Nurturing the "Hopeful Romantic" Heart in Your Daughter

Instead of hopeless, I’d much rather view myself as a “hopeful” romantic. This sentimental heart was in full bloom even as a little girl watching the classics like “Cinderella” or “Snow White,” and playing with one of my dearest friends. Her name was Barbie and she was from a faraway land called Mattel. ®  We managed countless adventures together without ever leaving my room and even though my family moved around a lot, Barbie and I never had to say good-bye as was the case with my other friends. She was always ready to follow me anywhere. One of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon would involve dreaming up a big adventure where in a series of mishaps, Barbie would find herself in distress. She would call for help and just in time, our prince (Rock Star Ken, in this case) would come to the rescue riding—yes, you guessed it—on a white horse. I cannot tell you how many times I had Barbie rehearse our little drama. Somehow, the story never got old.

I fail to remember when it was that I put Barbie in her case for the last time, but I know that there came a time when it was not considered mature anymore to go around using your Barbie dolls to dramatize your own longed-for fairytale. Along the way, a few broken hearts and well-meaning “encouragers” bade me to understand clearly that life is not a fairytale and happily-ever-afters simply do not exist in the real world. Outwardly, it seemed as if what they were saying was true, but secretly, I felt crushed. No matter how hard I tried to let go of my happily-ever-after dreams, they simply refused die. It became only rarely that I would ponder the question that always seemed to invade my dreams, “…what if it were real?”

(Excerpt from “Searching for Happily-Ever-After: A Companion for the Lady Who Waits”)

If only the Princess Parables were around when I was a child. My little girl heart, which still exists, by the way, has always longed to be caught up in a breathtaking story. The Lord used my love of a good love story to awaken a longing to love and to be loved in return. While I dreamed of being a wife and mother some day, I found the perfect reciprocation of love in my First Love, Christ. He is my Happily-Ever-After. “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine.” (Song of Solomon 6:3) The Lord promised to love me without condition or performance, which was a refreshing change to feeling as if I had to be the perfect little pastor’s kid. I began to flourish under that kind of love.

God would often speak of His plans for me, but also cautioned that I was to be careful to live fully in the journey and not wish away time merely longing for the “Promised Land.” He showed me how to cherish and redeem the time I was given. Dear moms, you have great influence in your children’s lives. I’d like to share with you some ways to encourage your daughter along the way. I know that while I actively waited on God, these are things that He used to nurture this hopeful romantic’s heart. He asked me to:

1. Fall madly in love with my First Love, never losing sight that I was a daughter of the Great King. (Revelation 2:4)
2. Become the woman God longed for me to be, developing the fruit of His Spirit in my life. I could live like His princess from the inside out! (Galatians 5:22-23)
3. Live out my God-given dreams, asking Him to put His desires in my heart. (Psalm 37:4)
4. Be apart of my love story…long before my husband came along by praying, writing letters, having a standard of godliness and purity along the way.
5. Value and practice the importance of guarding my spiritual, emotional and physical purity. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

(For the Princess Within Bible study, visit www.princesswithin.com)

Living fully helped to take the angst out of waiting for the fruition of certain promises and dreams. No time is ever wasted when we are engaged in our love story with Christ. Yes, there will be seasons of waiting without seeing the vision being fulfilled, but there is abundant treasure, meaning and purpose in the wait. God knows all about the wait—the aching and longing, because He has patiently and longingly waited for us. He is not asking anything that He has not done Himself. Oh, did you not know? We are His happily-ever-after. Jesus endured the cross, despising it’s shame so that in the end, He could be with us. (Hebrews 12:2) Sigh. What a breathtaking story!

Amber Gallagher is founder of Sacred Revolution Ministries, an organization to inspire and equip people for the sacred life with Christ. She has authored two Bible study/retreat curricula, The Princess Within: Living Like a Princess From the Inside Out and The Sacred Revolution: Uncovering Purity for the Modern Day Knight” as well as her book, Searching for Happily-Ever-After: A Companion for the Lady Who Waits. She resides in Ohio with her husband, Brian and her little Prince, Henry. You can visit her at www.princesswithin.com.

