Jackie's Journey "Can a Promise Become a Reality?"

Once born, a wildebeest calf has 15 minutes to stand and run with the adult herd, or it will be killed by predators (usually, hyenas).  The wildebeest mother will take on a pack of hyenas and sacrificially, single-handedly fight…until death, to preserve the life of her calf. (Bill Gothard, Character Sketches) There are countless “hyenas” that will be used to devour the life of these God is entrusting into our care.               

What is our commitment!??

Our Alertness to His Will and His Way Is Imperative!

Being intentional is our only option!

“Life is a stewardship; not an ownership; A TRUST; NOT A GIFT. With a gift you may do as you please; but with a trust you must give an account (Ephesians 2:10).  God holds us responsible. We will answer to HIM!

AND…Time is short!!

 The journey of life brings trials, triumphs, tragedy and achievement.  Through all of this, a dedicated mother’s love remains constant.  Would you consider yourself to be a dedicated mom: a mom that is committed to the success of your child first, above yourself? I know we are fraught with the demanding activities and social media that keep us exhausted from one day to the next; but are we, through it all, rejoicing mom’s that keep the ultimate goal in view?  By the way, what is your “ultimate goal”?  Do your children view the goal and actively participate, involved in “giving” of themselves or are they “me first”, “takers”, full of entitlement?

  Let me encourage you with all that you are in Christ and to give you the promise He left with all of us that bear the titleMOTHER: “Faithful is He who calls you, who will also do it.” I Thes. 5: 24 However, it is a conditional promise…we have to let HIM!  On that day of accountability there will be NO excuses!    This is our call to action…

HOW DO WE DO THIS??  Where do we start?

 When I think “steps of action” I think work, HARD WORK!  In that same thought comes the comfort of new direction and hope for a positive change.  In the introduction of our Princess Parable Blog site, we looked back at 2014 only to find 2015 “approaching with stomping feet demanding Action” …Steps of ACTION!

 Are you ready, Mom’s?  Here is a test of our dedication and commitment…

 1) Do we “Walk Our Talk?!”  Or do we make excuses for our wrong responses!  Do we call impatience what it really is…ANGER? And how about overuse of social media…CHILD NEGLECT?  Or MISSED OPPORTUNITY?!  There are no “socially acceptable sins” … Rudeness is self-first; Discouragement (or “I deserve better”) is Entitlement (the very attitude we battle in our children!)  Purpose to pursue holiness; moment-by-moment… Mothers of conviction, not compromise!

 (2) Are we open to Teachable Moments? Please note: Most interruptions are the teachable moments!  Purpose to take advantage of the moments we are least wanting to take advantage of!

 (3) Are we Intentional and Consistent?  All decisions we make carry a consequence…positive or negative.  Purpose to teach your child this truth and in doing so, enable him/her to learn to hear the voice of God.  Dial your life into the kingdom of God…Have HIS purpose wrapped in HIS WILL, not your own!

 (4) Are we Character-focused? Note the attitude in which the words or eyes are speaking to you…read your child’s spirit and you will identify the REAL NEED!

 (5) Are we Grateful…regardless of the circumstance?  Gratefulness wards off discouragement.

 (6) Are we Diligently Prayerful? Lamentations 2:19 “Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.  Lift up your hands to HIM for the life of your child”!

 The definition of the word “purpose” means “resolute,

unwavering, deliberate” …Commitment requires sacrifice.

 Whether a bush nurse, a missionary mom, a city mom, or whatever our title may be…each of us is called to be a godly mother with a profound and sacrificial love for our children.  The calling is to “count the cost” and to love with the purpose of making these entrusted to us more successful than we could ever be for HIS glory!

~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 "Tattered Integrity!"

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

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

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

Always looking for a functional definition to put “the rubber on the road”, I found these marks of Virtue.  Virtue is the moral excellence and purity of spirit that radiates from the life that obeys God’s Word. II Peter 1: 5  It is learning to build personal moral standards that will cause others to desire a more godly life!  That meant reproducing Christ’s character in my life first and then sharing with others.

