My Amazing Journey: Christ's Super on my Natural

By Gary Johnson

Was sitting in a darkened hospital room in 1967, Memphis, Tennessee, visiting an ex-Navy buddy suffering from leukemia. Suddenly, a light-the size and shape of a man-passed over his comatose body, and he sat up and spoke to me.

I was working in the computer department of a Holiday Inn subsidiary at the time, on a fast track to advance, I

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Oct 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647738563

Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson began his career in 1964 at NASA Johnson Space Center as a project engineering in the Power Distribution and Sequencing Section for subsystem support of the Apollo sequencer system. Following various roles and responsibilities, last being Associate Director for Technical, Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate, he retired from NASA in 2006. From March 2007 to June 2010 he was an SAIC IPAO Contract technical consultant on the Constellation Program Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Standing Review Board for Safety, and from June 2007 to September 2012 he was an SAIC Safety & Mission Assurance Support Services Contract technical consultant for Apollo and Space Shuttle lessons learned training and Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) S&MA Flight Safety Office assessments. As of October 2012, he has been an Aerospace Safety Consultant for J & P Technologies, supporting the SAIC Safety & Mission Support Engineering Services Contract to the NASA Johnson Space Center Safety & Mission Assurance Directorate, Flight Safety Office.

Book preview

Acknowledgments

Thank You, precious Holy Spirit, for Your guidance throughout my life’s journey and for the inspiration to record much of the salient parts of it in this book. Thank You for being at the right hand of my heart to continually empower, guide, equip, and correct me. I trust You explicitly!

I also wish to express my deepest gratitude to the countless numbers of my precious family members and friends who have stood with me throughout my life and during this particular phase, giving me so much godly counsel, advice, help, and encouragement. Thanks!

It is a marvel to me, and I am so thankful to have been afforded the privilege of sitting under and learning at the feet of so many special and anointed servants of God. A myriad of love-slaves, manifesting a diversity of gifts and callings, portraying different measures of the fivefold ministry gifts—a subject I delve into in this writing. None of whom considered themselves to be big shots, by the way. Some are now in heaven, but most are still on the battlefield for Christ. Some of them are detailed in this writing.

Introduction

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12–14)

This declaration of Jesus blows me away! That scripture baffled me so much I never preached on it until the gist of what He was saying finally began to sink in. The Holy Spirit was sent at Pentecost not as some novelty to give them goose bumps but to empower the New Testament church to get about the Father’s business and finish the work Jesus began!

The greater works has nothing to do with the quality of the works, but rather the quantity. Jesus won’t be upstaged by anyone, but as a man, He was limited to being in one place at a time. Now, there were 120 believers coming out of the upper room after Pentecost, looking just like Jesus—something that must have put the devil into a huge tailspin!

COVID-19 is gripping the world with paralyzing fear this very hour. It is a masterstroke of Satan to distract the church from its mission. This is not the time for a spiritual hiatus. The church of the Lord Jesus should be hitting on all cylinders just as the early church did during extremely difficult times under Roman rule: miraculous signs and wonders abounded!

Jesus warned us that tormenting fear would be a major sign of His imminent return to earth. Should His church succumb to fear? No way! Here is what thrills me: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). Unlimited power from the Holy Spirit, unfathomable love from Father God, who sent His pattern Son to die in our place, and a peaceful mind that Christ lavished upon us as He left planet Earth!

I am so refreshed to be reminded of all the Supernatural events that have occurred since my journey began on November 3, 1940. I am more convinced now than ever that God desires to put some Super upon our Natural as we make this pilgrimage. This does not mean miracles will be everyday occurrences. The Bible also says, We walk by faith, and not by sight.

However, all our lives should be interspersed with periods of Divine intervention. Heavenly Father is pleased when we take Him at His Word and avail ourselves of all His beloved Son purchased for us through the agony of His crucifixion, and what was accomplished for us through the power of His resurrection!

We each have a story to tell and here is mine. It is laced with Divine encounters that keep occurring in Evelyn’s and my journey. May they never end until Christ returns, or I leave this planet for better quarters!

I have always lived somewhat on the edge, which I believe was primarily God’s doing! But I would be the first to admit that I’ve bumbled, fumbled, and stumbled at times while on this journey. As you take this trip with me, it will reveal the desire I have had from early childhood to pursue God with a passion! I will piggyback on a hilarious comment my friend Bob Mumford made: I used to have wings until the backbiters ate them off.

Something is called supernatural or miraculous when it happens totally outside the realm of human manipulation or reasoning. Some of the experiences I’m about to share with you have been so bizarre and extraordinary that one might think I’ve fabricated or dreamed them. They are real; they are as fresh in my mind today as the day they occurred!

I have no desire to embellish or add to any of those occurrences, but merely to share them with you. The reason is twofold: to inspire and provoke you to go for the gold yourselves and that honor and glory might be brought to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Champion who made it through on our behalf!

