Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: god

live to tell about it — June 11, 2025

live to tell about it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This has been Jim Johnson and picklheavenpress.com

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

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.com

the burden of the booth — June 4, 2025

the burden of the booth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®

oops! — May 21, 2025

oops!

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The street crew may have started well but then fell asleep on the job.  The center line they left painted on the street looked like the work of a myopic monkey or by me.

There are two things I want etched into my headstone.  The first is, “I should have gone to the doctor when my wife told me to.”  The other is, “I hate to paint.”   

I start a painting task with the very best of intentions.  I move the brush slowly and carefully.  And it doesn’t look half bad.  But I am not a slow and careful person, and the job quickly becomes tedious for me.  So halfway through I am painting quickly and sloppily – leaving more paint on the carpet than the wall.

What if God had approached His work with such a warped work ethic?  What if God had been impatient or careless or even lazy with creation?  What if He had made the earth but didn’t set it to spinning – no sunrise – no sunset.    

What if He spent all His energy on making Adam, leaving nothing left over for Eve?   Where would we be?  Well, we wouldn’t!

If God had not been diligent, we might have three seasons instead of four.  (However, losing a Texas summer may not be so bad)

But that’s not God, is it?  He was thorough with every detail to the end, leaving us with a marvelously balanced, beautifully detailed and self-sustaining world. 

We see this quality in Jesus as well, His peers considered Him and said, “He had done everything well” – Mark 7:37.  Everything that Jesus did, He did really well.  I wonder if He ever had to paint? 

And the Lord continues to work with such diligence today especially when it comes to you and me.  Paul wrote, “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” – Philippians 1:6.   That’s good news.   He has grown me much, but there is still lots of ground to cover.  I am so glad that He is committed to seeing it through.  He finishes what He starts.

Now, as a person made in His image, I am thinking He would have me to do as He does.  In fact, I am sure of it.  God through Solomon had this to say in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might…”    That is God speaking to us.  “Work with all your might,” He says! – everything you got.

Diligence is a quality that God expects of us.   To be diligent is to be careful and conscientious with the work that we do.  We are exhorted in the New Testament to be diligent about various things approximately 10 times.

And then there is this truth that Paul left us that in Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord” (NASU).

We are to work, being motivated from the heart, regarding every task as an assignment from the Lord. The idea is to offer Him our very, very best – to give attention to every detail, to do it skillfully, and to finish the task in a timely way, and to do it with a good attitude.  It is to do the kind of work that causes those who watch us to direct their attention to the God we serve.

We need to bring these qualities to bear on our occupations and marriages, and parenting and certainly our service to the Lord.   “Whatever we do,” says Paul.

When we work in this way, we have something satisfying to look upon with a sanctified sense of pride.  Others find value in it as well.  Proverbs 22:29 says, “You have seen a person skilled in his work, he will take his position before kings…”

Wow, I feel like I need to go and repaint that wall. 

A PRAYER: Lord, help me work better, to better please You.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.com unless otherwise noted.  

who tempted the devil? — May 14, 2025

who tempted the devil?

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Lucifer was created as a beautiful holy angel, but he sinned and fell from his lofty position and became Satan the diabolical tempter.  But who was it that tempted Lucifer to sin? 

There was not an evil entity that preceded him – no one to poke and prod him to sin.  Evidently, it was his own independent self-will that set itself against the Lord.  The devil made the devil do it!

This caused me to wonder about Gethsemane.  There, Jesus asked God to remove the cup He was expected to drink.  The cup was a metaphor that represented the trauma that was to quickly come.

There would be the betrayal, the mockery of a trial, the whip lashing, the crown of thorns and the nails in his hands and feet.  On the cross He would suffer an insatiable thirst and find it extremely difficult to catch a breath.  Only then would He die.

Worst of all – the sins of the world, past, present, and future would be piled upon Him so that for the first time in eternity the Father would turn away from His Son causing Him to cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:46.

