. 

She and he both were beaming with joy as they told me how rich and satisfying their lives had become.

They went from being sad, confused settlers, to being cherished children of God and they are thoroughly enjoying the privileges of the abundant life today. 

That’s what the Lord intended for them – and for you!

A PRAYER: Lord, help us introduce the settlers in our community to Jesus

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

gone swimming — July 14, 2026

gone swimming

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My friend was basking on a blanket in the sun at a public swimming pool.  She happened to overhear a conversation between the mother and her preschooler next to her.  

He had to go to the bathroom.  Mom whispered, “Just go in the pool.”  So, he walked over and stood poolside, took aim, and relieved his bladder. True story!  

Speaking of swimming.  Do you swim?  If so, where do you prefer to swim?  Do they have a life preserver there?  Where do they store it?  Don’t know?  Most of us wouldn’t.

I think God is kinda like that life preserver.  Most of us believe that God exists, but we don’t always know where to find Him.

Well why don’t we know where the life preserver is?  Probably because we haven’t needed it.   The same is true of God.  Many of us don’t know or care about where He is – because we have seldom felt like we have needed Him.

But suppose you were to go swimming in the deep end, when you suddenly cramp up and start to sink.  Would you want to know where that life preserver is then? 

Consider the story of a young man named Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:1-3.   Verse 1 says, “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem.” Josiah was only 8 years old, and yet he was made the King of Judah.  Can you imagine – a king at age 8? 

Verse 2 says, “He did what the Lord approved and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.”  Josiah was a religious kid who chose to do the right things from age 8 on!  He was a great kid. 

But then we read verse 3 which says, “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his ancestor David.”  How strange!  He had been a good religious boy for the previous 8 years, but it wasn’t until age 16 that he began to eagerly seek after God.  What happened?

He discovered that the work of a King was overwhelming. He was in the deep end of the pool and sinking fast.  He deeply felt the need for God and therefore sought Him. 

He prayed like crazy and read God’s word for wisdom.   God heard his cry and helped Josiah become a really wonderful king during a very wicked time in the history of Judah. 

Maybe we all need to jump into a pool where the water is over our heads.  That’s where we will meet God. 

Do something daring for God that you have never done before.   Something that challenges you so much – you just know, like Josiah, that you need the Lord in order to do it. 

Volunteer to help with VBS.  Schedule a coffee with your unchurched neighbor and breech the subject of Jesus.  Offer to lead the next Bible study.  Join the next short term mission team bound for Cuba.  

The challenge will cause your prayer life to soar and will seriously increase your appetite for the Word.   As you dog paddle in the deep end, the Lord will meet you there.  He will be with you and do things for you that you just can’t imagine.  You and He will become much tighter!   

But wait!  You want to invite a friend to join you in your challenge?  Friends are great, but they can get in the way of experiencing God.  Suppose you were drowning and your friend is right next to you but then someone throws you a life preserver. 

Which one would you grab – the friend or the life preserver?   Most of us would choose the friend.  Friends can become an unintentional substitute for God.  So don’t be afraid to go it alone.

Little King Josiah believed the right things, but he wanted to personally know and experience the God behind it all. How about you?   

If so, rub on a little sunblock and dive in!

A PRAYER: Lord give me a challenge that will bring us closer together.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

chip heaven — July 8, 2026

chip heaven

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There is one chip that is much better without the dip – that would be the one in my credit card. 

It is called an EMV chip and it is essentially a minicomputer.  Unlike the magnetic stripe – it is alive.   It generates a brand new unique cryptographic code for every single purchase and will do so for 10-12 years.   

However, I tried to use my card recently and it was rejected.  I happened to notice that there was a bright red box on it where my chip once lived.  The chip had somehow fallen out. 

But though my credit card was dead, the lost chip was still very much alive, and the finder could now tap it at the cash register at Wal-Mart to buy a bag of chips (of the Lays variety). 

