Genesis points of interest
I am doing a study on Genesis 1 and it has created many points of interest...
some things I read over and over and have a deeper look at it now with a deeper understanding
some things I am perplexed about...
|
The Best PreK or Preschool in Nashville
I found the best preschool in Nashville. I did.
The best preschool or PreK program is Crievewood Baptist Church.
Amazing, Godly teachers with hearts of gold and a mastery of teaching PreK children.
My daughter was at a preschool this fall that didn't allow her to be successful. Too many details to explain, but as a former teacher, I continued to have warning signs that my daughter was in the wrong place.
Christ Church was a good experience for my son, but that was three years ago before the program submarined into utter disappointment. And now I actually wish I would have known about Crievewood Baptist Church back then.
|
Sin to Holiness is like dog pee in the snow
I was reading Genesis 2 and 3 today at breakfast with Walter and Carrie. Now, let me set the scene here...snow day allows for a nice slow breakfast. Walter, 6, and Carrie, 4, are listening to me read word by word the scriptures and stopping every once in a while to further explain and check for understanding.
Trying to explain sin entering the Garden of Paradise was difficult. Explaining how sin and holiness do not mix. So I look out the window and see the blanket of snow still remaining on the ground and get an idea. We talked about how white snow is, and what happens when a dog pees in the snow. Makes the spot yellow, no longer white. Can it go back to white?
Nope. It's gross now.
Yep, so is sin. That's why we need Jesus...
|
Separate Your Memories, Forgetting Bad Things, Remembering the Good
So I had a usual, normal day of golf on Friday. Sort of.
My shots were normal for me. Some better than others.
Here's where my golf game has become more and more enjoyable for me- and it helps me in my spiritual/emotional side of life as well:
I separate the good from the bad.
The bad shots, I close up in a box, and I mentally drop kick that box far away.
|
Will You Die for Me?
You know, a while back at church, we were asked if we were ready to live our lives for Christ. I felt that Jeff and I had already done that, involving all of us, including our family.
Specifically, I heard Christ ask if I would die for Him. I thought long and hard about that- I have always been afraid of death. I answered yes to that question.
Tonight I feel that I have been asked that again, but in a different way, would I allow Jeff to die for Christ?
|
And God Loved Eve
God loved Eve
I was thinking about the relationship God had with Eve today. The God who is, was and always will be, who knows the future. He knows who we are before He ever breathes life into us or begins to knit us together at the very moment of conception.
God knew Eve was going to take a bite and cause the fall of the human race. God knew Adam was going to fail at being the spiritual leader of his household, fail at keeping his perfect helper from harm- even if it was harming herself.
God knew all this, and yet He still created Adam and loved him. He created Eve with such tenderness and entrusted the population of the entire human race to her. And yet He still did.
He still does.
|
The Design of Marriage
So what ingredients make for a good marriage?
How can you save your marriage from the terrible statistics?
What ingredients do we add to our marriage?
One of the most important things I ever did was lower my expectations. Sounds funny at first glance, I know.
Expect nothing from your spouse and be blissfully happy the rest of your life.
Well, that is not exactly what I mean, but it's not completely off, either.
|
Johnson Marital Intimacy Challenge
We are studying Sacred Marriage
The chapter we studied last week was on sex and prayer and how they are connected- how the absence of one affects the other in the individual and how it affects the marriage.
Set aside time 3 nights in that week to have some time for intimacy with your spouse.
This does not mean quickies people (sorry guys)
Time for undivided attention, for kisses, for holding each other, for releasing the sexual tension that can distract men
Time to talk about your day- while looking into each others eyes…
|
My Story
I have seen the "25 Things About Me" on Facebook and I think that's pretty cool
And I may vary well do that in my "free time"...
But the book of "me" is only open a little bit.
And there is so much more to me.
So here it is, this is My Story
And I feel led to share more:
|
Postcards from God
As I followed the bus to Gentry Farms to the pumpkin patch this morning, I noticed the leaves changing colors, each tree in its specific designated time.
Ever notice that? The spectrum of colors from the variations on the theme of fall is amazing.
And it brought me to worshiping the Lord right there. Thanking Him for painting leaves for me. Well, maybe He didn't paint the leaves just for Mindy...but He opened my eyes at that moment, so that moment ...was mine. That moment God created just for me. It was all about just me and God. Nothing else, no one else, no distractions. He was thinking of me. He is ALWAYS thinking of me. Wow.
|
As we see Christmas letters proudly displaying the achievements and whatnots of families... What God's letter says about Himself and His Son!
Can you just imagine if He were to mail you a card ...a year in the life of Jesus...
