February 2008

February 24, 2008      A Few Days in Prison

As odd as it may sound, I had an amazing experience this week in prison.  I was given the privilege this week to speak at Silverdale Prison in Chattanooga.  Prison Prevention Ministries held their annual revival for all the inmates.  The prison is divided between men and women and I was asked to speak to the women on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. It was hard for me to imagine what it was going to be like. 

Honestly, I was nervous and unsure of what to say.  As I was praying God reminded me that they were just women.  Outside the fact that they had made some poor choices in their lives which had brought them to this facility, they were just girls.   Even though I had a settled peace in my heart, I was still nervous the first night.  I walked down the long hall way and got my first glimpse of life on the inside of a prison.  In this particular facility the women were housed in four large rooms.  As I walked by the large bank of glass windows I could see a room full of bunk beds, a few tables, and the shower and toilet area.  No privacy.  Everywhere I looked there were guards.  As the women entered the meeting room you could tell they were wondering what I was like and what I was going to say.  I was wondering the same thing about them.

Linda was my icebreaker and was she a good one.  Linda was in charge of the music.  She had been with Prison Prevention as a volunteer for many years and she was a veteran of the annual revival.  As she started to play the keyboard and lead the women in song, I was amazed at the transformation that took place.  The women were singing the old familiar hymn “Amazing Grace.”  Some stood, some wept, but everyone sang loud.   What happened next will be etched in my mind for a long time.  Linda began to sing a solo entitled “Blessed.”   As Linda reached the chorus, one by one, these women began to stand to their feet, raise their hands, and lift their eyes toward heaven.  Here are the words to the chorus:        
                                                        
                                I am blessed, I am blessed
                                From when I rise up in the morning
                                Til I lay my head to rest
                                I feel You near me
                                You sooth me when I'm weary
                                Oh Lord, for all the worst and all the best
                                I am blessed 

I sat in my seat and stared in disbelief.  Women of all ages, dressed in blue prison issued clothes, sandals on their feet, sitting in the middle of a prison, with guards around them—singing heart-felt praise.  I looked up to see Linda’s reaction.  Tears flowed down her cheeks as she struggled to keep her voice steady.  She shook her head in disbelief as they lifted their voices on the repeat of the chorus and sang loudly with her.  It was one of those moments where you felt as if time were standing still.  I knew God was there and listening.  I knew He loved those ladies more than anyone else and I knew He was smiling.   

I wondered how many churches would have someone sing that song on Sunday.  I wondered how many people who were sitting in the pews in their nice church clothes, with their nice cars sitting in the parking lot, with their family and friends around them – free – listening to someone sing about being blessed would stand to their feet?  How many of them would have tears flow down their faces?  How many would lift their voices and join in as the last chorus was being repeated?  At that moment I was the convict, convicted of my own lack of gratitude.  These women had spoken to me in their own unique way.  Needless to say it was easy to speak that night and every night that followed. 

I have to praise the Lord for His blessings to us during our time at Silverdale.  The women were not required to come so it was wonderful to see between 85 and 100 women in attendance each night.  Eleven women I know of accepted Christ as their personal Savior and over 30 decisions were made in other areas each night.  I pray that each woman will find a way to stand strong in her decision.  I pray that they will allow God to turn their lives around.

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February 18, 2008 

I am Nana again!  Most of you know I adopted a 17 year old girl over 10 years ago.  Her name is Brandi.  It was certainly nothing I ever had planned on doing, but God knew what I needed.  I watched her graduate from college with honors; I watched her meet a wonderful Christian man and get married.  But it was a little scary when she said, “Mom, I am going to have a baby.”  I hadn’t thought of all that.  The next question was even tougher, “What do you want to be called?”  Oh, brother, I had no idea.  I went through several options and none sounded like me so I finally decided to stick with Nana!

That was almost six years ago.  I was privileged to be in the delivery room as she brought her first child into the world – Taylor Scott Johnson.  As God would have it, 19 months later we were back in that delivery room as she gave birth to Brandon Luke Johnson (we call him Luke and it fits him perfectly).  A couple of years later when boy #3, Caleb Mark Johnson, entered the world I was battling viral meningitis and couldn’t be at his birth day.  So up to this point I have been Nana to three crazy boys.

Nine months ago, Brandi called me on the phone and said, “Mom you know how Brandon and I had decided to wait several years before even thinking about having another child?  Well, God had different plans.”  We were all in shock since this would make the second time she would have children 19 months apart. 

Last week, February 9, 2008, Zachary Thomas Johnson made his grand appearance into the world.  He was a little guy weighing in at 6 lb 14 oz.  So now it’s 4 boys!  He is so cute you can’t stand it.  Brandi and Zach are doing well.  And the whole family is adjusting to yet another man around the house. 

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February 8, 2008  

I have always been a sports fan.  There are very few sports that I don't enjoy playing or watching on television.  For sports fans last week was pretty exciting because of the SuperBowl. This SuperBowl featured an undeafeated, well-seasoned New England Patriot team and their opponent, the New York Giants.  The Giants were a wild card team which means they were not supposed to be in the SuperBowl.  They had a young quaterback who had a shaky season at best.  He was playing against a quarterback who has won five SuperBowl championships. 

It was really easy to pick who would win the game.  Everyone was counting on the undefeated, experienced team to win the game.  If you watched any of the game, you probably sat in disbelief as the young New York Giants team made one great play after another.  The young quarterback, Eli Manning, looked like a veteran.  He was calm, collected, and had the courage to go for the big plays.  Although I am sure Mr. Manning had heard all of the sportscasters predict his teams demise, he played as if he knew he could win.  

It's amazing how much of life can sometimes be reflected in a simple football game.  I know there have been many times in my own personal life when the odds have been against me.  I am sure you can empathize with me because we have all had times in our life when it seems no one believed we should succeed.  It is so easy during these times to look at all the obstacles that rise up before us.  It is easy to begin to say things like, "I don't think I can do this," or "I don't think we have a chance." 

In my younger days I used to think these type of challenges were few and far between. God has taught me that even in the simple tasks of everyday life I am inadequate. He has brought me to a point where I realize that everything is impossible without Him and nothing is impossible with Him. It is true that some obstacles in life are more daunting than others.  Sometimes it feels like the whole world is against us, but it is important for you to know that God is on your side. That is a big statement.  It is much bigger than having experience.  It is much more important than a winning record.  There is nothing that God cannot do.  

The next time you are feeling that all the odds are against you, I hope you will remember Eli Manning.  Before the game started I was pulling for the Patriots because they had not lost a game all season and were clearly the best team in the NFL this year.  By the end of the game I found myself cheering for the Giants.  As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Giants defeated the Patriots.  As the final whistle blew the cameras zoomed in on the face of Eli Manning.  His hair was soaked with sweat and his jersey was stained, but you couldn't take your eyes off of the incredible grin on his face. It was the smile of a guy who knew that he had just done the impossible.

I think we can all learn a valuable lesson from Eli.  Regardless of how daunting our obstacles seem, face them with courage, do your best, and know that God is on your side. Not every challenge will end as we would choose, but every challenge can end in victory.

If you don't mind sharing, I would encourage you to send me your "SuperBowl" story—the challenge that ended with a smile that said, "I have just done the impossible." 

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