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. 

But God

Every day, I need to remind myself to “Keep God on the right side of BUT”!

Huh? You might think.

As a new Christian, I remember when my mentor and now co-author, Jackie, taught me about the phrase “But God . .  .”  This lesson continues to be one that shapes my worldview and daily life. The phrase “But God . . .” is found 43 times in the Bible.

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to . . . save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20).

“Their beauty shall be consumed in the grave . . . . But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave” (Ps. 49:14-15).

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:7-8).

“But God” is an important declaration in His word.

Every day we think about 65,000 words.  Of the words we think, the average woman can speak up to 20,000 of those words out loud for the world to hear.

The words we actually think, and ultimately say, create our view of life and God.  How we form sentences can shape how we respond to a situation and how we live our life.

I learned it matters where I place God’s name in a sentence.  If I put his name before the “but”, then I am claiming it as my own.  I have taken off my “kingdom vision” glasses and put on my own “narrow view” glasses.  I have taken over my life and am now my “own” god.

However, if I put His name after the “but”, I am giving Him all the power and glory in this world. I can be reassured of His involvement in not only my life, but everyone around me. He is holy, righteous and completely in control.

For instance, if I say:

God knew this was going to happen here, but I don’t like it at all.

OR

I don’t like what just happened here, but God is completely in control.

Do you see how different the second sentence is?

During this last season, I was cautioned by one of my favorite quotes – “Keep God on right side of BUT”.  Struggling between how much I do and trusting God to do all that He is. There is such a fine line. I found myself putting “God on the left side of BUT!”  This is a huge mistake!

Examples of “God on the left side of BUT”:

• God is healing me, but I have to eat this way.
• God has allowed this in my life for a reason, but I am researching for a cure.
• God supplies all my needs, but I have to depend on others.

The exact same sentences with “God on the right side of BUT”:

• I have to eat this way, but I know God is healing me.
• I am researching for a cure, but I know God has allowed this in my life for a reason.
• I have to depend on others, but God supplies all my needs.

I have had to catch myself over and over again in the last months. 

I am always trying to take over and run the show. 

Is there anyone else out there like me? 

Can any of you relate?

This week, I felt like God wanted me to remind myself and tell all of you to keep His name on the right side of BUT!

~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: 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. 

Jackie's Journey: Sacrifice...What?

We are all living sacrifices…for something or someone…for good or evil!!

Some live life sacrificing for money; some for drugs and alcohol; some for sports; some for self-gratification, etc.  Most dedicated mothers sacrifice for their family.

My husband recently shared a verse with me that put “rubber on the road” in my understanding of sacrificial living! 

II Chronicles 12:14 says, “He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord”.

My idea of evil is unlimited in its ability to fill my imagination with what I see, hear and read in our frazzled culture today! 

 In the light of God’s definition of evil, what are we really living for?

Are we shortsighted, committed to doing our own thing?

According to this verse, evil is defined as not setting our hearts on pleasing God and His purpose for our life; not seeking the Lord, first and always.

All other pursuits are considered evil from God’s point of view!

So I asked myself…

In my life quest, I consider my pursuits sacrificial but am I actively setting my heart on seeking Him first in every endeavor?”

Isa. 50:11 promises us needless defeat and suffering when we “light our own torches to do our own thing”.

As busy moms and grandmas, how often do we look for God’s purpose when we are being consumed by a whirlwind of activity all around us?  We are teachers, taxi drivers, counselors and nurses… you fill in the blank!

Isa. 50: 10 states, “All believers walk in darkness”.  This means we are all shortsighted and blind to the immediate future.  We tend to sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.  By setting our hearts on pleasing God and having his purpose first in our lives, we find sacrificial living fulfilling, understanding that “all things work together for those who ‘set their heart on seeking God’ and are called according to his purpose”.

Are we too busy in our “life of urgency”

 to look for God’s purpose in our next interruption?

Is it a moot point when we are fractured with wrong attitudes and responses because we are being inconvenienced?

“I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.  If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened…” 

Can He listen to you?  What do you set your heart on? 

What do you cherish above all?

~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: A Princess Miracle!

In life there are times when God’s heart stretches across time and space and touches us profoundly. 

Do you know what I mean?

This morning was one of those times.  My 9-year-old, youngest granddaughter walked into our room with her Bible and journal in hand.