Jesus knew it was coming, and he dreaded it. Three times He prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me!” – Matthew 26:39.

He was honestly struggling.  Should we call it temptation?  It seems like it, but is this the devil’s doing?   Maybe not?

In the Gospels, we find Satan and his crew showing up on many occasions.   He took center stage when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4).  Jesus often interacted with demons who opposed Him (Matthew 8:31-32; 9:32; 12:22).

When Peter defied the Lord, Jesus recognized the influence of the evil one and said, “Get behind me Satan” – Matthew 16:23.  And then in John 13:27, we find Satan actually entering Judas.

It surely seems that if Satan was responsible for the traumatic struggle at Gethsemane, it would have been apparent.  But the narrative mentions only Jesus.

What was going on?  Well, the beauteous mystery of Christ is His incarnation, where Almighty God took on human flesh while remaining 100% God.

Paul described it this way, Jesus “who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.  He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross” – Phil 2:6-8.

This was an incredibly unselfish act and very necessary.  The holiness of God was needed to atone for man, but an eternal God could not die to provide it.  A man, however, could die, but had no holiness to offer.  So, God emptied Himself and took the form of a bondservant to redeem us.

Gethsemane then was the supreme test of His humanity.  He became flesh to redeem man, but when the time came, would He in His humanity choose to freely suffer to make it happen?

He didn’t need the devil to manipulate him, He had His own flesh to contend with.  Ironically it was during this test that He found His disciples sleeping instead of watching and He reminded them that “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” – Matthew 26:41. Could Jesus have been speaking out of His own struggle?

How glad I am that His threefold plea to the Father was also underlined by His submission.  He prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will” – Matthew 26:39.

He defied His very human inclination for self-preservation and humbly submitted Himself to the severe will of the Father.  Shortly thereafter, He peacefully surrendered to those who would crucify Him.  How fortunate for us that He did!

A PRAYER: Lord – thank you for freely grasping that cup and drinking of it for us

This has been Jim Johnson and picklheavenpress.com

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

Scripture passages are from the NETBible.com

bluebell and the blues — May 7, 2025

bluebell and the blues

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Solomon once wrote, “There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink…” – Ecclesiastes 2:24.  So what did he think was so great to eat?  Dates and figs?  I don’t know, but, if he were alive today, he might revise his words to say, “There is nothing better for people than to eat ice cream, especially Bluebell.”  Amen!

OK – maybe we need to back up and understand the context of Solomon’s words.  The brutally honest book of Ecclesiastes was written to help us live meaningful lives.

He argued that many of us strive our way through life, and this striving is folly.  Some labor to be rich, but are never able to enjoy their money (5:10-12); Some wrangle their way to fame, and yet the humble still seem to outshine them (10:6-7).

Others strive to have power and yet the very powerful king of Israel went on record saying, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”  (1:2) Some strive for security, but Solomon reminds us that naked we came, and naked we will go. (5:15)

And then there are some that are obsessed with our health and long life, but Solomon said, “youth and the prime of life are fleeting.” (11:10)  He often emphasized the fact that we are all gonna die (5:16). 

He sums up all our striving with the word, “vanity,” which he repeated 38 times in the book.  All is vanity

When we strive for things that we never really obtain, it is a pointless, painful experience.  Even when we do obtain them, we are stunned by the pointlessness of it all.

I was voted senior class president in high school.  I was jubilant for a day or two until I found out that honor was outweighed by the onerous responsibility.

Now before you look for Xanax, you need to know that Solomon was not depressed.  He was quite upbeat and hopeful.  The one word Solomon used in his book more than the word vanity, is God (40 times).

He tells us to consider God’s works (7:13)  to listen to His words (5:1) to fear Him (5:7) to please Him (7:26) and to remember him (12:1)   He described life “under the sun” as vanity (4:7), but He knew that we are headed to that place above the sun, in the presence of God where hope abounds (12:6-8).

