Jackie's Journey "The Princess Star!"

With the new telescope that far surpasses what we have seen in space before, Solar and star gazing has become an official pursuit.  Follow the perspective of a very bright little princess…

 There is a story of a little princess who anxiously waited for the day of the Christmas pageant.  She was so excited about her part that her parents thought she must be one of the main characters, though she had not told them what part she would play. 

 The day finally arrived and her parents enthusiastically entered the auditorium and watched as each of the children was called to take their place.  The shepherds nervously waited in the corner of the stage holding two sheep.  Mary and Joseph were placed near the manger.  In the back were the three Wise Men eagerly waiting with a small camel.  Each and every child was placed in position…except for the little princess.  She contentedly sat quietly.

 The music started and the director began the narrative.  “A long time ago, Joseph and Mary went up from Galilee to be taxed. It was there that Mary and Joseph had a baby and they named Him Jesus,” the narrator began.   “And when Jesus was born a bright star appeared over the stable.  That was her cue!  She quickly jumped up from her chair, picked up a large, sparkling star and walked behind the manger, holding the star up high for everyone to see.  It flickered in the lights and all eyes were drawn to baby Jesus in the manger.

 The story continues and finds the shepherds in the field with their sheep.  That was her cue…the little princess moved into position on stage, wiggling the shiny star to show the shepherds where to arrive at the manger.  When the director mentioned the Wise Men…the little princess quickly moved to meet them and lead the way to the Christ child.  Her face was beaming as bright as the star she was carrying!

 The play ended with a round of applause and a standing ovation.  In the car on the way home, the little princess was happily chattering, “I had the main part, did you see?”   “You did?” her mother questioned.  “Yes” she said enthusiastically,

 “I showed everybody how to find Jesus!”

 This could not have been truer!  Showing others how to find Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world and to be the light that would draw them to Him has got to be the finest role we can play in life!

 May the Light of the Christ Child be your focus

this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

Jackie's Journey "Christmas Surrender!"

Christmas is a wonderful time to put our busy lives back into Scriptural perspective.  We celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ…the One who gives us everything we need to live a godly life. (II Peter 1: 3) This year 2022 is closing down…how did you do in your surrender to Him this year?

 Genuine Christianity is an unconditional surrender to His Lordship.

 While attending the University of Arizona, I was invited to join Kappa Alpha Theta, a national sorority.  I had a sense of acceptance and grew to love the girls and the accountability.  After a semester of pledging, we had a night of mild hazing that culminated in stepping, individually, behind a veil for the final step of becoming a Theta.  As the “pledge of loyalty” was read and the words were spoken to me…I was asked to repeat them…

 A few months earlier, over Thanksgiving holiday, I had attended a church service and heard for the first time in my life that I could know God in a personal way through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Now, standing behind that veiled curtain in the Theta House, listening to the call to Theta loyalty, I was profoundly struck and realized I had already given my total allegiance to the Savior that we celebrate next week!  When He walked into my life, everything changed…I had no more allegiance to give.

 Time has tested on life’s stage that unconditional surrender

I made to my loving Savior and Sovereign Lord, in those college days.

 What is your present commitment?

 Commitment was the turning point in my life when I seized the moment and converted it into an opportunity to alter my destiny. When we talk about total surrendering of our lives to the Lordship of Christ, we are talking about yielding all our rights and expectations! 

 What…?

 Wait a Minute!

 Don’t we run from the people and circumstances that call us into total commitment?  It is much easier to go with the flow as the secular, ungodly world dictates to us woke, relativity, independence and “I have MY rights!”  The world’s motto: “Strength only, show no weakness!”  The human struggle wants HIS POWER TO DO OUR WILL…no humility here.

 Is humility a position of strength or weakness, in your opinion?

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses,

so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake,

I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

 For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  (II Cor. 12: 9-10)

 Humility is me…seeing the contrast between my spiritual condition (a sinner) and HIS holiness and then receiving His grace to live Christ-like, not Jackie-like!  Grace flows in our weakness. Grace is doing HIS WILL WITH HIS POWER! (Phil. 2: 13)   It is acknowledging His presence and His power to live the Christian life.  Victory is living in that truth!

 Have you surrendered your life to His Lordship?

~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 "Hidden Sin!"

Duchess, my Ragdoll kitty, thinks she’s hiding from me…

Do you have a hidden sin? Something you don’t want anyone to know about?

