Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: Bible

give yourself — February 12, 2025

give yourself

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I was in the car along with my wife who isn’t always happy with my driving.  But she did a remarkable job of restraining herself.  She didn’t stomp on an imaginary brake or close her eyes when I passed another car.  In fact, when we arrived, she said, “Thank you!”

I said, “Well you’re welcome.”  She said, “I was talking to God!” Just kidding, my wife loves the way I drive.  OK I’m just kidding about that too.

In truth, I greatly treasure my wife, which is why the following story intrigues me. 

A hospice chaplain took on an older man as a patient.  Oddly, the man’s ex-wife volunteered to become his primary caregiver.  Now though they had divorced many years earlier she showed up to assist him in his time of need. 

He was dying, and yet the two of them talked and then decided to remarry.  The chaplain asked his wife why.  There was no insurance policy, nor could he leave her a house or possessions to amount to much.  Their children were not pressuring them.  So why remarry? 

She said, “When we were young, he gave me homes, and cars, and jewelry and much more.  But he never gave me himself.  But now that’s all he has to give.”

That was all he had left to give, and yet it was the best thing he could give.  It was a treasure that should have been shared with her since the day they first said, “I do.”  Some of us may remember these words from our marriage ceremony, “Now that you have been given to each other…”

That’s the simple essence of a marriage – giving ourselves to each other – our heart and soul – manifested by sharing, listening, serving and being with one another; caring for the hurts and pains of each other; sacrificing to benefit one another and being faithful not only in body but soul, to each other.   

If you are married, take a hint. Make sure you are giving yourself to your spouse.  Tune in to him/her.  Listen, empathize, laugh together, cry together, lose yourself to benefit each other and spend lots of time together.  Your marriage will thrive and grow as you do. 

Do you need some help?  Look to the Lord!  Think on the way that He has loved us.  Paul described it in Galatians 2:20 where he wrote that the Son of God, “loved me and gave himself for me.”   Jesus gave Himself.  But how? 

He laid aside His prerogatives as God and clothed Himself in flesh in order to be with us – so that He could walk and talk and do life with us. 

In His quest, He endured misunderstanding and misrepresentation.  He turned the other cheek just as He directed us to do.  With patience and determination, He stuck with us. 

And though we fled from Gethsemane when He was arrested, and hid from the cross when He was crucified, He continued in His commitment to us.

He quietly endured the brutal suffering of crucifixion, the abandonment at His burial and then enjoyed the glory of being raised again.  This is how He gave Himself – all of Himself, leaving nothing left for Himself. 

I am guessing that’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her” Ephesians 5:25. 

There is that phrase again. He, “gave himself.”

I have found that the more we give ourselves, the more of us we have to give.  The more of my life that I lay down for others, the more life the Lord gives to me. 

Like the fishes and loaves – as they were given away and distributed, they were replaced by more and more in the hands of the master.

So, give yourself!  To your spouse for sure, and even your children and most certainly to the Lord. 

Give yourself – because it’s the only thing of real value that you have to give?

A PRAYER: Lord, help me understand what I may be holding back from my wife, and You and others.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

what are the odds? — February 5, 2025

what are the odds?

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Sometimes I wonder if I might have IBS – Irritable Brain Syndrome – but then I have found that there are people who may have even less on the ball than I do. 

There exists today a religious sect of zealous subscribers.  They correctly believe that heaven is the last and best stop of our journey.  However, they teach that only 144,000 of their followers will qualify. 

As of 2024 they number about 8.6 million.  Which means that only 1 out of 60 of the faithful will make it through the pearly gates.  Hmm?  The typical local congregation is no more than 200, which means that an average of 2 people from each gathering will make it to glory land.  How disheartening!

To qualify they must adhere to the teaching and be active in their preaching.  The more people they persuade to be baptized and become followers, the better their chances of going to heaven. 

BUT – let’s suppose each follower was able to enlist just one person.  That would double the membership to 17.2 million followers, which lowers the odds of admission. Only 1 out of 120 of the membership would walk the streets of gold. 

The sect is now over 154 years old which means there is a century and a half of competitors who want to be one of the 144,000.  Oh, and their ecclesiastical authorities refuse to disclose the number of baptisms from the inception of their movement to the present.  I wonder why?

