Jackie's Journey "Lost and Found!"

During this month of December, our focus is going to be on the character of the princesses of our seasonal book, “A Royal Christmas to Remember.”  There are five weeks and five princesses.  Princess Grace, who is also found in “Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten”, finds herself on a journey, not unlike my own…

 Princess Grace promised her father that she would care for the kittens she had found.  Poppy, the curious one was forever in trouble and ran away.  Princess Grace must find her, even if it means searching the entire kingdom…even braving the dark Black Woods!  Along the way, she remembers a parable Jesus told about His great love for each of us and how He too searches for each one that is lost.

 While in missionary training,  we heard about a remote tribe of Indians, deep in the Darien jungle that had never heard the name of Christ.  Like the challenge of Princess Grace, our hearts longed to find this hidden tribe and bring the message of truth to these lost in darkness.

 Princess Grace stood as her father staunchly instructed her to “search everywhere for the lost kitten and bring her back safely to the castle.”  Her love for her father and fondness for the lost kitten propelled her initiative to obey and respond instantly to her father’s wishes.  We too, listened to the voice of our heavenly Father and responded to God’s call and the need of this remote indigenous group of lost people.

 Just as Grace braved the dark Black Woods, we chose to face our fears;  understanding, that the Kuna Indians were loved and important to God and needed to hear His message to them!  God came with us, protected us, was our refuge in times of distress and encouraged our hearts, just as He was with Princess Grace in the Black Forest.  

 Our family,  like Grace, walked through the door of fear and was faithful to pursue the one that was lost and is now found safe in the care of the one true King  (.Matt. 18: 12-14)

 This is the month we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior, The One True King.

 Join me in rejoicing that He came, paid the price, sought and found us…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Haste Makes Waste!"

In my garden I have multiple butterfly bushes that are amazing to watch in the spring.  The butterflies come and the garden comes alive with activity.  When the chrysalis of a butterfly finally splits open, the butterfly must quickly free itself.  The pressure of this struggle inflates the butterfly’s wrinkled wings with vital fluids.  Without the struggle, a butterfly’s wings harden into misshapen stubs!

 It takes patience to wait and watch the entire process of butterfly reproduction.  In life we dodge the difficult situation, rather than just simply accepting it patiently, without giving God a deadline to remove it.  Those who wait on the Lord through great loss experience great gain. “Never think that God’s delays are God’s denials.  Hold on; hold fast; hold out.  Patience is genius!” (Buffon)

 “No one will ever know the full depth of our capacity for patience and humility as long as nothing bothers us.  It is only when times are troubled and difficult that  we can see how much of either is in us.” (St. Frances of Assisi)  How do we view the sovereignty of God? Do we joyfully endure pain and suffering?  Are we patient to wait on God and His timing in times of turmoil? James tells us to “welcome trials as friends”!  We are commanded to “run with patience the race that is set before us.”(Hebrews 12: 1)

 Most of us will have an opportunity to see this proved out in our life, as the holiday season takes on expectations and new challenges that call for endurance,  renewed strength and hope.  The promise is that ”they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they will mount up wings as eagles; they will run, and not be weary; and they will walk and not faint”.(Isa. 40: 31)  

 The test of our maturity is how long we can wait between achievement and reward.

Have a great week!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey “Impish Mouse!"

Do you believe God has given you all you need?

How content are you?

I have talked about the impish mouse that moved into the hood of my car and made a huge nest, have I not?  She did it once, twice and the third time I was advised by the mechanic to sell my “all- time” favorite car, because little mischievous mouse was so warm and content that she would continue, indefinitely, rebuilding and returning to “her home”!

I was disappointed and really did not want to accommodate the little mouses life at the expense of my own.  Note: Job’s response would have been, “the Lord gives and the Lord takes away.” However, I was convinced that that car would make my life happy.  I had set my affection on getting to keep that car.  The evidence…the mechanic told me that once the mice move in…they don’t move out…but I was sure the mouse would get the point when I trashed, no obliterated (!) her house… three times!

 To my dismay…she settled the issue…the car had to go!

 Are you disappointed or dissatisfied with something in your life; your marriage; the progress of your occupation; your health; your children, the world’s situation; your friendships; your spiritual growth…?  Being content is realizing God has already provided everything we need for our present and future happiness. “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy”…that brings contentment!” C. Spurgeon

 If I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want.  My desire was being driven by the trap of thinking I had security in that car when the real secret of contentment is in enjoying the security of the presence of the Lord and His provision for me.  I am drawn back to the truth of eternal treasures versus temporal ones. Do I believe that God has given me all I need?

