Haiti Update
Posted by Billy on Monday, August 30, 2010 at 2:06pm
I am not usually at a loss for words. However, my mission trip to Haiti has left me without enough words to describe my experience. I was privileged to travel to Jacmel, Haiti with a medical mission team to diagnose and treat as many people as possible with limited supplies and equipment. After many hours of travel both in the air and on "roads" we were able to treat 870 needy people. From babies to senior adults, and some that did not know their age, every person was treated with dignity and respect by the team as we prayed, cried, shared and touched their lives. Traveling to this third world country devastated by an earthquake will rattle your cage. It will definitely upset the applecart! My eyes witnessed people just trying to survive another day, always on the move with no where to go, picking up anything that could be made usable. I fully expected devastation and physical ruin of a country but what I experienced was a true spiritual disaster! Empty eyes stare at you wondering if you will take from them the very little they have or will you really help. The spiritual battle has left me "spent." God changed everything about me and how I view what I do. I am a pastor, chaplain, writer, etc., but the only thing that truly mattered was my faith in Christ. When everything is stripped away except the faith you have nurtured for years you get a true picture of who and what you are. Things get placed in perspective and prioritized very quickly and without input from you. No one cared if I had a doctorate or not. It did not matter what I had written or the size of church I pastor. The only thing that counted was my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! No games. No polished sayings. No "Sunday School" answers. Face to face with a member of humanity that has no hope but what you share concerning Christ. I realized that for those without Christ this was the best it would ever get. Those with Christ knew that this is the worst it will ever be. Eternity hung in the balance, hung on words that I would share, hope I would give, life boiled down to the most important substance: faith. We were able to preach and share Christ with all 870 patients plus others. I do not know how many prayed to receive Christ, that is God's business and matter of record. I do know we were faithful and tested. I pray we passed the test. I know we all tried with every ounce we could muster to be a beacon of hope in a very dark world. Maybe one day as I walk the streets of gold a brother from Haiti will place his hand in mine and say "thank you, you passed the test." Until then I plan to keep on sharing and searching for all God wants me to be and do. Thanks again for all who prayed and gave so that I might share the hope we have in Jesus. Haiti Mission
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Haiti Disaster Relief
Posted by Billy on Friday, August 20, 2010 at 8:14am
I want to take this opportunity to ask you to keep me and the Disaster Relief Medical Team in your prayers as we minister in Jacmel, Haiti August 21-28, 2010. We have prayed about this mission trip and have placed it in God's hands. We are just servants and vessels for His use. The team members are: Dr. Carter, M.D. Furman Wesley Toney Faye Hocutt Toney Martha Nicholson McMinn Susan Sargent Alexander Janice Carol Reeves Hawthorne Leah Elizabeth Hawthorne Heath Franklin Flowers Brooke Noel Emmerling BR Johnson Pray for safety and our effectiveness in sharing the gospel. Pray as we meet physical needs through the medical clinic. Pray for strength and good health as we serve. This past week my wife, Charlene, and I celebrated 25 years of marriage. She is a strong supporter and a true blessing! Pray for her as I am away as well as our three wonderful children. I know that God will move in my heart this next week on this mission trip. I pray that I will be sensitive to His leadership. I will return with a report of the trip. I will be speaking at The Lighthouse Community Church in Harpersville, Alabama on August 29th about what God has done. In His service, Pastor BR Johnson Haiti Mission
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More To This Life
Posted by Billy on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 12:13am
29,200 doesn't seem like a big number. In the arena of money it could buy a car, nice boat, or some other recreational apparatus. In terms of people it would be a large church but a very small college football crowd, not even worthy of a NASCAR race. In terms of words it would make a small book but hardly a riveting novel. The most important application of this number could be that it represents eighty years of life. Eighty years to invest oneself in something that truly matters. Is there really more to this life? Most everyone has asked this question and answered it by the way they live life. Every person is given twenty-four hours each and every day. No more and only less on the day you pass away. No one is cheated while they are alive out of time. Every clock ticks at the steady pace. Is there something more I should be living for? Is God's best plan for a person to get an education, work until retirement age, cut grass and clean house until death? Is the business of living only to survive? Did God intend for us to make money in order to spend money so that we could leave "stuff" for future generations? I really think God has a MUCH bigger and more important plan than for us to just breathe and survive until our heart gives way. There IS more to this life! In fact, we are not really living, just existing, until we tap into God's best plan for us. Consider these life questions: 1. How many people have you served this year? 2. How many times have you shared the Gospel of Christ? 3. How much do you give and invest in the Kingdom of God? 4. How many people will be in heaven because of your witness? 5. Do you spend more on comfort than the cause of Christ? 6. How much time have you spent on mission for God? 7. What have you wasted that could be used to spread the Gospel? 8. Do you live for others? 9. Is your highest goal to "have enough" or to give it away? 10. What real life difference does your faith make? What has your faith really cost you? I could add a hundred more questions to think about but I hope we get the point. I often say that someone else will live in your house, wear your clothes, drive your car and spend your money. None of those things have any eternal value. Your faith and the practical way you live life in relation to God and man is what really matters. Loving God and loving people gets to the heart of why we were created. Just think for a moment: In the creation plan of God for man, Adam did not need money, did not need a job other than what God gave him, did not stress over budgets or time lines, did not have road rage, wasn't on medications, didn't have car trouble, leaky roofs, air conditioning issues nor committee meetings. God said that Adam needed relationships that mattered and a walk with the Lord in the Garden. We have come a long way in the thousands of years of existence. Trouble is that we are a long way from the purposes of God. We have cluttered and crammed out the real purpose of life with counterfeits. Things that don't matter and issues that are not eternal. Just imagine if a fire station spent all resources on accruing equipment and training but never responded to an emergency. They wash and wax the trucks every day and attend classes in order to be up-to-date but never really do what they are designed to do. They may look great, well equipped but never actually do anything of purpose. If we are not careful we can build and fully stock a great fire station while the town burns! There is more to this life and I want to make sure and live it. The days are passing by at a steady pace but our purpose has not changed. Live as you know there is more, much more, to this life! Christianity
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Should I Be On Mission?