Princess Megan Joy

Something seemed different about this little energy-giving princess this bright sunny summer day.  When Megan Joy walks into a room, a ray of light comes in with her…lots of it!  She quietly, even silently, opened her diary and began to read.  After just a few words, tears began to roll down her cheeks and she handed her journal to me to finish.

 “What is it, Love?” I asked, pulling her close to me. 

I began to read her written thoughts and realized I was being given a divine gift.  She had, transparently, recorded in detail, where she had read that morning.   It was in Matt. 24 where God is “going to return on the Day of Judgment”.   He had opened her heart to hear His voice through the verses.  She had been exposed to God’s Word for the last 8 years, but that morning she understood and acknowledged her desperate need to be claimed by the cross of Calvary’s truth and sought His forgiveness and had received the redeeming love of her waiting Savior!

Now both of us had tears streaming down our faces!  She looked up and said, “I want Jesus to be the boss of my life, Grandma.” 

Her concept of His Lordship was so clear to her and my heart was overwhelmed. Her new joy was infectious and her peace surpassed not only her understanding but also mine.  His grace is greater than my finite mind can comprehend.

It has been said that the humpback whale enthusiastically sings tunes that often last 20 minutes and resonate through the water for hundreds of miles!  (Achieving True Success, IACC)

 If I could I would do that this morning!   My heart is overjoyed, enthusiastically expressing with my spirit the joy of my soul!   

“Rejoice, I say rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: REJOICE”!  Phil. 4:4

“You, oh Lord, have made known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in Your presence.” Psalm 16:11

“It is the rightful heritage of every believer, even the newest in the family of faith, to be absolutely certain that eternal life is his present possession.  To look to self is to tremble.  To look to Calvary’s finished work is to triumph.

Larry McGuill

Jackie's Journey: Jungle Monkeys and Tiaras

Princesses Christina and Kim visiting our Kuna neighbors

Village life was becoming normal on our Kuna outpost.  In the early morning, before daybreak and breakfast, the girls would run to the front door to trade packets of oil and sugar for fresh eggs. Ralph would pick up the Bible and begin reading to the girls until it was time for breakfast or the house filled up with people.  These excited little princesses would anticipate the daily trip to the river to swim and help me wash clothes. Moving toward the river we would wave to the small monkeys perched on the bikes on our porch and call out to the parrots shrieking from the mango tree above our heads. Carrying the wash back up the 12’ bank, my two little monkeys would help me hang the clothes on a line that extended from our outhouse to the tin roofline of our home. Later in the morning, Ralph, with all of us in tow, would haul 5-gallon drums of water from the river above the village to drink, wash dishes and brush our teeth.

If there was time before lunch, the girls and I would grab a princess storybook and we would enjoy a few moments of inactivity in the hammock strung across the middle of our living room. 

Dr. Ray Nadeau, visiting from Southern California, enjoying our “story-time” hammock!

Beth Moore, in Living Beyond Yourself, shared “Every little girl has something in them that wants someone to say ‘You are Special!’  It is in me to believe, ‘I am supposed to be special’…could that be eternity set in the hearts of men?  A piece of eternity…something set in the hearts of little ones that says, ‘I am destined for royalty’…A real live King.  A real live Kingdom is coming.  Somehow a little child has that in them to know…little knights and little princesses—for the kingdom belongs to such as these…and children believe in Kingdoms.”  

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.  Ephesians 2:10

Even in the remotest of jungles my little girls knew they were special, with or without a tiara.  God had made them that way.  As Christian parents, we want to encourage the belief that God created our little ones unique with destiny because He has given them the innate belief that they are one of a kind.  This opens the door to present the provision made for each of them to understand their need and become a child of God for eternity.  We encouraged this belief, knowing our girls were created to do God’s will and to find His purpose for their lives. 

As time goes on, little princesses search for other princesses in their world.  Soon they are introduced to the six plus princesses of Disney (that’s the book we had!).  They are swept into a world of romance, fantasy, and magic with the all to predictable evil and scary villain.  Most of us search for an alternative to give our daughters…I did!  I longed for a series of books that introduced my girls to bible-based, character-emphasized princesses that they could aspire to become. It was important that the books spoke to them in terms that they could understand and that targeted eternal values.  So I began to super-impose these principles into every book I picked up!