Though they say their teaching is Biblically based, I think they missed a verse or two or maybe two hundred.  Let’s look at just one for now. The apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

Paul said it is by grace that we are saved.  Grace is that undeserved intervention of God – who, out of His goodness, does something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.  He takes spiritually bankrupt people and puts a hefty deposit into our accounts. 

To be saved is to have God redirect our paths from the pit of hell to the pinnacle of heaven. 

Grace is His response to our faith in the divine Lord Jesus, who was crucified for our sins, and then rose again to prove that what He did for us was more than enough. 

Very important is the idea that this salvation is not something that we can earn – it is not of ourselves.  It is the gift of God – not a wage for our work.  If I should attempt to work for something that has been given as a gift – I would insult the giver and steal the generous spirit that prompted it.   But God is the giver of grace, and we, therefore, have no reason to boast. 

And yet the folks in that sect work tirelessly to proselytize.  Just the other day I removed one of their sneaky tracts which was slapped on a gas pump.  They labor to earn a spot in heaven. 

Ironically, they have an aggressive disfellowshipping program, which means they regularly kick people out, which helps to increase the possibility of heaven for those who are left.

And yet Jesus said that once we are in, we can’t be out. He 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 – John 10:27-28.

It’s hard to undeserve something that we never deserved in the first place.  We are saved by God’s grace as a response to our faith in Jesus.

Take a moment today and pray.  Tell Him, “Save me Lord for I am a sinner.  I need and I want Jesus and the gift of forgiveness that He died to provide for me.”

A Prayer: Lord help those who misunderstand your gracious liberating truth

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you always

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

consternation about your location — January 29, 2025

consternation about your location

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We played musical churches.  Cornerstone Church was moving out of their leased facility and our church was moving into it.  Koreen didn’t know that her church, Cornerstone Church, was on the move.  So, the first Sunday that we occupied that space, she showed up for the service as usual. 

Same building, same chair – different congregation.  She knew something was sorta different, but she enjoyed herself anyway.  She figured God brought her to us for a reason.  From that day on she became a beloved part of our church family. 

So, that makes me wonder, “Does it matter where a person is at any point in time?  Is it important to God that I am here rather than there?” 

The Scripture says yes!  God’s sovereign working includes the “where” of a nation (Acts 17:26) and even a person. Solomon wrote, “A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps” – Proverbs 16:9.

So, I get it!  God is sovereignly at work in our lives – steering us to the right places, in order to shape and conform us to the image of HIs Son.

OK but what if I am not happy with where I am at the moment?  The single girl is frustrated because she can’t meet a guy in her small town.  The engineer knows he could earn more elsewhere, but he can’t get the first interview.  With so many small children she would like to be closer to grandparents, but it would be too difficult to make a move.

Well, the apostle Paul was not exactly thrilled with his location either.  He found himself in the belly of a dark, disgusting Roman prison cell.  He was a preacher who could not get out and preach. 

But He understood the mysterious and wonderful workings of God and therefore looked for the sovereign hand of God in His circumstances.

He wrote, “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that my situation has actually turned out to advance the gospel……and most of the brothers and sisters, having confidence in the Lord because of my imprisonment, now more than ever dare to speak the word fearlessly” – Philippians 1:12 & 14.

Paul found that because of his incarceration, many others stepped up and began to preach in his stead.  The Gospel preachers multiplied.  Paul learned that he was doing a greater service to God by being in jail than by being out.

– Do you have consternation about your location?  Ask God what He might be trying to teach you through your circumstances?

As a prisoner Paul was expected to provide food and clothing for himself, but he had no way to earn his keep.  Yet, he could say, “I have learned to be content in any circumstance” – Philippians 4:11.

There in prison God was cultivating in Paul the quality of contentedness.  He may be doing the same for you through your circumstances.

– Consternation about your location? Ask God, what character qualities He is developing in you through your circumstances.

In prison, Paul was chained to a Roman guard.  Guess who began to hear the Gospel?  Paul wrote, “The whole imperial guard and everyone else knows that I am in prison for the sake of Christ” – Philippians 1:13.

He used his difficult circumstances to share his faith with those who shackled him. 

– Consternation about your location? Say to the Lord, “OK God, you plopped me in this job, or this neighborhood.  I assume there is someone here that you want me to reach.  Who is it?” 