Which means that the person who is rightly related to the Lord can cease to strive and enjoy being alive.  In fact, we should strive less and savor more the blessings He gives.

He encourages us to enjoy our mate (9:9), food and drink (5:18) and every fruit of our labor (5:19) When God has the proper place in our lives, we are free to do that.  

He put it this way in his book, “What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?   For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax.  This also is futile!  “There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work.  I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.”  (2:22-25)

I am embarrassed by the phrase, “and even at night his mind cannot relax.”   It has been my experience much too often. 

What took Solomon a whole book to say, the apostle Paul said in one sentence “Command those who are rich in this world’s goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.” –  1 Timothy  6:17

So, strive less, serve the Lord more and savor the blessings He gives.  Seriously, it is impossible to wear a frown while enjoying a bowl of Bluebell.  

A PRAYER: Lord, I need your help in this area!  Help me to rest in You!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® 

the Big Tex tragedy — April 16, 2025

the Big Tex tragedy

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Big Tex is the king-sized animated cowboy who has welcomed people to the State Fair of Texas since 1952. He was born in Kerens, TX as a 49-foot Santa Claus but later was reconfigured as a cowboy. In 1951, he became Big Tex.

He was clad in blue jeans and a plaid shirt and wore the face of Will Rogers. He would greet fair visitors with a wave and a wink and a booming HOOWDEEE, FOOLKS!!!”   The two million annual visitors to the state fair made it a priority to do a selfie with the icon.

Sadly, I was there with my family the day that Big Tex died. We were near the midway when sirens began to wail. We had no idea what happened until 2 hours later we were forced aside to make way for a funeral procession.

A large tractor slowly and respectfully pulled an exceptionally long trailer. Big Tex was stretched out upon it. He was still and silent, and wrapped in a makeshift body bag.

As he passed, the cheerful sound of the throng fell to a whisper. Big Tex was dead! An electrical fire had started in his right boot and worked its way up throughout his fiberglass body.

There was genuine sadness among the fairgoers for their beloved Big Tex.

It was sort-of a silly and yet surreal experience. I thought about the irony of it all. The flesh and blood Jesus also died but received almost no sympathy from the crowd.

He had presented Himself to Israel as their Messiah, and His approval rating was stellar. For 3-plus years He had circulated throughout His homeland healing, delivering, and preaching a stirring message of hope. 

He acted selflessly, spoke courageously, and did harm to no one. If cell phones had been in existence, 99% of his contemporaries would have had a selfie with the Savior.

But He was opposed by a manipulative and powerful minority who arranged to have Him pinned to a tree. And there He hung, just outside the city, along a major thoroughfare.

Matthew’s Gospel described what happened, “Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross!” In the same way even the chief priests—together with the experts in the law and elders—were mocking him: “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him! He trusts in God—let God, if he wants to, deliver him now” – Matthew 27:39-43.  NETBible ®

There was little grief for Jesus, just cruel and heartless mockery. Jesus died! His adversaries assumed it was all over. His body was packed away in a cold stone tomb. But 3 days later, He shattered their foolish expectations.

They had said, “If He comes down from the cross, then we will believe in him.”  Well Jesus was still alive when they said that. Yes, that would have been somewhat of a miracle if He would have set himself free from the nails and escaped.

Instead, they made quite sure He had died and was entombed. He lay lifeless for three days – and only then – only then He set Himself free – from the graveclothes, and the tomb and the iron grip of death.

Texans also assumed that they had seen the last of our beloved Big Tex. But he was secreted away and made bigger and better. He gained 6,000 pounds and was strengthened to withstand 100 mile an hour winds.  He then took his rightful place at the State Fair in 2013.

Jesus is more than Bondo. He truly lives and is clad in His resurrection body and has taken His rightful place in heaven to one day judge the living and the dead (1 Peter 4:5).

Praise His mighty name!

