I was in class today and one of the kids pulled up a video online of the classic Charlie Brown Christmas. I had to stop in my tracks because of the memories from my childhood that flooded my mind that surrounded me watching that Christmas program every year. I also began to remember how innocent I was and how I had no care for the things that we as adults have to be mindful of. The most important thing for me was getting the toys that I wanted for Christmas. If I were to receive nothing for Christmas, I would have been completely devastated.  I would have felt like life just needed to be over. I remember having those feelings over some toys that would be broken or old news within thirty days. Also today in gym class, a young lady was careless and someone stole her I-phone. Most of what she got from everyone was that she needs to be more responsible. Well of course she does, we all do. But she was totally depleted.  Her phone was her prize possession.  I told her that I understood how she feels and that I know how important her phone must be to her being a teenager. I said that to her because I remember being a teen. I believe we fail with our teenagers often because we have just forgotten what its like to be one, but today, I remembered. Do you remember?

Rhon Johnson

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Power Question:

How can we help those that we do not understand? 

Rhon Johnson (1966 –      )

I have written in my blog about people in general before. But I can never say enough about how important people are, and that the only way we as people are going to know how important we are is through other people. We are the most valued of all things in this universe. We are also the most damaged. All of us have wounds that are effecting everything we do. Many of us have not even taking time to inventory the damage that has been done to us by others and even ourselves. This whole thing is progressive. I came to find out that I grew up in an environment that did very little to reflect back to me who I am truly meant to be. I had to tell myself as I went through many of those things to just lock it a way and keep right on pushing. Well as I kept pushing along, the inventory of scars and wound kept mounting up as well. I kept telling myself that I was okay and took pride in the fact that I was not allowing these things to keep me down on the inside. How young and ignorant I was of how these kind of things work. I had no idea that the scars and wounds were not healing and that one day they were going to demand that I pay them some attention, the kind of attention that would allow them the time to heal. When I began to write my book about my up bringing, it forced me to take a look at all the thing that I had placed in the attic of my mind. I found myself beginning to feel what I should have been feeling when a was a child. It was weird, because I’m a strong man and nothing gets me down, or at least that’s what I had led myself to believe. I came to see that I was devastated on the inside and had been so all along . Now I was beginning to experience pain, anger, shock, depression, and total dis-belief that I was having these emotions. The bottom line was that these issue wanted me to finally deal with them. I had to because it was also effecting all of my relationships in a negative way. Knowing that my heart is to truly help people, I knew that in order for me to really do this on the level that is in my heart, that I was going to have to inventory myself and get the healing I needed so that my life can powerfully help the lives of other people. So there it is, people effect other people one way or the other. How we see ourselves determines how we will respond to others. I have shared this story with you because you represent what we all care about the most, PEOPLE!!  I love people, and I want to give them the best possible me!!! So, how is your life effecting others?

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

Look around, everything we  see  and everything we do, is connected to people

Rhon Johnson (1966 –      )

Have you ever heard it said, that you’re so busy focusing on what you think you want that what you have is falling apart? Stop and think about that for a moment. Are there things in our life that are dying from neglect because we have paid no attention to them because we are so busy paying attention to how we think we are going to get that next thing we want so badly.  It’s a vicious cycle that any of us can get caught up in. As soon as we get that next thing then it will soon be the thing that is starving for our attention. Hey, it’s okay to have and want things, I’m just talking to us about being in the middle of the road, especially if one of those things that may be starving for our attention is a child, spouse, or some other person that we may have an obligation to.

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

What a waste for something or someone to never reach their potential because we have just failed to pay them attention accordingly.

