The Journey by Debbie Johnson - Book Tour + Giveaway

Join us for this tour from August 10 to August 28, 2020!

Book Details:

Book Title: The Journey: A Traveling Companion Through the New Testament by Debbie Johnson

Category: Adult Non-fiction 18 yrs +, 293 pages

Genre: Memoir, Religious, Inspirational

Publisher: Convenant Books

Release date: 2019

Content Rating: G. No obscenity, violence, sexual content

“With the New Testament in one hand and Debbie’s guidebook in the

other, you will experience the Christian journey to be an exciting

venture–though not one for the fainthearted.”

Dr. William W. Klein, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

Book Description:

At a time of unprecedented crisis in our lives comes an

inspirational book, THE JOURNEY: A Traveling Companion Through the New

Testament by Debbie Johnson, who has spent decades as a mission worker,

and is the founder DenverWorks, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the

unemployed find work. Whether you are a Christian, religious, or

irreligious, Johnson’s contemporary interpretation of The New Testament

will inspire all who read her book.

Years ago, Debbie took a glorious six-week backpacking trip to Europe.

Now she takes readers on a metaphorical trek through the New Testament,

filling her backpack with a year’s worth of inspirational items. For

Debbie, her destination is love, plus the sense of “mission

accomplished” in her life’s work.

“Maybe this is a time for homebound people (all of us) to read through

the NT,” says Debbie who begins her journey as Christ began his, when he

met two sets of brothers and said, “Follow me” and eventually there

were 12 friends, the 12 apostles. Jesus was no longer by himself,” says

Johnson and got to experience the strength of friends. “My best friends

and I remind each other that we are never alone, even though some of us

live hundreds of miles apart.” Here are some of her many useful and

inspiring key insights:

Love of God versus Love of Money. In Matthew 6:19-34,

she quotes Jesus: “you cannot serve both God and money.” Johnson

explains that Jesus did not say you can’t be materially wealthy, as some

interpret that quote. He just said you can’t serve two masters, so you

have to choose which one wins your heart. Johnson explains further that

you should be responsible with money. “I never saw a passage that says,

“though shalt not make money,” “she says. “It’s all about what we love

the most.”
Neighborliness Matters. Romans 13:8-14 tells us that

how we treat our neighbors is essential to living fulfilling Christian

lives. Half of the Ten Commandments address being a good neighbor. No

killing, committing adultery, stealing, slandering, or coveting. We’re

to love our neighbors as ourselves, meaning we need to love ourselves

sufficiently enough to love them. If we can love our neighbors, even the

unlovable ones, then we’ve fulfilled The Law as Christ commanded.
What to Wear Today. We’re to put on, says Debbie, a

heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We’re

to bear with one another and forgive each other. We’re to put on love.

We’re to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts.
We Are People of the Day. We’re people of the day, so

we need to act like it, even in this long in-between time. We’re to be

sober and faithful and loving and hopeful, encouraging one anther and

building each other up. We’re to appreciate our coworkers and leaders.

We’re to live in peace.
The Journey with Our Partners. “My best friends and I

remind each other that we’re never alone, even though some of us live

hundreds of miles apart. And for all of us who believe God is real and

in a relationship with us, we’re never apart from him either. Our

beautiful challenge is to understand that fact more and more,

experiential. Life takes an enormous amount of personal strength. Jesus

spent a lot of time in conversation with God to gain strength. And if

Jesus needed that, how much more do we need it! But we can also draw

strength, counsel, wisdom, and emotional safety from each other.”

