Doug Johnson

Discovering Prayer's Power

2012-04-25T10:27:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to share with our church the message, Discovering Prayer's Power. Below is a video of that message.

Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

The Theater

2012-04-05T11:27:00.000-04:00

I love going to the movies, but I don't get to go too often. Every now and then there is a blockbuster hit that I have got to spend the money and see. But for the most part, I wait until a movie comes out on DVD and then rent or purchase it. Sometimes I even wait until it hits Netflix before I watch it.

Years ago the theater was a little different. It was not indoors and it did not have plush seats, air conditioning, and 7.1 surround sound. People had to sit on rock seats in the outdoors and listen to the live show or presentation from the ground level.

One of our first stops in Israel was Caesaria by the Sea where I had posted Herod the Great's palace ruins and swimming pool. In this same area is the theater that was also built by Herod the Great and its construction was probably 20-10 BC. This theater was well kept by the Romans and is still in use today after its excavation in the 1960's. Of course some remodeling had to take place.

Imagine the different people who have stood before an audience or found themselves within the audience of this old theater. We know that Pontius Pilot was there because an inscription was found near the theater where he dedicated a temple to Emperor Tiberias.

Caesaria was the site where the Apostle Paul was imprisoned. As a matter of fact it was in this theater where the Apostle Paul stood and gave his defense. Caesaria was also the home of the deacon Phillip. It was also the place where the first Gentile was received into Christianity. It was in Caesaria where the Gentiles were grafted in. Praise be to the Lord.

Think about it,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

A House on the Beach

2012-04-04T00:46:00.000-04:00

I have always wanted a house on the beach. If I was picking the beach I would choose Destin with the emerald water and blinding white sand. Not too long ago I looked at the prices of a lot on the beach and was amazed to discover it was over 1 million dollars. Note that I have not looked again since the economy crashed but I am thinking it is still way out of my reach.

People throughout time have desired the same thing. Herod the Great was responsible for much of what is known as Caesarea. On my recent trip to Israel I had an opportunity to view what was left of his palace that was built on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Notice, part of the ruins still exist. The large square section in the center was the pool which, I am told, was a fresh water pool. It is here that Herod Agrippa would have stayed.

Herod was an incredible builder. Some of the structures he built are still standing today. This one, however, has fallen to greater forces than he. After seeing the ruins, maybe a home on the beach is not such a good idea.

Blessings,

Doug Johnson

www.dougjohnson.net

Public Profiled

2012-04-02T19:00:00.000-04:00

It is not everyday one gets profiled. A couple of weeks ago I had an incredible opportunity to spend some time in Israel. On the journey there, I had to go through Israeli security in Newark, New Jersey. This proved to be a trying task. Obviously my dark skin and black hair draws some attention and created a long list of questions by the agent.

The questioning started with the normal questions one would hear when boarding an airplane. Did you pack your own bags? Have your bags been with you the whole time? Did anyone offer you any gifts as part of your journey to the airport? Did anyone give you anything to take with your in your luggage? Of course since 911 most anyone would be crazy to take anything not theirs aboard an aircraft. The questions, however, began to change at that point. The next question was "what is your lineage?" My reply was "excuse me"? I was not expecting this question. She asked me the same question again and I answered my nationality is American. Again she asked me to define my lineage. I told her I did not understand what information she was trying to obtain and then she asked "are you Muslim?" My answer was "no" to which she replied "are you sure?" I told her that I was very sure and then she asked me if I knew any Muslims. I told her I did not know any.

The questioning continued to deteriorate and shortly thereafter I found myself in a small 10 x 10 room somewhere in the airport. In this room I was asked for all of my valuables to be placed in a box. After that, a new series of questions and security checks incurred. The whole process took about an hour and fifteen minutes and ended with an escort onto the plane.

Did I care that I was profiled? No. Actually, it makes me feel that El Al security is one of the tightest in the business. Maybe America can learn a few things from Israel about how to take care of the people you call yours.

