Jim and I are reading Knowing God by J.I. Packer while we are out here in Arizona. It’s our own little 2-person book circle!

We are three chapters into it after the first day, and our minds are expanding with each paragraph. In the chapter Knowing and Being Known, Packer talks about how knowing God is a matter of personal involvement.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good,” says the Psalmist (Ps 34:8). To “taste” is, as we say, to “try” a mouthful of something, with a view to appreciating its flavor. A dish may look good, and be well recommended by the cook, but we do not know its real quality till we have tasted it.

As we were reading this, we noticed that there were fruit trees ripe with fruit in the backyard. Jim picked an orange and sliced it…what a great object lesson to drive home the point!

I’ve been studying the book of Hebrews this semester and thought of this passage on this significant day in the life of the Johanik family.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Indeed, sin clings. However, with our eyes on Jesus, we are able to lay it aside with the strength He provides.

The blog has taken a sabbatical, and there is much I need to catch up on here! I plan to turn back the clock a few months and get this online journal up to speed with all the activities that have been going on here. But today, I am praising God for His mighty work of salvation–setting free from the hinderance of sin!

Ten years ago today, there was one journal entry on this blog site.
Today, there are 1,118 entries.

Ten years ago, the kids were ages 10, 8, 4, 2, and T minus 2.

Today, they are 20, 18, 14, 12, and 8.

Ten years ago, there were four kids living under the roof.
Today, there are four kids living under the roof. (Remind me to share sometime my tidal wave metaphor to life raising and launching kids)

Ten years ago, we experienced God’s steadfast love and faithfulness.
Today, we experience it still, and we realize even more today how much we don’t deserve it.

As I reflect on how swiftly the pages turn through each chapter of life, I am reminded of the importance of living intentionally, with eyes on the “prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

So we continue to grow these olive plants… and blog about it!

It’s that time of year! Ruth filled out her march madness bracket by picking the best mascots.

May the cutest mascot win.

Peter is progressing on in his teenage years, having turned 14 yesterday. There is another man-voice in the household, and I continue to be amazed at how quickly that happens! I blinked my eyes, and baby Peter with his deadpan serious facial expression suddenly grew into a young man.

We celebrated with birthday pancakes–ones that he did not have to make (or clean up!).

This was P. Stephen’s 14th round of birthday pancakes.

He is known as “Breakfast Dinner” by Molly, as he is one who feeds her her two meals every day. When she’s waiting for a meal, we often ask her, “Where’s Breakfast Dinner?” and she begins to look around for Peter. He gave her a pancake appetizer yesterday morning.

We love this handsome young man and love seeing him grow up in every way.

Ruth will sometimes snag my phone and take countless pictures and videos, which I promptly delete upon discovering. The other day, however, I found this beautiful sunset that she captured during Peter’s football practice.

This picture came to mind when I read the following passage from Luke this morning.   Zechariah, the father of John the baptist, is talking:

And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.

A beautiful sunrise (or sunset :)) can be a reminder of God’s tender mercy to send a Savior, Jesus, whose light reveals our sin and guides our feet.

I’m thinking about this passage from Scripture today, thankful for God’s mercy, as shown in how He brings conviction over sin.  It is His mercy that keeps us from dawdling down the wrong path, headed for destruction.

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you:  what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong!  In everything you demonstrated yourself to be innocent in the matter.  (2 Corinthians 7:10-11)

Seen outside our front door this morning:

What is the TRUE meaning of the rainbow?

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 9

Praying for our world leaders this morning as I read this:

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.

Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

(Psalm 2)

The past couple weeks have surely brought life into perspective for me. Hearing news of both family and friends grieving the loss of loved ones, as well as grieving scary medical diagnoses, has opened my eyes to see things differently. Sadness and suffering have a way of doing that.

If it wasn’t for the knowledge that our holy, righteous, loving God is in control of every event, and even every cell of our bodies, I would call it all meaningless and tend toward despair.

Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. (Psalm 42:5)

I reminded the kids of God’s loving control over our lives when we walked outside and found one of our mailbox-nesting tree swallows dead on the driveway. As Jim buried it, we recalled this passage from Matthew:

Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Thank You, God, for giving us hope so that though we are sorrowful, we may still rejoice in You.

I’m thinking about these words from Isaiah 41 today.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Because we are crazy people (sometimes), we decided once again to drive the 16-hour trip to Colorado through the night. We left at 4:00p.m. and drove most of the drive through the dark hours of night.

As I’ve been meditating on the significance of this Easter weekend, I have seen our trip as an allegory of sorts. The earth had never experienced–nor ever will again–darkness like when Jesus had been buried in the tomb after enduring a horrific death on the cross. His followers were left wondering if they had been all wrong about Him. But exactly as it had been prophesied many years ago, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, having conquered death and sin!

It was a blessing this Easter morning–after enduring all those hours of the darkness of night–to watch the sun rise through the trees of Wyoming.

It led me to give thanks that Jesus’ once-for-all death and resurrection have satisfied God’s wrath toward sin and allowed us to have salvation if we just believe.

Therefore, He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;

who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people,

because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. (Hebrews 7)

I’m thinking about this passage from the Bible on this Good Friday morning.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2)

Christ’s death has delivered us from the power and penalty of sin. Is there any greater reason to celebrate?

As I was reading the account of the flood in Genesis 8 this morning, I noticed something interesting. After 150 days of rain and flooding, the water began to recede and the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat.

Noah then waited 40 more days to send out the birds, waiting a week between each bird’s errand.

Verse 13 says that by the first day of the first month, the ground was dry. When Noah observed this, he very well could have charged forward and brought everyone off the ark. But he waited until God told him it was time… which didn’t happen until the twenty-seventh day of the second month, nearly two months later!

I can just imagine how anxious Noah and his family would have been to hop off the ark and walk on dry land. Talk about having cabin fever! But just as he trusted and obeyed God in the building of the ark, Noah completely trusted and waited on God for the time to exit the ark.

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. (Hebrews 11:7)

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10)

I captured this scene during a run last week. I’ve always loved reflections in still water. There’s something so beautiful and tranquil and… right about them. They’re right because the reflection accurately depicts the actual. The reflection cannot be anything different than the real, physical thing that it’s reflecting.

When God created Adam and Eve, He formed them in His own image, and they perfectly reflected Him. Now, however, because of sin, our reflection of God is no longer perfect, it’s distorted. But because of His grace, when we trust Jesus, “we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

As we celebrate our country’s birthday today, I am reminded that my true citizenship is in heaven, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21)

We are thankful for the hard-fought freedom that we have in America, and ultimately thankful for God’s mercy, as He has offered eternal freedom through Jesus Christ.

The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.(John 8:36)

Now that BSF is out for the summer, the boys are yearning for continued structure during their months off.

So we decided to read through Proverbs as a family. Since there are 31 Proverbs, we are reading according to the date, then each picks a verse and shares it at the breakfast table. For example, today is May 7, so today we are reading Proverbs 7.

I was sitting in the family room with Peter this morning as he read said Proverbs 7. When he got to:

Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
(She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
She took hold of him and kissed him…

He blushed and exclaimed, “It’s like a bad commercial!!”