We might think of our souls as EMV chips.  Though the body of a Christian should die, their soul lives on.  Jesus said to His friend Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live even if he dies, and the one who lives and believes in me will never die” – John 11:25-26.  That’s as clear as it gets. 

There is a curious story of life after death that took place in 1 Samuel.  King Saul and his nation were facing a Philistine invasion and Saul desperately needed the wisdom of God.  God’s mouthpiece to Saul had been the prophet Samuel but he had died. 

So, Saul did what was forbidden in the Word of God and covertly sought out a medium who could purportedly communicate with the dead (1 Samuel 28:7). 

He asked her to contact Samuel that they might talk.  She called for Samuel but was shocked when he actually appeared.  She expected a typical demonic counterfeit.  This was an extraordinary event over which she had no control. This was not her typical pretend ruse.  For an extremely unusual reason, God caused this meeting to take place.

And there he was.  2 Samuel says, “Then Saul realized it was Samuel, and he bowed his face toward the ground and kneeled down” (28:14).Though he had died, Samuel continued to exist.

“Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up” (28:15)? The prophet still had the ability to speak.

Samuel said, “The Lord has done exactly as I prophesied! The Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David (28:17). Samuel had memories of what was spoken when he walked the earth, and he was quite aware of what was happening with Saul at that time. 

And then Samuel looked beyond the present and said, “Tomorrow both you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!” (28:19). The future is known only to God and to those He chooses to reveal it to.  Samuel was with God and in communication with God.  And it all came true just as Samuel predicted. 

Obviously, this was a unique situation that involved the anointed King of God’s chosen people.   Saul was wrong in what he did, but the Lord gave him an audience with Samuel to shut him up.   

So, don’t bother trying to contact your loved one who has moved on. You’ll hear nothing but crickets. 

But there is one thing we can draw from this quirky story: physical death is not the end for the people of God. This privilege is guaranteed to we who trust in Jesus.  Again, He said, “The one who believes in me will live even if he dies.” 

So, listen, if you get to heaven and you happen to find the chip from my credit card – just pitch it out.  I won’t need it because my entry fee has been prepaid by Jesus.

A PRAYER: Lord eternal life will be amazing as we spend it with You

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

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Scripture is quoted from the NETBible ®

street people stress — July 1, 2026

street people stress

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I was called to meet with a couple of guys that wanted to see a pastor.  They were dirty and smelled of alcohol.

One told me that his wife had died at the hospital.  Wow, that was sad to hear.  He said they were driving there to pick up her body.  OK, this was beginning to feel a little fishy.

He said they ran out of gas and needed help with some gas money.  I suspected they were trying to squeeze me to get more liquor.  So, I politely told them that I couldn’t help.

But as I walked away, I thought, “OK, but what if his wife really died?” How terrible that a pastor would turn away a grieving widower. 

So, I went back and told him. “I changed my mind.  Let’s jump in my car and we’ll go get your wife’s body.”  “Oh no sir,” he said.  “We just need some money for gas.”

So, I said, “OK, let’s go get your wife’s body, then we’ll stop and get you a can of gas too.”  He refused my offer and they walked away.

This story really happened, and it underscores the confusion that most of us have when we are confronted with needs on the street.

Should we help the person with the sign at the intersection.  Aren’t they simply suffering the consequences of their poor life choices? Should we help the one that might take our money and use it to fuel their addiction? 

Galatians 6:9 may help us here.  Paul wrote, “So we must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up.” 

Scripture tells us to do good. But to who?  Paul answers in verse 10. “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the family of faith.”

Whenever we have an opportunity, we need to do good – to all people – anyone and everyone.  He says to give preference to those who believe, but our goodness should extend to all.  A seminary prof taught me that “All means all and that’s all, all means.” 

Jesus was speaking to a multitude exceeding 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21).  By the end of the day, the people were quite hungry.  Jesus planned to feed them, but He needed to assess who among the crowd deserved to be fed and who did not. 

So, He told the disciples, “I want you feed only those who are willing to sign a statement of faith in me and you should probably skip over anyone who looks like a wino or a Bad Bunny fan.” 

