Jackie's Journey "Earnest Influencers!"

We hear so much about “influencers” in social media…it has even become an official  title.  These are persuasive people who are passing on what has worked for them. We can be swayed for good or bad.  We can be persuaded by truth or by what appears to be sound reasoning, but will lead us astray.  How can we know the difference?

  As a former tribal missionary,  persuasiveness is convincing others to follow God’s ways because of how His ways are working in our lives and we are confident the Word of God is truth.   Influencing is helping people find out what they need and then showing them the best way to get it. Inspiring people requires a confidence in our message that matches the truth and love in our hearts. 

 We are all “influencers”… we either bring people nearer to Christ or we repel them from Christ. Our lives are more persuasive than our words!  We are known and read by all men…like books! II Cor. 3:2   Our attitudes are being read daily by our little prince and princesses and our influence is mighty strong. 

 Our need to communicate truth through sound reasoning and motivating our children to follow the ways of God are imperative and we cannot begin soon enough. When we talk to people, they are reading  us and asking themselves… what is in it for me and what difference does it make if I disregard the information given me?  In witnessing, the ultimate gain is Heaven and the ultimate loss is hell.

Paul was a master at persuading people to turn to Christ.  He “testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus…”Acts 28: 23  How are we inspiring others to believe in Christ,   influencing friends to join us in doing good for others in need, or in drawing the rebellious around us to clear their consciences?  We are inundated with persuasion that leads to divorce, division and unbelief. Let’s choose to intentionally influence for  good  this week…

 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt,

 that you  will  know how you ought to answer every man.”

Colossians 4: 6

~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 mentoring 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 "The Touch of Compassion"

The Touch of Compassion

 When suffering is fresh, answers don’t always reach the problem where it hurts. In “A Royal Easter Story”, a seasonal book included in “The Princess Parable Series”, we find our  five princesses in a fast-moving chariot, racing five squires through the forest to the annual Easter Celebration. A fierce storm has interrupted their furious activity, and puts them in position to discover and rescue a little girl who is alone and lost.

 The teaching of the parable of the selfless and caring Good Father, who not only gives us good gifts, but answers us when we seek Him was the lesson the girls remembered their father teaching them when they stopped and reached down to pick up the little drenched and sobbing waif.

 The race was important, but not as important as the needs of this small lost child.  The life-lesson to a True Princess is that she must learn to lose her life serving others first, no… I CAN BEAT YOU…ME FIRST” attitude.  That diminutive lass opened the girl’s eyes to see the real race in life.

 “I led them with cords of human kindness.” Hosea 11:4  This means God helps, serves, leads, guides, comforts, heals, and loves through the compassion of believers. The need is great…

 What is your response when you see someone hurting?

 Sympathy is feeling sorry for people who are hurting.  Empathy is feeling pain with hurting people.  Compassion is doing something about the pain. Three men saw a wounded traveler by the side of the road.  The first one must have felt sympathy as he passed by but left him lying there.  The second might have felt empathy because he stopped and looked at him, but the third man had compassion because he stopped and helped him.

 Which one are you?

 Compassion is not a virtue.  It is a commitment.  It is not something we have or don’t have. 

It is something we choose to practice.

“But whoever has this world’s good, and sees his brother in need,

and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him,

 how can the love of God be in him.”

 I John 3:17

~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 mentoring 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 "Pardon me...I am Not Wrong!"

Have you ever been grievously offended? 

Can you recall someone who deeply hurt you?

 With five little girls in “The Princess Parable Series”, there is always the challenge of learning how to maintain mutual respect and harmony.  In life, our pain often turns to anger, and if not dealt with, becomes  resentment and bitterness, which ultimately torments us and damages our peace and our health!  Bitterness is like leprosy.  It loses any sensation of pain.  People are then, unaware of when they are hurting themselves or others with their words, attitudes, and actions.

There is only one solution.Being able to forgive is an act of the will and “if we forgive others their offense, then God will forgive us.  If we choose not to forgive, God will not forgive us!”  Matt. 6:14-15  You may have a story of anguish…a time in the past where you felt betrayed and your heart was broken…your dreams shattered. 

True forgiveness disregards any thoughts of cynicism, retaliation or revenge. 

 How forgiving are you toward offenders?

Are there people you have not forgiven?

 The more we comprehend how much we have been forgiven, the easier it is for us to forgive others.  Forgiveness is mentioned over 120 times in the Old and New Testaments.  In reality, the offender is the instrument God is using to develop our character.  To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed on us by someone or something else.

 The offenses of others should cause us to become aware of others needs . It gives us the opportunity to allow God to heal them through us, instead of our self-protection with anger and self-pity…”woe is me”, victim mentality.  “God has a BIG eraser!”   We are commanded to forgive to maintain a clear conscience and to fellowship with our forgiving God.

