Jackie's Journey: Jungle School

Christina’s Early Schooling Interior

“...Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”  Deut. 4:3

Good-morning, Moms!  I have two princesses who have lived to tell the story of their educational process as tribal missionary daughters.  From Home Schooling to graduating from college, they have been in every type of school and used any curriculum available at one time or another! Furloughs from the field and sickness made academic flexibility a household word for us.

Both girls have their Bachelor’s and our youngest daughter her Master’s.  I say this to encourage you, young homeschooling mothers that God is faithful beyond our circumstances and He has trusted us and is faithful to do what He calls us to do.

I was told that a good teacher causes learning and to accomplish this there are two pre-requisites:

1)   A teacher must know the child’s need …spiritual first and then academic…for the child to learn.

2)   The girls would need to be under my authority to receive from me. 

I did not always feel like a “good teacher”.  My sense of failure was forever present.   Would it be enough…is it going to allow them the opportunity to find their way in life?  Would they be prepared?

I was teaching school in the jungle before the term “home-school” became popular!”

I was given the choice of sending my little ones three days journey to live at our Mission boarding school for the school year or being a home school pioneer.  It was not a hard decision, but it was a tremendous step of faith and a huge commitment.

We lived in very primitive conditions where my job description included many already time-consuming activities.  There was no running water or electricity.  Cooking was an experience in itself, as many of the animals I was preparing were unknown to me!   There were no computers, Google, phones, radios or T.V.  There was no written alphabet in the Kuna language so linguistics occupied hours each day (oh, for an iPad).  In time, literacy became a necessity.  Sue, my partner, and I ran a medical clinic in the mornings for treating malaria, T.B., parasites, bat bites, open wounds, even setting broken bones, delivering babies, treating colds and flu… etc.   We joined the women weekly to sweep the village with palm leaf brooms (yes… imagine!).  There were remarkable teaching times, prayer meetings and lots of needs and visitors all day long… everyday.  My girls were small; one was still nursing when we moved into Pucuro, our village on the Colombian border.  Time was a precious commodity…days were short… darkness came early.

Teaching the girls was a blessing I loved.  These two girls, my heritage…are the only thing that goes on into eternity and carries on—our beliefs, our character, our philosophies, etc. into the next generation.  They are a commanding responsibility and the most important investment I will ever make.  You, moms, face the same imperative today in this asphalt jungle, as I once did as a tribal missionary mom tucked away in the tropical jungles of Panama.

As a parent we have an unequaled opportunity with each child.  We want our child to be wise, truthful, grateful, honest, mighty in spirit… etc.  It is important that our heritage has the godly character necessary to produce success in life.

My question this morning is threefold:

1.      Are you satisfied that you know how to take advantage of that opportunity for the benefit of your child?

2.     What is the cost to your children and to yourself if you fail to properly complete the task? 

3.     Is there a system that we can know for sure is going to work and we can utilize to obtain the right results?

Scary, I know!!

If there was ever a time in history when today’s youth must become God’s men and women for the world tomorrow….THIS IS THE TIME!

Isn’t it true, Moms, that our success comes from making our children successful?!

I believe Scripture gives us a system we can use with confidence.  It focuses on building Godly character and uses very simple tools to accomplish that purpose.  Many parents spend hours teaching the “do’s and don’ts” that instruct the soul…but building character trains the spirit of the child.  Our involvement in actively and aggressively developing character meets a desperate need in our child and our society.

Character is developing right attitudes that produce right actions habitually! 

Do you know how to do this?

In the following blogs we will give attention to the three questions above with pragmatic steps of action.

Will you join me?

Keeping a Clear Conscience

“I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man”  Acts 24:16

A few weekends ago, my husband and I were serving in the elder prayer room at our church.  A young lady came in looking very upset and unsure and asking for prayer.  On her request form, she was asking to pray about a miscarriage.  All of the elders were busy and I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to talk to her.  I, too, had a miscarriage many years before and knew what she was experiencing.

Happy to talk to a woman, this young girl (let’s call her Sarah) began to tell me her heart-wrenching story of loss.  She agonized over the death of her child she would never meet here on this earth.  She had been far enough along to feel the want.  After a few tears, she admitted to her real reason for being there.  It wasn’t the miscarriage, even though it did cause pain.  The event had brought on something else. She was not being tormented by the loss of her baby, but by the loss of a clear conscience.