Jackie's Journey: Culture Shock?

Our Kuna home

Have you ever been in a situation where your heart goes “into shock?”  

My life was totally surreal!  The storm had passed.  We had pulled the mosquito netting over us in the darkness to keep the blood-sucking mosquitos and vampire bats from attacking us as we attempted to spend our first night in our remote location.  Night passed slowly…

The jungle had a different face in the morning light.  I slipped out of our king-sized plywood bed that was topped with a firm 3” piece of foam rubber and welcomed the possibilities of the day.  Two little faces popped up out from under the netting.  Both were happy, dry and VERY hungry!

Don’t you just love it??

I surveyed the barrels all around the open room of our new home…eighteen of them!  Which barrel had a cooking pot for oatmeal?  No toast…no electricity! 

I was paralyzed wondering where to begin.  But two little rested and hyperactive girls have me well motivated…they were HUNGRY!

First Barrel:  Rice and beans and dry goods, but no oatmeal!

Second Barrel:  Clothes…no oatmeal!

Third Barrel:  Pots and pans…yeah!  But still…no oatmeal!

While opening the thirteenth barrel, a beautiful young woman walked through our front door offering us bananas and mangos!!  Since I did not understand her language or culture and not wanting to be aggressively offensive (I REALLY wanted to grab that fruit!), I waited patiently for her to put the fruit in my hands and graciously thanked her.  I lifted my head toward heaven, whispering,  “Thank you, Lord… for the kindness of my new neighbor and for a perfect breakfast!” 

I had heard the women stoking their fires in the very early morning before light.  They had already eaten, having cooked bananas hours before.  They were now filing into our house with an understandable curiosity, and began pulling everything out of every opened barrel!

All I could think was…PLEASE, LORD, LET THEM FIND THE OATMEAL!

The Kuna women seemed to have an inexplicable interest in my appearance.  Did they think I was a man? I was too tall, too skinny, my hair was too short, and I was wearing jeans! I was a nursing mother, yet I towered over every living person in the village at 5’8”, with the exception of my 6’2” husband.

Being the strong, confident woman I am, I took it all in stride…NOT!

Not at all!   This was totally surreal!  Would my life always be like the

last 24 hours?

Would they ever accept someone like me?

Clearly…. culture shock had set in!

While in training for this mission, the instructors (who were seasoned missionaries) introduced us to this phenomenon.   I told myself I was not going to be the “weak” one who goes into her village and gives in to her fears…that was for someone else…I hated failure! 

There are certain undeniable signs of culture shock:

• Screeching in the night for your kidnapped baby who has been abducted by near-naked, tribal people who are “way deep into what you once considered your comfort zone”
• Crawling into a bed that has been drenched by the rain coming through your bark walls and adjusting to the misting on your face through the mosquito netting, but unable to sleep
• Furiously tucking in the netting around every inch of your bed…not knowing what is already in there with you (it’s pitch black after all!)
• Listening all night to the critters scurrying under your bed and in the open ceiling rafters and visualizing the unthinkable!  What animals are nocturnal in the rain forest?  All of them!!! 
• Having an intense desire to communicate with the women busily dissecting our belongings, yet powerless to do so…
• Etc., etc.

The dictionary defines Contentment as freedom from care or discomfort!

 Genuine Contentment is avoiding the bondage of personal expectations and realizing God has provided everything I need for my present happiness.  It understands that if I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want!  I Timothy 6: 6-8

 Was I content?   What were my expectations?

Where was the fruit of my contentment??

Here I was again, finding Him in that secret place of my learning heart.  God was waiting for me to enter into His presence with thanksgiving, acknowledge His authority and claim all that is mine, regardless of my personal failure and present circumstances.  “God wants me to be present where I am.  He invites me to see and to hear what is around me and, through it all, to discern the footprints of the Holy.” (Richard Foster)

Pressing toward the goal, like Paul in Philippians 4:11,  “…I have learned (I continue to learn) to be content, whatever the circumstances...”

 What is your level of contentment this morning?

