Jackie's Journey: "I Surrender!"

The year 2015 is coming to a close, and my commitment to blogging was for one year.  What an incredible blessing to be able to jot down thoughts and rehearse what God continues to teach me through His Word and the people and events in my life.   

All any of us has to share with others is our weakness translated into a life message for the benefit of another.  I trust God has used my flaws to manifest His strength for your benefit. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.” II Cor. 12: 9-10

Jim Elliot, husband of Elizabeth Elliot, who was martyred at the hand of the Auca Indians, once said:  “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” 

Listen to the spirit of his devotedness…

“Father, let me be weak that I might loose my clutch on everything temporal.  My life, my reputation, my possessions, Lord, let me lose the tension of the grasping hand…Rather, open my hand to receive the nail of Calvary, as Christ’s was opened, that I, releasing all, might be released, unleashed from all that binds me now.  He thought Heaven, yea, equality with God not a thing to be clutched at.  So let me release my grasp.”

Christmas is a wonderful time to put our busy lives back in Scriptural perspective. We celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…the One who “gives us everything we need to lead a godly life! “ II Pet.1: 3  

Genuine Christianity is an unconditional surrender to His Lordship!

While attending the University of Arizona I was invited to join Kappa Alpha Theta, a national sorority.  I had a sense of acceptance and grew to love the girls and the accountability.  After a semester of initiation we had a night of mild hazing that culminated in stepping individually behind a veil for the final step of becoming a Theta.   As the pledge of loyalty was read and the words were spoken to me… I was asked to repeat them.  At that time I realized I had already pledged my loyalty to Christ. 

A few months earlier, over the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents and sisters, I had attended a church service and had heard for the first time in my life that I could know God in a personal way through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Standing behind that curtain I was struck, profoundly, when I realized I had already given my total allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ that Thanksgiving weekend!   When He walked into my life everything changed, I had no more allegiance to give.

Time has tested on life’s stage that unconditional surrender I made to my loving Savior and Sovereign Lord in those college days.

What is your present commitment? 

When we talk about a total surrendering of our lives to the Lordship of Christ, we are talking about yielding all our rights and expectations! 

·      A dying to self and self-attitudes

·      A yielding of all entitlements and self-interest

WHAT?...WAIT A MINUTE!

Don’t we run from the people and circumstances that call us into total commitment?  It is much easier to go with the flow as the secular, ungodly world dictates to us relativity, independence and “I have my rights!”   The world’s motto: “Strength only…show no weakness!”  The human struggle wants His power to do OUR will.    

Is humility a position of strength or weakness, in your opinion?

Humility is me… seeing the contrast between my spiritual condition (a sinner) and God’s holiness and then receiving His grace to live Christ-like, not Jackie-like!  

 Phil. 3:10   Grace is doing His will with His power!  It is acknowledging His presence and His power to live the Christian life.  Victory is living in that truth!   

Are you living in Victory? 

Have you surrendered your life to His Lordship?

~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: Virtue....What Is It?

While living in the Panamanian jungle, I clung to a promise in II Peter that encouraged me to keep on regardless of my sense of failure.  It says, “His power has given me everything I need for life and godliness through my knowledge of Him who called me.”  Running the medical clinic, delivering babies at night, learning to clean and cook strange rodents, fish and meat, washing in the river, dozens of diapers and no dryer, learning a new language, meeting the needs of my husband and two little girls and acclimating to 90-degree heat with 99% humidity, etc., I found my level of spirituality severely challenged.  Exhausted daily, I found the verses in II Peter to be a fresh breath of air on my dripping, overheated soul and with it came a promise I intended to claim!

I wanted to implement that promise He gave.  The provision was there to lead a godly life!  I needed to tap into “His power”, and as I kept reading, I realized His very great and precious promises were attached to verse 5.  They were given with clear and present instruction IF I was to participate in His divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires…like giving in to my anger, impatience, frustration, and believing the lies regarding my inability to accomplish the task He had called me to. 

“For this very reason, I had to make every effort to add to my faith, goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if I possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep me from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.” 11 Pet. 1: 5-9 (Personalized)

Always looking for a functional definition to put the “rubber on the road”, I found these marks of Virtue:

•  “Virtue is the moral excellence and purity of spirit that radiate from my life as I obey God’s Word”.  (II Peter 1: 5) It is learning to build personal moral standards that will cause others to desire a more godly life.  It is reproducing Christ’s character in my life first and then in others.
•  Virtue is the fruit of grace as we are given light.  There is no excuse not to exemplify God’s character in my life.  I am to be an example, not an excuse!
• Virtue is the godly influence my life has on others regardless of past failures.