 “I have learned (am learning) in whatsoever state I am in, therewith to be content.”

Phippians 4: 11

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "A Journey of Discovery!"

Fields of Fire!

In writing “The Princess Parables”,  learning how to become the most effective “translator” of spiritual truths for the benefit of little prince and princesses was our vision. By introducing a biblical parable with a character quality that little ones could identify with and aspire to become, our target was reachable, as the exciting princess stories unfolded.

 It often brought back memories of a life lived in the jungles of the Darien and the life-lessons  that were “translated” and discovered there.  Jungle fires can be devastating.  One afternoon the whole village stood on the river bank and watched an approaching wall of fire across the river sweeping through the forest floor! There was no fire department to call, even if we had a phone.

 The entire area for miles was a patchwork quilt of gardens planted with banana trees, papaya, pineapple, rice, yucca, corn, etc., all, laden with produce.  We were watching the fields of many of the new believers, as well as their unbelieving neighbors.  The fire zig-zagged, as the believers stood together and prayed.

 To our unbelieving astonishment the fire leaped over the believer’s fields and consumed the others!  It was a biblical spectacle…not one field of the believers was touched!  God was the “translator” of a foundational spiritual truth the Kuna’s would not likely forget.  His demonstration of His Sovereign power and control over that wildfire was undeniable.

 All of us can be satisfied by living on the cutting edge of discovery.  What we discovered that day became the mark of the way we perceived our only true God of the universe!  It changed everything…Our God is big and powerful and controls the elements!  As we stepped into a new day with new opportunities…we walked with the God of the impossible!! It gave us power and confidence and a greater desire to learn and discover more.

Where are you in your journey of discovery?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Focus!"

 Have you been shopping lately?  Fall merchandise is everywhere!  Halloween, Thanksgiving and even Christmas ornaments are taking over store aisles. We are in the middle of August, Labor Day is next week-end!  it’s not even September.  Our children are just returning to school after a summer full of activities. This is definitely pushing the envelope for me…Thanksgiving and Christmas ride on the heels of Halloween!

 Included in “The Princess Parable Series”, were two seasonal books.  “A Royal Christmas to Remember” and “A Royal Easter Story” were written to give our princesses the opportunity to  show their true princess character by opening their hearts to others when their lives were being personally challenged and circumstances around them were chaotic.

 I am a mom, whose little princesses found their lives enmeshed with ours in a ministry far outside the norm…tangled in the dense jungles of the Darien, living among an indigenous group of Kuna Indians.  The village was as remote as you can imagine and the culture far removed from their own.   It gave “off the grid” new definition. Reality gripped us daily and our hearts were challenged to reach out for these who had yet to hear the name of Jesus.

 Although the girls in The Princess Parable series lived in a palace, the challenges were there  Learning to count the cost for the benefit of others was clearly understood and practiced through the teaching of the series and lives of each princess. In “The Royal Christmas to Remember”,  the girls are surrounded by glittering gifts, a huge Christmas tree in the parlor, sparkling candles, and a dramatic night sky with one star bigger than all the others! 

A sudden rap at the door of the castle puts the girls and the kingdom on immediate alert! Will a marauding band of outlaws ruin the princesses perfect Christmas Eve?  Life takes on new perspective when threatened by reality!  Alertness is the awareness that we are being stalked by a deadly enemy. “Set a strong guard about your outward senses; these are Satan’s landing places, especially the eye and the ear.” Wm. Gurnall

 As we face the commercialism of the pending seasons, “take heed and beware of covetousness; for a man’s life consists not in abundance of the things which he possesses.” Luke 12:15  Like the princesses, our true character is hanging in the balance of what we focus on and how we see the need of others.

Have a great week!

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Muddled Focus?"

I’ve been thinking this past week of the myriad of issues that we, as mom’s, are being challenged with and the decisions we are being asked to make, both for ourselves and our children.  How are we to know what is best, not just expedient? 

With social media giving unprecedented direction into every area of our lives, where should our focus be?  The supreme court is arguing this morning over “mandates” regarding some of these issues and what should be Federal Law?  With the turmoil and evil in our world and the global world spinning out of control, where do we go to get grounded?  Where is the hiding place of refuge?

