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 celebrating our Saviors birth. 

  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 and bustle 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 Princess Parable Series book “A Royal Christmas to Remember”, the princesses and young knights are busy checking off all that must be organized and 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 heading toward the castle gates has immediately 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 director 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, people with special needs during the holidays, 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 

 “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 daily this busy time of year to take time

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

~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 "Which World are You In?"

 As moms, we see God, family and responsibility through a lens that is often clouded by information being flooded into our vision through social media and what others are saying or have lived or experienced.  We see them as examples and take their teaching as gospel truth.  Because our biblical worldview is not being fed by time in the Word and knowing the heart and mind of God, we are often misled and our children suffer the consequences.

 Someone left this on my desk last week and it seemed so simplistic that I set it to one side. A few day later, while sitting at my desk, out of the corner of my eye…I glanced at it again and grasped the two world-views being compared!  Take a look:

 Which world-view captures you?

 We are responsible to God, first and that means

 His world-view is the only one that counts!

~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 "Fan or Follower??"

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 I 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 for 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! 

 A few years ago, someone put a book in my hand called “Not A Fan”.  The same demand and those same passages in Luke 14, again, spoke volumes to me and 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?

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 Captures Your Attention?"

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…panic sets in.  We value our little ones!  

The object of our devotion reveals

what is important to us.

 I walked into the Mall over a month 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 October 1st!   Thanksgiving was six weeks away!   Christmas was two 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 book, “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 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 brutal attack. Their focus was on the Savior who had come to save and 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 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

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and then Christmas!!

Who is the object of your attention?

~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 "Monotony...is the Worst!"

Just wondering how you moms are doing with your life on hold and just a glimmer “at the end of the tunnel” that Covid might be finally coming to an end?? 

 Just an observation…to the degree a person is not developing her own ability toward a common objective… she will experience discouragement and boredom!  To offset the resulting monotony and to escape a sense of a meaningless life and a lack of purpose she finds herself pleasure seeking.  Discouragement, boredom and pleasure seeking are all signs we have set shortsighted goals or no goals at all.

 When Covid-19 set in, we, moms, prepared lofty goals and our intentions were good.  We had to make major adjustments!   I Thess. 5: 21 reminds us,  to “hold on to the good”… but good intentions are not enough to combat the lethargy of our spirit!  We are to avoid every kind of evil with the promise that “…God himself will purify us through and through.  He will keep our whole spirit, soul and body blameless… but the best part is,… “HE is faithful and HE will do it!”

 Hence…we have no excuse for being discouraged,

bored or having unfulfilled goals!

 “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong (woman) stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the (woman) who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends (herself) in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high achievement and who at the worst if (she) fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that (her) place will never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”  Theodore Roosevelt

 As moms, we are consumed with the desire to dare greatly in the lives of our husband, children and the success of our home.  We want to be the wife whose husband is admired and spoken well of at the gate because of our testimony and loving service.  We are living in a spiritual war zone and we can’t shelter warriors…we train them to prepare for battle and fight.  We have two goals…how do we reach a darkened, lost world and how do we heal a broken world.

 We aspire to carry His burden by being equipped to reach the lost and encourage the saved.   We teach our children to recognize the enemy and to keep their eyes on the Victor and Savior of our souls.  We pray and focus on eternal goals and teach our little prince and princesses to see God in circumstances and struggles with grateful hearts, as we set the example before them.  We read the Bible to them and teach them how to hear God’s voice.  We teach them to fear God and the consequence of sin.  

 There is no time to be world-weary or consumed with pleasure seeking.  We are pressed to dare greatly for the cause of the cross, following the One who actually knows where we are headed in this maze called life.  Inspired by His example we keep busy with the things on His heart and find our lives are filled, full and content.

 Where do you find yourself this morning?  

Are you discouraged or bored or are you enthusiastically 

looking for what God is going to do today?  

 Have your goals been shortsighted or are you on point?

~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 Marks TRUE Character?"

Character determines our actions! Character marks the life of a TRUE prince or princess!

 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 (Covid-19, hate, riots, murder, anger, addiction…) attract media attention, they merely reflect and are symptomatic of the deeper need we have as people…the need for godly character!  

 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.  

 Godly character marks the life of a true prince or princess!!  For 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 prince and princesses in a pragmatic way, that 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 to 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 "In A Land Far Away..."

I am a Princess! 

 How do I know?

  I know because my Father called me “Princess” most of my life!  My legal name is Jacqueline Johnson, and I am delighted to be co-author with Jeanna Young for the Princess Parables Series. The original purpose of these weekly blogs, is to love and encourage you dedicated moms who are diligently working to raise your children with character and love for Jesus. 

My first granddaughter, Princess Catherine

I am a former foreign missionary and Pastors wife, a mother of two beautiful girls and a grandmother of three delightful princesses and four young princes with the same goal of character focus with eternal values in veiw.  I was born in St. Joseph, Missouri as our country was resurfacing from its worst Depression.  I attended parochial schools and I was baptized, “catechizemized”, confirmed and on my way to hell! 

  I knew something real was missing in my life and I desperately needed purpose and definition to all that was going on around me.  While attending the University of Arizona, pledging Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, I was challenged to visit a church that introduced me to a God I could know personally through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.  This was the missing piece…a person!  When Christ walked into my life it was never the same again!  I became part of a true Royal Kingdom!  “…He has rescued us out of the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His Son…”(Colossians 1:13).  I knew God’s hand and call was on me, and my life’s journey from that day until this moment has been filled with change and eternal purpose. 

