Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: pasture

the secret of Chick-fil-A — November 6, 2024

the secret of Chick-fil-A

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I passed by the Chick-fil-A today.  As usual the drive-through was jam-packed with fowl-hungry feeders. 

I sometimes wonder why the chain is so successful.  True, the food is tasty, and the employees are friendly. But I suspect the most important factor has to do with their practice of closing on Sundays.

Obviously, the Lord has blessed their commitment to honor the Lord’s Day, but I think there is more.  You see, when we drive by a Chick-fil-A store, we experience a subconscious urge – a thought that goes something like this: “I can’t always get this when I want it, so I’m gonna get me some right now.”

Let’s face it – we are chicken hoarders.

But seriously, the fear of going without, tends to fuel a stockpile syndrome within us.  That pallet of post-Covid toilet paper in your garage is proof enough.

The prices these days only seem to exaggerate this tendency.  The cost of the basics jump up every week. We want to buy 3 of an item at the current price because we know it will be more expensive the next time.  

I was shocked recently to find that my car insurance went down by a couple dollars.  .05% to be exact. I nearly cried tears of joy.

OK, but what if we had an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-caring, greater than life God, who would intervene and actively care for us?  Would that be enough to quiet that fear?

According to Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ and His disciples were well overdue for some R&R time.   So, they took a cruise on the sea of Galilee to a lonely place to be by themselves (6:31) But the ambitious mob that followed Him, took off on foot, and intercepted them on the other side.    

Jesus saw them and understood their desperate need.  Mark says, “He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (6:34).  Because of that compassion, He reengaged and began to feed them with His life-giving teaching.

It turned out to be an all-day session.  The sun began to dip beneath the sea and His disciples wanted to wrap things up because it was dinner time.  They were in a desolate place, and they told Jesus that the people were hungry. Or maybe it’s because the disciples were hungry. 

There wasn’t enough money to feed the multitude and even if there was, the nearest bodega was many miles away.  Of course, that’s when Jesus decided that He would literally take things into His own hands, by miraculously multiplying the 5 loaves and 2 fish.

But what I find curious is that the event started with some instructions, “Then He directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass” Mark 6:39.

How peculiar!  Why specify that they needed to be seated on “green grass?”  Why was this minor detail so important to Jesus? 

Well maybe because green grass is not necessarily common there.   The land is brimming with rocks and dirt.  There is green for a short part of the year until the heat quickly turns the grass brown.   But evidently there was some green grass nearby, and Jesus insisted that they get off the rocks and dirt and sit upon the grass.

Why? Well, where else would you expect sheep to be when it was dinner time?  Those sheep without a shepherd were led to graze in green pastures by the Good Shepherd who deeply loved them and made sure they had what they needed.

I believe Jesus wanted them to connect their experience with Psalm 23 where David wrote, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:1-2) KJV

What a wonderful picture of Jesus our Good Shepherd!

Hey, maybe it’s time for us to lose the hoarding mentality.  Let’s leave the rocks and dirt behind and trust Him to provide the green grass.

A PRAYER: Lord, we want to trust You and your provision.  Please strengthen our faith!

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Scripture passages are from the NETBible ® unless otherwise noted.

loose vowels — June 30, 2021

loose vowels

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My little grandson wanted me to know about his health.  He said, “Mom gave me an enema to loosen up my vowels.”   “Vowels?”  Hmm I guess she must be a speech pathologist or maybe a proctologist. 

Life sometimes feels to me like a bowel loosening event.  You see – I tend to worry.  I think I’ve got enough worry to wrap around the world twice.   So, I worry – and it worries me that I worry.

Because – I am certain that the Lord wants me to be free of it. He said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34) In John 14:1 He said, “Let not your heart be troubled.”

I think it’s good to be concerned about the things over which I have control and for which I have responsibility – such as in providing for my family (1 Corinthians 5:8); or being a good husband (Ephesians 5:25) 

But, for that which is beyond the realm of my responsibility or control, there is no point in worrying.  And yet I do.

My son recently preached an excellent message at church and he referenced a verse that got me to thinking. At the time, Moses was tired and troubled. He had led the children of Israel along a desolate path through the wilderness. And the people had done things that stretched the meaning of dumb.

Moses was frantic, fearing that God was ready to abandon them.  That’s when the Lord said to him, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”  (Exodus 33:14)

Moses and his followers all desperately needed rest.  They would eventually find it in the promised land, but it was also a rest that was available to them immediately because God would go with them.

It triggered a memory for me.  My dad took the family on a road trip when I was young.  He loaded mom and the five of us kids into a ‘56 Chevy wagon. 

We were cruising along through Florida farmland when the engine failed.  This was a problem. We were marooned beside a pasture full of cows and it was a far piece back to town. 

Dad, however, was a skilled mechanic.  He flipped up the hood and did some analysis, then walked to town.  He was gone for hours.

The rest of the family stayed.  The Florida sun beat down and the humidity was stifling.   My brother and I pelted each other with cow pies to pass the time.

I can remember thinking one thing, “How long is this going to take?”

I also remember what I did not think.  I didn’t worry that the engine was a goner.  I didn’t fret that we had lost so much time.  I didn’t despair over the cost of repair.  I didn’t worry that we would be stuck there forever.  I didn’t wonder if dad would come back.

Those worries never crossed my mind– because my dad was on the job.  I knew that he would take care of the problem – and he did. 

So, why can’t I carry that kind of faith into my adult life?  My Father in heaven is infinitely more knowledgeable and powerful than my earthly dad.  And He has never given me reason to question His love and commitment to me.   So why should I fret?   His presence is with me.  Why not rest in that?

I need to find a way to disrupt the sneaky undercurrent of worry that slithers through my mind. 

This is what I’ll do.  Whenever I find myself going down the secretive alley of worry, I will meet that fret by saying out loud, “No – my Father has this!”

Vocalizing it will serve as a cold shower.  It will disrupt the repetitive loop of worry in my mind.  The affirmation of my faith in Him will set me on the right path and invite Him to help me with my unbelief.

I am going to give it a try.  Will you join me?

A PRAYER: Lord, teach us to trust you with the simplicity of a child that we might win the war over worry.    

Scripture references are from the NET Bible ®