A PRAYER: Lord, our present grief is for the many who do not acknowledge You!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you!

useful — March 19, 2025

useful

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She was leading a Bible club at church.  There was one little girl who was completely lost when it came to memorizing the books of the Bible.   She didn’t grow up in church.  She didn’t know the difference between Deuteronomy and a tonsillectomy.  But the leader patiently persevered and the little girl joyfully mastered the task.

The child was blessed with a richer knowledge of the Bible.  Her leader, however, was astounded that God could use her so effectively in the child’s life. She felt nearer and dearer to the Lord because of it.

God uses us to achieve His purposes if we will allow Him!  

In 2 Tim. 2:21 the apostle described Christians as being useful.   He said, “So if someone cleanses himself of such behavior, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart, useful for the Master.”

So, is this a desirable thing?  Absolutely. If we are Christians, then we are on the team.  Now when I was a kid, I played on a basketball team, or I should say I watched from the bench.  The coach almost ever sent me in, maybe because he wanted the team to win the game. 

Nevertheless, it was terrible to sit on the bench, to feel like I had nothing to contribute – like I didn’t matter.  The coach didn’t even get my name right in History class.

But God, He wants to send us into the game.

– sometimes God uses our natural abilities  

The early church was experiencing some upsetting management issues.  A man named Philip was one of seven chosen to take charge (Acts 6:3-5).  This was because he had a good reputation, he was a spiritual man, and because he was also wise with managerial expertise.  

Perhaps he was a businessman or a supervisor with the government.  He brought his natural skills to bear on the Lord’s business and the problem was effectively managed.

– sometimes God equips us in supernatural ways 

Persecution had broken out in Jerusalem so the believers, including Philip, fled town.  He ended up in Samaria where the folks had never heard of Jesus, so the administrator began to address the crowd.  And no, it was not a dry, boring message.  In fact, Acts 8:5-8 says, “the crowds were paying attention with one mind to what Philip said, as they heard and saw the miraculous signs he was performing.”

He found himself among folks who had not heard the Gospel, so he volunteered to fill the need and speak, and God was pleased, and He chose to supernaturally empower him to cast out demons and heal the sick.

Philip decided, “If there’s no one else – I will do it, and God happily equipped him to get the job done.

– sometimes we are aware that He is using us

Later, Philip was directed by the Lord to meet with a spiritually minded Ethiopian man.  Philip obeyed and told the guy about Jesus, who then surrendered to the Lord and was baptized (Acts 8:26-38).  He understood how the Lord desired to use him, and he cooperated.

– at other times we are unaware of how He is using us

The last time we meet Philip in the Scripture, he opens his home to some weary travelers – Paul and Luke and the rest of his companions (Acts 21:8). Philip fed and sheltered them as ambassadors of the Gospel.  It was a simple kindness he extended.  Yet according to Jesus he probably had no idea how significantly he was used by God (Matthew 25:35 and 40).

God uses us and when He does, there is an interesting and incredible chemistry that forms between us.  We get the sense that God values our work.  He allows Himself to depend upon what we can do.  He chooses to need us.  Our big old all powerful – do anything kind of Father needs us.  That is both astonishing and affirming.

Hey, make yourself available and He will use you too!

A PRAYER: Lord, put me in the game – please!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

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

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®

why do you sing? — March 12, 2025

why do you sing?

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I met a guy who had moved from Nevada to East Texas.  I thought to myself, “Oh boy!”  Nevada isn’t part of the Bible belt, maybe I have finally met someone here who needs to hear about Jesus.”

I was right.  He was in his early forties, but he had never been to church and didn’t know enough about it to fill a thimble.

He began to attend our Sunday services and placed himself into what seemed to him to be the wacky world of the church. 

He approached me one day and asked, “So what is all the singing about?  Why do you sing?” 

“Why do we sing?  Well because we sing – that’s what we do.  The audacity that you should ask!   You do know that I am a worship leader, don’t you?”

