Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: testing

christmas contemplations — December 17, 2025

christmas contemplations

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I have a wearable device. The watch monitors my health.   It frequently sends me digital messages about my pulse and sleep and exercise.  The most recent message I received was, “Please report to the coroner.” 

That is what is known as a paradox – a self-contradictory statement or situation.  When it comes to the Christmas story – it is preposterously paradoxical.

Mary was pregnant and yet unwed.  And yet, what was perceived as sin in Mary was actually a mark of virtue.  The angel said to her, “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” – Luke 1:42. (KJV)

Joseph traveled to Bethlehem, “in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.” – Luke 2:5. (NASB) Mary was with child, and yet – the child was with her.   His name was Immanuel which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:22-23).

They were to register for the census (Luke 2:1-3).  The census was designed to count people, but while they were being counted – a child was born who would count more than any other. 

His future was to assume the throne of David and rule the earth.  Ironically the King of Rome (Caesar) called for the census that would validate Jesus as being of the lineage of David, and therefore legitimately in line to become the King of Israel (Matthew 1:1).

The infant was tightly wound in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:7). He was dressed in the same type of materials and in much the same way that He would be dressed for His burial.  

Mary dressed the baby, but in time the baby would dress her in His robes of righteousness (Romans 13:14).

The Psalmist wrote of the Lord, “Look! Israel’s Protector does not sleep or slumber” (Psalm 121:4). That was before God took on human flesh.  At Bethlehem He took His first nap snuggled in a manger (Luke 2:7).  

In the field, the shepherds were told by the angel to go to the child (Luke 2:12). Sheep were easily spooked so the shepherds tended to move in very slow and deliberate ways.   But, when the angel broke the news of the Son of God, Scripture says, “they made haste” (Luke 2:16).   

They tended the flocks that were being groomed to be sacrificial lambs in the temple nearby.  Little did they know they looked upon, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world“ (John 1:29).

The work of a shepherd caused him to be isolated from the rest of his community.   The folks who were typically the least to be considered and the last to know became the very first to know that the Savior of all men had been born. 

The law at that time forbade a shepherd from offering testimony in court of law and yet Luke 2:17-18 tells us they testified of more important things.  Luke wrote, “When they (the shepherds) saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, and all who heard it were astonished” NETBible ®

Christ, as pre-Incarnate God, illuminated the sky with stars (Genesis 1:16), and one of those stars shed its special light to guide the Magi to His side (Matthew 2:2).

The prophet Daniel said, “It is He (God) who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings” – Daniel 2:21. – NASU   Christ, as pre incarnate God, sovereignly arranged to set up Herod as King to rule the nation of Israel. The Lord chose to elevate the man who tried to eliminate the Lord (Matthew 2:16-19). 

The shepherds joyfully shared the news of the birth while Herod repressed it (Matthew 2:7).

Of course, the most significant Christmas paradox is the incarnation itself.  Almighty God took on frail human flesh on Christmas day.  As man He became capable of giving His life for us.  As God His sacrifice would have eternal impact. 

Jesus is the prince of paradox!

A PRAYER: Lord, how marvelous You are.  We bless Your Holy name

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of the Lord be with you, this Christmas and always

face it — March 6, 2024

face it

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I’m aged now , but my voice is stronger than ever before.  Oh, I know… my vibrato sounds like it’s wired to a yoyo, and I have a rasp now that could strip the paint off a desk. 

But strength, I got, and I have my patients to thank.  In my work as a hospice chaplain I care for mostly elderly folk.  My injections are not medicinal but verbal.  My goal is to encourage and comfort them as they journey on.  But it can be a challenge.

A typical visit goes like this.  I arrive and find the TV blaring.  The volume is cranked up because the person struggles with hearing.  If they also struggle with their memory, they won’t know where the remote is. 

So, I have to ratchet up the volume of my voice to be heard over the TV.  Everyone else in the facility can hear me except my patient.  I sometimes think of the biblical Proverb, “If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse to him.” – Proverbs 27:14. I bet I get cursed a lot.

Some have profound hearing loss.  There was a sweet lady who was 102 years old.  Her vocabulary was small – mostly the word, “What?”   She loved to hear me sing hymns.  But to do so, I had to crowd my guitar and my face inches from her ear and sing at levels that would shatter glass.

After 5 years of that kind of vocal workout, I have developed a lot of strength.  That’s just what happens when we are forced to meet the challenges of life.

No one said it better than James in his epistle.  He wrote, “…consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” –  James 1:2-3

He tells us how we are to think about our challenges.  He used the word, “when” not, “If.” Testing is to be expected so we need to be prepared.  

He also used the word, “joy.”  We are to consider the challenges as a source of joy.  No one is happy about difficulty, but we can have transcending joy, knowing that God is in control and that our testing is being used by Him to improve us.

Then there is the word “endurance.”    In the Greek, this word is “hupomeno” which carries the idea of standing under – yet bearing up under a great weight.  Think of the competitive weightlifter who jerks the bar over his head.  He scores only if he keeps it elevated and stable.

James tells us that challenges build stamina in us.    

Now you might wonder, “Yes, but wouldn’t life be better without the drama?”   Well, do you remember Biosphere 2?  It was a massive glass enclosed ecosystem in Arizona, an artificial earth created to better understand the forces at work in our world. 

They discovered that the trees within the biosphere would grow far more quickly than those outside.  But – they seldom grew to maturity because they toppled over from their own weight. 

You see wind aggravates and stimulates a tree to grow broader, deeper, and firmer roots but there was no wind in that greenhouse, so the trees toppled. 

And so, it is with us.  Without experiencing opposing forces, we would grow weak and sickly and eventually collapse.

Meeting the demands of your snarky boss is good preparation for one day caring for your aging parent.  Waiting on your child to potty train helps prepare you for those days when they the child takes forever to move into adulthood.

I serve patients whose bodies wither while their spirits soar simply, because their faith has been tested and strengthened and proven through the years. 

So let the winds blow, knowing that you are getting better, and your roots are growing deeper.

And PS: Forgive me if this post is too loud.  It’s just a habit.

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

A Prayer: Lord, help us endure your lessons in endurance!

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

Scripture references are from the NETBible ®