“He (She) did EVIL because he (she) did not set his (her) heart to seek the Lord”. (2 Chron. 12: 14)   For moms, the thought of “missing the boat” with our children is always there!  We only have one short span of opportunity with them.  To seek the Lord is a present progressive verb…meaning… ongoing, never-ending action.  We are to connect with Him daily. (Romans 6:18 )  We are “freed from the bondage of evil and forgiven… to do right”.  New Focus!

This is the most concise definition of evil found in the Bible.  It says that we are robbing God and ourselves by not living in that way.  “Setting our heart” is fixing it on the Creator, the One in total control. We are created to fulfill what He, through us, will do.  Our designed purpose is “to do the will of God on earth, even as it is being done in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10)

We are “created for a life of good works that He has prepared before-hand for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)   He has given us the equipment we need to face the disorder and to step up to the plate, with God-confidence, that we are not hindered by “evil” in our lives and can face the future without fear.

 “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (and all these things mentioned above v. 27-32) will be added to you”. Matthew 6:33    This is the section in Scripture on why we, moms, do not need to worry! He wants to supply for His family, like any good father, as His family yields to His will and ways.

Evil is doing our own thing.  We have two choices:  “Wisdom from above”, as described above or “wisdom from below”…Satanic, that which is selfish, proud, and envious. (James 3:13-15)   We cannot separate selfishness from Satan or pride.

 Sacrificing our will and desires means surrendering to God’s will, bringing us into His will and our purpose. (Romans 12:1,2) In Matthew 7:21,22  There was a group of people in the New Testament doing their version of God’s will, doing it their own way.  He said, “depart from me, I never knew you.” They were doing, what appeared to be the same as the apostles, but it was in self-motivated satanic power. 

Who discerned that?  The Lord Jesus did!

What is His will in general for all believers?  Fish for men. (Matt. 4:19); Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16.); SeekHim in the Scriptures daily to understand His heart.  It always involves service.  He came to serve, not to be served.  He lives in the believers to continue to do just that.  He is the same today, yesterday and forever.

 “The eyes see what the heart loves.  If the heart loves God and is single in this devotion (focus), then the eyes will see God whether others see Him or not.” Warren Wiersbe, Live Like a King

Let’s be wise moms and stay “God-focused”…

(This is a study my husband, Ralph Johnson,  gave one Sunday night at our family supper)

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Eating Crow!"

While watching two noisy crows this spring build a massive nest under our bedroom eve, I started thinking about how crows communicate.  They are loud and demanding…especially after they realized I was NOT happy with their endeavor!  They would rowdily swoop down over me when I came outside to see their progress.  I can tell you…they were NOT speaking kindly!

 In life, “eating crow” is never fun!  If we never opened our mouth or spoke, we would not have to eat our words.  Words have the power of life or death. Pro. 18: 21 They can bless or curse.  They can encourage or bring despair. 

 William Boetcker was a Presbyterian minister in the early 20th century.  He once spoke on the seven “Mischievous Misses” of the tongue.  They were misinformation, misquotation, misrepresentation, misinterpretation, misconstruction, misconception and misunderstanding. I think he pretty well covered for all of us the areas responsible for our tongue troubles! 

 James, the half-brother of Jesus in the New Testament called the tongue a “fire, a world of iniquity”.  He compares it to the bit of a horse and a rudder of a ship. Both of these control and influence direction. We are to keep a tight rein on our tongue. Bridled speech manifests maturity.  Impulsive speech manifests the opposite. We all stumble in our speech at times.  We may say something unintended or maybe we meant to say it, but it created trouble and we want to take it back.

 Just like the bit and rudder control the horse and ship, our speech needs to be under control.  “How can you, being evil, speak good things. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  A good man (woman) out of the good treasure of his(her) heart brings forth good things, and an evil man(woman) out of the evil treasures brings forth evil things.  But I say to you that for every IDLE word we speak, we will give account of it in the day of judgement.  For by our words we will be justified and by our words we will be condemned.” Jas. 3:34-37

 The point is we cannot “just share what is on our heart, as long as, what we say is what we really believe.”  “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked”. Jer. 17: 9 Our intent should be to speak as we are led by a gracious God who has our best interest at heart and has the success of the person we are attempting to help in focus. Advice is cheap, but if not regulated and controlled by His Spirit, we can be assured of having to “eat crow”. We are admonished to ‘let no corrupt word proceed out of our mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it might impart grace to the hearer. Eph. 4: 29 

 We can control Shamu, the whale at Sea World, but fail to take control of our own tongue!

We can either nurture blessing with our tongue

or cause damage that cannot be undone.

