Entries by Dena Johnson

The Art of Receiving

All of our lives, we are told that it is  more blessed to give than to receive. We train our children to give and share. We take great delight in showering our children with gifts for their birthdays and Christmas. We find  joy in giving to those who are less fortunate than us. Few things […]

Freedom Through Forgiveness

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). In the days following Hank’s death, I prepared myself for the funeral. I had reintroduced myself to the church, […]

Hannah’s Hurt

Have you ever been so distraught that you literally cried before God? Most of us have probably experienced that type of anguish. Maybe our first instinct is to turn to God in our hurt. Maybe it is our last resort. God loves us so much that His heart is moved in our distress. He hurts […]

This is where the healing begins…

Afraid to let your secrets out Everything that you hide Can come crashing through the door now But too scared to face all your fear So you hide but you find That the shame won’t disappear So let it fall down There’s freedom waiting in the sound When you let your walls fall to the […]

The Faith of a Widow

So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” But she said, “I […]

What’s in a name?

One day, my son and his friend were recounting a story to me about how they had tricked some kids they met. Blake and his friend had told these boys that their names were George and Sid. “Can you believe they would believe that?” Blake’s friend asked me. “I mean, who names their kid “Sid” […]

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My story…

To truly understand much of what I have to say, you must have some background. I do not tell any of these details to disparage anyone or to air my dirty laundry, but future posts are dependent upon knowing my story. So, I will give you the Cliff’s Notes version. In July of 2008, my […]

Welcome to Dena’s Devos!

For many years, I had what appeared to be the perfect life. I was raised in a tight-knit family with loving parents and siblings. I had a perfect little family, complete with three amazing kids. I was living my dream of being a pastor’s wife–exactly what I always knew God had called me to! Then, […]