Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: China

what can I bring? — January 7, 2026

what can I bring?

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My wife and I were racing across China on a ferociously fast train.  We finally entered Hong Kong where we were to catch a flight back home.  The doors opened at our station, and we were swallowed up by a multitude that rivaled the one at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.

And yet we had to quickly transfer to another train that would take us to the airport.  We plowed our way through the multitude, each of us dragging a very large piece of luggage. 

We finally came to our point of transfer, and I could see that the train was already jam packed.  So, I quickly ran ahead and stuffed myself in.

The doors began to close, but I was safely on board, or at least most of me was.  The doors closed on my arm, with my hand still on the suitcase outside.  Oops!  I had to let go or lose my arm. 

I looked through the window to see the look of panic on my wife’s face as she watched me disappear down the tracks to who knew where.  At the same time my fellow passengers viewed me with disdain, shaking their heads, making a “tch, tch, tch sound which I am sure if translated means, “What a doofus!” 

There is a parable about a guy who tried to do the same kinda thing.  He was a rich landowner who had harvested a bumper crop. “Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. and I will say to myself, “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ – Luke 12:18-19 (NETBible®)

Sounds like a great life – only this is what God had to say to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” – 12:20

See – this guy had boarded the train to heaven, but his hand and his heart were still outside the train, foolishly clutching his financial baggage as if he could take it with him.  That’s a no go.  When we die, we leave it all behind.

Jesus concluded by saying, “So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself but is not rich toward God.” – 12:21 

I am reminded of the days we would take our kids to the arcade at the mall.  The games would spit out paper tickets that could be redeemed for fabulous prizes like plastic rings, or foam dice or a set of paraffin teeth

We ended up spending $30 dollars on games for prizes that were not worth 30 cents.   My kids are adults now, and I am pleased to say that they must suffer through the same arcade ordeal with their children. 

Most of us grow up and discover that arcade trinkets are worthless.  But some of us keep on collecting adult style trinkets like property, boats, jewelry, guitars and RV’s.  Nothing wrong with them per se, but they won’t make a difference in our eternity.    

Jesus said something about being, “rich toward God.”  That’s what we need.  We would be wise to use our wealth, our assets, and our opportunities to further the purposes of God in this life and to bless others as well.  That is the currency of heaven.  

It’s ironic.  I was holding a piece of luggage when I should have been holding the hand of my wife.  I could do life without a clean pair of underwear, but not without her.  Incidentally, we cannot take the material with us to heaven, but we can bring along the people we have loved and influenced for Christ.

Well, it turns out that the next station was the last station – also the entrance to the airport – and the next train that came brought with it 2 large suitcases and a somewhat furious wife.

A PRAYER: God help me to take what I have, and to use it for You

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

shoe pile — April 10, 2024

shoe pile

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For 12 hours each day I taught the Bible to house church leaders in Beijing.  Sunday was my last day in China, and I was to bring the message at a clandestine house church meeting. 

My translator and I were the first to arrive.  Following the custom, we removed our athletic shoes and left them outside the apartment door.  My schedule was intense: preach, then quickly exit to drive to the airport to ride a 747 on home.  A tight schedule.

Folks began to show up.  Their arrival times were staggered so as not to draw attention from the authorities.  Eventually, about 100 of us were jammed together for a glorious time of worship. 

After the last Amen, I was alarmed to realize that I was seriously behind schedule.  I snatched my stuff and exited – only to run into a mountain.    

I found a pile athletic shoes that looked much like mine (maybe because they were all manufactured in China.)  I tore into them looking for my pair.  Shoes were flying around like it was the BOGO sale at the shoe store.   

I rifled through them and even gave a couple of pairs the smell test.

After 5 eternal minutes I remembered some wise advice that I once heard, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” 

Ah but they were all 2 to 3 sizes too small.  And then it hit me: look for the clown- sized shoes.  Found em – and I was on my way. 

Now I wonder if you might join me in my shoe search?  In Ephesians 6, Paul described for us the spiritual armor that God has supplied for the Christian.  Most of us understand the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

But our footwear is a little more puzzling. Paul told us to prepare for spiritual battle by “…by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace.”  – Ephesians 6:15  NETBible ®

He used the sandal of the Roman soldier as his model.   His “caliga” was a thickly-soled sandal that was strapped around the ankle in several places.   Nails studded the sole much like golf cleats.

Those shoes were not made for running but for standing.  The soldier needed stability for hand-to-hand combat. 

