Jackie's Journey "Bunnies, Baskets and New Beginnings"

'The Princesses celebrate the Risen Savior

Ah…Spring!  Don’t you just love it!  Martin Luther wrote, “Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

In Panama we had only two seasons…Dry Season and Rainy Season.   I used to miss spring in the jungles.  With the introduction of spring comes family Easter reunion, refreshing the garden and the promise of new life everywhere!  

  As Moms, we try to make every holiday one that will commemorate the occasion and create a family tradition.  We decorate and plan special family gatherings with a menu that is reminiscent of the day being celebrated… Christmas Dinner, Fourth of July B-B-Q’s, and Easter Brunch with Easter baskets filled with colored eggs!  Our homes become “show pieces” for enhancing the lesson of the season. Easter affords us one of the most amazing opportunities to rehearse again the enormous sacrifice of our Savior and His Resurrection that is our living hope after death!

  Easter reminds us of the Life the invisible Creator has given us. Rom. 1: 20  The barren ground exploding with magnificent splendor, as far as the eye can see.  The magic of new life bursting from the earth bringing forth flowers of every imaginable color and size…poppies, tulips, lilies, lilacs, daffodils… Tiny bunnies, fluffy chicks popping out of eggs, foals, fuzzy lambs and every other living being confirm the wonder of revival of life after a long winter.  

 Revival can also be personal and immediate.  It is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming God’s Word into our soul.   There has never been a need, as great as today for revived lives, revived families, fellowships, communities and nation. The desperate need is there but the realization of our personal need is not!  And revival starts with us!   

 “For revival is not a green valley getting greener, but a valley full of dry bones being made to live again and stand up an exceeding great army. (Ezekiel 37)  It is not good Christians becoming better Christians—as God sees us there are not any good Christians—but rather Christians honestly confessing that their Christian life is a valley of dry bones, thus qualifying them for the grace that makes all things new”! (Roy Hession) For the Christian… death is a promotion! New Life springs from our continual choosing to die to our pride and selfishness.

  “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, 

to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, 

which is your reasonable service.” Rom. 12:1

 Some give Him a place; some give Him prominence; but what Christ wants in our lives is pre-eminence.  The fruit of His being pre-eminent in our life is a spiritual renewal that restrains the anger of God, restores our God-consciousness and reveals His continual activity in us.

 For those who have humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God at that place where sin is washed away, it has meant revival of their Christian lives in the truest and simplest sense of the word.

As we look forward to celebrating our Savior in the coming days, let’s use this time to revisit our need for personal and continual revival.  His death and resurrection came with plan and purpose.  It was to give us life from death.  New life does not begin with someone else.  It begins in each of us! 

 Let’s exchange dry bones for New Life!

 “If you are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above,

where Christ sits on the right hand of God.”  Col. 3:1

~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. 

Jackie's Journey "Dry Bones!"

If there was ever a day when our families, country and world call forRevival…

this is the day!

 “Revival is absolutely essential to restrain the righteous anger of God,

 to restore the conscious awareness of God, 

and to reveal the gracious activity of God.”

 Ezekiel was a prophet, a priest and a servant of God who was sent to give God’s message to a wicked and rebellious nation, not unlike our own.  Chapter 37 speaks of his vision of a “valley of dry bones”.  Verse 11 cries out, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off”!  Spiritual deadnessis a frightening position. The absence of the fear of God reveals itself in our moment-by-moment life practice…

 Are we dedicated to comfort and convenience, 

claiming personal rights,

doing our own thing?

Or are we dedicated to Cavalry’s road and a God that calls us to holiness?

Our dedication determines how alive we are spiritually or if we are a mass of “dry bones”.  There is a quality of spiritual life that is rarely experienced among believers in the West because we are so busy…living in entitlements. Jesus says: Putting anything before me reveals spiritual deadness.

 Where are you living this moment?

 Stephen Olford in Heart Cry wrote, “O that God would teach us that it is just as important to be spiritual as to be sound in our approach to the Bible, just as vital to be obedient as to be orthodox, and that thepurpose of revelation is nothing less than transformation of human lives!”

Revival is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming God’s Word in our souls.  While in Bible School a fellow student introduced me to a small paperback book, The Calvary Road by Roy Hession.  Revival’s clear definition and seeing my need for personal application has been a constant reminder of God’s promise to set us free from sin and self…continually!

 Revival is the result of:

·     A new experience of the conviction of sin

·     A new vision of the cross of Jesus and redemption

·     A new willingness to walk in brokenness, repentance, confession and restitution

·     An understanding of how to maintain a consistent walk in the light

·     A joyful experience of the power of the blood of Jesus cleansing us fully from sin and healing all that sin has lost and broken

The test for knowing you are cleansed…ask yourself:

1.    Do I have any unconfessed sin?

2.    Is there anything between another person and me?

A new entering into the wholeness of the Holy Spirit and His power and His own work in and through us

    A new “gathering-in” of the lost ones to Christ

 Revival does not begin with someone else.  It begins with each of us! 

