Jackie's Journey "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"

♫ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas ♬

In life we cannot anticipate what our future holds, but we know who holds the future.  In our Christmas book, “A Royal Christmas to Remember”, our 5 princesses and 5 young knights-in-the-making are blissfully busy preparing for the upcoming Christmas festivities.  Opening the castle doors over the holidays is a tradition that opens the hearts of the entire village to the real reason we celebrate Christmas. 

 In an instant all their plans are dashed when a message of imminent danger arrives at their front door! The King instantly leaves with his knights to protect their kingdom.  That real meaning of Christmas quickly comes into focus. The girls choose to seize the moment of turmoil, changing their destiny and bringing joy to their father and the whole kingdom.

 December has arrived here in California and the events and activities of the season are already in full swing.   Having our “castle doors” open to family, neighbors and friends is a tradition we welcome each year.  

 ♫ It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas ♬  

 In the midst of preparations and a very busy afternoon a few years ago, I received a hushed and urgent call from Kim, my youngest daughter, who was teaching at an Elementary School a mile or so from our house.  The school had abruptly been put on “lock-down”!  There were policemen all over their campus and helicopters were swirling in circles overhead.   She was yet to be informed of the circumstances…was it a bomb threat, someone with a gun, …

WHAT…??

 Her daughter Megan Joy, my “pocket-baby”, was in the classroom next door huddled down on the floor behind locked doors and desks!  The teachers and students had been in this imposed silence and been inaccessible for almost two hours!   Frantic, my mind immediately went to the pictures of Columbine in Colorado…

Now that… was a wake-up call!  In an instant my holiday plans took second place to the more important, as my priorities slipped back into a more realistic focus.  Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. used to say, “Don’t sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate!”  No chance of that happening here.  What could I do?  Where was I needed?  When would we know my daughter and granddaughter were safe?  

 As I watched and listened to the helicopters circling, hovering overhead, my curiosity overwhelmed me.   A song that comforted me in the jungles of Panama immediately came to mind. 

 ♫ He is my hiding place,

He always fills my heart

with songs of deliverance

whenever I am afraid,

I will trust in Him … ♫   Psalm 32:7 

  “God is our strength and power and makes our way perfect.”  2 Sam. 22:33   Our sovereign God was in control and He brought His “peace that passes understanding” in the turmoil.  I began to pray to “our God of hope that He would fill Kim, with all joy and peace as she placed her trust in Him, so that she could overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!” Romans 15:13  

 This happened two weeks before Christmas Day when families gathered to rehearse and celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.  Christians paused to praise their blessed promise and hope fulfilled in a manger bed.  Many kneeled and prayed together giving thanks for His coming, His life and His sacrificial death in our place and His glorious resurrection. 

 Are you one of these?

 Somehow… that particular Christmas 2016

 became a singularly outstanding one for our family…

 definitely… A Royal Christmas to Remember!

~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 "A Christmas Pledge!"

Inspired by the September 11th attack on the United States, the Groenewalds moved to Afghanistan in response to God’s call to serve the people who had purposely killed thousands of our own! They lived and served and were martyred by Taliban fighters, as their obedience to God’s call was greater than their fears.   The only surviving member tells the story and it profoundly touched my heart.  The testimony of that horrific day of murder with AK-47’s and the self-sacrificing bomber who obliterated their home is a wake-up call to my commitment to His directing and leading in my life.

 “Some give Him a place; some give Him Prominence:

but what Christ wants in our lives is pre-eminence.”

In my spiritual journey, I was a “nominal Christian”, a fan of all things spiritual for the first 18 years of my life.  I was the proverbial good girl with this huge longing hole in my life that I had no idea how to fill.  How would I find meaning and purpose in a world that was full of others in the same state I was?  

Who had an answer?

 While reading the testimony of a mother who had lost her husband and two teen-age children, I was again struck with the mandate that “counting the cost” is an imperative, not an option, regardless of our geographical location.   When the three New Tribe missionaries, from our village in Pucuro, were captured and killed by FARC, a militant group from Colombia, I was reminded of a time in our missionary training when we were challenged to “count the ultimate cost”, as a possibility of our decision to be followers of Christ and not just enthusiastic fans! 