 “Great peace have they that love thy law and NOTHING shall offend them.”

Psalm 119: 165

 Are you willing to forgive?

”I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul

by making me hate him.”  Booker T. Washington

~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 mentoring 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 "Danger Zone!"

“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

Winston Churchill

We live in a world of conflicting ideology and duplicitous standards and convictions.  The world’s view is “conforming” with an independent spirit, wrapped in a “me first” attitude, with a demanding and rebellious entitlement issue. A godly worldview is just the opposite.  It calls for spiritual-mindedness, the focus on the success of other’s and a mighty spirit dependent on someone bigger than ourselves.

 God wants each of us to be mighty in spirit…”To be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”  One of the purposes in writing “The Princess Parable Series” was to help equip young moms to know how to build courage and “might” into the lives of their little princesses.

 To be mighty in spirit means we have a sense of our relationship with the God of the universe and we know His presence.  We are continually developing a fear of Him, which is a healthy understanding of the consequence of wrong choices and sin.  There is a requirement, with no compromise, to instantly respond to the initial promptings of God’s Spirit and to be alert to temptations and spiritual danger. 

 Learning to build our lives around basic scriptural principles and convictions is a given, no excuses; and knowing how to “bind Satan” with the springboard for prayer and rescue others from his grasp is a basic necessity.  When we teach our children to become wise and “mighty”, we realize the intense responsibility we have to be wise and mighty! 

 Are you “mighty in God’s Spirit”?

 We are in a battle for the minds and hearts of our children. 

Today is the day the battle stage is set for definitive action. 

Are you ready?  What will you do?

 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”

Zechariah 4: 6

~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 mentoring 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 "... No Retreat!"

How determined are you, mom?  How often are we called to teach our little princesses not be discouraged or be disheartened?  We say, “It’s going to be OK, no more tears”.  Maybe the job you asked them to do seems too big or they are struggling with being left out or have a sense of abandonment.  We have the opportunity to share the divine purpose from God’s point of view that will wash tears away and build a new determination.

 The character quality of determination deals with a mind-set prior to the task.  The character quality ofendurance involves the carrying out of the task.

 Solomon “determined to build…” II Chron. 2: 1

Daniel  “purposed in his heart…”Dan. 1: 8

David “determined to mourn…” II Sam.3: 35

Disciples “determined to send relief…” Acts 11: 29

Paul “determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ & Him crucified…” I Cor.2

 Determination presupposes careful consideration of the cost and requirements of the task and a decision that the task is worth whatever expenditure is necessary to accomplish it. It may be a garden in the back yard or a marriage! 

 Life consists of choices.  After a wise choice is made, determination is needed to carry it out.  Wise choices are usually challenged by difficulties and temptations. Do you persevere on tasks that are more difficult than what you expected?

 Moses chose to “suffer affliction with the children of Israel rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin…”

Esau, on the other hand, did NOT determine to protect his birthright and sold it!  Years later, he tried to recover it…but it was too late. Heb 11:25

 Do you commit to each goal and overcome any obstacle you encounter along the way or do you contemplate “giving up?” “When God is about to do something great, He starts with a difficulty.  When He is about to do something truly magnificent, he starts with an impossibility.”   Armin Gesswein  Whatever your circumstance today, determine to know He has the path that leads to His divine purpose, and walk  confidently, in the reality of His unwavering leading and directing.

DETERMINATION  IS LIKE A BOMBER PILOT PASSING THE POINT OF NO RETURN,

THEREBY CUTTING OFF THE OPTION OF RETREAT!!

~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 mentoring 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 "Worried...Struggling...Distressed?"

A year ago, this week, the Lord called my husband Home.  Needless to say, after 60 years together, this year has been a catalyst for learning and growing.  I am blessed with an eternal relationship with a sovereign and living God who has been faithful to meet my every need.  My birthday is also this month and accepting that I will “finish the course” without Ralph at my side, holding my hand in his, leading me onward is daunting.

  In “The Princess Parable Series,” a character quality is given to each of the five princesses that  a child can identify with and will want to emulate.  Little prince and princesses discover and hopefully, embrace the contentment of Princess Joy in “Princess Joy and the Little Lost Kitten”, as they observe the blessing that comes from seeing life from God’s point of view.  Contentment is realizing that God has already providedeverything I need for my present and future happiness.(Gothard)  Finding contentment is a learned practice.

I am, at this moment, watching two magnificent large hawks peacefully gliding through the stormy and turbulent currents down the valley toward the ocean below, unincumbered with the circumstances of life and totally CONTENT.

What do they know that we don’t?

 “I (Christ) say to you…

Come to Me, look to Me…no other.  I will lead you and guide you into all truth.