(Matthew 4)
Solid Foundations. Luke 5:12-6:49 is full of

rock-solid teaching about building life on a firm foundation. Building a

rock-solid life isn’t about sharing his words and then going about our

business. It’s about acting on those words. Not intending to act on

them, but literally acting on them. The words are powerful and

life-altering, but not easy. Nobody ever said building a life on a solid

foundation would be easy, just worth it.
The Gift. Romans 3:23-24 just might be the best gift

in the whole wide world, “for all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the

redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” In other words, we can lay our

burdens down—our guilt, regrets, little sins, big sins. The reason? The

gift. The gift of unmerited favor. Some people spend their whole lives

striving for approval trying to be good enough, when all along, God has

said all we have to do is have faith. All we have to do is ask God for

the gift.
Practical Matters (1 Corinthians 16). Christianity is

hard. G.K. Chesterton said, “Christianity has not been tried and found

wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” But we can do this.

There is a way to follow Christ in good times and bad times, in

heavenly matters and practical matters.

In trying times such as these, Debbie Johnson’s THE JOURNEY will

brings readers daily inspiration and comfort for themselves and their

families.

Buy the Book:

Amazon

Add to Goodreads

Guest Post

WORDS OF WISDOM FOR A HAPPY AND MEANINGFUL LIFE

By Debbie Johnson

I’m not a bouncy, jolly person. I wish I could wake up every morning with a stretch and a grin and a “watch out, world, I’m comin’ through!” attitude. The reality is that I sort of stumble to the kitchen for that first cup of coffee. And some days, I’m a little melancholy, because that’s my nature.

Aren’t you glad you’re reading this blog for my words of wisdom?

But like you, I’ve spent plenty of time on the hunt for that deeply fulfilled life. I’m aware enough to understand that happiness doesn’t hinge on riches or fame or other externals. One of my happiest friends works with the unemployed and doesn’t exactly roll in money herself. One of my most depressed friends is one of the wealthiest ladies in the country.

I know that happiness is more of an internal thing, but I’m also the firstborn in my family (pressure!) and a 3 on the Enneagram (performance!). I suffered from depression for a while in my twenties due to a medication I was taking, which was pure despair. How could I internally overcome all that junk in order to be happy?

The Big Kahuna of happiness research, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman, feels there are four types of happy lives. (His book on the topic is Authentic Happiness.)

There’s the Pleasant Life—a life that successfully pursues positive emotions about the past, present, and future.

The Good Life—a life that uses one’s signature strengths to obtain abundant gratification in the main realms of life.

The Meaningful Life—a life that uses one’s signature strengths and virtues in service of something larger than self.

The Full Life—all three of the above—trickiest to achieve, but worth it.

So here’s my journey…and I’m not even a Little Kahuna on the topic. I just know that over the years, I’ve discovered my own four things.

1) Striving for perfection is not a fun way to live.

2) Surrendering to God has made all the difference for me. Being a Christian is about grace, not works. It’s the opposite of trying to be good enough.

3) Doing impactful work is a key to meaningful life. There are hundreds of ways to serve others, like making a career of it or sponsoring a child or caring for a neighbor.

4) Finding wholeness within saves us from counting on others to fill us up. (See #2 above.)

So am I the happiest person on the planet? Probably not, but I’m happy. Best Christian? Certainly not, alas. Have I made the biggest impact on the world? No, but like the saying goes,

“You might not be able to change the world, but you can change one person’s world.” And about that wholeness thing, ask God for it. It might take a lifetime, but the journey can be glorious.

About the Author

Debbie Johnson is the author of two previous books, A Pocketful of Seeds and Lessons Learned from the Bottom of the Stairs: A Story of Faith and Resilience

with Randy Milliken. She graduated from Ouachita Baptist University

(BME, MME) and has done graduate work in social work at the University

of Denver. In 1995, she founded DenverWorks to equip the unemployed in

her community. She led the organization for ten years before engaging in

international ministry, first as the vice president of Programs at the

Dalit Freedom Network and then as executive director of India

Transformed. She grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. Today she and her

husband live on a farm in Colorado with two dogs and a bunch of

chickens.

Connect with the Author: website ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~

Tour Schedule:

Aug 10 – Splashes of Joy – book review / guest post / giveaway