1st Presbyterian Church Coeur d'Alene ID
  • Home
    • Connect With Us >
      • Prayer Request
      • eNews Archive >
        • 2020 eNews Archive
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership & Staff >
      • Job Opportunities
      • Blogs >
        • Blog Archive 2021 >
          • Our Mission
          • Blog Archive 2020
    • Elders, Deacons & Ministry Teams
    • History >
      • Barb McPland Clothing Giveaway
      • Keefer's Cabin
      • Presbyterian Women
      • Past Ministers
    • What Presbyterians Believe
    • Annual Reports
  • Ministries
    • Adult Discipleship >
      • Book Studies
      • Men's Studies
      • Sermon-based Small Groups
      • Sunday Bible Study
      • Women's Studies
    • Family Ministry >
      • Nursery
      • Children
      • 1st Pres Youth
      • Family Connections
    • Missions
    • Serve >
      • Choir >
        • Special Music Archive
      • Church Ministry Teams
      • Ecumenical Kitchen
      • Family Promise
      • Handbell Choir
      • Knitting for Warmth
      • Praise Team
      • Reception Team
  • Sundays
    • Contemplative Worship
    • Classic Worship
    • Sermons
  • Giving
  • Calendar

My Own Personal Narnia

7/25/2023

5 Comments

 
I know it started after we moved to Federal Way, because I remember the exact spot I was in.

My mother gave me a copy of The Hobbit a few years earlier, when we were still in Rohnert Park, California. I would have been in the fourth grade then (1978). Having been labeled “retarded” in the first grade, I could barely read, because none of the teachers considered me worth the effort. I struggled through the book, not understanding it all, but was able to eke out enough,
Picture
Mikal Johnson
because I had seen the Rankin-Bass cartoon adaptation of The Hobbit a few months earlier. This was the first book I had ever read.

I’m sure it was still the early part of ’78, still winter, because we had not moved to Washington yet. Certainly, it was Neil Church, our music pastor, who recommended The Chronicles of Narnia to me; and thank God he did! I recall coveting a UK published set he had in his office at the church. It was closer to my actual reading level, and, therefore, much more appropriate. I had a more recent US set, and I read these books over and over (probably over 30 times) from then through the ‘80s. There was something in them that spoke to my soul, and it offered me an escape of sorts from life in a world I didn’t feel a part of.

But this recollection was from when I think I was in the fifth grade, late in the school year… so 1979 when I was eleven years old. I was at the top of the long driveway, right before the decline started. I was unhappy, lonely, and found myself standing there, praying that God would give me a passage into Narnia, or someplace like it.

My teacher that year, for whatever reason he had, suggested that I see a mental health professional (though I’m sure he said “shrink”). Not because of the Narnia thing, nobody knew that. I was almost entirely disconnected in the classroom, only occasionally speaking up, correcting the teacher on a mistake and getting myself in trouble.

I saw a psychiatrist in downtown Seattle who got me talking a lot! I don’t remember any of the topics, but I do remember the IQ test. (And I remember seeing a capuchin monkey in a car on the freeway on the way home one day.) A few years would pass before I found out what the doctor had determined about me, but the following school year, my sisters and I found ourselves in a small private school. At the start of sixth grade, I tested at a second-grade reading level. By the end of the year, I was at seventh-grade.

Unfortunately, the prime years for learning the core of mathematics had passed. However, I became a voracious reader, and C.S. Lewis was my favorite author. I had read Mere Christianity and The Problem of Pain before I turned 14. I always had two books going: one for home reading, and one I carried when we went out. At home, it was almost always Narnia. Outside, I read Edgar Rice Burroughs, JRR Tolkien, Edgar Allan Poe, various Star Trek novels, and anything else that came my way. At least once a week, I walked down to 7-11 and also picked up a couple comic books.

In 1982, the private school closed and my parents contacted the school in Texas that had provided their curriculum, arranging for my younger sister and I to do school at home. In 1983, just as my first year of home-school was ending, my family started attending a new church. On the first Sunday there, I met Gavin Anderson. It was also his first time there, and we were immediately best friends.

