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“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4 ESV)

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

In His Image

 by Macy Johnson


“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.”

(Genesis 1:27 NIV)

 

My husband recognized Ronald Reagan’s voice in a World War II documentary. I wondered how Jeff could identify our fortieth President’s verbal commentary above the sounds of war. How are we able to distinguish voices, those of family and friends, even over the phone or broadcast on TV?

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Love Letters

 by Macy Johnson


“Stop listening to instruction, my son,

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.”

(Proverbs 19:27 NIV)

 

In a box of old keepsakes in the attic I found letters written to me by my husband, Jeff. His love came during our engagement from Houston to Pensacola in the form of a precious collection of his thoughts. I felt like I was there with him as I read his carefully crafted words.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Hello, Daddy?

 by Macy Johnson


“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;

He is their stronghold in time of trouble.”

(Psalm 37:39 NIV)

 

“I wrecked my car and my apartment complex is on fire!”

 

Those words shot out of my mouth before my father could even say “hello.” It was the dreaded phone call that gives every parent nightmares. He calmly responded, “You’re kidding, right?”

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Free! Free! Free!

 by Macy Johnson


“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

(John 8:32 NIV)

 

One of my very favorite Bible verses is John 8:32. For any addict this verse is the ticket to freedom. To escape from the pull of this life is a gift straight from the Savior’s hands.

 

I asked God to take away my addictions. He responded, “You have this struggle to teach you to want more of me.” If He dissolved my cravings, I might not run to Him and fall at His feet for mercy and grace. He reminded me, “You will battle with sinful addictions every moment you breathe on this earth. But don’t worry, because I have overcome this world.”

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Moccasin Creek

by Macy Johnson


“When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me.”

(Psalm 94:18 NIV)

 

Jeff and I camped at Moccasin Creek State Park in November, the first time to pitch our new tent. We hiked the trail to nearby Hemlock Falls the last day before packing up for home. Instead of driving to the starting point, we strolled a half mile to the trailhead, warming up our legs for the climb.

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Dodged Bullet

 by Macy Johnson


“Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”

(Psalm 84:5 NIV)

 

I hurried downstairs, grabbed my music bag and purse, and reached for my water tumbler. Once in the car, I placed my foot on the brake and pushed the Start button. Silence. Change in plans. I drove Jeff’s truck to choir practice.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Secret Place

 by Macy Johnson


“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

(Matthew 6:6 NIV)

 

I remember as a child hiding in the linen closet at the end of the long hallway to our bedrooms. Friends and siblings played “blind man’s bluff” (sans blindfolds) in the pitch black darkness. My hiding place was a secret, at least for a while.

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Stoke the Fire

by Macy Johnson


 “The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously;

it must not go out.”

(Leviticus 6:13 NIV)

 

I love sitting around a firepit or a campfire in the fall. The smell of burning wood and the mesmerizing dance of the flames relax my thoughts and escort me to another world.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Edge of the Cliff

 by Macy Johnson


“May the groans of the prisoners come before you;

by the strength of your arm preserve those condemned to die.”

(Psalm 79:11 NIV)

 

I watched as she raced toward the cliff’s edge, clutching the tiny hands of her two children, dragging them to certain death. She hesitated at the precipice long enough for a large hand to reach down and jerk her back to safety.

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Good News

 by Macy Johnson


“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat,

the calf and the lion and the yearling together; 

and a little child will lead them.”

(Isaiah 11:6 NIV)

 

What are you looking forward to? Depending on your age, you might anticipate retirement, a vacation, a new home, raising a family, obtaining a driver’s license, graduation, playing sports, or spending time with friends at school.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Stay Salty!

 by Macy Johnson


“You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”

(Matthew 5:13 NIV)

 

I recently joined a weekly Sermon on the Mount Bible Study group. While reading Matthew 5:13, I remembered visiting with my sister in Pensacola this past summer. She presented me with a shirt that displayed a new slogan for the beach: Stay Salty. Being salt-like took on a fresh new meaning.

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Beach Aunts

 by Macy Johnson


“The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth,

in the seas and all their depths.”

(Psalm 135:6 NIV)

 

Several of my husband’s high school friends from Virginia, South Carolina, and Texas met for a small class reunion on Florida’s Gulf Coast. We drove down from Georgia to Navarre Beach. A warm, fuzzy feeling came over me when we crossed the state line into Florida, my old stomping ground.