“Commitment is that turning point in your life when you seize the moment and convert it into an opportunity to alter your destiny” Luke 9: 23

 Being a follower means there will be a price to pay.  Salvation is free but it cost you your life!  “If Jesus Christ died and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”  C.T. Studd

 “For me, on the field, it was a life of sacrifice, difficulty and struggles, and in that the Lord gave us the reward of His presence,” Hannelie said. “He revealed Himself to us, who He is.” (Hannelie Groenewald)

 The reward of His presence, ears to hear His voice and a sense of who He is, is my truth also.  A total dependence on an all-knowing God whose plans for me are to prosper me, not harm me, plans to give me hope and a future.  Jer. 29: 11   When God walked into my life at age 19, I found the reason for my existence!  There was no more longing; there was completeness with purpose and destiny.  

 As a busy mom, is your life filled with Him, His thoughts and His ways?  Do your little ones see the Christ that lives in you?  Are you struggling to integrate Christ into your demanding life or is He the master of your course…leading, directing?

 “There are two kinds of people: 

Those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ 

And those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way!’” 

 C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

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 "Happy Thanksgiving!"

Our young knights being welcomed by the King and princesses

for a celebration at the Castle

 Thanksgiving is this Thursday!  We have everything to be grateful for, don’t we?  Gratefulness is making known to God and others in what ways they have benefited our lives. I Corinthians 4:7    Thanksgiving Day is a perfect time to do this!

 Thanksgiving weekend is full of traditions for our family, as I am sure it is in your home.  It is the official beginning of the Christmas season.  The Christmas trees go up, the Christmas C.D.’s fill the house with music, the wreaths are hung on the front doors, the garlands are placed around the house with care, and the lights from the bannister shine out from the second story as a welcoming beacon for all who enter over the coming days of celebration. 

  My bulging gift closet is opened up after a year of accumulating its secret chattels and the “to do list” is formally inducted into the hustle of Christmas giving.  The stacked boxes full of gifts, just waiting to be wrapped, are pulled out and the forgotten person, item or the missing piece of a waiting gift is duly noted and one by one will be addressed and added to its appropriate package over the next few weeks. 

“Making a List and Checking It Twice…”

 In the book “A Royal Christmas to Remember” the princesses and young knights are busy checking off all that must be accomplished with all the activities that come with planning and preparing for the Holiday Season.   Unexpectedly there is a disruption at the castle door.  Fear silences their demanding schedule.  News of marauding robbers has swiftly reached the King.   Abruptly frozen in their tracks, their thoughts are focused on the pending danger and Christmas preparations are lost in the newly presented event at hand… 

Who knocks at the door?  What could it be?  What has happened?

 Organizing activities requires lists!  There are many kinds of lists.  They can be the organizer that keeps us on track.  They are the reminders that sustain us on our trek in a time crunch.  They put our weekly menu together and they assure us that everything is packed in a lunch bag or backpack.  They maintain our priorities.  Lists are good things…Fresh reminders, motivators to keep us keeping on…

 I have been thinking about a list that has been in a notebook next to my Bible for years.   It accompanies my journal and is the key of the day and the lock of the night.  It is a list of names and needs of …family members, missionaries, church families, neighbors, people we are witnessing to, people we are mentoring, church leaders, leaders of our great nation, prayer requests…

 “Watch and pray…”  Matthew 26:41

“God heard them, for their prayer reached heaven…”  II Chronicles 

“So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and He answered our prayer.”  Ezra *: 23

 “The moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals.  And the first job each morning consists in shoving it all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other, larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in.” C.S. Lewis

 “If you are a stranger to prayer,  you are a stranger to power”

If we are too busy to pray…then we are too busy!  Hurry is the death of prayer!

 “Satan laughs at our toiling but he trembles when we pray.

Will you join me this busy time of year to take time

 to enter your “War Room” with your prayer list and talk to God?

~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 "What's the Secret?"

 “NEVER GIVE UP!”