Is revival stirring in your soul?

 “The fruit of revival comes only as we come to the cross and acknowledge our emptiness and failure apart from Him.  It is not good Christians becoming better Christians…but rather Christians honestly confessing that their Christian life is a valley of dry bones and by that confession qualifying us for the grace that flows from the Cross and makes all things new… dry bones made alive again!”  Roy Hession

Understanding our desperate need initiates this promise: 

Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good…

He came to make dead men live

~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. 

Jackie's Journey: Revival...Who Needs It? Part 2

If there was ever a need for Revival, today is it!

“An evangelist reaches your emotions.  A true prophet reaches your conscience.” Leonard Ravenhill

God had brought us to Arnold, Nebraska and He had a Plan…

Something alive was stirring in Arnold!

He used the people living in those sand hills to reveal His heart and our need.  He used the warmth of the Nebraska heartland and its very special inhabitants…

Nebraska Sand Hills

God used this community to introduce us to genuine hospitality and throughout all these years of ministry we have purposed to practice what we learned there.

This is the town God used to reveal the possibilities of God using us in Panama, in a remote village on the Colombian border.

This is the town God used to give us an opportunity to first know His faithfulness to us through His people.

In this community, “everyone knows your name” and everything about your family, for at least three generations!  Californians pride themselves in their independence from the need for community life and this is found in their perpetual church hopping!

Downtown Arnold, Nebraska

God’s plan was about to shatter any preconceived ideas about revival…

This was it…after months of prayer and preparation…the day had arrived!  The Crusade was packed!  The school auditorium was filled with people from every denomination, all walks of life, people who would never enter a church…the turnout was phenomenal. 

God had a plan that would advance His kingdom!

A revival flame had been ignited!  Hearts were challenged all over that auditorium! Many young people responded to the truth of God’s Word and would go on to serve the Lord in missions all over the world, most of them with New Tribes Mission, reaching into tribal regions.  Many of them are still on the field.

A few weeks after the crusade, on prom night, the police wanted to know why the streets were empty.  The only explanation was that the young people were back in the auditorium watching a Christian film!  A number of couples, including Smokey Kellner, a quadriplegic, and his wife entered missionary training and served as missionaries in Mexico for 20 years or more.  

Lives were changed that night in homes all over the town of Arnold.  There was no age discrimination when it came to God ministering to needy souls…  Young and old were confronted with sin, God’s provision and their desperate need.

“A revival means nothing less than a revolution, casting out the spirit of worldliness and selfishness and making God and His love triumph in heart and life.”  Andrew Murray

God had a plan and allowed us to be a small part of the moving of His Spirit in the hearts and lives of those He had already prepared to harmonize with His will.

R. A. Torrey gave a prescription that never fails to bring revival:

•  “Let a few Christians get thoroughly right with God. (No unconfessed sin or anything between another person and yourself…totally repent!).
• Let them bind themselves together to pray for revival
• Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for His use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ.  That is all.  It never fails.” 

It worked in Arnold! 

Billy Sunday was asked: “When is revival needed?  He answered:  When carelessness and unconcern keep the people asleep.” 

…Please, Lord Jesus…

“Will you not revive us again, that your people will rejoice in you?” Psalm 85: 6

For those of you in Arnold who read this, time is a witness to the strength of loyal and eternal relationships.  Your community has abundantly blessed the Ralph Johnson family and we are indebted to each of the families and individuals who invested in us and trusted us with your hearts…

~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. 

Jackie's Journey: Revival....Who Needs It? Part 1

There really is no place like Arnold, Nebraska!!

This is the town where I got my first and only black eye!

Arnold is where Ralph and I had the privilege of joining hands with Pastor Stan Scragg, Jerry Beltz and every denomination in this community to see God do miraculous things in the lives of all of us.   I know He did a huge work in my heart that confirmed our calling to the mission field, gave definition to our life purpose and gave us a vision for the hearts of mankind that has yet to dim…

Something was happening in Arnold!

When the churches in this farming community began meeting together to pray and prepare for a Jerry Beltz Crusade, we jumped in wherever we could.  We spent days witnessing to high school students and staff.  We visited farms, families and churches in Arnold. We hit the “highways and byways” inviting anyone and everyone to the crusade. We canvased parks and meeting places where young people “hung out” looking for an opportunity to present Christ.  In the evenings we would have Bible studies in most of the homes we stayed.  On Sundays we would speak in the different churches in the community.  Jerry Beltz interviewed Ralph on his television station in North Platte and Christina tapped on the screen wondering how her daddy did that!  There were open hearts everywhere…

We had only intended on fulfilling a promise to fellow missionary candidates, Gary and Shirley Bassett and at best, stay a few days in Arnold.  Shirley’s sister had lost her husband, and we volunteered to “stop by and encourage her oldest son on our way to California” after completing the training at New Tribes Mission Language School in Camdenton, Missouri. 