Shortly thereafter, I was supposed to write a short story for an English class. I don’t think I’d written a story since fourth grade. The result was chock-full of the things I felt inside. It started, “There was nothing special about Steven Collier, and people made him feel that way.” It ended with him discovering a varve that was the portal to another world. He stood there, at the exit of the magical caverns, facing a sylvan scene and two moons in the distant night sky.

In the summer of 1984, Gavin and I spent a month together working at Lakeside Bible Camp on Whidbey Island. We washed dishes, set tables, did general custodial duties… and on a couple of occasions we snuck out of the cabin at night and took a canoe out onto the lake. We sat in the canoe for what must have been hours talking about the things that were of interest to us and (we believed) to no other teenager in the ‘80s. After speculating on what Tolkien might have written further on his world of Middle Earth, I told him about my short story. He asked, “Well, what happens next?”

This was the seed of the story I’d write about Steven Collier in a world of elves, dwarves, and dragons. To date, it’s easily the longest thing I’ve ever written. Over the next years, it was the vehicle through which I experimented with writing. It’s really not good, and I’m sure will never see print, but it holds a place in my heart.

Writing became the door that God gave me into my own personal Narnia.

In Christ,
Mikal Johnson

5 Comments

Personal Confession

7/17/2023

5 Comments

 
​This is an example of Presbyterian prayers of confession. “Almighty God, we acknowledge, and confess that we have sinned against you, in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved you with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbor as ourselves. Deepen within us our sorrow for the wrong we have done and the good we have left undone. We ask you to forgive all our sin, not on the basis of our good works, but by what Jesus has already done for us on 
Picture
Heather Cederblom Bell
​the cross. In your mercy forgive us, heal us, and make us whole. Set us free from our sin and restore us to your joy.”

​
Personal confession makes me nervous. I think we are all pretty clear on the deadly sins. It’s a humbling search into my thoughts and my heart that convicts me. To God, all hearts are open, all desires are known, and there are no hidden secrets. He knows all about me and my flaws. Thankfully, he loves me just as I am and only wants what is best in my life.
 
It is impossible to pray powerful prayers when there is unconfessed sin between me and God. How often do my prayers have less power because I fail to practice meaningful confession on a daily basis? Psalm 66:18 warns that God will not hear me when I harbor sin in my heart.
 
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are told to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. When I search my heart, I come up with these thoughts and behaviors that are sinful: being consumed with earthly pursuits, bitterness, fear, and doubt. Attitudes of comparison, prejudice, pride, and feeling lukewarm towards God. My critical, unkind, or unloving words; exaggerating my stories; speaking about others when they are not present. And how about this one: speaking, when I should be quiet?
 
When I am honest with God, He will reveal areas in my heart that he wants to refine. I must not be afraid to own up to my sins. God‘s grace is sufficient. 1 John 1:9 says when we confess our sins he is faithful, and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all of righteousness.
 
Our God is so wonderfully patient and gracious. He will meet us right where we are and lovingly guide us to deeper levels of prayer after our confessions.

​In His Name, Heather
5 Comments

Be Devoted to One Another in Love

7/10/2023

1 Comment

 
Why are we holding Coffeehouse Conversations? As stated in Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” The act of listening, the act of
understanding those who have overcome challenges, the act of showing kindness — this is why we are bringing people in to share their stories; to witness the trials and celebrate the victories that form the lives of our neighbors.
​
Picture
Donna Brundage
Our latest evening was spent with people whose lives were impacted at an early age by
diseases that left them paralyzed, as well as the mother of a paraplegic daughter and a son with autism, who started a bakery that employs those with enhanced needs. Their stories were inspiring and thought provoking. At the end of the night, those who wished to have a lived experience attempted to navigate a course filled with barriers that those in wheelchairs face daily.
​
A few comments from those who attended:
​
Picture
​“The conversations highlighted how the reality of having a disability was tackled head on by the brave individuals who spoke, and how they were taking such positive actions to make others aware to improve accessibility for others with handicaps. Also, the treats prepared by the Village Bakery were outstanding!!!” — Darlene Nason

“An enormous thank you for presenting the amazing evening last night! Such an enlightening experience. We changed lives!” — Suzy Jolley

“Trying to navigate a few obstacles in a wheelchair was humbling to think of those who have to navigate the world around them every day. Pushing the wheelchair over the first bump while remaining upright only to be faced with a door that opened towards me, threatening to push me back down the bump I had just conquered, was very frustrating. I was proud that I could complete the course at all as it seemed every new surface or incline threatened to topple me over.” — Bonnie Piovesen


As we continue to practice Love First, we hope that you will join us in August as we explore the complicated issue of homelessness.