“Perseverance is a lowly virtue whereby mediocrity 

achieves an inglorious success!” Ambrose Bierce

 While attending Bible School, I met my husband and we were married a year later.  We had never heard of tribal people who had never had an opportunity to even hear the name of Jesus Christ!  Can you imagine?  God challenged us to take His Name to them!  My husband responded immediately to the need before him.  Yes, he would go!  He stood up quickly, as the seasoned visiting missionary, challenged the crowd for tribal missions; however, I stood frozen with my mouth wide open, in shock!  I could not believe his independent, instant response.   God had work to do in my stubborn heart.  My self-consumed willfulness held me captive!   

 I was not equipped to live in the jungle…I hate spiders!  It took three days travel to get to this Indian village.  One and half days journey by banana boat (that’s right we slept on wooden benches) following the coastline, arriving in a remote small town to make a connection for the last ten hour day trek upriver in an open dugout canoe!  Let’s see, I have two babies less than three years of age fighting the rapids during rainy season!  Surely, there was someone in that crowd of churchgoers more mature than I am that is willing and ready to go…not me!  I, fearfully, contemplated another 24 hours before I silently knelt with my husband and acknowledged God’s beckoning whisper to submit to His will and His very clear call to GO!  

 As a young student, untested missionary, wife and new mother, I stepped out in blind obedience.  The unknown was my constant companion, as was my all-knowing God with His directing will and promises.  “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, so shall your offspring be.  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead…since he was about a hundred years old…and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  YET he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promises of God being fully persuaded that GOD HAD POWER TO DO WHAT HE PROMISED.”(Romans 4:18-21)

 For over 55 years now, God’s pursuing love has driven us to claim the name of Christ.  First, to those living in the remote jungles of Panama, “in the farthest corners of the earth” (Psalm 65:8), and today, to those living in the asphalt jungles of the United States.

 We have counted it a privilege to walk day-by-day wrapped in His strength, following where He leads us.  Joyfully persevering has become a fulfilling way of life… His receiving the glory is our reward…

 What are you facing today that seems 

unbelievably overwhelming and impossible?

~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 "Are you a Fan or a Follower"?

Are you in the Game?

In 1963 William McDonald nailed some principles of New Testament discipleship on my heart!  I had seen them in the Word, but somehow concluded that they were too extreme and impractical for the complicated age we lived in.  During my last year of college,  I was challenged to take a good look at what the Word said and to admit to myself it was applicable today…not for someone else, not just for weekends, or not when I retire or when I was more mature spiritually to receive its truth!  A life dedicated to the cross is one that obeys Him in all that He has commanded; whatever the cost may be… a total commitment.  

As a young mom the message of these words would sear my conscience as my demanding life was processing its truth.  Nothing less than unconditional surrender could ever be a fitting response to His sacrifice on Calvary.  To this day He is still seeking the heart that is solely satisfied with Him, plus nothing! 

 Recently someone put a book in my hand called Not A Fan.  The same demand and those same passages in Luke 14, again, speak volumes to a new generation.  The challenge of those verses is still being shouted in the wilderness. The urgency to respond is still there for us to forsake all and to follow Him! 

 The author, Kyle Idleman, defines a fan as a person who has made a decision for Christ; she is an enthusiastic admirer of Christ; but no sacrifice is required.

He defines a follower as a person who has made a commitment  to Christ; she counts the cost in following Him; and the commitment requires sacrifice.  He continues:

Fans are unaffected by their Christian responsibility.

Followers have their lives turned upside down.

Fans don’t mind Jesus doing a little touch-up.

Jesus wants a complete renovation!

Fans come to Jesus thinking tune-up.

Jesus is thinking overhaul!

Fans want Jesus to inspire them

Jesus wants to interfere with our lives!

 “Jesus was never interested in having fans.  When He defines what kind of relationship He wants…enthusiastic admirer is not an option!  Many American churches have gone from being sanctuaries to becoming stadiums, and every week all the fans come to the stadium where they cheer for Jesus but have no interest in truly following him.  The biggest threat to the church today is fans that call themselves Christians but aren’t actually interested in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them.” Kyle Idleman

 Are you a Fan or a Follower??

