No lie. I outlined these posts weeks ago with nothing on my mind but what I thought the Lord was leading me toward. This particular week I had entitled “The Journey” after listening to Darlene Zschech on a podcast – because she called faith a journey. I liked it. I borrowed it. But when IContinueContinue reading “Embrace Faith: The Great Adventure”
Author Archives: Shelley Linn Johnson
Embrace Faith: Doubts, Discomforts, Limitations
It never ceases to amaze me how often it occurs that what I’m slated to write about in a given week or season, turns out to be exactly what I need. And this week was no different. I entered December fully surrendered to the process of waiting and being present with those right in frontContinueContinue reading “Embrace Faith: Doubts, Discomforts, Limitations”
Embrace Faith: Open Arms, Open Heart
I talk a lot about our ability to choose our responses and stances and postures throughout our lives. There’s much we have no control over or choice in, but how we walk through life – that is our choice. I was one who, at an early age, grabbed hold of faith. I trusted that JesusContinueContinue reading “Embrace Faith: Open Arms, Open Heart”
Embrace the New Year
We can’t see the future. We cannot know what 2025 will hold – even if we have plans and hopes and dreams for it. We can’t anticipate the twists and turns coming our way, but neither should we fear them. In fact, I suspect that for all we think and hold and feel as weContinueContinue reading “Embrace the New Year”
Hiddenness: Death to Life
Waiting. Our minds work overtime to get us past it. Our bodies get busy to overcome it. Yet somewhere along the way we start believing we’ll never get through it. The truth is, however, waiting is never forever. Just as the dark of a sleepless night that stretches on and on eventually brightens with theContinueContinue reading “Hiddenness: Death to Life”
Hiddenness: Discouragement to Joy
Cloaked in the darkness of the theater, tears streamed down my cheeks. The questions asked by the Herdman children in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever caused something within me to break open. Having never heard the Christmas story – not ever – the Herdmans were entranced. Confused. Mortified! How could an innkeeper not give aContinueContinue reading “Hiddenness: Discouragement to Joy”
Distraction to Peace
Waiting pushes all our productivity buttons; it ushers in all the mental lists of what we could be doing…if only we didn’t have to wait. The day we got word about our transfer to Atlanta, Larry and I both kicked into high gear. We started four different to-do lists in my notes app, found freeContinueContinue reading “Distraction to Peace”
Hiddenness: Despair to Hope
When we’re awakened in the dead of night by a noise, we jolt out of bed then grope our way in the darkness toward the light switch, banging our shins on the bed frame. We panic when we see a man crouching in the corner – only to realize it’s a chair draped with aContinueContinue reading “Hiddenness: Despair to Hope”
Hiddenness: Darkness to Light
Waiting comes in all sizes and packages. I recall the absolute torment of waiting to open the tantalizing gifts under the tree as a child. And the long anticipation of the coming Christmas holidays as the countdown ticked by ever so slowly each day. While I might be an adult who has a greater capacityContinueContinue reading “Hiddenness: Darkness to Light”
Hidden Identities: Fully Formed
What feels like suddenly, we’re at our thirteenth and final week of our series, Hidden Identities. We have acknowledged that living in this world and in our own bodies can confuse us. We can wander the earth, wondering who we are and why we’re here. All that the world values, all that the flesh desires,ContinueContinue reading “Hidden Identities: Fully Formed”