Could You Pass the Salt?

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
Matthew 5:13

Can you tell the difference between something that is salty and something that is not? If you would like to experiment, you should come to my house for dinner one night, and then let me take you to my grandmother’s house where things are well-seasoned. My wife and I experiment almost every night in the kitchen, and our green beans, peas, and other meals taste nothing like my grandmother’s. She enjoys using fat back, bacon grease, and cast iron skillets. Her meals have flavor to savor while ours can be bland and taste like they have just come out of a frozen bag or can. Often, they do.

Now that you are hungry, let’s transition this thought to what Jesus was saying in Matthew 5:13. He wasn’t talking about food with flavoring or seasoning, but he was giving a profound illustration of what the character of Christ in the life of a believer should be. There is plenty to do, but God’s first priority for His children is to be—like Christ. He wasn’t worried about whether you were going to the most popular church down the road, had the coolest Bible cover in Sunday school, or lived on the streets. He is concerned about who you are…

Since my wife and I are learning to cook, we often take breaks by going out to eat. A few weeks ago we stopped at Captain D’s. As we were driving in, I noticed a young lady who was taking out the trash. She had the biggest smile of anyone that I have ever seen while doing the dirty work. I couldn’t help but stop and ask her what was making her smile so much. She told me she knew Jesus and that everyday was a blessing. This was not the first time I had seen her. The previous week she was wearing the same smile while working behind the counter with rude customers. She was consistent, vibrant, and full of flavor. I left her presence wanting to know more about her relationship with Jesus.

Does your influence leave others wanting to know more about Jesus? At a recent baseball game, I purchased a bag of roasted peanuts. Do you know how expensive things are at sporting events? I normally try to be conservative in spending, but I could not help but pay $5 for a drink. The salt on the peanuts was delicious, but it created an incredible, mouth-watering yearning for something to drink. This is the whole purpose of being Christ-like. We do not have the power to save anyone, because the Holy Spirit must work on and melt the hearts of men. However, God can use those who are really connected with Christ to create a thirst and hunger for the eternal life that we possess in Jesus. Revelation 22:17 says, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” We are not called to be water, but salty lives that create soul-wrenching thirsts.

How do we get salty? First, we must realize that there is no cookie-cutter Christian. God works on everyone in His own way, and we are not to look like everyone else. We are to look like Christ. We are not to be like pre-assorted, canned, and bagged vegetables. Many today think if they can go to the most-marketed church that they will automatically become salty. You can be in the biggest and best church, and be savorless because you might be Savior-less. The character of Christ only comes by knowing the Person of Christ. Have you met him? Secondly, saltiness comes when the Word of God becomes the key ingredient in your life. The savorless and powerless are more concern with culture than with being a Christian. I fail often, but I am glad that God is still cooking on me. If you see me and find that my spiritual tastes are bland, could you please pass the salt and direct me to Christ?

Tasting and Knowing the Christ is good,
Brian Johnson

Waters Gone By

Then surely you could lift up your face without shame; yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear; Because you would forget your misery, and remember it as waters that have passed away, And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
Job 11:15-17

Just a week ago, I had been accepted to Western Kentucky University’s Graduate program. I was anxious and spent time preparing for my upcoming classes. That was only seven days ago.

Just a month ago, I sat in a church in West Tennessee completely filled with the Spirit. I witnessed praises and testimonies, hearts being changed, and lost being saved. Only thirty days since then.

Just six months ago, I lay on a hospital bed singing Amazing Grace, as I waited for my doctor to arrive with the same news he had told me two days before. Only six months ago, my child went to Heaven.

Just a year ago, my husband drove me to the Emergency Room as the pain in my lower abdomen increased. We waited hours to find out I had a ruptured cyst, and I would be missing a week or more of teaching Kindergarten. Just a year ago…

Just five years ago, I was starting my third year of college at WKU after having had a car wreck the year before. Just ten years ago, I was starting high school at Greenbrier and was busy trying to fit in. Just twenty years ago, I was starting Kindergarten at Watauga Elementary with white-blonde hair and snaggle teeth. All of this seems like yesterday, and yet so much has changed since then.