 “Blessed is the woman who listens to me, watching at my doors,

waiting in the doorway.  For whoever finds me, finds life and 

receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 8:34,35

Capturing the Once-in-a-Lifetime Moments

Last year, my firstborn son, Christian, turned thirteen.  I had been preparing for this day in my mind for a long time.  You see, I am one of those idealist types.  I am more so in my mind than in my actions sometimes.  But I knew that I wanted to really celebrate this milestone in my son’s life.  I felt God’s small and quiet voice encouraging me on . . .

So I researched.  I got many books such as Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis and Celebrating of Faith by Randy and Lisa Wilson.  I read internet articles and talked to people who had done it.  I roped a kindred spirit whose son had grown up with mine and who shares a close birthday to celebrate the day together.  We got together to plan out the whole day. Ideas began to take shape.

I didn’t realize that we were planning something the Evil One so opposed.

I didn’t realize that my son’s faith was on the line.

I didn’t realize that it was such a battle to be won.

We let my son know that his upcoming birthday was going to be BIG.  There would be much required of him and that he should get ready.  One of the things we did was read Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz together.  We asked him to memorize some Bible verses we thought would be beneficial as he took on manhood.  He took this very seriously and was very nervous about the “big day”.

We also informed all our kids that we don’t believe in “teenagers”.  The word teenager has only been used for the last 80 years and with it comes a negative connotation.  Teenagers have a time where they can “wait” to “become”.  For centuries, boys have gone from child to adult. There was no focus on “wasted years”, but a focus on becoming an adult.  We challenged the kids to think of themselves as young adults and not your typical “teen”.  We also said that we would give a dollar to each child catching us saying the word “teenager” because old habits die hard for us parents!

As the day approached, I began to feel the struggle of my ideals and reality.  My husband was not able to help prepare due to illness.  My friend and her son decided not to participate due to unexpected family commitments. My mind was full of thoughts like “You don’t need to do this special day for Christian”, “Nobody else is doing this for their boys on their 13th birthday” and “This is just too much work.  Just give it up!”  I really struggled in my mind.  Asking the Lord, “Is this what you want or am I just doing this on my own accord?”

On the day I was going to give up, I ran into a family pastor friend from the Christian Camp we go to called Forest Home.  He just happened to be at the coffee shop we go to every Tuesday!  We got talking and I felt a nudge to ask him what he thought.  He has 6 grown boys!  He told me what he and his wife did every birthday for their sons starting at 13 and he encouraged me in the path that we had started down.  Sometimes you just need someone to be a cheerleader on the sidelines!

We prepared.  We prayed.  We saw God at work.

On the big day, we created The Warrior’s Quest (an Amazing Race type scavenger hunt) for Christian.  He was given a clue and had to perform a task in order to get the next clue.   Each clue coincided with a Warrior Trait we were incorporating into his Quest.  My husband miraculously felt better and was able to be the point person and driver for the whole day.  So here is what he did:

Task One:  A Warrior's Chivalrous Protection.  The clue was given on being a man who protects and provides for his wife/ family.  We talk so often about what kind of brother he is will determine the type of husband he will become. The task was to write letters of affirmation to each sibling.  He made French toast, berries and juice and served it to each in bed with his letter.

Task Two:  The Warrior's High Character.  The clue was given on being a man who is full of character.  We studied many of these character qualities this year.  Today, we highlighted honesty, integrity and compassion.  The task was to buy food for a homeless person on his own and then find someone to give it to (i.e. Compassion).  This was Christian and Bruce’s favorite part of the Warrior Quest as the man who received the bag was so grateful.  While shopping for the groceries, we arranged with the cashier to give him too much money as change.  Christian had to pass the test what he would do with the extra money. The grocery store manager gave him the next clue when he returned the money (i.e. Integrity and Honesty).

Task Three:  The Warrior's Leadership and Responsibilities.  The clue focused on teaching, mentoring, making others successful while leading, encouraging and taking on the areas that God has given him.  So many of these ideas were talked about over the year with his book study.  The task was to help coach his brother's T-ball team that morning while showing the younger boys his encouraging spirit.

