Calm Before the Storm

by Macy Johnson

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

(Exodus 14:14 NIV)

All was calm….

Our Tennessee family steered their packed SUV up our driveway early one Sunday morning for their eight-hour trip home. Everything, including the weather, had cooperated during their stay.

Be Brave!

by Macy Johnson

“The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?”

(Psalm 27:1 NIV)

In fear and trepidation I pen a weekly collection of devotionals - the Holy Spirit’s call to “be brave” encourages me. One blog at a time is posted to the world-wide-web, like a lone balloon released into the air, set free to glorify God.

My mother urged me as a child to “be brave” when faced with stressful, difficult situations. I was discouraged to turn and flee from a challenge to meet new people, enter a competition, or jump off the high diving-board. Everything and everyone intimidated me when I was young, but I gradually learned to take risks and leave fears behind.

Smells and Sounds

by Macy Johnson

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

(2 Corinthians 2:14 NIV)

My husband, Jeff, delivered a basket of home-grown tomatoes to Madison’s Senior Center. The director told him she opened the front door to the center that morning and smelled something burning. The acrid aroma drew her to the kitchen where a freezer plug had shorted. That faint smell, sensed in the nick of time, assuredly saved the building from a disastrous fire.

God created us with the senses of smell and hearing to help us be more aware of our surroundings.

Packed Bags

by Macy Johnson

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”

(2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV)

Is your earthly tent wearing out? Are your eternal bags packed? Are you ready to go to heaven?

As newlyweds, my husband and I looked forward to camping expeditions. We jumped at the chance to leave our stable, sturdy home to sleep for a week in a bright-orange, rickety, two-person dome tent. We loaded down our white Monte Carlo in flat-land Florida one crisp October and headed for the stately mountains and rippling creeks of North Carolina.

SOS - Save Our Ship!

by Macy Johnson

“I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.

My eyes fail, looking for my God.”

(Psalm 69:3 NIV)

It was an Alabama Fourth of July on beautiful Lake Martin, a vast recreational area known for extravagant Independence Day celebrations.

The pontoon boat, loaded with drinks, food, towels, sunscreen, family and friends, promised a fun day on the water. As the sun set, a Montgomery radio station aired patriotic music to accompany the dazzling fireworks' display. We relaxed and enjoyed the concert synchronized with the overhead spectacle.

Wasp!

by Macy Johnson

“They were not given power to kill them, but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion

 when it strikes a man.”

(Revelation 9:5 NIV)

On our way to church one drizzly Palm Sunday morning, my sister Sandy and I noticed a wasp emerging from the vent below the windshield.

We looked at each other and agreed to ignore it until we pulled into the church parking lot. Unwilling to wait, the wasp eased closer and stared at me from the dashboard’s edge. I took a chance, eased up on the accelerator, and opened the driver’s-side window. Out it flew!

Chase the Creator

by Macy Johnson

“But Jesus said, ‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’”

(Luke 4:43 NIV)

Jesus was on the move, chasing His purpose. We are created to follow Him, pursue our Creator.

The blur of passing images on my path distracts me. God jerks my mind back to the Way, Truth, Life. I hear Him say, “Stay the course, close to me.”

Jeff opened the front door and called, “Come! Listen to this.” Intrigued, I followed him into our guest cabin. From the kitchen came a barely-audible, high-pitched tone, a steady squeal. We yanked out all electric plugs and pushed all buttons on the GFCI outlets. The tone continued while Jeff grumbled about visions of the cabin burning to the ground.