Jackie's Journey: The Inspiration of Gratefulness!

“Give thanks in all circumstances (inclusive; no exceptions!), for this is God’s will for you…” 1 Thess. 5:19

Recently a missionary friend posted a picture from our New Tribes Missionary school.  It was taken in what we called “the little dorm” in our early years on the field.  In the picture of about 15 children were my two daughters.  Christina was about 4 and in the foreground was a less-than-2-year-old Kim.  The picture was not significant in itself but the fact that I could not recall when my girls could have ever been in that picture was significant!  I literally, burst into tears!

Christina, my eldest daughter, reminded me that they had spent 6 weeks in “the little dorm” after I was flown out of our village with a ruptured appendix.  There was unrest in Panama City (guns in the streets, riots, etc.) and the Military Police were closing the airport!  We were the last fight allowed to land or take off.  I was hastily loaded onto a gurney directly out of the plane and I watched our Cessna take off into the stormy skies with my two little ones inside! 

I was unaware of most of what was transpiring around me, but I knew my circumstance was bad.  I was rushed to the Military Hospital and was rapidly being moved down the corridor, when Ralph heard someone call his name.  He turned to see a Surgeon that we had recently met through our Pucuro partners.  She had been on duty for 72 hours when she caught a glimpse of Ralph in the hall and instantly turned to help us, never leaving our side until she had run tests, completed my emergency laparotomy and safely escorted us to the ICU hours later.  God had gone before us and sent her to us in His perfect timing…

This is the posted picture!  Are these not the cutest missionary children…ever!!

I am emotionally astounded that I was so desperately ill that I did not know where my two little girls were in those first days! My recovery was slow and I ran a low-grade fever for a year after this event.  Wanting to reunite our family as quickly as possible and return to the interior, which was our home, we found ourselves in a quandary because we could not get a release from the doctors to go back! 

As I’m writing this, my past and present merge and the surge of gratefulness is overwhelming!

How many people can you think of offhand who have benefited your life in the past?  Whose name immediately comes to mind?

Gratefulness is recognizing the benefits, which God and others have provided.

From the pilot risking his life to save mine to the missionary families who sacrificially opened their hearts and homes to us to see me recover, my heart overflows with inexpressible thanksgiving for their generosity toward our family during this conflicting time in our lives. 

Gratitude is the memory of the heart!  It is said to be the parent of all the other virtues.  My gratitude for those members of the field that picked up the slack and totally covered for me is overpowering.  

Norman and Barbara Slaymaker were the “little dorm” parents at that time and took the loving responsibility of my babies for six weeks after our pilot, Scotty, and his wife, Mary, filled the gap in those first few days in Panama City.  After leaving the hospital, John and Ruth Jenkins, our busy field leaders, “adopted us” for another six weeks (!) until the doctors would release us to return to our post!  What a tremendous weight we must have been…a family of 4 for months!!! 

My memories are scattered and few.  I isolated myself into a survival mode.  I really thought I was going to die.  I had no time for tears and cannot remember even wanting to cry during those weeks, although I am sure I must have and those whose care I was under would readily attest that I did!  My heart cannot express the genuine gratitude that is flooding my eyes and consciousness as I write this!  I am mentally rehearsing the personal cost of the missionary families that encouraged me during those days and blanketed me with prayer and hands of intervention!

Why this flood of overwhelming gratefulness?  Why now?  What is it about life that at unexpected moments God opens our awareness to the magnitude of His Sovereignty, Majesty, Grace and Mercy on our behalf?  

I am sitting here with a keen mindfulness of:

• My Unworthiness…and His Holiness!   
• My Pretense of thinking I have any kind of control in this life (other than to choose to walk with Him)…and His complete and encompassing Rule and Protection!
• My Powerlessness…and His Omnipotent Presence, faithfully accomplishing His purpose with my blindness to His silent footsteps all around me!
• My Desperate Need to express my gratefulness and indebtedness to God and others! 

Do you make it a habit to thank God and others for the many things in life that others take for granted?

I would like to express my gratitude to you for joining me each Monday morning and for your encouraging words.  I am so blessed! 

Will you take time today to reflect glory back to Him… the Author of every blessing?  Let’s take today’s opportunity to acknowledge those who have and are benefiting our lives!

Jackie's Journey: Are You a Wise Mom?