Sarah explained losing her baby had made her think back to a time she was trying to forget.  She was thinking she lost the baby because of something she had done in her past. She had cheated on her dissertation and doctorate program. She had forged research results years ago. As Sarah unfolded her story, I assured her God was not punishing her, but in times of trial, we can tend to hear God’s voice more clearly.

God gives opportunities in life to share our life lessons. No trial happens to keep the lessons to ourselves. 

Each experience is to be shared.

When I first became a Christ follower, God asked me to confess and ask for forgiveness to those he brought to my mind.  At first, it was just a couple of names – friends, family, ex-boyfriend’s moms, teachers, etc.  At the end, the list of offended was 87 people!  So I knew the guilt she was carrying.  I had also cheated in college and God had asked me to go to the dean of my university and give back my diploma.

I also knew the freedom that comes from a clear conscience.  With that joy, I was able to share my story with her.  I wanted her to experience the burden-lifting experience of asking for forgiveness.

Sarah could hardly believe that not only had I faced a miscarriage, but I also confronted my conscience.  “What are the chances?” she said. “Of all the people who could have been here . . “  Only God does that!

After we prayed, Sarah went home to discuss all of it with her husband.  She called me weeks later to tell me she made a meeting with the dean.  She had decided to give back her doctorate diploma.  She called to get encouragement from me, to know this was the right thing.  She knew God had forgiven her. She had tried to forget about it and “sweep it under the rug”.  Many friends and family had encouraged her to “let it go”.  However, she knew in her heart that was not the right thing.

All I could do was exhort her to do what she was already being called to do.  We went through the pros and cons of living with the guilt and shame.  She was scared, but she wanted freedom.  She kept her appointment with the dean that very day. 

God speaks.

God brings darkness into the light.

God makes all things new.

She told him, “God has convicted me that I cheated and gave a false testimony.  I know this is wrong and I want to give back my diploma. Will you please forgive me?” I am smiling as I type this because I love to see someone do the right thing.  The hard thing.  Only then do we see the rewards – the burden lifted – the graciousness of Jesus.  The dean was gracious with her. 

Is there someone in your life you need to ask forgiveness to?  Don’t sweep it under the rug.  Don’t let it nag at you.  You can do it!  Go on! The heavenly angels are rooting you on! 

Do the hard thing! 

How have you kept your conscience clear before God and man?

Jackie's Journey: The Destroyer Defeated

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.”

II Cor. 10:3

Is Someone Attempting to Destroy your Life?

The answer is YES… Every moment of every day!  We are at war.  Elisabeth Elliot wrote “How can God remold my mind from within unless I continually test what I read and hear from the world by the ‘straight edge of Scripture?’”  Moms, we are inundated with time consuming activities of every kind that are compounded by social media: Facebooking, tweeting, texting, Instagraming, blogging, etc. 

Where is the voice that speaks transforming truth?

The Psalmist wrote that “Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven”.  Ps. 119:89 “The Word of God is living, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword”! Hebrews 4:12

How many days did you get in the Word this week?

The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, wrote in Chapter 6,  “This is what the Lord Almighty says…to whom can I speak and give warning?  Who will listen to me?  Their ears are closed so they cannot hear.  The Word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it…”

When you read His words what do you hear?  What do you want to get out of it? (His power? His life in you? A change in your bad habits?  A good story time?  A verse to meet someone else’s need?  A class assignment?)  What?

Listening to His voice and allowing His words to “dwell richly” in us brings blessing. Neglecting His Word brings destruction.  The Bible is the heart and mind of God…it transforms by renewing my mind. (Rom.12:2)  It is the roadmap to life!  I have this imperative need to ask God to “open my eyes so that I can see” the road, since His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways.” Isa.55: 8   

I explore His Word by purposing to read for a “BUMP”…a verse that jumps off the page at me!  It might be for someone else, but it is mine first!  It is the transforming voice of God speaking to me; perhaps in an area where I am blind to what is hindering the goal of His transforming life in me.   

What is your goal? Do you have Steps of Action to accomplish that goal?

There are 5 questions I ask myself as I begin to apply the verse to my life:

1. Is there sin for me to AVOID?
2. Is there a PROMISE for me to trust?
3. Is there an EXAMPLE for me to follow?
4. Is there a COMMAND for me to obey?
5. How can this passage increase my knowledge of the Lord God (not just about Him)

WARNING!!

 “Many false prophets (with false philosophies) will appear and deceive many.”

