Please pray!

Every Tuesday night, a few of the young professionals from my church get together for a bible study, food and fellowship. It is one of the few times in the week that I am blessed to be surrounded by Christians, my age, who have the same spiritual drive as I do.
Last night was amazing! There is a young Air Force Couple who have been coming off and on to church, but have been very devoted to coming to the bible study on Tuesdays. Sunny grew up Baptist, but really doesn't know much about living like a Christian. His wife Branda never really had exposure to a church or the bible while growing up--she comes to church/study because Sunny comes to church.
Last night was so amazing because after people started going their own ways, Sunny pulled aside a couple of us and started asking some really good questions--what do i have to do to be a member? When do you do baptisms? Can Branda and I be baptized at different times? I was baptized when i was little--is that ok? Some really good questions for 2 people who are looking and seeking out answers!
So pray for Sunny and Branda as they continue their search for Jesus; pray for open hearts and ears. And pray for those of us who will be starting a new studying with them, that they can give them the answers and information they need as they seek out Jesus.

No cable here...

I must say, I revel in the fact that we don't have cable. Talking with friends and co-workers, the conversation usually goes like this: "Sam, did you see last nights episode of ____?" and i almost always say, "No, I don't have cable" to which I get some of the best facial reactions. It's one of the few highlights in my work day. You want to really shock someone--tell them you don't have cable.
Now, I watch TV-I have 3 channels--ABC, CBS and the CW--only because we got a digital converter so we wouldn't be totally out of the bubble with what is going on in the world. I watch LOST, and before we go about our nightly life Sean and I watch both the national and local news, and sometimes catch a CSI or Criminal Minds episode--but it's a personal choice to not spend out money on cable.
Sean and I made a dedication when we got married, not just to love each other until death do us part, but to also live our life with Simplicity and Frugality--we actually have it engraved on our wedding rings. It's a reminder to us that we don't have to have the flashy new stuff, or to try and one-up the neighbor with a new toy. It's a reminder to live life without the distractions that the world throws at us. It is a reminder that we can entertain ourselves without having to pay for it--we walk the dogs, root around in our garden, we take day trips to the river and mountains. But the biggest thing we've done with out spare times is read our bible and attend a bible study with friends. As we fall more in love with our life style of simplicity and frugality, we have fallen more in love with God, and that makes me proud to say, I DON'T HAVE CABLE.

The busy life...

It has been a quick 2 months to start off 2009 with. I hope it slows down a bit so i can remember what actually happens this year!

Sean and I have been keeping our feet running these past 2 months. There have been 2 major changes we made: 1) we built a carport onto our house to a) help block out the sun in the afternoon and b) cover more of our driveway so we can have 2 vehicle protected from the weather.2) we traded in my Xterra for a little Ford Ranger! It wasn't a necessary move for us, but financially it saved us big bucks and it keeps the dogs from stinking up a vehicle!

Both of us have also had some major changes with our jobs. I have moved into an assistant Project Manager position with my company as we have started a second job on the Air Force Base. It has been crazy with the office move and having to sort thru and organize paperwork for 2 jobs, but I have quickly fallen into a routine that is working for me. I just hope my superintendent can keep up! On a side note, my SI's wife has been very sick off and on for these past 2 years. Currently she is in the hospital for a foot injury/surgery/recovery. Her constant health up's and down's are really starting to wear on my boss Jimmy. So if you guys could keep Jimmy and Hayden in your prayers, and my sanity, I'd greatly appreciate it!

