volunteerism

Listening to a message delivered by Keith Moore, "Precious Time"--the most valuable resource we have is time. I realize now why volunteers are so treasured by my church--we're giving out most precious resource, even adding to it the resource of our effort and expertise. I understand why the pastors so appreciate it. Thanks, guys. And thanks, Father, for the illuminating that for me.

little stuff

I thank God for His unexpected benefits--little things He does and lets us find--like a loving Father. After all, God is the God of the "little" just as much as He is the "big". Thanks, Father.

waking

So this just happened: I woke up, turns out at 4:59. The alarm was set for 5:00, but is was not activated. The next alarm would not have gone off until 5:40. I thank God for letting me sleep just enough, and then ever so gently waking me up, like a loving Father. He does that. Tangible demonstration of favor--that's what I count it as. Thanks, Father, for waking me up just at the right time.

Check this out.

forgiven

What's really cool about God's forgiveness is that He forgave us long ago--we just have to receive it. After that, and true repentance, don't give in to guilt or feeling a need for penance--God already pronounced us innocent once we received His forgiveness. Jesus already paid the price for our sin. Any remaining guilt is Satan trying to mess with us. Thank You, Father, for forgiving me and denying Satan

grateful for...

Today, I thank God for resources (material and non), my friends, His grace, His favor, His love, His healing, opportunity, good clothing, a love of good music and gift for playing the electric bass, the knowledge that gifts need development, whatever wisdom I have, and the knowledge that I don't have an inkling of how much I don't know and how wise I am not. Thanks, Father.

broad roads and narrow paths

Just had a dream about driving on a road vs biking on a snowed-over path--oddly enough had more fear driving down that road than biking down that path. Reminds me about this . Thanks for the illustration, Father.

grace, mercy, love and forgiveness

I thank God for His grace, mercy and forgiveness and the following loving advice: "Change what you do and you'll have good success." If a man is an alcoholic, then don't go into the liquor stores. If one is a sex addict, then stay off the porn sites. If one is a habitual liar, stop doing stuff one feels one has to lie about to get out of trouble. Repentance means changing one's mind and turning away, not just saying, "Sorry". It also means, I think, doing something different next time. I think God loves it when we stop running headlong into brick walls and run in a different direction instead. Thanks, Father.

the Will of God

Oral Roberts' advice to Kenneth Copeland:

1. Find out the Will of God
2. Once you know the Will of God, confer with flesh and blood no longer
3. Get the Will of God done at any cost.

Good stuff. Thanks, Father.

chest/waist

I thank God that my chest is finally back to being bigger around than my waist! Thanks, Father.

waking up

Just woke up and saw it was 6:43. I work at 7. Then I saw it was 6:43AM. I work in the PM. Thank God!

Here's an act of boldness: I'm a shy guy. I'm also quirky. People can accept me that way or not, but insisting that I change that ("you need to be this or that") is like me telling them to be less outgoing. I am the way I am, and that's not perfect, but it is getting better, more balanced, and I thank God for it.

I thank God that I know a lot more encouragers than insisters. :) Thanks, Father.

arms

This is gonna sound conceited, but I'm a little amazed today at the shape my arms are getting into. I thank God for results.

proverbs

I feel like God gave me this verse for today: Prov. 24:11. Good advice--and it's not just advice. Also combined with an promise and admonition Prov. 28:27 about the poor makes me realize part of how much I need to improve. Thanks, Father.

thanks

Today, I thank God for His correction in more than one area, for things working out when I consult Him instead of my flesh, for resources, for my job, for overtime, my iPod, the deal I got on my iPod, cool technology, muscles and their growth, my continuing loss of fat, for connectivity in all the best ways, for His mercy to get grace, for understanding, and for the best sites of the internet. Thanks, Father.

boldness

Wow--so I asked God for boldness. He's sure given me some opportunities to be that way. And it works out so long as one's temper doesn't get in the way. Everything has to be rooted in love. Like it or not. Thanks, Father.

journal entry

Got this in my journal today, which I feel is from God:

Dear Sean,

The reason you think I won't forgive you is because you wouldn't. I'm not you. I'm _in_ you, but I am not you. My ways are not your ways; my thoughts are higher than your thoughts. I look at things from a much wider perspective/lens than you. I know your end from your beginning. How you get there can vary, and free will comes into it. You can also have an alternate end, but don't follow the path that leads that way--it is dark and you know it--it's also easy--like sliding down a greased steel slide.

But though My way is narrow, stay on it. Dust yourself off, [stop being deceived] (approx. quote--couldn't read my own handwriting), continue. You are forgiven--I know you and My plans for you. Stop shooting yourself in the foot. You can have time with Me without it only being to assuage guilt & try to get away with wrongdoing & get Me to forgive what I already forgave when you _repented_---just repent in Jesus' Name, give thanks & praise and get back in My will. I receive you. I am going nowhere. Stay under My wing.