Matthew 24:11 

Beware of these 5 strong voices or fortresses in our 2015 culture:

1. Evolution:  How creation came into existence and developed
2. Egalitarianism:  Defining the role of man and woman
3. Economics:  Happiness = Having
4. Experience: Instant Gratification = I want, what I want…NOW!
5. Ego:  It’s All about Me!

These voices are universal and give us a checklist to reveal our true convictions and the confirmation or absence of His Word in our lives. They define strongholds that have been yielded to the destroyer. 

John 10: 10 “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal (our joy, youth, peace, seeds of truth, etc.) and kill (relationships) and destroy (us!); I (Christ) have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly”.

Revival is the power of the Holy Spirit transforming God’s Word into our soul!

Let’s pick up the Word of God this week and devastate the devil’s attempts to destroy us!!

Bowing the Knee

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry”  1 Corinthians 10:14

A couple weeks ago, I got the opportunity to speak into the lives of some amazing women.  The topic was a hard one – but well received.

“What is your idol?”

Of course, we are not talking about American Idol or even a little gold calf.  We are talking about the things in our lives that take the place of the one true God.  Anything that absorbs your thoughts, your mind and your heart may be an idol.  Anything that you give your time, money and resources to, may be an idol.

While not all idols, in and of themselves, are evil, many are.  The Holy Spirit as our guide shows us evil and wants us to turn away. 

Even well meaning things can become idols.  Think of a golden calf.  There is nothing wrong with a golden calf – in fact, in some parts of the world, it might be considered art.  It is when that object is bowed down to and worshipped that it becomes evil.

So with all of these wonderful women, I asked them to pick an idol and find a table to meet other people in the room who struggle with the same god in their life. 

These women were asked to take away their masks and be vulnerable.

How would you answer the question: “What is the one thing in your life that you can’t imagine living without?”

 “What, if lost or removed from your life, would cause you great pain, despair and depression that in turn would remove your passion, drive and sense of self-worth?”

Many idols come to mind . . .

Significance

For some of us, it might be our job outside the home – it gives us extra income, a sense of significance or security.  We like what we do and what we are an expert in.  Some of us enjoy being known for something.  I remember being an event planner and I could not imagine my life without that label.  I admit that it was hard to leave.  Now I am never introduced as the big event planner.  Instead it is now author, which I am able to give God all the glory because that was all His idea.  But the Evil One always wants me to find my significance there, so I feel the struggle.

Materialism/Security

Money. . . we can’t live without it, but it can take the place of our Lord and Savior!  It gives a sense of security. Our husband might be the breadwinner, but we are wrapped up in it – the big houses, the professionally decorated rooms, the expensive clothes, etc.  Would you be lost without it?  Has materialism become your idol?

Food/Alcohol/Drugs

Some of you, like me, have a substance as an idol.  It might be drugs, alcohol or food.  For me it is food, as I am writing this today, I am eating chocolate covered almonds because they help me think (ha, ha) and when I am finished I will have eaten the bag. I have yo-yoed my whole life with food.  I binge and purge.  Even though I eat very healthy (most of you would say), I still wake up in the morning thinking of what I get to eat today . . . when and how often. Food is an idol because it takes over my thoughts.  I can’t imagine living without all this glorious food!  And I have had to because of cancer, so then I just made “health” my idol - now we are back to food.

Relationships

Perhaps it is a relationship, such as a husband, child or emotional attachment to someone else.  Can you imagine living without your spouse or your children?  Would you be in such a state that you could not continue living?  Would you not be able to have a passion for what God is doing in this world and how you can continue it?  Have you wound yourself so tightly around those relationships that you could not see beyond them?  Have they taken God’s place in your life?  Do you put more effort into those relationships than you do your relationship with God?

Health and Beauty

Maybe you are caught up in physical beauty or athletic ability.  Does how you look define you?  It could disguise itself in “healthy living” or “working out”.  I definitely can get caught up in this as I did when I had cancer . . .  even now.  The question to ask is if you were to become injured, disabled or disfigured, would you consider your life over?  If you had cancer, how would you feel?  Do you spend more time on how you look, feel or exercise, than you do seeking a relationship with the Lord? 

