Jackie's Journey "The Pulse of Sacrifice"

I love 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 four years ago 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, precious 101-year-old Mama.  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 still 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. 

Jackie's Journey "Jungle Ants!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

by enthusiastically and assertively keeping in tune with

God’s heart and His leading.

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

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

Jackie's Journey "I Want EVERYTHING!"

"“A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art.  They had everything in their collection from Picasso to Raphael.  They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

 When the Viet Nam conflict broke out, the son went to war.  He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier.  The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.  About a month later there was a knock at the door.  A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.

 He said, ‘Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life.  He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly.  He often talked  about you and your love for art.’

 The young man held out his package.  ‘I know this isn’t much.  I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this’.  The father opened the package.  It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man.   He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting.  The father was so drawn to the eyes  that his own eyes welled  up with tears.

 He thanked the man and offered to pay him but the soldier replied, ‘I could never repay what your son did for me…it is a gift’.  The father hung the portrait over his mantle and when visitors came, he took them to see his son before he showed them any of the other great works of art he had collected.

 A few months later, the man died. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.  Many influential people gathered, hoping to purchase a famous painting for their collection.  First, on the platform, was the painting of the son.  The auctioneer pounded his gavel.  We will start the bidding with this picture of the son.  Who will bid for this picture?

 Someone in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings.  Skip this one.”  But the auctioneer persisted.  Will someone bid for this painting?  Who will start the biding. $100.00 - $200.00??  Another voice shouted angrily, ‘We did not come to see this painting.  We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts…”  Get on with the real bid’s’.

 But still the auctioneer continued, “The son…the son…who will take the son?”  Finally, a voice came from the very back of  the room.  It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10.00 for the painting.”  Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. ‘We have $10.00, who will bid $20.00?’

‘Let’s see the Masters!’ $10.00 dollars is bid, won’t someone bid $20.00?  The crowd was becoming angry.  They did not want the picture of the son.  They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.  The auctioneer pounded the gavel.  “Going once, twice, SOLD for $10.00.”

 A man sitting in the second row shouted,” Great, now, let’s get on with the collection’.  The auctioneer laid down his gavel and said, ‘I’m sorry but the auction is over.’ ‘What…what about the paintings!’ ‘I am sorry.  When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will.  I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time.  Whoever bought the painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.  The man who took the son gets everything!” ( author unknown)

 God gave His Son 2,000 years ago to die on the cruel cross.

 Much like the auctioneer, His message today is,

“The Son, the Son, who will take the Son?” 

 Because you see…whoever takes the Son gets everything!

~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 "Earnest Influencers!"

We hear so much about “influencers” in social media…it has even become an official  title.  These are persuasive people who are passing on what has worked for them. We can be swayed for good or bad.  We can be persuaded by truth or by what appears to be sound reasoning, but will lead us astray.  How can we know the difference?

  As a former tribal missionary,  persuasiveness is convincing others to follow God’s ways because of how His ways are working in our lives and we are confident the Word of God is truth.   Influencing is helping people find out what they need and then showing them the best way to get it. Inspiring people requires a confidence in our message that matches the truth and love in our hearts. 

 We are all “influencers”… we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ. Our lives are more persuasive than our words!  We are known and read by all men…like books! II Cor. 3:2   Our attitudes are being read daily by our little prince and princesses and our influence is mighty strong. 

 Our need to communicate truth through sound reasoning and motivating our children to follow the ways of God are imperative and we cannot begin soon enough. When we talk to people, they are reading  us and asking themselves… what is in it for me and what difference does it make if I disregard the information given me?  In witnessing, the ultimate gain is Heaven and the ultimate loss is hell.

Paul was a master at persuading people to turn to Christ.  He “testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus…”Acts 28: 23  How are we inspiring others to believe in Christ,   influencing friends to join us in doing good for others in need, or in drawing the rebellious around us to clear their consciences?  We are inundated with persuasion that leads to divorce, division and unbelief. Let’s choose to intentionally influence for  good  this week…

 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt,

 that you  will  know how you ought to answer every man.”

Colossians 4: 6

~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 Touch of Compassion"

The Touch of Compassion

 When suffering is fresh, answers don’t always reach the problem where it hurts. In “A Royal Easter Story”, a seasonal book included in “The Princess Parable Series”, we find our  five princesses in a fast-moving chariot, racing five squires through the forest to the annual Easter Celebration. A fierce storm has interrupted their furious activity, and puts them in position to discover and rescue a little girl who is alone and lost.

 The teaching of the parable of the selfless and caring Good Father, who not only gives us good gifts, but answers us when we seek Him was the lesson the girls remembered their father teaching them when they stopped and reached down to pick up the little drenched and sobbing waif.