"Well, this year My Son, Jesus, in whom I am well pleased, knew it was time for his work to be... finished. He was tortured, went into Hell where, by the way, He blew the gates away for you...
Have a wonderful time celebrating His life as I celebrate and adore you.
Love, Abba Daddy"
|
God is a Loving Protector-dating back to the days of the Fall
Genesis
I see God as a Loving Protector...
After Adam and Eve eat from the wrong tree....and I mean the WRONG tree!
If there were two trees...which one would you eat from?
Especially since God specifically said do NOT eat from #1!
1- "The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil"
2- "The Tree of Life"
Tree of Life to me sounds more appealing, but perhaps it's because I am aware of my mortality.
If I had no concept of death and separation from God, perhaps the Tree of Life would seem a bit...pointless?
So the serpent convinces Eve and she convinces Adam and the two forget the ONE rule...(wow, don't you just want to slap them?) and eat from the wrong tree.
Later, after "finding out" that His creation had indeed failed to obey the one rule, God says "Man has become like one of us"...confirming the Trinity
and now he might take from t he Tree of Life and eat and live forever
So God banishes Adam and Eve from the garden.
And God places a Cherubim and flaming sword by the entrance to guard it from Adam or Eve (or anyone) returning.
Because sin has entered the picture, Adam is no longer pure.
Also, God told him that he would return to dust, meaning his body would return to the earth from where it came from. Adam is aware of his mortality.
So what happens if Adam then eats from the Tree of Life?
|
Pray Vote Pray
I love that phrase. And really, it's all about Jesus. It does matter who our next president is, but in the grand scheme on the heavenly side, it matters so little compared to what people do with their faith in Jesus. And if we are seeking Jesus and truly asking the Lord to guide us to the candidate that HE wills and not what WE will, if we put away our SELF and truly pray about it, then noone can argue with our decision on who to vote for.
|
Standing on the Rock
When the winds and rains come, do you stand on the rock?
Do you hold fast to what you know or believe?
Is your faith built on a firm foundation?
|
What does it mean to be Truthful?
Is anyone really 100 % truthful?
Are we all just a bunch of liars? After self examining my soul, I think in one way or another- that we are all liars. It's so easy to take a story and take the truth out of it. Do we really remember accurately what someone said? The tone?
Even if you are quoting someone correctly, but dramatize the tone, I think that could be missing the truth behind what was actually spoken.
Mindy Johnson |
Where is My Book of Where I Have Seen God?
If I were to ask you what God has done for you in the last year, how much would you remember?
How about the last 5 years?
Do your children know how God has perfectly orchestrated your life in his plan?
I read in Nehemiah 9 where the Levites are praising God and talking about all God has done for the people of Israel- and they remember all the way back to Abraham.
A legacy of history passed down.
Shouldn't we be doing just that? Where is my book of what God has done in the last month, year?
He did so much just last week with Tress's surgery and Matt and Andrea's new baby girl....I need to be writing these things down to pass down to my kids, not only sharing with them now, but remembering later.
Mindy |
The Joy of the Lord is your Strength
What does it mean? "The joy of the Lord is your strength?"
Where does it come from?
What is its context?
Nehemiah 8.
But to understand it completely, you might want to start reading the book of Nehemiah in its entirety.
These people were broken, in shambles, and through a process of rebuilding their wall with their obedient leader, Nehemiah, they come to a place where they worship their Lord. The people wanted the Book of the Law of Moses read to them, and it caused them to weep. And that's where, I think, God is delighted. The place where His word moves us, to a place where we give ourselves to Him. And sometimes it feels as if there is not much left to give, we are so broken. And that is THE place where the Lord delights, b/c it is then that we realize He is our strength, and how we begin to understand how much He truly loves us.
|
Running the Race, a Spiritual Journey
Running is a metaphor often used in the Bible, and it often mentions the race, the prize.
Nothing for me can illustrate better the spiritual journey we have, and the necessary trials better than running a long race.
My cousin, Sarah and I ran the half marathon here in Nashville this past Saturday.
Nashville's marathon/half marathon is a fun race. Full of hills, the Country Music Marathon entertains its runners and spectators with bands throughout the course.
Mindy Johnson |
Doing Good Things can distract you from doing GREAT things
Ever wonder if you are really doing what God has planned for you? Are you busy doing good things when you could be doing great things?
Jeff said sometimes the good things can distract you from doing great things. Sometimes we can get caught up in everyone's needs, and feel as if we need to help- that we may miss what duty the Lord is calling us to. We miss the task at hand.