God has a purpose in every place we find ourselves.  So, this is what I would suggest.  Instead of fighting your location and your circumstances and complaining about your job, or your home, or the town in which you live or the country of which you are a citizen –  

Instead of all that – Look for His purpose in your place.

A PRAYER: Lord, we need a lot of help with this.  Please have your way!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

how do we know there is a heaven? — January 15, 2025

how do we know there is a heaven?

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I am sometimes asked about the crazy name of my blog, pickleheavenpress!   So what is pickle heaven!  

It is a figment of my imagination!  I was once a poor college student with a lovely wife and 2 darling preschoolers.  Money was tight, but we made it a once-a-week treat to go for some fast food.

The kids would ask, “Daddy, can we go to McDonald’s?”  I would tease them and say, “Well I was thinking I might like to go to that new place called Pickle Heaven.”  Of course it didn’t exist, but they didn’t know that. 

They whined.  They didn’t want a pickle!  “OK McDonald’s it is then.”  Each week for nearly a year, I would suggest Pickle Heaven, but I was always out voted. Then one day I asked, “Where do you all want to eat tonight?”  My 4-year replied, “Daddy, maybe we should try Pickle Heaven.”  Oops. 

My sweet, naïve, children trusted me and assumed that a restaurant called Pickle Heaven actually existed. But what about the heaven we cherish? 

Could it also be a figment of our collective imagination? 

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first man to fly in outer space in 1961.  When he arrived, he looked around the heavens for God.  He didn’t see Him, so he declared, ‘Boga Nyet!’, which translates, ‘There is no God!’

And yet, I certainly believe heaven exists and here’s why. 

The Scripture speaks of it

Scripture is our primary and utterly reliable source of truthful information.  It clearly affirms the existence of heaven.  There is the OT assertion in Psalm 23

 “And I will dwell I the house of the Lord forever.”  And there is the NT corroboration where heaven in mentioned 228 times.  Jesus promised the thief on the cross that the two of them would be together in Paradise that very day they died (Luke 23:43).  If heaven is a piece of fiction, then Jesus misled us.

Belief in heaven is a universal phenomenon

The university of Oxford sanctioned a study involving 57 researchers who conducted over 40 separate studies in 20 countries that represented a diverse range of cultures. Their goal was to find if concepts such as God and an afterlife are taught generation to generation or are they imprinted at birth.  The studies found that belief in an afterlife is a universal and innate part of being a human being.  Throughout time, in every culture and place, people have possessed a belief in the afterlife.   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110714103828.htm

This is no surprise!  Solomon described this phenomenon in Ecclesiastes 3:11 saying, “He (God) has set eternity in the hearts of men.”

There have been eyewitnesses to heaven

As a hospice chaplain I have been privileged to hear stories and sometimes even witness the transition of people into the afterlife.  Just recently one of my patients, an elderly Christian woman, was unconscious for a couple of days.  Then she unexpectedly sat up and fixed her gaze on something beyond the walls.  She reached out her hand and said, “Jesus” and then soon passed.  

Just recently my friend lost his daughter to a terminal disease.   According to him, her very last thrill-filled words were, Wow! Wow! Wow! 

Most hospice workers have witnessed similar stories.  

But where is heaven?  We don’t know.  Author Randy Alcorn says, “It’s referred to as “up” in location in the Bible (Luke 9:51) It could be a place in the universe beyond the earth or it may exist entirely outside of our space-time continuum.  (In Light of Eternity, pg. 28)

God hasn’t revealed the exact address of heaven, maybe to avoid the scads of folks who would try to locate it and barge their way in.  Yet, we have proof that there is a heaven, and that Jesus is the way to get there. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.

I sure hope to see you there!

A PRAYER: Lord, thank You for making room for me and all those I love.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NIV

hair apparent — January 8, 2025

hair apparent

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My son-in-law went to get his hair cut from his regular stylist.  She is a sassy girl – not shy about what she thinks.  He had sprouted somewhat of a beard since his last visit.  She saw it and said, “I don’t like it!” 

She muttered her dislike for the first half of the haircut, and then impulsively

took her razor and drew it down the side of his head, past his ear and onto his face, plowing a clean swath all the way down to the bottom of his chin.  

