More about my dad - part two

Okay, so I was looking back on my blog posts and I have already mentioned many things about my dad.  But, in addition to the things I wrote about yesterday, and his building things (post about Lake Maud),  there is another thing that I always think about.  My dad loved photography.  I can picture him with his camera around his neck.  And I am so grateful for all the photos that he took. Most people my age are lucky to have a few pictures.  As I said before, we had BOXES of pictures. Here is a photo from one of those boxes..... 

This picture is exactly what you are thinking it is.  But look closely...........  Yes, that is scaffolding all over Mt. Rushmore.  This picture was actually taken during the construction of this national monument.  How many people have this kind of picture in their family album?  My dad was traveling around to various Montgomery Ward stores in the late 1930's and his route took him right past Mt. Rushmore.  I am so thankful that he had that camera with him and took the time to stop and take this photo.  I was so blessed to actually be with my dad on a family vacation in 1964 when we visited Mt. Rushmore.  I remember clearly my dad talking about taking this photo.  I couldn't imagine seeing this being built.  My dad also took spools and spools of movies.  I am also blessed to have these movies as videos (thanks to my brother Jerry for this very BIG project of converting these to videos that included having my mom narrate a voice over of the silent films - what a priceless project).  All of my siblings will remember those dreaded Christmas movies and pictures.  They were never done on Christmas, but usually just before we were taking down the tree.  I remember my mom telling me that often, the Christmas toys were already broken before we ever got the movie done.  My dad would pull out that huge light bar that blinded anyone in the room.  We all had to sit and pose and wave, and of course smile.  But I am so thankful for those movies. And the photos.  The good thing about those Christmas pictures, is that usually, we got at least one picture that included my dad. 

This is Christmas 1955 and I am the one on the stool. (By the way, that was a little yellow stool that my dad made and it was around all of my life.  As far as I know, someone in my family, now has custody of that little stool!)

There are two things that come to my mind as I write this.  The first is that people often say you marry your dad.  And in so many ways, I am seeing that this is true for me.  Ken loves all things electronic and he seems to have been born with a camera in his hand.  My dad loved Ken so much.  It was such a blessing to me that my parents really embraced him and made him a part of our family. So I suppose I can see how that saying might be true for me.  The second thing that is on my heart, is the entire photography thing.  Just today Gwen posted an instagram Iphone photo of my granddaughter Lia, with a really big and expensive digital camera pressed to her face, taking pictures.  I am convinced that Yahweh is really showing me something in all of this.  There is meaning and value in taking photos and preserving (think scrapbooking) our life experiences.  And I believe that it is a part of the plan and destiny for my family. I am so blessed to be able to look at my children and grandchildren and know that these traits of my father are living on. 

Thank you Yahweh for reminding me about my dad and bringing me to an increased revelation of your plan and destiny for me.  Thank you so much for the ways you have brought me to this time and place of understanding in a better way, more about my dad.  Jesus you have sown seeds into my life and into my children and grandchildren.  Holy Spirit, thank you for watering and nurturing those deep things in us.  Yahweh, help all that read this blog, to see what you have sown into their generations.  Bring greater revelation that gives hope, joy and peace for today.  Amen

PS - Final installment (for now) about my dad tomorrow - on the 100th anniversary of his birth. 

 

 

Thoughts about my dad - part one

So I woke up this morning thinking about the receiver/transmitter word from yesterday.  The first thought I had was that the concept of a "receiver and transmitter" is really very old-fashioned.  I mean who even really thinks about a radio or stereo any more?  I remember my brother having a "receiver" and speakers for his radio when I was very young.  I also remember him "transmitting" over his ham radio.  Now its all cell phones and satellites and cable TV.  What was really on my mind was my dad. I realized this morning, that Tuesday would be my dad's 100th birthday if he were alive.  All this thinking about electronics was certainly a part of the reason I have had him so much on my mind.  So, I have decided to share more about my dad over the next couple of days, in honor of his birth anniversary.  Every time I begin to tell my family stories on this blog, I stop and wonder if my versions of these stories would differ from my own siblings. The only thing I can do is tell the stories the way that I remember them and trust that in them, there is truth. 