Blessings and Shalom,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

The Message, Not The Medium

2012-02-19T23:54:00.000-05:00

At the NRB Confention this weekend I heard that it cost 20 dollars to create the Doritos commercial with the dog in it for the Super Bowl. This commercial turned out to be one of the favorites this year. I don't know the validity of the comment, but in any case it was supposed to be very cheap to produce. This is an incredible piece of information. It is not the medium that is king but rather the message (or content). It was Bill Gates that coined the phrase "content is king". Well, second to Jesus Christ, I agree.

Too often we are more concerned about the quality of the video rather than the message itself. Don't get me wrong, people love to see a great looking product, but I would rather see a fair looking video with an excellent message than vice-versa. If we need to be focused on anything I think we need to focus on developing the product in the following order:

1. The content - This is the most important. A video with no content is .... Useless.

2. The audio - Audio should be the second most important part of the project. Most people will put up with poor video if it contains good audio.

3. The video - Of course we have heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, however, if there is no message the video can confuse the audience. If the audio is bad, then no matter how good the video, the viewer will probably not watch the whole thing.

So the next time you put together a video, start with the message and develop it well. Remember, content is king..

Doug

NRB Convention 2012

2012-02-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

Pretty excited about the NRB convention this year. There are plenty of educational sessions as well as cool toys to play with here in Nashville. Today's agenda will include Guerilla Video Production, The Online Church, Filming Lives to make a Real Impact, and all types of broadcast technology training. This is not to mention the various booths that are setup connecting churches with technology, ministries, and missions. You can check out all of the schedule at NRB.

Church Media is a VITAL element that all churches should consider developing. We need to be thinking outside of the box connecting to a digital generation in the area they spend most of their time.

Doug

Carson Newman Communications

2012-02-15T23:57:00.001-05:00

I spent some time this afternoon talking with Dr. Borchert's class at Carson Newman College on the topic of blogging. The assignment at the end of class was for each student to create their own blog and begin posting to it. Before the class was over many students had already setup their blogs and was working on their first post. There were also a few entrepreneurs who were already linking their blogs to Google Adsense to start working towards making a few dollars with their work.

It is exciting to see the enthusiasm of the students. I cannot wait to see some of their work and I hope to be able to share that with you as well.

We have an exciting generation in our schools today!

Doug

Media Bias

2012-01-14T01:25:00.000-05:00

I am starting to lose patience with the media. Spending more than 10 years as a part of the media I have seen various changes that are detrimental to the industry. One of the worst changes that has taken place is the fact that it is no longer a neutral reporting industry. Today's media is biased and promotes their own agenda. Last night while watching Nightline, the reporter noted that Charles Darwin's journey to the Galápagos Islands led to his discovery of new species. Any student of Darwin should note the incorrect assumption of that statement. Darwin did not find new species but rather noted changes in the characteristics of certain species due to their environment. Darwin wrote in his journal that this discovery "seemed" to shine a light on the origins of species. My question immediately becomes "why does a journalist error with readily available information?" It is probably because they have an agenda. In this case it is to remove any idea of creation or a creator and therefore remove any of man's responsibility toward Him.

After the recent shooting of Senator Gabrielle Gifford near Tucson Arizona the media launched a flurry of articles connecting the shooting to the accessibility of guns in America. One news company even connected the Tea Party to the shooting. How could such irresponsible reporting be tolerated? It is obvious that there is an agenda to disarm this country and the media is throwing the pitches in the ballgame. Some who may be reading this article may not agree with my last statement which is okay with me. However, before replying about gun control, spend some time researching the subject rather than taking the media's word for it. A great place to start is the book by John R. Lott Jr. entitled More Guns Less Crime. This book takes a non-biased look at guns, ownership, and crime rates. It is a highly researched book that is packed with statistics presenting the relationship between gun ownership and crimes. Too bad the news media will not take an objective look at the subject but rather assume that an attempted murder is always the result of people owning guns. Ask yourself the following question, if the government disarms the people, will the criminals give up their guns as well?