"Wisdom calls aloud in the street..." Proverbs 1:20

Do you consider yourself to be a wise person? 

We each hold value systems that form our basic philosophies.  These we purpose to pass on to our children through goals we set for them.  Our desire is that they wisely hold our most highly valued principles.  As caring moms, our goal should be nothing less than to produce wise children who are self-motivated to do good and hate evil. 

Where do we begin?...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and to fear the Lord is to hate evil.

 I, Wisdom, hate pride, arrogance, evil behavior (rebellion) and perverse speech.”

Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 8:13

What is a wise child?  How would you recognize one?

Foolish children are easy to spot!

When Wisdom calls…LISTEN!

“Wisdom is seeing life’s situation from God’s point of view and acting in harmony with Him”. (ATIA)  We will recognize wisdom in our child through his or her attitudes, words, and actions!       

Knowing God and knowing our responsibility in life does not guarantee we will be successful in parenting!  If we do not know how or what to do…we are lost.  Most moms have teachable hearts that want to understand God’s instruction. Some even demonstrate a desire to honor God with a wise decision-making process regarding the manner of child development by adhering to God’s Word and voice when He calls!

 Proverbs 29:17 says our “Children are to bring us REST

And to DELIGHT our souls!

 Discipline your son or daughter and he will give you PEACE;

he will bring DELIGHT to your soul”.

 Do your children bring delight to your soul?

Do they bring you peace and give you rest? 

Wisdom is knowing the right path to take.  Integrity is taking it!

We want wise children with integrity!

When our girls were not bringing us “rest” and “delighting our soul” we knew we were failing in our training.  My life was not that much different than yours…lots of activity and responsibility and never enough time!  We were convinced, as you are, that our success as parents would come from making our children successful.

When we take responsibility for our child’s behavior, we are in a position to change it!  This is called Discipleship…the key to training.  The goal of raising a wise child should be to develop godly Character. 

“Godly character is developing right attitudes that produce right actions, habitually”. (RJ)

This involves the need for consistent “attitude training” which educates the spirit of a child, as well as the will. (Ask:  Was it kind? Was it considerate?).  It brings integrity back into focus by replacing the “action-response” teaching  (“Mom said, don’t do that! Don’t touch! Stop it, I said don’t touch…no…no”)!

 “Action-response” teaching has this sequence:

• Warning
• Warning
• Elevated tone of voice
• Threat added for emphasis
• No consequence with total resolve

This sequence cultivates REBELLION!  God hates rebellion…

“For rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft…”!  I Samuel 15: 23 

Developing character in our little “Prince and Princesses” presupposes that WE are wise women of godly character!  “We are known and read by our children all the time…” I Cor. 3:2.  There is no hiding our true character…they read our spirit!

Do you know the test for measuring your own character?? 

 Character is revealed by what we do in secret and

 Maturity is revealed by what we do with our free time (T.V.; computer ;iPhone; iPad; books, magazines, music, FB, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, shopping, etc., etc..)

What do I do in secret?   What do I do with my free time?

Abraham Lincoln said, “There is just one way to train a child in the way he should go and that is to travel that way yourself!”

We are an example, or an excuse!!

Children learn what we are first, through our attitudes; then, what we teach them.  Training is first discipleship and then learning! Our job is to cause that learning in our child by lovingly training them to submit to our authority so they can be taught. 

A child that is not under control of his/her authority is preoccupied with resisting that authority and he/she cannot receive teaching!

The child that resists authority IS the teacher!!

When the course of action you are using has the goal of developing godly character through attitude training, the child will mature with wisdom and balance and will understand purpose in his or her life. 

What course of action are you on?

Jackie's Journey: ANGER Is Only One Letter Short of DANGER

Would you consider yourself an angry person? 

1. Does your family (or whomever you live with) ever see you lose your temper?
2. Are you able to readily and quickly admit when you are wrong?
3. Do you complain about how others treat you (when you’re slighted or get your feelings hurt?)
4. Do you grumble when things do not work out the way you planned?
5. Do you demand prompt attention from family members, friends, teachers, employers, etc.? (Do you feel slighted when others get more attention than you do?)

All five questions reveal patterns of anger that are not uncommon to all of us!

The best functional definition I have ever found for anger is:

 “Someone finding a right that I have not yielded to God.”  

