Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: death

be prepared — September 9, 2026

be prepared

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I believe it was Woody Allen who said, “I am not afraid of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

Like it or not, death is the single most certain factor we can expect in this life.  We know it’s coming – so should we prepare? 

The prophet Isaiah would say yes.  He was the spiritual advisor to Hezekiah, King of Judah.  Hezekiah had made some foolish choices that came with a foul consequence.

Isaiah 38:1 says, “In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”   

Isaiah probably needed to improve his bedside manner.  He spoke the Word of God to the King – the dreadful news that he would die but Hezekiah was also given the opportunity to prepare for it.  Evidently time was provided for the King to do that.  The Lord could have taken him home instantly but decided it was important to give him time to prepare.  

It would seem that we also have that opportunity to “put our houses in order” before we should die.

But what about the years that precede death, when we are unable to earn an income?  Again – we need to prepare.  Solomon wrote, “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!… it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” – Proverbs 6:6-8.

I currently serve as a hospice chaplain.  I am really sad when I meet a patient who is unprepared for their latter days – and there are a great many!  

As of today, 45% of older adult households aren’t able to cover their basic living expenses. 80% don’t have the resources to cope with widowhood, serious illness, or long-term care.  (National Council on Aging).

And yet retirement and death are always on the horizon of this life.  So, what can we do to put our houses in order?

– We begin with Faith Preparation

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” – John 3:36.  We need to receive Christ’s gift today – if we are to have a bright tomorrow.

– And then there is Family Preparation

A shocking number of the elderly people for whom I care, are alone – often divorced, or widowed and even at odds with their kids.  They have little to no family support at a time that it is most needed.  

Scripture says that family should provide care for their aging parents.  Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 5:8, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  

Financial help would be great, but far more important is the relational/emotional support that is greatly needed.

So, before you start going grey, make sure to nurture the family that God has given you.  Love them, affirm them, and be sure to forgive them.  Do that and they will be there for you when you need them.

– And then of course there is Financial Preparation.

Again, I am shocked to meet and care for many who had prospered in their earning years and yet end up barely subsisting on Medicaid.  They are shuttled off to sad nursing facilities because they lack the finances for anything better.

Live below your means today so that you have the means to live comfortably in your senior years.  Take the difference you save now and carefully invest it. 

There are a multitude of other steps you can take to turn your current income into a comfortable retirement.  Check out Dave Ramsey on the net for help!

An ordered house, is a comfortable place to live.

A PRAYER: Lord, we are behind.  Help us make up for lost time. 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

Scripture passages are taken 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

death where is thy fang — April 8, 2020

death where is thy fang

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It was Vacation Bible School.  Our theme for the week was Bible Barnyard.  We took animals that were referenced in the Bible, brought them to the church and then used them as object lessons. 

We cast our pearls before a guest swine who had the manners of a pig.  There was a sheep that strayed by to teach us how to follow our shepherd.  Then there was the snow-white dove that dropped in to remind us to be gentle as we make our way through this world. 

The wolves were already booked elsewhere – a wedding I think – but we did have a serpent make a guest appearance.  It belonged to a member of the church.  He did a great job of teaching us to be shrewd as we interact with our world. 

The kids loved the him. They reached their hands into his glass enclosure and let him thread himself through their fingers.  We became a snake handling church for the day!  He seemed safe enough.

As the session came to an end, the snake’s owner told me that the serpent was due to be fed.  She asked if the kids might like to see it.  I said “Sure.” 

So, she dropped a little grey mouse into the cage.  The kids crowded around.  They connected with the cute little fuzz ball that was skittering about.  They oohed and giggled until – with lightning speed – the snake inhaled the mouse. 

Half the kids were awed by it.  The other half – not so much.  There was a scream explosion.  Not just one kid – at least a half a dozen – and it was catching.  They whimpered and blubbered and sobbed and they were loud. I was ready to line up some grief counselors. 

The cute, fuzzy, innocent, little mouse was swallowed whole by the cold-blooded, villainous reptile. I wanted to cry too.

The drama prompts me to think back to Calvary.  Jesus was not as cute, but many were deeply attached to Him.  He had healed the broken and ambulated the lame.  He brought the sparkle back into blinded eyes and the sound of laughter to empty ears. 

He touched the diseased, welcomed the outcast and courageously defended the downtrodden.  He was admired, esteemed and cherished. 

And then He was abruptly inhaled by death – and all creation screamed. 

The sun was obscured by a sheer veil of darkness.  The earth trembled and shook with sorrow as her rocks shattered.  The cavernous temple was filled with the harsh sound of tearing as the massive partition curtain was rent.  A river of tears flowed down the hill of Calvary from the faithful that were huddled there.

The cross was not the way His story should have ended.  But that’s the way it was – and all creation screamed in protest. 

Unlike our little mouse, however, it was His choice! -a decision that was all about us. 

“Christ also loved us and gave himself for us.”  – Ephesians 5:2

“Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”  – Ephesians 5:25

“the Son of God…loved me and gave himself for me.” –  Galatians 2:20

Oh, how amazing it would have been, if that little fuzz ball of a mouse could have backed out of the jaws of the serpent.  The bitter would have become better for our distraught kids. 

Jesus, on the other hand, backed out of His tomb – having been truly and fully dead for 3 days.  His glorious resurrection was also all about us.  Paul wrote, “Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.”  – Romans 6:4

Do you believe it?  It is important that you do says Paul, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Romans 10:9

What does that mean “You will be saved?” It means, little mouse, that the python of death will never be able to swallow the one who belongs to Jesus. 

It is the Easter season – a perfect time to confess Jesus with your mouth and believe in Jesus in your heart.

All biblical references from the NET Bible ®