Christina was three when we arrived in Panama and learned Spanish quickly in the few months we lived in Chepo, a Spanish-speaking community near the New Tribes Mission School about a 40-minute drive outside Panama City.  We had the privilege of living in Chepo while her Daddy made trips into the jungle to prepare our house for us.  We were, also, waiting for Princess Kimberly to be born and had many opportunities to become friends with the Spanish-speaking Panamanians; mostly, thanks to our blond, long-haired princess, Christina, who has never met a stranger!  Our nearest neighbors, Carlon and Angela, adopted us.  I learned to cook rice from Angela, and Carlon became Ralph’s most loyal friend.  Both came to know Christ in our brief time there.   

Shortly after Kim was born we moved into our Kuna village on the river Pucuro.  Christina learned Kuna faster than all of us because the children came daily to play with her toys on the front porch and they chattered like “Loritos”(little birds), continually.  As young as she was, she carried a burden for the hearts of her playmates and often engaged in conversations involving the reason why we had come and the need for knowing the true God.  

Our screened-in front porch…the girls’ playroom!

While living interior, we home-schooled daily and both girls were reading at four and able to do their required school work, days and weeks ahead of schedule.  It is amazing what can be accomplished when there is no electricity, T.V., cell phones, computers, iPads, instagram, pinterest, etc.  Eventually, the Panamanian government sent a teacher to our village and a small school was built.  Christina could not wait to go with her friends and to be taught in Spanish.  She attended every morning!

Home-schooling a delightful and diligent student

For us, jungle living had become home.  We had won the hearts of the majority of the Kuna community and had established a rhythm with them, their way of life and our family paradigm.  We had been blessed beyond measure…

Two little princesses with Tinker, our puppy, taking our daily river trek!

Are you at peace knowing you are where God has called you to be, doing what He has purposed for your life?

What about your children? 

Have you considered asking God for His divine direction in the life of each of your princes and princesses?

 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”.

Ephesians 2:10

Finding the Silver Lining

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” James 1:2-4

How easy is it for you to find joy or the “silver lining” in every situation?

What exactly is a silver lining? 

Looking up into the sky right before a storm, I can often see dark clouds passing overhead. As they get into position and do their job of creating rain, they also block the sun. When I look closely at the edges of those ominous clouds, I can see the sun shining around the edges, like a silver lining.

Difficult times come to each of us.  As someone once said, “It is not a matter of ‘if’, but ‘when’ they will come”.  When the dismal clouds cover over your life, what do you do?

I continue to learn when trials come there is ALWAYS a silver lining.

Every time. 

I can find something to be grateful for.  During this difficult time of finding cancer again, I find it is easier to be less stressed than the first time.  We have done this before and we will do it again.  I find I am less hesitant to let people help me and I am more able to take the rest God is providing in the midst.

Here are a few things that keep me grounded and focusing on the “silver lining” during my times of trial:

1. I journal gratefulness.  Each day, I make myself find 10 things to be grateful for.  They have to be “new every morning”, and I don’t allow myself to pull points from yesterday.  This God-inspired ritual helps me see the goodness in the midst of the pain.  I have had surgery and am recouping, but the silver lining is more time to spend with friends who visit and to rest with no agenda.  I have to eat a very simple fare - which is a challenge at times - but the silver lining is in eating the food God made for us, I am the weight I should be.  There is always something to be thankful for.
2. I remember God’s miraculous power.  I was a miracle not once, but twice now.  As I study God’s word and live out the plan He has chosen for me, I find joy in seeing his miraculous power.  He is able to do anything.  I am grateful for the many answered prayers, but even in the unanswered prayers I am confident that He is God, no matter what.  The silver lining is being able remember who God is – His power, His goodness and His love.
3. I get out in God’s beauty.  Nothing grounds me more than being in nature.  I feel connected to God’s majesty and to the ages past.  Nothing seems as big of a deal when I am sitting on the beach listening to the waves or hiking in the mountains near a waterfall.  Suddenly, my worries slip away, and I am able to focus on who God is and who I am not.  This is the silver lining found in trials.  A truth I often forget is: God never intended for me to take all my burdens on my shoulders.  He has it all under control.
4. I seek out peace and tranquility.  For me, this is Sabbath rest.  To find a shalom in every day allows me to rest in who God is.  The silver lining of trials is that I seek this.  I crave it!  For me, it looks like a quiet house in the morning before I wake up, scrapbooking my family memories or a stolen coffee shop hour to study or write.  Peaceful times to hear what God is saying and hear my own heart’s worries in the light of His goodness.
5. I embrace God’s community.  During difficult times, friends abound and rush to your side.  Nothing brings out the best in people like the “C” word.  In the past, I may have acted like I can do all things myself.  Now I allow myself to take the break when people give it.  To really love and embrace those who are wanting to pray for me.  I have a tendency to feel embarrassed that I always need to be prayed for.  It does get old.  But the silver lining in a trial is the blessing of Jesus’s hands and feet here on earth to help in these times.