 The young knights and princesses in our newest release “A Royal Christmas to Remember” revealed “follower’s hearts” as they worked tirelessly to assure the villagers that they would be able to celebrate Christmas after a devastating event threatened to destroy it all.  Their commitment to their Father, the King, motivated them to step outside themselves to sacrifice and serve others instead of selfishly serving themselves.

A follower of the King of Kings would have her life 

affected and turned upside down for the benefit of others and the glory of God.

~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 "What Do You Value?"

We demonstrate what we value by what we give our attention and affection to.  Dedicated moms know where their children are all the time.  If one is missing, even for a moment, while Christmas shopping…panic sets in.  We value our little ones!  

 The object of our devotion reveals what is important to us.

 I walked into the Mall two months ago and was greeted by sparkling lights, festive music, fully decorated Christmas trees of every size and color, and the warm scent of cinnamon and pine wafting in the air…it was September 1st!   Thanksgiving was fourteen weeks away!   Christmas was over three months away!

 The materialistic focus had begun and the most celebrated event of the year was lost in a world of themed decorations, color coordinated ornaments, hearth garlands and welcoming wreaths ready for our front doors…an obvious demonstration of what the world values.  I looked in vain for a Nativity scene.  Where was the real object of our celebration…our “reason for the season”…Jesus Christ?  

 “Christ is not valued at all unless He is valued above all!”

In our seasonal release,  “A Royal Christmas to Remember” the princesses found that  although the entire village had been ransacked by a band of marauding outlaws, they were amazed to find that the Nativity scene had been left unscathed. They stood gazing down at the baby Jesus and thanked God that He had come into the world and that no one was injured in the attack. Their focus was on the Savior who had come to bring peace.  Regardless of the circumstances around them, their hearts were captured by the wonderful gift God gave us in His Son!  They were filled with unspeakable joy.

 “Christmas is not a myth, not a tradition, not a dream.  It is a glorious reality.  It is a time of joy.  Bethlehem’s manger crib became the link that bound a lost world to a loving God.  From that manger came a Man who not only taught us a new way of life, but also brought us into a new relationship with our Creator.  Christmas means that God is interested in the affairs of people; that God loves us so much that He was willing to give us His Son.”  Billy Graham

 “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given…and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 

 Isaiah 9: 6

Who is the object of your attention this season??

~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 "It's the Little Things that Trip Us Up, Isn't It?"

Everything from magnificent orchid flowers to jumping spiders are supersized when you live in a rainforest!    Catastrophes like tsunami’s, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes keep us on our toes, but it’s the chiggers, roaches, sandflies, mosquitos, ticks and ants that test our endurance.

Army Ant…!!

My husband has very few fears, but army ants swarming a million strong are way up on the top of his short list!  The drug cartel, the National Guard accusing us of being CIA spies, the untamed animals, poisonous snakes and lethal frogs…none bothered him like the threat of army ants marching across the jungle floor consuming everything in sight, leaving a wide path in their wake.  As a point of interest, a whole colony of army ants can consume up to 500,000 prey animals each day!

 We had one cardinal rule that was for our jungle living protection.  We would never take food into our beds. Even though we slept under mosquito netting, we needed to protect ourselves from the noisy mosquitos and the marauding population that roamed while we were sleeping. 

 Most nights our house would fill up with our Kuna family and we would put our girls to bed and continue teaching by way of a kerosene lantern, swinging from the center of the room.  One particular evening, I slipped behind the parachute walls to tuck the girls securely under the netting.  We were always very careful they had no open gaps…much more so than we were with ourselves.

 A few hours later, after turning in for the night, we heard Kimberly Joy rustling about, moaning and rolling in her sleep.  In the next few minutes she cried out for us.  Ralph bolted upright, grabbed the flashlight and darted out the open door only to find his “worst fear had come upon him”!  With one fell swoop he had Kim, who was about 3, out from under the net and was frantically brushing large jungle ants off of her.  Handing her frightened frame to me, he turned to grab Christina, almost 6, in the bunk above her, who had awakened and was screaming at the invasion!  

