Jackie's Journey "Warrior...or not?"

I’ve been listening to the news regarding the new possible “lock-down” in our state and the re-introduction of mandates because of the threat of yet another virus… “monkeypox”.  I don’t know about you, but I have not had the opportunity to relish the newfound freedoms, recently given, long enough to entertain the next round of implemented directives!

 With all the conceding and disorder in our world…our nation…our communities…our homes…and our families, we need a plan of attack! There has to be something we can do. 

We can’t solve all the evils, but we can focus on a God who is Sovereign and is in total control, and devote ourselves to effectively use the tool He has given us when entering battle and pray for our leaders.  “Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance, but taking hold of God’s willingness.”  The promise is that God will answer all prayers that are prayed in His will.

 Here are some key elements that are in His perfect will

should you choose to take up this challenge:

 1.     Know your own need.  Check your relationship with Him. Romans 10:9

2.     Confess your sin.  Psa.66:18; I John 1:9

3.     Forsake your sin.  Rom. 13:  14; Proverbs 28:13

4.     Know your God

        He has all power and authority Romans 13: 1

        He establishes governments   Romans 13: 2-6; I Peter 2: 13-19

        He knows how to humble the proud rulers Daniel 4:37

        He uses wicked rulers to chasten Jer. 5: 19-22

        He requires us to give an account to Him Hebrews 13: 17

        He commands respect to authorities. I Peter 2: 17

5.     Get the facts right. Proverbs 18:  13

6.     Resist the Enemy.  James. 4: 17

                      Recognize him

                      Ask God to rebuke him

                          Satan can be recognized by wrong thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and impulses which he plants in our mind that are contrary to biblical truth.

7.     Examine our motives by cleansing and purifying our secret longings, goals, desires, ambitions…

8.     Ask God to bind Satan in any attempt he would make to deceive those who are in authority over us.  Mark 3: 27

9.     Ask God to build a hedge of protection around our authority from those who would bring godless influences to us and our family.

10.  Express our thanks. Phil. 4: 6

 Will you join me in praying for our leaders

Satan laughs at our tolling, but he trembles when we pray!  Prayer based on God’s Word is the powerful weapon we can use today to touch the invisible foe.  It has been said that the people who are not praying…are straying.  No man stumbles if he is on his knees! 

 The world we leave for our children and grandchildren is dependent on our winning this battle.  We are soldiers of the cross, yoked together with the command to “watch and pray that we do not enter into temptation, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer, except that which lies outside the will of God.” Anonymous

 Let’s step up to the plate and be the committed

Prayer Warriors that He has called us to be!

~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 "Time Out to Take Time!"

“Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer

except that which lies outside the will of God.”

Anonymous

God has said that He will answer those prayers that are in His will. This is a dedicated Mom’s prayer for her Prince and Princess that is in the perfect will of God.  Pray with me…

 As a Mom, Lord, seeking only Your will, I come to you on behalf of the heritage You have given me, to pray for their:

Salvation -Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they will obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.  Isa. 45:8; 2 Tim. 2: 10

Growth in Grace – I pray that they will grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3: 18

Love – Grant Lord, that my children will learn to live a life of love through the Spirit who dwells in them.  Eph. 5: 2; Gal. 5: 22

Honesty and Integrity – May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection. Psa.25: 21

Self-control – Help my children not be like many others around them, but let them be “alert and spirit-controlled” in all they do. I Thessalonians 5: 6

A Love for God’s Word – May my children grow to find Your Word “more precious than gold, than much pure gold; and sweeter than honey from the comb.”  Psa. 19: 10

Justice – God, help my children to love justice as You do and to “act justly” in all they do. Psa. 11: 7; Micah 6: 8

Mercy – May my children always be merciful, as their Father in heaven is merciful”. Luke 6: 36

Respect (for self, others, authority) – Father, grant that my children may show proper respect for everyone, as your Word commands. I Peter 2: 17

Strong Biblical Self- Esteem – Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are perfect, “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2: 10

Faithfulness – “Let love and faithfulness” never leave (my children) but “bind these two virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts”. Prov. 3: 3

A Passion for God – Lord, please instill in my children a soul with a craving for You, a heart that clings passionately to You.  Psa. 63: 8