 Virtue is the fruit of grace as we are given light. There is no excuse not to exemplify God’s character in my life.  I am to be an example…not an excuse!  Virtue is the godly influence my life has on others regardless of past failures.

 The opposite of virtue is Hypocrisy.  Hypocrisy is the practice of a person who is willfully living in conflict with their soul (mind, will, emotions).  Virtue is not made in crisis; it is only exhibited.  Crisis reflects our virtue. “We demonstrate what we really are spiritually in times of adversity, not when things are going smoothly!” Proverbs 24: 10

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

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

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

 Sound familiar?

 What is my response when:

·      I am evil spoken of

·      My loyalty has been betrayed

·      My will has been crossed

·      I am forgotten or neglected

·      My friends forsake me

·      I find compromise more inviting than maintaining claimed convictions

·      I am faced with failure and disappointment in my life

 My response reveals the real me…

 Am I a virtuous woman or a hypocrite?

 Which are you?

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is 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 "Truth vs. Fairy Tales!"

In 2015 I started writing this Blog for “The Princess Parable Series” and posting each Monday.  The goal and purpose was to reach young women with a tool that could be used to build character into their own little prince and princesses. It has been a privilege and I have been far more blessed than any of you.  The series continues to do well and we continue to give thanks for each one of you.

 “…so then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”. Romans 14:12

 Since the beginning of time there has been a battle of good against evil.  In our present day, we find our lives inundated with “misinformation” on all fronts and our children inundated with books that do not represent our views.  Children’s books, novels, games, cartoons, T.V. programming, and movies are filled with magical fiction, often inappropriate romance, and fantasy with the all too predictable super-heroes, witchcraft, and the evil, scary villain!  A point in fact is the new face of a barrage of Marvel heroes. 

 The cry from the masses is met with a torrent of supernatural and literary narratives brimming with dramatic imaginary story lines.  This particular genre with its fairy-like spirits in ethereal, heroic and monstrous forms is captivating to children, young people and adults alike.  Children are especially susceptible to its alluring charm because their worldview is literal and it speaks to their inner understanding of spiritual reality.

 All of us have spiritual needs (issues of pride, anger, rebellion and selfishness, to name a few!) that are beyond ourselves and we tend to fill the vacuum with “make-believe” to construct the difference we feel we lack.  We allow it to offer us a few moments of escape from the real battle with good prevailing, if only momentarily.

 Most of us acknowledge the struggle and know we are going to live somewhere forever, but have little understanding of the what, when, where, how, and why.  The surge of fantasy-ridden films and books is an after-effect of this need and exposes a society, seemingly, without direction or defined purpose.

 The Princess Parable Series was specifically created to put a functional tool in the hands of young mothers and grandmothers (urban, suburban, rural, stay-at-home, teen moms, single moms and married moms, grand-moms, aunts and teachers), each with a different lifestyle, but all who share a similar desire to be the best power of influence they can be!

 The passion to meet the need of every person desiring to cultivate what God programmed into their “prince or princess potential” has been a huge source of motivation and it allows each of us to nurture our little ones into genuine greatness. 

How quickly they grow!

There are two grandsons missing in this picture…

 As a grandmother, I carry a huge responsibility for these grandchildren, pictured above.

We, women, have the power of influence and God holds us

accountable for representing Him and for our pledge

 to the success of these entrusted to us…

our heritage.

What is your commitment to those who go on after you?

What steps of action are you implementing to see that

your legacy lives on into the next generation?

“…So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God”. Romans 14:12

~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 "Money Talks!"

Life is simply a stewardship, not an ownership; a trust, not a gift.  With a gift you may do as you please, but with a trust, you must give an account. (Eph. 2: 10) This is the beginning of the holiday season when we begin spending money on gifts and essentials that make this time of year delightful and challenging. Thanksgiving, after-all, is next week! 

