Gwynne Johnson's blog

Most of us heard of the recent Christmas controversy over the atheist display next to the nativity scene in the Washington State courthouse.  And just this morning I spoke with a college student from a nearby state university who encountered other collegians passing out what he at first thought were Christian tracts only to discover they were actually arguments against God from the atheistic group on campus.  It seems the “new atheism” is evangelistic in its fervor.

Even as economic turmoil swirls around us, the holiday season arrived on schedule.  Terrorists across the ocean create anxiety. Yet, thanksgiving with all its trimmings, feasting and football, slipped by.

Last week my husband finally had the XM Radio, his birthday present from September, installed in his car.  In order to connect, I called the company to send an activation signal.   Along with the signal came instructions to 1) turn on the power 2) drive the car out of the garage 3) make sure there was a clear view of the sky so the signal could be received from the satellite. 

Stimulating to read the recent blog about “Loosing theTongues of  Women.”  That debate always motivates me to reflect on a clear invitation or mandate Paul gives Titus regarding women and their voices and influence.   “But as for you, communicate the behavior that goes with sound teaching.  Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.

Is anyone besides me feeling anxious with our daily news detailing the exploding financial disasters, Wall Street on a roller coaster, and with our politics heating to a fever pitch? Add any personal concerns and is it any wonder that anxiety overtakes me and fear grabs at my heart, a season of upheaval, disruption.  At times like these I’m instructed and encouraged by the words of

I’ve been blogging about seasons of life, different stages encountered by women as the journey of life continues.  Throughout all different stages, or seasons, there are concurrently conditions of our hearts during the various  seasons.  (I’m calling the heart that inner person in us that either serves God or self, that invisible part of us that no one but God really sees and knows.)

The winds blew, the rain came, the lights went out.  Over 3.5 million folks accustomed to lights and action came to a screeching halt as Hurricane Ike blasted his way from Galveston up I45.  It was sobering walking the neighborhood, seeing giant trees upturned with grass surrounding their dangling roots like green pizzas. Suddenly the roar of gas powered generators breaks the usual serenity of the early morning and lines snake around parking lots waiting for gas to power their hungry bellies.

Why is it that music can create such controversy yet mean so very much to you and me? Someone once told me that while “words speak to the mind, music speaks to our emotions.” That certainly seems true considering the variety of reactions to the changing styles of music, especially worship music, in the church today.

Diapers, late nights, early mornings, sleep deprivation…all reminders of what I called my “season of little feet.” I recall the awesome sense of responsibility that invaded my previously self-centered world when I brought my daughter home from the hospital.   A little life now fully dependent upon me, it was overwhelming.   It felt as though life’s rhythm accelerated to high speed, break dancing?

Last minute road trips, delayed vacations, August is sliding by. Signs abound that fall peeks around the corner; teetering stacks of school supplies; pumpkins appearing in shop windows and sweaters promoted in sweltering heat. Summer is almost gone. Another season breaks upon us. Daily life moves on with the expected rhythm of changing seasons.