Penny J. Johnson's Blog, page 108
December 14, 2013
One Good Thing Every Day: December 14, 2013
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And lean not on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
These words are a road map for me whenever I face a crossroad. My most indecisive, anxious moments find peace of mind in asking God to navigate rather than relying on my false sense of direction. Several of the verses posted this week are rest-stop reminders for me.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Psalm 139:10
Even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Romans 8:28
May Peace be with all of us this Christmas and throughout the New Year!
December 13, 2013
While Bethlehem Sleeps Poetry Reading and Book Signing
Come enjoy your favorite holiday beverage fireside and listen to selections from While Bethlehem Sleeps. Signed copies will be available for purchase. Hope to see you there!
December 12, 2013
December 11, 2013
First Copy of While Bethlehem Sleeps
Here is the first copy fresh out of the box!
One Page at a Time: “Follow the Star”
“I wish myself a shepherd as I lead my little ones along…”
Fast forward to 2006–By this time, I am a mother of three boys and my first book of poems, The Last Time We Were Children , has been accepted for publication. Two of the boys are in school full-time, and the youngest is in preschool three days a week. Energized by the prospect of my poems being published, my poetry writing increases to one to two poems every day. Not only am I writing Mom’s Christmas card, but I am writing my own. “Follow the Star” is from one of my cards.
The poem speaks of shepherding children with wisdom and knowledge of God’s Word. But, it also reflects on what it means to be a child of God, to be a lamb seeking after God’s direction.
As I read this poem, I remember sensing the emerging freedom of having school-aged children mingled with the parental trepidation of raising a vulnerable, special needs child. Christmas 2006 would mark a critical crossroad, and this poem would become prophetic.
By August 2007, I would be a published author. I would also be home educating my three sons full-time.
December 10, 2013
December 9, 2013
One Page at a Time: “Christmas Wonder”
“Do we strain to hear above the roaring winds…?”
This is the first line of the first Christmas poem I wrote for my mother’s Christmas card. The year was 1995. I was working as an editor for a small publishing company. My husband and I had celebrated our second anniversary. As the first line implies, I thought I was busy.
The wonder of Christmas for me was still wrapped in my childhood memories. I clung to those traditions even as I felt the pressure to establish my own. Perhaps that is why I challenged myself to write a pantoum. The repeated lines resemble the tug-of-war between responsibility and repose. It remains the most complex and ambitious of the Christmas card poems. It was also the most difficult to fit inside the card Mom picked. From then on, the poems matched the margin and page setup constraints. My perspective surrounding the wonder of Christmas would also change by the following year.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was pregnant with my first son. And I thought I was busy!
