Jackie's Journey "The 33 Club"

Years ago, my father would take the four of us to Disneyland and around noon time we would find ourselves standing in the New Orleans sector at a private door with a gold -plated small emblem, emblazoned with “The 33 Club” Crest.  The marker was nearly hidden completely.  The New Orleans street was bustling with noise and activity.  The door would open and stepping over the threshold, there was an instant premonition that silence was compulsory!  I had forgotten all about this until our pastor mentioned this exclusive club in his sermon on Sunday morning.  In those early days I had no idea that this was a personal and private restaurant for Walt Disney and his friends. 

Welcome to The 33 Club…

My initial recollection is that my mother was exceedingly over-joyed for the opportunity to teach the four of us…all girls… how to manage 5 forks, 3 spoons and multiple plates of varying sizes, two or more goblets and numerous knives…slight exaggeration!  We always had a sense that we were, in that moment, very special.  Looking back, Dad was very brave to have included us in these adventures! 

 Once the kind, princely dressed man allowed us entrance, we were escorted into a secluded elevator…unlike any I had ever seen.  It was dazzling…and lifted us a flight above the park and its noise and activity.  When the elevator door opened, we were ushered into a plush foyer with crystal chandeliers, massive floral arrangements and velvet curtains stretching two stories into the air!  The private dining room was elegant with white table-cloths, sparkling silver everywhere, more fresh flowers on each table and soft music wafting in the air. The fireplace was glowing and the silence was deafening!  The whole place screamed slow down, relax and just revel in the exclusivity!

 Men in tuxedos were careful to greet us and pull out beautifully upholstered, over-sized chairs to see us comfortably seated and by then, thoroughly delighted!   In an instant they had placed our napkin on our lap and with a smile had handed us the menu.  Upon first glance, we could see that a hot dog and fries had been omitted, but they would “love to accommodate each guest and would surely bring us a hot dog, if we so desired”!  Seriously, my mother had to be in paradise!  Four excited girls, that couldn’t wait to get back on the rides…and here we were…experiencing a reprieve, to let Dad and Mother rest a minute. 

 At the University of Arizona, I became a member of another elite “club” of girls called Kappa Alpha Thetas.  I loved this club and its accountability and camaraderie.  But the best was yet to come when I was nineteen, I became a member of an even more select and exclusive club than any of these.  “It’s a 2,000-year-old club and God calls it His body…the church”. (Pastor Mike)  As impressed as I was with Club 33, it pales in comparison to what is mine and what is waiting for me one day.  His body is comprised of us…those of us who follow Him.

 Fellowship and service are the reward of being a part of this club.  God’s peace and leadership bind us here and give us a taste of what is to come. His love compels us to reach for those who are not yet members of this exclusive society and His love draws us closer to the cross and the repentance that unlocks the door to this eternal fellowship. 

 If you have not, would you consider

the need to be a member of this

private and privileged club?

If you have joined, would you consider 

reaching out for those who have not yet heard 

and compelling them to join?

~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 "The Silent Cry!"

          “…and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love surpasses knowledge…”  Ephesians 3: 18

 If you are struggling this morning

in some way that you do not understand…this blog is for you…

  Recently, a stranger placed a small book in my hand written by Amy Carmichael (a missionary to India 1867-1951).  Immediately, upon hearing her name, a vivid memory came knocking at the door of my heart. While we were in Boot Camp in Fredonia (make that "Freeze-don't ya"), Wisconsin!), preparing for missionary service I became so sick that I wasn't sure we would be able to finish the course.  Yet, my husband and I knew God had brought us this far.  There was a tribe, deep in the rain forest of Panama that had never heard the name of Jesus Christ and they were waiting for someone to come and bring His Name to them.

 We had been seeking medical help for over two months.  I was in my first trimester with our first child. My physical symptoms were severe, I had lost six weeks of missionary training and I was lost in my understanding of it all when diagnosed with an unyielding case of pneumonia!  The infection was suffocating my compromised lung and I would have to take a drug that could adversely affect my unborn child!  The choice was my recovering or possibly both of us not going full term!  I wasconfused and consumed by fear.  