 John McArthur has a tape called “Mastery of Materialism”. He said, “16 out of 38 of Christs parables deal with money.  More is said in the New Testament about money than Heaven and Hell!  Five times more is said about money than prayer.  There are 500 plus verses on prayer and faith, but there are 2,000 verses dealing with money and possessions.”  Obviously, the point is the Bible has much to say about money management!

 There are four basic biblical principles of money management in Matthew 25: 14-30.  They summarize much of what the Bible has to say regarding money and stewardship.  The first is simple…God owns it all!  Hence, He has the right to whatever He wants, whenever He wants it. It’s all His and the Owner has rights and I, a steward, have only responsibility.

 A good example of this is when my daughter started driving my car.  I’m the owner; my daughter has only privilege, while I maintain all respnsibility.  I can take it back for any reason, at any time. In the same way, every single possession that I have comes from His hand.  I possess much, but own nothing.

 Stewardship is the God-given resource for the accomplishment of God-given goals.  It is an active definition, not theoretical. It acknowledges God’s ownership over my possessions and His direction of my use of these resources. Not only is my “giving” decision a spiritual one, but “spending” decisions are also.  There is nothing more spiritual about giving than buying a car, taking a vacation, buying food, paying off a debt, paying taxes, paying for college…These are all uses of His resources. 

 The Bible reveals many specific guidelines, as to how the Owner wants His property used.  You can’t fake stewardship!  Our checkbooks reveal all that we really believe about guardianship.  A life story could be written from a checkbook.  It reflects: goals, priorities, convictions, relationships, use of time… A person can fake prayer, Bible study, evangelism…but, the checkbook reveals all!  Could that be why so many are secretive about personal finances?

 The second money management tenet is that God uses money as a tool to teach us, as a test of our trustworthiness andas a testimony to distinguish us from the world.  The third rule is not the amount we have but how we handle what God has entrusted to us and lastly, the fourth, is that stewardship requires faith and volitional action.

 My husband has always said, “You can’t take it with you, but you can send it ahead”.  “Lay not up…treasures on earth, but lay up for yourselves in heaven…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6: 19-21)   His point…invest in eternity! (Lu. 16: 1-9)

 There are five weeks before Christmas.

 Our stewardship of His resources will come to light…

 How are we living life?

~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 Takes More Than Chains!"

This past June I received a letter from dear friends and missionaries that struck a chord.  As I make ill attempts to reconcile this upside down, backwards culture, I am reminded of the one true, unchanging standard by which I am to position myself to judge.  Everyone is screeching for freedom…freedom to abort their child, freedom to cross a border illegally, freedom to live however they want…on the street, in a house, on the open road in a motorhome, freedom to educate their children…freedom…freedom… No nation has ever failed to prosper when its people put God first and their country second.  Harold Lindsell  

 “The Bible records one of the most dramatic accounts of being set free imaginable! There was a demon-possessed man who could not be controlled, even with chains!  The Scriptures declare that he had been “often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him.”  Nothing could subdue this man!  But Jesus drove the evil spirits from this man, saved and set him free and made a new person out of him.  The truth of the Bible is meant not merely to inform, but also…to transform.

 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.  This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain.  For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet.  No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.’ Mk. 5: 2-7NIV

 It takes more than chains to make a man what he ought to be.  Our society is filled with social programs attempting to deal with the unleashed violence, wickedness and lawlessness of our generation.  Drugs are produced to help suppress irrational behavior.  Treatment programs are prescribed the condition the addicted are to believe and that he will never be anything other than what he has always been.  Prisons and jails are constructed to restrain the violent or habitual offender.  The truth is that none of these measures can or will solve the problem.  Incarceration is a necessary part of the judicial system, but it only deals with the symptoms, not the root cause!

 Only Jesus can break the chains and deliver

the sinner from the sin that binds him.

This is true for every life.