It was a novel look!  One he didn’t like, so he bowed to her will and she shaved the whole thing away.  

Isn’t it amazing how other people find it so easy to impose their wills upon us?  We live in a world where we are told what pronouns we are allowed to use, what kind of energy will power our cars, and what we must believe about issues of sexuality.  For that matter, my wife frequently tells me to tuck in my shirt.

As far as I know there is only one person who gives us complete freedom of choice. And that would be the Lord.

This was apparent to Adam in the garden.  “The Lord God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. Then the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die” – Genesis 2:15-17. 

Adam was forewarned, but certainly not forced.  The Lord allowed him to choose. He could ignore the forbidden fruit and live, or eat of it and die.  I wish elections in this country offered such clear choices. 

Adam and Eve chose poorly, leaving themselves and every child of Eden ever since, to bear the burden of sin and its consequences. 

But in the fullness of time Jesus came to earth, to bear that burden for us.   Peter wrote, “…Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God…”  – 1 Peter 3:18.

Despite the enormous cost to Jesus, we are given complete freedom to receive or reject His gift.

Jesus put it this way in Revelation 3:20, “Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home.”

This was an invitation to those who had believed, and yet it captures the heartfelt invitation that He extends to all of us.  Jesus freely offers everything we need and could ever want, but He politely refuses to barge into our lives and force it upon us.

He stands outside, patiently hoping and waiting that we will turn the deadbolt and push open the door.   He wants an invitation to be an intimate part of our lives, and for us to be a part of His.  He wants to enter our world that we might enjoy an abundant life now and eternal life forever.  

However, as with Adam, there are consequences that come with our choices.  John 3:16 is a sober reminder, “For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

If you have not done so already, I wonder if you might take some time today to think on this, and if you wish, you too can choose to open the door of your life to Jesus. 

Whisper to Him words like these, “Lord be merciful to me, for I too am a sinner. I am trusting Jesus, the Son of God, to wash me of my sin and give me the gift of eternal life. From this point forward – I am yours.”   

It’s your choice!

A PRAYER: I pray Lord, that each of us would have the wisdom to choose Jesus.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

Passages are from the NETBible®

O little town of Nazareth — December 18, 2024

O little town of Nazareth

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John Glenn, the first man to orbit the earth was from Ohio.  Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon is also from Ohio.   Someone asked, “If Ohio is such a great place, why does everyone try to get as far away from it as possible?”

God took me from Ohio to Texas where He opened the doors to 32 years of pastoral ministry.   Did God intend for me to become a Texan?

Yes! Paul taught that God sovereignly determines such matters (Acts 17:26).  So, let’s consider Nazareth.  Jesus spent about 30 years of His incarnate existence in that town.  Why did God place Him there?

– It was the fulfillment of prophecy.

Matthew wrote of Joseph, “He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene” – Matthew 2:23.   It was obviously important to God’s plan that Jesus be raised there.

– Jesus and Nazareth shared a similar character

Nazareth was an insignificant place.  To get there you would leave the bustling Jezreel Valley, climb a precipitous path to get to an overlook about 350 feet above the valley floor.  This was Nazareth, except you wouldn’t see it because it lay in a basin.

Scholars believe that Nazareth numbered only 100-150. If Jesus’ family was an average size (Mark 6:3) Then the village would have had somewhere between 11-15 families. 

Other towns in the region were known for their industry, academia, or their historical significance, but Nazareth had little to distinguish it – much like Jesus of whom Isaiah said, “He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him – Isaiah 53:2.

– Jesus shared a similar reputation as Nazareth

In John 1:46 Nathanel asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”  He gave voice to the opinion of many in those days.  People of Galilee were considered to be the equivalent of hillbillies. 

But nearby was a city with a worse reputation. Sepphoris was a wealthy secularized trade center. It was a town full of sinners  

Now here’s the thing, Joseph and Jesus were carpenters who lived in a tiny town.  To make a living it is almost certain that they used their skills to furnish the homes of Sepphoris. 

Some historians believe that this was the very reason that Nazareth existed – as a service town to Sepphoris.  So, it could be said that Nazareth was a town friendly to sinners as was Jesus.  Ironically, His critics called Him, “a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”  – Matthew 11:19.