--love, your Father

Today, I thank God for the way He speaks to me--He speaks to all of us on a level we can understand. Thanks, Father. I also thank God for a rebuke from a loved one for my not representing Christ at all via a picture I put up as myself playing "Jason"--God sees the heart, but not everybody does. Thanks, Father.

traps

I thank God for better traps than I gave myself credit for. Bodybuilders will know what I'm talking about. :) Thanks, Father.

done

Well, glory to God, my principal photography on "Commitment" is done. Now, there'll be ADR, but that may not be for a bit. The big chunk of stuff is through. Thanks, Father, for it being done and done well.

last day

Today, I thank God for great old friends with whom I'm reconnected on Facebook, for Facebook itself, for this last day of shooting on "Commitment", for the growth I've seen in myself and the directors over the last year, for the fact that we're all still friends through the most demanding movie shoot I've ever experienced, for a good product coming out of it and the knowledge and wisdom we've got now and for the other elements in "Commitment". Thanks, Father, for sustaining and growing us through this whole thing.

asking in prayer

Some great advice from Keith Moore-- When you pray for something according to the will of God, He heard you the first time. So don't keep asking for the same thing, repeating the same prayer. Instead, just keep thanking Him for it until it manifests. That makes things a lot easier for me...when I follow it. ;) Thanks, Father.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21:22&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+11:24&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+11:10&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+16:23-25&version=NIV

BVOV

Just listening to the Believer's Voice of Victory, tuning in and out--cool that God had me tune in just when Kenneth was saying, "Don't let the Devil talk you out of your dreams." His guest Keith Moore also said, "Dare to believe."

Thanks, Father. I won't let the Devil talk me out of my dreams, and I do dare to believe.

healing

I also thank God today for healing for my niece and my friend, both very precious people to me. Thanks, Father.

The Message Bible

Today, I thank God for The Message Bible, Eugene H. Peterson and for good teachers who speak plainly. Thanks, Father.

http://www.biblegateway.com/versions/Message-MSG-Bible/

ahh, the power of prayer

This from my associate pastor--praise God! :)
UPDATE: Pastor Warren is expected to make a full recovery. http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/22/pastor-rick-warren-hospitalized-after-eyes-burned/

Thanks, Father. :)

pray

I got this on my Facebook page from my associate pastor: Pray 4 Rick! RT @RickWarren: My eyes were severely burned by poison.Hospitalized Mon.Excruciating pain.Now home.Pray sight is restored.

I thank God that Rick's eyes are healed and I believe for the manifestation and good report of that. Thanks, Father.

worry

Today, I decided not to worry anymore. Thanks, Father.

thanks, God

Today, I thank God for last night and being able to play out--the kind of stuff I wanted to do and in the environment I wanted to do it. I also thank God, again, for a good movie, for reconnecting with an old friend, for my bass, for good musicians with whom to play, for the talents He's given me and the resultant conviction that I'm an encourager and an entertainer, for my job and the knowledge that it is not my source but that He, God, is (it's God who arranged the job for me), for the material stuff I have and for knowing when to say enough of that is enough. Thanks, Father.

things work out

I thank God for working things out last night with the open mike thing and for a good day today. ;) I also thank Him for an unexpectedly good movie in "2012". Gotta dig Netflix and streaming video. :) Thanks, Father.

bass playing

I thank God I get to play tonight. Elec. bass. In front of a crowd of yet-to-be determined size (could be 5, could be 50...). I pray I don't suck. Thanks, Father. :)

"Delight yourself in the Lord"

Good bit of additional knowledge: "Delight yourself in the Lord" doesn't just mean be happy in the Lord. It also means be soft and pliable. From this message. About ten minutes into it. Thanks for the additional knowledge, Father. :)

workout

I also thank God for a great workout today. :)

a good word

I thank God for a good word in due season and the wisdom to pray and seek the Holy Spirit before answering somebody's faith question. Thanks, Father.

thanks

Sean Johnston I thank God for the willingness to thank God even when I don't feel like it, for Stargate: SG1 (one of the best series on TV), for my future, for my hope, for the gifts He's given me (acting, singing, writing, some musical ability, drawing), for some good sense in certain situations, for the upcoming giggish thingy, for what might come out of that, even if it's just playing some 'tallica in a public venue, for the great resources that are my friends, for kittens and puppies and a good apartment in a good area run by competent people. Thanks, Father.

dunno

Dunno what I'm here blogging for. I've found it difficult to express myself these days. I thank God for the willingness to thank God even when I don't feel like thanking God.

references to hold onto

It's so nice to have a bit of scriptural knowledge, plus access to biblegateway.com, in order to help those for whom one's praying. To give them a reference to hold onto is really good. Thanks for that knowledge (and the knowledge to come) and ability (which You've given me via messages, resources over time). Thanks, Father.