We are fast approaching the 2012 elections which I believe is one of the greatest elections in our history. There is a lot at stake with this election. Depending on what news channel you choose to watch, you will get a different viewpoint about the issues in the upcoming elections. The bias is greater than it has ever been in our history. If we allow the media to dictate our actions by falsely representing the truth, then we are in error as well. It is time to become an informed people by going beyond someone else's word for the matter.

I look back on my commercial FCC license and note the supporting documentation which states that my actions are to be neutral in broadcasting, not giving favor to a particular group or issue. When did all of that change?

Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Mayan Calendar and 2012

2012-01-06T09:28:00.000-05:00

Almost everyday I hear someone bring up the relationship between this year, the Maya Calendar, and the end of the world. It is usually quoted in a joking tone and everyone responds in laughter. However, if you have heard someone make reference to to the end of time I am sure there are thoughts and questions that plague your mind. Questions like "what if this year is the last year?" can create an uneasy feeling that can increase your blood pressure and lead to sleepless nights.

Understand first that the Mayans had plenty of calendars which were based on solar, lunar, and planetary cycles. Some of these calendars were short cycle calendars while a few others were very similar to the 365 day cycle that the modern Gregorian calendar uses.

In any case, one of the Mayan calendars is based on a long count cycle that spanned generations of people. It was considered a great event to live through the turning of a long count cycle. It is also believed that nothing was placed on this calendar beyond its current cycle which ends this year (2012). This observation has led numerous people to predict this year will be the end of time marked my great catastrophic events. The number of books that has hit the market predicting the end of time because of the Mayan calendar is amazing. Why are people making such a big deal about the end of the cycle of this particular calendar? University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says the 2012 phenomenon comes "from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own."

So, do we have anything to worry about this year? I don't know what tomorrow holds so I cannot answer that question for you. I do not believe the Mayan calendar predicts the destruction of the world so I am not worried about the end of its cycle. Our days can come to an end at any time therefore I would encourage you to ask the important questions now. What happens if I should die tomorrow? Only faith in Christ can offer you the ability to answer that question without worry or fear.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Merry Christmas in 2011

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

I think this has been one of the fastest paced years that I can remember. Do you ever feel like it was just yesterday since you were celebrating Christmas? This year feels that way for me. There has been a lot that has impacted our family in different ways throughout the year. But today, I want to put this world in park for a while. Today is the day to celebrate the birth of Christ and I do not want anything, good or bad, to stand in the way of that celebration.

So, today let us go back over 2000 years ago to an event that established the greatest celebration this world has ever known, the birth of Christ. Luke 2 records...

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:1-20 KJV, emphasis mine)

Why is this so special? Today we celebrate the birth of the Savior this world needs. I hope that you spend some time thinking about and celebrating the birth of Christ.

Merry Christmas!
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Eating While Driving

2011-12-24T09:19:00.001-05:00

Eating while driving is never the safest activity one can do, but we see it everyday. What makes me want to write about this? Check the picture out.

This person has a sandwich in one hand and a drink in the other. You may have to zoom in on the picture to see it a little better. The ironic thing is that this is an insurance company. Aren't they the ones who tell us this is a dangerous distraction? I wonder if this person's insurance company would pay if this driver had an accident because of this.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Advertising for Churches - Diversity and Repetition

2011-11-27T15:23:00.001-05:00

Of course this series is in no way a comprehensive advertising course, but I hope it is a tool to better help you prepare for any advertising you may want to do.

The final segment in this series is called Diversity and Repitition. These two characteristics are important to a successful ad campaign. First, your advertisement needs diversity. You stand a greater chance of success utilizing more than one medium for your campaign. For example, use the list of advertising platforms created in the earlier step to give your advertisement some diversity. If you prioritized social media and television for your top two, then split your advertisement between those. If you had an extensive list of places to present your ads then diversify in your top categories as your budget will allow. Keep in mind, however, that in any ad campaign you need plenty of saturation in the medium you choose so don't sacrifice saturation in order to diversify. Your budget will dictate the amount of diversity you can have.

