The proof that zombies....EXIST!

First, it was this....

Then it was this....

And now, we are a generation all about this....

ZOMBIES!

Zombies are everywhere these days. They are the topic people talk about. They are the "in-thing". There are games. Bumper stickers. Clothing. Movies. The list goes on and on! (Ok, Mr. J and I are totally guilty of enjoying a good Zombie night...)

But, what is going to come as a shock to many, is the fact that THEY EXIST. Or, correction, they have existed. Don't believe me? Well, let me redirect you to the oldest history book we have that recalls the dead coming back to life.

What if I were to tell you that there once was an army of zombies that were raised from the dead? Ya, don't believe me...

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, ' O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.' Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'' So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain that they may live''. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet - a vast army" Ezekiel 37:1-10.

Ezekiel was brought to a valley by God and then was told to prophesy to the bones he found in the valley by God. First, I find it very interesting that the Bible makes it a point to specify "very dry bones" (v. 2). When you think of dry bones, you realize these are old bones. Bones that had been in the valley a long time, lying in the sun. Something old, decaying, unusable. Not quite something you would think to do anything with, except God. He takes something old and decaying, and makes it new. Only He could take an old bone and make a zombie! Yet, through the Spirit and God's words, these bones came together before his eyes and stood as a "vast army" (v. 10). Ya, God did not just raise one zombie with the wind, but a VAST army.

How GREAT is our God! He can literally make the dead come to life! He can raise armies! So, those days when I feel defeated, get frustrated that time is going by and I am not getting anything done, or just have "one of those days", I need to remember that standing with me, through everyday, is God...and he is a God that can make "dry bones" live.

Not only is God the star in this passage, but the Spirit of the Lord also makes an appearance (v. 1)! This just makes the passage even more beautiful. We have two of the trinity players in this passage. Ezekiel not only witnessed the dead come to life, but he experienced it with God AND the Holy Spirit. Talk about a crazy experience!

This is just one of the many examples I have in the Bible of zombies. (Who knew the Bible was so in-touch with today's culture!) This is just part one of the Johnson Journey: Zombie Edition! Look forward to more posts as we go through discovering how the Bible was/is the first and true Zombieland!

Our Radically Exciting July!

Wow! We cannot believe that July is already gone! And how fruitful it was!

It is now that time of the month where I tell you how well I have lived up to my Radical challenge and what I am learning from it!

First, and possibly the most exciting, Mr. J and I picked up our applications for Full Circle!! Full Circle is, now, a global organization that does work with the homeless. Mr. J has been very excited to start work with the homeless and I have always wanted to serve with them. For Mr. J, more specifically, this is an area that he feels very called to. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than being part of the work God is calling your husband to do and watching him live out his gift.

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 4:10-11, NIV). 

So this is a very exciting step in our spiritual journey!

Also, very exciting as well, I finished Deuteronomy! There was so much to learn and take away from the book of Deuteronomy! Mr. J and I actually read a few things that have changed the way our time together everyday. I quoted before in my May post Deuteronomy 6:6-9 and explained how Mr. J and I were planning on using these verses in our lives. As a result, while we may not come together as often as we should to dwell on scripture, we are more and more making it habit! Mr. J also bought a couples devotional book that we use as well to keep our discussion's Christ orientated on focused on Him.

We have so enjoyed these precious talks because not only do we grow closer together as a couple and come to love one another even more so than we thought was possible, but most importantly we purposely sit down and dwell and converse about our God, our Savior. This is such a blessings for husbands and wives, and even family and friends. We highly recommend it! (JOHNSON APPROVED!)

Reading through Deuteronomy, there were so many verses that just opened my eyes and that I fell in love with that I adopted the habit of memorizing scripture! Yes, sounds a little kindergarten, but if these verses are to dwell in our hearts (Deut. 11:18) then, for me at least, a little(...ok ok, a lot!)  repetition is necessary! If we are to properly serve our Lord, our goal is to obey Him, and the best way to prepare ourselves for success in this area, is to carry the Word in our heart.

"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalms 119: 9-11, NKJV). 

The book of Joshua even starts out with God telling Joshua not to let the Book of Law stop being something he dwells on (Joshua 1:8). You do not even get through one chapter in Joshua before God tells him to daily be surrounding himself in the Law of God!

On that note, yes I have started the book of Joshua! What a wonderful book it is! Very excited for all God has in store for me to gain from reading Joshua!

Now, a new section of this post that God introduced to me this morning is in regards to giving. Before, I have refrained from discussing on tithing and I still am. However, I have decided to introduce a new version of the idea. For those who enjoy giving to charities, I have decided that every month, I will post a charity for a good cause. Now,while we are called to give,  (Prov. 21:26; Deut. 15:10; Deut. 16:17; Acts 20:35, to name a few),  these are charities and organizations that are dear to my heart, and they are only my personal suggestions.

For the month of July, I have decided that Kidds Kids is the organization I want to promote. For those who do not know or who did not get to listen to the Kidd Kraddick in the morning show on their local radio stations EARLY in the a.m., Kidd Kraddick was a AM talk show host that had such a big heart! He not only won awards for his radio show, but he also founded the organization Kidds Kids. Kidds Kids is an organization that raises money throughout the year to send terminally ill children to Disney World in Florida. Now, while that may sound like no biggie, let me remind you that these are terminally ill children, and what better place on earth for a child to go than Disney World?!

Sadly, this past July, Kidd Kraddick died unexpectedly, but his organization continues on! So, this is my Charity of the Month you could say! You can give or you can purchase a shirt from the website. The shirt I am stoked about is a new one that has Kidd Kraddick's slogan "Keep Lookin' Up 'Cuz That's Where It All Is". I mean come on, how true is that! And, for those Kidd Kraddick lovers, it's a good way to remember him!

Chris and his sis were able to meet Kidd last summer at a local Bend Elks game!

Well, that's all for this month as far as the Radical post goes! Keep looking for more blog posts, I have one in the works for this month that I am pretty excited for!