The swarm was a foot wide and moving at Nano speed!  In their haste, they were crawling all over each other to reach their pending goal!  Just their momentum was terrifying…nothing was going to deter them!  They had come up through the cracks in the floorboards and were in a mad rush to reach the cookie crumbs that Kim had left behind… in her bed!!!  

 Keeping focused and realizing the severity of our circumstance, Ralph grabbed the powdered poison purchased just for this event and began to kill the creepy crawlers that had assaulted our peace!  Time seemed to stand still as the persistent attackers were redirected and eliminated. 

 The next morning, we awoke to find our pet rabbit had been attacked and his hollowed out furry skin was all that remained. The ants had killed our fluffy friend and they had carried off all of their dead!  Ralph sprinkled the poisonous powder down the path they had cleared through the jungle into our home…they never returned!  

 Sometimes in life difficult circumstances begin to rule in our hearts.  Whether big or small they are the very opportunities given by our God, who knows our needs and is specific in His teaching and purpose.  For days it occurred to me that if those small creatures could enter once, twice would be even easier.  Sleeping became a tiresome nightly adventure as my imagination began to capture the other night crawling inhabitants that were possibly lurking on the other side of our mosquito nets and bark walls!

“I will praise the Lord, who counsels me:

even at night my heart instructs me”.

Psalm 16: 3

 I knew the large jungle cats, hairy spiders and enormous scorpions would give me pause, but I did not count on a swarm of ants!  It was the “little things” that tripped me up!

 Knowing God is sovreign and there is purpose in every plan He chooses for us, puts it all in perspective.  Our job is to focus on His life-lesson in the teaching through the circumstance.  We will be in this “school” of life until He calls us home.  Surrendering to however and whatever He chooses to “grow us up” are all part of the adventure.  One of the exciting things about the Christian life is that the adventures are endless, if we have eyes to see from His perspective!

 The most common thief to rob us of the blessings of God is our refusal to learn from the “little things” in life.  Listen, girlfriends…

 “…the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, 

the purposes of his heart through all generations.  Psalm 33: 11

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11

Meet Ralph, my husband of 54 years…

~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 "It's All About the Attitude!"

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.  Attitude to me is more important: than facts, than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do, than appearances, than giftedness or skill.  It will make or break a home…a church…a company.  The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.  We cannot change our past.  We cannot change the inevitable.  The only thing we can do is play on the one thing we have, and that is our attitude.  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so, it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.” Charles Swindoll

 While living deep in the jungles of Panama,  I became well acquainted with the full spectrum of my attitudes!  We lived on the Colombian border and the path through our village was the drug runners, migrants, and rebels route from Colombia to Panama City.  There were no formal crossings which meant there were an array of security challenges.  

 One afternoon two colombian men were walking on the path past our house that led deep into the rainforest.  For some unknown reason they turned and approached our screened front  porch.  They were hot, dirty and hungry.  Ralph quickly offered them something to drink and sent them to the river to bathe with the promise of a meal upon their return.  After the hastily prepared food,  he began to share Christ with them.  They talked for hours and the sun had fallen behind the mountains and darkness was imminent.  I scurried to get the girls ready for bed, carefully sliding them under the mosquito netting making sure I tucked it tightly under the mattress to keep the creepy crawlies out!  

The girls and I on the way to the river with Tinker, our puppy

 As I turned to rejoin Ralph and our guests, I heard my husband say, “If you would like to sleep on the porch, we have blankets and…!”  I am a person of many words but in that split second…I stopped dead in my tracks, horrified and mute!  My former smiling, serving attitude  immediately and silently screamed,  “WHAT!?...NO! … What are you thinking, Ralph?  We have no locks on the doors, we don’t know these men, we have two little sleeping girls just a parachute wall away…??”  

 “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within?

Put your hope in God:  for I will yet praise him,

who is the health of my countenance, and my God”.  Psalm 42:11

 With my mouth wide open and my dumbed silence ready to protest,  I watched my husband stand, reach for his “poncho via” belt of bullets, strap them across his chest and announce that he would not be sleeping that night!   If he heard the porch door that separated us creak, he would not hesitate to use the cocked gun that he was now holding in his hand!