Second, Repitition should not be overlooked. When you start your ad campaign it should include enough frequency (Repitition) that it will appear in front of the greatest number of your demographic audience. Repitition also creates memory in your target audience and therefore is very important.

Thanks for spending some time with me on the subject of advertisement basics.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Advertising for Churches - Connecting to your Demographic

2011-11-27T15:21:00.003-05:00

We last spoke about determining your target demographic. If you spent quality time in this area defining who you were wanting to market your products or services to then it will greatly help you in this step. Let's take the sample list of habits for teens that we listed in the last post.

Watch music television networks
High School Sports
Facebook
Heavy music listeners
Spends 40 hours a week in school
Movie theater goers

Now we have to spend some time determining what forms of media are available for each of those areas. To give you an example, we will work through a few of these.

Watch music television networks - teens are obviously what drives the music industry. Yes we all love music but teenagers monetarily consume more music than any other demographic. So, what do they watch or listen to? To answer that we have to list out all of the areas that they listen or view music.

MTV
VH1
"Top 40" Contemporary Radio Stations
ITunes

We also know teens are Social Media lovers. Next make a list of social media websites they frequent every day such as Facebook. Continue this process through all of the areas of interest your target demographic displays. Next, determine the methods of advertising through all of the targets of interest. For example, Facebook uses Pay per Click or Pay per Thousand impressions. You can actually target region and demographic characteristics through most social media advertising.

Radio station advertising is usually done by radio commercials. Be careful with radio though, because you only want to advertise during the times they are listening. This is true even on their favorite station.

Once you have exhausted the entire list of advertising methods then you need to begin gathering the pricing of these methods as well as determine the priority of the different habits of the demographic. You will notice very quickly that some advertising media avenues are far more expensive than others. This is one of the reasons you need to prioritize the list of habits. If the number one priority is too expensive for your budget, then you may want to consider the number two priority.

This should give you an idea of where you should be spending your money. One thing you need to note is the fact that advertising results are better seen when you diversify your advertising money into different advertising media. We will discuss this in the next post.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Advertising for Churches - Determining Demographic Habits

2011-11-27T15:21:00.001-05:00

When you have a product or service you want others to take part in then the first step you need to do is define the target group of people you want. This should be the easiest part of the whole process. If your event is for teenagers then you know your target audience is teenagers.

Next you need to find the habits of your audience. Start here by making a list and think outside of the church zone. In other words, write down things such as:

Watch music television networks
High School Sports
Facebook
Heavy music listeners
Spends 40 hours a week in school
Movie theater goers

Spend some time in this area because it will make the next steps easier. Going through this process helps you to see who you want your advertising in front of and where you need to place your ads. Next, we will look at how to get your message in front of your audience.

Blessings,
Doug
www.dougjohnson.net

Advertising for Churches - Overview

2011-11-26T18:30:00.001-05:00

Far too often I see the media sales representatives target churches to sell them advertisement. It is difficult to say no to the experienced sales representatives making their living on selling in a highly competitive arena during tough economic times. The responses of many churches is to give in and follow the lead of the sales rep. The problem arises when the sales rep queries the church on the amount they have in their budget designated for advertising. If given, the sales rep will design an ad campaign to use the entire amount with their company. Is that the best use of the church's money? Absolutely not.

The key to advertising is to put your product or service in front of the people you want to see it. For instance, if you have an event that is specifically designed for teenagers, then you would not want to advertise it on Fox News. Your target audience does not spend it's time watching the news.

Whatever needs be advertised must be researched to find the best connecting point for the ad. You must know your product and know which people would be interested in that product. Second, you must know the habits of your target audience. Third, you must use that information and place your ad in front of the habits of your target audience. Finally you must keep in mind two words, diversity and repetition. Over the next few days we will cover the following steps in detail:

How to determine the habits of your target audience.
How to connect your ad to your target audience.
What is diversity and and repetition and why is it important to a successful ad campaign.