The opposite of virtue is hypocrisy.

• "Hypocrisy is the practice of a person who is willfully living in conflict with their soul (their mind, will, emotions)”.

Virtue is not made in crisis; it is only exhibited.  Crisis reflects our virtue.

Proverbs 24:10 says that we demonstrate what we really are spiritually in times of adversity, not when things are going smoothly!

I was teaching a group of college girls in our home and one of the girls asked my daughter if she considered me to be a virtuous woman.  She hesitated…way too long, and I became acutely aware of my need to take another look at the qualities that comprise the virtuous woman in Scripture!

Do I consider myself a woman of virtue…of godly character?

There is a thief that focuses on robbing us of the best. Time in the Word can be lost to the immediate demands of responsibility, a whirlwind of activity and finding a “War Room” where we can read and pray uninterrupted.  Little things begin to bother us and when people “bump” us, we react selfishly. 

Sound familiar?

One day away from the Word and I am aware of my desperate need and its crucial impact in my life.  Two days of skipping a time of allowing the Word to dwell richly in me and my husband and girls are intensely mindful of my desperate need!

What is my response when:

• I am evil spoken of
• My loyalty has been betrayed
• My will is crossed
• I am forgotten or neglected
• My friends forsake me
• I find compromise more inviting than maintaining claimed convictions

My response reveals to me

 if I am a virtuous women or a woman of hypocrisy/impurity.

(Impurity is ungodly contamination in any of its forms).

Which are you?

~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: Treasure... Really?... I Want Some!

I love Fall and look forward to it every year.  It is a lesson on death of sorts, but it brings with it the promise of new life to come in the Spring.   “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies….it remains only a single seed, BUT if it dies, it produces many seeds…”Jn. 12:24  My humble garden waves goodbye until spring and the fall leaves on the trees surrounding it burst into vibrant colors and then slowly brown and drop to the ground… waving their final farewell! 

Every thing and every one of us faces physical death.  There is no possibility of escape.  It is an undeniable reality!  Godly obedience comes with the promise of long life…but death is inevitable and we are all dying a little each day! 

What we do with the time we have here, short as it is, tells us what we value most and where our treasure is.  When, during our Fall Season of life here on earth, our treasure is eternal, not temporal,.. we carry the promise of never dying but passing from one life to another…into eternal life!

In a society where our monetary treasures are on the cusp of being devalued to nil, the temporal world is feeling pretty insecure.  If we define our “treasure” by worldly standards, we are in deep trouble! 

I was reading in Proverbs 24:4 this morning and stumbled over:

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. 

Knowledge is familiarity gained by insight to (biblical) truth, experience and accumulated acts and reports.

We are not to envy persons that  “linger over wine and sample mixed wine” or to desire their company; for their hearts plot violence and their lips talk about making trouble.” Pro. 23: 30   By wisdom a house is built…by understanding it is established; by knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Prov. 24:1  I do not think it is coincidence that these two verses follow one another.  Envy is a robber of the soul.  It is a greed that consumes time and swallows up treasured values.

So then, how do we get knowledge so we can acquire “rooms filled with rare and beautiful treasures”?

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge…” Pro. 12:1

Discipline is accepting suffering as God’s fastest path to growth and giving thanks for it! (Lam. 3:33)  The realm of tribulation becomes the home of revelation and the resource of knowledge.  

What??  Who loves discipline???

We had better love it, accept it, practice it and endorse it because scripture states,  “he who hates correction is stupid!” Pro. 12: 1 NIV   I already fight stupid!   So for me, it is imperative that I get wisdom, understanding and knowledge because I want the fruit …those ”rooms filled with rare and beautiful eternal treasures.”

So, how does Scripture say I gain knowledge?

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of KNOWLEDGE. Prov. 1: 7

I need to fear the Lord!

Let’s let the Bible define “to fear the Lord”.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.  Prov. 8: 13

I need to hate SIN!