– Nazareth provided a review of the past

From the overlook in Nazareth, you can see for 30 miles in 3 different directions.   The boy Jesus likely spent a lot of time there taking in the scenery. 

He would have been able to see places associated with Moses, Deborah, Barak, Joshua, David, Elijah and Elisha, Saul, Gideon, Josiah, and the Maccabees.  The view is said to be the most extensive available in Palestine.

God placed Jesus in a village with a panoramic view of the past to remind Him that He had been sent to complete God’s plan of redemption.

– Nazareth provided a preview of the future

At the end of the valley is the place known as Armageddon where the forces of evil will gather in the last days.  God will overthrow them, and Jesus will then return to the earth and bring history to its conclusion.   In Nazareth God planted in Jesus the vision of what lay ahead.

We are deeply imprinted by the culture in which we were raised. So how providential that Jesus was raised in a humble, common-sense place like Nazareth – a place where He would develop a profound appreciation for redemption history and anticipate its future culmination.

So why does God have you where you presently are?

A PRAYER: Why Lord do you have me where I am?

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

Scripture references from the NETBible®

angels abounding — December 4, 2024

angels abounding

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Did you know that angels have health issues?   I learned this at a worship team rehearsal one night.  We were singing All Hail the Power of Jesus Name, let angels prostrate fall” – only the tenor was singing, “Let angel’s prostate fall.”      

The rest of us laughed and he didn’t understand why.  I explained that the word “prostrate” means to stretch out on the ground, face down, as an act of worship.  Whereas the prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system.

The angels had falling prostates!  What a difference a letter makes!

They must have been feeling better when they gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  First came the herald who told the shepherds of the birth and then the reinforcements appeared.  Luke wrote, “Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!” – Luke 2:13-14.

Luke used the words vast and army to emphasize how massive this gathering was.  They stretched from horizon to horizon.  This unique army proclaimed peace instead of war. 

How impressive – a colossal congregation of angels appeared and reverberated with joy.  But a vast army seems a bit much.  I mean it took only one angel to conquer the 185,000 Assyrian troops that surrounded Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:36)   Why so many? 

After a bit of study, I found that the advent of Jesus was the first time in history that such a gathering of angels took place on earth.  And why not?

The arrival of Jesus had been anticipated since the garden when the cursed couple learned that a child would be born who would strike the serpent on the head – ending his reign of terror (Genesis 3:14-15).

Abraham was promised a descendent through whom all the nations on earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18).

King David was promised a son who would rule for eternity. The Lord told him, “When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent – 2 Samuel 7: 12-13.

Then there was the prophet Micah who foretold where Jesus would be birthed (Micah 5:2), and Isaiah who told us that He would be born of a virgin and be known as “God with us” – Isaiah 7:14.

Jesus came to end the reign of terror of Satan and redeem the people that the angels were tasked to protect.  So, when He finally made His entrance, God pulled out all the stops and dispatched a multitude of angels to mark the day.   The archangel Michael passed the word around and said, “Party’s on!”   

The party eventually ended, and they returned to their angelic duties – but I discovered one other time when all the angels come together again.  It will be triggered by the second advent of Christ.   Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne” – Matt 25:31.   

All the angels will be present and accounted for when Jesus returns and is finally seated on His throne. 

His advent is still an occasion to celebrate!   I challenge you to think and to do, just one unique thing this year to honor the birth of the King.  Help your family and community to think on Jesus. 

As for me, I created a piece of yard art – a big white star, bordered with lights, with an illuminated crown of gold set in the middle of it.  In union with the angels, this Christmas Season I will proclaim to my community that I celebrate the historical birth of the Lord Jesus Christ and that I look forward to His glorious return to rule this earth.  Come Lord Jesus!

A PRAYER: Lord, help us to creatively communicate the joy of your birth.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®

how fortunate — November 27, 2024

how fortunate

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I picked up my meal and tucked the complimentary Chinese fortune cookie into my shirt pocket.   I don’t put much stock in a fortune cookie.  If it truly brought good fortune, it would be a whole lot thicker and have chocolate icing on it. 

But what if I really could get a peek into my future – to know what is down the road?  That would be amazing.  And yet most of the fortunes in those cookies are goofy.  One read, “You love Chinese food.”  Wow how did the cookie know that?  