Task Four:  A Warrior's Spiritual Impact and Prayer Life.  This clue spoke to who he will be as a man of God - how he pray, spend time in relationship with God and how he will serve in his life.  His task was to recite 6 verses he memorized and spend a great deal of time discussing this with his dad as they drove to Los Angeles.  

Task Five:  The Warrior's Commitment and Endurance.  This area focused on looking at life with Godly wisdom and following God's calling as a man and trusting God.  A warrior never gives up, has self-control and persistence.  He always tries something once and faces his fears.  The task was indoor skydiving in Hollywood

Task Six:  A Warrior’s Community and Accountability.  We know that a warrior doesn’t face life alone. They headed back that night for a big party where we went bowling, had pizza and enjoyed a small presentation with family and friends.  We had King David’s sword engraved for him saying “Be strong and courageous” Deut. 31:6. We also asked family and friends far and wide to write advice and affirmations that we put together in a large notebook for him.  And we also presented him with a picture book of his first 12 years.  

After it was all said and done, I got a moment with Christian.  He couldn’t wait to tell me . . . “You know mom, this was the best day ever! I don’t know if you notice how I have changed (well, yes, I had!).  Over the last couple months while you were building this day up, I was asking the Lord at night, if I was the kind of man He wanted me to be.  You know what he said? . . . No!  I was going down the wrong path.  He said I needed to work on my attitude and focus on being the kind of man He wants me to be.  So I have changed.  And he gave me a dream and told me that He has great plans for me . . . Thanks Mom for this day!  I will never forget it!”

It is just another day in the life of your child.

But an opportunity to make just another day into a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

For all of you out there, being tossed around with thoughts of giving up an ideal, DON’T!  Fight on!  Do it!  Your kids will BE the difference!

How have you celebrated the BIG moments in your kids’ lives?

Jackie's Journey: Mother's Day Is Coming!

This is for those of you who have been blessed with a godly Mother and she is still with you…

My mother is 96 years old and is my heart.  She has never given up on me and I have given her good reason to do just that!

After all, I took her first and only grandchild, a beautiful little girl, to live in a foreign country in the middle of the Darien jungles in Panama when she was just 3 years old!

“Whose Shoulders Do you Stand On?”

T. L. Cuyler said, “God made mothers before He made ministers; the progress of Christ’s kingdom depends more upon the influence of faithful, wise and pious mothers than upon any other human agency.”

 Who has had the most influence on your life?

Is it not your Mother?!

We are all a reflection of our mothers and their powerful influence!

Abraham Lincoln once said, “All I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

 When my father left us for heaven two years ago at 93, my brother-in-law wrote a tribute that ended with the question, “Whose shoulders are those upon which you stand?’   It comes from the Latin, “Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes” which translates, “Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants”! 

Well…my mother is a giant! 

She is an incredible human being.  She is a motivational force to be reckoned with that has always been a beacon for me when I have wanted to falter.  She is my hero.  I confidently step into the footprint she leaves behind.  Her vision for my success has been constant and her sacrifice on my behalf over our years together is more than praiseworthy.  Her loyalty and encouraging words, “You can do it, Jackie”, have been a consistent inspiration.  

My mother is noble and has learned God-control and the blessing of surrendering to Him.  She is the woman my father had confidence in all the days of his life.  She is resourceful and no one can out-shop, or in her younger days, out-walk her.  My wise Mother influenced some of the most important decisions my Dad ever made in business.

She is tenacious and never gives up if the cause is worth fighting for!  She is generous and compassionate and still looks over all of us with intense personal interest and care.

She is clothed in strength and dignity.  Her courage these last two years with my fathers passing, after 72 years of marriage, has been exemplary and a wonderful testament of her patient endurance.  Her stretching toward the cross in times of deep loneliness speaks to each of her four daughters of her immense capacity to trust her heavenly Father.

Her back door humor is renowned in our family, and we can always count on her to make life fun for us.  She is soft-spoken and gentle in nature, but bold as a mama bear, if you touch one of her babies, grandbabies or great-grandbabies. 