 Someone crossing my already decided will!

As a young tribal missionary wife and mother, I felt I had a right to be understood.  Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?  I was living with so many unknowns. Knowing my husband understood how hard I was attempting the impossible was important to me. It seemed like a legitimate right…no?  It was imperative to have someone to talk to in my heart language (English).  Poor Ralph…he was it!  He is not a detail guy and I speak in paragraphs!  My anger would reveal itself in various forms demanding his attention.

“A Right”…

is a legal demand of our will that we impose on each other–

something, someone, or some attitude apart from God’s own will.

It has its own authority with no power

It produces anger or hurt feelings

It assumes God and everybody owes us something

It imprisons the Soul and Spirit (the Soul claims dominion over the Spirit’s control!)

It refuses humility (the key to the Christian life!)

What rights do you claim?  

My anger popped up more often than I cared to admit.  I had a habit of making excuses or blaming others for:

•  My Pride – reserving the right to make the final decision
•  My Insecurity – structuring my life around temporal values
•  My Reputation- projecting the image I wanted others to have of me
• My Expectations

While living in the interior I jotted down a “few” rights in my journal.  Maybe you can identify with some of them:

·      To a normal standard of living

·      To ordinary standards of good health

·      To privacy

·      To hold others to their responsibilities

·      To be angry

·      To make the final decision on a matter

·      To judge others

·      To do it my way

·      To be understood (self-justification)

·      To be envious or jealous

·      To be uninterrupted (FB, Twitter, etc.) added in this last year!

If you identify with one or any of these as a daily occurrence…you have a sin pattern called ANGER!

By making excuses for my anger rather than tracing my “Anger” to a violation of one of my personal rights, I failed to live in victory. 

By calling the “Right” by its name and repenting, I found freedom in a consistent Christian walk…No more excuses.  I exchanged them for gratefulness and found peace!   

What is the hardest right to give up?

The right to make the ultimate decision!

I continue to learn to stop before yielding to unrighteousness and put my will in neutral, acknowledging His control and His will (not mine or my husband’s).  It brings harmony into my life in the midst of unknowns and confusion.  My demanding to be understood is now my signal to yield to His Will by giving my “right” to God. 

In the New Testament in Phil. 2: 6-8, it highlights the things Christ gave up:

1.     His Rights- “did not consider equality with God”

2.     His Reputation – “Made himself nothing, becoming a servant”

3.     His Ego –“Humbled himself”

4.     His Will  - “Obedient unto death”!

Philippians 2: 6-8

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross.”

How can we do less?

An independent, willful and rebellious spirit will keep us from living in victory.  Let’s choose to agree with God, call anger the sin that it is and walk as He walked, honoring the cross and remembering the price He paid for our Victory over sin!  No more excuses…

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?

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!!

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

Capturing the Once-in-a-Lifetime Moments

Last year, my firstborn son, Christian, turned thirteen.  I had been preparing for this day in my mind for a long time.  You see, I am one of those idealist types.  I am more so in my mind than in my actions sometimes.  But I knew that I wanted to really celebrate this milestone in my son’s life.  I felt God’s small and quiet voice encouraging me on . . .

So I researched.  I got many books such as Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis and Celebrating of Faith by Randy and Lisa Wilson.  I read internet articles and talked to people who had done it.  I roped a kindred spirit whose son had grown up with mine and who shares a close birthday to celebrate the day together.  We got together to plan out the whole day. Ideas began to take shape.

I didn’t realize that we were planning something the Evil One so opposed.

I didn’t realize that my son’s faith was on the line.

I didn’t realize that it was such a battle to be won.

We let my son know that his upcoming birthday was going to be BIG.  There would be much required of him and that he should get ready.  One of the things we did was read Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz together.  We asked him to memorize some Bible verses we thought would be beneficial as he took on manhood.  He took this very seriously and was very nervous about the “big day”.

We also informed all our kids that we don’t believe in “teenagers”.  The word teenager has only been used for the last 80 years and with it comes a negative connotation.  Teenagers have a time where they can “wait” to “become”.  For centuries, boys have gone from child to adult. There was no focus on “wasted years”, but a focus on becoming an adult.  We challenged the kids to think of themselves as young adults and not your typical “teen”.  We also said that we would give a dollar to each child catching us saying the word “teenager” because old habits die hard for us parents!

