Gwynne Johnson's blog

In the chaos of our world today I sometimes get confused. In the face of difficult and painful circumstances I struggle to respond rather than react. I believe one point of confusion surfaces in almost any challenging event. What do I do when my present reality is painful. Have I made a mistake? Is this indeed some “strange thing” that is happening to me? Do I focus on pain relief alone?

Saturday we attended the “The Response” rally in Houston. Our Texas Governor, Rick Perry, invited every governor to join him to call on God on behalf of our country at this time of crisis.

This morning I cleaned up my computer, checking all the emails caught in my “spam” filter. So much junk slows down normal operations. As I trashed hundreds of uninvited emails , it struck me that my thoughts and mind would do well to have an automatic spam filter as well.

Ask most people which of the 12 disciples elicits a knowing smile and I believe the majority would cite Peter. We read of this developing disciple leaving his fishing business to follow Jesus all the way to his failure and restoration on the beach in John 21. He is lovable, loyal and bumbling and almost always too quick to speak.

In our 21st century culture it seems in every situation someone must be blamed. Someone has to “take the fall” so others can feel vindicated. Talking (read shouting) heads on television argue about who is to blame, and no one seems interested in listening to anyone else.

I learned a new phrase this week, one I expect to use frequently. A friend related a personal experience as we enjoyed lunch together. She shared how someone made this remark to her with a smile, “Let’s pretend for a moment that God is in control of the world. How might this affect your thinking?”

A powerful message from a communion service many years ago often comes to my mind on days like today, Memorial Day. Our young pastor in introducing the service that particular day suggested that Jesus instituted what we now call the Lord’s Table for an important reason. He posited that Jesus knew well that we are a forgetful people.

Graduation day. Most of us remember our high school graduation with either a smile or a sigh. Depending upon your experience in those days, you may have longed to stop time or been delighted to escape to new adventures. Graduation is such a milestone, it is a time to celebrate and a time to reflect.

This week the world watched and celebrated the triumph of love in the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Billions watched this young couple pledge their commitment to God and one another in the magnificent setting of Westminster Abby. Magnificent hymns accompanied by an historic pipe organ lifted the souls of observers to worship in the words “Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah.”

As spring begins to burst around us we anticipate the bloom of new life again and Easter is just around the corner. The rhythm of life brings renewal of hope and optimism.

Devastation, death and danger. These words vividly capture the tragedy in Japan this week. Shaken by an historic earthquake, overrun with an historic tsunami, and faced with a growing nuclear disaster this country faces what is described as their greatest challenge since WWII.

As chaos sweeps our planet in Egypt, Lybia, and across the Middle East, I think it is important as believers to recognize that the struggle reaches deeper than politics. Truly we battle not “against flesh and blood…” Ephesians 6:12.

In our world of texting and twittering and Facebook, is it still possible to apply Philippians 4:8? The admonition of these verses is to fill my mind with those things that are true, respectable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, lovely and praiseworthy.

With record snowfalls and icy roads many around the USA experienced an unscheduled “Sabbath” last week. Dallas-Fort Worth spent almost the entire week with schools closed.

This past week I have been reading the challenging biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. Bonhoeffer lived in Germany during the years after the First World War and those years leading up to the Second.

Hurry up and wait. That's a phrase that often echos in my mind as I sit at an airport gate. But during the holidays the phrase has taken on a slightly new meaning to me. A recent experience reminded me of a truth so simple but one so easy to forget.

This Christmas day evening our family gathered around the kitchen table completing a jigsaw puzzle of Times Square. From the outset of scrambled pieces to the final satisfaction of fitting the last piece we searched and chattered and succeeded as the picture on the box began to emerge from the chaos of multi-colored pieces. I couldn’t help but compare that process with the ending of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

Pop up tents, lawn chairs, and lines of eager shoppers filling the sidewalks. Their expectation was to find that perfect bargain, that outstanding purchase advertised for “black Friday.” The cameras, however, didn’t focus on the scene as hours later some left disappointed and discouraged, their anticipation thwarted.

Recently I heard again a too frequent story of a mother leaving her family pursuing a quest to “find herself.” Left behind are two confused and tearful children and a husband now attempting to be both mother and father. Sadly we see this all too frequently in our day, so it is important I think to trace this quest to its biblical origins.

In a recent study of Acts I was struck with how some things never change! As Stephen began to have a powerful ministry, enemies began to oppose and persecute him. Resisting his message those in power began to stir up the people, gather false witnesses, create false accusations to silence him.

Many prayed, watched and cheered as the Phoenix Capsule travelled almost a half mile deep into the bowels of the earth in Chili to provide escape for the miners trapped for over sixty days. Cheers erupted on the surface as one by one the men emerged from the rescue capsule. Several of the men dropped to their knees in thank God for their deliverance from an almost sure death.

As we studied in Gospel of Mark the passion week of Jesus, our teacher warned about graphic reality when he showed a film clip from the movie, The Passion of the Christ, covering the road to the cross, as well as the crucifixion. We had completed a study of the account and discussed the Lord’s cry from the cross.

Our small group study this week centered on the passage in Mark 14:32-42 which describes Jesus’ honest struggle in Gethsemane. We spoke about the deep grief and sorrow that Jesus felt and expressed even though He, more than anyone, understood the ultimate and future victory to be accomplished. Yet, in His humanity, entering the pain and sorrow facing Him, He grieved and wrestled with the Father and submitted His anguish to the Father’s will. He did not deny the sorrow, but bore it for our sakes.

Most of us have experienced the wrenching pain of betrayal. Psalm 41:9 echoes this from the life of David, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared meals with me, has turned against me.” How do we deal with this kind of disappointment, this painful experience, this broken trust in a way that doesn’t damage God’s kingdom nor our relationship with Him.

As fellow Christ followers we grieved as news of the tragic murders by the Taliban of missionaries serving the Afghan people broke this week. Here were people who loved God and loved serving people at the risk of their own lives. These servants of Christ fulfill the words of John 15:13 No one has greater love than this – that one lays down his life for his friends.

Creation declares God’s glory. We learn that from scripture, but having spent this last week in the beautiful Colorado Rockies I am once again humbled the reality of its power and majesty. We travelled to a visitor center on Trail Ridge that opens only during summer and totally shuts down for the fall and winter months.

I am too often tempted to grumble. Here in Texas where summer means really hot, daily conversation often revolves around just how hot it is. With a 24/7 news cycle focusing on all the troubles on the planet it is easy to be discouraged and complain about things over which we have no control.

Several Sundays ago on my way to church while wrestling with a particularly thorny and recurring issue, I asked the Lord to speak wisdom into my heart regarding this challenge. In our bible study class we were discussing Mark 5:21-43, Jesus’ interaction with both a ruler of the Jews and a woman ill for many years.

When our Eternal Enemy tempted our first ancestors to doubt God he promised, “you shall be as God.” Sadly that same alluring promise holds sway in our thinking and humanity today.

This past year my bible study focused on the book of Romans. One major takeaway for me was a fresh focus on Romans 14:4, “Who are you to pass judgment on another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls.” I was convicted of how much time I waste evaluating the actions of others, especially as they may impact me.