Place your eyes on Me…no other is able to deliver you.  It is My name that is above all names.

You are lonely so you run “to and fro” from one activity to another and still you are lonely.

Only time with Me will fill the void.  The void is My calling you to Me.

Why do you run here and there?  Come and sit with Me.  Talk with Me. Sing with My spirit for   I am lonely for your company.  And know it or not, run or not, you are lonely, longing for Me!

You think it too hard to sit with Me, when you cannot see Me or touch Me, but I tell you: you can!

Come in the quiet of the morning before Me.  Shut out the day’s activity ahead.  Do not listen to the voice of distraction.

Come speak your heart desires, speak your pains and concerns.  See My face, I am listening.

Touch Me with your hearts-travail.  Join hands with me as I lift up your spirit when you sing beautiful praiseto Me.

Then your struggle will cease. The void will be filled continually and you will have peace…”

 Are you in distress, struggling

 in an area in your life today that needs rest?

The secret of contentment is embracing the circumstance

with a grateful heart

and then, enjoying the peace and presence of the Lord!

“True contentment is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in 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 mentoring 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 "Who's the Boss?"

Here in California, we are experiencing high winds, wildfires, loss of property and wide-spread devastation.  Everyone knows someone who has been adversely affected in one way or another.  The South and Eastern United States, at the same time, are experiencing a cold-snap bringing rare wide-spread snow!  People everywhere are stressed and struggling with life situations, confronting impossible decisions.  As a Christian, there is a confidence that God has it all at hand and it has divine purpose even though it currently appears “invisible” to see.

 Though unexpected and uncommon, these phenomena are great teachers and reminders of how small we are and how little control we have in life. In “Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten”, Grace finds herself in harm’s way with everything out of control in the Black Forest.  In her distress, she stops and simply accepts the reality of how important she is to God and that His love, direction and protection would be her companions, regardless of her current circumstances.

 If the Lord be with us, we have no cause to fear.  His eye is on us, His arm over us, His ear open to our prayer…His grace sufficient, His promise unchangeable. (John Newton)  In His will is our peace…’

 “The sea was beating against the rocks in huge dashing waves.  The lightning was flashing, the thunder was roaring, the wind was blowing; but the little bird was asleep in the crevice of the rock, its head serenely tucked under its wing, sound asleep.  This is peace…to be able to sleep in the storm!  In Christ, we are relaxed and at peace in the midst of the confusions, bewilderments, and perplexities of this life.  The storm rages, but our hearts are at rest.  We have found peace…at last!” (Billy Graham)

~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 mentoring 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 "Warning Signs..."

We don’t know what the New Year holds, but we need to be alert. A New Year calls for a re-aligning our goals and priorities, so that the goas we set are achievable.  When you look at your family, what do you see?  What happened to the “Beaver Cleveland” household where character was a badge of ownership and attitudes and actions lined up with biblical principles?  We are in a new day that looks just like the rebellious and entitled Israelite’s in Old Testament glory days!

 In the Princess Parables, careful attention is given to the relationships in the kingdom family.  Each princess is called into accountability and her life is weighed in the balance of what is biblically accurate and right.  Obedience to the King’s loving authority is not only correct, but is willingly deferred to. It’s a fresh take on our current culture!

 What happened to the woman’s biblical “submission” to her husband as his aid and assistant (like before the fall in the Garden of Eden)?  It was, after all, God’s creation order. (I Cor. 11: 3)  The woman’s willingness was corrupted in the fall and a usurping rebellion took root.  Adam’s loving leadership was also corrupted! Hence, we struggle with the rebellion we see in us and our children.

 What do you see when you look at your little ones? How are their attitudes toward you? Can they count on you to fulfill your word? Do you admit quickly when you are wrong? How are your priorities?  What do your children read from you when you correct them? Can your children follow your example, as you walk through life?

 When our little one’s sense conflict between parents or a favoritism between siblings they feel rejected or they take up offense for one or the other parent, dividing their loyalties.  These are the seeds of rebellion.  Satan has a program of rebellion to steal, kill and destroy us and he is really busy in our families.

 The New Year comes with promise and possibilities for a year of new beginnings. Can you detect early warnings of rebellion in your life and in those you love?   Where do you go to find answers…the Internet? YouTube? Or maybe comparing with others?  Submitting to follow God’s Way through His Word and His truth should be our goal. Attempting to find a path with promise and clarity in the world’s system is foolhardy, at best. Finding God’s “creation plan” for our life and our families is a worthy goal to embrace this year…

 Will you join me?

~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 mentoring 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 "It's My Choice!"

“I CHOOSE”

 It’s quiet.  It’s early.  My coffee is hot.

The sky is still black.  The world is still asleep.

The day is coming.  In a few moments the day will arrive.