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Boudin

 by Macy Johnson


“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”

(Genesis 49:20 NIV)

 

“I would love to eat some Boudin,” my husband announced one afternoon while enjoying the view from our front porch. Jeff often hankers after Louisiana cuisine, since he grew up near Shreveport on Barksdale Air Force Base where his father was stationed.

 

I searched online for the Cajun delicacy of pork liver and rice in a sausage casing, but shipping prices were prohibitive. It must be packed in dry ice to ship to us in Georgia. So, Jeff decided to table his desires.

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Birthday Card

 by Macy Johnson


“For we know, loved by God, that he has chosen you.”

(1 Thessalonians 1:4 NIV)

 

My granddaughter’s seventh birthday quickly approached. Walmart’s greeting cards’ display commandeered my attention longer than planned. Out of the midst of a plethoric selection of birthday greetings for granddaughters, one special card leapt off the shelf and into my cart.

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Prayer Walk

 by Macy Johnson


“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves

and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

(2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

 

Most mornings you’ll find me on my Prayer Walk, one of God’s gifts. For some time a GPS tracker visually proved my route. One morning I looked at the display with squiggly red lines and noticed that it strangely resembled Pi. What does that mean?

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Two Twenties

 by Macy Johnson


“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.

The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me.”

(Galatians 2:20 NIV)

 

I drove to the nearby town of Madison to shop for weekly household supplies. My husband needed cash for his hairstylist, so I decided to cash a check at the bank’s drive through. I placed on the check for $100 a post-it note which read, “Five twenties, please.”

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Disappointment Dust

by Macy Johnson


“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

(Genesis 3:19 NIV)

 

We must humbly admit we are made from the dust of the earth. We are hand-fashioned in the womb out of flesh and blood and bound to this planet for a short season.

 

Dust has many connotations. It is the substance of being, the offspring of destruction, and dry and lifeless until the Holy Spirit pours nourishing life-giving water into it.

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

It's Coming!

by Macy Johnson


“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

(Revelation 21:2 NIV)

 

There is so much in life to look forward to. Whatever you are planning right now, if it is God’s will you can bet it’s on its way!

 

Fear paralyzed me as I unfolded our new tent from its packaging, laid it out on the grass in front of me, and took a long, apprehensive look. I walked over to read the instructions sewn into the carrying case. Words, few and jumbled, and drawings not very clear, nevertheless stirred my husband and me to start with the first step.

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Hurt People

 by Macy Johnson


“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.”

(2 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV)

 

Hurt people hurt people. But we can break the cycle of pain with love. We can back off and give them time and space, as my husband suggests.

 

“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” (Luke 23:34 NIV)

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Holy Ground

 by Macy Johnson

“Do not come any closer,” God said.

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

(Exodus 3:5 NIV)

 

Mark Batterson confessed a personal idiosyncrasy in his book, Draw the Circle. He revealed, “I remove my shoes whenever I am writing to remind me that I’m fulfilling a sacred calling.”

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Glorious Exit

 by Macy Johnson

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

(Isaiah 43:19 NIV)

 

One of my favorite mottos is: “Leave every place better than you found it.” The most challenging projects were hand-me-downs left by people who never even brushed up against my motto. Some prior occupants were even bent on destruction.

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Love Challenge

by Macy Johnson

“A discerning man keeps wisdom in view,

but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.”

(Proverbs 17:24 NIV)

 

On the morning of March 25, 2020, God told me to stop playing around with struggles I have faced all my life. He said it was time to let go and give Him complete control. Bit by bit He unfolded a Love Challenge specifically tailored for me.

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

She Sells Seashells

by Macy Johnson

“Give attention to the entrance of the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary.”

(Ezekiel 44:5 NIV)

 

Summer vacation at the beach house was a Christmas gift to our children and grandchildren. The striking, seafoam green structure stood apart, named for seashells on display in every room.