This means no “acceptable sins” permitted:

·      No Deception

·      No Covetousness

·      No Fearfulness

·      No Loneliness

·      No Stinginess

·      No Dominance

·      No Double-mindedness

·      No Disrespect

·      No Slothfulness

·      No Presumption

·      No Apathy

·      No Hypocrisy

·      No Extravagance

·      No Wastefulness

·      No Anger

·      No Rudeness

·      No Irresponsibility 

·      Etc.!!!

Are the rooms in your house “filled with rare and beautiful treasure”? 

Why not?

~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: "Double-Minded?!"

“A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways”! James 1:8

Wait!...What??... Double-minded???…

I am a mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, missionary, pastor’s wife,

teacher, author, speaker, etc.… and the last title I want is Double-Minded!

In the Princess Parable Series the story of Princess Hope comes from Matthew 13, The Hidden Treasure. She is called to "count the cost" if she is to find the REAL treasure! In her life lesson she learns to focus on God's promises and not the circumstances surrounding her. Her single-mindedness and loyalty to her grandmother, not to mention her determination with a lot of active creativity, become her constant companions and ultimately bring her reward and blessing.

What are the undeniable marks of a double-minded person? 

There is:

• Fear of examination; fear of being transparent with others; a need to protect reputation
• Resistance to being vulnerable to the pain of exposure
• A Plastic coating of pride, usually masked under the guise of some form of spirituality
• Hiding of sin, self and struggle
• A Protection of personal impurities
• A Secretiveness

Are you double-minded?

We are to be women of principle with loyal convictions, who cannot be bought and will not compromise.   Loyalty is demonstrated in adversity.  It is the first of 4 basic needs of man.  There is a seed of loyalty programmed into each one of us by God. 

Double-mindedness is disloyalty and springs from an independent spirit.  An unbroken will is a cause of disloyalty and double-mindedness.  The fruit is divorce, dissension, division, disharmony, distrust and …

We listen to double-minded philosophies all the time:

•  I want to serve the Lord, but I don’t want to take responsibility for myself or my life
• I want to be a disciple, but I don’t want to be inconvenienced or have any discomfort
• I want to be a servant, but on my own time
• I have temporal values, but I am totally committed to God
• I want to be honest, but I don’t want to tell the truth, at least not the whole truth
• I want to be loved, but I won’t love freely in return or be vulnerable
• I want to be pure, but I don’t want accountability or to be corrected or examined
• I want to live morally pure, but I won’t submit my body to my spirit…it feels too good the other way
• I have a bitter spirit, but I don’t want to hear about it
• I want to be loyal, but I don’t want to be single-minded!

“A loyal woman is pre-eminently a woman of one thing.  It is not enough to say that she is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted and fervent in spirit.  She only sees one thing, she cares for one thing, she lives for one thing, she is swallowed up in one thing…and that one thing is to please God.  Whether she lives or whether she dies; whether she has health or whether she has sickness; whether she is rich, or whether she is poor; whether she pleases man or whether she gives offense; whether she is thought to be wise or whether she is thought to be foolish; whether she gets blame or whether she gets praise; whether she gets honor or whether she gets the shame… for all this a loyal woman cares nothing at all.  She burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory…   This is what is meant when we speak of loyalty to the cross.”  Bishop Ryle, 1959

When my life is over will single-mindedness be my legacy? 

Will I be known as a loyal servant of my God? 

Will you???

~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. 

How to Not Stress Out This Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is behind us . . .  Let the craziness begin!!!

Do you feel it?  The stress and the rush of this time of year just arrived.   It started this morning (or last night) with Black Friday.   It will continue on until December 25th.  You will add decorating the whole house (inside and out), lots of activities and parties (all fun!), shopping, wrapping, baking . . . . you know the drill!  All added to your regular schedule.  Ah, have I stressed you out?

I have spent many years frenzied and hectic - not being able to accomplish this task of doing everything perfect at Christmas.  There is only so much time in each day and only 25 days in the month to accomplish so much!  When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, I had my surgery right before the holiday season. I was panicked I would not be able to pull off the normal Christmas for my kids.  And then at the end of those 6 weeks surgery recovery, my sweet dad died. I was in grieving mode and planning a funeral at the beginning of December. So Christmas 2011 was going to be different. It really got me thinking about the purposes in all of the traditions we did as a family and all of the busyness of the holiday. God reformed my way of thinking so that I can seize the season and experience more of Jesus!