Responsibility – Grant that my children may learn responsibility, “for each one should carry his own load”, to take responsible and not be blamers or victims.  Gal. 6: 5

Kindness – Lord, may my children “always be kind to each other and to everyone else.”  I Thess. 5: 15

Generosity – Grant that my children will “be generous and willing to share (and so) lay-up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age”. I Tim. 6: 18-19

Peace, Peaceability – Father, let my children “make every effort to do what leads to peace”. Rom. 14: 19

Hope – May the God of hope grant that my children will overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 15: 13

Perseverance – Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to “run with perseverance the race marked out for (them).”  Heb. 12: 1

Humility – Lord, please cultivate in my children the ability to “show true humility toward all.” Titus 3: 2

Compassion – Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion. Col. 3: 12

Prayerfulness – Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they will learn to “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Eph. 6: 18

Contentment – Father, teach my children to be grateful, “the secret of being content in any and every situation…through Him who gives (them) strength.” Philippians 4: 12-13

Faith – I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them. Lu. 17:5-6; Heb. 11: 1-40; Eph. 2: 8

A Servant Heart – Lord, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they will serve whole-heartedly “as if (they) were serving the Lord, not men.” Eph. 6: 7

Purity – “Create in (them) a pure heart, O God.” And let their purity of heart be shown in their actions.  Psa. 51: 10

A Willingness and Ability to Work Hard – Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, “as working for the Lord, not for men.” Col. 3: 23

Self-Discipline – Father, I pray that my children will develop self-discipline, that they will acquire “a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair.” Pro. 1: 3

A Heart for Missions – Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples. Psa. 96: 3

Joy – May my children be filled “with the joy given by yielding to the Holy Spirit.” I Thess. 1: 6

Courage – May my children always “be strong and courageous” in their character and in their actions.  Deuteronomy 31: 6

 Take time this week to appeal on behalf of your heritage…

 “And Satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees.”

Anonymous

~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 "Untold Future!"

Life had become routine in the Darien jungles of Panama. The sounds of Howler monkeys, the screeching of magnificent multicolored parrots and the beauty of the bright colored Toucan had become commonplace.  One morning we woke up to find two little spider monkeys on the front porch crawling on the girl’s bikes! 

I still could not reconcile with: the colossal spiders, the over-sized scorpions, the copious species of snakes, the blood-sucking vampire bats or the jungle army ants!  Nor would I ever find harmony with the dripping humidity and the ever-present roaches, chiggers and mosquitos!  However, I did learn to appreciate the large Iguanas for their tasty eggs.

 Daily, the Kuna’s would greet us, early, looking for sugar or oil and a morning visit.  We had become part of the community and they had begun to accept us.  We had brought healing medicine, oil, and sugar after all! 

 The Indians had, somewhere along the line, become part of our family and we had become attached to them and their way of life.  We had learned so much from them and were amazed at their physical strength compared to their small stature.  Their ability to take one bullet and return with a deer or two bullets and return with two deer was uncanny.  We, also, learned much from their survival skills in the dense jungle.  But their openness to listen to the truth of God’s Word after a year and a half of total mistrust and resistance was the most astounding of all!  

 Watching the young mothers with their babies and the respect and trust these women had for the older women in the village was heart-warming.  We had grown to love these very special people and had developed a mutually fulfilling relationship.  As they came to know Christ, our hearts were full of gratitude for the privilege of serving the King in such a rugged border region.

 The women swept the village once a week during dry season and it was an opportunity for Sue Gunsteens, my partner, and I to listen to the women chatter and hear the community gossip.  You didn’t want to miss the sweeping because you would then become the object of their conversation that day!   

However, I was consistently on guard because of something my Uncle, an orthopedic surgeon, had told me while he was visiting us at Language School.  He spoke quietly: “Jackie, you carry the TB germ from birth; it lays dormant now but could activate in the right environment or as you get older”.  I was 25 at the time, so I only had to focus on the environmental issue, I thought to myself!  Then, a year or so later, during a “Congreso” meeting, we knew we had reached a level of tribal acceptance when they offered us a gourd filled with “Chicha” and everyone drank from that one rustic cup!  Needless to say, I did not want to offend by NOT drinking from it!  

