andrew johnson | blank

My Pure Life Because of My Messiah

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:31:00 +0000

This weekend was an uneventful weekend.

I worked all day Saturday. The holiday season is here. Sales are up at Starbucks and people flow into the store like milk and honey flows in the Promise Land. Church this weekend was awesome! Pastor Ron did an amazing job as he continued through 1 Corinthians. This week he reached the controversial Chapter 11 - the order of God, man, and woman and each one's role in the church. I really enjoy just going to church and being a pew sitter right now. God is really using this time in my life to mold me and show me who I can be in him.

Sunday was a nice lazy day spent at home with my darling Allison. She got to sleep in and I love it when this happens - it makes her so happy. The snow fell all day and it is nice to see white stuff falling from the sky.

It always reminds me of my pure life because of my Messiah.

Today wasn't exactly a typical Monday. Something happened at work that caused me to get really angry. I had no reason to get angry. I just lost my cool. I didn't hit anybody. I didn't even say anything mean or out of place. I just lost my cool. You know that feeling of anger that rushes through your body when you lose it. That adrenaline that flows and makes you tingle all over. That juice that has fueled most of the mean things you have said or done in your life. That almost caffeine like drug behind a lot of "I'm sorries" or "I didn't mean to say that." This isn't a drug I use very much. It's not typical of me.

And the fact that this happened tells me that something is going on in my heart.

I am not aware of what it is yet. But I am definitely going to do some soul searching and try to figure out why I took this "hit".

Like I said I didn't react in any way that I regret or had to apologize for, other than the fact that it happened. I just regret letting something cause this in me. And this will be what I try to figure out over the next few days.

The bible says that it is impossible to know the depths of your own heart. It also says blessed are the pure in heart. I guess I want to have a pure heart. And I don't think a pure heart loses itself over something as ignorant as mine did today.

So onward to a pure heart.

To Just Be Me

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:53:00 +0000

My boss bought me a book yesterday (thanks Lisa, how did you know?) called "Five". The book is about making the next five years of your life everything it can be. It begins with this statement: "This is your life - your one and only." The book goes on to ask what you are going to do with it. "Five" isn't a how to book - it's a why not book. Why not be daring? Why not love with complete abandonment? Why not do today what you have wanted to do for days now? Why not change who you are so you can be a better leader than you were yesterday?

Why not be what you have always wanted to be?

I've always wanted to be a rock star. Singing on stage, lights bright crowds roaring. I've also always wanted to be a good husband, and a Godly man. I want to be inspiring, someone people will call for inspiration and encouragement. I want to be a good leader - known for integrity and courage.

I want to be me.

This last one might seem like it would be the easiest, and for some it is. This is not the case for me. I have learned that through most of my life I have been two different persons or one person with two identities. Don't think that I am crazy, I don't have split personalities. I am fully aware of my tendency to hide part of me from the world. I don't like it, but I am aware of the fact.

So learning to be the real me all of the time is not very easy. But this has become my goal in life. I am going to fight as hard as I can to learn this seemingly easy thing. I have a couple of men in my life to help me one this journey. I meet weekly with my accountability partner Mike Matthews. I had a post about him a few weeks ago, make sure you check it out.

Along with my weekly meeting with Mike I meet once a month with Scott Bates, pastor and church planter in Mercer PA. My meetings with him are my spiritual highlight each month. I meet with him for a spiritual check up and guidance. Tomorrow we are meeting again and I am so pumped. God always uses Scott to convict me and encourage me to be pure and holy. And I have learned that if I am pure and holy it is a lot easier to be me.

So my first five year goal is to be Andrew Johnson - Son of the Almighty, Husband to Allison, and "father" to Rugby.

Sunday Afternoon Roast

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:48:00 +0000

In my two previous posts I have been pretty hard on myself - but rightfully so. Greater things aren't accomplished if life evaluation isn't done and done honestly and often. I cannot become who I am meant to be if I am content with the failures and disappointments in my life. It would be like looking at myself in a mirror and forgetting what I looked like the second I walked away (and that would be a shame - my mom and dad can make good looking babies).

As I look in my life's mirror, I am aware of my failures. The presentation of my darker side is not a pretty sight and it has the ability to wreck everything it is around. Thanks Mr. Mirror. I can see this.