Don't let one particular advertising sales representative take all of your budget funds for their media product. It is not the best use of your funds.

Blessings,

Doug Johnson

www.dougjohnson.net

Facebook Notes Import

2011-11-26T14:46:00.001-05:00

If you have logged into Facebook recently you may have noticed a message at the top of your screen that says notes will no longer be automatically created from outside sources such as blogs.

You should only see this message if you had your notes setup to create a new note file from a new blog post. This has been the ideal way to create Facebook notes from an outside resource.

Over the past few years this message has been my instruction to college groups on the best route to update your Facebook notes without suffering the Social Media catastrophe. What happens to all of your work that you created exclusively on a social site when a new one comes along? It dies with the old site. Remember what happened to MySpace? (sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories)

If you create your important thoughts on a blog or website then you don't have to worry about the new fad that comes along. Just link the old info to the new site. The Facebook notes import function used to be a decent way to do that. So, what do we do now?

There are third party Facebook apps that accomplish the same thing. Just spend some time to research and test. The easiest way is just share a link to your new post on your favorite social media sites. This drives people to your site or blog and offers plenty of opportunity for others to see your previous work.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

The Entertainment Platform versus the Pulpit

2011-11-18T23:38:00.001-05:00

Spending numerous years in the entertainment business allowed me to see the best (or probably the worst) in people. The entertainment platform is centrally focused around selling tickets or advertisement. In the process of increasing ratings there is a parallel that takes place. The entertainer has a tendency to become self-focused and prideful. This is partially due to the fact that the personality or actor essentially plays the "popularity" game. The more popular, the greater the ratings.

There is a vast difference when it comes to the pulpit and the one who occupies it. Even though the pulpit is a platform that stands before groups of people, the central focus is not the speaker but rather God Himself. Therefore, there is no room for a self-focusing spotlight. Pride cannot even play a part in the life of the minister. If by chance he becomes self-focused and self-presenting, then there is great potential to create a congregation who will be just like him. The result is an attitude to be served rather than to serve.

C.S. Lewis once said "to humble oneself before God means becoming so aware of the greatness and reality of God that the self falls into its proper perspective, certainly not at the center, but infinitely worthy and precious because God is fully present and in control."

Christian, you also have a platform. You can either point to yourself or point to Jesus. Think about the message you are conveying and ask yourself the question "who am I pointing to?"

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Carson Newman Communications

2011-09-21T22:15:00.001-04:00

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon speaking to some really great communication students at Carson Newman College. Much of the time was spent discussing social media and the use of blogs for corporate, political, and individual reasons. I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Mark Borchert for the opportunity and I want to thank all of the students who endured the hours I stood before them.

I look forward to seeing the work that will be produced from the class over the next couple of months.

Blessings,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Influential Media

2011-09-21T01:28:00.001-04:00

Have you ever thought about the influence of media? Too often I have asked the question in a public forum whether or not people believe they are influenced by the media. The answer by most is no. People do not like to believe they are influenced or controlled by their use of entertainment. Therefore, I want you to think about the following questions.

How is it a fad catches on nationally in a short period of time?
How do clothing manufacturers succeed by offering only one or two styles of their product each year?
How do young children want the latest toy for Christmas and it hasn't even hit the shelves yet?

The answer to all of those questions is by the use of the media. It does not have to be just commercials, but it can also include sitcoms, movies, books, or magazines. We are Influenced by what we see. So, the next time you are in the middle of the greatest movie of all time, ask yourself "what am I taking away from this movie?" Do I want what they have, or, have I been conditioned to believe the lifestyles they portray is really okay?

So, let me leave you with this question. What is your greatest avenue of influence? I hope it is the number one best seller of all time.

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

How Fast are We Going?