Which will it be this week?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Words Have Power!"

The Princess Parable Series was penned with intentional “words” to encourage young moms to introduce their little princesses to a parable from the Word of God and give them a tool to teach biblical principle through the five  princesses’ life-lessons.

”Language is the dress of thought”. Samuel Johnson, I have two very precious friends who live in Tucson, Arizona. I don’t get to see them as often as I would like but they are the eternal connection we all hope that we are fortunate enough to find just once in our lifetime of relationships. While on furlough from the mission field these girls were eager to encouragingly nurse me back to health while I was crumpled on their living room sofa. They had just the right words that would lift my spirit and keep me going. Most of all, they offered total and complete acceptance accompanied with a joy of just sensing refuge in their presence. I recently found an encouraging note they sent me shortly after the first of our books in The Princess Parable Series was released. This is the note...

“I loaned your books to a friend, Jackie.   Her granddaughters are named Daity and Caity Belle. This was my friends comment on them:

“Thanks for the loan on the books – they are GREAT!
We had to reenact the Princess Birthday one – we baked a cake and invited the dolls – dressed up – it was quite a production. Daity really liked it
and Caity Belle liked the one about the dog – now when they dress up
they have to be those Princesses.  Sooo… I would say they are a hit!
I love that there is a great theme and then the stories at the end of the book – great illustrations and inspiring and encouraging.’

Thought you would like to hear another review. Keep up the Lord’s work on your writing. Love, Jane”

There are many ways we express ourselves, but, as women, we are exceptionally prone to WORDS...all kinds of words... lots of words...soothing words...volatile words...we love words... “The power of life and death are in the tongue.” Proverbs 18:21

Do you speak LIFE with your tongue... or DEATH?

“Speech is the index of the mind”. We have a nanosecond before every choice we make each time we entertain a thought...should I say this or should I not???  Often, we disregard the warning at that point of decision and blurt out exactly what should have been kept in the “box of better timing” or not at all!

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks...” Lu. 6:45

And too many meaningless words mark you as a fool! Ecc. 5:3

In Proverbs 15 there are 21 references to words in only 33 verses!!! There are cutting words, crude words, slanderous words, piercing words, biting words, poisonous words, burning words envious words, healing words, deceitful words, wise words, mocking words, cheerful words, timely words, prayerful words and....you fill in the blank!

Being a person of many words, I used to think if you isolate me in a remote jungle village with people who speak a different language, then the tongue would be much less of a problem.  How much damage could I do...I couldn’t speak the Kuna language...?

How many times have you been “ensnared by the words of your mouth”? Proverbs 6:2

“IF ANYONE CONSIDERS HIMSELF RELIGIOUS AND YET DOES NOT KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON HIS TONGUE, HE DECEIVES HIMSELF AND HIS RELIGION IS WORTHLESS”! Jas. 1: 26

This week, let’s be careful to:

Watch our thoughts, they become Words.                                                                                

Watch our Words, they become actions.
Watch our Actions, they become habits.
Watch our Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

Watch how your circumstances change, when you change the way you speak!

“The power of LIFE and DEATH are in the tongue”!

Proverbs 18:21

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "I Am Not a Fan!"

In the story of “Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten”, we see her faith tested in ways that resonate deeply with us as mothers.  Opening “my box “ to share from my own journey of faith, reminded me of the life-lesson from Grace’s story.

 As a former tribal missionary, I faced many challenging seasons in my life.  As a mother of two young princesses, balancing “off the grid” survival skills, home-schooling, linguistics, language learning (Kuna), evangelism, running the small medical clinic, delivering babies, washing clothes in the river and cooking food I had never seen before, etc….I found myself overwhelmed!  

Oh, and then…there is the matter of the creeping, crawling reptiles…

 I have never been a fan of reptiles…

 Panama is the home to some of the most frightening snakes on the planet.  Our corner of the dense Darien jungle was full of boa constrictors, pit vipers, fer-de-lance (this snake bears 60 live babies at a time!), etc.  We were cautious not to poke under rocks or fallen branches, always scanning for any slithering menaces.  Behind our house there was a massive tree that extended its immense roots out into the river shoreline where the girls and I bathed and swam.  The thick mangrove swamp harbored snakes that would lie in the hollow places of the trunk of that tree. 

 More than once I cried out Psalm 16:1

 “Keep me safe, Oh Lord, for in you I take refuge.”

 Fear is no stranger to me.  I am habitually challenged to walk through the door of fear.   I was told during missionary training that courage was not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it.