 There is an unconverted need for the Gospel of Christ and the transforming power of salvation. Some are not bound by violent behavior, but are equally enslaved by their pride, prejudice or trust in a false religion that holds no hope…”

 What chain binds you today?

 It takes more than chains to bind us to sin, when HE came to set us free!

The doorstep to the temple of wisdom and freedom is

the knowledge of our own ignorance.  Charles Spurgeon

~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 "Authentic Answerability!"

Are you a Mom of a prince or princess?  Albert Schweitzer said, “An example is not the main thing in influencing others…it is the only thing.”  We teach what we know, BUT we reproduce what we are!  We should never under estimate the power of our influence…both for good and evil.

 On a scale of 1-10 how would you say you are using your power of influence for good, mom?  What would your children say?  With the multitude of distractions from the world and its cultural pressure to sway you to adopt what your conscience has already told you is wrong…”how ya’ doin?”

 “Without a vision the people perish.” Pro. 29: 18   What is your vision for your child?  “We have been created in Christ Jesus for a life of good works that he has already prepared for us to do.” Do you sense God’s vision for us and our children in that verse?  Do you hear the destiny and purpose in that promise? 

 Each child entrusted to us by God has a personal destiny and specific purpose, as you do.   My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are the fulfillment of my vision for the future.  My investment today will determine the fulfillment of that determination…tomorrow.

 Authentic answerability is taking responsibility for becoming the godly mother with a sacrificial heart that will walk carrying the burden of HIS heart. That makes being a mom a doable task empowered by our God that can and will do it, when we are yielded to His leadership and submitted to HIS vision and purpose for us and our children.  I Thess. 5: 24

 Can you hear the clear voice of God when He speaks to you?  He speaks in ideas.  The most important aspect of motherhood is learning to hear and respond to HIS promptings and to teach your child to do the same.  Are you acquainted with that still quiet voice?  “Be still and know that I am God” is written with promise, direction and intentional purpose.

 If you are a mother, you have a calling from God.  God entrusting into your care…a life, a future, a piece of what the world will become.  For those of you who have entered the battle with a vision and often feel overwhelmed…“let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we will reap, if we faint not” for “His divine power has given us everything we need…” Gal. 6:19; II Pet. 1: 3

 Will you take time to listen to that “still quiet voice” this week?

Those little feet stepping into your footsteps are counting on 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 "Fairy Tale or Reality"

Since the beginning of time there has been a battle of good against evil. In our present day, we find our lives inundated with children’s books, novels, cartoons, T.V. programming and movies filled with magical fiction, romance, and fantasy with the all too predictable witchcraft and the evil, scary villain! A point in fact is the new face of this fight found in the fairy-tale princess phenomenon.

 The cry from the masses is met with a barrage of the supernatural and literary narratives brimming with dramatic imaginary story lines. This particular genre with its fairy-like spirits in ethereal, heroic and monstrous forms is captivating to children, young people and adults alike. Children are especially susceptible to its alluring charm because their worldview is literal and it speaks to their inner understanding of spiritual reality.

 We do have spiritual needs (issues of pride, anger, rebellion and selfishness, to name a few!) that are often beyond ourselves and we tend to fill the vacuum with “make-believe” to make up for the difference we feel we lack. We allow it to offer us a few moments of escape from the real battle with good prevailing, if only, momentarily.

 Most of us acknowledge the struggle and know we are going to live somewhere forever, but have little understanding of the what, when, where, why and how. The surge of fantasy-ridden books and films is an after-effect of this need and exposes a society, seemingly, without direction or defined purpose.