We had no idea what God had planned for us!

While at Shirley’s sisters house we were included in a Bible study she had in her home.  After the meeting we were invited to stay with Ed and Ginny Steele for a few days before heading to California.  Their boys were small and Christina, only 6 months old, loved all three!  While at the Steele’s, we met Glenn and Connie Weinman and their four small children. They invited us to stay with them before we left for California, as did Don and Sunbeam Swanson. We ended up staying almost six months in Arnold!

Charles Finney is quoted as saying that “a revival is nothing more than a new beginning of obedience to God.”

While at the Steele’s, Ginny’s brother and his new wife (Lane and Josie McClure) joined us for a prayer and Bible study. We stayed in their basement for a few days and Josie taught me to sew sundresses for our daughter, Christina.  Ralph was helping Lane with a silo and caught a screwdriver in his eye!  Ralph asked him if he lost his eye, would Lane go to the mission field in his place?!  Shortly after arriving in Panama we heard that Lane and Josie had entered Boot Camp training with New Tribes and went on to serve in Paraguay! 

Nebraska Silos

There were many families (Fletchers, Androcks, Goodnows, to name a few, etc.…) that opened their hearts and homes to us over those months.  Bob Watson’s family cared for us when Ralph left for an outboard motor course in Wisconsin for two weeks!  Bless their hearts!  The Carlson’s lived across the street, and it was in their attic that Ralph penned the life lessons that God has used to change lives on two continents over the last 50 years.

Everywhere we went, everyone we talked to had a spiritual interest we had not experienced before.  Hearts were open to the Word, people were listening to the claims of Christ, and sin was being confronted ubiquitously.  We had never been a part of anything like what God was beginning to do here…

What was happening?

Join me next week, Monday morning, for the revelation of that plan!

You won’t believe 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 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. 

Jackie's Journey: Dry Bones

If there was ever a day when our families, country and world call for Revival…this is the day!

“Revival is absolutely essential to restrain the righteous anger of God, to restore the conscious awareness of God, and to reveal the gracious activity of God.”

Ezekiel was a prophet, a priest and a servant of God who was sent to give God’s message to a wicked and rebellious nation, not unlike our own.  Chapter 37 speaks of his vision of a “valley of dry bones”.  Verse 11 cries out, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off”!  Spiritual deadness is a frightening position, and the absence of the fear of God reveals itself in our moment-by-moment life practice…

Are we dedicated to comfort and convenience,

claiming personal rights,

doing our own thing?

Or are we dedicated to Cavalry’s road and a God that calls us to holiness?

Our dedication determines how alive we are spiritually or if we are a mass of “dry bones”.  There is a quality of spiritual life that is rarely experienced among believers in the West because we are so busy…living in entitlements. 

Where are you living this moment?

Stephen Olford in Heart Cry wrote, “O that God would teach us that it is just as important to be spiritual as to be sound in our approach to the Bible, just as vital to be obedient as to be orthodox, and that the purpose of revelation is nothing less than transformation of human lives!”

Revival is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming God’s Word in our souls.  While in Bible School a fellow student introduced me to a small paperback book, The Calvary Road by Roy Hession.  Revival’s clear definition and seeing my need for personal application has been a constant reminder of God’s promise to set us free from sin and self…continually!

Revival is the result of:

• A new experience of the conviction of sin
• A new vision of the cross of Jesus and redemption
• A new willingness to walk in brokenness, repentance, confession and restitution
• An understanding of how to maintain a consistent walk in the light
• A joyful experience of the power of the blood of Jesus cleansing us fully from sin and healing all that sin has lost and broken
• The test for knowing you are cleansed…ask yourself

1.     Do I have any un-confessed sin?

2.     Is there anything between another person and me?

• A new entering into the wholeness of the Holy Spirit and His power and His own work in and through us
• A new “gathering-in” of the lost ones to Christ

Revival does not begin with someone else.  It begins with each of us!

Is revival stirring in your soul? 

“The fruit of revival comes only as we come to the cross and acknowledge our emptiness and failure apart from Him.  It is not good Christians becoming better Christians…but rather Christians honestly confessing that their Christian life is a valley of dry bones and by that confession qualifying for the grace that flows from the Cross and makes all things new, dry bones made alive again!”  Roy Hession

Understanding our desperate need initiates this promise:

Jesus did not come into the world to make bad men good…

He came to make dead men live!

~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.