 The race was important, but not as important as the needs of this small lost child.  The life-lesson to a True Princess is that she must learn to lose her life serving others first, no… I CAN BEAT YOU…ME FIRST” attitude.  That diminutive lass opened the girl’s eyes to see the real race in life.

 “I led them with cords of human kindness.” Hosea 11:4  This means God helps, serves, leads, guides, comforts, heals, and loves through the compassion of believers. The need is great…

 What is your response when you see someone hurting?

 Sympathy is feeling sorry for people who are hurting.  Empathy is feeling pain with hurting people.  Compassion is doing something about the pain. Three men saw a wounded traveler by the side of the road.  The first one must have felt sympathy as he passed by but left him lying there.  The second might have felt empathy because he stopped and looked at him, but the third man had compassion because he stopped and helped him.

 Which one are you?

 Compassion is not a virtue.  It is a commitment.  It is not something we have or don’t have. 

It is something we choose to practice.

“But whoever has this world’s good, and sees his brother in need,

and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him,

 how can the love of God be in him.”

 I John 3:17

~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 "Pardon me...I am Not Wrong!"

Have you ever been grievously offended? 

Can you recall someone who deeply hurt you?

 With five little girls in “The Princess Parable Series”, there is always the challenge of learning how to maintain mutual respect and harmony.  In life, our pain often turns to anger, and if not dealt with, becomes  resentment and bitterness, which ultimately torments us and damages our peace and our health!  Bitterness is like leprosy.  It loses any sensation of pain.  People are then, unaware of when they are hurting themselves or others with their words, attitudes, and actions.

There is only one solution.Being able to forgive is an act of the will and “if we forgive others their offense, then God will forgive us.  If we choose not to forgive, God will not forgive us!”  Matt. 6:14-15  You may have a story of anguish…a time in the past where you felt betrayed and your heart was broken…your dreams shattered. 

True forgiveness disregards any thoughts of cynicism, retaliation or revenge. 

 How forgiving are you toward offenders?

Are there people you have not forgiven?

 The more we comprehend how much we have been forgiven, the easier it is for us to forgive others.  Forgiveness is mentioned over 120 times in the Old and New Testaments.  In reality, the offender is the instrument God is using to develop our character.  To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed on us by someone or something else.

 The offenses of others should cause us to become aware of others needs . It gives us the opportunity to allow God to heal them through us, instead of our self-protection with anger and self-pity…”woe is me”, victim mentality.  “God has a BIG eraser!”   We are commanded to forgive to maintain a clear conscience and to fellowship with our forgiving God.

 “Great peace have they that love thy law and NOTHING shall offend them.”

Psalm 119: 165

 Are you willing to forgive?

”I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul

by making me hate him.”  Booker T. Washington

~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 "Danger Zone!"

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

Winston Churchill

We live in a world of conflicting ideology and duplicitous standards and convictions.  The world’s view is “conforming” with an independent spirit, wrapped in a “me first” attitude, with a demanding and rebellious entitlement issue. A godly worldview is just the opposite.  It calls for spiritual-mindedness, the focus on the success of other’s and a mighty spirit dependent on someone bigger than ourselves.

 God wants each of us to be mighty in spirit…”To be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”  One of the purposes in writing “The Princess Parable Series” was to help equip young moms to know how to build courage and “might” into the lives of their little princesses.

 To be mighty in spirit means we have a sense of our relationship with the God of the universe and we know His presence.  We are continually developing a fear of Him, which is a healthy understanding of the consequence of wrong choices and sin.  There is a requirement, with no compromise, to instantly respond to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit and to be alert to temptations and spiritual danger. 

 Learning to build our lives around basic scriptural principles and convictions is a given, no excuses; and knowing how to “bind Satan” with the springboard for prayer and rescue others from his grasp is a basic necessity.  When we teach our children to become wise and “mighty”, we realize the intense responsibility we have to be wise and mighty! 

 Are you “mighty in God’s Spirit”?

 We are in a battle for the minds and hearts of our children. 

Today is the day the battle stage is set for definitive action. 

Are you ready?  What will you do?

 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah 4: 6

~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 "... No Retreat!"

How determined are you, mom?  How often are we called to teach our little princesses not be discouraged or be disheartened?  We say, “It’s going to be OK, no more tears”.  Maybe the job you asked them to do seems too big or they are struggling with being left out or have a sense of abandonment.  We have the opportunity to share the divine purpose from God’s point of view that will wash tears away and build a new determination.

 The character quality of determination deals with a mind-set prior to the task.  The character quality ofendurance involves the carrying out of the task.