It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun.

The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day.

The calm of the solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace

Of the human race.

The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met…agendas and schedules…

For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. 

It is NOW that I must make a choice.

And so, I choose.

 I CHOOSE LOVE…

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness.  Hatred means to love less.  I will give love freely with my motive to receive NOTHING in return.  I choose love.  Today I will love God and what HE loves. (I Cor. 13:3)

 I CHOOSE JOY…

I receive JOY when I give Love away.  Joyfulness is the spontaneous enthusiasm of my spirit when I am in fellowship with God. I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.  I will see interruptions as opportunities in all the chaos around me.  I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker.  I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God.  I will refuse to see any problem or situation as anything less than an opportunity to see God. I choose to get in harmony with HIM and HIS will.  (Psa. 16:11)

 I CHOOSE PEACE…

I will live forgiven.  I will forgive so that I may live.  I will allow peace to govern me today. Great peace has those who love His law and NOTHING will offend them. (Psa. 119: 165)

 I CHOOSE PATIENCE…

I will overlook the inconveniences and conflicts the day presents.  I will accept any difficult situation from GOD without giving Him a deadline to remove it.  Rather than complaining that the wait is too long or chafing at an unexpected response from someone, I will thank God for a moment to pause and for a reminder to pray.  Instead of clinching my fist at my current obligations, I will face them with gratefulness and courage. (Rom. 5:3-4)

 I CHOOSE KINDNESS…

I will be kind to the unkind because HE was treated unkindly and I deserve no less.  I will be kind to the poor because they are alone.  I will be kind to the rich because they are afraid.  I will invest whatever is necessary to heal the hurt of others. Kindness is an act. (! Jn. 3: 17)

 I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…

Nothing is won by force or coercion.  I choose to show personal care and concern in meeting the needs of others.  If I raise my voice, may it be only praise.  If I clench my fist, may it be only a prayer.  If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. Gentleness is an attitude or manner. (I Thess. 2: 7)

 I CHOOSE GOODNESS…

I will see the goodness in others when it is hard to find.  I will confess before I accuse. I will walk in humility, which is the gas tank for the other qualities.

 I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…

Today I will keep my promises.  My spouse will not question my loyalty.  My children will never fear that their mom will not be there for them.  I will visualize God’s future in each life.  I will use difficult times to demonstrate my commitment to God and to those HE has called me to serve.  (Jn. 15:13)

 I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…

I am a spiritual being.  After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.  I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.  I choose to be instantly obedient to the initial promptings of God’ Spirit.  I choose God-control. (Gal. 5: 24-25)

 To this I commit my day…understanding that my choice indicates that either I have ALL of them or that I have NONE of them. This is not a smorgasbord!  If I succeed, I will praise HIS Name and give thanks.  If I fail, I will seek God’s face in repentance, with the reminder to keep shorter accounts with HIM.

Will you join me?

~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 mentoring 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 "Never Sacrifice the Permanent...!"

New Year’s Eve is tomorrow. This week brings in the New Year 2025!  Where does the time fly? I know this resonates with all of us as we attempt to fit in all the opportunities and new challenges we will be facing.  When quantifying time, there is always the “tyranny of the urgent”. 

 With “The  Princess Parables Series” and the exciting possibility of a new series for little boys around the corner, this year will be filled with time sensitive deadlines, expectations and hope for both, the present and future.

 I had never had a website, a Facebook page, Pinterest account or a Blog until January of 2015, when The Series was first released and I officially welcomed a new world of technological communication with the opening of all four at once!  With its availability came a huge responsibility to use them wisely…they can become time devouring!  

 “Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important.”  Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “Never sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.” 

 Everyone receives an equal supply of time.  The only difference between us is in the way we spend it.  Each week brings us 168 golden hours.  We spend approximately 56 hours for sleep and recuperation.  We spend approximately 28 hours for eating and personal duties.  We spend approximately 40-50 hours for earning a living.  We have 30-40 hours left to spend just as we wish.  But how do we spend them?  How many hours for recreation?  How many hours for family communication?  How many hours for the regular worship of God (devotion, fellowship, meditation, etc.)  How many hours for personal service in the name of Christ?  Will we rob God?  We can and we do! 

 Perhaps we may be very busy with good things, yet too busy for the best things.  The great question is:  Have we made wise use of our time as good stewards of Christ?

 Henry Clay Trumbull said, “Today is, for all that we know, the opportunity and occasion of our lives.  On what we do or say today may depend the success and completeness of our entire life struggle.  It is for us, therefore, to use every moment of today as if our very eternity were dependent on its words and deeds”…

 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

making the best use of the time, because the days are evil”.  Eph. 5: 15-16

 Let’s make our time count…

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~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 mentoring 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.