Jesus did nothing of the sort.   He made sure everyone was fed. Hunger is a basic human need and He had the power and opportunity to take care of it – so He did.  

So, when we have an opportunity to do good, even to meet a need on the street.  We should consider doing so. 

Very often, the person on the street who asks for money, intends to use it for alcohol or drugs.  So, we need to be wise – to balance personal safety with compassion and respect for that person.  Be discerning and don’t throw money indiscriminately at the need.

– If he/she is asking for money for food: Point them to McDonalds where you’ll go and purchase a meal for them.

– If he/she is asking for gasoline: Direct them to the nearest gas station where you can purchase several gallons for them. 

– If he/she is seeking shelter: Direct them to the local mission.  Unlike you, the mission is geared up to provide housing.  Consider, however, donating to the mission so that they can provide such housing.   

I have found as with my “widower” friend, when you attempt to meet the actual need, they often walk away.   And yet, it is still good that we try to do good to them.

A PRAYER: Lord we need the wisdom of Solomon on this matter.  Help us!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always

Scripture passage are from the NETBible®

marriage math — June 24, 2026

marriage math

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There is a mathematical formula for a healthy marriage!

You start with 1

Back in the time of beginnings, God made multiples of every living thing except for man (Genesis 1:24-27).  Why did God make just one?   Maybe because being a man, Adam lacked the relational IQ of a woman. He needed to go without, in order to realize that he needed someone.

So in marriage math, God added 1 + 1.

The day came when Adam finally realized that he was alone.  Genesis 2:20 says,

“But for Adam no suitable helper was found.”  

Adam said to himself, “There’s no one that thinks like me, feels like me – who might be able to care for me.  This was God’s cue. “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh.”(Genesis 2:21-22)

The Lord administered anesthesia to Adam.  While he slept, God took a rib and perfectly fashioned it into the woman that he needed.  And the only way to get that rib back was to marry her.

She was called a “helper.”  The Psalmist wrote, “God is my help” – same Hebrew word (Psalm 54:4). This elevated a wife to an exceptionally high status. She became a powerful life partner, without whom Adam could not succeed.  

She was “suitable” for Adam which means that she perfectly corresponded to him.  I get it!  My wife and I are like 2 jagged pieces of a broken plate being joined together to make a functional piece of dinnerware.  We were made to complement each other.   So, we have 1 + 1 which typically equals 2, but

In marriage math – 1 + 1 = 1

Genesis 2:24 says, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.”  This union became the template for all marriages to follow.  They would first need to leave the emotional/material comforts of their homes and choose to depend on each other instead.

When a couple does this, they become one in body and soul.  The Hebrew word for one is “ehad.”  Moses wrote, “Our God is one.”  Same Hebrew word.  (Deut. 6:4)

It’s a mystery how God can be one and yet exists in three persons.  Also, a mystery, says Paul, how a husband and wife can experience a similar type of metaphysical oneness (Ephesians 5:32). So far, our marriage math has taught us that 1 + 1 = 1. 

But it’s not really a marriage unless there are 3

In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Solomon touted the fantastic benefits that 2 people give one another. They produce more than one, plus they can rescue, defend and provide for one another.    

And then Solomon abruptly concluded with this thought, “A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart” (4:12b).  He says 2 are great, but 3 are necessary.  One cord will break under stress; even 2 are insufficient.  But braid three cords together, so that they lock in and grip each other, then you have a rope that cannot be broken.

This implied third strand is the Lord.  The strongest and best marriage is one that includes the Lord.  Why?  Because marriage was designed by God for us and His Word is the ultimate marriage manual. 

And because creating a healthy marriage is not hard, it is virtually impossible.  Put 2 even modestly selfish people in a home together and sparks can fly.  But the couple that loves God, drinks from His Word, that prays and worships as a couple – they will find that selfishness diminish.

And that is God’s mathematical formula for a healthy marriage.

A PRAYER: Lord, we invite you to be that third strand in our home

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always

Scripture passage are from the NIV