Proverbs 31 speaks of a virtuous woman.  We don’t know her name or what she looked like or her personality.  We learn of her inner character.

My mother is being praised today for her inner character, not her activities or physical beauty (although she is beautiful at 96, as her picture declares!).   I am addressing the eternal accomplishments of her soul and the heritage she carries and leaves behind for us to follow. 

Words fail me when it comes to expressing my gratitude for my mother… she is so much more than words…I cannot imagine my life without her!  My journey and the power of her influence on my life will be a forever blessing.  I am honored and privileged “to stand on her shoulders”.  Look down there, under your feet…

On whose shoulders do you stand today?

A Conversation to Visit Over and Over Again!

Growing up in public school in Southern California, I was often challenged in my faith in science class.  Back in my day, we actually had a Creation vs. Evolution debate in our Biology class.  I know that we would be hard pressed to find that today.  Remembering back to my time in high school, I felt so confused with what our teacher said was fact and what I learned at church.

My parents did not have a clue in this area, so I was on my own to figure it out.  As I ventured out into a very secular Christian college, I found that there were many versions to what Christians believe in the Creation account.  Never really figuring out my stance, I graduated college not thinking it was a big deal.  God created the world, in some way, that must fit some Biblical model, I thought.  I was content not really figuring out the details.

Now teaching my four kids some 20 years later, I fell into learning things all over again.  We have been blessed to be teaching from a Biblical worldview for the last 9 years using Apologia Science curriculum.  I have been learning alongside my children and discovering that my belief in the Creation Story IS important to how I view the Bible.  Believing in a young earth, a poetic Genesis or evolutionary creation does affect my worldview.

I have learned that my kids need to learn about creation and hear it over and over again because the world is always there fighting for my kids’ souls.  It doesn’t work to say it once . . . or take one class . . . or go to one lecture.  I want my kids to whine and say, “Mom, we know this already”.  “Wonderful!  You get to teach today!” I say.

We have visited so many museums and watched so many shows that preach the evolutionary theories.  But I never shy away from a conversation with my kids about what the Bible really says.  This is the conversation to be repeated with my kids.  Learning God’s truth of creation, who God is and how to defend your faith is something we teach over and over again!

My kids can’t remember what I taught them last year . . . hence, the constant conversation!

God says “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up”. Deut. 6:7  What are we to repeat? God says learn to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and might (v.5) . . . to learn to fear Him and love his statues and commands that it might go well with you and your children (v.2).

 There are many resources to help us!  Our family has listened to hours and hours of Jonathan Park audiobook series.  I think it is a wonderful resource to teach our children (and us adults) how to stand up against evolutionary thinking.  I highly recommend it! My kids all love to listen to it, even my 14 year old son!  We have attended a couple Creation vs. Evolution debates.  We have studied science from a Biblical worldview every year.  We have talked and talked and talked about it! 

So you can imagine my excitement when we were visiting the Creation Museum in Hebron, Kentucky a couple of weekends ago.  What a blessing it was to visit a museum sharing our same views and faith.  I was so refreshed and energized to be there! And we were continuing the conversation . . .

How are you teaching your kids “diligently” about the Creator of the world?

How are you continuing the conversation?

Jackie's Journey: Terror to Trust

“The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” Psa. 142:11

My introduction to our new life in the village Pucuro was a “shocker”.   My youngest daughter’s  disappearance from my arms in those first moments after arriving on the riverbank caused my entire being to experience sheer terror! 

 Skipping that one day would have been the loss of a life-lesson that changed my life!

Missionary Boot Camp training had been deliberate in preparing me for this crisis.  My mind was reminded of the reason why we had come and the promise I had claimed two years prior to the moment I was living now!  “…Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm.”  The verse worked so well when we lived in the States!  Proverbs 1:33 was written by the “wisest” man that ever lived and it had always given me courage to keep on.

 Have you ever claimed a promise from God and then panicked when put to the test?

Two men from our mission had contacted these unreached tribal people two years before.  The Kunas had asked for someone to come and bring them the medicine and help they needed to keep their babies from dying at birth.  Some of the mothers were weakened by tuberculosis.  There were multiple infections and parasites of every kind…would someone answer that call?