But the mirror also shows my some more appealing side. And it is in the attractive areas of my life that I need to focus on most. I know that bitter color I can become when when I sit in my crap. Crap stinks, and it makes everything around it stink. I don't want to stink. I want to be a sweet savory smell that represents what is cooking in the oven. Because I know I have some good things cooking in here.

Every Sunday afternoon back home we used to have an awesome beef roast. And when there is a roast cooking in the oven the house becomes saturated with an amazing aroma. This smell always creates something within that causes some sort of moan that is followed by a reassuring statement that "that smells good." That single roast affects everyone around it. It creates a joy and anticipation that will only be satisfied at the dinner table.

This is what I want to be. I want what is cooking inside of me to affect those around me.

I want the Messiah in me to over power the stench of my crap. I know it can. I know it is supposed to. I just got to make it happen.

Because no one likes the smell of crap. Crap is what you scrape off of your shoe with a stick. I don't want to be that.

What Would My Commercials be About

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:43:00 +0000

As I entered the church doors on Saturday night, I was expecting some great worship time and another great sermon from 1 Corinthians 15. I did not get the latter. Our pastor took a detour from his sermon series to address the upcoming election. Of course because of federal tax laws he was unable to give any specific views on this election, but the information he presented was better than any view he could give on today's specific issues.

He began his sermon off by asking what the big issues were that had shaped this year's election. All of the norms were pointed out by the crowd - health care, taxes, national security, etc - only to be put down by this statement, "All of these are secondary issues. The one issue that truly matters is character." He went on to say that policies do not shape a candidate. It is always the character of a man and the problems he is faced with during his presidency that shape him. He explained that you can determine a man's character by examining the man in light of the Seven Cardinal Virtues - moral courage, temperance, prudence, justice, faith, hope, and love. The rest of his sermon was what each meant and how we could use each to examine a candidates decisions.

Now back to my previous post.

If I add the Seven Cardinal Virtues with Christ's eight blessed characteristics, now where do I stand? What kind of man am I?

If I was up for election, what kind of crap would they drag up about me?

What would the media say about my character?

What kind of commercials would my opponent make of me?

My dad called me yesterday. He called to reiterate something he had said to me 2 months ago. He said this, "Son, all of the other things that you are doing don't matter. You need to be doing what God called you to do. Only what is done for Him matters." He went on to tell me about a letter of recommendation his plant manager had written for him. Then in tears he said this, "What kind of letter would Jesus write about me? What would a letter he wrote say about me?" My dad is such a wise man.

Considering all I have learned about each candidate this year I know who I am going to vote for.

But I wonder who would vote for me? What kind of letter of recommendation would Jesus write for me? If Jesus made a commercial about my life, what would be in it?

"Describe his personality in two words"

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 00:06:00 +0000

Who am I?

I am a 27 year old man. I live in Washington, Pennsylvania at 52 W Katherine Avenue. I have a wife, Allison, and a dog, Rugby. I am a partner at the Starbucks here in town. Most of my family lives over nine hundred miles away - or I guess I live nine hundred miles away from most of my family. I am a college student studying graphic design. Among most other things I am not very different than most 27 year old men trying to follow Jesus Christ.

A couple of weeks ago the question was asked in Church " what is your purpose in life?"

A couple of days ago I was asked to describe someone's personality in two words. Two words? I can't even describe my own personality and definitely not in two words.

This morning I decided to memorize Matthew five, three thru ten. I have always loved the first part of Jesus' first teachings when he climbed a mountain with his disciples - commonly known as "the beatitudes" (I don't even know what that means). This passage lists eight character traits of which Jesus said one would be blessed seven different ways if one possesses these very traits. Here are the eight traits and seven blessings:

poor in spirit have the kingdom of heaven
mournful will be comforted
meek will inherit the earth
desiring to be righteous will be filled
merciful will receive mercy
pure in heart will see God
peacemaker is called the son of God
persecuted for righteousness have the kingdom of heaven

Who am I?

None of these.

I am filled with things that are most of the time completely opposite of these character traits. This is not to say that I desire every day to be the best man I can be. But quite frequently I fall short. My thoughts are evil. My words aren't uplifting. My attitude is negative. I am just a mess.

I wonder where I would fall in one of Jesus' descriptions of the people he was around - Pharisee, sinner, tax collector? I know who I want to be.

But who am I really. What am I chasing? What am I trying to live up to? What is my purpose?

Who am I?

Describe your personality in two words. I don't think I want to.

p.s. If you read this, thank you. Thank you for putting up with my rant. This post was for me. These thoughts are what have been circling around in my head all day.