As the day approached, I began to feel the struggle of my ideals and reality.  My husband was not able to help prepare due to illness.  My friend and her son decided not to participate due to unexpected family commitments. My mind was full of thoughts like “You don’t need to do this special day for Christian”, “Nobody else is doing this for their boys on their 13th birthday” and “This is just too much work.  Just give it up!”  I really struggled in my mind.  Asking the Lord, “Is this what you want or am I just doing this on my own accord?”

On the day I was going to give up, I ran into a family pastor friend from the Christian Camp we go to called Forest Home.  He just happened to be at the coffee shop we go to every Tuesday!  We got talking and I felt a nudge to ask him what he thought.  He has 6 grown boys!  He told me what he and his wife did every birthday for their sons starting at 13 and he encouraged me in the path that we had started down.  Sometimes you just need someone to be a cheerleader on the sidelines!

We prepared.  We prayed.  We saw God at work.

On the big day, we created The Warrior’s Quest (an Amazing Race type scavenger hunt) for Christian.  He was given a clue and had to perform a task in order to get the next clue.   Each clue coincided with a Warrior Trait we were incorporating into his Quest.  My husband miraculously felt better and was able to be the point person and driver for the whole day.  So here is what he did:

Task One:  A Warrior's Chivalrous Protection.  The clue was given on being a man who protects and provides for his wife/ family.  We talk so often about what kind of brother he is will determine the type of husband he will become. The task was to write letters of affirmation to each sibling.  He made French toast, berries and juice and served it to each in bed with his letter.

Task Two:  The Warrior's High Character.  The clue was given on being a man who is full of character.  We studied many of these character qualities this year.  Today, we highlighted honesty, integrity and compassion.  The task was to buy food for a homeless person on his own and then find someone to give it to (i.e. Compassion).  This was Christian and Bruce’s favorite part of the Warrior Quest as the man who received the bag was so grateful.  While shopping for the groceries, we arranged with the cashier to give him too much money as change.  Christian had to pass the test what he would do with the extra money. The grocery store manager gave him the next clue when he returned the money (i.e. Integrity and Honesty).

Task Three:  The Warrior's Leadership and Responsibilities.  The clue focused on teaching, mentoring, making others successful while leading, encouraging and taking on the areas that God has given him.  So many of these ideas were talked about over the year with his book study.  The task was to help coach his brother's T-ball team that morning while showing the younger boys his encouraging spirit.

Task Four:  A Warrior's Spiritual Impact and Prayer Life.  This clue spoke to who he will be as a man of God - how he pray, spend time in relationship with God and how he will serve in his life.  His task was to recite 6 verses he memorized and spend a great deal of time discussing this with his dad as they drove to Los Angeles.  

Task Five:  The Warrior's Commitment and Endurance.  This area focused on looking at life with Godly wisdom and following God's calling as a man and trusting God.  A warrior never gives up, has self-control and persistence.  He always tries something once and faces his fears.  The task was indoor skydiving in Hollywood

Task Six:  A Warrior’s Community and Accountability.  We know that a warrior doesn’t face life alone. They headed back that night for a big party where we went bowling, had pizza and enjoyed a small presentation with family and friends.  We had King David’s sword engraved for him saying “Be strong and courageous” Deut. 31:6. We also asked family and friends far and wide to write advice and affirmations that we put together in a large notebook for him.  And we also presented him with a picture book of his first 12 years.  

After it was all said and done, I got a moment with Christian.  He couldn’t wait to tell me . . . “You know mom, this was the best day ever! I don’t know if you notice how I have changed (well, yes, I had!).  Over the last couple months while you were building this day up, I was asking the Lord at night, if I was the kind of man He wanted me to be.  You know what he said? . . . No!  I was going down the wrong path.  He said I needed to work on my attitude and focus on being the kind of man He wants me to be.  So I have changed.  And he gave me a dream and told me that He has great plans for me . . . Thanks Mom for this day!  I will never forget it!”

It is just another day in the life of your child.

But an opportunity to make just another day into a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

For all of you out there, being tossed around with thoughts of giving up an ideal, DON’T!  Fight on!  Do it!  Your kids will BE the difference!

How have you celebrated the BIG moments in your kids’ lives?

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?