 From their earliest memories our little girls are swamped with a princess course that introduces them to an unreal world filled with wizardry and lacking strong moral themes with eternal values. They are asked to define love and romance by standards that are not true to life or a representation of clearly defined biblical standards. Our child is needlessly exposed to the illusion of love through the many Prince Charming’s that are so readily available to her in most story lines; however, she is not exposed to the truth of genuine love. She is caught in a quagmire of choices that offer her temporal values, but not eternal ones. Her personal identification with a fantasy character is deceiving on many levels because the charge to discern the good and evil is often obscured by wrong motives and intentions on the part of the “hero” in the story line. Often the attitude of the leading characters is questionable and the continual interjection of clairvoyance and magical fantasy is confounding. The child is left to choose from bad and really bad, instead of from good and bad. Neither choice is particularly clear, but the medium being used (book, film, cartoon, etc.) is “thought” captivating and attention binding. Both of these goals are shortsighted and not fulfilling for the long term.

 Living in a post-Christian era, we seek to carve out a more excellent and realistic milieu for our children, these little ones that are so literal and entrusted into our keeping for so short a time. We have found that Christian parents are seeking an alternative to the present princess culture trend in books and films presently available. Their main reason is that worldview influences all areas of life. Every exposure a child has (visual or auditory, etc.) is adding to their life experience and their worldview. Presently, how would you describe your child’s worldview?

 Articulating a biblical worldview within our sphere of influence is what The Princess Parables series is all about. They are written to strengthen the belief that God made our little princess special and designed her with destiny and purpose.

 The mission of The Princess Parables series is to introduce and encourage the disciplines necessary to step outside fantasy and into the magical realism and authenticity of a loving and accepting God who teaches finding contentment in serving others, not in serving oneself. Although written in fiction, each Princess story is based on fact. It teaches a specific character quality in the name of its Princess and takes the storyline from a Parable that was taught by the greatest teacher ever born. It has been specifically created to put a functional tool into the hands of young mothers (urban, suburban, rural, stay-at-home, teen moms, single moms and married moms), grandmoms, aunts, and teachers, each with a different lifestyle, but all who share a similar desire to be the very best power of influence they can be! The passion to meet the need of every person desiring to cultivate what God has programmed into her Princess potential has been a huge source of motivation and it allows parents to nurture their little ones into genuine greatness.

 The innocent imagination of a small child is a book yet to be written and images of truth, hope, loyalty, joy, grace, charity and faith are but a few of the myriad of opportunities lost when the exposure to truth is clouded and “synergized” with fantasy.

~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 Silent Cry"

     “…and I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power to grasp

           how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love

           surpasses knowledge…”  Ephesians 3: 18

If you are struggling this morning in some way

that you do not understand…this blog is for you…

 Recently, a stranger placed in my hand a small book written by Amy Carmichael (a missionary to India 1867-1951).  Immediately, upon hearing her name, a vivid memory came knocking at the door of my heart.    

 While we were in Boot Camp in Fredonia (make that "Freeze-don't ya"), Wisconsin!), preparing for missionary service I became so sick that I wasn't sure we would be able to finish the course.  Yet, my husband and I knew God had brought us this far.  There was a tribe, deep in the rain forest of Panama that had never heard the name of Jesus Christ and they were waiting for someone to come and bring His Name to them.

 We had been seeking local medical help for over two months.  I was in my first trimester with our first child.  My physical symptoms were severe, I had lost six weeks of missionary training and I was lost in my understanding of it all when diagnosed with an unyielding case of pneumonia!  The infection was suffocating my compromised lung and I would have to take a drug that could adversely affect my unborn child!  The choice was my recovering or possibly both of us not going full term!  I was confused and consumed by fear.  

 Have you ever been there?

Faced with impossible decisions and lost in your imaginations?

 At this juncture of my journey, someone gave me a quote of Amy Carmichael that stopped me in my tracks and I realized I had the concept of my Father's love and means of communication to me all wrong!   

 “If I cannot catch the ‘sound of the rain’ long before the rain falls, and going to some hilltop of the spirit, as near to my God as I can, have not faith to wait there with my face between my knees, though six times or sixty times I am told ‘there is nothing’ till at last ‘there arises a little cloud out of the sea’ then I know nothing of Calvary love!"