Media

For many of you, media is big struggle. Media can be Facebook, movies, books, music or television.  I know for many of you social media is king. When you are stressed, is your first reaction to get on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?  Do we want to scroll and forget, to distract ourselves from whatever is worrying us? Do we try to find relief in our feeds and lose ourselves in the lives of other people for a moment?  I can take my mind off of my own problems there. More often than not, we turn to media for relief rather than turning to God. All media is so instant, so accessible, that it’s easier to turn to rather than talk to a God who’s online profile doesn’t exist. Sometimes it’s hard for us to even put down our phone long enough to read our Bible for a half hour or to spend a minute or two of undistracted time with our kids or husbands. I am hardwired for instant gratification and the instant, easily-heard audience social media offers me. TV, movies, books, music, games, etc. offer us an escape.  Do you turn on “media” when you should be turning to God? Does your media life equal out to the time spent with God and doing God’s work that He has called us to do??? 

There are many other idols I have not described here.  Is there a hobby or habit that has taken over your thoughts and time?  Is there a passion that is not from God that consumes you?  Is your reputation more important to you than God’s reputation?  It could even be your church or your political affiliation.  The ultimate question is:  Who is King in your life?  Look at your schedule, your checkbook and your thought life to see who or what consumes you.

I found this self-reflection to be very difficult, but also very freeing.  Once I sat with other women at the table and heard other confessions, I was able to open up and realize that I am not alone.  Accountability found its way into the conversations.  These beautiful women were the body of Christ coming together to overcome the Baals of today.

What are your “idols”?

Do you have community in your life to share with?  

Jackie's Journey: PASSPORT: DARIÉN JUNGLE

He risked his life for mine…the flight of my life!

“When you are flying over the jungle in a single engine plane and the prop shears off, ripping the engine out of its mounts, it’s a good sign you are in trouble.  The next indication is engine oil spreading across the windshield, making it impossible to see.  Then when the torn engine cowling begins beating violently against the side of the plane, your life flashes before your eyes”.  So writes a Boot Camp missionary friend, Macon Hare in his 2013 NTM@Work Newsletter.

Sound like fun?

There are many unknowns in jungle travel.  For those of us on a remote post, there are particular challenges that as a single person I would have found the risk challenging; however, when I became a mother and responsible for the decisions made for my two little princesses, I became more skeptical and less intrigued with the thrill of the ride.

Sitting next to me in our tiny one engine flying craft was my five-year-old daughter, Christina and her two-year-old sister.  Their trusting and smiling faces strangely comforted me.  Leaving civilization behind, I looked out the window into the vast unknown. As we taxied down the runway, I bowed my head, placing my confidence in the One who had brought us to share the gospel with these isolated people and who had promised to  “…keep us as the apple of His eye, to hide us in the shadow of HIS wings. He makes the clouds his chariots and rides on the wings of the wind.”  Psa.17: 8; Psa. 104: 3 (Wings on the Wind is the name our field had given our plane!)  

For those of us living in the interior, the plane is a lifesaving connection to the civilized world.  The hour flight over the clear blue coastline waters of the Atlantic Ocean and then the twenty minutes beyond over a solid wall of 150 feet tall Quipo trees inspired me to again acknowledge His Majesty and control!  Our missionary pilot was required to hit a tiny band aide airstrip that had been carved out of this dense blanket of trees.  My father had sent hundreds of pounds of seeds from the States to this remote area and had turned that slippery, mud-sliding landing strip into a functional beauty to behold!  

Our brave pilot made his approach by flying low, crossing the river; but not too low, being careful not to crash into the 18’ riverbank on the other side.  He approximated the length he had to land with the 150’ trees looming up into the sky at the other end.  He would clear the river and abruptly drop and land safely on a tree-lined ribbon of a very short runway!   Creativity is defined as “finding ways to overcome impossible obstacles”.  He had been a “crop duster” before entering missionary service and I cannot express enough gratitude for this pilot’s creativity! 

Cleared patch of jungle for the airstrip on the other side of the river from the village.

Our village had experienced an epidemic that affected almost every man, woman and child.  The small clinic we ran was open early every morning; the people responded well to the anti-biotic injections and after two weeks, we were beginning to “see light at the end of the tunnel”.  People were returning to work, and life seemed normal again.

One afternoon I began to run a fever.  For two days I ran a 103 temperature and nothing would bring it down.  I was not responding to treatment.   It peaked one morning at 106.  I needed outside help!  It was a two-day trip by dugout and then banana boat if we made timely connections.