(This is my dad, Harry A. Johnson, in 1931)

My dad was born on a farm in a small town near the intersection of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.  He was the 8th child.  I have already told a little bit of the story of his parents (see my blog post  "Modern Miracles").  He grew up working on the farm.  His siblings were quite a bit older than him, so some of them married and/or moved away from home when my dad was young.  He was especially close to his brother, Walfred, who was 20 years older than him. My dad was only 32 when his father died and Walfred was always like a father for him. I remember my dad talking about not being very happy on the farm.  He always told me that very early on, he knew that he did NOT want to be a farmer.  He wanted to go to school.  During high school he lived "in town" above a bakery and worked there to earn some money and go to school.  After his graduation he told his family that he wanted to go into "electronics".  Now my grandfather, still very tied to his Swedish ways, told my dad that he needed to stay at home and help on the farm.  He was sure that there was no future in these new fangled things like radios.  But my dad was determined to follow his own path.  I am sure that Jesus had a part in my dad applying for a job in Watertown, South Dakota, to be an appliance repairman.  My mom was a clerk in that Montgomery Ward store and remembers the day that she and her good friend saw the stranger come in to talk to the store manager.  She told me that he carried a bag that they thought looked like a doctors bag.  So they referred to him as "the doctor".   That bag held his tools and he was hired that day.  Wards would become my dad's home for his entire working career of 43 years.  The only time he wasn't working for them was during World War II.  And he met my mother that day.  Electronics were certainly my dad's life. One of my earliest memories was having a TV when we lived in South Dakota.  There was very limited programming and sometimes we could get a signal from somewhere and see a program.  But we had a TV!  We actually had a color TV in our house before there were any programs telecast in color.  I remember us all sitting around waiting for the NBC peacock to come on in color!  This was the early 1960's.  (We always joked that all we saw of the first color programs was my dad's backside because he would be hunched over adjusting the color settings in front of the television set.)  We had a "radar-range" oven also, before anyone had even heard of microwaves.  One of my favorite summer activities when I had "nothing to do" was to take the very large box of tubes and the big box tube tester.  I would sit for hours, finding the correct slot and plugging in those tubes.  Then flicking that switch and the tube would either light up or not.  Of course even the "bad" tubes were never thrown out.  My dad would always hang on to things "in case he needed them".  Nothing was "junk" to my dad. (When my siblings cleaned out the garage after my dad died, they all laughed when the only empty drawer on his tool bench was labled "junk".  Everything else was full!) These things were something that he knew that someday, he would use.  I am convinced that if my dad had been alive beyond 1985, he would have embraced the computer. He was always keeping up with whatever the new thing was in electronics and appliances.  I had a transistor radio in grade school and everyone in high school was jealous of my 45 record changer.  Yep, he knew about receivers and transmitters. 

What is so amazing to me about this part of my dad's story, is the strength and courage that he had to walk outside of what was expected of him.  He did not just go with the flow and stay on the farm.  He was willing to take risks and follow his heart.  What a blessing it is for me to remember these traits of my dad.  And it is such a blessing for me to see that these spiritual seeds have impacted my own children in so many ways.  I love that Yahweh uses everything to shape us and our lives.  I love that I can trust that the Holy Spirit will remind me of the ways that my ancestors were walking in their destiny.  And it gives me encouragement to step out and try new things.  To not be a "sitter" but to find ways to be a "transmitter". 

Thank you Yahweh for reminding me about my dad.  Thank you for allowing me to see and appreciate more deeply, the roots of my family.  Yahweh, it is so amazing to think about the ways that you have worked in and preserved my family.  Thank you for showing us all what we need.  Jesus, help us to continue to go deeper and to understand more clearly all that you are giving to us as your transmitters.   Amen

 PS -  I just had to attach my son Doug's graduation picture.  I can't get over how much he looks like my dad!   And watch in the next couple of days, for more of my dad's story!

 

Not content with sitting anymore!

This is a very old picture of our house.  The same house we have lived in since 1978 - which is when this picture was taken.  We were in the process of moving in when this was taken.  I had a somewhat surreal experience today.  I was walking back to the house after getting the mail at about 3:00pm on a Saturday afternoon.  When I reached the front sidewalk by our house, I just stopped.  The neighborhood was totally quiet.  There was not a sound from any direction.  There were no children, no bikes, no kids playing.  There was not even any lawn mowers or people working on their houses or cars.  Simply quiet. The mark of a "changing neighborhood".  Not the way some might think - but simply aging.  Now, to be fair, there are some children in our neighborhood.  In fact, right next door.  But they are not home much.  In the immediate 12 houses, the two preschoolers next door are the only kids under the age of 16.  When Gwen started kindergarten, there were 15 kindergarten kids picked up at the bus stop right in front of our house!  And that was just one of many stops in our neighborhood.  How times have changed.  I miss the noisy play of the kids riding bikes and skateboards up and down the block.  I miss the laughing and the running and the fun.   I loved to sit out front and watch the action on the block.  Some of my favorite memories are of that time, sitting!

Which brings me to today's revelation.  Today I was thinking about this year at work.  Both families that I work for are in the process of moving into new homes.  And both homes are undergoing renovations.   I am sure that Yahweh will be speaking to me about this in the coming months.  He is in the business of restoration projects!  But then suddenly I heard the words "You are not a sitter".  At first I just kind of thought, "No, I'm not a sitter, I am a nanny".  (Since I was thinking about work, this made sense.)  But then I realized what Yahweh was saying to me.  He was actually giving me some very important direction for my life.  And I love the way that he often speaks to me in word plays.  Then Jesus went on to give me some further direction.  I am not to be just a receiver, I need to be a transmitter.  This is actually what Yahweh wants for ALL of us.  We should not just be receiving from Him, without giving out.

Today's message is DON'T BE A SITTER (JUST A  RECEIVER ) BE A TRANSMITTER! 

I looked up the word transmitter in the dictionary.  Once again thanks to Websters online dictionary, I found that a transmitter is a necessary component of communication that broadcasts or sends out, to be received by others.  The second definition was, something that amplifies and modulates what it receives into a meaningful sound that can be interpreted. 

Yep, Jesus wants us to be transmitters of all that he is putting into us! We each need to take in everything that Yahweh is speaking to us, through His word, through others around us, through teachers.  But then we need to let the Holy Spirit in us, be the one that amplifies and/or modulates what we have taken in.  In that way our sharing with others will be understood and meaningful. The mistake that I have been making (and many others make) is to just be content with SITTING!  We just take in and take in.  We have learned to be good receivers.  But we haven't gone to that next level and learned to be TRANSMITTERS!  It does take practice.  We need to let the Holy Spirit remind us when and what to share.  But we need to be expectant and willing.    I am thankful for this blog that has allowed me to get some practice in being a transmitter.  And I will look for more ways to broadcast the amazing things that I have been receiving.

Yahweh, thank you for speaking to me in such a personal way.  You know exactly how to get my attention.  Jesus I love that you speak into my life and give me direction and guidance, even when I am not really asking.  Help us all to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit giving us directions and encouragement to share. Help us to remember to not just be SITTERS.  Give us your desire to be transmitters.   It is so neat that your plan is to use us as your transmitters!  You are a great and wonderful God.  Amen

Jubilation........ so much more than just Joy!

I woke up this morning with the word "Jubilation" in my mind.  I did not have a lot of time to think about this since I was going to spend some time with my grandchildren.  I left the house early and during the hour long drive, I got to thinking about that word.  Jubilation.  I just kept hearing it over and over.  I wondered about the meaning of the word, but more than that, I was wondering about what Yahweh was saying to me. 

So, the first thing I did was look up the word (thanks online Websters dictionary)...... Jubilation means - Elation, Delight and Triumph.  Okay -  all good, but what was I missing?  I couldn't figure out exactly what was going on.  I had a wonderful day playing with Lia, Ellie and Zeke.  We played outside.  We laughed and there were lots of hugs and kisses.  I am so blessed by these sweet children.  