Attitudes are inevitable!!

I continue to learn that either I control

my attitude or it controls me…

 Relieved, I quickly rehearsed the change in my attitudes that had taken place in the course of just a few minutes!  Attitudes are inevitable…both positive and negative.  We, women are responsible for both! They reveal our true character.    The whole of virtue resides in its consistent practice.  Teaching the hearts of our childen to take charge of their attitude is the channel to their future success.  They watch our attitudes and respond in “like kind”,  thinking… “This is how mom responded in this situation”.

Test your attitude:

  Are you Impatient? Argumentative? Temperamental? Moody? Ungrateful?  Fearful?  These attitudes are ugly, self-centered and reveal the real you, apart from His empowerment.  It always results in chaos! 

Or

Are you full of joy?  Exuding peace?  Abounding in love?  Giving, not taking?  Serving, not expecting?  These attitudes are in harmony with God and will bring calm, blessing and reward. 

 “Two men looked through prison bars____One saw mud, and the other stars.”

Anonymous

What do you see?

What you see is reflected in your attitude!

“The greatest discovery of my generation

 is that human beings 

can altar lives by altering 

their attitudes of mind.” William James

~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 "Who Do We Think We are Fooling?"

As women, it should startle us to realize our power of influence.  Even though we are more than acquainted with the call to “walk our talk” and not be an excuse for bad behavior in our little ones (and big ones!), we should sense the intense obligation.

My very observant Grand-niece, Olivia, enjoying Fall Harvest…

  We never know who is watching!  Pressures to “walk our talk” are those continuing opportunities for others to observe our true character.  (II Corinthians 4: 17)   A hypocrite willfully lives in conflict with his or her mind, will and emotions.  He or she is motivated by a desire for the appreciation of men rather than the approval of God.  (Proverbs 27: 21)  It is an incredible responsibility when you stop to think about it!

 Can you pass the test for a “Walk your Talk” mom?

 1.     Do you get in the Word of God daily? 

2.     Do you keep a record of the things God brings to your attention, as He teaches you, so you are continually fresh and ready to share with others?

3.     Do you understand how to maintain a consistent “walk in the Spirit”?

4.     Are you presently witnessing to someone who is in need of our Savior?

5.     Are you mentoring at least one person at this time?

6.     Do you know you are born of God…no doubts?

 How did you do?  

 Our Western culture is consumed with an attitude of “I deserve this”, I am entitled to this!”   “Gimme, gimme!”.  The quality of spiritual life we are going to address in this blog is rarely experienced because we are so busy demanding personal rights.  We have learned to call “our rights” by acceptable, “politically correct” terms.  

But rights, nonetheless, are the separators of us from authentic spiritual reality.

 Here are some acceptable signs (oops, sins!) that tell us our “best” has been compromised and our “walk” may need some attention:

  1. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1Thess. 5: 18   

   Do you give thanks in everything? Or are you selective in the area of gratefulness…maybe you’re a complainer or worrier…?           

·  2.  “Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to think.” Rom. 12: 3 

             Are you proud of YOUR accomplishments, YOUR talents, and YOUR family?  

         Do you fail to see others as better than yourself, more important than yourself, in your relationships in the body of Christ?  Is your goal the success of others?         

·     3. “Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”  Eph. 4: 31           

         Do you find fault, carry a grudge, anger easily, hold people to your expectations and speak unkindly about people when they are not present? 

             Do you enjoy listening to gossip?  Do you pass it on?

     4. “Lie not one to another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds.”  Col. 3: 9  

         Do you ever lie?  Exaggerate? Do you tell things the way you want them rather than the way they are?  

 5. “Even so, you outwardly appear righteous to men, but within, you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”  Matt. 23: 28        

        Do you smile self-righteously during the sermon on Sunday but live in your bad attitudes all week?  Are you the same person in your home, as the one who is trying to impress people outside your home?  

          We are fooling no one!  We are a book… known and read by all men …

especially, children… they read our spirit!

               How authentic are you?         

       What is your demonstration of truth?

       What is your fruit?        

