One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. Matthew 6:12 The mountaintop. Have you ever thought about how many things happened on the mountaintop in the scriptures? Moses received the ten commandments on a mountaintop. Abraham took Isaac to the mountaintop to offer him […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/untitled-design.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-07-25 10:26:052018-07-25 10:26:05Changed On the Mountaintop
Ten years ago, my kids were begging for a dog. It was right after I learned of my husband’s affair but long before we separated. I somehow convinced my ex-husband to let the kids have a puppy. After searching for the perfect puppy, I settled on a Bichon Frise. The breed is small, good with […]
“You just need to pray more.” I remember hearing those words as my life was falling apart. I could barely muster enough strength to get through the day. The tears fell freely, like a fierce thunderstorm that sweeps in unexpectedly. My mind was cloudy, my thinking irrational, my words incoherent. And my faith? It was […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/giving-hope.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-07-11 20:50:592018-07-11 20:50:59Giving Hope in the Midst of Pain
Falls Creek. If you are not from Oklahoma, you might not be impacted by those two words. But, for us Okies, the term Falls Creek is filled with meaning. For those of us who grew up in Oklahoma, Falls Creek brings memories of an outdoor tabernacle, huge fans, sweat pants pulled up to our knees, […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/a-week-at-the-creek.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-07-05 19:24:522018-07-05 19:24:52A Week at the Creek
We are nearly ten months into this whole blended family thing. Ten months. Sometimes it feels more like ten years. Marriage is hard. Second marriages are harder. Blending two families into one peaceful, cohesive whole is incredibly hard. Add a lifetime of painful circumstances hitting you in less than ten months, and it could be […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/lessons-from-the-blender.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-06-27 21:18:332018-06-27 21:18:33Lessons From the Blender
Lord Jesus, I’m desperate. Desperate for strength. Desperate for renewal. Desperate for fresh breath. Desperate for change. I am worn and weary. My strength fails me. My heart, my body…they fail me. I need YOU. I need a fresh dose of your power, of your Spirit. I need a fresh filling of your strength, of […]
It takes two… I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase as it applies to many different things in this life. I spent the majority of my life believing that divorce took two, that if a divorce occurred it was because both people were responsible for the failure. I now know just how wrong that belief is. […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/it-takes-two.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-06-11 19:53:352018-06-11 21:10:09It Takes Two and Other Myths About Adultery and Divorce
I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my then husband about the woman he was having an affair with. “It’s just exhilarating that someone like that would be interested in me,” he said. Adultery hits at the core of your being. Every ounce of self-confidence and self-respect you carry is destroyed. You look in […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/its-not-about-you.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-06-07 19:58:562018-06-07 19:58:56It’s Not About You (Revisited)
The last few weeks, a firestorm of controversy has erupted in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Allegations against Paige Patterson, now president emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, have been made public, allegations that include his stance that women should stay with their abusive husbands and his mishandling of a rape on a seminary campus […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/on-paige-patterson.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-05-29 19:06:272018-06-02 07:40:25On the Church and Divorce: Thoughts About Paige Patterson and the SBC
Dear Blake, It’s been almost 19 years since the nurses placed you in my arms, that precious little preemie who was struggling to breathe. The weeks before your birth were tumultuous as we discovered a problem with your kidneys and watched my health deteriorate. Your birth definitely wasn’t what we planned, but in that […]
https://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/a-letter-to-my-son.jpg7681024Dena Johnsonhttps://www.denajohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/denajohnsonpartiallogo-11.jpgDena Johnson2018-05-24 20:59:532018-05-24 20:59:53A Letter to My Son On Your Graduation
Changed On the Mountaintop
One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. Matthew 6:12 The mountaintop. Have you ever thought about how many things happened on the mountaintop in the scriptures? Moses received the ten commandments on a mountaintop. Abraham took Isaac to the mountaintop to offer him […]
Buddy Jack
Ten years ago, my kids were begging for a dog. It was right after I learned of my husband’s affair but long before we separated. I somehow convinced my ex-husband to let the kids have a puppy. After searching for the perfect puppy, I settled on a Bichon Frise. The breed is small, good with […]
Giving Hope in the Midst of Pain
“You just need to pray more.” I remember hearing those words as my life was falling apart. I could barely muster enough strength to get through the day. The tears fell freely, like a fierce thunderstorm that sweeps in unexpectedly. My mind was cloudy, my thinking irrational, my words incoherent. And my faith? It was […]
A Week at the Creek
Falls Creek. If you are not from Oklahoma, you might not be impacted by those two words. But, for us Okies, the term Falls Creek is filled with meaning. For those of us who grew up in Oklahoma, Falls Creek brings memories of an outdoor tabernacle, huge fans, sweat pants pulled up to our knees, […]
Lessons From the Blender
We are nearly ten months into this whole blended family thing. Ten months. Sometimes it feels more like ten years. Marriage is hard. Second marriages are harder. Blending two families into one peaceful, cohesive whole is incredibly hard. Add a lifetime of painful circumstances hitting you in less than ten months, and it could be […]
A Prayer for Filling
Lord Jesus, I’m desperate. Desperate for strength. Desperate for renewal. Desperate for fresh breath. Desperate for change. I am worn and weary. My strength fails me. My heart, my body…they fail me. I need YOU. I need a fresh dose of your power, of your Spirit. I need a fresh filling of your strength, of […]
It Takes Two and Other Myths About Adultery and Divorce
It takes two… I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase as it applies to many different things in this life. I spent the majority of my life believing that divorce took two, that if a divorce occurred it was because both people were responsible for the failure. I now know just how wrong that belief is. […]
It’s Not About You (Revisited)
I’ll never forget the conversation I had with my then husband about the woman he was having an affair with. “It’s just exhilarating that someone like that would be interested in me,” he said. Adultery hits at the core of your being. Every ounce of self-confidence and self-respect you carry is destroyed. You look in […]
On the Church and Divorce: Thoughts About Paige Patterson and the SBC
The last few weeks, a firestorm of controversy has erupted in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). Allegations against Paige Patterson, now president emeritus at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, have been made public, allegations that include his stance that women should stay with their abusive husbands and his mishandling of a rape on a seminary campus […]
A Letter to My Son On Your Graduation
Dear Blake, It’s been almost 19 years since the nurses placed you in my arms, that precious little preemie who was struggling to breathe. The weeks before your birth were tumultuous as we discovered a problem with your kidneys and watched my health deteriorate. Your birth definitely wasn’t what we planned, but in that […]