Doing good things is good. It can still point to the Father, but when great things are done, many fruits will come of it b/c it exalts Him even further.
|
Something Better to Come
How many times do we fight with God over something we think we want, something we think we need?
And if we could only see past our nose, see past that "moment"...
we could see there is something better to come.
Walter and Carrie may or may not experience a fun trip to Chucky E Cheese today.
They have to take naps this afternoon. Walter is alseep...Carrie?
Mindy Johnson |
"Life" can be Distracting, But Life is Good
I have realized in the past few weeks, that I have been under spiritual attack.
I have recognized it, and taken it to my Lord. I have asked others to pray.
And here is what I see happening.
Life- from my previous blog- Life can get in the way of being Holy. Sure can. Does all the time.
However, when taking the right focus, Life can be good.
You can always see the glass half full or half empty- depending on your "tude"
Mindy Johnson |
I try to be Holy, and life gets in the way
Ever have one of those days...where life gets in the way?
Praise God that "this too shall pass" and that we, for certain, can't measure up to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
If there was any way possible that humans could be perfect, I'd still miss the mark. By a long shot.
Call me a slow learner, 'tis what I am.
Call me human.
If we all lived in a bubble, praising God and speaking scripture all day long, would we be happy?
Is it just "life" that gets in the way?
Mindy Johnson |
I'm Spoken For
I started to write a song yesterday called
"Spoken For."
I just kept thinking about how I'm spoken for. Jesus is my groom and I am, we are- his bride! I belong to him, it is orchestrated and planned out and he has my heart. And no one can take that away from me. I'm spoken for.
Mindy Johnson |
Let's Rebuild the Wall Together
Just for a minute, image the scene. It's rubble, it's destruction. It's not pretty. It's dirty, muddy, messy. It's depressing.
And it sits like that until God puts the fire in Nehemiah's heart and gives him a passion for bringing his people together not only to build, but to unite them.
Mindy Johnson |
A Much Older Adoption
Jesus gave us the best look at older adoption when Mary was "losing" her son...he gave her another.
When he was on the cross and Mary stood there crying, he made sure she was taken care of:
"Standing near his cross were Jesus' mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the follower he loved (John) standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son." Then he said to the follower, (John) "Here is your mother." From that time on, the follower took her to live in his home. After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done."
Mindy Johnson |
And God Still Used David
I have been reading in 1st and 2nd Samuel about David. The same David from one of our most loved and treasured stories, David and Goliath.
The more I read, the more this hero David from my childhood stories- seems -well, human.
He was a great leader, a wise and powerful king- with God's divine hand orchestrating everything. However, David made some pretty bad choices.
So with God's hand and favor upon David, and with David seemingly in tune with God, how IS it that he MESSED up and missed the MARK!
Mindy Johnson |
It's a Brand New Day
My son asks me sometimes if it's a brand new day.
He will ask this when he wakes up the morning after a tough day.
This is great news for him, because it means everything he did before that new day was forgotten, slate wiped clean- and he gets to start fresh, start anew. And just like that he can forget about mistakes he made and go forth with a bright and hopeful look on the day.
It's a brand new day. I won't feel bad for what I left in yesterday, for what I did or didn't do that I was supposed to do. I get to try again...
Mindy Johnson |
Love One Another
"Let us love one another
for love comes from God
Whoever loves, has been born of God and knows God"
It's amazing, when God has called you to share His love to someone, He will supply you with this love. He gives us exactly what we need to carry out the plans He has for us.
When Jeff and I felt called to do a picnic for some of the program guys at the Nashville Rescue Mission, we knew it would be a blessing to us.
Mindy Johnson |
Obedience with a grateful heart
What is obedience if we can't do it with a grateful heart?
Does it then become an annoying chore?
Does it then become this dark cloud in our heart?
If the Lord asks you to do something and you really don't want to do it, but do it anyways...shouldn't that just be enough?
I wish I could say so, b/c my Jesus has asked me to do something I really don't like. Worse than washing a sink full of dirty dishes. To me, it's worse than cleaning up puppy poop or kid puke.
If I do it grudgingly, am I really being obedient?
Mindy Johnson |
Power and Praise to the Children
I love Psalm 8...there are so many good points in it.
Verse 2 says "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger"
Okay, so basically God gives power through the praise of little ones! Wow! So when little Walter sings to Jesus, it pierces through the darkness and silences the enemy!
We should pay more attention and teach our young ones praises and encourage them to say them and sing them loudly and boldly. If we could only see what happens in the spiritual realm when tender lips speak the name of our Father!
Mindy Johnson |
|
|