 But for me the sweeping and the common drinking gourd became an act of faith because the sweeping stirred up the tuberculosis germs and of course, the tubercular women would contaminate that cup! 

 The Lord had given me a promise while we were in missionary training.

 “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 a hope and future”.   Jer.29: 11

 The Lord used these powerful words of promise to banish my fear and sustain me as we swept the village, drank the “sugar-cane-sweetened platano (cooking banana) drink” and treated the TB patients in their homes and the clinic.  

 He knew my future and had it planned. There was, therefore, no reason to be troubled.  My focus was not on my fear but the need to keep in harmony with Him, His assignment and His will.

 Are you ever preoccupied with the future 

and what it holds for your life?

 In a world full of uncertainties, it is easy to “roll into” the pattern of helping God design your future, rather than simply submitting to Him and His plan that comes with assurance and hope!

~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 "Who Rocks the Cradle!"

Where have all the real mothers gone? Dr. Brenda Hunter wrote, “It’s difficult to be a mother today. At every turn, we are3 told how to exercise, diet, dress-for success, find fulfillment in a career, and share tasks equally with our husbands. Additio0nally, we are encouraged to rear good children on minimal time! The ideal mother by today’s standards is one “who can do it all. As family demands and responsibilities are changing, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for mother’s to keep proper balance between what is priority and what is not!

Are we convinced that she who rocks the cradle, rules the world?” Mothers are “the first book read and the blast book set aside in every child’s library.” There is no more influential or powerful role on earth than a mother. As significant as political, military, educational or religious public figures may be…none can compare to the impact made by mothers on their children. “Their words are never fully forgotten. Their touch leaves an indelible impression. The memory of their presence lasts a lifetime.”

I ask you…who else is anywhere near that influential?

How do we become this kind of godly mother?

“We have been given everything we ne3ed to live a godly life…” (2 Pet. 1: 3) Godly mothers walk in truth. They are attentive to their walk and keep short accounts. They practice His presence by yielding to His voice,n leading and control. They are not an excuse for other mothers, but an example. They do not claim personal “rights” or live in expectations. How do I know if I am claiming a right God never intended me to have? My anger ratio!

Albert Schweitzer said, “An example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the ONLY thing! We teach what we know, but we reproduce what we are. We should never underestimate the power of our influence…both for good and evil! Let’s purpose to do two things: Create in your prince or princess, the assurance that you yourself are what you want them to become and practice daily the same unselfish love and righteousness you ask of them.

The Goal: God’s life unhindered, through your life and mine.

Have a great week, Mom…loving those He has untrusted to you.

~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 "Where is Your Heart Today?"

Today is Valentine’s Day!

Women all over America look forward to this day

that is set aside to receive and to share 

our devotion by gift-giving and celebratio0n.

 A child is the most undeniable magical gift given to us…and “to him who is given much, much is required”. This verse from Luke 12 is a call to action and we, women, are being given the unending challenge of our lives!

 My first child, Christina, was born during our missionary training in Boot Camp. I sat on an imaginary precipice with a volume of great practical and biblical preparation and instruction, facing a world of unknowns and in my arms…the unbelievable responsibility of a new, beautiful, precious child that was pure magic…

 That tiny loving and compliant daughter brought such joy into my life.  I was sure my heart would burst!  She also brought a fear of failure, because I know me…the real me…and I knew I could not do this job right.  God gave me a wonderful promise verse during this time that I claimed for my own.  “Faithful is He who called me, who will also do it (ifI get out of His way!).”

 Over the years, I have drawn strength from God’s promise in that verse and I have journaled these truths… both my failures and God’s faithfulness.  The only part of us that goes on and carries us into the future when we are gone is found in our heritage.  They “will pass the baton” of our beliefs, our character, our philosophies, our ideologies, etc., into the next generations.

 Motherhood is the most significant investment we will make in our lifetime!

 “Without a vision, the people perish.”  What is your vision for your child?  Do you believe that God laid out a plan for your child’s life, taking into consideration his personality, engiftment, talents and abilities?  Are you convinced that God knows best?  

 What goals and priorities have you set in order to see that vision fulfilled?  Does your husband share that vision? “We have been created in Christ Jesus for a life of good works that HE has already prepared for us to do.” Can you hear the intention and resolve in that verse?