 We cannot hide.  God has “placed our iniquities before Him, our secret sins in the light of His Presence.” Psalm 90: 8 “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time; but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time!” Abraham Lincoln

 t has been said of compromise that “we are too Christian really to enjoy sinning and too fond of sinning to enjoy Christianity.  It is no mystery, most of us know perfectly well what we ought to do, our trouble is that we do not want to do it.” (Peter Marshall) “The instances are exceedingly rare of man immediately passing over a clear marked line from virtue into declared vice, addiction and corruption.  There are middle tints and shades of concealed concessions between the two extremes; there is something uncertain on the confines of the two empires which they must pass through, and which renders the change easy and imperceptible. (Edmund Burke) 

 Hidden sin is cosmic treason. (R.C. Sproul) One reason sin flourishes is that it is treated like a CREAM PUFF INSTEAD OF A RATTLESNAKE!  Sin is not being lost in others…the other choice is selfishness. “By nature, I was too blind to see him, too proud to trust Him, too obstinate to serve Him, too base-minded to love Him.” (John Newton)

 There are many kinds of “hidden sins”.  They will ultimately destroy the offender and those connected to him They are thought to be hidden because we think no one knows.  Our excuse…’it is not affecting anyone else’’; hence, it is acceptable. It has been rationalized, justified, marginalized and cloaked in deceit.  There is only one problem…God always knows…there is nothing hidden from Him. (Rev. 22:12) Also, we are living letters known and read by all men (II Cor. 3:3) and even the least discerning uncovers the truth, eventually.  No one can get away with sin. It is sure to find you out.

 “But we have renounced (“turned away from”) “the things hidden” “(secret sins, immoralities, drunkenness, hypocrisies, and the sins hidden deep within the darkness of one’s life) because of shame (ugly or disgraceful), not walking in craftiness (deceitfulness) or adulterating the words of God but by manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” 2 Cor. 4: 2

 To maintain a habitual hidden sin is to announce, “I do not fear God.  He will not hold me accountable; I am the exception to the biblically stated rule; I am my own God! Satan doesn’t care what we worship, as long as we don’t worship the only true God!  Moody

~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 "Woman-Power!"

We have all heard and probably repeated the old adage which is the biblical proverb, “Where there is no vision, the people languish and perish”.  (Pro. 29: 18) I have been focused on the vision God has for my life since I was in college.  It wasn’t until I got to II Peter in the New Testament that I understood God has a designed vision for me that He makes available to any those of us who desire to be a godly woman, wife, mom, grandma, powerful in her influence, firm in her faith. 

 “He has given us everything we need to live a godly life…”

(So, there are no excuses for patterns of failure!)

 There are two powers in relationships given by God that dominate the world.  The first is the power of authority.  It’s not a choice, its positional.  The second is the power of influence, which is a choice.

 Which one is the greater or more powerful?

 The power of influence is the greater power because it is a choice and it chooses to have power over another person. Our family, friends and every other relationship is affected…either inspired or manipulated by our use of influence. We learn to appeal to persuade our children and others to make right choices. (Esther is a good example!) We’ve all heard of “woman-power”.  Have you ever thought about it?  The man was given the power of authority and the women the power of influence. (Gen. 16:3)

 What determines our influence?

How is our power manifested?

 For good or evil, we woman are influencing ALL THE TIME.  We are a letter and “we are known and read of all men”. (II Cor. 3: 2) Others are always watching to see the REAL us through our responses to life’s situations and our attitudes which result in actions. “The serene silent beauty of a holy life is the most powerful influence in the world, next to the might of God”. (Blaise Pascal) Holiness vanishes when you talk about it but becomes gloriously conspicuous when you live it!

 A good example (instead of a bad excuse!) is the most inspirational influence.

 What’s your vision for your family?

How are you using your power of influence

to see that vision fulfilled?

 As a basic principle, what we do in moderation our children will do in excess.

Let’s commit to using our power of influence for a life of godly influence,

 that others might speak well of Him because of us!

~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 "My Shadow Princess!"

Our Kuna neighbors…Anita and her family

 As the plane left the landing strip and soared into the morning sky, I caught a glimpse of the entire village waving farewell.  There waws one girl who stood in front of the crowd, crying.  I would miss her most of all!

 That young girl was the daughter of my nearest neighbor and she quickly became my shadow.  When two-month-old Kim would cry, she would abruptly run to get her and bring her to me.  I did not understand her kind action, but I always thanked her and stopped whatever I was doing to receive Kim into my arms.