Well…we answered…and they had taken my baby!

My heart sank as I scanned the agitated crowd in the dimness of the dark night.  Certainly no electricity here!  Pitch black, drenched bodies, dark faces, barking dogs, slushy mud path and no baby.  My heart pounding and unaware of my personal discomfort or how I must sound, I stood dripping wet in a downpour, screeching in a foreign tongue…calling into the wind for my lost child.

Completely overwhelmed by my loss I saw someone slip out of the darkness and run in my direction.  Stretching over people she placed my tiny girl back into my waiting arms.  I now had both babies against my breast and I breathed a sigh of incomprehensible relief, whispering a prayer of gratefulness to my God who keeps His promises! 

“He holds victory in store for the upright, He is a shield to those who walk blameless for He guards the course of the just and He protects the way of His faithful ones.” Proverbs 2:7,8

Paul Little, in How to Give Away Your Faith, wrote “The statement that God is in control is either true or it’s not true.  But if it is true and we accept God’s revelation of Himself, our faith enables us to enjoy and rest in the certainty of His providence (will).”

 I stood up, turned to face my new reality and walked through the door of my brand-new jungle life!

It was a good thing it was too dark to know who had inadvertently brought such distress to my spirit that night. But bless her, because she had been used to quickly bring me to the throne of Grace for a thorough evaluation of my personal commitment to His “calling”! 

Gratefully, as a young mother, I was given the opportunity very early to place my heritage in the hands of an all-knowing God.  He had again asked me to “count the cost”.  I stopped wanting to “skip” life-lessons and began embracing them. I claimed those powerful promises in the Word that had always been applied to others and now…were all mine!

These are my grandchildren… my heritage…all seven of them!

Jackie's Journey: KIDNAPPED! Really?

Baby Kim and her sister, Christina.

Hang on to your hats…this was one day in my life I could have skipped! 

Ever had those days???

Dusk was cascading over the torrential waters, enveloping our dugout into the dark silence of the unknown jungle.  Along the mangrove-lined shoreline we could hear twigs breaking and see shadows of what appeared to be dark, naked bodies racing us to the remote landing in the deep stillness.

For eight hours we had traveled upriver unceasingly, pressing on against the rapid flow of the Tuira River through lighting bolts, thunder and rain.  The river had risen 8 feet as we fought the current in our long journey up the contiguously inaccessible jungle waters.  Our goal to reach this isolated Indian village on the Colombian border in Panama was now within our reach!

Underneath the makeshift tarp that protected us from the worst of the violent storm were two little girls.  One, almost three, was exceedingly excited and could not wait to get out of the wet boat and the other, just a few months old, was securely wrapped in my arms.  Our piragua was piled high with everything we would need for the next six months!

Jungle River

The boat brusquely hit the bank and as I stood, dripping wet, to face all the unknowns that had brought us to this sandy beach, the warm little bundle in my arms was abruptly yanked from me and disappeared into the darkness of the night!!  I quickly grabbed my once excited and happy three year old by the hand.  She was now very confused.  Her contentment was exchanged for eyes full of fear!  I pulled her close to me and began calling for my baby…

In that instant, the crowd pushed and shoved us up a short trail that led to our mud-floored, bark-walled house.  My insistent calls for my lost child were ignored and unanswered. 

As I stepped over the threshold of our unfinished new home, the rats (at least I prayed they were rats!) scurried among the barrels that had been sent a month ahead of us and now stored our rice and dried beans in the very open tin-roofed room.  The sound of rain on that roof was deafening!

My worst fear had come upon me…Job 3:25,26.  I screamed again into the crowd for my tiny daughter and again received no response.  I lifted my three year old into my arms and determinedly turned to walk back through the crowd down to the river’s edge!

Where had my baby gone?   Who had taken her?!

Immediately, my panic turned to terror…

The familiar promise in Proverbs 1:33 eluded me.  “…whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

What was happening?  Why had God allowed this? 