           Have you ever been there?

Faced with impossible decisions and lost in your worst  imaginations?

  At this juncture of my journey, someone gave me a quote of Amy Carmichael that stopped me in my tracks and I realized I had the concept of my Father's love and means of communication to me all wrong!   

 “If I cannot catch the ‘sound of the rain’ long before the rain falls, and going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near to my God as I can, have not faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told ‘there is nothing’ till at last ‘there arises a little cloud out of the sea’, then I know nothing of Calvary love!"

 I Kings 18: 41 says, “And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there

            Is the sound of heavy rain’.  So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah

            climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face 

            between his knees.  “Go and look toward the sea”, he told his servant. 

            And he went up and looked.  “There is nothing there’, he said.  Seven times

            Elijah said, ‘Go back!’  The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud, as 

            small as a man’s hand, is rising from the sea’…The sky grew black with 

            clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came…’”

I felt a little like Elijah may have felt when he was in danger for his life.  Why didn’t I understand?   I should, shouldn’t I?  I was a missionary candidate (soon to be deployed!), I had spent a year at the University of Arizona, 4 years of Bible School, 2 yrs. of Boot Camp and Language School...I was completely committed to God with everything I knew, in all the light I had …

But God always has much to teach me about Himself.  I waited for Him at the front door of my heart and He silently entered through the back door and shattered my concept of Him and His promises!  He came with new light, new peace and new understanding of His divine nature. I re-focused, solely, on the author and finisher of my faith…

 “There are times when something comes into our lives which is charged with love in such a way that it seems to open the Eternal to us for a moment...it may be a small and intimate touch, as the touch of the dawn wind or it may be the pain experienced in the storm of life along the way... But we know it is our Lord.  And then perhaps the room where we are, with its books and furniture and flowers, seem less ‘present’ than His presence, and the heart is drawn into His sweetness… Can we ever cease to wonder at the love of our companion?  And then suddenly we recognize our Lord holding us in a new way?  Dimness seems to be more wholesome for us here...not understood by us.  After all, how little we see!    Confounded and abased, we continue to hold fast to the Rock and hide in the dust, before the glory of the Majesty of love--the love whose symbol is the Cross.  

         And the piercing question then:  What do I know of Calvary love?” 

 I am praying for you, this morning,

for your sensing the whisper of His Presence in that "cloud out of the sea"

in a new way and for the power of His healing…

~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 "Never Sacrifice the Permanent on the Altar of the Immediate!"

I had never had a website, a Facebook page, Pinterest account, Instagram, tweeted or read a Blog until January of 2015!  I officially welcomed a new world of technological communication with the opening of all five at once!  With its availability came a huge responsibility to use them wisely…they can become time consuming! 

 “Our greatest danger in life is in permitting

the urgent things to crowd out the important.”

 Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.”  

 Everyone receives an equal supply of time.  The only difference between us is in the way we spend it.  Each week brings us 168 golden hours.  We spend approximately 56 hours for sleep and recuperation.  We spend approximately 28 hours for eating and personal duties.  We spend approximately 40-50 hours for earning a living. We have 30-40 hours left to spend just as we wish.  But how do we spend them?  How many hours for recreation?  How many hours for family communication?  How many hours for the regular worship of God (devotion, fellowship, meditation, etc.)?  How many hours for personal service in the name of Christ? 

 Will we rob God?  

We can and we do!

 Perhaps we may be very busy with good things, yet too busy for the best things.  The real question is: 

 Have we made wise use of our time as good stewards of Christ? 

Henry Clay Trumbull said, “Today is, for all that we know, the opportunity and occasion of our lives.  On what we do or say today may depend the success and completeness of our entire life struggle.  It is for us, therefore, to use every moment of today as if our very eternity were dependent on its words and deeds” …

 I know for me with this new year 2020, I am so challenged to be circumspect with the “Steps of ACTION” I am setting for myself to stay focused.