I didn't think about this Jubilation word much, until my drive home.  I was turning the meaning over and over in my head..... elation, delight, triumph..... and then I realized that this goes so far beyond just JOY!  Jubilation is a step higher.  And then, just as I was starting to think I was understanding this, so clearly it came into my spirit......JUBILATION OF YAHWEH!   JOY!  There it is.  Joy is the elation, the delight, the triumph of Yahweh.  That is what true joy is! 

Doesn't it change this bible verse to think about JOY in this way....."Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the JOY ( Jubilation - elation, delight and triumph of Yahweh) set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."   Hebrews 12:2

It was for the triumph of Yahweh that Jesus went to the cross for us.  It was for the delight of Yahweh that Jesus went to the cross.  Yahweh was delighted that his eternal plan and destiny was being done. I have such a deeper understanding of  this Biblical joy, just from this one word.  Jubilation. 

So I will have a totally different and much deeper revelation of the word JOY.  It helps so much in seeing the difference between HAPPY and JOY.  When I think back over the times when I have felt joy, I can see that difference clearly.   There is a real and deep purpose in joy.  Joy seems to show up when there is more going on than just feelings and emotions.  In that Hebrews verse, Jesus had the feeling and emotions OF the Father.  That joy was the joy OF the father.  In those times of joy, I was experiencing the Jubilation of Yahweh. 

Oh Jesus, thank you for deeper revelation.  Thank you for continuing to speak to us today.  I just love that the word JOY means so much more to me tonight than it did this morning.  You are an amazing God that cares so much for us.  Yahweh, you are to be celebrated with Jubilation!  Help us to remember the deeper meaning behind joy and bring us all into the experience of true joy.  Amen

Taking out the garbage...

Today I was back to work - sort of - with just one of my little buddies.  I watched the youngest of my nanny kids - the 19 month old.  I haven't seen him since the first week of June, and for a little guy, that is a LONG TIME!  Additionally, his family moved into a new house during the summer.  So I got introduced to his new home and RE-introduced to him.  I am pleased to say that he knew me right away and didn't even cry when his mommy left for work. 

We were having a great time playing in the family room at the rear of their house, when all of sudden, he stopped dead in his tracks and RAN for the front door!  He had heard the garbage truck picking up the recycling from the curb.  He stood at the open front door, pointing and saying "truck - truck - truck".  It was clearly the highlight of his life to watch that truck.  After his nap, it was time for a walk to the park and some outdoor playtime.  On the walk, he was delighted that it seemed to be a garbage truck on every street!  He just squealed and laughed through the entire walk.  He would strain to look around the corner, hoping that there was a garbage truck on that street.  And he was mostly finding his hopes met.  For some reason there seemed to be a lot of garbage trucks in their neighborhood.  After the park, we walked home and went into the back yard to play some ball and slide on his little play set.  Once again, he went running for the front yard when he heard a garbage truck on the street out front.  After two trucks just drove past, I was reluctant to let him go to the front when, once again, we heard the roar of the trucks.  But I relented and we went to the front yard.  There were two garbage trucks just parked in front of their house. (I think that drivers were just taking a short break!)  Michael immediately just sat down on the grass - never taking his eyes off of those trucks.  I sat down next to him and for the next several minutes, he just stared at those trucks.  Finally, the drivers returned to their trucks.  On seeing Michael watching, they waved at him, and he happily waved back.  As soon as the trucks pulled out of sight, Michael was up and running to the back yard.  The show was over.  Isn't it great how such a small thing, can be so much entertainment for a little one? 

On the way home I was thinking about spiritually taking out the trash.  I am so thankful that Jesus is just waiting to take away the trash from our lives.  All we have to do, is take that stuff to the spiritual "curb" and place it in Jesus' waiting hands.  We don't have to wait for Sunday or any other special trash pick-up day.  Whenever we confess our sins, He is faithful and will forgive them and take them away!  And just like the trash, we can't get our spiritual trash back either.  He has taken them away!  There was a time when I didn't grasp this concept.  I knew that he FORGAVE me, but I missed the fact that he TAKES OUR SINS AWAY!  And the best news is that when he takes something from us, he replaces it with something of Himself.  When we bring him our anger, he gives us his peace.  When we have been selfish or cruel or unthinking towards someone else, he fills us with his love not only for others, but for ourselves. Satan does not want us to remember this!  He wants us to constantly be back in our sin.  So we need to not only TAKE OUT the garbage - we need to LEAVE IT THERE! 

