Jackie's Journey "Christmas...Already?"

“A blanket of powdery snow covered the castle walls.  The princess sisters found themselves in a scene right out of a fairytale.  The most remarkable winter in years has arrived.  Christmas is only a night away.  Princesses Joy, Grace, Faith, Charity and Hope are surrounded by glittering gifts, a huge Christmas tree in the parlor, sparkling candles, and a dramatic night sky with one star bigger and brighter than all the others.  A sudden rap at the door of the castle puts the kingdom on immediate alert!  Will a marauding band of outlaws ruin the princesses’ perfect Christmas Eve?”

This is an exciting day!  It is only one week before we set time aside to gather with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Our seasonal book,  “A Royal Christmas to Remember” was written for your little princess to capture the true essence of why we remember the arrival of a tiny baby in a manger.  This book is available through Amazon.com, christianbooks.com, Barnes and Noble, your local Christian book store…  

 This is the second of our seasonal books.  Its appearance before the holiday season is perfectly timed to arrive before the Christmas crunch.  Its story is timeless, taken from Luke 12:15-21, the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler.  It is dedicated to the parents who strive to rescue their children from the materialistic focus of this time of year.  It is for those of you who desire to introduce your child to the person, who is the “reason for this season”…Jesus Christ.

 In Sally Clarkson’s book “Ministry of Motherhood” she wrote:

 “Children need the authentic strength that comes from the true foundation of a biblical worldview and a proper understanding of the real Christ who is worthy of their worship!  They need an unwavering moral and spiritual compass that will help them weather today’s storms and will guide them for the rest of their lives.  They also need to see what a real faith looks like when lived day in, day out, so they will have a pattern to follow.”

 The Princess Parables have been written with God’s worldview that teaches biblical character, eternal values and is designed to cultivate a desire to be a child of the true King of Kings!  The Princess Parable Series is bible-based on a parable taught by the greatest teacher that ever lived.  They encompass character-emphasized prince and princesses with eternal values targeted.  A Royal Christmas to Remember is written with these principles imposed onto every page.  

 Jeanna and I are blessed with the privilege of working together 

 to make this Christmas book available to you.

 Faithful is He who called us, who has also done it… 

 I Thessalonians 5:24

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

Jackie's Journey It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

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

In life we cannot anticipate what our future holds but we know who holds the future.  In our just released Christmas book, “A Royal Christmas to Remember”, our 5 princesses and 5 young knights are blissfully busy preparing for the upcoming Christmas festivities.  Opening the castle doors over the holidays is a tradition that opens the hearts of the entire village to the message of Christmas.  In an instant all their plans are dashed when a message of imminent danger arrives at their front door! The King instantly leaves with his knights to protect their kingdom.  The real meaning of Christmas quickly comes into focus. The girls choose to seize the moment of turmoil changing their destiny and bringing joy to their father and the whole kingdom.

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

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

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

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

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

As I watched and listened to the helicopters circling, hovering overhead, my curiosity overwhelmed me.   A song that comforted me in the jungles of Panama immediately came to mind.  ♫ He is my hiding place, He always fills my heart with songs of deliverance whenever I am afraid, I will trust in Him … ♫   Psalm 32:7   “God is our strength and power and makes our way perfect.”  2 Sam. 22:33   Our sovereign God was in control and He brought His “peace that passes understanding” in the turmoil.  I began to pray “the God of hope fill you, Kim, with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!” Romans 15:13  

 Two weeks from today families will gather to rehearse and celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.  Christians will pause to praise their blessed promise and hope fulfilled in a manger bed.  Many will kneel and pray together giving thanks for His coming, His life and His sacrificial death in our place and His glorious resurrection.

 Will you be one of these?

Somehow… this particular Christmas 2016

 is going to be a singularly outstanding one for our family…

 A Christmas to Remember!

                                    Megan Joy reading "A Royal Christmas to Remember"

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