Penny J. Johnson's Blog, page 80

Christmas 2015

In 1995, my mother asked me to write the poem for her Christmas card. The result was a pantoum titled “Christmas Wonder.”  The poem was formally published in While Bethlehem Sleeps in 2012. Many thanks to my oldest son, Nate, for designing this 20th Anniversary version.     Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Big Picture at The End

Applying joy enhances the big picture of “it.” If I were faced with that same geometric castle today, I would not hesitate. I would flip open a textbook and relearn all the theorems I ignored when I wrote poetry in my high school geometry class. Then I would teach them to my children, and—with my…

Lacking Completion?

Are we open to receive the end result of “it” with joy? Are we still consumed with what we want and failing to accept from God what we need? Lacking means “leaving behind,” “need,” and “remains.” To see the completion of “it” clearly, we need to leave behind what cannot be attained and focus on…

The Perfect Result

We get this part of the process wrong most of the time. The expectation is the solution for “it” will be perfect or flawless. “Perfect” by human standards will never match up to God’s standards. For one, we live in a sinful world. Just as critical, we put too much pressure on the word perfect.…

Enduring Faith

Much like physical training, trials and testing build endurance and strengthen faith. I learned this truth as a long-distance runner in high school. Without suffering through daily workouts of varying difficulty, I would not have been prepared for my races. Adding my own personal workouts strengthened an inner resolve. When faith in myself wavered, perseverance…

Trials and Testing

Trials and testing appear to mean the same thing, but they are also juxtaposed ideas. The word trials indicates an experiment. The word testing is synonymous with proof. These definitions seem appropriate to me. Science and math—specifically geometry—continue to be my least favorite subjects. My college roommates can attest to my foul mood during the…

All or Nothing

Every time I read James 1:2-4, I emphasize all. Some versions use the word pure. But, I prefer all because it, too, has a counterweight with the last word of the passage: nothing. All (pas) and nothing (mēdeis, mēdemia, mēden) are included in each other’s Greek definitions. Consequently, there is a sense James is using…

“It”=Joy

“It” could be anything. There is not a Greek reference number for “it” in James 1:2-4. So, “consider it” means the suffering of the moment. “It” could be something small or big. “It” could be something small blown to astronomical proportions. “It” could be something big unfairly minimized. Either way, what James is asking us…

Considering “It”

 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4 NASB Once upon a time, not so long ago… I found myself being led into…

Sing for Joy

O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14 NASB