 Each child God has entrusted to us has a personal destiny and designed purpose.

 What is your commitment?

 Our investment today will determine the fulfillment of tomorrow.

“…to whom much is given, much is required.” (Luke 12)

 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 "We are Survivors!"

FOR ALL THOSE BORN BEFORE 1945

 WE ARE SURVIVORS!!!...

CONSIDER THE CHALLENGES WE HAVE WITNESSED!

 We were born before television, before penicillin, before polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, plastic, contact lenses, Frisbees and the PILL.  We were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, laser beams and ballpoint pens.  Before pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners, drip-dry clothes…and before man walked on the moon.

We got married first and then lived together.  How quaint can you be?  In our time, closets were for clothes, not for “coming out”.  Bunnies were small rabbits, and rabbits were not Volkswagons.  Designer jeans were scheming girls named Jean and having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with our cousins.

 We thought fast food was what you ate during lent, and Outer Space was the back of the Riviera Theater.  We were before house husbands, gay rights, computer dating, dual careers and commuter marriages.  We were before day-care centers, group therapy and nursing homes.  We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, electronic typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt and guys wearing earrings.  For us, time-sharing meant togetherness…not computers or condominiums.  A chip meant a piece of wood.  Hardware meant hardware, and software wasn’t even a word.

Back then, “Made in Japan or China” meant junk and the term “making out” referred to how you did on your exam.  Pizzas, McDonalds and instant coffees were unheard of.  We hit the scene where there were 5 and dime stores where you bought things for five and ten cents.  Watson’s and Rite-Aid sold ice cream cones for a nickel or a dime.  For one nickel you could ride a street car, make a public phone call, buy a Pepsi or enough stamps to mail one letter and two post cards.  You could buy a new Chevy coupe for $800.00…but who could afford one?  A pity too, because gas was 11 cents a gallon!

 In our day, GRASS was mowed, COKE was a cold drink and POT was something you cooked in.  Rock Music was Grandma’s lullaby and AIDS were helpers in the Principal’s office. We were certainly not before the difference between the sexes was discovered, but we were surely before the sex change.  We made do with what we had.  And we were the last generation that was dumb enough to think you need a husband to have a baby.

 No wonder we are so confused and there is such a generation gap!

 But…WE SURVIVED… and WE THRIVED!

~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 Perfect Plan!"

 “When we look at life’s generational history of families, we see the many failures spiritually, socially, financially, globally and every other way.   We see a record of pain, discord, dissolved marriages, unprecedented addictions and unnecessary death…to mention a few.    We should conclude that something is not right…even drastically wrong!

 However, there is good news…a world-wide hope

has been placed on one of the many religions.

 What is the common failure that religions face?  Every religion works on the theory that man’s nature is basically good but needs some adjustments.  Each one has a system that promises an outcome that never works!  All of the systems are based on disciplines of varying forms.  Each one has rewards that are attractive to the listeners.  None of them deliver on their assurances.  

 Biblical Christianity gives no credence to a make-over or an improvement plan of hope in the natural self.  Why not??  Because the Bible understands the real problem.  God looked down on mankind and saw that ‘every thought and intent of man was only evil continually’!  (Gen. 6: 5)   We humans are locked into pride and selfishness. These two attributes are poison to our soul and to the souls around us.  The result is we contaminate one another.  Our very tongue is influenced by hell itself. (James 3: 6) We note this most clearly when we are angry and ‘carelessly letting it fly’, only to wonder later why the reaction was so ‘off the charts’ when the rage has passed.

 ‘The heart is deceitfully wicked, who can know it’. (Jer. 17: 9)   Who can know its limits!  God gives a summation and states that ‘NO ONE is naturally good, not even one’.  (Rom. 3: 10-12) We need a major change in our souls. But how?  God’s provision is to place the Holy Spirit in the hearts of humbled souls so He can live His life through us for the benefit of others.

 There are three conditions noted: ‘If you want to come to me, you must deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me’. (spoken by Christ in Lu. 9: 23) Denying-self means turning our life over to the controlling design of God and His future He pre-planned for us to fulfill. (Eph. 2: 10) The cross was a murder weapon that is a reminder to continually die to our selfishness and pride.  The final condition is to ‘follow Him’…which is impossible without the leading and control of the Holy Spirit.  He, alone, knows the future reality. 