For No Reason At All

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:14:00 +0000

I love my wife.

I guess this is a given. We have been married for three and a half years. We have had some great times together - times that make you smile and want more. We have stayed together through these times. We made the decision to follow God to PA. God brought us even closer through that.

Most people say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Not so with us - that would be year three. But God made our love for each other even stronger.

She has stayed close to me through my failures and faults.

She has loved me when I am my worst. Which screams of her love for me and her Lord.

Last week we had one of "those weeks." You know the ones that you will remember for a long time. A week that can be compared to our first week together (which was on a beach in Jamaica, which is pretty hard to beat). Nothing big happened. We together were just firing on all cylinders.

And now as I think of her I long to be the man God called me to be. A man that is firm, moved be nothing. A man that loves for no reason. A man that loves because he wants to love with a love determined by nothing more than a desire to give himself more and more each day.

A man that loves with a God kind of love. A love that is in all things just by nature.

So Allison - I love you. I love you with a God kind of love.

Not Just Another Sunday Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:40:00 +0000

This past Sunday morning I woke up anticipating my visit to the Washington City Mission to hear my good friend Mike Matthews preach. I have long wanted to hear him preach, but I never took advantage of my opportunities. Being the good friend that I claimed to be meant that I should finally take this opportunity. I have had many spirited discussions with Mike about God's word and the Christian faith and from these I knew that he was a passionate man.

Mike's heart screams for God's Word and for chances to proclaim it.

So I knew that hearing him preach would be worth my time. It turned out to be more than that. His sermon brought me to tears. It has been a long time since I heard someone speak with such passion and conviction. Don't get me wrong, I have sit under some preaching that is top notch.

But this sermon was different.

Mike is different.

And not just because he has cerebral palsy.

His sermon came from deep within him. It wasn't part two in a series. It was Mike's heart, Mike's joy, Mike's conviction there in front of you. It was awesome.

So thanks Mike. Thanks for being my brother. Thanks for being God's man.

life in a new direction.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:52:00 +0000

well, hello again. It has been a while. So much has happened in the last few months, but I won't even try to fill you completely in. Just imagine that while you are reading this you are actually sitting in front of the television on a weekday afternoon and there is nothing but soap operas on. Even though you may have never seen one before, you will get caught up on all of the action before this episode is over.

So here we go.

1. The biggest change in my life happen when I resigned from Life Point on August 15. I reached a point where the neglect of myself and my own discipline was out of control. I reached a point in my life that if some things didn't change, I would suffer more than I already had. Sometimes God needs to shake you a few times to get your attention.

God shook me.

God got my attention.

God changed my life. I miss Life Point. But I know the man I am now is better than the man I had become. Life is so different working 5 days a week. Life is so different going to church and sitting in a pew. Life is so different now. But I like it. I have to give props to our good friends Mike and Robin Matthews! God used them to help Allison and I through this difficult time. We are so in dept to you two!

2. The second biggest change in my life is me going back to school to get a degree in Graphic Design. With my resignation came the opportunity to do anything I wanted to. I reached a point in my life where I could decide to be the same, or do something to make my life better.

I chose the latter. This is an exciting time for me. I am getting an associate degree through an accredited school called Penn Foster College. It is inexpensive and will give me what I need to move on to a BA. From there I plan on going to a seminary and getting a Masters in Theology. This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I finally reached a point in my life where it was either go for it or settle for something I never dreamed of.

I wanted to follow my dreams.

I wanted to walk down a path that will give me the life God desires for me and I desire for myself and my family.

3. Some other big changes are the addition of a mortgage payment and a puppy named Rugby. The house is a simple two story blue house with a nice front porch and beautiful back deck. Rugby is a brown and black mixed coat lab. When Allison picked him out from the Humane Society he was 6 pounds for lovely puppy. 4 months later he is 40 pounds of chewing and farting fun. (And yes it stinks.)

The mortgage payment sucks but the house rocks.

Rugby stinks but he is the smartest puppy I know. And he has Allison and I wrapped around his front paw.

Life is so different now, but is is awesome to be right in the center of God's desire for my life again.

Life is so different now, but life in a new direction is exciting.

That is the soap opera version of my life. I am going to do my best to blog often. But if I don't, know that I want to and wish I did.

great trip

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:19:00 +0000

So far, so good.