Paul tells us that the Gospel gives us that kind of spiritual stability and confidence.  It’s the “good news of peace” – a promise of being at peace with God. (Romans 5:1)

The shoes of the Gospel is the confidence that we who believe now belong to God, through placing our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross.  It is the conviction that Jesus is the way the truth and the life and that our eternal future is determined by what we do with Him.

The Gospel enables us to stand unwavering in our faith even while it is besieged.  And it is, isn’t it?  As always, we face a myriad of theological frontal attacks on our faith.   

Our culture insists on reshaping our theology.   We are pressed to transfer our faith from what the Scripture says, to what culture wants the Scripture to say.   Current statistics, in fact, indicate that the majority of younger Christians today reject the idea that salvation comes through Christ alone.  Looks like our inferior shoes are slipping.

My time in China was intimidating.  I was in hostile territory, speaking to people who had been indoctrinated from birth with Mao’s anti-God teaching.

I could have been arrested at any moment, but I was there anyway because I believed the Gospel with all my heart – that it was absolute truth, so desperately needed to spiritually liberate the Chinese.

I urgently needed my Gospel shoes in China, and thank God, I didn’t have to frantically hunt for them at the door.

The battle for the mind also rages in your community.  God, therefore, has provided shoes for you too – just your size.  Put em on and take your stand.

A prayer: Lord when the world pushes on us, may we stand immovable!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

makin’ it count — August 4, 2021

makin’ it count

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It’s a universal experience.   We key in a critical document only to find out later that it did not get saved – don’t know why!

Wasted effort; striving in vain; pointless labor.  There are few things that frustrate me more.  

At times I have been tempted to pray, “Lord I don’t know what happened to that resume, but I need it.  Could you do a divine undo and restore it to the hard drive?”

So far, He has ignored that request, but I wonder if God ever redeems a wasted effort.

She has prayed that God would save her alcoholic of a husband – she feels like she is wasting her breath.   He prepares diligently each week to provide a good class for the junior highers at church.  They could care less.   She has to correct her children on the same things over and over.  She’s convinced that they will never get it.   

________________

My wife and I were invited to participate in Gospel Sing hosted by a local church in southern Ohio.  We said yes but came to rue the decision.  The event took place on a bitter cold January night. 

We found the little country church perched high on an icy hill about a 30-yard climb.  We hauled a guitar, a 3-year-old and 4-month-old.  Oh fun!

We reached the peak after much slipping and sliding, entered the building and were surprised to find that it was a one room affair.  It was even serviced by an outhouse which was an icehouse that night.  This did not sit well with my wife.  (if you know what I mean)

KC was an infant that had to be continually jostled or he would wail.  So, while other groups were singing, I would jostle my son.   Just before our turn, I handed KC to a friend and gave him jostling lessons.  Someone needed to do it while we sang.  

Sharie and I began to perform our collection of original songs.  Soon after, KC began to scream.  My friend had failed his jostling exam.  The wailing reverberated off the walls of that small church building.  (and the congregation snickered.)

The boy’s howling was louder than our singing.  We needed to reduce the distraction so Sharie reclaimed him and resumed the proper jostling technique while she sang.  It gave her voice a new level of vibrato.  (And the congregation laughed.)

At this point our 3- year-old felt left out.  So, she climbed up the platform and began to cling to and circle us while we sang.  She passed through our legs and occasionally stopped to face her fans and pick her nose (and the congregation roared) 

We finished our set and sat – sure that had been the biggest wasted effort ever.  There were so many things that distracted from our musical message. 

However, months later, the pastor of that church found me and expressed his gratitude for our ministry.  On that icy night, we had taught the church a song that we had written based on Philippians 4:13. He told me that the church had sung that song nearly every Sunday since. 

Wow!  What we had regarded as a massive waste, turned out to be a meaningful investment in the Kingdom of God. 

The apostle Paul put it in perspective for us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”   NETBible ®

“Stick it out” he said.  “Keep praying and singing and teaching and parenting “knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”    God has an amazing ability to somehow take our waste and turn it to gold. 

I had a friend in high school who was studying Mandarin.  I was perplexed and asked him why.   He said he wanted to be a missionary to China.  At that time there were zero missionaries in China.  It was isolated and all westerners were unwelcome. 

“A wasted effort” I thought.  But several years later we met again at the very time he was leaving for China.   The nation had finally opened up to outsiders and he was already equipped with Mandarin.   Isn’t God’ amazing!

SO, “Be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 

A PRAYER: Lord help me stick it out when I’m tempted to sit it out.