 Those that fear the Lord walk in darkness (not knowing the future).  Crisis on every level.  God will lead us in the right direction for the right reason and it will be with superlative results.  It will allow us to teach our children and grandchildren to live in blessing.  There is no greater gift than can be given to our families than understanding the path God has prepared for all of us to follow.

 We cannot follow Him without knowing where He is going.  He is involved in activities winning people to Himself or encouraging Christians to do the same. 

 How does the God of the universe live inside people and

not encourage them to follow the His patterns?

 How can a person read the Word of God and be so indifferent?

 No one born of God can continue in sin. If he does, he has not seen God, nor does he know Him’.  He is required to practice righteousness, as a normal way of life. (I John 3)   Herein lies the truth and with it the assignment that we all have in common.  We tell others about His birth, life, death and resurrection.  We are not ashamed of our relationship with Him and His Spirit that lives in us.  We have compassion for the lost and rebellious people who have been blinded by the god of this world, Satan himself.  

 Most Christians are willfully ignorant of how to present the gospel because they fear rejection and are indifferent to the will of God.”  (written by Ralph Johnson for our Family Night dinner and Bible study).

 The challenge in this day and age of confusion,

unruliness, rebellion and unprecedented chaos

is to stand up and be counted among 

the faithful and harmonize with “God’s Perfect Plan”…

~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 "Life Unraveling!"

 “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in Him…Job 13:15”                               

Today we have the privilege of setting aside time to remember those who have laid down their lives for us to be able to live in the freedom that we experience daily.  I live with an army 82nd Airborne veteran and I am abundantly grateful, as we celebrate the liberties we have here in America. We need to note the sacrifice and do our part in seeing that those freedoms are not lost.  Today I was transported back to a day in the Darien jungles that brought thePanamanian Military into our remote community…

 Our village was tucked away near the Colombian border and we lived in the silence of the jungle and its peculiar sounds.   One late morning there was an unfamiliar roar in the distance.  A large military helicopter appeared and began circling our village, dropping low, looking for a place to land.  Before we knew what was happening, dust flew and the door slid open.  Men dressed in full military uniforms with machine guns jumped out and stormed into our house. Guns drawn, pointed directly at us, they began shouting commands with accusations!

 My life started unraveling before my eyes!  I quickly grabbed little Kim from her high chair and Christina came running, clutching my legs.  I reached down to reassure her, as Ralph stepped in front of us, whispering to me, “Remember, Jackie, this touched God’s hand first”.  

 We were being falsely accused of being spies for the United States and they demanded we turn over our only means of communication to the outside world…our humble two-way radio! 

I was trembling, imagining every plausible scenario of how we could be easily disposed of in the river and no one would know for months!  The truth that came surging into my consciousness was Job 13:15, “…though he slay me, yet will I hope in HIM”. 

 Still standing between the enemy and us, Ralph appeared calm and was resolutely responding in Spanish… “We are not spies from America.  We have permission from your government to bring medicine to help this isolated group of people.”  

                              How had this happened?  

What could we do?

 The next few moments stood still…their shouting gestures and my seeing no way of escape brought the verse in Job home to my heart.  I, purposefully, accepted His will, whatever that was going to be and instantly, peace prevailed.  What happened next was beyond belief!  To our utter astonishment, as abruptly as those militant soldiers arrived…they hastily, mid-sentence, without another word, turned and left!!  They did not ask for our passports or visas, nor did they take our rifles that were in plain view, hanging on the wall!  God had blinded their eyes and in an instant, redirected their path.

 In the aftermath of my processing through this current event, Ralph gave me a definition for “tribulation” that comes to mind every time I am faced with a trial and I just want it gone…no processing…just gone!  “Tribulation is God’s fastest road to maturity”.  Well… missionary life had definitely put me in the fast lane to grow up!  The more life I live, the more I realize how much growth I need!

