All posts by jim

A New Year

Submitted by Jim

What does someone write to ring in the New Year?

I don’t get the chance to write often for the family journal; Heidi does a wonderful job in keeping everyone updated on the family’s comings and goings. More importantly, she communicates the life and faith lessons that develop from, well, raising four children and striving to walk with Jesus.  We do not have a corner on the market in this respect.  Everyone has a story in how God is working in their life, whether they know it or not, whether they acknowledge Him or not.  I count myself among the most blessed men in the world in that I am considered one of His sons and that God has given me the ability to see how He has blessed me.

For those reading this who do not acknowledge God as the source of who you are, how you were made, and what you have (or problems you don’t have, thankfully), take this year to reflect on such things.  One of the greatest comforts I rest in since I became a Christ-follower in high school is God’s absolute control over my circumstances and He loves me and wants the best for me.  Sure, I have personally mucked up many things since that point in time, and sometimes spectacularly so and to the detriment of not only myself, but others as well.  My poor actions throughout my life were allowed to happen by the sovereign had of God, and yes, they have brought and still bring consequences to me.

However, for those who love God and accept Jesus as their savior, the story never ends there.  God allows such bad behavior in order to draw us closer to Him.  The consequences of what I messed up often brought me to my knees and caused me to reflect on God’s presence and work in my life.  This is a major theme in the book of Romans in the Bible.  In what other book in the world can I read that “all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Did you really read that?  All things work for our good. Not just the good things I do, but even the bad things I engage in or seem to just happen to me, that God allows (sometimes with hurtful consequences), eventually work in my favor because in my heart of hearts I love Him and I have been called by Him.    

No, I do not want to see the day I face a debilitating or terminal illness.  I do not wish for financial ruin and I do not want to experience a family calamity. However, I will not fear such a day if it should come to pass.  As I play my hand in the game of life with the cards I have been dealt, the moment I accepted Jesus into my life He slipped the “Ace in the Hole” under the table and into the cards I hold.  Yes, God cheated – and I let Him cheat on my behalf.  He cheated Death for me.  No matter what happens to me, I’m set for life.  When I eventually die, of whatever, I do not have to fear about what may come next. No matter what pain I endure on Earth, my residence for all of eternity is in heaven. How cool is that?

So, when I consider all the things I could write about in my rare family journal appearance, nothing is more important that this.  

As a final point, consider this analogy. When I began learning to fly an airplane, specifically learning how to fly in the clouds without seeing anything outside the airplane but a sea of gray, it became apparent that this is precisely how we all live life.  We can’t see – not even one minute into the future.  In the airplane I was taught if I wanted to see my next takeoff, I had to rely on being guided by someone outside the airplane who could see everything – Air Traffic Control.  

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We have this same resource available to us as we go about our day. I do not know what 2009 will bring, but God does, from beginning to end. I am resolving to be led by His direction when I read the Bible each day, talk to Him and strive to walk in obedience.  He communicates back to me in amazing ways: through people, circumstances, events, gifts, illness, and even promptings in my spirit.  Sure, I’d like Him to come out and just say “Jim Johanik, climb to 5000 and turn right heading 270 to avoid storm activity” but He makes it far more interesting and exciting and He requires us to be faithful.

So, where ever you are in your faith journey, consider the ways you can yield more to God and rely less on a blinded self.  Oh, and Happy New Year!

Jim

Funny Pictures

I was making some funny pictures today and I would like to show you them.

 

This is Derek’s LEGO police plane flying by the Eiffel Tower!

This is my LEGO truck driving on the moon!

This is me in the clouds!

This is me on a very scary roller coster!

This is me right by Yosemite Falls!

And this is me in a coral reef!

 

Phew! I’m tired from all that traveling.

The Story Of Tiny Tim

I am learning about tall tales in my grammar and I was supposed to write one of my own. A tall tale is a fiction story about someone who is huge or tiny and can do some things that regular people can’t do. I thought I can share this funny story with you.