 Later I would learn what an immensely special gift I was receiving.  The Kuna’s were very accommodating and took turns caring for each other’s babies, freeing mothers to leave the village and go into the jungle to tend to their fields for hours.  When the baby cried, the first to reach the distressed child would nurse that baby!

 In our village, some of the mother’s had tuberculosis and “My Shadow” had dutifully protected Kim for those early months after entering Kuna land.  Our permission to live in Pucuro was granted by the Kuna elders, specifically to bring medicine to the women who were losing their babies during childbirth and to care for the sick.  In those early days, we were oblivious to much of their culture, yet silently, God met my “unknown need” through the loving heart of a beautiful Indian princess named Anita.

 Like Jacob of old in the ‘barren and howling waste of the desert’, “He (God) shielded us and cared for us, He guarded us as the apple of His eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them on its pinions.” (Deut. 32: 10-11)  The eye of an eagle can detect a rabbit or fish from over a mile away!  How much more is the protective eye of God on those who walk with Him.

 What is your understanding and disposition of God’s protective hand?

Did you know it comes with a condition?

 “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.” (I John 3: 21) Promises given in scripture are generally followed by a condition.  Living under the divine protection of the Almighty God is a promise guaranteed, if we choose to walk by His standards and not our own.

 Knowing He is invisibly working on our behalf when we are totally unaware of our need is a magnificent reality to comprehend when finally revealed in the light!  And it is a daily reminder to “walk our talk”, so our heart does not condemn us.

 “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him;

And the Lord will cover him all day long…” (Deut. 33: 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 "What Merits Our Thanks?"

Does this turkey look grateful??

 It’s that time again…and it came quicker than any year in the past!  Hobby Lobby, and everyone else, has had their fall and Christmas decorations out since before Halloween!  I love seasons and fall is one of my favorites and all that it brings with it.  Thanksgiving is celebrated in the fall.   It screams change is coming.  Did you know that Thanksgiving is not a season?  It’s a posture of the heart…

  And I am giving thanks for each one of you that follow along with me each week.

 Enjoy these days of family and friend gatherings…

~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 "The Fourth Quarter!"

The frantic frog fighting for his life, as is the heron!

 It’s fall and Football season is here again. In most sports, there is a “fourth” quarter which determines the outcome of the game.  Some of us are approaching, or in, that fourth quarter, in terms of our remaining productive years.  Should we continue vocationally active into our seventies and eighties, we had roughly twenty-five to thirty years to make our personal mark on what is here, and on those who pick up our life-work and values. 

 As a young person, I remember visiting my grandparents and thinking they were years away from me because I was only in the first quarter.  The fourth quarter was sooo far away that I could not even visualize what it must be like.

 Yet, here it is…

 My husband has always said, “We are going to just burn out serving, Jackie.”  He will be sharing Christ on his death bed…I just know it!  When the Beatles sang “when I’m sixty-four,” we could scarcely imagine such a thing (that was really old!), but now, it’s in sight or we have already passed it!  So…what have we done in the first three quarters?? Did we make the world a better place or life better?  The final count is out…

In spiritual terms, we will reap what we have sown. (Gal. 6: 7) We will each be held accountable for our deeds here on earth. (Rev. 22: 12) If there was ever a need for followers of Christ (especially, fourth quarter believers!) to persevere, be resolute in purpose, uncompromising for truth, persistent in faith, unyielding in hope, constant in love, and unstoppable in advancing the kingdom…it is NOW!

 Just reaching the last quarter of life is a gift…a life-span “may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures.” (Psa.90: 10) Often, there are health and financial challenges. Or failure to see the divine purpose in aging.  Many reach this milestone and sense the inevitable invisibility by the people and culture around them.  They sit back and just resolve to wait out the remaining time…while sacrificing what could be the best years of their lives!

 In reality, we are all living in the last quarter because we are not guaranteed even another day. We are told to “number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psa. 90: 13) Hence, the need to focus in and live as if every day might be our last.

 Any regrets?

 What legacy will be left?

 Is there a plan to finish the course and its God- given purpose?

 We are the “never give up” generation…

~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 "How Evil is Evil?"

The worlds in turmoil.

 There is a created stress producing evil and the instability

is rampant with unrest all around us.

People are struggling, looking for answers…

 And we have them!!

 Everyone has their own system of seeking truth in resolving issues and understanding circumstances around them.  There are a lot of lies out there!

 Do you want solutions?  How do you recognize the truth?