 Here are my first two:

1.  Define my goal and set the priorities necessary to hit the mark. This will fill my life with godly purpose and direction.  My commitment is to your personal success each Monday morning and my first priority will be to set a defined amount of time to reach that goal.  That will entail allowing the Word of God to “dwell richly” in me during my daily devotional and worship time with Him (Matt. 6:33).  My goal is to please Him first!  Gal.3:3 is my monitor for it admonishes and asks me “…Are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Never!…it cannot be done with eternal purpose!

2.  I am taking some of that time given each week to ask myself some important questions. 

  When I get to the end of this year, what do I want to look back on and say                        

 I accomplished?

  Did I give personally with my service to God, with my family, friends,                                     

  professionally…?  

 Who did I glorify…myself or my God?

How can I reach the full potential of what God has planned for me this year?

 “We are to press on toward the (set) goal,

forgetting the past (no bitterness)

and reach toward the future…  Philippians 3:12-14

~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 Bright Star"

There is a story of a little princess who anxiously waited for the day of the Christmas pageant.  She was so excited about her part that her parents thought she must be one of the main characters, though she had not told them what part she would play.  

 The day finally arrived and her parents enthusiastically entered the auditorium and watched as each of the children was called to take their place.  The shepherds nervously waited in the corner of the stage holding two sheep.  Mary and Joseph were placed near the manger.  In the back were the three Wise Men eagerly waiting with a small camel. Each and every child was placed in position…except for the little princess.  She contentedly sat quietly.

 The music started and the director began the narrative.  “A long time ago, Joseph and Mary went up from Galilee to be taxed. It was there that Mary and Joseph had a baby and they named Him Jesus,” the narrator began.   “And when Jesus was born a bright star appeared over the stable.  That was her cue!  She quickly jumped up from her chair, picked up a large, sparkling star and walked behind the manger, holding the star up high for everyone to see.  It flickered in the lights and all eyes were drawn to baby Jesus in the manger.

 The story continues and finds the shepherds in the field with their sheep.  That was her cue…the little princess moved into position on stage, wiggling the shiny star to show the shepherds where to arrive at the manger.  When the director mentioned the Wise Men…the little princess quickly moved to meet them and lead the way to the Christ child.  Her face was beaming as bright as the star she was carrying!

 The play ended with a round of applause and a standing ovation.  In the car on the way home, the little princess was happily chattering, “I had the main part, did you see?”   “You did?” her mother questioned.  “Yes” she said enthusiastically,

“I showed everybody how to find Jesus!”

 This could not have been truer!  Showing others how to find Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and to be the light that would draw them to Him has got to be the finest role we can play in life!

 May the Light of the Christ Child be your focus

this Christmas Season and throughout the coming New Year…

~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 "Christmas Eve is tomorrow!!"

 Well, here we are again…one day before Christmas Eve…in the throngs of chaos and deadlines!  The Nativity is center stage in every room, trees are dressed, the wreaths are hung, gifts are wrapped, the oven has not been turned off in days and music fills the house.  Friends and family are arriving from distant places, guest rooms have been readied and excitement is already in the air.  Expectations are high and time left is short and slipping precipitously by the nanoseconds.   The countdown has begun!  The blessing of fellowshipping with family and people we don’t have an opportunity to see all year makes it worth it all.

 With the hustle and bustle of the holidays in full swing, we become acutely aware of our limitations.  Opening our home and believing God to use us to make others successful is the goal of hospitality.  It has been our joy over the years to have a home that is available to those God would bring our way.  Christmas is a lonely time for many who have not experienced the joy of His Coming.  

 As moms, this time of year offers a multitude of opportunities to make ourselves accessible to others.   It starts in our homes with our husband and children.  The Christmas time of year brings the perfect training ground to introduce our children to the “real reason for the season”.  We, as parents, have the example of the One who left his home and dwelt among us.  He set the standard…

  “Each of you should look not only to your own interests,

but also to the interests of others.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Jesus Christ:

Who being in the very nature of God,

did not consider equality with God to be something to be grasped,

But made himself nothing taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death

Even death on the cross”!