Posted by Billy on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 9:32am
The question of, "should I be on mission?" seems to have an obvious answer of, "yes!" Yet, very few Christians view themselves as "on mission." What does it mean to be "on mission" and why is it so important? Let's clear up a few misunderstandings about being "on mission." 1. I have to travel to a "foreign" country to be on mission. Truth is that every country is in need of the gospel, even the country in which you presently live. Traveling to do mission work may mean just walking across the street and visiting with a neighbor in need. As God looks down on the whole earth He doesn't see "foreign" countries but all countries. 2. I have to quit my job and beg people for money to support me in sharing the gospel on mission. It could be that the job you have is the resource God has provided for your missionary work. You may even work in your mission field right now. 3. I have to spend years getting advanced degrees in order to qualify for mission work. I do believe that education and preparation is very important as to the longevity of ministry and missions. However, you do not have to delay serving Christ until you have a certain level of education. Many have found it very rewarding to pursue both at the same time. God nor your calling have to be put on a waiting list as you prepare to serve. Begin serving right now and you will be amazed at how much you learn of God and missions. 4. I have to be a gifted speaker or evangelist to be on mission. The truth is that God has issued gifts and abilities in every Christian to be used in spreading the gospel. Some are teachers and great speakers while others serve door to door, on the street witnessing, training new believers, performing humanitarian projects, teaching in public schools, home repairs, etc. The list is limitless in ways missions can be performed. One unchangeable truth is that the work leads to changed lives. 5. I have to have a special calling to be "on mission." Actually, every Christian already has a special calling from the lips of Jesus Christ to be "on mission." The Great Commandment and the Great Commission applies to every born again believer. You are called. 6. I am too old or too young to be "on mission." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Retirement is not found in the Bible but serving is. If a person has trusted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, they have a mission field all around them in which to serve. Children as well as senior adults are vital to the kingdom of God. Age and physical health may determine the type of mission work that can be done but all mission work is imperative. As long as we have breath in our bodies God wants to use us "on mission." 7. I don't know any non-Christians so I must not be needed. The truth is that unless you live in a monastery, you will encounter people who need Jesus (maybe even in the monastery as well). As we open our eyes to the people we encounter every day we will see that bank tellers, grocery clerks, convenience store workers, waitresses and waiters, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, even fast food employees need Jesus. Everyone needs to hear the gospel. We need to see the need as Jesus sees the need. We cannot assume that people are Christians because they live in a certain area of the world or even attend church. I encourage you to see that you are "on mission" in a world that desperately needs Jesus. You do not have to travel very far to be "on mission." And understand that this is God's ONLY plan to change the world and you can be part of His mission. Missions
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Jamaica Mission Trip Recap
Posted by Billy on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 9:39am
God did a mighty work! It is difficult to put into words all the things I experienced in Jamaica. I was blessed to be a part of a wonderful mission group from the church I serve, The Lighthouse Community Church in Harpersville, Alabama. Twenty of us traveled to Mandeville, Jamaica to conduct a VBS and Revival week. We had over 100 children in VBS and saw over 50 people saved! Praise the Lord! I fell in love with the Jamaican people as my heart broke over their spiritual conditions. Their worship service is not only energetic but God-focused. I have never moved so much physically nor been moved so much spiritually. I was blessed to be able to preach during the revival and felt the freedom and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I think my preaching style has been matured and lengthened. We stayed at the Bethel Christian Mission Camp in Newport, Jamaica. We were greeted with cold showers each day (they didn't have hot water) and very good food. Coffee was definitely much better than we get in the states! I saw God change not only people in Jamaica but also worked in the lives of our team. Students and adults faced so many challenges and grew spiritually in tremendous ways. I want to thank all who prayed and gave in support of this trip. God used your support to eternally change the lives of many people. I am getting some rest and gearing up for my Haiti trip August 20-27th. Please pray for me as I do chaplain ministry in this devastated area. Any gifts to help me on this mission trip can be sent to: The Lighthouse Community Church, PO Box 488, Harpersville, Al. 35078. Just make it out to TLCC and designate it to missions. Thanks again and I pray God's blessings in service to Him! Updates
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