There are three Biblical Principles regarding trials:

1.  Trials are common to all of us.  No one escapes unscathed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to men.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  No excuses and no victims here! The real question is not why, but “Why not, Jackie, don’t you trust me?!  I will never leave you or forsake you…listen to ME, not your circumstances!.”
2. Trials are given with divine purpose and will pass.  1Peter 1:6 “In this you may greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
3.  Trials are life-lessons NOT to be wasted!  James 1:4 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce “There are two kinds of people:  Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your own way.’”

I was standing at the point of decision! My options were limited…

What is your attitude toward the trials in life?  Which kind of person are you?

Join me next Monday for my decision…think about yours.

Trouble in the Light of Eternity

I woke up in the morning with a list of things to down swirling in my head before my feet had touched the ground.  Racing out the door with a greasy head of hair, work out clothes on and no breakfast, I yelled to my children, “I have to run down the hill!  Will be back in a jiff!”

Six and half hours later, I arrived back home in the gas station owner’s car with defrosted groceries and a smile on my face!!

I had so many things to do!  You see, I had to order so many things that day for our upcoming Midwest Convention by noon.  I had children to pick up from classes and ones at home to school.  I was making a meal for a friend who had just had a baby.  I wanted to work out.  I had cleaning duties to attend to at my kid’s school.  Bruce, my stand-by hero in situations like this, was on a plane to New York.  So the last thing I needed was car trouble!

What normally would be considered a complete inconvenience and TROUBLE in my book turned out to be a complete blessing!

As my battery and alternator died that dreaded morning, I had a choice to make!  Normally, I would sigh and panic over all that needed to be done that I could not do.  Luckily, before I left the house that morning, I had been in God’s word and for this moment, I made a decision to look at this inconvenience with an eternal perspective.  I whispered a silent prayer as I jumped in the tow truck.  “Okay, God, what are you up to.? I am here willing and ready!”

As I began a conversation with Johnny, my tow truck driver, I began to see His plan unfolding.  What started off with a simple question: “What are you doing this weekend for Easter?”  Led to a dialogue about Johnny’s whole life.  He was a gang member growing up who barely made it out alive.  He hadn’t been in church since he was 17 because “he had messed up so much”.  His wife, who now has MS, is the center of his world and he is too busy now to step foot in church.  As we talked through how much God loves him and his family, he began to soften.  We talked about who he is in God’s eyes and how he can do nothing to be outside of God’s love for him.  He admitted to wanting friends and needing help with his wife.  What better place than in the company of saints.  I encouraged him to give God another chance.  We talked about dying, about living and about God’s plan.  I invited him to church this Easter and even though he is working, I am going to pray for Johnny because I believe God is calling him.  Would you join me in this prayer?

 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

                                                                                     2 Cor. 4:17-18

Sometimes, the inconveniences of life, are so much more . . .

I would not have been able to engage in “the unseen” of this life and focus on the eternal, if my car had not broken down!  I would not have met Johnny!

So the next time I have a trial . . . or an inconvenience . . . I am going to remember to look around and ask God what He has in store for my day. That way I won’t miss the next Johnny in my life.  I know God will redeem the time and bring “heroes” to help me (like friends who covered for me and drove me around).  Sure, still much didn’t get done that day, but surprisingly a lot did. None of it seemed to matter in the light of eternity!

Tell me about a time when God was there in the midst of your troubles.  When have you focused on the “unseen”?

Jackie's Journey: Fairy Tales vs. Reality Part 2

My oldest and youngest princesses, Megan Joy and Catherine

“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”. Romans 14:12"

What is it about a little girl that screams “Princess” at us?

And how is it we visualize “Protective Knights with Honor” in our little boys?

Destined for royalty, our little princesses and knights are designed with

destiny and eternal purpose…

From their earliest memories, our little ones are swamped with a prince and princess stories that introduce them to an unreal world filled with wizardry and lacking strong moral themes with eternal values.  They are asked to define love and romance by standards that are not true to life representative of clearly defined biblical standards.  Our children are needlessly exposed to the illusion of love through the many Prince Charmings that are so readily available to our princess counterparts in most storylines; however, they are not exposed to the truth of genuine love.  Society has blurred the lines between love and lust.