These are my silver linings in the midst of cancer battle.  I just have to say this is a battle that the Lord is winning, too.  In my heart and mind, I am being transformed into more of who He wants me to be.  My body is healthy and fit.  I have no idea what the future holds, but, my friends, neither do you.  So take those times of difficulty today – a crying child, a health issue or a financial difficulty, and focus on the “silver lining”.  The evil one doesn’t like it when we do this.

What are ways you focus on the “good” in the midst of the “bad”?

Jackie's Journey: Do You Have Enough Faith to Pray?

If there was ever a time in history that called for us to fall on our knees…this is the time!

 “Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;

pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.

 Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children.”

Lamentations 2:19 

Does your prayer life show the value of your children?

Years ago a godly friend from Nebraska, Ginny Steele, gave me an alphabet of character qualities with scripture that I could consistently and systematically pray into my two little Princesses.

It has now been extended as a prayer into the lives my seven grandchildren.

 It began with:

1. Alert to subtle sin and how to avoid involvement in it.  (Mark 14:36)
2. Bold to live for Christ and share the gospel.  (Acts 4:29)
3. Compassionate to the needs and hurts of others.  (Col. 3:12,13; 1 Jn. 3:7)
4. Dependability even if it involves sacrifice!  (Rom. 14:12; Psa.15:4)
5. Eagerness and Endurance to accomplish God’s best.  (Gal. 6:9)
6. Fruit of the Holy Spirit(Gal. 5: 22,23)
7. Gentle and Generous (Lu. 6:35-38; Pro. 15:1; 2 Cor. 9:6; 1 Thess. 2:7)
8. Humble enough to realize God and others are responsible for whatever achievements are attained(1 Pet. 5:6; Jas. 4:6) and verbally grateful!
9. Initiative to respond without being asked.  (Psa. 87:15, 16; Rom. 12:21)
10. Joyful because of harmony with God and others. (Psa. 97:11, 12; Pro.15:13)
11. Kind heart. (Hab. 3:18; 1 Peter 1:8)
12. Love for God, His Word and others.  (1 Jn. 4:7, 8; 1Cor. 13: 3)
13. Meekness of spirit.  (1 Peter 3: 4; Psa. 62: 5)
14. Never forsake the Lord.  (Joshua 24:16)
15. Obedient to God and other divinely appointed authority.  (Deut. 5:29; Rom. 2:13; 2 Cor. 10: 5)
16. Patience to wait on God.  (Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3,4)
17. Quality time with God daily and Quiet spirit.  (Psa.46: 10) Quick to confess sin. (1 Jn.1:9; Psa. 46: 10)
18. Repentant heart leading to knowledge of the truth.  (Job 11:14, 15; 2 Tim. 2:25)
19. Self-Control…a Separated Life.  (Titus 2: 11, 12; Gal.5: 24,25)
20. Truthful and Thankful with Transparent motives.   (Eph. 4:25)
21. Unique Ability to live by faith in the Living God.  (Gal.2:20; Eph. 2:8; 2 Cor. 5:7)
22. Virtue (Moral Purity) of spirit and life. (1 Thess. 4:3)
23. Wisdom to see life from God’s point of view. (Ecc. 2: 26; Jas. 1:5; Pro. 9:10)
24. Exalt God in everything. (Ex. 15:2; Psa. 99:5; Isa. 25:1)
25. Yield personal rights to God for victory over Anger. (Matt. 16:24-26; Gal. 5:24; Lu. 2:28; Titus 2:11, 12: Col. 3: 5)
26. Zero in on God’s Will daily.  (Rom. 12:2; 1 Jn. 2:17; Psa. 40:8)

Will you join me in obediently and faithfully

praying daily for our children and grandchildren?

Your prayer life for your children demonstrates their value to you! 

“Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;

pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.

 Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children.”

Lamentations 2:19