 This is that definition in a “mathematical” formula that changed my life and the way I look at trials, inconveniences, suffering and contentment.  It goes like this:

 Trials + Acceptance of the trial with joy and thanksgiving = Growth/Maturity/Contentment

 I have two choices. I can respond to trials by:

(1) Benefitting from them! 

          The pressure of trials produces: (Jas. 1:2-4): 

§  Faith 

§  Patience

§  Perseverance

§  Maturity

§  Wisdom

§  Lacking Nothing! 

                                          OR

 (2) Reacting negatively to them emotionally, and locking down with:  Impatience, Fretfulness, Why me?, Depression, Complaining, Rebelliousness or Bitterness. 

  I choose to yield with gratefulness this morning and to recognize any form of tribulation, as a means to fulfill a greater purpose for my growth and the benefit of others.  

  What is your response? 

~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 "Does This Say It All...About Us?"

“A trouble-making woman once told John Wesley, ‘God has given me the talent of speaking my mind’.  Mr. Wesley snapped back, ‘God wouldn’t mind if you buried that talent.’”  We, women, are notorious for our chatter and a multitude of other attributes!  What we all have in common is a life being spent!  “Life is so short that the wood of the cradle rubs up tight against the marble of the tomb! Where is the life we have lost in living?” T.S. Elliot

 This could NEVER say it ALL about us, but it can put the life of “womanhood” in perspective: 

Time passes…

Life Happens…

Distance Separates…

Children Grow up…

Goals are set…

Responsibilities take hold… 

Jobs come and go…

Love waxes and wanes…

Men don’t do what we think they’re supposed to do…

Hearts break…

Parents die…

Careers end…

We grow older…

Eternity looms…

BUT

God is there…

No matter how much or little the time:

He gave us “womanhood”: mother’s, daughter’s, sister’s or girlfriend’s that are never far away…

than a needy helping hand can reach…

When we have to walk that lonesome valley and we have to walk alone, the women in our life will be on the valleys rim, cheering us on, praying for us, pulling for us, intervening on our behalf, and waiting with an open heart at the valley’s end.

 “Friends are an indispensable part of a meaningful life.  They are the ones who share the burdens and multiply our blessings.  A true friend sticks by us in our joys and sorrows.  In good times and bad, we need friends who will pray for us, listen to us, and lend a comforting hand and an understanding ear when needed.” Beverly LaHaye

 Sometimes, friends will even break the rules and walk beside us…or come in and carry us out.  Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, extended family…all bless our life!

 The world would not be the same without women and neither would you or I.  When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible “joys or sorrows” that lay ahead.  Nor did we know how much we would need each other.  God’s plan for womanhood has kept us this far and His promise to use us to bless, encourage, teach and learn from one another will sustain us, as we persevere and finish the course. 

 We do not want to be the woman who, looking back says, “it seems that we were all in the same boat with Christopher Columbus.  He didn’t know where he was going when he started.  When he got there, he didn’t know where he was, and when he got back, he didn’t know where he had been!” Alexander MacLaren

Let’s walk together…

 It is only as we develop others in life that we permanently succeed…

~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 Pulse of Sacrifice"

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! 

I love and miss you, sweet Mama…“Love is not a passion.  It is the pulse of sacrifice”.

 For seventy-eight years my mother taught me about genuine love and Motherhood.  I watched her as she maneuvered life.  She had an iron will, was strong and courageous, especially in her later years without Daddy.  She faced life with grace each day accepting God’s Hand and timing.  She had no fear of old age which is the assumption that we still have many years of life ahead of us. “The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, IF we have the strength; yet this span is but trouble and sorrow and passes quickly and then we fly away!” (Psalm 90:10) My mother flew away this past June and I miss her every day.

 She learned to be “satisfied in the morning with His unfailing love.  She did not sing for joy out loud but she was glad for every day.”  And she still looked forward to any, or all, of us coming and visiting with her.  She was a good listener and I can remember my high school friends coming home with me… to talk and be with her!  

 She was a wise.  I was blessed daily by this precious 101-year-old Mother.  She taught me, by example, “to number my days, to be deliberate with my heritage, to think generations and to see how short and quickly life passes.  I am paying attention.  So, you see, Mom…your job has been well done.

 Thank you for leading the way, leaving a print for me to step into 

and showing me the pulse of sacrificial love…

~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.