Sean has decided to join the Montana Air National Guard (MANG). He has been very stressed out recently with this decision; is it the right thing to do? Is it the right time to do it? Will the MANG accept him in? More than anything, Sean wants a job and career where he can work with people who have a purpose, are driven, organized and take pride in their work. The 2 current jobs he has (UPS and Chili's) are all about making the cooperate guy big bucks. One of his supervisors at UPS actually scolded Sean because he was too efficient at his job! Seriously.
Sean and I have come to the conclusion that him joining the MANG is a good move for both of us. At first it will only by one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year, but it will allow him to leave UPS and have a normal routine. No more waking up at 3AM and to bed by 7PM. There is a full-time officer position open in Bio-engineering. Our hope and prayers is that Sean will quickly qualify for it and become a full-time employee.
But one of the biggest motivations for Sean to take this new career path is working with the church. His current schedule doesn't allow for him to be as active with our church family as he would like. He gets to attend Sunday morning worship and occasionally Small groups Sunday night, but that is the extent of his church activities. There is so much more he wants to be involved in and many people's lives he wants to be involved in, but the current 2-job situation doesn't allow for it.
So that is the update with the Montana Johnson's. Hopefully as my job settles down, I can be more consistent with updating our lives on this blog. Pray for us as we transition into the MANG and that Sean gets the officer position. Pray that we can touch the lives of the people around us and that when they see us in our daily lives, they see Jesus walking next to us.

Merry Christmas!

It has been a quick December and I hope and pray that as the New Year approaches, you've been greatly blessed by our God and Father.
Travel safe this holiday season!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God Bless,
Sammie and Sean

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels, and a blessed weekend!

God Bless!

no tourists here!

One of the best blessing of being in Montana is being so close to God's true beauty! The weekend after my birthday, Sean surprised me with a trip to Glacier Park. One of the best things about October is that the tourists are all gone and you pretty much have the whole park to yourself.
We first stopped in Apgar and checked out Lake MacDonald. There was a great Park Ranger we talked to for a while and were able to let our dogs Kintla and Kaine explore the area. At this location we saw 4 people--during tourist season, we probably would have seen 1000+!!!
After our informative talk with the Park Ranger, we drove all the way to Kintla Lake, a place neither of us had visited before. If you don't know where that is, we were the farthest West you can drive to in the park--about 8 miles from the Canadian Boarder.

Pulling into the campground, there was 1 other tent, and no one in sight! We had the place to ourselves until early evening. Three trucks pulled into the other camp site and 8 young people from Kalispell joined us. They played the Guitar for most of the night and by the time Sean and I went to bed, half of them left.
Sean and I explored the area with the dogs and tried our luck with fly fishing. Sean and i woke to frost on our tent and two very happy dogs waiting to be let loose to chase the squirrels that had taunted them all night!

We stopped in Polebridge, MT on our way home the next morning. It is right outside the park and we talked with some of the locals; there are about 30-40 people living there year round. The bakery had the most delicious scones you will EVER taste. There is also a 'tripod' pup that stands his ground at the Mercantile. Very sweet dog and has a very sad story.

The best part of the weekend was experiencing a new part of the park together. The west side of the park really is more beautiful than the East. The second best part was showing Sean that there are parts of the park that do not have paved roads and tourists. He was a little bitter the first time I took him to Glacier--we did the tourist thing and showed him all the highlights of the park--this time I was able to show him how secluded and rough the park can really be!

before you 'VOTE '08'

Many people our age are actually getting interested in politics which is wonderful! I can't say I've been more proud of people my age getting involved in their future than when I hear them discussing politics and who they believe will make the best president for the next 4 years.
However i get ANGRY when i hear some of the uneducated people speak out based on all the hullabaloo being thrown out by our two lovely Presidential candidates, their running mates, and their campaign people.
Before you decide on which candidate to pick--whether you support the 'rockstar-statused' senator without 'any true executive experience' or the 'pruned' war-veteran who always has an 'Ace up his sleeve'--one needs to check the facts. Don't be naive and believe everything you hear on TV and radio.
Be responsible--check the facts at www.FactCheck.org
Compair the two candidate's tax plans, their standing on the war, abortion, marriage, the economy, energy plans, etc. Then, once you've educated yourself, make your voice heard! Get out and VOTE America!