Philippians 2: 4-8

 An open home means a heart that is wrapped in the needs of others before our own.  It is that life in opposition to comfort and convenience.  It is welcoming and finding joy in a life of servitude, humbly listening to His voice and instantly obeying.  It brings with it the blessing of experiencing His promise of grace with its power and the continual fascination of watching Him faithfully do it!  Philippians 2:13 and I Thessalonians 5: 24

 The dictionary defines hospitality as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of visitors or strangers providing food, drinks, etc. for people who are guests.  We are commanded in Scripture to be hospital women. To invite people into our homes is to respond with gratitude to our God who made a home for us!

 “Be hospitable to one another without complaint”.  I Peter 4: 9

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, 

for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it”!  Hebrews 13: 2

 At our front door, we have the words “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  As a mom with young children it was a challenge to keep it all in balance when the house was already full of noise, continual movement and the regular activities that keep the ship afloat!  The joy of youth is that there actually is enough energy to do it all, if the attitude is that of a grateful, obedient and humble servant! 

 From our house to yours,

 Have a Blessed Christmas!

~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 "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

♫ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ♬

In life we cannot anticipate what our future holds, but we know who holds the future.  In our Christmas book, “A Royal Christmas to Remember”, our 5 princesses and 5 young knights-in-the-making are blissfully busy preparing for the upcoming Christmas festivities.  Opening the castle doors over the holidays is a tradition that opens the hearts of the entire village to the real reason we celebrate Christmas. 

 In an instant all their plans are dashed when a message of imminent danger arrives at their front door! The King instantly leaves with his knights to protect their kingdom.  That real meaning of Christmas quickly comes into focus. The girls choose to seize the moment of turmoil, changing their destiny and bringing joy to their father and the whole kingdom.

 December has arrived here in California and the events and activities of the season are already in full swing.   Having our “castle doors” open to family, neighbors and friends is a tradition we welcome each year.  

 ♫ It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas ♬  

 In the midst of preparations and a very busy afternoon a few years ago, I received a hushed and urgent call from Kim, my youngest daughter, who was teaching at an Elementary School a mile or so from our house.  The school had abruptly been put on “lock-down”!  There were policemen all over their campus and helicopters were swirling in circles overhead.   She was yet to be informed of the circumstances…was it a bomb threat, someone with a gun, …

WHAT…??

 Her daughter Megan Joy, my “pocket-baby”, was in the classroom next door huddled down on the floor behind locked doors and desks!  The teachers and students had been in this imposed silence and been inaccessible for almost two hours!   Frantic, my mind immediately went to the pictures of Columbine in Colorado…

Now that… was a wake-up call!  In an instant my holiday plans took second place to the more important, as my priorities slipped back into a more realistic focus.  Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate!”  No chance of that happening here.  What could I do?  Where was I needed?  When would we know my daughter and granddaughter were safe?  

 As I watched and listened to the helicopters circling, hovering overhead, my curiosity overwhelmed me.   A song that comforted me in the jungles of Panama immediately came to mind. 

 ♫ He is my hiding place,

He always fills my heart

with songs of deliverance

whenever I am afraid,

I will trust in Him … ♫   Psalm 32:7 

  “God is our strength and power and makes our way perfect.”  2 Sam. 22:33   Our sovereign God was in control and He brought His “peace that passes understanding” in the turmoil.  I began to pray to “our God of hope that He would fill Kim, with all joy and peace as she placed her trust in Him, so that she could overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!” Romans 15:13  

 This happened two weeks before Christmas Day when families gathered to rehearse and celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.  Christians paused to praise their blessed promise and hope fulfilled in a manger bed.  Many kneeled and prayed together giving thanks for His coming, His life and His sacrificial death in our place and His glorious resurrection. 

 Are you one of these?