“Why do we sing?”  I was truly shocked by his question and frankly very embarrassed that I didn’t have a ready answer.

But I have thought about since then, and this is why I think we should sing…

– Jesus worshipped in song.   He and His disciples left the upper room and “After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” – Matthew 26:30.  Good for Jesus; – must be good for us too.

– The Scripture directs us to sing.   Scripturecontains nearly fifty commands to sing. Consider Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.”

– It is one of the few things that we can give to the Lord.  The author of Hebrews wrote, “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name (13:15).

– Singing etches the truth on our hearts.  When a song is built on the Scripture, it articulates the truth in a way that is memorable, impressive and repetitive.   In fact, it was the primary way to assimilate the truth until the Reformation when Scripture was finally translated into common languages and the printing press made Scripture more broadly available.

– Singing sets heaven to work.  When God’s people sing to Him in worship, good things happen.  The amassed enemies of Israel were defeated by a song (2 Chronicles 20).  The jail that held Paul and Silas was opened by an earthquake as they sang praises and prayed (Acts 16:25-26).  Most of us have also experienced a God-given peace that comforts us when we sing.

There are lots of reasons I could have given my friend.  But honestly, if I were in his shoes, I don’t think any of these would have carried much weight.  But this last one might.

When a person experiences joy, they very often will make music.  She said yes to his marriage proposal.  He drove home singing at the top of his lungs.  She was declared valedictorian and went humming along the rest of the day. 

That’s what we do when joy fills us.  There is a song in our hearts, that is often voiced with words.

The Psalmist wrote, “O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation” – Psalm 95:1 (NASU)

When I think of what the Lord has done for me and my family – the way He has been with me and worked with me and through me – it overwhelms me with joy, and that joy escapes me in song.

Chris Tomlin understands.  He said as much in his song…

“How can I keep from singing Your praise?   How can I ever say enough? How amazing is Your love?  How can I keep from shouting Your name? I know I am loved by the King and it makes my heart want to sing.”

That’s why I sing? Why do you sing?  – Or do you?

A PRAYER: Lord it’s not much but I gladly offer you my joyful song.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord be with you always.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

the longest 5 seconds — February 26, 2025

the longest 5 seconds

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The longest 5 seconds of my life took place at the ballpark.  I was there to spectate as my middle son was on the field – right field – the one with cobwebs because the baseball so seldom arrived there.

Musical genes in my family run rampant, but the athletic ones are as rare as hen’s teeth.  And of course, he was also hindered by an attention deficit that mirrored the national debt.

I was always there to support him.  I wanted him to succeed.  I really did.  But it was lonely out there in right field.  He saw less action than the nerdy boy at the Middle School dance.

The game and the season were only one out away from ending.  Our team was up by one run, but the visitors had a heavy hitter at bat and the bases were loaded.  The tension was thick.

Suddenly the crack of the bat split the sky, and the ball rocketed towards right field.  The noise jarred my son awake.  He saw the ball and was positioning himself to snatch it.  If he blew it, the game would be lost.  To catch it would be a mighty victory. 

For five infinitely long seconds, I was sweating bullets.  I had been in that position myself a few times and usually fumbled the ball or missed it all together.  But I badly wanted better for him.  My prayers ascended as the ball descended.

I watched as the ball finally smacked the center of his glove – and he held onto it.  e defied our expectations The coach went bezerk – so did I. 

Like most fathers, I wanted my kid to succeed.  But for some strange reason, when it comes to our heavenly Father, we sometimes suspect that He is indifferent when it comes to us.   

He doesn’t care about how we do at work, or about our grades at school.  He yawns at obstacles that stand in our way.  We aren’t sure He really wants to help.  Some of us think of Him as that dad that never attends the game when we play.

But in reality, God wants success for us.  

Check out what He once said to us through Zephaniah the prophet.  “The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver.  He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you” – Zephaniah 3:17.

