Jackie's Journey "Eye of the Beholder"

Father’s Day was yesterday and my heart began rehearsing the life Ralph gave us as the father of our girls. My wonderful father has been with the Lord for 8 years and my children’s father has been with the Lord four months.  I like to think of my dad and Ralph celebrating together!  Both… extraordinary fathers.

 My children’s father was a force of nature!  His entire life was spent reflecting glory back to the God he served. He had a spiritual vision for the souls of men that was unparalleled.  Ralph had “limited outside interests”. His real passion was reaching the lost. His every contact with others was an opportunity to present his Savior, Jesus Christ.  His unconditional love for the hurt and needy caused him to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders!

 Ralph was a comforter of the afflicted… and an afflicter of the spiritually comfortable. His  name means “Bold Counselor” and political correctness was never his priority, if it meant a lost opportunity to present Christ.  He was a man on a mission, focused on the eternal soul of every person he came in contact with.

 He loved us, his inheritance…now left behind. Other than ministry, his first love was his family.  He was determinedly committed to us and he taught us that it is only as we win souls and serve others that we permanently succeed in life. He instructed us to love the Lord, to pray, to love the scriptures, and the importance of sharing our faith. We learned that “the mark of a saint is not perfection or absence of faults, but consecration; a committed man… who has given himself without reservation to God.” A surrendered man!  Ralph knew the greatness of a man’s power was THE MEASURE OF HIS SURRENDER to the Holy Spirit.

 He led the way and focused on preparing our girls to live in a world filled with compromise, confusion and chaos!  Ralph read the word and prayed daily for our daughters.  Whether curled up in a hammock in the middle of the jungle or in a home in the states, he was consistent in his own life and taught us to be the same.  Every morning we would find him at his desk with the Word open and ready to share what God had taught him.  He was always available to listen and had an earnest concern for the welfare of his two girls, which one day was extended to his seven grandchildren.

 Ralph was a gifted man.  He was certainly a gift to us.  He is the man who loved me and our girls…deeply …and always put us first.  He was my husband, my best friend, my soul-mate, my rock, and my mentor… but most of all, he was the loving Father of our children and grandchildren.  He has left an enduring legacy with his uncompromising testimony of God’s great love.…He was faithful… he was courageous…he was discerning…he led us with godly confidence and taught us truth…and he is sorely missed!

 Godly fathers are a rare commodity…if you have one that is still on earth…

Don’t miss any  opportunity to acknowledge his presence with a grateful heart…

 HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

~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 "My Dad!"

Proverbs 17: 6 says “the glory of children is their father.”

My Father was a Missouri farm boy, transplanted in California after the 1929 Great Depression, when there was no work and people were in soup lines for lack of food.  He stood tall and was strong. He was a man of few words (a wise man).  He married my mother and while pregnant with me was in a horrific car accident that instantly killed his best friend and threw him through the windshield 40 feet down an embankment on the Missouri river.

 Severely injured and broken, the doctors rebuilt his face, arms, legs, and repaired his internal injuries. He spent a year in the hospital and barely survived.  He nursed, in pain, an almost completely severed leg the rest of his life. Going against all odds, my Dad lived to preserve for his heritage an exceptional example of courage, discipline, integrity and excellence of character.  His allegiance to God, country and family; his instant obedience to what he knew was right; his endurance through years of pain without medication; his sense of order and efficiency; his generosity; his deep love for my mother and the four of us girls made him a man that was “respected at the gates” and securely treasured in our hearts.

 His personal victory over crushing obstacles throughout the years has been an inspiration to all who know him, especially his family, who basked in the shadow of his fierce loyalty and determination.

 I recently found this inside his Bible. It was written by my Dad.  It is his statement of faith and a firm testimony of who he was and what he believed…

 “Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He is the breath of Life within us; the fountain that refreshes us; the Grace that frees us; the truth that renews our minds; the love that fills our hearts; the fullness that gives us joy.

 Jesus Christ is the light of the world for all people.  God so loves this world that He gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins.  Yes, yours and mine…we are all sinners.

 Learn to be wise by making wise decisions.  Good decisions come from experience.  Experience comes from working at it.  Bad decisions come from carelessness.  Do you want to spend your life or invest your life?  My continual prayer is ‘what can you do with my life, Lord?’

 Yield yourself to Him completely.  He will continue to unfold more for you to invest.

I will do-go anywhere…what do you want me to do?

Lord, here I am…do with me what you desire.”

I’m thinking Daddy left this for us, knowing we would all want his Bible after he was taken to his heavenly home.  It certainly reveals his character and evangelistic heart.  I never heard my Dad complain and his exemplary life has called me to a higher standard.  I am so blessed to have had him in my life for 76 years! He is not only a “hard act to follow”, but an honored man that won this daughter’s heart and earned my deepest love, respect and gratitude.

 There will never be another like

 my Dad…. and I miss him…

Married 72 years…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is 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 "Forgotten Father's!"

 “It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.  He got up early, showered, combed his hair and put on his Sunday best so he would look nice when they came.

 He skipped his daily walk to the town café where he had coffee with his cronies.  He wanted to be home when they came.

 He put his porch chair on the sidewalk so he could get a better view of the street when they drove up to help celebrate his birthday.

 At noon he got tired but decided to forgo his nap so he could be there when they came.  Most of the rest of the afternoon he spent near the telephone so he could answer it when they called.

 His has five married children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  One son and daughter live within 10 miles of his place.  They hadn’t visited him for a long time.  But today was his birthday and they were sure to come.

 At suppertime he left the cake untouched so they could cut it and have dessert with him.

 After supper he sat on the porch waiting.

 At 8:30 he went to his room to prepare for bed.  Before retiring he left a note on the door, which read, “Be sure to wake me up when you come.”

 It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.”

 This fell out of my Dad’s bible when I picked it up to read while visiting my Mom.  My Mother had read it in Ann Lander’s daily advice column many years ago.  It so touched my heart for lonely and forgotten father’s and grandfather’s that I decided to share it with you.

 Yesterday was Father’s Day…did you remember to celebrate your father and grandfather?

 This was worth repeating again this year…

My never-forgotten, wonderful Father…

~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 "Forgotten Father's!"

Meet my wonderful Father…Never to be Forgotten!

“It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.  He got up early, showered, combed his hair and put on his Sunday best so he would look nice when they came.

 He skipped his daily walk to the town café where he had coffee with his cronies.  He wanted to be home when they came.

 He put his porch chair on the sidewalk so he could get a better view of the street when they drove up to help celebrate his birthday.

 At noon he got tired but decided to forgo his nap so he could be there when they came.  Most of the rest of the afternoon he spent near the telephone so he could answer it when they called.

 His has five married children, 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.  One son and daughter live within 10 miles of his place.  They hadn’t visited him for a long time.  But today was his birthday and they were sure to come.

 At suppertime he left the cake untouched so they could cut it and have dessert with him.

 After supper he sat on the porch waiting.

 At 8:30 he went to his room to prepare for bed.  Before retiring he left a note on the door, which read, “Be sure to wake me up when you come.”

 It was Grandfather’s birthday.  He was 79.”

 This fell out of my Dad’s bible when I picked it up to read while visiting my Mom.  My Mother had read it in Ann Lander’s daily advice column many years ago.  It so touched my heart for lonely and forgotten father’s and grandfather’s that I decided to share it with you.

 Yesterday was Father’s Day…did you remember to celebrate your father and grandfather?

~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.