   I Kings 18: 41 says, “And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there

Is the sound of heavy rain’.  So, Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah

climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face

between his knees.  “Go and look toward the sea”, he told his servant.

And he went up and looked.  “There is nothing there’, he said.  Seven times

Elijah said, ‘Go back!’  The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A cloud as

  small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea’…The sky grew black with

clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came…’”

 I felt a little like Elijah may have felt when he was in danger for his life. Why didn’t I understand?  I should, shouldn’t I?  I was a missionary candidate (soon to be deployed!), I had spent a year at the University of Arizona, 4 years of Bible School, 2 yrs. of Boot Camp and Language School...I was completely committed to God with everything I knew, in all the light I had …But God always has much to teach me about Himself. I waited for Him at the front door of my heart and He silently entered through the back door and shattered my concept of Him and His promises!  He came with new light, new peace and new understanding of His divine nature. I re-focused, solely, on the author and finisher of my faith…

 “There are times when something comes into our lives which is charged with love in such a way that it seems to open the Eternal to us for a moment...it may be a small and intimate touch, as the touch of the dawn wind or it may be the pain experienced in the storm of life along the way... But we know it is our Lord.  And then perhaps the room where we are, with its books and furniture and flowers, seem less ‘present’ than His presence, and the heart is drawn into His sweetness… Can we ever cease to wonder at the love of our companion?  And then suddenly we recognize our Lord holding us in a new way?  Dimness seems to be more wholesome for us here...not understood by us.  After all, how little we see!    Confounded and abased, we continue to hold fast to the Rock and hide in the dust, before the glory of the Majesty of love--the love whose symbol is the Cross.  

And the piercing question then:  What do I know of Calvary love?”

 I am praying for you, this morning, for your sensing the whisper of His Presence in that "cloud out of the sea" in a new way and for the power of His healing.

 Have a great week!

~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 "Character Markers!"

A Biblical worldview should influence all areas of life.  Articulating that worldview within our sphere of influence is what the Princess Parables are all about!  While surface problems (hate, prejudice, murder, anger, addiction) attract media attention, they merely reflect and are symptomatic of the deeper need we have as people...the need for character!  Character determines our actions.  Character determines our responses, regardless of the circumstances presented to us in life.   It defines us and tells others who we really are!  Character is written on the heart of every person.  It is universal and transcends culture, race, age, social status, religion, gender and nationality.  

 Character marks the life of a true princess!! For many years Princesses Joy, Grace, Hope, Faith and Charity have been a large part of my life and I have grown to love each of them, as distinct and separate personalities, with unique engiftments and an adventurous story to tell.  They form a cohesive body of work that speaks to the need for early development of godly character in our little princesses in a pragmatic way they can relate to with Biblical terms attached.

  I recently read, “A dear old Quaker lady, distinguished for her youthful look, was asked what she used to preserve her appearance.  She replied sweetly, “I use for the lips, truth; for the voice, prayer; for the eyes, pity; for the hand, charity; for the figure, uprightness; and for the heart, love” (Jerry Fleishman).  The Princesses are designed to inspire godly thoughts and actions.  The key of this wise “Quaker lady’s” answer and the challenge to us is to maneuver victoriously through this new day and its many opportunities... each revealing our TRUE character through our moment-by-moment responses!  

 Who am I really?

My daily response to life situations brings to light the REAL 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 "Jungle School"

Christina’s Early Schooling Interior

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

 Good-morning, Mom’s!  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 curriculum available at one time or another! Furloughs from the field and sickness made academic flexibility an imperative and a household word for us.

 Both girls have their Bachelors 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, Youtube, phones, radios or T.V.  There was no written alphabet in the Kuna language so linguistics occupied hours each day (oh, for an I pad).

 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, 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… every day.  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 will go on into eternity and carry on—our beliefs, our character, our philosophies, etc. into the next generation.  They are a commanding responsibility and the most important investment I wiould ever make.  You, mom’s, 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?

~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.