We understand here that God is in the stands cheering us on.  “He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you.”

But He also does something that I could not do for my son.  He enters the playing field and intervenes.  “The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver.

How does He intervene?  The Lord gave Nehemiah favor in the eyes of the King so that he could pursue his passion to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:5).

The tabernacle in the wilderness was waiting to be constructed.  So this is what the Lord did, “So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person in whom the Lord has put skill and ability to know how to do all the work for the service of the sanctuary are to do the work according to all that the Lord has commanded” – Exodus 36:1-2.  The Lord gave skill and ability to those people to give them so they might succeed at their task. 

And then there is this; Proverbs 16:3, “Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”

God truly wants us to succeed in what we do, although sometimes He will stand in the way until we realize that its by His enabling grace that we are able. 

So be encouraged.  Our Father is in the stands rooting for you and on the field working for you.  You have what you need to succeed!  

A PRAYER: Lord, remind us that we are never ever alone in this life.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ®

something to remember — February 19, 2025

something to remember

/pickleheavenpress

Our trio performed a Christmas Concert at a nursing facility.  Afterwards, a lady who was a resident there, came to speak with me.  With tears cascading down her cheeks she said, “You remind me of my father.”  I said, “Well I sure hope he was a better man than I am.” She replied, “He was a drunk.”  A drunk?  Uh, OK – maybe my last song was a little too much. 

Well, she went on to explain.  He was actually a mean drunk – but each Christmas Season he would mellow.  He would break out his guitar and lead the family in the singing of carols.  As I led the singing that day, that memory was revived and it warmed her heart.   That’s what she preferred to remember about her daddy.

We tend to remember the things that deeply, emotionally impact us – that which is exceedingly good or incredibly bad.  Most of us would hope that any memories of us would be bathed in the warmth of good thoughts. 

The apostle Paul reveals how that might be possible.  In Philippians 1:3-5, he wrote, “I thank my God every time I remember you. I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.”

Paul often thought about the Christians in the town of Philippi and the way that they had participated with him in his Gospel ministry.  Those memories fostered joyful thoughts.   

But what did he mean by “participation?”  Well, the book of Philippians was Paul’s version of a thank you note.  He used the letter to express his gratitude for the generous way that they had financially supported 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” – Philippians 4:18.

They provided the resources that Paul needed in order to do his outreach ministry.  Paul mentioned elsewhere that they gave out of their “deep poverty” (2 Cor 8:1-2).

As Paul carried the Gospel from town-to-town, he often remembered that it was those sweet brothers and sisters at Philippi that made it possible.  They selflessly pared back their own standard of living to support him.

So sometimes I wonder what people might remember about me.  What do they remember of my ministry as a pastor, besides the fact that my shirt tail was always on the loose?   

Maybe it was my pulpit ministry.  After all I spent 10-15 hours each week preparing a sermon – working through the Greek, making sure each message was accurate.  I prepared a video file to go with it.  I even rehearsed the message.  I figure I spent a cumulative total of about 17,940 hours over 23 years of doing sermon prep. 

And yet the only sermon people seem to remember is the one where I almost fell off the platform

People tend to remember other things!   She remembered the time I showed up at the hospital and prayed over their newborn.  That Deacon remembered when I cranked up my lawnmower and mowed his lawn because he wasn’t able. 

My associate remembered how I would always drop what I was doing when he needed to talk with me.  Then there was that man who remembered the grace and forgiveness he received when he came to me for counsel. 

It was those personal, considerate acts of love and service that they remember – things that anyone of us could and probably should do. 

Of course, being remembered, is not what motivated my ministry.  Not at all – but it is heart-warming to know that I have had some positive impact on the lives of others – and it is remembered.

If I had it to do all over again, I think I would spend less time parsing Greek verbs and more time loving people. 

A PRAYER: Thank you, Lord for good memories

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 ®