MATTHEW 5:16  "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

In His Name, Donna
1 Comment

Freedom

7/4/2023

2 Comments

 
As we are nearing the 4th of July holiday, I always reflect upon its significance. It is of course the day our country declared its independence. It is freedom from foreign rule. It has special meaning to me because I grew up in a political family. My mother was active in the League of Women Voters, and she and my older brother John would stay up late at night discussing issues that they thought were important. John was consumed by what
Picture
Ellen Taylor
was going on in the world; and his aspiration was to help change things for the better. Eventually, he was successful in that regard by serving in political office. I personally was never very interested in what they were talking about. I think that was because I was 6 years younger than my brother and I was focused on taking ballet lessons! Important stuff like the 4th of July, however, was different.

All families have traditions. There are things that families do every year, people they remember, or dates they commemorate. In our family on the 4th of July, we set off fireworks just like everybody else. But the important tradition we had on this date was to read the Declaration of Independence together and really spend time reflecting on this amazing document and how it paved the way to freedom for our country. The Rights that it spelled out, that we are entitled to, have not changed.  Despite many changes in our world, our desire for Freedom remains.

I believe that the most important thing to understand as Christians is the message that the document provides. My favorite (and probably the most famous) passage is, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The authors of this document clearly were men of faith. I believe that they acknowledged the existence of God as our Creator, but primarily they were talking about personal independence. This would be the ability to make our own decisions and choose our own path in life.

But there is a different type of freedom: the type that Christ offers us. This freedom is not contained in a document written by man. This is not a freedom that we have had to earn. We do not receive it by doing good works or by staying busy doing what we think is right. It is, however, the most important type of freedom. I am, of course, speaking of spiritual freedom. We can only attain this by truly accepting God as our Savior and by following His teachings. When Jesus came to earth to walk among us, He said that He had come to proclaim freedom. (Luke 4:18) He also said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36) He was not setting us free to do whatever we wanted to. He was liberating us to walk in relationship with God and to be the type of people He created us to be. He gave us the ability to obey God and to choose His will for our lives. So my hope for you would be to allow yourself to commit to the will of God, for this is the only sure way to find peace and to be truly free.

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John: 8:32
​In His name,
Ellen
2 Comments

    What's Up

    Our staff is voluntold each week and with grace they share their thoughts.

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

Home
Calendar
Connect With Us
Giving
Staff
Worship Schedule
 First Presbyterian Church | 521 E Lakeside Ave | Coeur d'Alene | ID  83814
​Copyright © 1888 - 2025
​
  • Home
    • Connect With Us >
      • Prayer Request
      • eNews Archive >
        • 2020 eNews Archive
  • Who We Are
    • Leadership & Staff >
      • Job Opportunities
      • Blogs >
        • Blog Archive 2021 >
          • Our Mission
          • Blog Archive 2020
    • Elders, Deacons & Ministry Teams
    • History >
      • Barb McPland Clothing Giveaway
      • Keefer's Cabin
      • Presbyterian Women
      • Past Ministers
    • What Presbyterians Believe
    • Annual Reports
  • Ministries
    • Adult Discipleship >
      • Book Studies
      • Men's Studies
      • Sermon-based Small Groups
      • Sunday Bible Study
      • Women's Studies
    • Family Ministry >
      • Nursery
      • Children
      • 1st Pres Youth
      • Family Connections
    • Missions
    • Serve >
      • Choir >
        • Special Music Archive
      • Church Ministry Teams
      • Ecumenical Kitchen
      • Family Promise
      • Handbell Choir
      • Knitting for Warmth
      • Praise Team
      • Reception Team
  • Sundays
    • Contemplative Worship
    • Classic Worship
    • Sermons
  • Giving
  • Calendar