2011-05-29T18:36:00.001-04:00

Recently my daughter and her friend went to Dollywood so Rhonda and I decided to hang out and watch a few shows at the park. It was a really hot day so we were not going to be in a hurry exiting the theaters after the shows. We might as well enjoy the air conditioning as long as we could before walking back into the heat. One thing I noticed was how quickly the crowds exited the theaters. It seemed as if they were in a desperate need to get somewhere else very quickly.

As I was watching one group leave, I noticed another family waiting until the theater was cleared before they exited. This family had a little boy who was disabled. It took some time to get him situated and ready to leave. There was also a difference in this family's demeanor in comparison to most of the others who were in a hurry to leave. This family did not seem to have any worries. They made sure that their son had everything ready to go and they weren't in a hurry. When they left, they were smiling as if they knew something that everyone else didn't.

How odd that the family with the greatest load was the family that appeared the happiest. I took a moment to lift up a small prayer for them as we walked out. God used that moment to teach me some great truths about happiness and His provision.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Gal 5:22-23

Sometimes we have to wait upon the Lord to see the things that bring true happiness. If we would just slow down a little, we would have time to experience the things He wants us to experience. Keeping your foot on the accelerator only allows you to experience the thrill of your desires not His.

In Christ,
Doug
www.dougjohnson.net

Your Words Begin in the Heart

2011-04-15T10:46:00.002-04:00

Like a dog on a broken leash, sometimes some things get away from us. I seemed to have dropped the ball on my twitter Bible Study so I have made it a point to finish what I started. In the process, I have seen a passage from a fresh perspective. It comes from James 4:11-12 which says:

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

This passage immediately brought three things to mind. First, it connected me to a series I have been developing over the past few weeks on the subject of conflict. I have been focusing on Scripture that deals with Biblical conflicts. The Bible has plenty of examples of conflict and how to deal with situations that we sometimes find ourselves in. Some conflict arises from our selfish and prideful attitudes. If we focus in the book of James a few verses before the passage quoted above, we find an intense push to rid ourselves of pride and selfishness.

God's desire is for us to focus, first and foremost, on Him. Too often our desire is to spotlight ourselves and undercut anyone who may attract that spotlight. That is a true example of pride and selfishness and usually leads to conflict. Our pride leads us to talk about others and say things that may hurt or harm. It is amazing how many times I see this happen on Facebook. [side note: be careful what you put on the Internet, it is like a good history book, it will never go away, no matter how hard you try]

Second, this passage connected me to Ephesians 4:29 which says:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Uplift others is the focal point of that verse. Don't put them down. This is true not only for the person's benefit, but also for others who may hear you. If someone knows you are a Christian and all they hear you do is bash others, then what do they think of Christ? Our words toward others may lead a hearer to see the love of Christ, so be careful.

Not only does James and Paul focus on how we treat others but we can also find parallel passages from the Apostle Peter as well. This seems to be a recurring theme in Scripture. Things that are recurring in Scripture must be focused on in great detail.

Finally, James' comments falls directly in line with Jesus' words to Love the Lord God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. If we don't love our neighbor as ourselves then we are disobedient and illustrate that we do not love God with all that we are. You see if God is our center focus, then loving others will also become a priority. As James says, we are not the Judge, God is. Only He can save AND destroy.

Watch what you say, as it says a lot about you!

In Christ,

Doug Johnson

www.dougjohnson.net

Doug's Live Stream

2011-03-28T14:01:00.000-04:00

Live video chat by Ustream

I Can Explain...

2010-12-15T23:00:00.000-05:00

I was walking around a store in the mall the other day while my daughter was trying on clothes. Oh what fun walking around in the girls clothing department (sarcasm). I was looking at all of the shirts and came across one that made me laugh out loud.

Of course this shirt uses the who is naughty and nice line in the "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" song as a basis for a laugh. But let's take this a step to the serious side for a moment. We know that we don't have to worry about Santa's list, but is there something else we need to worry about? Will we ever feel the need to try to justify our actions when we are in the wrong?