check

I thank God for a larger-than-expected paycheck and the wisdom to use it well. Thanks, Father.

domestic stuff

I thank God for the ladies I know who are patient enough with my domestic questions--how do you do this, how do you do that, how do you make this...? Thanks, Father, and thanks friends.

cardio

Cardio is my friend. :) I thank God for stationary bikes with proper seats. Almost 200 cals burned in a half-hour, which is good by me. Thanks, Father. I might actually do 2 days of cardio per one day of weights, but for now it's one of one, one of the other.

thanks

I thank God for my pastors.

movies

I thank God for good movies and good cinematography.

blender

Just got a blender (10.00 off) and made a smoothie-type thing. First lesson: ice goes on the bottom. Thanks, Father, for the deal and the resources to get this thing I've been wanting so long and for using a friend to assure me it's okay not to get the high-dollar one. :)

praising God

I was listening to a Keith Moore message, and he said he got a word from God about praising Him: 'If you're not enjoying praising Me, don't assume I'm getting much out of it.' Thanks for the reminder, Father.

car

So according to NADA, I'm not upside down on my car anymore. Not by much, but it's worth more now than I owe on it. Praise God for that!

decision

Best decision of my life--accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Second-best decision of my life was to love myself. Third-best: deciding the Bible has final authority. Makes things a lot easier. Thanks, Father, for making things easier.

school money

So for those of you who are paying or planning to pay for your kids' college, how's this sound if they decided not to go: go ahead and give them the money you saved for them, but not all at once. Dole it out over the years they were to be in college, and insist that they have a full-time job since their full-time job was going to be going to school? I thank God for good ideas, and I hope this is one of them(not that I'm anywhere near that position anyway--I think He put the idea in me as I was listening to the Believer's Voice of Victory today).

metallica

I thank God for Metallica--seriously. Without that music, I would not have much in the way of music with which to get aggression out. I dunno how much God had to do with the formation of that group, but I do know He created each and every member of it. Thanks, Father.

knife

Oops--thank God for His continued grace! I'd put a swiss army knife in my pocket after using it and forgot to put the blade back in place. No harm done, but good looking out by God there (and this isn't the first time this has happened). :) Thanks, Father.

DVD

I thank God for a lot of favor shown to me today by the film festival to which I'm submitting and from God in saving me a good deal of money on DVDs to which to record the movie being submitted. Thanks, Father.

americano

Was on my way in to work today and stopped for some coffee--the shop didn't have coffee ready, but offered an americano. I hadn't had one or some time, but it's really quite good, and cheaper than regular coffee. Just needs a bit of half-and-half, but not much more than I usually put in. This might become my drink of choice. Thanks, Father, for "little" discoveries like this.

help

I thank God for being able to find some Scripture to help somebody with a specific situation. I love Proverbs 15:23 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%2015:23&version=NIV) on this. Thanks, Father.

Hagin

I thank God for Kenneth E. Hagin and being able to hear this guy's messages--I've heard of him for years, but have just recently realized what a good teacher he was. Thanks for him, Father.

pizza

Why on earth did I eat all that pizza? I feel too full now; too heavy. Next time, maybe I'll decline to take the pizza home from when I visit one of my sisters, or just decline getting it altogether. Just not worth it. I thank God for the lesson. Thanks, Father.

wisdom

"Sometimes, forgiveness is right where you fell."--Matt Stryker, WWE Smackdown!

Unexpected wisdom from an unexpected source. Thanks again, Father.

knowledge

It's amazing how much we know about situations if we'll just fess up about them to ourselves. But fessing up may mean taking, or at least admitting responsibility, fault, which is in large part why we tend not to admit such knowledge. Thanks for that light, Father.

functionality

I also thank God for some new functionality offered by my bank--makes things a lot easier. Thanks, Father.

today

Today, I thank God for restoring peace. Thanks, Father.

trip

I also thank God for good furniture for soft landings in case you trip over a rip in the couch as you're getting up. Not that that would happen. Thanks, Father.

shoot

Feeling a bit cross right now, but I thank God for people's honesty with me, for a functioning computer, for this weekend's shoot, for food and shelter, for my job, resources, good furniture, Netflix, a bit of time and some upcoming rest after I had a bit of a moment after shooting, during which the directors were very supportive--I thank God for them, too. Thanks, Father.

website

I thank God for my own website, kanafilms.com --my own domain. It's not really that hard when you have help. Thanks, Father, and thanks, Dave.

metal

Yeah! Just learnt a new bass lick! Something from Metallica's "Metal Militia". Well, it's new to me, anyway. Thanks, Father, for tab + ability. :)

thanks for today

I'm grateful for everything that's happened today. Even the sneeze in Target (away from the food, of course). The shoot, the coffee time, time to play the bass, the newfound ability to scroll down on Bassmasta tabs (bassmasta.net) by just tapping the space bar (seriously), people saying nice things about me here and the assurance that this thanks stuff blesses people. That's the point. Thanks, Father.

finally!