      Will your young knight or princess say you 

       are an unpretentious, genuine mom 

       that “walks her talk”? 

~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 "Where Do You Keep Your BUT?"

In the Princess Parable Series Princess Hope is the oldest of the five princesses and carries the responsibility of setting a good example and leading the way for her four younger sisters who are watching and learning from her.  She experiences first-hand what it takes to “count the cost” when she sees her grandmother’s priceless ring in a store window in the village. She has to get it back…but how…and at what cost?

Meet Princess Hope

How many of us understand what it means 

to “count the cost” 

for someone or something 

that is so important 

that we will not hesitate to boldly step up to the plate?

Before leaving for the shores of Panama I was cognizant of the cost it might take to leave the U.S. and live in a foreign country.  But it was not until Christina, my first daughter, was born that I became acutely aware of the expanse of what it might actually demand.  I was leaving my homeland with my parents first and only, two-year-old grandchild. After arriving in Panama, it would take us two days by three different means of transportation to land on the muddy banks of the river Pucuro.  It would include living in an “off the grid” bark-walled house with no running water, no electricity and an outhouse that screamed “unfriendly”. 

 Would the cost be too great?

 Our jungle house was located in an extremely dense and remote area of the jungle. There was malaria and T.B.  There would be hairy eight-legged creatures, not to mention venomous insects and reptiles of every kind the imagination could conjure up and worse!  We would be called to cook, eat and drink unidentifiable “chicha’s”, mammals, reptiles and even rodents!  It would be on the Colombian border where drug runners passed through our village routinely.  My neighbors would speak a different language and have a strange culture.  There would be no privacy, no hospital, no urgent care facility, no contact with the outside world, except for an often-unreliable two-way radio!  On top of that, on our first trek in, I would have two little girls.  Christina had just turned three and our second daughter was a tiny three-month-old nursing baby on my lap…

This is an aerial veiw of our house with the tin roof in the foreground

 I would be the first to admit that life brings serious unknowns, struggles, doubts, fears, and temptations from the enemy, even if you have “counted the cost” in all the light you have.

 On one of the many rainy days in the rainforest, I began to share my heart and woes with a seasoned missionary who was listening intently.  To every comment of comfort, she gave me, I responded,“BUT you don’t understand; I know GOD says that BUT what about…?”

 When I paused to catch my breath, she asked me if, “I thought God’s grace was sufficient enough for me for today?”   

 What!???… I’m a missionary living in the jungle…I could hardly say “No”!  Of course, I answered, “Yes!” 

 She followed up with, “Then… would His Grace be sufficient for tomorrow?!” 

 She had firmly and graciously admonished me to keep my BUT on the appropriate side of the word GOD! NOT, “Ok,GOD, BUT…” (we always have a good excuse for not trusting Him); rather, this is my situation, BUT GOD is more than sufficient and faithful.  He has proven Himself over and over again, when I keep my BUT on the right side of God.

 Is living for God, demonstrating genuine Christianity

and claiming Christ as Lord and Master of my life

for His glory… too much?

 If I can trust Him for today; then, I can trust Him for tomorrow!

 A wise woman counts the cost… 

 Princess Hope’s recapturing a stolen ring and me moving into a dense jungle do not, on the surface, seem comparable; yet, the point is ,what do we treasure enough to pay the ultimate price to achieve?  What is important enough for us to “count the cost” and plunge into whatever sacrifice it takes to see it accomplished?

 There was no call to the jungle; BUT GOD did call us to respond to the need in that jungle…to open up a work among an unreached group of people who had yet to hear His Name spoken, even once, or to hear the news of His wonderful redeeming message.

 “The house of the righteous contains great treasure”! (Pro. 15:6)

Moms…your house is full of eternal treasure…

treasure that will spend eternity somewhere.

 When all is said and done and we have reached the end of this life…what will be said of us?  Did we choose the most important?  Did we succeed in our calling?  Did we “count the cost” for what was on His heart in His perfect will for us or did we do our own thing and hope for the best?  

 How does the fruit of your commitment look so far?  

We only pass this way once!

It WILL be worth it 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.