Too many times we convince ourselves that a particular action is not as bad as others make it out to be. Before you know it we have given in to something that we shouldn't have done. Then, when we are caught we try to justify our actions. The question is can we justify our actions before a holy God?

Will He say it is ok if we claim our actions are not too bad? I seriously doubt it. 1 Kings 11:4 tells us that King Solomon compromised His beliefs and God responded harshly. Solomon was not faithful to God and the result was the loss of the kingdom. Can you imagine Solomon saying to God "I can explain". God had already warned Solomon but Solomon refused to listen.

Do we heed the warnings of God? Do we even know what His requirements are? You can find them in His Word. Don't put yourself into a situation where your only hope is "Lord, I can explain". You may not get the reply you hope for.

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Questions from Teens (Part 2 - Other People in Genesis)

2010-10-27T08:00:00.007-04:00

Today's teenage question is the following:

"In Genesis, when Cain is sent away to other people, who are the other people. I thought Adam and Eve were the first people created."

This question is not only posed by teens but it is a question among many adults. The question, however, is slightly off from Scripture but even in focus it poses the same inquiry. The passage being referred to here is Genesis 4:16-17 which says:

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. [The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 4:16–17.]

The question more accurately should read "Where did Cain get his wife from?". The passage does not say that Cain is sent away to other people. It has just been an assumption that Cain had to get his wife from "another people" group. Keep in mind the question arises out of an assumption. This is an important question to answer because it is a key passage that many attempt to discredit the Scriptures from. Therefore, we must make sure we are not making any assumptions and we must know what Scripture says.

In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we see that God created Adam. This creation is the the first man on the planet. In these two chapters we don't see the text that states Adam was the first man, however, that statement is in Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we see the following:

And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. [The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), 1 Co 15:45.] (underline emphasis mine)

Therefore, from Scripture, we can understand there were no other men on the face of the Earth before Adam himself. Now, how about women? Scripture tells us in Genesis 3:20 that Eve is the mother of all living.

And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. [The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 3:20.]

We know that Eve was created from the side of Adam (Genesis 2:22-24) and before this event there was no suitable helper like him found.

So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. [The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ge 2:20.]

If Scripture says there was no helper comparable to Adam found on Earth and next we see that God created Eve from Adam's side then we can connect Genesis 3:20 [above] to know that there were no others before Adam and Eve. We also know from Scripture that Eve is the mother of all living. Therefore, we can rightly say that ALL mankind started with Adam and Eve. There were no other people groups.

If there were no other people groups then Cain had to marry a relative, probably a sister or niece. For some of you, reading this article just became troublesome because it immediately raises the following question. Does the Bible say that we cannot marry relatives? The answer to that question is yes it does in Leviticus 18:6-18. This law was not given until much later. We also know that Abraham was married to his half sister (Genesis 20:12), some 400 years before the law in Leviticus 18 was given. Another example was Rebekah, Isaac's wife, who was Isaac's second cousin (Genesis 24:15) (also before the law in Leviticus 18).

Inbreeding was not a problem early in the human race because the genetic line was pure. However, because of Adam's sin, God cursed the world and everything began to decay. Therefore, God established the law in Leviticus 18 to prohibit incest when the genetic decay started to become a problem.

We also know that in Genesis chapter 5 that Adam had other sons and daughters and he lived 930 years. There was probably a decent selection of girls that Cain could have chosen for a wife. To focus only on Scripture to answer this question they would have all had to be relatives.

Make sure we know how to answer these questions because these are key passages to those who desire to discredit Scripture.

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net

Questions from Teens (Part 1 - Evolution)

2010-10-25T08:00:00.004-04:00

As we begin our series "Questions from Teens" we are going to start off with a very tough question. Yes, this is a question from a teenager. This is not the typical question that you would normally hear but it illustrates an important element of what teens face and think about. When you read it, ask yourself how you would answer it.

"Are evolution and Christianity compatible? Are there alternatives to neo-Darwinian evolution in the realm of evolutionary theory?"