We had awakened to the “storm of storms” with thunder and lightning that morning.  The sky and clouds were black.  The wind was fierce and the air was heavy.  In those early days we had a two-way radio that gave us daily contact with our pilot.  I could hear my husband telling him our circumstance…that there was no visibility, the windsock was standing straight up and it would be impossible to fly into our village.  He asked if there was a doctor in the city that could assist us over the radio until the weather lifted?  We would wait out the night and check again by radio early the next morning.  There was a pause and then…

I heard the pilot say, “Hold on…I am coming!”

We looked outside and knew it was impossible…BUT “Bush Pilots” are a rare breed.  True to his word, about two hours later in the storm-filled darkness of that afternoon, we heard a plane in the distance approaching our landing strip.

Our pilot, Scott Wolfe, had risked his life to save mine!

That man had landed that plane on an almost invisible airstrip in the middle of the Darién jungle in the worst weather imaginable!   The doctors at Gorgas Hospital in the Canal Zone confirmed that had he not come for me when he did I would not be telling this story.  God had made the clouds his chariot and brought Scotty in on the wings of the wind!

Thank you, God, and thank you for Scotty!!

Nurturing the "Hopeful Romantic" Heart in Your Daughter

Instead of hopeless, I’d much rather view myself as a “hopeful” romantic. This sentimental heart was in full bloom even as a little girl watching the classics like “Cinderella” or “Snow White,” and playing with one of my dearest friends. Her name was Barbie and she was from a faraway land called Mattel. ®  We managed countless adventures together without ever leaving my room and even though my family moved around a lot, Barbie and I never had to say good-bye as was the case with my other friends. She was always ready to follow me anywhere. One of my favorite ways to spend an afternoon would involve dreaming up a big adventure where in a series of mishaps, Barbie would find herself in distress. She would call for help and just in time, our prince (Rock Star Ken, in this case) would come to the rescue riding—yes, you guessed it—on a white horse. I cannot tell you how many times I had Barbie rehearse our little drama. Somehow, the story never got old.

I fail to remember when it was that I put Barbie in her case for the last time, but I know that there came a time when it was not considered mature anymore to go around using your Barbie dolls to dramatize your own longed-for fairytale. Along the way, a few broken hearts and well-meaning “encouragers” bade me to understand clearly that life is not a fairytale and happily-ever-afters simply do not exist in the real world. Outwardly, it seemed as if what they were saying was true, but secretly, I felt crushed. No matter how hard I tried to let go of my happily-ever-after dreams, they simply refused die. It became only rarely that I would ponder the question that always seemed to invade my dreams, “…what if it were real?”

(Excerpt from “Searching for Happily-Ever-After: A Companion for the Lady Who Waits”)

If only the Princess Parables were around when I was a child. My little girl heart, which still exists, by the way, has always longed to be caught up in a breathtaking story. The Lord used my love of a good love story to awaken a longing to love and to be loved in return. While I dreamed of being a wife and mother some day, I found the perfect reciprocation of love in my First Love, Christ. He is my Happily-Ever-After. “I am my Beloved’s and He is mine.” (Song of Solomon 6:3) The Lord promised to love me without condition or performance, which was a refreshing change to feeling as if I had to be the perfect little pastor’s kid. I began to flourish under that kind of love.

God would often speak of His plans for me, but also cautioned that I was to be careful to live fully in the journey and not wish away time merely longing for the “Promised Land.” He showed me how to cherish and redeem the time I was given. Dear moms, you have great influence in your children’s lives. I’d like to share with you some ways to encourage your daughter along the way. I know that while I actively waited on God, these are things that He used to nurture this hopeful romantic’s heart. He asked me to:

1. Fall madly in love with my First Love, never losing sight that I was a daughter of the Great King. (Revelation 2:4)
2. Become the woman God longed for me to be, developing the fruit of His Spirit in my life. I could live like His princess from the inside out! (Galatians 5:22-23)
3. Live out my God-given dreams, asking Him to put His desires in my heart. (Psalm 37:4)
4. Be apart of my love story…long before my husband came along by praying, writing letters, having a standard of godliness and purity along the way.
5. Value and practice the importance of guarding my spiritual, emotional and physical purity. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

(For the Princess Within Bible study, visit www.princesswithin.com)

Living fully helped to take the angst out of waiting for the fruition of certain promises and dreams. No time is ever wasted when we are engaged in our love story with Christ. Yes, there will be seasons of waiting without seeing the vision being fulfilled, but there is abundant treasure, meaning and purpose in the wait. God knows all about the wait—the aching and longing, because He has patiently and longingly waited for us. He is not asking anything that He has not done Himself. Oh, did you not know? We are His happily-ever-after. Jesus endured the cross, despising it’s shame so that in the end, He could be with us. (Hebrews 12:2) Sigh. What a breathtaking story!