At five years old, I could have never guessed that God would completely guide my life these twenty years later. I wouldn’t be able to understand why I couldn’t go back to Graduate School or how I would come to marry a preacher. I would have been saddened to know of the death of my own baby, and I couldn’t imagine being a teacher missing school. I couldn’t picture the journey I would take to get to college or the years I would spend trying to make lifelong friends in high school. I could only see what was right in front of me.

Yet God knew. He had designed every year for me. He knew exactly how my hair would grow and why I didn’t need braces as a young child. God was there in my teenage years when I wasn’t making the friends I wanted because they weren’t the ones I would need. He also was there that afternoon on my lunch break as my head collided with the windshield, and He helped me to gain the courage to head back to Western. He planned my wedding and realized my first year of marriage wouldn’t be easy. He specifically intended for my miscarriage to teach me the blessing of children. God put me in churches to help me realize my responsibilities as a Christian and that sitting in my pew wasn’t enough. He also had that acceptance letter sent to my door, and He saw me when I didn’t pray about going back to school. God knew the changes that would take place.

In the times where everything changes, we are able to see God move. We are able to put the past behind us and realize they are simply as the waters gone by. Our futures look brighter when we are able to put in perspective the fact that God is in complete control, and that “All things work together for good to them that love the Lord… (Romans 8:28).” God knows the plans for your life, and no matter how rough they may be, He knows which stream He will take you down. He understands that there are rocks along the way, but the beauty that lies ahead of you is worth the wait.

Riding His Waves,
Jenna Johnson

Leap of Faith

Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
John 9:10-11

Jumping into puddles was SO easy when I was a child. It would thrill me, after each storm, to run through these little miracles God had left behind. The mud and the drops that splattered onto my legs never bothered me at all. Turns out I'm not a child anymore, and the truth is every spot irritates me to no end.

The mud on my legs has been quite evident lately. It's been no question to those of you who know me well what it is I've been covered with. You know how my heart aches and what it is I've been longing for, and yet none of those things have come to pass. The puddles continue to pile up around me, and my heart longs for an escape from them all.

Instead of taking these "acts of God" head on, I've tiptoed around them. I've been so scared of getting dirty. I've been clinging to my clean clothes and worrying that the stains that may have found themselves splattered into my life would never come out.

The stains life leaves behind usually cannot be washed away. As they settle into the fabric of who we are, God has no intention of you doing His laundry. He simply uses each spot as a testament of who He is and how faithful we are. Will we spend load after load trying to rid ourselves of these blots, or will we simply trust that He is God and has a special purpose for each blemish?

With all of this in mind, I have quickly learned that each puddle is made for me. I can either run straight through it, wallow in the mud, or tiptoe around the water. There aren't many other options... Dirty may be the only way I can come out, but dirty is what I am, a simple sinner saved by God's grace. God is using the mud to clean me up. Romans 8:28 says that, "All things work together for good to them that love God..." ALL THINGS. Every single puddle. Each spot of mud. He uses them all.

Instead of spending my days avoiding the puddles that life brings me, I should take them head on, full force, and wait for the cleaning. I've realized that maybe God hasn't intended for me to have exactly what I want. All these things I've been stained with are preparing me for the future, and right now is not the future. What God had in store for my life was a brand new puddle, and it's going to take a lot of mud to get through.

I'm plunging straight into college. Not motherhood, not teaching, not housework... College.

I have applied to an Online Elementary Education Master's program from Western Kentucky University and if accepted, will begin classes on Monday, August 25th. Yes, it sounds strange. It's probably crossed your mind that I just washed my hands of teaching a little over three months ago... But God wasn't completely finished. He wanted me to go back, get my hands dirty, and love learning all over again. Here it is, one of the biggest puddles I've faced, and yet the only way around this one is a leap of faith...

One Step at a Time,
Jenna Johnson