I thank God for a great day of shooting--the weather cooperated, great people to work with, some good direction from my fellow actor (you rock, you-know-who), and we're done in time for me to hit Barnes et Noble and get in some serious coffee-swilling, net-surfing, book skimming time. But mostly, a bugbear scene is finally DONE!!!!!! Thanks, guys, and THANK YOU FATHER! :D

solution

I thank God for the realization that part of why I haven't done more adventurous stuff is because of fear of what might happen. The Bible says, "Fear not". Best solution: listen to God, make plans, go, have fun! I think it's time to live my life instead of watching others live theirs. Good reason to keep socking away money for L.A. Thanks, Father.

I also thank God for getting His message to me by any means necessary, even a Facebook app.

defence

Today, I thank God for His grace, mercy, love and forgiveness; also for the chances He's been giving me to stand up for myself, thus gaining a bit of confidence. Thanks, Father.

1080p

I also thank God for streaming video and external hard drives for storing movies--making DVDs somewhat unnecessary for those who watch most stuff on their computers. I like DVDs, but this is even easier. Now to get bandwidth such that we can easily watch and/or quickly download 1080p movies and watch them on whatever we want. And to get the extras goodies we get on DVDs.

"On this day..."

I like this message from the Facebook app "On this day, God wants you to know...": On this day, God wants you to know ... that it's time to STOP going through the motions of living, and START living. Are you willing to do that now? Or are you going to wait until all life energy drains out of you and your loved ones who are trying to support you at this very moment? You were not born to follow rules and regulations. Living starts with dreaming. So dream, dream friend, and let dreams show you the path to your bliss.

think

Why do we so often say what we think others want to hear instead of what we actually think? Seems a bit ridiculous to me. Even dishonest and stupid, actually. Reminds me of something God shared with me awhile ago and that I sometimes neglect: Think before you say, then say what you think. I thank God for that light.

job

As brought out by a smart person, I thank God for my job. Thanks, Father.

focus!

I was just looking at computers online at and listening to a podcast and thought, "What am I looking at these things for?!" Habit. Amazing what we can tend to get interested in or even buy just out of habit or distraction. Nothing against the store, of course; I'm the one who went there, but I have a great computer and don't need another. What I need is a printer w/a scanner. Thanks for the correction, Father.

4th

Happy 4th of July, all. God bless you and yours. Thanks much to all in the military, the police, firefighters, volunteers, social workers, everybody who makes a positive difference in another's life. Thanks also, God, for these people.

retraining

Listening to BVOV (Believer's Voice of Victory) from July 1, 2010--some new understanding--the spirit gets saved, the soul (mind, will, emotions) needs to get retrained (renewing of the mind) and then, as that happens, the soul retrains the body. That's simple enough. Not necessarily easy, but uncomplicated. Thanks for the light, Father.

reminder

I also thank God for reminders of when we've followed His will--works out really well. Thanks, Father.

pay

I praise God I got paid sooner, and more, than expected--thank God for direct deposit! Thanks, Father.

generosity

I thank God for the generosity of one of my acquaintances to one of my good friends. I'm eager to get to do the same sort of stuff myself--it all starts small, so I think it's up to me. Thanks, Father.

divine health

I thank God for divine health. I take it by faith, refuse to get sick--if I get a symptom, I take authority over it in Jesus' Name, cast it out, don't back down and for the past several years, I've not gotten sick. Symptoms clear up fast. I thank God for doctors and medicine, but I thank Him also for my not needing them very much. Thanks, Father.

pay

Today, I thank God that I'll get the money owed to me--a little later than expected, perhaps, but it'll be there. Thanks, Father, for your divine favor.

skin

I'm grateful to God for some little things that look like they could be big things in actuality being...little things. A mark on the skin being just a smudge of dirt, for example. Better to need a shower than a biopsy. :) Thanks, Father.

Here's another thing I'm thankful to God for: hot and cold running water. And indoor plumbing. Yeah! Thanks, Father! :D (no, I'm being very serious--imagine trying to get a shower w/out these things? what a bother!)

grace, mercy, forgiveness, love

I'm grateful for God's grace, mercy and forgiveness, His love, and (unrelated) that Warehouse 13 is back on. Thanks, Father.

today's thanks

I thank God for a good screenplay idea, coffee, Harleys, Critter, good transportation, good weather, time, sleep, movies, Nolan Ryan's Jalapeño Sausage, candy (in some moderation), the great workout I had today and the connections God's brought me through Facebook. Thanks, Father. Again. :)

ot

I thank God I will be getting my overtime--there had been some doubt. Thanks, Father.