Thoughts Along the Journey

This past weekend, our oldest son had a role in a local stage production of "The Outsiders."  I have never read the book or seen the movie.  It was a sobering look at the lives of teens separated by social status.  The "greasers" and the "socs" (well-to-do social upper crust) were the groups created in the mind of S. E. Hinton. Yet they represent the divide between many types of kids in any decade. The climactic moment of the play is a rumble.  Our son played the part of Paul, one of the socs, who begins the fight.  As the young men began swinging their fists, suddenly, our son was being pummeled and knocked to the ground.  I knew this was coming, and it still made me slightly sick to my stomach.  I knew he was really going to be okay...yet I wanted to run to the stage, drag my eldest to safety, then head back onto the stage and straighten things out! As I was watching, though, a thought came to me:  how does God feel when we're getting beat u...

My past posts have revealed some great moments of 2013, as well as some really difficult ones .  And, as most of you are already aware, my cousin's daughter, Claire passed away at the end of 2013, after being shot in the Arapahoe High School shooting in Colorado. Life is full of ups and downs, isn't it?  When we're in the midst of the "downs," we often feel they will never end.  But when that glimpse of sunshine comes blazing through the dark clouds of our storm, we are reminded that God is still God.  We are prompted to recollect all the times He has shown us His love and mercy.  If we really ponder that, we KNOW it is true.  I sat and wept on January 1st, as my cousin Mike shared such amazing words of forgiveness for the killer of his daughter.  He reminded the audience of the need to end the cycle of anger, hatred, and bitterness.  A young man named Karl took Claire's life and, just a few seconds later, took his own life.  Mike offer...

There is a tree with shining lights Standing proudly in this room. It gives me joy to see it there, Dispelling dark and gloom. The tree holds many memories, Of Christmases gone by. Ornaments from years now past Bring pleasure to the eye. There is another tree that stood Long ago upon a hill. That tree held Someone much more dear, And wood without a frill. For Jesus, child of Bethlehem Was hanging on that tree. His life and love poured out for us, From sin to set us free. So as you gaze upon your tree Standing proudly in your room. Let His tree give your heart joy, And dispel your dark and gloom. Copyright   2013  Joni Johnson - All Rights Reserved

2013 has been quite the year for our family (both immediate and extended).  As my previous post stated, there have been some stormy seas to navigate. Lest I make you think our year has been one of gloom and doom, though, I thought I'd share some of the amazing things we have seen in the past months. 1)  Our youngest son received an incredible scholarship to the high school he wanted to attend.  2)  When that school didn't work out for him in the end, God provided so many resources, in a very short amount of time, so that we could transition him to home schooling. 3)  Our oldest son was accepted into the college of his choice. 4)  Family members have discovered that faith in God is the only way to truly survive in the tough times.  New faith for some; restored faith for others. 5)  One weekend, when (due to a clerical error on my part), we found our bank account a bit short on funds, we received a check in the mail--that we shouldn't ha...

Over the past couple of years, both sides of our family (hubby's and mine) have gone through some big storms.  There have been physical, spiritual, and relationship challenges on many levels.  We also have several friends who have experienced some of the most unimaginable tragic events. You know what has been so amazing, though?  These times have actually drawn our families so much closer together.  It has been awesome to watch.  As we've stuck together, encouraged one another, and, most important of all, prayed for one another, our family relationships have gained a new strength and depth. Recently, my cousin's daughter was the victim of a school shooting in Colorado.  I have never met Claire, but as soon I knew she had been wounded, the prayers started.  The family bonds that have loosened a bit over time became rock solid once again.  We are family.  We pray together.   We stand together.  None of us will ever need to fa...

My cousin's daughter, Claire Davis, was one of the victims of the school shooting in Colorado today.  Please, please intercede on her behalf.  She is not expected to survive.  My heart is breaking...

I am an eye-watcher.  Everyone has a way of taking in first-time information about others.  Mine is to look into their eyes.  Even when in a crowd, I often look around to see how people are responding to the moment.  Their actions may speak one thing; their eyes, another.  I can see so much in their eyes:  pain, hostility, happiness, sadness, disappointment, joy...  Actions may speak louder than words, but the eyes truly tell the story. The hard part is, I tend to be silent.  While I'm studying the eyes, I don't say much.  My silence has been deemed as being judgmental at times.  So if you've noticed me looking at you without speaking, I'm mostly pondering.  I'm learning about you, by what I see in your eyes. Sometimes we view God's silence as judgment.  We pray and pray about something, but hear nothing.  We "hear" that silence as God's way of saying, "What is wrong with you?!", when He is probably just looking in...