 My co-author Jeanna and I had long searched for wholesome stories for our children (and my grandchildren), and God put it on our hearts to create the Princess Parables Series. The stories introduce a character quality in the name of the Princess and take the storyline from a Parable that was taught by the greatest teacher that ever lived.  They have been specifically created to put a functional tool into the hands of young mothers, grandmothers, teachers…that will proactively allow parents to nurture the character of their little princess with a Godly worldview. 

The Princesses are designed to inspire godly thoughts and actions in your daughters.

 These weekly blogs are my reflections and beliefs,

and hopefully, will inspire you young moms 

and advance HIS Royal Kingdom.

.I can’t wait to get to know you better, caring reader,

and encourage you on your journey.

My first two princesses…Princess Catherine and Princess Alexandra Grace

Jackie's Journey "Life's Enquiries!"

I am the mom of two princesses, who now, each, have young knights and princesses of their own.  It was important to me, as a young mom, that my girls understood the Four Imperative Life Enquiries (Ravi Zacharias) that demand a response.  All creation cries out for an answer to these four crucial questions about life. 

My two great-nieces, Princess Emma and Princess Olivia

Most young moms are so busy and preoccupied with the “success” and safety (riots, shootings, child trafficking, internet interruptions on school study websites with pornography, false teachings, etc.) of their child that these four are often not addressed and when they leave home their young knights and princesses are ill-equipped to survive the worldly pressures, let alone lead the way, as a prepared soldier for a lost generation.

 We are inundated with social media and a multitude of ways that will readily educate our children incorrectly, and the home values are side-stepped by influences that are strategically programmed to the detriment of our young, impressionable heritage. 

 Have we dropped the ball??

 Young men and women of this generation are gasping for air, as they face the uncertain road ahead…unprepared and unaware.  So much emphasis has been placed on the temporal, rather than the eternal. The fruit we discern in the lives of our young prince and princesses is the obvious revelation of our neglect.  

 What do you see when you look around?  What do you hear?  Do your children listen to you with kind respect when you speak or do they roll their eyes and look for an escape? Are your children an inspiration or a discouragement to you?  Do they respond to their siblings with the purposed intention of making their brother or sister more successful or is there blatant competition, belittling and discord?  Is there a joyful attitude or a demanding one in your home?  Do you find your prince or princess interested in eternal things or focused on temporal values?  

 I am observing this new generation that will one day lead with the cross of Christ or will be lost to follow the world in discontentment.  Have the four life enquiries been addressed in your home?  Are the questions that all of us seek been answered to satisfy and settle our souls?

 1)    What is the origin of the universe, the world and us?

2)    What is the meaning of Life?

3)    What is morality and does it concern us?

4)    What is our destiny?

 Has your prince or princess found a safe place in you to easily talk about these imperatives?  Do you have the answers?  The Word of God is very explicit in the clarity of explanation to satisfy these probing questions. Is your child alert to the importance of implanting the truth and answers from God’s Word? Have you talked about these four goals and some thoughts on how to address and reach them?  How do you see the need of your child? 

 How do you see your need?  

How do your children read you when they witness

 the way you address life and these four imperatives? 

Will they be ready?

Are you?

 Will you join me in preparing yourself and this next generation 

with the answers for the obstacles of life they will encounter?

~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 "Gratefully Disillusioned!"

Since my mother’s passing in June, I, along with my three sisters, have had the privilege of walking through her thoughts, getting her Estate in order.  I am finding a wealth of information about her “seasoned” heart and my heart has responded to the love expressed in her times of trial, rejection and failure!

 C. S. Lewis once defined history as “the long terrible story of man trying to find happiness apart from God”.  The secret of a satisfied heart is NOT the pursuit of satisfaction or happiness…they are the by-products.  Discovering God, HIS path of obedience and HIS love in actual practice is the basis of genuine growth, absolute gratefulness and joy in life.

 Discouragement often accompanies times of trial, rejection and failure. “For you have tried us, O God; you have refined us as silver is refined.  You brought us into the net; you laid an oppressive burden on us, you made men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, yet YOU brought us out into a place of abundance.” Psa. 66:10-12

 I am reminded of the way God works to bring new release,

greater fulfillment, abundance and growth.  It is usually wrapped in the package of truth…

The more desperate the trial, the greater the growth!

 A while back, my life was completely disillusioned by a person very close to me that had always demonstrated loyalty and trust.  My attention was instantly drawn to the distress and directness of the accusations against me. I felt that “ person riding over my head”! 

 I kept hearing the words…God is not interested in helping us maintain 

a sense of worth  independent of HIM.

 I accepted temporarily an “oppressive burden” and knew the “fire and water” was surely inevitable. God “arranges” circumstances…(even, and especially in our failures), to break through our resistance until we honestly acknowledge and accept our need for HIM alone! Every other love, than God’s, is limited by some degree of distance, hesitation or distrust.

 I was then, and am still now, daily challenged to focus on how HE sees me and the treasure chest of truths on what delights HIS heart and NOT on the disillusionments and disappointments of life.  

Greater growth…greater trial.

 Trials come to help me reach my chosen goal, even though it sometimes frustrates my surface desires…therefore, I’m going on record to say…I welcome it!  Tribulation is God’s fastest road to patience, character, hope, confidence, genuine love…etc.!  In these days of confusion, riots and unrest, I continue to rest in a simple quiet purpose of heart…asking God for a celebration in the form of exuberance! (Antselvania)

 God continues to answer my prayer…I am not too old to serve, too seasoned to teach, too stubborn to learn, too weak to lead, too confounded to be productive…etc.  

 I am in perfect position for growth!!

 Will you grow with 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.