Rhon Johnson (1966 –     )

I find myself asking this question often. What’s next for me? What is it that I can do that is really going to make me feel complete and fulfilled on the inside? I’m not rich, and as an adult, I have never been without food or a place to lay my head and neither have my kids. I have not considered myself to be a success by any means until my AAU coach read my book, and made these comments to me one early morning at a men’s meeting. He said, “Rhon, I remember when I met you and I knew that you were coming from a place of low means and a tough environment. But as I look at you today, even in the mist of some of your mistakes, you do not resemble a man that came from where I know that you came from. You have far exceeded what was provided for you and you are giving your kids a much better picture as a father than your father gave you. You may not be where you want to be financially, but you made it out and now you have written a book and using your life to help others. If that’s not success, then I’m not sure what is.” Those words helped me to see that I was in a transitional period of my life. I was spending my time trying to be successful when I had already achieved it. It is now time for me to submit to somethings and realize that because I made it out, that I am extremely qualified and have a huge responsibility to help others do the same. I also recognized that in doing so, I would find the provision necessary to do so as well as provide for my family for generations to come. You have heard me say it before and you will hear me say it again. This life is not about us. My friends I am on the verge of stepping into a place that I have never been before. I place that I have always wanted and prayed to be in, and that is standing before people, allowing them to see me for who and am, and encouraging them with my life to come up higher. I have to admit that I am a little nervous because I don’t have all the answers and I don’t know how I’m going to get some of the things done that need to be done, but what I do know is that this is what’s next for me. What about you?

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

Many times we are found laboring to achieve something we don’t fully understand and as a result we are spending time pursuing that which we may already have.

Rhon Johnson (1966 –      )

I have thought about this a lot through out my life, and how much I have allowed myself to get in the way of what I want. Whenever things go wrong in our adult lives, the first place we need to look is in the mirror. But don’t gaze to long though. We need to do for ourselves what we need to for other when they trespass against us. We need to forgive ourselves, set ourselves free ,and get on with life. No matter what has been said or done, we as people never lose our value. If we can come to understand that as we move along through life, we are more likely to make fewer mistakes and if we do make a mistake it will allow us to better recognize, repent, and recover. I remember once when my oldest son was just in the first grade and he had gotten in trouble at school. I asked him what made him do such a thing, and he told me the devil made him do it. I tried to keep a straight face because I needed to discipline him, but he was already mastering the art of putting the blame on someone else just like all the rest of us have. The truth is, the devil might show you the water well, but he has never  primed the pump and made us drink from it. Thats right, we need to recognize, repent, and recover. This is the first step in getting ourselves out of the way we desire to go.

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

If you’re in your way and you don’t know, then you are not focused on going forward. Look up to see who is in front of you!

Rhon Johnson (1966 –     )

As we go through this life and make strides to accomplish what is in our hearts to accomplish, there are things being lobbed at us constantly with the intent of tearing us down. The bigger the accomplishment, the great the attack. I remember when I was alone. All I thought about was myself. Then I got married, then came children and a house. You know how the story goes. The more I added to my life, the more avenues were created for me to be mindful of. With each milestone came along with it a need to grow and expand in my understanding. Just simply going into uncharted territory is a guarantee that there are going to be problems along the way. Therefore we should expect some. Decisions have to be made as to how to handle some of the problems that present themselves.We can’t get it all right all the time. This is one of the main reasons why I read so many books in attempt to give myself an edge as I enter into some of these uncharted areas of life. Nevertheless, I still make mistake that sometimes feel like its is all over now!! And lets not forget the thoughts that bombard our minds when things don’t go right. Makes us just want to have a big pity party sometimes. Those parties are just too expensive and they add up quickly. I like how Joyce Meyer put it once when she had somethings going wrong in her life. “You can pitiful or you can be powerful, but you can not be both.” Man I absolutely love that! It ‘s a knock down drag out fight to keep ourselves from attending our own pity party. As I sit here today tempted to be pitiful but choosing to be powerful as I follow through on some commitments when it would be so much easier to just sit on the couch and watch football all day and get nothing accomplished. Yes, I fight with it just like the next guy, and I have shared this with you because there is an evil sinister force out there that wants us to think that we are the only ones that struggle with what we struggle with. We must not believe that lie as it comes to our thoughts. Lets keep moving in the face of our thoughts being attacked by keeping our sites on the prize of our efforts.

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

Whether we fight or not, we are still going to be attacked, so we may as well fight!! 

