Author Archives: Carl

Today Kaylee boards a plane to head to orientation for a 7 week trip to South Africa to teach English among refugees. She’ll leave orientation next Tuesday for a 26 hour journey to South Africa. Where did the time go? It seems like just last week she was hanging from a Velcro seat belt inContinue reading “Arrow In Flight”

I’ve always had a love / hate relationship with exercise.  I imagine I am not the only one.  I feel guilty for being out of shape, but I don’t really like working out.  I don’t have the sheer discipline just to get up and work out for the benefit of it.  I need a goal,Continue reading “Workout Thoughts”

Laughter is good medicine if we choose it. I’d like to say my coworker pushed that stool out in front of me as I was walking through. I’d like to say there was no avoiding the resulting fall. The truth is that stool had been there for weeks. The truth is I was in aContinue reading “Laugh Anyway”

A tribute to my mom. Where do I begin a tribute to my mom? Words will fall short but I must try anyway. I call her mom. Many of her work colleagues called her Louise. Most everybody else calls her Tink or Tinkerbell. That’s appropriate. She is, after all, 4’10” tall and never weighed moreContinue reading “90% Gristle”

A little insight to the world of fire service. In the spring of 2001, at the urging of a church member, I joined Eure Fire Department in Gates County. It was a small department that ran 26 calls that year. I grew a deep respect for the men and women that served in EFD. TheyContinue reading “Brotherhood”

A heartfelt message to my friends and family. There’s just something majestic about the mountains. Their vastness and grandeur are a healthy reminder of God’s enormity and of our own relative smallness. As Matt Chandler says “No one ever stood at the Grand Canyon and said “Hey remember that time I bench pressed 300 poundsContinue reading “Sunrise On The Mountain”

Wisdom learned the hard way. This is one of my favorite pictures from our Colorado trip. Truth is, if it were up to me, I would have never even seen that view. I was perfectly fine heading home not having subjected myself to a black diamond run at Copper Mountain. But Caleb just had toContinue reading “Beautiful Danger”

Passing the torch is all about time. (I wish I had gotten a pic of Caleb turning the wrenches.) Until just recently, the most reliable vehicle at the Johnson house was a second owner, kept in the family, 2000 Ford F250 7.3L turbo diesel with 280,000 miles. (It’s still second most reliable behind the recentlyContinue reading “Passing The Torch”

A frank evaluation of my heart. (Your gracious responses to my earlier posts have been so encouraging. Thanks for responding and sharing! I am so grateful to be reminded of how many “tribes” I’ve been a part of. I love you all, dear friends!) I remember my college buddy’s intensity and earnestness as he lookedContinue reading “Follow Your Heart?”

Celebrating a rite of passage. Seems like just last week we watched from the window as Kaylee went to get the mail and found her college acceptance packet. We have the video to prove she does run. Today it is Caleb’s turn to celebrate. Today he was notified of his placement with ABCO Automation asContinue reading “Next Phase”