By His Grace Merci studio

A personal testimony to Christ

Justin “JJ” Johnson

The space between
a life and grace.

By His Grace

A life I give Christ the glory for.

“I will fear no evil,
for you are with me.”

Psalm 23:4 · WEB
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I.

Beginning again

My testimony

What I had to face

Beginning again.

There were decisions I made and ways I looked at life that cost me years.

Starting over meant facing those things. And honestly, being afraid to fail made it harder to begin again.

Christ saved my life. That’s the truth at the center of this story. He’s carried me through moments I didn’t know how to get through. I’ve stumbled, and He’s picked me back up.

I’m grateful to be here, with the opportunity to build something meaningful with the life ahead of me.

Justin “JJ” Johnson

This is my testimony to Christ’s grace.

Continue the story

The people beside me

The people beside me.

I haven’t walked through this alone.

My grandparents, my family, and friends who kept encouraging me and holding me accountable have all helped me move forward.

My friend Mannok reminds me that iron sharpens iron. My cousin Kieron keeps me accountable. And my grandfather Mark’s advice about keeping my head down and my nose to the grindstone has stayed with me.

Sometimes the encouragement was simply, “Keep pushing.” I’m grateful for the people who kept showing up.

Justin

Room for healing

“He heals the broken in heart,
and binds up their wounds.”

Psalm 147:3 · WEB

Scripture

Words to
hold close.

From Job and Corinthians.
Room to pause, read, and reflect.

World English Bible
Read each passage in its chapter.

01Job 19:25My Redeemer lives

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Read Job 19
022 Corinthians 12:9Grace in weakness

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Read 2 Corinthians 12
031 Corinthians 13:13The greatest of these

“But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.”

Read 1 Corinthians 13

Putting care into practice

What I hope
to give.

I want the work I do to reach beyond me.

I want to help my family and contribute to local outreach. Youth mental health, support for neurodivergent kids and children navigating divorce, and helping people experiencing homelessness are causes close to my heart.

Those are things I hope to help make possible as MERCI grows. I want my gratitude to become something useful to someone else.

There’s work ahead of me. I want to do it well, treat people right, and honor Christ in how I build.

If you’re wondering whether you can start again, I want you to know why this means so much to me.

I’m starting again, too.

10%

Of Merci Group LLC’s profits

I pledge 10% of Merci Group LLC’s profits to charitable giving.

These are three organizations I want to support. You can also give directly through their official websites.

Justin “JJ” Johnson

Children’s health

St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital

Research and treatment for childhood cancer and other serious pediatric diseases.

Give directly to St. Jude

Emotional well-being

The Jed Foundation

Supporting the emotional health of teens and young adults and working to prevent suicide.

Give directly to JED

Children in need

Compassion International

Supporting children in need with food, medical care, and other essential assistance.

Give directly to Compassion

To Christ, with gratitude.

For the life
I have.

Justin “JJ” Johnson

Return to the beginning

By His Grace

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The Creation of Adam

Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam: Adam and God extend their arms, their fingertips nearly touching.
Michelangelo · The Creation of Adam
Image supplied by Justin Johnson.