Amber Gallagher is founder of Sacred Revolution Ministries, an organization to inspire and equip people for the sacred life with Christ. She has authored two Bible study/retreat curricula, The Princess Within: Living Like a Princess From the Inside Out and The Sacred Revolution: Uncovering Purity for the Modern Day Knight” as well as her book, Searching for Happily-Ever-After: A Companion for the Lady Who Waits. She resides in Ohio with her husband, Brian and her little Prince, Henry. You can visit her at www.princesswithin.com.

Jackie's Journey: Culture Shock?

Our Kuna home

Have you ever been in a situation where your heart goes “into shock?”  

My life was totally surreal!  The storm had passed.  We had pulled the mosquito netting over us in the darkness to keep the blood-sucking mosquitos and vampire bats from attacking us as we attempted to spend our first night in our remote location.  Night passed slowly…

The jungle had a different face in the morning light.  I slipped out of our king-sized plywood bed that was topped with a firm 3” piece of foam rubber and welcomed the possibilities of the day.  Two little faces popped up out from under the netting.  Both were happy, dry and VERY hungry!

Don’t you just love it??

I surveyed the barrels all around the open room of our new home…eighteen of them!  Which barrel had a cooking pot for oatmeal?  No toast…no electricity! 

I was paralyzed wondering where to begin.  But two little rested and hyperactive girls have me well motivated…they were HUNGRY!

First Barrel:  Rice and beans and dry goods, but no oatmeal!

Second Barrel:  Clothes…no oatmeal!

Third Barrel:  Pots and pans…yeah!  But still…no oatmeal!

While opening the thirteenth barrel, a beautiful young woman walked through our front door offering us bananas and mangos!!  Since I did not understand her language or culture and not wanting to be aggressively offensive (I REALLY wanted to grab that fruit!), I waited patiently for her to put the fruit in my hands and graciously thanked her.  I lifted my head toward heaven, whispering,  “Thank you, Lord… for the kindness of my new neighbor and for a perfect breakfast!” 

I had heard the women stoking their fires in the very early morning before light.  They had already eaten, having cooked bananas hours before.  They were now filing into our house with an understandable curiosity, and began pulling everything out of every opened barrel!

All I could think was…PLEASE, LORD, LET THEM FIND THE OATMEAL!

The Kuna women seemed to have an inexplicable interest in my appearance.  Did they think I was a man? I was too tall, too skinny, my hair was too short, and I was wearing jeans! I was a nursing mother, yet I towered over every living person in the village at 5’8”, with the exception of my 6’2” husband.

Being the strong, confident woman I am, I took it all in stride…NOT!

Not at all!   This was totally surreal!  Would my life always be like the

last 24 hours?

Would they ever accept someone like me?

Clearly…. culture shock had set in!

While in training for this mission, the instructors (who were seasoned missionaries) introduced us to this phenomenon.   I told myself I was not going to be the “weak” one who goes into her village and gives in to her fears…that was for someone else…I hated failure! 

There are certain undeniable signs of culture shock:

• Screeching in the night for your kidnapped baby who has been abducted by near-naked, tribal people who are “way deep into what you once considered your comfort zone”
• Crawling into a bed that has been drenched by the rain coming through your bark walls and adjusting to the misting on your face through the mosquito netting, but unable to sleep
• Furiously tucking in the netting around every inch of your bed…not knowing what is already in there with you (it’s pitch black after all!)
• Listening all night to the critters scurrying under your bed and in the open ceiling rafters and visualizing the unthinkable!  What animals are nocturnal in the rain forest?  All of them!!! 
• Having an intense desire to communicate with the women busily dissecting our belongings, yet powerless to do so…
• Etc., etc.

The dictionary defines Contentment as freedom from care or discomfort!

 Genuine Contentment is avoiding the bondage of personal expectations and realizing God has provided everything I need for my present happiness.  It understands that if I am not satisfied with what I have, I will never be satisfied with what I want!  I Timothy 6: 6-8

 Was I content?   What were my expectations?

Where was the fruit of my contentment??