 

How did God reveal Himself to me in the whirlwind of activity? A week later He woke me with a clear memory of a life-changing event.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Revival!

by Macy Johnson

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; 

I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”

(Isaiah 44:3 NIV)

 

“The only reason we don’t have a revival is because we are willing to live without it,” the pastor exclaimed during his sermon on chapter 4 of John’s gospel.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Scatter the Ashes

by Macy Johnson

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

(Luke 24:5 NIV)

 

Gwen Ford Faulkenberry wrote, “You know that one death, loss, or failure that you just can’t get over? It’s time to scatter the ashes to the wind. It’s time to begin rising with your living Savior.”

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Songbirds

by Macy Johnson

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”

(Psalm 28:7 NIV)

 

I watched a video on YouTube about songbirds and discovered they are born lacking feathers or other protection. Both parents are needed to nurture their tiny offspring.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Downtime

by Macy Johnson

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.”

(Psalm 37:7 NIV)

 

Many years ago I created a reading list. Books I have read and those I want to read are neatly arranged in a spreadsheet with one column indicating the order in which I would like to read them.

 

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Over my Shoulder

by Macy Johnson

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast,

because he trusts in you.”

(Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

 

My heavenly Father reveals Himself to me in the rising, morning sun. It peeks over my shoulder, watching me as I write love letters to God.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Dressed for Success

by Macy Johnson

“Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.”

(Luke 12:27 NIV)

 

My closet is not large enough to hold all of my clothes, so some miraculously migrate (with my help) from the attic into my tiny closet, and vice versa, every spring and autumn. My husband installed a long metal pipe on the rafters of our attic’s ceiling on which I hang my out-of-season clothes.

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Floaters

by Macy Johnson

“You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

(Matthew 7:5 NIV)

 

Little black specks drift in and out of my peripheral vision. My floaters sometimes startle me like spiders creeping up out of the corner of my eye.

 

Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Toby

by Macy Johnson

“With God all things are possible.”

(Matthew 19:26 NIV)

 

One sad Thursday morning during the COVID-19 pandemic, I awoke to a text from my son. His beautiful yellow lab had passed away in his sleep.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Income Taxes

by Macy Johnson
“And He asked them, ‘Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?’ ‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then He said to them, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’”
(Matthew 22:20-21 NIV)

My husband confidently hands over the responsibility of preparing our annual income tax returns to a retired CPA - me.

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Scarcity

by Macy Johnson

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(John 10:10 NIV)

I stopped in my tracks and took a double-take. There, in the cereal aisle of a small-town grocery store, I saw a man pushing a cart stuffed with packages of toilet paper!

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Nudges in the Night

by Macy Johnson

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”
(Jeremiah 32:27 NIV)

One night not long ago I tossed and turned in bed. As I leaned over to take a sip of water, I glanced at the clock. Red numbers, large and bright enough for me to read, displayed 12:34.

I believe God speaks to me through numbers. So I silently answered back, “Cool, God! 1234! Are you reminding me that you are with me? Well, if so, then please do it again. Wake me at 1:23 and 4:56.”

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Purple Martins

by Macy Johnson

“When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, ‘Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. Bring back some of the fruit of the land.’
(It was the season for the first ripe grapes.)”
(Numbers 13:17, 20 NIV)

Early one Sunday morning, during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, I slipped out onto my balcony to absorb nature’s unfolding beauty.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Thick Darkness

by Macy Johnson

“The people remained at a distance,
while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.”
(Exodus 20:21 NIV)

God reveals Himself in darkness.

“Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”
(Psalm 97:2 NIV)

I like waking before dawn. I like the peaceful sense of isolated seclusion as I gaze out my window into the black abyss.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Shortcuts

by Macy Johnson

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’”
(Exodus 13:17 NIV)

The Israelites were forbidden to take a shortcut to the Promised Land. God knew they needed to be trained and disciplined before they crossed over the Jordan River into their new home.

Did Jesus ever take a shortcut? I believe He knew the fastest way was not necessarily the best way.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Jake the Snake

by Macy Johnson

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16 NIV)

Jake is not a snake. He is our neighbor’s incognito black Labrador Retriever.

When he was a puppy, Jake would gallivant over to visit and filch whatever loose item he could find. Nearly every morning my husband discovered tools, gloves or shoes missing from our porch. We knew who the culprit was – Jake the Snake!

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Fill in the Gap

by Macy Johnson

“And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill,
ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts.”
(Exodus 35:31 NIV)

God gave us skills to fill in gaps, to do needed work at the right time in the right place.