Rhon Johnson (1966 –      )

I know that this is the time of year when we are all thinking about what we are thankful for. Things like family, home , and jobs. I am thankful for those things as well, but I am also thankful for all of you. Also remember that being thankful should be an everyday event and not just limited to a one day out of the year.

                                                                                                      Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

I’m thankful because I choose to be 

Rhon Johnson    (1966 –      )

There was a time in my life when I was so rigid when it came to people. If they used file language  or had a drink or two, a was so judgmental. I was about to become so heavenly minded that I was was no earthly good. I was extremely foolish and ignorant about what it means to truly love someone. I desperately wanted to help people live better lives but I was clueless about how to do so with those that were not as heavenly minded as I appeared to be. The bottom line is this, we just need  to be around people and love them because they are people. Hopefully our  life will help some of them along the way. Condemning people will never work, but loving them will work every time. Love is one the most powerful forces known because it takes no account of ones behavior, it is only concerned about the the person.

Rhon Johnson

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If we isolate those that we perceive to be walking a lower life, then how can we ever help them find their way.

Rhon Johnson (1966 –       )

No matter how hard we try  to avoid them, they always seem to somehow divert our attention away from what we need to be paying attention to. Distractions are constantly being launched at our minds as weapons of mass incompleteness. If we don’t figure out a way to deal with these little demons appropriately, then the end result of most of what we are trying to do will be tagged and stamped INCOMPLETE!!!!! We all have a race to run, and we all want to cross the finish line. I know that there are some things that will happen and we must stop and pay them some attention. I’m not referring to those things. I’m talking about those things that are not going to be profitable after we have given them the time of day. Stop and think for a minute, you know the kind of things I’m talking about. These little demons will come at us from those that live in the same house, and even those that share the same bed. Think about Adam for a minute when he stood there and watched Eve talk things out with the devil, when he knew that it was all wrong. But because he wanted to please her, he allowed that to brake his focus concerning what he was supposed to be doing. So, what I’m I saying here? I’m saying that if we are going to run and finish our course, there are going to be some days when we just have to be unpopular to get the job done. Our focus is our weapon that allows us to fulfill our dreams.

Rhon Johnson

Power Statement:

No focus, no finish, its just that simple.

Rhon Johnson  (1966 –       )

The word is getting out that I have written a book about my child and adolescent years. But “Bound By Nothing ” is not just a book, but also a movement. A movement that is going to help us re-structure our culture. The Bound By Nothing Tour has not even began to scratch the surface concerning the work that it has to accomplish. The tour is headed into our public schools, our prisons, and our churches. You might ask why we are starting there, well the answer is as simple as the one given by the famous bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks. He replied, ‘Because that’s where the money is.’ You see, the tour is headed into those venues because that’s where we will find our children and people that are still  bound up by the issues of their past and current situations. If we are to reform our culture, we must do so by reaching out to our communities and connecting to people right where they are. The message that we must send is that they are important to us and our society, and that we need and desire them to be an interactive part of who we are and what we are doing. I have been working with people for a long time, and I have come to find that if we are not made to feel important early on, then we are most likely to behave in such a way that does not reflect who we really are. In order for us to feel important, we must have someone that has taken the responsibility to mirror or reflect back to us a clear picture of what we are supposed to be developing into. The problem is that there are so many things trying to reflect back to us. These things all say, ‘ hey, look at me, this is what we are supposed to be.’ So how do we know what picture to model ourselves after. This can be difficult for some, but the truth to the matter is this, in that moment, must of us know what is right but we just don’t know how and or lack  the courage to turn away. This is why it is so important that those of us that have the knowledge, through whatever means, and that have the courage to respond appropriately, get busy doing so. The time is now!  We have to pull together because we need a major cultural reformation in our society so that we as a people can be bound by nothing.

Rhon Johnson

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Power Statement:

Tie my hands and bind me up and I will use my mind to figure out how to get free; but bind my hands and my mind both, then I may never even know that I need to get free.

Rhon Johnson (1966 –      )