Knowing the future is desirable but the Lord warned us against those who try to predict it.   He said, through Moses, “There must never be found among you anyone…. who practices divination, an omen reader, (or) a soothsayer….”  – Deuteronomy 18:10.    These were people who could allegedly predict the future by employing questionable techniques.

Some purveyors were charlatans who offered vague sweeping predictions, that the one promised could interpret in a thousand different ways.

Other purveyors consorted with demons and predicted circumstances which those dark devious powers could manipulate and help to bring about.

Either path led people into confusion and away from the Lord.

But what about the fortune cookie?  Where does its power lie?

Most historians say that the cookie originated in San Francisco during the 19th century by a person of Asian descent.  The largest manufacturer today is Wonton Food, Inc., which is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. They make over 4.5 million cookies per day.

Their head fortune teller was a man named Donald Lau.  For over 30 years, Lau, who is also the Chief Financial Officer of Wonton foods, wrote and published the fortunes.  He drew inspiration from varied cultures and life settings including from the graffiti on the New York subway walls. He claimed to be the “most read author in the United States.”

What extra sensory ability qualified him for this job?  At the time he spoke the best English of anyone in the Chinese American Company.  So much for the mystic power of a fortune cookie!

And yet, I made a stop to the restroom before I left the restaurant, and as I walked in, I remembered the fortune cookie in my pocket.  And then it hit me, “Hey I’m in the bathroom, no one will see me if I read this silly thing.” 

But I told myself, “No it’s just a goofy slip of meaningless paper.”   And yet I still felt compelled to read it.  Was that a Yin/Yang thing or what? 

I broke it in half, gobbled up the cookie then scanned my fortune.  I think it said, “You need new glasses” because it was hard to read. 

Fortunately, the print in my Bible is much larger and it does a way better job of predicting my future.

The Lord through Jeremiah wrote, “For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope” – Jeremiah 29:11.  

The future is wonderful for those who belong to the Lord.  He promised to prosper us and to keep us from harm.  His plan is a stable future brimming with hope. 

Though this was written to Jews in the Old Testament, Jesus promises us even better.  He said, “I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly” – John 10:10.

And that abundant life on earth will eventually ease into a blissful eternal life in heaven.  Again, He 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” – John 10:27-28.

Ironically, Chinese fortune cookies are unknown in China. But the promises of Jesus are embraced worldwide.   

We have a happy present and future in Jesus, so the next time – let’s just eat the cookie!

A PRAYER: How blessed we are Lord to know who holds the future.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

safer than an alley — November 20, 2024

safer than an alley

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I live toward the end of an alley in Texas – a Tornado Alley.  The term was coined in 1952 to describe the region of the U.S. where tornadoes are most frequent.

My son lives in Kansas in the middle of Tornado Alley.  When we make the drive to visit him, we sometimes play, “I spy” and count the number of homes we pass that still have Wizard of Oz styled storm shelters. 

Earlier this year we were on the road in north central Oklahoma.  We heard a report on the car radio of twisters in the neighborhood.  Shortly after, we saw a storm chaser vehicle, which was when we turned back making our car a storm eluder vehicle.

Tornados can be terrifying, but great stories can come out of gruesome storms. 

Several years ago, a tornado was headed toward Marshall, Texas.  As it approached, an employee of the Domino’s Pizza store happened to see it coming. 

Customers and employees were gripped by a wave of terror.  Some wanted to jump in their cars or run to a bigger more substantial building, but the quick-thinking manager rounded everyone up and led them into the walk-in cooler. 

Seconds later, the storm whipped its way over them.   They could feel the cooler tremble from the ferocious winds.  Urgent silent prayers were offered.

Once it passed, they emerged.  The building that had once housed the cooler was entirely leveled – reduced to a pile of rubble.  The only survivors – the walk-in cooler and the people who had sheltered there.

How wise!   Instead of trying to outrun the storm, they ran into a safe place.

I imagine we all could use a safe place. David wrote of such a place in Psalm 91, 

“As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High and resides in the protective shadow of the Sovereign One. I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold my God in whom I trust” (vrs. 1-2).

David tells us that the Lord Himself is this place of safety. It is in knowing Him and doing life with Him that security is found.  And this security is comprehensive.  Those folks in Marshall, found a temporary shelter in the storm, but David speaks of living in and residing in the protective shadow of the Lord. 