Here I was again, finding Him in that secret place of my learning heart.  God was waiting for me to enter into His presence with thanksgiving, acknowledge His authority and claim all that is mine, regardless of my personal failure and present circumstances.  “God wants me to be present where I am.  He invites me to see and to hear what is around me and, through it all, to discern the footprints of the Holy.” (Richard Foster)

Pressing toward the goal, like Paul in Philippians 4:11,  “…I have learned (I continue to learn) to be content, whatever the circumstances...”

 What is your level of contentment this morning?

 “Blessed is the woman who listens to me, watching at my doors,

waiting in the doorway.  For whoever finds me, finds life and 

receives favor from the Lord." Proverbs 8:34,35

Jackie's Journey: Mother's Day Is Coming!

This is for those of you who have been blessed with a godly Mother and she is still with you…

My mother is 96 years old and is my heart.  She has never given up on me and I have given her good reason to do just that!

After all, I took her first and only grandchild, a beautiful little girl, to live in a foreign country in the middle of the Darien jungles in Panama when she was just 3 years old!

“Whose Shoulders Do you Stand On?”

T. L. Cuyler said, “God made mothers before He made ministers; the progress of Christ’s kingdom depends more upon the influence of faithful, wise and pious mothers than upon any other human agency.”

 Who has had the most influence on your life?

Is it not your Mother?!

We are all a reflection of our mothers and their powerful influence!

Abraham Lincoln once said, “All I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”

 When my father left us for heaven two years ago at 93, my brother-in-law wrote a tribute that ended with the question, “Whose shoulders are those upon which you stand?’   It comes from the Latin, “Nanos gigantum humeris insidentes” which translates, “Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants”! 

Well…my mother is a giant! 

She is an incredible human being.  She is a motivational force to be reckoned with that has always been a beacon for me when I have wanted to falter.  She is my hero.  I confidently step into the footprint she leaves behind.  Her vision for my success has been constant and her sacrifice on my behalf over our years together is more than praiseworthy.  Her loyalty and encouraging words, “You can do it, Jackie”, have been a consistent inspiration.  

My mother is noble and has learned God-control and the blessing of surrendering to Him.  She is the woman my father had confidence in all the days of his life.  She is resourceful and no one can out-shop, or in her younger days, out-walk her.  My wise Mother influenced some of the most important decisions my Dad ever made in business.

She is tenacious and never gives up if the cause is worth fighting for!  She is generous and compassionate and still looks over all of us with intense personal interest and care.

She is clothed in strength and dignity.  Her courage these last two years with my fathers passing, after 72 years of marriage, has been exemplary and a wonderful testament of her patient endurance.  Her stretching toward the cross in times of deep loneliness speaks to each of her four daughters of her immense capacity to trust her heavenly Father.

Her back door humor is renowned in our family, and we can always count on her to make life fun for us.  She is soft-spoken and gentle in nature, but bold as a mama bear, if you touch one of her babies, grandbabies or great-grandbabies. 

Proverbs 31 speaks of a virtuous woman.  We don’t know her name or what she looked like or her personality.  We learn of her inner character.

My mother is being praised today for her inner character, not her activities or physical beauty (although she is beautiful at 96, as her picture declares!).   I am addressing the eternal accomplishments of her soul and the heritage she carries and leaves behind for us to follow. 

Words fail me when it comes to expressing my gratitude for my mother… she is so much more than words…I cannot imagine my life without her!  My journey and the power of her influence on my life will be a forever blessing.  I am honored and privileged “to stand on her shoulders”.  Look down there, under your feet…

On whose shoulders do you stand today?

A Conversation to Visit Over and Over Again!

Growing up in public school in Southern California, I was often challenged in my faith in science class.  Back in my day, we actually had a Creation vs. Evolution debate in our Biology class.  I know that we would be hard pressed to find that today.  Remembering back to my time in high school, I felt so confused with what our teacher said was fact and what I learned at church.

My parents did not have a clue in this area, so I was on my own to figure it out.  As I ventured out into a very secular Christian college, I found that there were many versions to what Christians believe in the Creation account.  Never really figuring out my stance, I graduated college not thinking it was a big deal.  God created the world, in some way, that must fit some Biblical model, I thought.  I was content not really figuring out the details.

Now teaching my four kids some 20 years later, I fell into learning things all over again.  We have been blessed to be teaching from a Biblical worldview for the last 9 years using Apologia Science curriculum.  I have been learning alongside my children and discovering that my belief in the Creation Story IS important to how I view the Bible.  Believing in a young earth, a poetic Genesis or evolutionary creation does affect my worldview.