The past couple of days have been great. Yesterday started off the day at starbucks with a double shot to finish off some work for the week. There I met up with Ryan P and hung out with him most of the day. We had a great lunch with Ron P and Jason F at the Rib Crib. After lunch Ryan and I went to his house and had a little jam session. It was a great time. We finished off the evening with a rehersal diner and a chance to reunite with some great friends.

This morning Jonathan and I had coffee and donuts at the famous Dale's Donuts. It was another great time with my beloved brother. From there we met up with the Parker brothers for a round of golf. It was a great day for golf - not to hot with little bit of over cast. I haven't played in a while but Jonathan and I formed a great team. We had a great time.

Tonight we will go to Ryan and Maeghan's wedding. I am so pumped for these two! Tomorrow we will head home in a rush to get to another wedding. I love weddings.

This has been a very refreshing trip. And I needed it bad.

I'm still alive

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:46:00 +0000

It has been a while. I have kind of been in a stand still over the last month. My creativeness has been in a drought lately. I have been able to put some things out, but it has not been easy. I guess these phases come and go. I am in the back end of it now. I am taking a couple of days off for a trip to Arkansas for a marriage. It is going to be a refreshing time with some good friends and close family. I am looking forward to these next couple of days.

Pray for City Reach.

great weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:48:00 +0000

This has been a great weekend. I started it off on Friday by purchasing a new digital piano for Life Point. I love it, and I got a great deal on it. It took me an hour and a half, but I negotiated the salesman down to exactly what I wanted to pay and exactly what I wanted to get. Special thanks to Scott and Mercer BC for the donation for this purchase. Scotty, you rock my face off.

After I purchased the piano, well a couple of hours after I purchased the piano, I picked up Josh Freeman from the airport. This weekend Josh interviewed with us for and internship at Life Point. What a great guy. He is attending OBU in Arkansas and has a great heart for the Lord. I really hope God works it out so that Josh can be with us this summer.

Saturday night Allison, Josh, and I headed to the Burgh to watch the Pirates vs. the Reds. It was a blast. My wife ordered the tickets and did a great job picking the seats.

However, just before the game started, to MEN came and sat down in the seats directly in front of us. And by MEN I mean mammoth men. When they stood up I felt like I was behind a wall. When they sit down, I felt like I was five years old needing to sit on my father's lap to be able to watch the game.

After I had enough of leaning from one side or the other to watch the game, we moved one section over where there were no mammoths blocking the view. The view was much nicer and a lot easier on my neck. It was a pretty good game, back and forth through most of the game. It was nice to see Ken Griffey Jr. play. He went 1 for 4 and had a great diving catch in right field. You can definitely tell that he is getting old though. He is not quite as graceful as he used to be.

Finished the weekend of with a great service at Life Point. But that is for another Post.

the smile

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Everybody has something they can do well. There are so many statistics about how every one has some sort of ability and how we all use so many different abilities every day that it would take someone with a great ability to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time to read them all and come up with a conclusion. That last sentence showed that I have the ability to write a really long sentence that is really hard to understand. Anyways - this week I have seen an ability that we all hate to see. This week I have seen how good Satan is at doing what he does. I saw Satan working in just about every area of my life - my marriage, my church, my relationships, my integrity, etc. This is not saying that every part of my life is a failure now, I could just really see how Satan has been working overtime to see my destruction. And I hate it. He is good at what he does. My last entry was about knowing the best thing to do and doing that thing the best way you know how, and this is what Satan does. He has been working for the destruction of mankind for over 6000 years. And he knows what he is doing. And what is worse is that it isn't just him, but also his followers. Just as I am writing this now, it makes me so angry!

And now I am reminded of something I read in my life journal time - be very strong and courageous. Oh how this must be our battle cry. Sometimes when I am tempted and I overcome it I like to look around and laugh - kind of an in your face laugh. I know they are out there, and I know they are there when I am tempted. And most of the time it gives me great pleasure to laugh in their faces. Its saying I know you are good at what you do, but not good enough. I can just see the sidelines full of angels and demons watching and me. A demon comes along and tempts me. God provides me a way out, and I take it. I laugh in the faces of the demons and the crowd goes wild. Angels shouting and bumping chests. Those loud horns blowing in the stands. Cowbells ringing. The kind of scene seen on a last minute shot, or a hailmary.