 

The Story of Tiny Tim

One fine afternoon Mr.Sleepy who lives in Sleepy Town woke up at 2:43 P.M. and had some breakfast. Meanwhile someone called Tiny Tim just finished eating lunch. Tiny Tim is as small as a grain of rice and as strong as an elephant.

Mr.Sleepy invited two of his best friends for a slumber party Mr.Run-Out-Of-Time and Mr.Lazy. As you can see Mr.Run-Out-Of-Time is always late, well he was invited at 5:00 and he seemed to have fallen asleep in his car, and he drove straight  into a big fire truck tipping it over and his car pushed until he started driving again! Then he drove right into a small house! Then he drove straight into the biggest mansion in the whole town! Then he finely woke up at  6:30 after he crashed into the mansion and he drove to Mr.Sleepy’s house.

Mr.Lazy however crashed into a slow moving car causing a huge pile of pieces everywhere! They waited an hour and a half for the car repair truck came. Soon he drove to Mr.sleepy’s house.

When they woke up (at 1:26 P.M.) from the slumber party Mr.Run-Out-Of-Time crashed into a fire powered power plant causing fire to spread all over the town!

 The hard working clan of ants some friends of Tiny Tim spotted the fire. So Speed the fastest ant in the colony raced to about 100 mph to Tiny Tim. Tim called the fire department but the fire fighters were sleeping. So Tim hopped on Speed’s back going now about 120 mph back to the fire.

Tim spotted a water tower and a crane next to each other. Suddenly he got an idea. Him and Speed and the ants went to the water tower and the crane. Tim went up the crane and he smashed the top of the water tower with the hook of the crane. Then he climbed down and he and the ants carried the water tower and poured the water on top of the fire!

But their was still a little fire left. So the ants dug a hole until they reached the water pipes. So Tim went in the hole and broke a piece of the pipe and SPSSSSSSS out came the water! Soon all the fire was gone. 

Thats the story of Tiny Tim!

Jake

Botany

We have been learning about botany this year for science. I would like to show you some things we learned and did not know before. Flowers have to get pollenated before making seeds and animals that do this are bees, butterflies, hummingbirds… so when you see a bee in a flower its looking for nectar, a slimy liquid and bees make honey with it, but when their looking deep inside for nectar they get this yellow powder called pollen on them. It’s all a mistake!  So when they go to the next flower a tiny stem called a carpel collects some of the pollen and over time in the fall it makes fruits like apples, blueberries, tomatoes and all other kinds of fruits. Pollen can only go to the same species but not it’s own flower. A bee colony has a mission each day so one group go’s to one type of flower like a rose and another group go’s to another flower like a daisy, it’s amazing!

But once a plant makes seeds, how do they get planted? That’s easy, a farmer can plant thousands of seeds, but what about in thick forests filled with dangerous animals? Well their are other ways seeds can be dispersed, animal dispersal: an animal like a squirrel can plant many seeds, they can bury acorns in the dirt and then next year a little tree has grown! Animals also accidentally run in to a burr plant, a burr is like a bristly ball it is kind of like velcro so it sticks on an animals fur then when it gets home it scratches the burr which is also a seed and grows into another burr plant. Bad news to the animals! Their is water dispersal also, plants that live by the water may have special seeds like the mangrove tree that have seeds that float long distances and will find a suitable place to grow right on the shore. Another example are the water lilies they grow seeds that float for a short distance then sink to the bottom of the pond (or river). Another is called wind dispersal, a dandelion is a great example, like when you blow one all the seeds go flying away with the wind which would land on the ground then grow into another dandelion. Another one is the maple tree, the half winged seed case twirls down with the wind and grows into another maple tree. Human dispersal is when people like a farmer plants tons of seeds. The most interesting one is mechanical dispersal, the jewel weed is an orange flower like a jewel attracts lots of animals so when its ripe an animal like a bee will land on it then it’s seeds will shoot out in all directions making new jewel weed plants! Another one is called the squirting cucumber, it has a 2 inch cucumber-like case, when it’s nice and fat it explodes and a liquid mixed with the seeds shoot out and will grow into another squirting cucumber!

Plants are really amazing, so are the animals that pollenate them!

Jake