If you go to my house right now and open any drawer or closet, you will most likely find a mess.  Some of them might be clean, but not all.  I am naturally a procrastinator.  I don’t want anyone to think I am super organized. I work best under pressure and that is how I used to approach Christmas. Because the old me would run crazy through Christmas so busy that I could barely hold my breath.  I was terribly rushed through the beauty of this lovely time of year.  My time with the Lord suffered, my relationship with my husband and kids suffered, my life was just one blurry mess.  Then it was over and I felt depressed because I never got to “enjoy” it. 

Does anyone else feel that way?  Or have you? 

First, in order to be sane in the month of December, I have to have a plan.  My plan starts in August, when I order all the Christmas cards using the family picture we took over the summer or this year in February!  I start shopping in October and planning early. Real Simple has a great list of how to start early.  I know that we are know at the end of November and you will either read them and panic or read them and say “okay I am on track”.  Start where you are today and just do it! In any case, I don’t want you to read this and feel stressed.  My goal is to help you to start with a plan, if not this year, then next. Tackle this year as best as possible. 

Second, I need to remember my priorities.  This is why I make a Christmas plan!  What are my priorities during the holiday season?  What can I forget or what event can’t we miss?  I plan ahead to know those things.  For God is a God of order and not of confusion as we find in 1st Corinthians.  He lays out his plans in Genesis and references us doing the same in Luke.  So this idea is not mine, it is God’s idea for us to be thinking ahead. I like to take everything through a grid.  There are so many events we are invited to in December.  We have a question grid that helps us figure out what to do.

            Here is what we ask:

            Is this part of tradition?

            Does it fit within our desire to serve others and the community?

            Will we grow closer to Jesus as a result of this event?

If it doesn’t fit into this grid of questions, we say “no”.  Sometimes it is hard to say no to the fun things, but it keeps me less stressed and therefore is necessary.  I have created these self-imposed rules to make my life have margin.

Why does all the planning and prioritizing matter?

Because the goal here is Jesus, not the to do list.  Giving ourselves attainable goals is to insure that we are ready and not just flying by the seat of our pants. Having a plan gives us margin, to experience and be all that God wants us to be.  It gives us time to play with our kids, help those we see in need and time to spend in Advent (resting and having a Christmas Sabbath).

We celebrate Advent here at the Young’s house.  I could never do this if I didn’t have a plan.  Every night with the kids we open a book, eat chocolate, pray for the Christmas cards we received and read some scripture.  This is why we celebrate Christmas – to be focused on the coming of our Lord.  There are lots of ways to do Advent.  I love Sarah Mae’s Christmas countdown with ideas on each day and how to bring more of Christ into the season.  In my quiet time and with the kids, I have enjoyed Ann Voscamp’s Advent books bringing to life the birth of Jesus.

Seizing the season means that I am taking back control of the things that I have control over.  Then God will be able to interrupt me will HIS plan!  Nothing is worse than for God to have an assignment for me in the BIG PLAN and I don’t have time for it!

Happy planning friends!  I can’t wait to hear what God does with your margin this year!

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!

Jackie's Journey: Busybodies...!

Chapter 3 of James speaks directly to those who aspire to teach.  Mothers are teachers whether they aspire to be or not!  Our children look to us for direction, protection and instruction in what is right and wrong in life.  They read our actions, words, and attitudes…continually.  They listen to our hearts and they read our spirits! 

“When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.  Or take ships as an example.  Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants it to go.

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.   Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue is a small part of the body but makes great spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue!” James 3: 3-7

SeaWorld can control Shamu, a massive creature,

 but we struggle to control our own diminutive tongue!!

Scripture says “the tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison!” 

With the tongue we praise God, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  This should not be!

Do you know what I am talking about? 

Do you know what a gossip is?

How about a whisperer or slanderer?

 Can you define a busybody…?

I Peter 4:15 talks about a busybody who digs up evil reports and then spreads them through gossip, slander or whispering.   

“Let none of you suffer as a murderer

or as a thief

or as an evil doer

or as a busybody in other men’s matters.” 

According to this verse evil reporting is as wicked as murder or stealing!

We enjoy listening to evil reports because they exalt us!  All evil reports involve false information or are a distortion of facts.  They are usually given with wrong motives and cause the hearer to form inaccurate conclusions.  One of the major causes of conflict among us is our wrong response to an evil report.  We, then, attempt to resolve the conflict with unscriptural solutions.