They are caught in a quagmire of choices that offer them temporal values but not eternal ones.  Their personal identification with a fantasy character is deceiving on many levels because the charge to discern the good and evil is often obscured by wrong motives and intentions on the part of the “hero” in the story line.

Often the attitude of the leading characters is questionable and the continual interjection of clairvoyance and magical fantasy is confounding.  The child is left to choose between bad and really bad, instead of good and bad.  Neither choice is particularly clear, but the medium being used (book, film, animation…) is “thought-captivating” and attention binding.  Both of these goals are shortsighted and not fulfilling for the long term.

Living in a post-Christian era, we seek to carve out a more excellent and realistic milieu for our children…these little ones that are so literal and entrusted into our keeping for so short a time.  Christian parents are seeking an alternative to the present prince and princess culture trend in books and films presently available.  The reason: our worldview influences all areas of life and every exposure a child has (visual or auditory) is adding to their life experience and their worldview. 

Presently, how would you describe your child’s worldview?

Articulating a biblical worldview within our sphere of influence is what The Princess Parables Series is all about.  These books are written to strengthen the belief that God made our little princess special and designed her with destiny and purpose.

The innocent imagination of a small child is a book yet to be written.  When the exposure to truth is clouded and “synergized” with fantasy, the images of truth, hope, loyalty, joy, grace, charity and faith are but a few of the myriad of opportunities lost.

Jeanna , my co-author, and I have had the privilege of placing in your hands five real princesses that will delight your little girls and teach them a biblical parable they will fall in love with.  Our five young knights are being introduced in our Easter and Christmas Books coming soon!  Take a peek…

A Birthday to Remember

Last week, it was my husband’s 50th birthday! 

We have many family traditions revolving around birthdays. First, we start with the ever-popular waking-you-up-in-bed-with-presents custom.  Then we have a breakfast choice for the birthday boy on a “You are Special” plate.  We almost always have a party of some kind and a more recent idea is for my daughter to bake a special cake (like the one above).

But my favorite birthday heritage is our Affirmation Dinner.

Everyone in my family knows that this is part of being a Young.  On your birthday, we will go around and share something to acknowledge the masterpiece YOU are becoming.  Eph. 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

So if you are at our house on a birthday, we will eat dinner and then I will say something like, “It is time to affirm the birthday girl (or boy)! Who would like to go first?”  Then, someone will begin and everyone will participate going around the table.  That is a Young Family Rule!  Everyone has to say something!

Here are some questions that we use while affirming others:

Where have you seen God working in that person’s life?  What are character qualities that you see in that person?  What are three things you love about them?  What have they done in the last year that has been a blessing to you?  Do you see them changing the world around us, if so, how?

Just answer one of those questions and you are well on your way to an Affirmation Dinner.  Now the funny thing is I don’t always like being in the center on my birthday.  But I have this friend who insists on a girlfriend get-together to do birthday affirmation and then we do it at home too.  So on my birthday, I receive a double-dose of affirmations.

My friend, who initiates these affirmations, has the love language of “Words of Affirmation”.  She is literally “loving” me by doing this.  For some people, who have this love language, this is the best form of loving to them.  There are 5 love languages and if you don’t know yours, you can take this quick test here.

I have asked the Lord why I don’t like them that much.  Sure, I like hearing all the good stuff . . . but somewhere down inside, I feel like I don’t deserve it.  I squirm a bit.  But God reminded me last year that not only is it a blessing to hear the kind words of others that paint a picture of how I am becoming His masterpiece, but it also blesses those that speak it.  Encouraging and uplifting is a command in the Bible: 1 Thes. 5:11 encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 

The blessing of doing affirmations is found in Hebrews 3:13: But encourage one another … so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

Did it really just say that if I am not affirming and encouraging others that I might be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness?  YES!!  So not only is the one that is receiving the affirmations blessed, but the one giving it, too!

So won’t you consider blessing those around you with the words they so long to hear?  How can you affirm them on their birthdays or even today with encouragement?