He went on to say, “He will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague.  He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings.  His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall (vrs. 3-4).

Like baby chicks, we gather under the wings of the Lord, and find protection from predator and plague.  He is as immovable and stout in His defense as a wall made of massive stone blocks.

David also said, “You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the disease that ravages at noon.   Though a thousand may fall beside you, and a multitude on your right side, it will not reach you” (vrs. 5-7).  NETBible ®

He made a point of mentioning night-terrors.  I am over 70 and yet it still seems that whatever fears I may have, seem to be exaggerated in the dark. Daylight tends to put the things that scare us into proper focus, while there is no limit to them at night.  Our foes seem to be far more terrible and our troubles more troublesome when the lights go out.    

But David said, “You need not fear the terrors of the night.” We need not fear those imaginations of terrible things that could potentially happen.  We need not – if we know the Lord and are doing life with Him.

What anxieties visit you when you close your eyes at night?  Tame them! Read Psalm 91 before bed and thank your protector in prayer for keeping you secure.

A PRAYER: So glad that we have You our Lord!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

Scripture references are from the NETBible®

skip church — November 13, 2024

skip church

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Jesus had every reason to skip church!  

OK technically Jesus did not go to church, but He was actively involved in His local synagogue (Luke 4:16).  That was how Jews in the first century kept the Sabbath day holy. 

Each Saturday He would join the congregation to sing Psalms, read Scripture, listen to a message and pray (and maybe go out to eat at the Golden Corral afterwards).  In fact, He was often invited to speak Himself. 

During His ministry years, Jesus made His home in Capernaum (Matt 4:13).  The Biblical record finds Him in the local synagogue very often. 

But here’s what puzzles me. Jesus had lots of reasons not to go.

For instance:  The building there had no heat or AC and it was crowded and full of smelly people that rarely bathed (Mark 2:1-2) and there was a gaping big hole in the roof (Mark 2:4).  And the seating was horrendous.  The pews in every synagogue back then were flat blocks of cold stone (Oh my hemorrhoids). 

As for the people, well, there was a crazy guy in the congregation who was demon possessed and when he spoke, it sent icy shivers down one’s spine (Luke 4:33-34).  But then that guy got serious with God and became what you might call a holy roller (Luke 4:35).

And then there were also two long-time members in the congregation who were serious hotheads.  They were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17).  You didn’t want to sit next to one of them.    

The culture of the congregation was toxic.  It was all about do’s and dont’s – what you could eat and when you could work.  And – if you were a woman, you were required to sit in the back while all the men sat up front. 

The folks in general, were shameless takers.  The congregation drained Jesus for everything they could get out of Him (Mark 1:32-37) and then deserted Him when He needed them (John 6:59-66). 

As for the leaders – they were the worst.  They were all about the money (Matthew 17:24-27).  Most were hypocritical, heartless nitpickers that focused on the rules and neglected compassion (Mark 2:5-7).

And sadly, Jesus didn’t have a best friend in the congregation and in fact was personally disliked by many there and sometimes even laughed at (Mark 5:40). 

Now these issues feel familiar to us, don’t they?  Because we have experienced one or more of them at our local churches – and some of us are maybe wrestling with them now. 

So why didn’t Jesus quit going?  If I were Him, I might have stayed at home and watched a tele-rabbi on TV.  Or maybe I would gather others who were disenchanted and do a home synagogue (with padded stone benches).

But not Jesus!  He was ever faithful to be there.  He loved the Father and He demonstrated that through His obedience.  He was there for His Father, not the congregation.   He kept holy the Lord’s Day even at the famously flawed synagogue of Capernaum!  I bet he even dropped some cash in the basket.

This doesn’t mean He approved of everything that happened in that place.  He did not in fact.  Yet He was faithful to attend there, or when traveling, at some other synagogue.  

God expects His people today to be in relationship with a local church.  He expects us to be regularly involved. His word to us is Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.” – NETBible®

We may have a thousand legitimate reasons to stay home, but we have one supreme reason to go – to honor the will of the one who saved us.

I’ll see you at church!

A PRAYER: Lord, help me keep my eyes on you and not on the congregation.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.