The Whisperer secretly or privately passes on evil reports to others.

“All my enemies whisper together against me. They imagine the worst for me…”  Psa. 41:7

Among Christians, a common example of a whisperer is in the area of prayer requests. 

If the request comes with the disclaimer, “Please don’t share this with anyone, but… we need to pray about this….!”

Our response should be, “Have you asked this person if you can share this request with me?  Let’s go pray with this person together.”

In Panama at our missionary school, we sang a song called Gossip.  It went like this:

“Gossip is sharing pertinent information with someone with anyone who’s not involved with the problem or with the solution.”  The Gossiper loves to magnify and sensationalize rumors and partial information and pass it on quickly. 

Know anybody like this?

The Slanderer seeks to destroy another’s credibility or reputation with damaging facts, distortions of facts and evil suspicions.  In Numbers 14:36 the consequence for evil reporting exposes what God thinks about evil reports!

“So the men Moses sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it…

these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the Lord”!

Ask yourself these 5 questions the next time someone approaches you with information regarding a third party:

1. What is your reason for telling me this?
2. Where did you get your information?
3. Have you spoken to those directly involved?
4. Have you personally checked out all the facts?
5. Can I quote you if I check this out?

Spirituality is not measured by how well we expose another person for whatever reason, but by how effectively we scripturally seek to see that person restored and made successful.

How do your husband and your children perceive the amount

of control you have over your tongue?

How important do you see your power of influence

in the lives of your children?

~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: Jonah...HELP!

If you have not heard the Story of Jonah told by the daughter of Lindsey Douglas, you are in for a treat!  Listen to the heart of a precious child who makes this blog very understandable! 

The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.

“It was not the sin and corruption of the Ninevites, although those were great.  It was not the graft-ridden police force or corrupt politicians.  It was not the false cults and religions.  The biggest obstacle to the salvation of Nineveh was found in the heart of a pious, prejudiced man named Jonah!  There was no deceitfulness in all of Nineveh like the deceitfulness in Jonah’s heart.  Jonah was the key to the salvation of Nineveh.  God’s people are the key to the spiritual climate of our nation and the world.”   George Sweeting

Deceitfulness comes from a secret lust.  It is a result of a long sin pattern.

Jonah was foolish enough to argue with God!  He thought he could run away from God…

Do you ever feel that way?

Jonah deceived himself!  His prejudice against a people he was called to preach repentance caused his downfall.  His job was to take the message of God to Nineveh, the capitol of Assyria.  The Assyrians were old enemies of Israel and he was not fond of these people and did not want salvation for an enemy, among other things.  So he decided to run from God…

Have you ever felt the call of God to do something that was inconvenient or outside your comfort zone?

Did you rationalize your situation and argue with God or did you instantly obey? 

Rationalizing the clear “prompting voice” away is difficult the first time, but gets easier as we pass the responsibility onto another person or time. This causes the prompting voice to almost disappear.  Rationalization is nothing more than allowing my mind to find reasons to excuse what my spirit already knows is wrong. Rom. 2:21

Jonah was disobedient to God’s request and he reaped the consequence.  His willfulness not only caused problems for him but for others…sin has a way of doing that!

It is obedience to all the Ten Commandments or none of them.

If we disobey one, we disobey all!

We only deceive ourselves by believing the lies that come with rationalizing our sin:

I will do it later…

I am too busy right now…

I will only eat one bite!

I can stop any time I want…

I can do it myself and I can do it my way…

I exercised poor judgment…

I made a mistake…

It was poor communication…

I couldn’t help it…

Nobody’s perfect…

I just can’t help myself…

It wasn’t that bad!

I am a victim of my circumstances…vs. I take full responsibility

You fill in the blank…what excuse do you use most frequently…?

Jonah missed the blessing by disobeying God.  He repented but his sin still carried a consequence. 

How do you reply when God speaks to you?

Do you instantly respond to the initial promptings of His Spirit,

or do you silently argue with God, rationalizing?

Obedience is following God-given instructions under the protection of God-given authority so the one being served will be fully satisfied.  Like Jonah, God gives each of us a choice multiple times…daily.  II Cor. 10: 15

Do we answer God’s call like the little girl responded on the video?

 “I’m listening…I’m on my way!” 

~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.