 Somehow… that particular Christmas 2016

 became a singularly outstanding one for our family…

 definitely… A Royal Christmas to Remember!

~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 "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Our young knights being welcomed by the King and princesses

for a celebration at the Castle

 Thanksgiving is this Thursday!  We have everything to be grateful for, don’t we?  Gratefulness is making known to God and others in what ways they have benefited our lives. I Corinthians 4:7    Thanksgiving Day is a perfect time to do this!

 Thanksgiving weekend is full of traditions for our family, as I am sure it is in your home.  It is the official beginning of the Christmas season.  The Christmas trees go up, the Christmas C.D.’s fill the house with music, the wreaths are hung on the front doors, the garlands are placed around the house with care, and the lights from the bannister shine out from the second story as a welcoming beacon for all who enter over the coming days of celebration. 

  My bulging gift closet is opened up after a year of accumulating its secret chattels and the “to do list” is formally inducted into the hustle of Christmas giving.  The stacked boxes full of gifts, just waiting to be wrapped, are pulled out and the forgotten person, item or the missing piece of a waiting gift is duly noted and one by one will be addressed and added to its appropriate package over the next few weeks. 

“Making a List and Checking It Twice…”

 In the book “A Royal Christmas to Remember” the princesses and young knights are busy checking off all that must be accomplished with all the activities that come with planning and preparing for the Holiday Season.   Unexpectedly there is a disruption at the castle door.  Fear silences their demanding schedule.  News of marauding robbers has swiftly reached the King.   Abruptly frozen in their tracks, their thoughts are focused on the pending danger and Christmas preparations are lost in the newly presented event at hand… 

Who knocks at the door?  What could it be?  What has happened?

 Organizing activities requires lists!  There are many kinds of lists.  They can be the organizer that keeps us on track.  They are the reminders that sustain us on our trek in a time crunch.  They put our weekly menu together and they assure us that everything is packed in a lunch bag or backpack.  They maintain our priorities.  Lists are good things…Fresh reminders, motivators to keep us keeping on…

 I have been thinking about a list that has been in a notebook next to my Bible for years.   It accompanies my journal and is the key of the day and the lock of the night.  It is a list of names and needs of …family members, missionaries, church families, neighbors, people we are witnessing to, people we are mentoring, church leaders, leaders of our great nation, prayer requests…

 “Watch and pray…”  Matthew 26:41

“God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven…”  II Chronicles 

“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and He answered our prayer.”  Ezra *: 23

 “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.  And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” C.S. Lewis

 “If you are a stranger to prayer,  you are a stranger to power”

If we are too busy to pray…then we are too busy!  Hurry is the death of prayer!

 “Satan laughs at our toiling but he trembles when we pray.

Will you join me this busy time of year to take time

 to enter your “War Room” with your prayer list and talk to God?

~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 "Are you a Fan or a Follower"?

Are you in the Game?

In 1963 William McDonald nailed some principles of New Testament discipleship on my heart!  I had seen them in the Word, but somehow concluded that they were too extreme and impractical for the complicated age we lived in.  During my last year of college,  I was challenged to take a good look at what the Word said and to admit to myself it was applicable today…not for someone else, not just for weekends, or not when I retire or when I was more mature spiritually to receive its truth!  A life dedicated to the cross is one that obeys Him in all that He has commanded; whatever the cost may be… a total commitment.  

As a young mom the message of these words would sear my conscience as my demanding life was processing its truth.  Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice on Calvary.  To this day He is still seeking the heart that is solely satisfied with Him, plus nothing! 

 Recently someone put a book in my hand called Not A Fan.  The same demand and those same passages in Luke 14, again, speak volumes to a new generation.  The challenge of those verses is still being shouted in the wilderness. The urgency to respond is still there for us to forsake all and to follow Him! 

 The author, Kyle Idleman, defines a fan as a person who has made a decision for Christ; she is an enthusiastic admirer of Christ; but no sacrifice is required.