First, I want to ask is how a high school student is asking about evolution and neo-Darwinian evolution. To answer, understand that our teens are faced with these subjects starting in middle school and reinforced throughout high school. Some of these terms may not look familiar to you so we are going to define them.

The first term we are familiar with but we must understand there are different facets of the term. In light of the question we will narrow the subject to human evolution and define it from The Encyclopedia of Christianity.

Human Evolution: A very large field that can only be mentioned here is the history of human evolution, which studies the emergence of the human species among the other primate species. This field, which brings together primatology, paleontology, anthropology, genetics, and molecular biology, offers new ways to describe the relationship between humans and other animals.
Even this brief sketch of the range of sciences that deal with evolution indicates that evolution is today one of the most critical and fruitful ideas governing our understanding of human life and thought. Evolutionary science confronts philosophy, ethics, and theology with a formidable range of deeply significant issues. [Erwin Fahlbusch and Geoffrey William Bromiley, vol. 2, The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leiden, Netherlands: Wm. B. Eerdmans; Brill, 1999-2003), 230.]

The next term we will deal with is a rather new term and we will get the definition from the Concise Oxford Dictionary.

Neo-Darwinian Evolution: Biology relating to the modern version of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, incorporating the findings of genetics. [Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).]

One doesn't hear too much about the second defined term, however, it is something we need to be aware of. Neo-Darwinian Evolution takes the standard evolutionary theory to the next level. Darwin's original theory was presented before the discovery of genetics. This discovery created problems for the theory itself. Therefore, a modified theory was created and is known as the Neo-Darwinian Evolution theory. This new theory adds individual genetic traits transferred to successive generations. Without getting too involved in the theory's explanation we could add that it includes the differential transmission of alternative gene alleles for species characteristics. These characteristics are passed to the offspring.

If you still have questions in regards to the terms there is plenty of information on the Internet to help see the theories clearly.

Let's answer the questions posed by the teenager. The first question is "Are evolution and Christianity compatible?" My first reply is that evolution does not fit the facts of science. For evolution to be credible science has to support the theory. Look at the following chart from Defending Your Faith by Dan Story:

[Dan Story, Defending Your Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997), 146.]

Just the basic elements of evolution cannot be considered factual because the evidence does not support the theory. If we do not have transitional fossils then evolution has a problem. If mutations result in a negative result then evolution has a problem. Thermodynamics and the Anthropic Principle both creates a huge problem for evolution.

Let's look at the second question. "Are there alternatives to the Neo-Darwinian Evolution Theory in the realm of evolutionary theory?"

If the basic elements of evolution are flawed and unsupported by scientific evidence then any building block placed on top of a flawed foundation will also fail. So, the answer to the question is "no".

In summary, I believe the words of Dan Story summarizes it quite well when he said the following:

When all the evidence is in, one fact stands out. Believing in atheistic evolution demands an enormous amount of faith. In fact, in light of the scientific evidence, it takes much greater faith to believe in evolutionism than it does to believe in creationism. Evolution requires us to believe that out of chaos, time, and chance arose order, design, and harmony. It teaches that life came from nonlife, that human ethics and morality came from amorality, that human intelligence came from irrationality. By comparison, creationists look out upon the orderly universe, the design and harmony in nature, human morality and rationality, and see their source in an intelligent, moral, all-powerful, creative God. Which requires the most faith to believe? [Dan Story, Defending Your Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997), 150.]

As a student begins to ask questions about what they are learning in school we as parents, ministers, and Christian educators must be ready to understand and discuss the differences between evolution and creationism. Too often we don't have the answer and we don't act like we want to find the answer. Our students and children will see that we don't know and accept the teaching of the evolutionist. Which do you want to happen?

I know that some of you reading this may have adopted the idea of Theistic Evolution (the idea that God started the creative process, and allowed nature to take its course through macroevolution). This post is not designed to answer every element of evolution but to only answer the question posed by the teens. We may discuss the flaws in that theory in the future.

In Christ,
Doug Johnson
www.dougjohnson.net