What We Learn from Crazy Wind

The wind in Colorado has been intense the past few days. Crazy wind. It blows with such a strong force that you think it’s gonna scoop you right up! It stirs up the dust to make my view of the mountains hazy. And most people here think it’s generally annoying.

Despite our irritation with this annual rite of passage from springtime to summer in the West, is there a lesson the wind can teach us?

Yep, there is.

I read recently that trees need wind in order to grow tall and strong. Years ago scientists learned this from the Biosphere 2 experiment in Arizona where they lived in a man-made underground environment to see how vegetation would survive. Without the wind, they discovered, trees drooped over and crept along the ground. No backbone.

Perhaps the same is true for men and women: when the winds of change, or the winds of adversity blow, the strong breezes serve to make us stronger.

Hmmm. Strong winds, strong character.

So blow on, blustery breezes of springtime! And then disperse and let us bask in the glory of summer—stronger for it and full of joy.

Preparing Your Heart for Easter

What are you doing to prepare for Easter? Not just coloring eggs or getting a new dress. Not just searching for Grandma’s au gratin potato recipe or inviting guests for dinner. I mean, how are you preparing your heart?

Easter is the biggest holiday in the Christian faith, the main event. Sure, Christmas always seems to get top billing in the media and the preparations go on for weeks before the actual day. But what about Easter—Resurrection Day?

The snowdrop flowers in the photo above remind me of the contrast of this holiday. The dark black background is the Good Friday sorrow of holy surrender and death. And yet, there is also the triumph—the bright white good news is that Jesus Christ rose again. Alive and free! So we could be too.

Darkness and light. Death and resurrection. Hopes dashed and hope renewed. The messages of life played out in the events we celebrate each year in this Easter Week.

What are you doing to prepare?

Me? I’m pushing aside worry and focusing on WORSHIP. I’m spending more time in prayer and less in putting my own agenda first. I’m choosing to CELEBRATE the best news ever from the One who loves me most. Jesus died and rose again to give us life, hope, freedom and peace. And that is so worth celebrating!

It may be Easter, but this holiday carol still applies, “Let every heart prepare Him room…”

Awakening Your Dormant Dreams

Spring is just around the corner. It's the time of year when the earth wakes up. Purple crocus' and bright yellow daffodils pop from the ground and display their vivid colors, despite the lingering snow.

Perhaps it's time to "wake up" in your own life too. Do you have dreams and desires that never seem to come to pass? You think they're dead--never gonna happen. But maybe they are merely dormant.

Consider the sunflower seed. It's small and unobtrusive. Yet, with the warmth of the sun and the moisture of rain it grows to be one of the tallest plants.

To me, a sunflower in bloom represents a dream come true. From a seed, planted in hope, fruition comes.

Give your dream seeds to God and see what grows. You may just get a field of dreams that you never could have imagined.

Dormant Dreams

Desires and dreams encased in a seed,
Released in the black earth of faith.
Time to let go of what I think I need,
And hold on to the hope of His grace.

Longingly gazing at empty brown dirt,
Can’t make your dreams grow any faster.
For the seed in the soil is dormant, not dead.
Look up, to the face of the Master.

Call out for courage, have patience, have faith!
A mystery’s unveiling, my friend.
For a small, simple see can yield sunflower gold.
Surely, this isn’t the end.

In the fullness of time, resurrection.
The earth births a tender young shoot.
Nurtured and tended with strong, loving hands
The flower grows deep, solid roots.

And the seedling unfolds to a blossom,
Pure artistry formed in the dark.
In His perfect timing the Harvester brings
Fruition to desires of the heart.

-- Jackie M. Johnson

A New Year and It's Full of Possibilities!

Our choices matter...

It's a brand new year, a blank slate, a path yet unwalked. I love the freshness of a new year...full of possibility. Where will this year take you? No one knows for certain, but as we trust God and make right choices the path unfolds. Walk by faith...and walk on!

It's coming...

Christmas is just around the corner. Are you ready? Not just with presents and wrapping, baking and parties, and holiday decorations. Is your heart ready?

Ready for the One who came to change the world forever. The One who came for you...for me.

God with us. Emmanuel.

Light and life to all He brings, risen with healing in His wings!

We soon celebrate His coming. Are you ready?

The Mystery of The Cross -- Reviewed

The Mystery of the Cross: Bringing Ancient Christian Images to Life (IVP) by Judith Couchman is a unique read.

Couchman offers forty images of the cross from the early church days and throughout history. Thoroughly researched (and with illustrations), ancient images spring to life from the pages as you traverse historical, theological, and artistic context in each of these different images. The chapters are both informational and devotional.

“Without this cross,” says Couchman, “we’d be stuck in our sin with no future hope of heaven…The cross is our spiritual centerpiece, the sign of our soul’s emancipation.” (page 22)

While early believer’s revered Christ’s cross, “they knew the Savior, not the actual cross itself, had ushered in salvation and radically changed their lives.” (page 14)

It’s one thing to read about the cross of Christ; it’s quite another to let it change you. Instead of ignorance and forgetfulness, let’s remember that Jesus died and rose again to free us. Live free forever, both now here on earth and forever with Him!

We remember the power of the cross, and are unspeakably grateful.

I Finished Writing the Book!

Time to Celebrate!

I'm happy to report that I finished writing my second book last week! Yep, at 1:23 am last Thursday I completed what I've been calling "the breakup book."

God is so good. With the help of family and friends praying for me, God gave me strength and energy to work full-time and write. Nothing is too difficult for Him!

So, watch for it: "When Love Ends: What You Need to Know About Your New Beginning" (Moody Publishing). It releases May 2010. More to come in future posts.

For now, it's time rest and, in a few weeks, get on with the business of editing.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me and this endeavor to help heal broken hearts and change the world.