He defines a follower as a person who has made a commitment  to Christ; she counts the cost in following Him; and the commitment requires sacrifice.  He continues:

Fans are unaffected by their Christian responsibility.

Followers have their lives turned upside down.

Fans don’t mind Jesus doing a little touch-up.

Jesus wants a complete renovation!

Fans come to Jesus thinking tune-up.

Jesus is thinking overhaul!

Fans want Jesus to inspire them

Jesus wants to interfere with our lives!

 “Jesus was never interested in having fans.  When He defines what kind of relationship He wants…enthusiastic admirer is not an option!  Many American churches have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums, and every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him.  The biggest threat to the church today is fans that call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.” Kyle Idleman

 Are you a Fan or a Follower??

 The young knights and princesses in our newest release “A Royal Christmas to Remember” revealed “follower’s hearts” as they worked tirelessly to assure the villagers that they would be able to celebrate Christmas after a devastating event threatened to destroy it all.  Their commitment to their Father, the King, motivated them to step outside themselves to sacrifice and serve others instead of selfishly serving themselves.

A follower of the King of Kings would have her life 

affected and turned upside down for the benefit of others and the glory of God.

~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 "It's the Little Things that Trip Us Up, Isn't It?"

Everything from magnificent orchid flowers to jumping spiders are supersized when you live in a rainforest!    Catastrophes like tsunami’s, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes keep us on our toes, but it’s the chiggers, roaches, sandflies, mosquitos, ticks and ants that test our endurance.

Army Ant…!!

My husband has very few fears, but army ants swarming a million strong are way up on the top of his short list!  The drug cartel, the National Guard accusing us of being CIA spies, the untamed animals, poisonous snakes and lethal frogs…none bothered him like the threat of army ants marching across the jungle floor consuming everything in sight, leaving a wide path in their wake.  As a point of interest, a whole colony of army ants can consume up to 500,000 prey animals each day!

 We had one cardinal rule that was for our jungle living protection.  We would never take food into our beds. Even though we slept under mosquito netting, we needed to protect ourselves from the noisy mosquitos and the marauding population that roamed while we were sleeping. 

 Most nights our house would fill up with our Kuna family and we would put our girls to bed and continue teaching by way of a kerosene lantern, swinging from the center of the room.  One particular evening, I slipped behind the parachute walls to tuck the girls securely under the netting.  We were always very careful they had no open gaps…much more so than we were with ourselves.

 A few hours later, after turning in for the night, we heard Kimberly Joy rustling about, moaning and rolling in her sleep.  In the next few minutes she cried out for us.  Ralph bolted upright, grabbed the flashlight and darted out the open door only to find his “worst fear had come upon him”!  With one fell swoop he had Kim, who was about 3, out from under the net and was frantically brushing large jungle ants off of her.  Handing her frightened frame to me, he turned to grab Christina, almost 6, in the bunk above her, who had awakened and was screaming at the invasion!  

The swarm was a foot wide and moving at Nano speed!  In their haste, they were crawling all over each other to reach their pending goal!  Just their momentum was terrifying…nothing was going to deter them!  They had come up through the cracks in the floorboards and were in a mad rush to reach the cookie crumbs that Kim had left behind… in her bed!!!  

 Keeping focused and realizing the severity of our circumstance, Ralph grabbed the powdered poison purchased just for this event and began to kill the creepy crawlers that had assaulted our peace!  Time seemed to stand still as the persistent attackers were redirected and eliminated. 

 The next morning, we awoke to find our pet rabbit had been attacked and his hollowed out furry skin was all that remained. The ants had killed our fluffy friend and they had carried off all of their dead!  Ralph sprinkled the poisonous powder down the path they had cleared through the jungle into our home…they never returned!  

 Sometimes in life difficult circumstances begin to rule in our hearts.  Whether big or small they are the very opportunities given by our God, who knows our needs and is specific in His teaching and purpose.  For days it occurred to me that if those small creatures could enter once, twice would be even easier.  Sleeping became a tiresome nightly adventure as my imagination began to capture the other night crawling inhabitants that were possibly lurking on the other side of our mosquito nets and bark walls!