Yahweh, thanks for the reminder of your great plan to remove our sins.  Jesus, you are always there to hear our confession and willing take away our sins.  Jesus, thank you for your amazing working that allows us to be filled with all that you are when we empty ourselves of sin.  What a joyful and wonderful thing this is!  Yahweh, bless all of those workers who drive those garbage trucks.  Holy Spirit, remind them that they can take out their spiritual garbage to Jesus.  Thank you Yahweh for the provision of work for me.  Bless the families that I serve.  Thank you today, especially for Michael.
Yahweh, remind people who see those garbage cans on the curb, to take out their spiritual trash! Amen

 

 

Celebrating the seasons..

Summer is winding down and fall is almost upon us.  This week the temperature has been really "fall-like".  This morning it was 46 degrees.  That is down right cold for August!  This has been an unusual weather summer.  We only really had one stretch of moderately hot weather.   We are flooded with "back to school" ads and the school supply aisle at the stores are nearly impassable.  For me, back to school means back to work.  While I have enjoyed the summer off, it feels like time to be back at work. 

I have been thinking today about seasons.  I am very grateful that Yahweh planned for us to experience the ever changing weather and seasons.  There is a progression about this that, for me, helps me to know that there is something else coming ahead.  I am  always aware of the fact that my life is a process.  Sometimes this process has seemingly been stalled out (or even seemed to go backwards).  So, when I am living in the change of seasons, it is easier to  hold on to the idea that my personal process is ....... well PROCESSING!  I am so thankful that the Kingdom of Yahweh is always increasing.  And I am so grateful that we are all in the process of going on. The change of seasons reminds me that although I feel stuck and it may seem like nothing is happening, there is a PROCESS going on in my life. 

Last night I had an interesting dream.  There were fields of crops growing all around me.  There were fields of corn, there were fields of beans and fields of grains also.  Everywhere I looked there were just fields and fields.  As I was looking around, I realized that there were no roads, no houses, nothing but fields.  Everything was healthy and green and looked so wonderful.  There was also an aroma of freshness.  And then I heard a voice singing.....   The song was about the coming harvest.  When I woke up, I quickly wrote down the words.............
                    Green and growing, tall and strong
                    small seeds sown in the dark dark ground.
                    Plants sprang up and rain fell down
                    Soft breezes blow, crops all around.

                    Life filled water, flowing from heavenly springs
                    waters all the seeds sown by human hands
                    Sun shine and warmth bring forth great joy
                    Its harvest time all across the lands.

                    Reach out, reach out and find the place
                    Come on and join the race.
                    North or south or look west to east.
                    All around far and near, the harvest is here.

So now I will be looking around for the harvest. And celebrating that Yahweh has great plans for the changing seasons.  This is a reminder that no matter which season we are in, Yahweh is at work.  During the winter he is at work deep in the soil, preparing it to receive the seeds.  He works in the spring time when the seeds are sown.  He works during the summer when the sun and rain water the seeds and he works during the fall, when it is time to harvest. 

Yahweh, thank you for your great creation.  Jesus thank you for working in the seasons and in us!  You are an amazing God that plans everything and then bring revelation to us as we walk through our life.  Help me to see the harvest you are preparing for me and to remember that you are in charge.  Yahweh, please bless everyone preparing for this school year.  Be with the teachers as they are preparing for their classes. And Jesus, thanks for singing to me in my dream!  Amen                   
                   

                   
                

                 
                  

Motivated to Pray

After a long weekend of scrapbooking fun, I got home yesterday somewhat tired, but feeling that I had accomplished what I set out to do.  I had completed 53 pages.  Quite a lot of paper cutting and tape and glue.  And also lots of Jesus moments, as I blogged yesterday.  Then, just as I was getting ready to go to bed last night, there was another...... well, Jesus moment! 