But greater than this scene is the scene of my Savior smiling - that proud smile you get when your father has seen you do something great. That smile that makes you feel like you are the greatest son in the world. That smile that makes you think you can do anything. That smile that says you rock son! Great job!

So the next time you overcome some sort of temptation, laugh in their faces, and enjoy the feeling of a proud father.

our best

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:39:00 +0000

I read a quote that has really intrigued me since i read it. Here it is - "It is not enough to do your best, you must know what to do, and then do your best." This has rocked my world in so many different areas. How many times have I said, "Well, I did my best but I guess that wasn't good enough?" I have since realized that saying this is a cop out. It is a release of responsibility. It is an excuse. I hate excuses. I hate when I give excuses. "I did my best but for some reason things just flopped." That some reason is probably the fact that I did not really know what to do: I didn't fully understand the situation or how to correctly handle the situation or task. It is not just my responsibility to do my best and hope for the best, it is my responsibility to discover the best way to do something, then do it the best I can. I can make a cafe mocha for somebody and do the best I can, but if I don't know the recipe for a cafe mocha, it has a really good chance of being not very good. I might accidentally stumble upon the right way to make it, but that won't happen with every drink I make. This same concept can be put into play in every area of our lives - relationships, jobs, church, marriage, etc. It is not my responsibility to just be the best husband I can be, it is my responsibility to discover how to be a good husband, and then do that the best I can. I most know the best AND do the best.

Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:09:00 +0000

I had a great time leading worship this morning. I woke up at 5:30 with the service on my mind. After my life journal time I spent some time examining the planned worship service. After Allison and I played through it yesterday I had some concerns about the flow and feel of the service. It just didn't seem to click for me. So I changed one song and finalized the story I was going share. Then I gave it a go, and I think everything went smooth. There was an energy this morning that is not always there. Of course there were guests, and that always brings a different feel, a little bit more pep in the step. But it was even something more this morning. You know when you walk away from something and you just feel good - that feeling you have when you have experienced something great, something above and beyond the ordinary - those are good feelings. That is what I felt this morning. I love it when that happens. I love the natural highs. God is awesome.

Thank you so much God for using me, for the gifts you have given me. Don't let me ever take them for granted!

a day in the Burgh

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:48:00 +0000

Allison and I both took off of work yesterday, the original plan being to spend the day skiiing. After looking at some of the reports from the slopes, we decided to change our plans, and spend the day doing some miscellanious stuff in Pittsburgh. First we went to the Carnegie Science Center to see the bodies exibit. It was pretty fascinating. There were real human bodies, bones, skin, and just about every major organ there for viewing. Some of it was pretty gross, but all in all it was very interesting. We left the science center and headed to The Climbing Wall Inc. - an indoor rock climbing park. I was a little worried that Allison wouldn't be able to climb much, but she proved me wrong. She was awesome! The only climbing we could do was bouldering - no ropes just you and a ten foot wall. It was so much fun. We will be going back for some more. We finished the evening off with some Olive Garden and a nice drive home to watch Survivor.
It was a great day with my beautiful wife. I am so lucky to have Allison! She rocks my face off.

The letter to the church of Life Point

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:30:00 +0000

My life journal has recently started me on a journey reading through 1 Corinthians. When I saw 1 Corithians listed in my journal reading I got very interested. I am very intrigued by this church at Corinth and the state at which the church was in when Paul wrote this first letter. So many things about this church needed correction and instruction from Paul. Many of the things they were doing were not only wrong morally, but also spiritually.
I wonder what Paul would write to Life Point. I wonder what issues he would address as he wrote about the things that we practice . What would he write about the love that we show and have for this city? What would he write about our leaders and the way they lead there lives. How would we compare to the church at Corinth? I know the first issue he addressed with Corinth was their need for unity. Paul wanted them to be united in their thoughts that there would be no divisions among them. I think Life Point has this one down. We are united and ready to see great things done in this city. I guess it is all up to us. We determine what Paul would write about our church (if he could).

Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Today was a good day. I guess it still is a good day. Church was great this morning, with a couple of returning guests. We are in the process of training some individuals to help in our setup and media departments, which is good. Allison and I got home, ate, and she went to sleep while I completed my Sunday podcast update. I finished and Allison was still sleeping so I played some Tiger Woods Golf, watched some college basketball, then played some more Tiger Woods Golf. Allison was still sleeping so I decided to write some. And we have our couples small group tonight which is always a good time. So like I said, today was and still is a good day.