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me:

even at night my heart instructs me”.

Psalm 16: 3

 I knew the large jungle cats, hairy spiders and enormous scorpions would give me pause, but I did not count on a swarm of ants!  It was the “little things” that tripped me up!

 Knowing God is sovreign and there is purpose in every plan He chooses for us, puts it all in perspective.  Our job is to focus on His life-lesson in the teaching through the circumstance.  We will be in this “school” of life until He calls us home.  Surrendering to however and whatever He chooses to “grow us up” are all part of the adventure.  One of the exciting things about the Christian life is that the adventures are endless, if we have eyes to see from His perspective!

 The most common thief to rob us of the blessings of God is our refusal to learn from the “little things” in life.  Listen, girlfriends…

 “…the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, 

the purposes of his heart through all generations.  Psalm 33: 11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11

Meet Ralph, my husband of 54 years…

~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 discipling 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 "It's All About the Attitude!"

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important: than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearances, than giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a home…a church…a company.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so, it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” Charles Swindoll

 While living deep in the jungles of Panama,  I became well acquainted with the full spectrum of my attitudes!  We lived on the Colombian border and the path through our village was the drug runners, migrants, and rebels route from Colombia to Panama City.  There were no formal crossings which meant there were an array of security challenges.  

 One afternoon two colombian men were walking on the path past our house that led deep into the rainforest.  For some unknown reason they turned and approached our screened front  porch.  They were hot, dirty and hungry.  Ralph quickly offered them something to drink and sent them to the river to bathe with the promise of a meal upon their return.  After the hastily prepared food,  he began to share Christ with them.  They talked for hours and the sun had fallen behind the mountains and darkness was imminent.  I scurried to get the girls ready for bed, carefully sliding them under the mosquito netting making sure I tucked it tightly under the mattress to keep the creepy crawlies out!  

The girls and I on the way to the river with Tinker, our puppy

 As I turned to rejoin Ralph and our guests, I heard my husband say, “If you would like to sleep on the porch, we have blankets and…!”  I am a person of many words but in that split second…I stopped dead in my tracks, horrified and mute!  My former smiling, serving attitude  immediately and silently screamed,  “WHAT!?...NO! … What are you thinking, Ralph?  We have no locks on the doors, we don’t know these men, we have two little sleeping girls just a parachute wall away…??”  

 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within?

Put your hope in God:  for I will yet praise him,

who is the health of my countenance, and my God”.  Psalm 42:11

 With my mouth wide open and my dumbed silence ready to protest,  I watched my husband stand, reach for his “poncho via” belt of bullets, strap them across his chest and announce that he would not be sleeping that night!   If he heard the porch door that separated us creak, he would not hesitate to use the cocked gun that he was now holding in his hand!

Attitudes are inevitable!!

I continue to learn that either I control

my attitude or it controls me…

 Relieved, I quickly rehearsed the change in my attitudes that had taken place in the course of just a few minutes!  Attitudes are inevitable…both positive and negative.  We, women are responsible for both! They reveal our true character.    The whole of virtue resides in its consistent practice.  Teaching the hearts of our childen to take charge of their attitude is the channel to their future success.  They watch our attitudes and respond in “like kind”,  thinking… “This is how mom responded in this situation”.

Test your attitude:

  Are you Impatient? Argumentative? Temperamental? Moody? Ungrateful?  Fearful?  These attitudes are ugly, self-centered and reveal the real you, apart from His empowerment.  It always results in chaos! 

Or

Are you full of joy?  Exuding peace?  Abounding in love?  Giving, not taking?  Serving, not expecting?  These attitudes are in harmony with God and will bring calm, blessing and reward. 

 “Two men looked through prison bars____One saw mud, and the other stars.”

Anonymous

What do you see?

What you see is reflected in your attitude!

“The greatest discovery of my generation

 is that human beings 

can altar lives by altering 

their attitudes of mind.” William James

~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 discipling 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.