I flipped on the television to check on the weather for this week and accidentally hit an unknown button on the remote.  I'm sure that you know this frustration.  So, I promptly started to switch back to the weather channel, and just as hit the button, I saw what was coming on that other channel.  So, I just as quickly, switched back.  (Before I talk about that program on that other channel, I need to again, restate that I am in a total truth-telling business on this blog.  I will not write anything that isn't the truth.)  As soon as I saw that the movie that was just beginning on that channel was "The Hiding Place" - the story of Corrie Ten Boom's life, I knew that this was surely a "Jesus Moment". 
I have read the BOOK many times, over and over, but I have never seen the movie.  The movie was made in 1975 and got wonderful reviews at the time.  Over the years I have heard that this is a wonderful movie. With the video of Corrie Ten Boom that I saw last week, I knew that there must be something that Yahweh was speaking to me. So, I sat back, intending to watch, knowing that Jesus must have some reason for me to see this at this time. 

I know the story.  I even know how it ends.  I know the history of the movie.  But as I started watching, it was just too much.  I can't quite explain how I felt.  But my heart was racing and my palms were sweating.  And it was BECAUSE I knew what was going to happen.  Because I know it is a FACTUAL movie.  After about 40 minutes, I knew that I could not watch anymore.  I turned off the movie.  So, today I have been trying to figure out what was going on!  Why was I so upset by this movie - a story I know well. 

As I was praying and asking for revelation about this event, I was remembering being at the National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC.  And remembering seeing Corrie Ten Boom's name on the wall of people who assisted the Jews during World War II.  And then I was flashing to some of the conversations that we had during the scrapbook time.  Somehow we were talking about my father and my father-in-law and the time that they spent in World War II.  My dad was drafted and served in the navy from 1943 to 1945.  My father-in-law also was in the navy, but didn't begin to serve until 1945.  Both of them served in the Pacific and were not in Europe at all.  My mom was left at home with two young children during those years.  My brother was just 18 months old and my sister was 5 when my dad left.

 (My mom and dad, sister Karen and brother Jerry in 1943)

(Below, is my dad, in 1943 shortly after he entered the navy)

 

My mom moved back to her home town so that she could be close to her family.  I simply can't imagine living during that time.  She had no idea even WHERE my dad was at.  And there was no real news to speak of.  The only thing she often talked about was that there were so many other women in the same position, that she never felt alone.  Yes, I began today to see once again, how Yahweh has been providing for my family.  And I thought about my 93 year old father-in-law.  Thank you Jesus for what you have been doing in his life. Then I thought about Corrie and remembered all those names on that wall in the Holocaust Museum.  The hundreds and hundreds of people who listened to the Lord and helped the persecuted - the Jews, the sick, the disabled, the mentally challenged.  And I knew that this is a reminder to me that I can not just shut off the TV when I hear of Christians that are being persecuted around the world.  I can not pretend not to see the turmoil in the middle east - in Jerusalem.  I know what I need to do. Last week there was a call to join with millions of others to pray for the peace of Jerusalem on October 6, 2013,  There is a website at www.daytopray.com.  You can read the post on this event at Elijah List.   I am convinced that Yahweh is encouraging me to get more involved in the what is happening around me.  So, be in prayer about your part in this call to stand for Jerusalem.  And look at the resources for this event. 

Thank you Jesus for speaking to me through my family and through television programs.  Help me to listen to your voice so that I know what part I am to play in events as they come to my attention.  Yahweh, your plan is to use each of us to fulfill your destiny in this world.  Thank you for showing me your provision and blessing on my family.  Holy Spirit, motivate others to hear your voice so that we can stand together for those around us who are persecuted or in need.  Thank you for the intercessors around me that already do this.  Yahweh, continue to raise up the five fold ministries in your body so that we can function as you have designed.  Bless all those who are planning and a part of the call to pray for Jerusalem.  Encourage them, give them creative ideas, and surround them with others to help.  Thank you Jesus.   Amen