Aaron, high priest and Moses’ brother, stood in the gap to stop the impending annihilation of God’s rebellious children in the desert.

“He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.”
(Numbers 16:48 NIV)

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Stay Out of the Trees!

by Macy Johnson

“Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”
(Psalm 73:23 NIV)

Sarah Young wrote, “You must discipline yourself to live within the boundaries of today.”

During a ski trip in 1998 I read the fourth chapter of Proverbs in my Bible and penciled a note in the margin next to verse 25 – “Stay out of the trees!”

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”
(Proverbs 4:25 NIV)

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Final Score

by Macy Johnson

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
(Psalm 46:10 NIV)

My husband and I watch college football and basketball games after they have been played. We record sporting events on our digital video recorder in order to fast-forward through commercials.

One recent game was played between intense, in-state rivals. The anxiety of the crowd and players unfolded before us on TV, although the score was already in the books. The fans had long gone home.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Destination Second Chance

by Macy Johnson

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; 
make known among the nations what He has done.” 
(Psalm 105:1 NIV)

“Oh no!” was all I could mutter at the sight of flashing blue lights in my rear-view mirror.

“Pull over into the next side street!” the sheriff’s speaker blared. Shaking his head, the officer gently inquired, “Mrs. Johnson, where are you going in such a hurry? I clocked you at 42 miles per hour in a 25 zone.”

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Donuts and Keys

by Macy Johnson

“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV)

On February 17, 2017, my husband and I drove from Georgia to North Carolina to celebrate our grandson’s birth.

When we arrived at the hospital entrance, our son-in-law appeared at the double doors. I rode the elevator up to our daughter’s room, while the men drove to Hole Doughnuts for celebration delicacies.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Bananas

by Macy Johnson

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’”
(Psalm 126:2 NIV)

Sunday morning worship concluded a few minutes early. The choir room emptied as I slipped out of my pianist robe and hung it on the hanger.

I exited the church alone, music bag in hand, and leather coat wrapped snugly against the wind. The needle on my car’s gas gauge was approaching empty and I needed to pick up a few items at the local grocer on my way home.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Release and Receive

by Macy Johnson

“He answered, ‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.’”
(2 Samuel 12:22-23 NIV)

David released his son to God so he could one day receive him again in heaven.

Through my window the last of the summer leaves precariously hang on our black oak trees. The wind furiously batters and shakes them in the sun, while the sturdy oak tries to hold on to its vegetation longer than other trees. I wonder when new growth will eventually shove off its lingering leaves.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

The Curse of Blessings

by Macy Johnson

“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.”
(Isaiah 45:22 NIV)

Blessings can pull me away from God. Struggles can push me closer to Him.

It is a constant tug-of-war. Oswald Chambers wrote, “Troubles nearly always make us look to God; His blessings are apt to make us look elsewhere.”

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Pioneers

by Macy Johnson

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.’”
(Hebrews 2:10 NIV)

Jesus was the perfect pioneer, sent by God to suffer for us, to help in our failing humanity, and to lead us from ashes to glory.

My husband is an avid reader of pioneers who brought much-needed change into American society. One of his favorite biographies is about Booker Taliaferro Washington, who was born in 1856, to a black, slave woman and free white man from a nearby Virginia plantation. Mr. Washington was an educator, author, orator, and advisor to multiple US Presidents. He died in Alabama in 1915.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Postcards

by Macy Johnson

“For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him,
but to suffer for Him.’”
(Philippians 1:29 NIV)

A friend recently gave me a copy of his deceased wife’s book, Postcards from the Precipice – Reflections of a Christian Facing Death. The author filled this treasured collection with emails from friends and musings journaled in her last months of life on earth.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

What's in a Name?

by Macy Johnson

“But now, this is what the Lord says – He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’”
(Isaiah 43:1 NIV)

Have you googled your given name to discover its origin, its meaning?

My name, Macy, is a variation of my maternal grandmother’s name, Macie. It is taken from an old French word for weapon and an old English word for hill. Looking out our second-story window, I am God’s weapon on a hill.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Dreams

by Macy Johnson

“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
(Matthew 2:12 NIV)

I watched a Netflix documentary on the human brain. The first episode was about memories. Although somewhat useful, I was more interested in episode #2 – Dreams.