 Solomon “determined to build…” II Chron. 2: 1

Daniel  “purposed in his heart…”Dan. 1: 8

David “determined to mourn…” II Sam.3: 35

Disciples “determined to send relief…” Acts 11: 29

Paul “determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ & Him crucified…” I Cor.2

 Determination presupposes careful consideration of the cost and requirements of the task and a decision that the task is worth whatever expenditure is necessary to accomplish it. It may be a garden in the back yard or a marriage! 

 Life consists of choices.  After a wise choice is made, determination is needed to carry it out.  Wise choices are usually challenged by difficulties and temptations. Do you persevere on tasks that are more difficult than what you expected?

 Moses chose to “suffer affliction with the children of Israel rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin…”

Esau, on the other hand, did NOT determine to protect his birthright and sold it!  Years later, he tried to recover it…but it was too late. Heb 11:25

 Do you commit to each goal and overcome any obstacle you encounter along the way or do you contemplate “giving up?” “When God is about to do something great, He starts with a difficulty.  When He is about to do something truly magnificent, he starts with an impossibility.”   Armin Gesswein  Whatever your circumstance today, determine to know He has the path that leads to His divine purpose, and walk  confidently, in the reality of His unwavering leading and directing.

DETERMINATION  IS LIKE A BOMBER PILOT PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN,

THEREBY CUTTING OFF THE OPTION OF RETREAT!!

~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 "Worried...Struggling...Distressed?"

A year ago, this week, the Lord called my husband Home.  Needless to say, after 60 years together, this year has been a catalyst for learning and growing.  I am blessed with an eternal relationship with a sovereign and living God who has been faithful to meet my every need.  My birthday is also this month and accepting that I will “finish the course” without Ralph at my side, holding my hand in his, leading me onward is daunting.

  In “The Princess Parable Series,” a character quality is given to each of the five princesses that  a child can identify with and will want to emulate.  Little prince and princesses discover and hopefully, embrace the contentment of Princess Joy in “Princess Joy and the Little Lost Kitten”, as they observe the blessing that comes from seeing life from God’s point of view.  Contentment is realizing that God has already providedeverything I need for my present and future happiness.(Gothard)  Finding contentment is a learned practice.

I am, at this moment, watching two magnificent large hawks peacefully gliding through the stormy and turbulent currents down the valley toward the ocean below, unincumbered with the circumstances of life and totally CONTENT.

What do they know that we don’t?

 “I (Christ) say to you…

Come to Me, look to Me…no other.  I will lead you and guide you into all truth.

Place your eyes on Me…no other is able to deliver you.  It is My name that is above all names.

You are lonely so you run “to and fro” from one activity to another and still you are lonely.

Only time with Me will fill the void.  The void is My calling you to Me.

Why do you run here and there?  Come and sit with Me.  Talk with Me. Sing with My spirit for   I am lonely for your company.  And know it or not, run or not, you are lonely, longing for Me!

You think it too hard to sit with Me, when you cannot see Me or touch Me, but I tell you: you can!

Come in the quiet of the morning before Me.  Shut out the day’s activity ahead.  Do not listen to the voice of distraction.

Come speak your heart desires, speak your pains and concerns.  See My face, I am listening.

Touch Me with your hearts-travail.  Join hands with me as I lift up your spirit when you sing beautiful praiseto Me.

Then your struggle will cease. The void will be filled continually and you will have peace…”

 Are you in distress, struggling

 in an area in your life today that needs rest?

The secret of contentment is embracing the circumstance

with a grateful heart

and then, enjoying the peace and presence of the Lord!

“True contentment is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it”.

~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's the Boss?"

Here in California, we are experiencing high winds, wildfires, loss of property and wide-spread devastation.  Everyone knows someone who has been adversely affected in one way or another.  The South and Eastern United States, at the same time, are experiencing a cold-snap bringing rare wide-spread snow!  People everywhere are stressed and struggling with life situations, confronting impossible decisions.  As a Christian, there is a confidence that God has it all at hand and it has divine purpose even though it currently appears “invisible” to see.

 Though unexpected and uncommon, these phenomena are great teachers and reminders of how small we are and how little control we have in life. In “Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten”, Grace finds herself in harm’s way with everything out of control in the Black Forest.  In her distress, she stops and simply accepts the reality of how important she is to God and that His love, direction and protection would be her companions, regardless of her current circumstances.

 If the Lord be with us, we have no cause to fear.  His eye is on us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer…His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. (John Newton)  In His will is our peace…’

 “The sea was beating against the rocks in huge dashing waves.  The lightning was flashing, the thunder was roaring, the wind was blowing; but the little bird was asleep in the crevice of the rock, its head serenely tucked under its wing, sound asleep.  This is peace…to be able to sleep in the storm!  In Christ, we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life.  The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest.  We have found peace…at last!” (Billy Graham)

~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.