During your journey with me, I will talk about two amazing parents who faced insurmountable odds and prevailed! I will share about the many good (and sometimes stretching) times we had as a large family. I’ll share about growing up in the amazing fifties and about my Navy days, where I had the privilege of meeting the love of my life, Ms. Evelyn! I will talk about when God called me to work for Him full-time. I will share how He helped us birth the church (Dove Christian Center, DCC) here in Rapid City and about being sent to different places around the world.

Evelyn and I have two kids, five grandkids, and eleven great-grandkids as of this writing (August 2020). The kids and grandkids will be interwoven into the story from time to time. But I must refrain from talking about the great-grandkids, because if I start down that trail, this book will be endless. They are all the greatest and have brought us so much pleasure!

Since I will be talking about my upbringing and our family life, I have decided to include my parents’ own autobiographies at the end (Mama Nell had an amazing gift for writing). I know you will enjoy it! My brief comments about my parents at the beginning are from my own recollections. Their autobiographies should clear up any discrepancies.

So, let’s go!

John O family (Carl top 2nd from right); Hayfield w/Dad.

The Early Years

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed but shall speak with their enemies in the gate. (Ps. 127:3–5)

Carl and Nellie

My dad, Carl Wendell Johnson (the fourth eldest of nine), grew up on a homestead in the hills west of Sisseton, South Dakota. His dad, John O Johnson, emigrated from Falun, Sweden, in 1883. He established a remarkably successful farm on lakeshore property near Sisseton.

As a young lad, Dad found a fiddle in the attic of an old house. He made his own bow from a horse’s tail and taught himself how to play. He soon became quite accomplished and began playing for barn dances. He told me that he and my uncle Walt took a horse team to Peever, South Dakota, for a big holiday celebration. Dad won the fiddlers contest, Uncle Walt won the liars contest, and they both got $10. That was a chunk of change in those days! Uncle Walt could spin yarns a mile long. We kids loved to sit at his feet and listen to him bloviate.

Peever was quite a thriving little town in the early days, mainly due to the railroad. Dad’s family and many others in the region gathered there one afternoon to witness the first car coming into town. The banker had purchased one in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and had gone to get it. All those assembled were looking toward a ridge in the east where the trail was. Suddenly, a guy on horseback came galloping over the ridge, hollering, He’s coming, he’s coming! A big celebration followed.

My dad’s generation was incredibly unique. They went from the horse-and-buggy era to a man landing on the moon. The prophet Daniel had this to say while speaking of the end-times: But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase (Dan. 12:4). Overseas travel in Dad’s day was done by ship: now we can traverse the globe in a matter of hours by jet. We’re now told knowledge doubles in less than a year’s time. My personal experience with computers dating back to 1959 reaffirms that possibility to me. I also had an experience in 2006 that relates. I’ll speak of both later.

My mom, Nellie Edith (Nell) Brown, grew up on a homestead about five miles (as the crow flies) from where Carl lived. She was the youngest of seven children and the only girl who lived at home.

One winter afternoon, Nell’s dad took a horse team into town; he got drunk and froze to death on the way home. The horse team found its own way home. Due to a blizzard, the family could not get out to bury him. So, he was left lying in a grain bin covered with canvas. For a long period, she (age four) and her brother Bud (age five) would go out and lift the canvas to touch their dad.

Times were tough. Her mom, Emma, and older boys tended to the small farm. They worked hard just to eke out a living; Emma also drove a cook wagon for cattle drives and thrashing crews.

Emma Brown family; Nell only girl.

Many of the neighbors were Native Americans and would walk past the edge of Emma’s property. The women were shy and would usually walk past with their heads down. One day, one of the women made eye contact with Grandma Brown (Emma). She motioned for the woman to come over, and they soon became good friends. She taught Grandma Brown Dakota Sioux, and Grandma taught her English.

As a midwife, Grandma Brown delivered over 150 Native American babies; she delivered many other children as well. The Native people also trusted her to nurse them when they were in poor health. Grandma taught me some Sioux language when I was young. It made me feel special! On her deathbed, she would try communicating with the family using both Sioux and English; it was very touching and even a bit humorous at times.

Nell, in her teens, went with her brothers to a barn dance where Carl was playing. Dad could not take his eyes off her and asked if he could come over to her place to see her. She replied, Yes. Shortly thereafter, he rode the five miles across the prairie, flying high! Grandma abruptly told him Nell was too young and chased him away. Carl could not get Nell off his mind. He persisted, and eventually, Grandma let him in the house. Not long after, Carl and Nellie married, having a deep love relationship lasting over sixty-three years.