 “The highway of fear is the shortest route to defeat”.  William L. Brownell

 My husband had built a screened-in back porch to the house.  It became home for our gasoline-run wringer washing machine.  The Indians thought the machine was the most ridiculous apparatus they had ever seen!  It was noisy, the water had to be carried from the river (or in rainy season, we could utilize the convenience of the roof rain barrels).   The agitator was a mystery (why would you jerk clothes around in dirty cold water when the river is running and clear!) however; the wringer was another story…it worked really well.  Hand wrung clothes could not match that wringer!  I had to agree with them on all counts! 

While I washed, Kim would play on a blanket or crawl around the porch.  The floor was slightly elevated, lined with wooden planks roughly cut and loosely fit together.  It was not quite finished and as I leaned over the machine, I saw Kim crawling toward something moving under the floorboard.   I turned off the deafening machine, snatched Kim up into my arms and “yelled” for Ralph!  Writhing back and forth, only a few inches away, was a 5’ venomous snake! He had quite possibly been a houseguest for “who knows how long” before we noticed him! Let me repeat…

I am not a fan and I intensely dislike reptiles!

 Arturo, our nearest neighbor had heard me scream and came running, He quickly surveyed our predicament, raised his machete and removed the head of that reptile with one swift blow.  He held it up like a prized Marlin…its length was above his head and its tail draped to the muddy ground!

 This story could have had a much different ending, were it not for our Sovereign God, His plan and the life-lessons He was busy teaching me!  School is always in session if we have eyes to see it. The need to grow and mature will never end on this side of eternity. Fear has been my friend and biggest challenge.  I am to fear the consequence of sin, not snakes.  Easy concept until put to the test!

 “Be strong and of a good courage, Fear not, nor be afraid of them (in this case…snakes);

for the Lord your God, He it is that does go with me, He will not fail me nor forsake me.” 

Deuteronomy 31: 16

 “I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears.”

Psalm 34:4 

 What do you do with your fear?

 This week take note of areas in your life where  you feel overwhelmed.

Like Princess Grace, walk through your fear and rest in God’s sovereignty.

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Jungle Ants!"

We love spring because it means new life….everywhere!   The snow melts, rivers fill up, flowers bloom, newborns of every kind appear round about us…including ants! Warmer weather means beach days, planting gardens, picnics and B-B Q’s. The Princess Parable Series has a seasonal book called “A Royal Easter Story”  and it takes our five princesses into the woods for a Princess Tea Picnic with all the beauty of spring and an opportunity to rescue a lost little girl…

 “A solitary ant, afield, cannot be considered to have much of anything on its mind, indeed, with only a few neurons strung together by fibers, he can’t  be imagined to have a mind at all, much less a thought.  He is more like a ganglion on legs with a lot of initiative.  Four ants together or ten, encircling a dead moth on a path, begin to look more like an idea.  They fumble and shove, gradually moving the food toward the hill, but as though by blind chance.

 It is only when you watch the dense mass of thousands of ants, crowded together around the hill, blackening the ground, that you begin to see the whole beast, and now you observe it thinking, planning, calculating.  It is an intelligence, a kind of live computer, with crawling bits for its wits!” An ant could never be thought of as idle…they never stop moving …aggressively!

While living in the Darien, my husband had no fear of snakes, scorpions, spiders …BUT … the ant…he had great respect and trepidation.  Our youngest daughter, only two, took some cookies to bed with her one night. We heard her moaning in her sleep.  A swarm of army ants had gotten under the mosquito netting and a foot  wide swarm of huge black ants had come up from under the wooden floor and they were after the cookie crumbs and attacking Kim!  Ralph, in one fell swoop, grabbed our daughter and tossed her into my arms. The next few moments were ear-shattering, as he crunched and sprayed the mass of teeming ants, re-directing their onslaught!

 When the dust settled, we realized there was a life-lesson to be learned and it was more than just NOT taking food to bed!  The thinking phase of initiative is to plan, calculate, invent and imagine. The opposite of initiative is to be idle!  We are to study the ant because God calls us to  the take initiative and be actively moving toward His mind and heart daily.  Amy Carmichael wrote, “Satan is much more earnest than we are…he buys up the opportunity while we are wondering how much it will cost us.”

Let’s be busy this week carrying out the will of God

by enthusiastically and assertively keeping in tune with

God’s heart and His leading.

 “Go to the ant,  you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!  It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6: 6-8

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights.