Michael D Johnson

Wandering, seeking

So often in life we find ourselves wandering. Wondering. Seeking. Questioning. “What is next?” “What went wrong?” “What should I do now?” These are legitimate questions. And they come from a place of brokenness and desperation. This might feel like a dark and depressed place to be, but it actually might be the most perfectContinue reading “Wandering, seeking”

Our desperate state

We are so completely dependent. Though we think we are autonomous, self-governing, independent beings, when we boil it all down: we are desperately needy for … God. We are not merely in need of a few blessings or provisions from His hand. No, we are desperate for His glory, His face, His Spirit, His presence! Joy isContinue reading “Our desperate state”

I don’t have a clue

A post about ministry, His presence, and knowing what to do. I write this blog post with a dose of fear that I may be misunderstood or even maligned as a result. And yet I write this article in the hope that it will help someone walk closer to the Lord. Do youContinue reading “I don’t have a clue”

Life and the Presence of God

What is this life really about? Have we forgotten? Have we ever really known? Is this life about feelings and experiences? Is it about love and friendship? Is this life about making something of it? These are all small parts of the much bigger whole. Each of these things are snippets of the full lifeContinue reading “Life and the Presence of God”

A resolution of consecration, surrender, waiting and obeying

So it’s that time again. The time when we make resolutions: we resolve to do something we have not done before (or at least not recently or well). And yet I myself am curious and wary about these resolutions. Why do we want to do certain things now? Why haven’t we been doing them before?Continue reading “A resolution of consecration, surrender, waiting and obeying”

“So what do you do for your real job?”

So I have been thinking about what pastors do with their time and energy. I can’t tell you the number of times that I have been asked what I do when it is not Wednesday or Sunday. People love to joke that pastors only work two days a week and golf every other day exceptContinue reading ““So what do you do for your real job?””

Success in ministry?

In ministry how do we really know if we are doing the right things. How do we know if we are actually getting any where, gaining any traction, making any difference? In weight loss you know if you are doing something right if the scale says you have lost weight (or if the pants areContinue reading “Success in ministry?”

On our desperate need for God

My mind (and heart and spirit) keeps returning to thoughts of the glory and beauty of God and our desperate need for Him. I simply cannot get away from the nothingness that we are apart from Him and how pitiful and pathetic our gestures are apart from Him. We were made by God, for God and intendedContinue reading “On our desperate need for God”

What we need for Christmas

We each have our lists of what we want for Christmas. And perhaps some of us are the responsible types that only ask for what we ‘need’ on our Christmas list. But I want to take a moment to talk about what we really need for Christmas: We need the Lord. We need His presence.Continue reading “What we need for Christmas”

A call to prayer and fasting

Isaiah 43:19 says: “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” The Lord is calling His church to again be a people who call on the name of the Lord in desperation, hunger and thirst, in need and in humility. God wants to bring revival into ourContinue reading “A call to prayer and fasting”