Dad grew up Lutheran and Mom had no spiritual moorings whatsoever. They attended a small Lutheran church in the hills near Sisseton. None of the members had cars. Dad said you could tell who was coming by the color of their horse teams. One time, a circuit-riding preacher named Oscar Knutson held a revival meeting for their small church. He told the people they must be born again. Dad said they had never heard that before. He went to the altar. When he opened his eyes, there was Mom, standing beside him. They committed their lives to Christ and never looked back!

Mom told me that once she was taken to the hospital, hemorrhaging badly, and it could not be stopped. The doctor told Dad she would not live until morning. They had either heard of or had just started attending the small Pentecostal Assemblies of God church in Sisseton (not sure which). Carl and Nell knew the church prayed for the sick and had heard of some being healed.

That night, Dad trekked from the hospital down to the parsonage and knocked on the door. Still in his pajamas, the pastor answered the door. Dad told him that his wife, Nellie, was dying, and would he pray for her? The pastor said, Let me get my clothes on and I’ll go with you. Dad said, You don’t need to do that. You can pray right here. Dad had a faith level like the Roman Centurion in Matthew 8:5–13. As a result, Mom was healed instantly!

Mom’s miraculous healing sent my parents on a quest for the supernatural, a search that never abated!

Life with Ten Children

Carl and Nell had ten children in rapid succession. They had five girls and then five boys. Astonishingly, none of us were born in the same month. Mom’s birthday was in a different month as well. We had eleven months covered out of the year. I sometimes chide, They knew all about family planning in those days.

After five girls in a row, the folks were so happy to have their first boy, Carl Jr. However, at around thirteen months, he contracted a virus. I believe they called it croup. They took him in the old car to Watertown for medical treatment. Carl Jr. died while there. Mom held him in her arms the sixty miles back home—so hard to comprehend!

Seeing as dad did not have any land of his own, he rented grazing land and took care of other people’s cattle. On the property was a small house that was called the Kelly Place (not sure of the prior history.)

I am going to spend a little time on this because that was where the girls spent most of their growing-up years. There were two small rooms on the main level, one upper room with low sidewalls having a sloping roof. The chimney from the woodstove traversed through that room. That was where the girls slept. The only heat they had was from the chimney.

In really cold weather, Mom placed blankets over the uninsulated doors. We would all huddle in the main room, attempting to keep warm. The cabinets in the kitchen were not attached: once, Audrey reached up to get something, and they fell over, breaking all the dishes. The kitchen would be moved to an attached lean-to during the summer months.

We had an outdoor toilet and a well some twenty yards from the house. Sometimes, Mom would walk up the snowbank and break branches off the trees to put in the cookstove. She said one time a lady brought them some goods because we were so poor. Mom said she did not know we were poor until that lady told her.

The girls, being older, had it pretty tough at times. They had to share in the chores, like cooking and washing clothes by hand. My sister Verla told me that, at the early age of about eleven, she often had to milk ten cows by hand. The eldest, LaVerna, had a momentary bout with sadness when she heard mom was pregnant with the tenth. She had to help so much with the child-rearing. That was short-lived, however, after little curly-headed Wendell was born and began filling the atmosphere with his clever antics!

We moved from the Kelly Place to a larger house on Highway 10 (west of Sisseton). It seemed like a mansion to us. I never realized how small it really was until returning years later for a look. I remember chasing little Jimmy around the dining room table while laughing it up! Once, we were looking out the window as a tornado was swiftly approaching from the west. Several of the windows blew out. The sheep shed was picked up and dumped into the pasture.

There were happy times there too. Sometimes I would walk with my dad as he went to the pasture to get the cows. Our little dog, Shep, would follow us. Dad would holler, Shep, git for home! He did not want Shep to scare the cows. According to Dad, one time I hollered, Shep, forget home!

Forging Ahead Amid Adversity!

My parents were struggling to make ends meet, so my folks decided that they needed to make a change. Dad had heard a rumor that they were hiring at the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. The decision was made to leave the farm so Dad could seek work in Bremerton. They sold or gave away most of their meager belongings, then loaded a small trailer, planning to embark on the journey to Washington the next day.

In the night, Jimmy (ninth child, age three) became sick. Mom called a neighbor lady for help. Jimmy died that night. He is the little curly-headed guy between brother Gaylen and me in the hayfield picture on the cover. Mom never told any of us until shortly before she died at age ninety-two that the neighbor lady had given her a home remedy containing kerosene. It caused Jimmy to asphyxiate. Kerosene was a common part of home remedies at that time. The neighbor lady had made the remedy in innocence, and Mom never held a grudge. Instead of heading west, they unloaded the trailer and decided to stay in Sisseton.

Gary’s Family in the Forties

While my parents were trying to find their way, they moved around a bit in those early years. Dad got a job driving a gas truck at the local Farmers Union. He was somehow able to buy a small four-room house in town;