I have learned that my kids need to learn about creation and hear it over and over again because the world is always there fighting for my kids’ souls.  It doesn’t work to say it once . . . or take one class . . . or go to one lecture.  I want my kids to whine and say, “Mom, we know this already”.  “Wonderful!  You get to teach today!” I say.

We have visited so many museums and watched so many shows that preach the evolutionary theories.  But I never shy away from a conversation with my kids about what the Bible really says.  This is the conversation to be repeated with my kids.  Learning God’s truth of creation, who God is and how to defend your faith is something we teach over and over again!

My kids can’t remember what I taught them last year . . . hence, the constant conversation!

God says “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up”. Deut. 6:7  What are we to repeat? God says learn to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and might (v.5) . . . to learn to fear Him and love his statues and commands that it might go well with you and your children (v.2).

 There are many resources to help us!  Our family has listened to hours and hours of Jonathan Park audiobook series.  I think it is a wonderful resource to teach our children (and us adults) how to stand up against evolutionary thinking.  I highly recommend it! My kids all love to listen to it, even my 14 year old son!  We have attended a couple Creation vs. Evolution debates.  We have studied science from a Biblical worldview every year.  We have talked and talked and talked about it! 

So you can imagine my excitement when we were visiting the Creation Museum in Hebron, Kentucky a couple of weekends ago.  What a blessing it was to visit a museum sharing our same views and faith.  I was so refreshed and energized to be there! And we were continuing the conversation . . .

How are you teaching your kids “diligently” about the Creator of the world?

How are you continuing the conversation?

Jackie's Journey: KIDNAPPED! Really?

Baby Kim and her sister, Christina.

Hang on to your hats…this was one day in my life I could have skipped! 

Ever had those days???

Dusk was cascading over the torrential waters, enveloping our dugout into the dark silence of the unknown jungle.  Along the mangrove-lined shoreline we could hear twigs breaking and see shadows of what appeared to be dark, naked bodies racing us to the remote landing in the deep stillness.

For eight hours we had traveled upriver unceasingly, pressing on against the rapid flow of the Tuira River through lighting bolts, thunder and rain.  The river had risen 8 feet as we fought the current in our long journey up the contiguously inaccessible jungle waters.  Our goal to reach this isolated Indian village on the Colombian border in Panama was now within our reach!

Underneath the makeshift tarp that protected us from the worst of the violent storm were two little girls.  One, almost three, was exceedingly excited and could not wait to get out of the wet boat and the other, just a few months old, was securely wrapped in my arms.  Our piragua was piled high with everything we would need for the next six months!

Jungle River

The boat brusquely hit the bank and as I stood, dripping wet, to face all the unknowns that had brought us to this sandy beach, the warm little bundle in my arms was abruptly yanked from me and disappeared into the darkness of the night!!  I quickly grabbed my once excited and happy three year old by the hand.  She was now very confused.  Her contentment was exchanged for eyes full of fear!  I pulled her close to me and began calling for my baby…

In that instant, the crowd pushed and shoved us up a short trail that led to our mud-floored, bark-walled house.  My insistent calls for my lost child were ignored and unanswered. 

As I stepped over the threshold of our unfinished new home, the rats (at least I prayed they were rats!) scurried among the barrels that had been sent a month ahead of us and now stored our rice and dried beans in the very open tin-roofed room.  The sound of rain on that roof was deafening!

My worst fear had come upon me…Job 3:25,26.  I screamed again into the crowd for my tiny daughter and again received no response.  I lifted my three year old into my arms and determinedly turned to walk back through the crowd down to the river’s edge!

Where had my baby gone?   Who had taken her?!

Immediately, my panic turned to terror…

The familiar promise in Proverbs 1:33 eluded me.  “…whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

What was happening?  Why had God allowed this? 

There are three Biblical Principles regarding trials:

1.  Trials are common to all of us.  No one escapes unscathed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to men.  And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  No excuses and no victims here! The real question is not why, but “Why not, Jackie, don’t you trust me?!  I will never leave you or forsake you…listen to ME, not your circumstances!.”
2. Trials are given with divine purpose and will pass.  1Peter 1:6 “In this you may greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.”
3.  Trials are life-lessons NOT to be wasted!  James 1:4 “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce “There are two kinds of people:  Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your own way.’”

I was standing at the point of decision! My options were limited…

What is your attitude toward the trials in life?  Which kind of person are you?

Join me next Monday for my decision…think about yours.