 Our universal and only true God has taught us how find answers. To level the playing field and see evil for what it is from God’s perspective, let’s look at how God defines it…“we do EVIL because we did not set our heart to seek the Lord”. (2 Chron. 12: 14)  

 To seek the Lord is a present progressive verb, meaning… an ongoing, never-ending action.  If we want answers to the mayhem and disorder around us…we connect with Him daily in His Word.    We are robbing God and ourselves by not “setting our heart to seek Him”!   We are created to fulfill what we, with Him, are commissioned to do.  Our designed purpose is “to do the will of God on earth, even as it is being done in Heaven”.  Matthew 6:10 “We are created for a life of good works that He has prepared before-hand for us to do”. Ephesians 2:10

 He wants to supply for His family, like any good father, as His family yields to His will and ways. We are to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (and all these things will be added to us”) …”for this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or drink; nor for your body what you will put on. Are you not worth more than the birds and the lilies…”(mentioned above v. 27-32) Matthew 6:33  

 Evil is doing our own thing.  We have two choices:  Wisdom from above that comes as we seek Him or wisdom from below that is evil, Satanic, selfish, proud, and envious.  We cannot separate selfishness and pride from Satan. James 3:13-15 We are given clear understanding that setting our heart to seek Him teaches us that sacrificing our will and desires requires a surrendering to God’s will, bringing us into His will and our purpose. Romans 12:1,2

 In Matthew there was a group of people doing their version of God’s will, but doing it their own way.  Matthew 7:21,22Christ said, “depart from me, I never knew you.” They were doing, what appeared to be the same as the apostles, but it was in self-oriented, satanic power. 

 Who discerned that?  The Lord Jesus did!

 How do we know we are “setting our heart to seek Him?”

 What is His will, in general, for all believers?   Fish for men. Matt 4:19   Walk in the Spirit. Gal 5:16   Seek Him in the Scriptures daily to understand our calling.  It always involves service.  He came to serve, not to be served.  He lives in the believer to continue to do just that. If you are focused on all of the evil that is happening around you or the turmoil of circumstances that are incumbering you…set your heart to seek Him and know He has the answer and is waiting to give it to you…

 Who are you seeking today?

 He is the same today, yesterday and forever.

 (an adapted study from Ralph Johnson)

~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 "Inspiring Imprints"

My daughters, Christina and Kim in the hammock in our jungle house

 As a young missionary mother reading to these two little ones sitting next to me in a hammock in the middle of the Panamanian jungle, my heart yearned for books that would introduce my girls to bible-based, character-emphasized prince and princesses that they could aspire to become.  I would take every book I picked up and purpose to impose these two principles into the pages in terms they could understand that had eternal values targeted.  My two daughters, Christina and Kim, are now grown and have given me seven grandchildren!  Christina encouraged me for years to sit down and put on paper what I did to the stories I read in those early years.  Her cry for these books for her four little ones was my primary motivation.

The opportunities are unlimited when it comes to God building His character in us, and then, into the lives of these He entrusts to our care.  Understanding the need and exercising the steps of action needed to see them implemented is our challenge.  When you look at your children where do you see their primary need?  Taking into consideration their temperament, maybe the need for them to be more alert or to respond more quickly in obedience?  Maybe rebellion is the issue or selfishness?  Where would you begin to help the little prince or princess in your home? 

 Values are based on the changing opinions of what people or groups of people practice in their principles or ideals.  Character is based on universal standards that are time-tested and recognized as being ethically correct.  Character is written in every person’s heart and conscience (Romans 2:15).  Even though the basic truth of a character quality is understood, there is a need for further clarification on how to apply the truth in daily circumstances. 

I have collected positive character quality definitions for years because they describe pieces of the Godhead and assist in my personal spiritual exercise and transformation.  They helped equipped me to pragmatically instruct my girls, as we walked through daily activities, living in a culture very different than our own. In the village where we lived, the Kuna practice of polygamy and early marriages combined with witchcraft and a village witchdoctor opened up interesting teaching opportunities.

My granddaughters, Catherine and Alexandra

A few years ago, the oldest of these two little princesses in the hammock saw her two daughters, my granddaughters, Catherine and Alexandra (now 23 and 21), accomplish an extraordinary act of compassion in just a few days.  I was asked to wrap a collection of gifts, gift cards and get-well cards with money that they had gathered to give to Alexandra’s teacher at school.  Her heart had been challenged to encourage this young single woman, who had recently left her parents and siblings on the East Coast to answer a call to serve in our community here on the West Coast.  She had taken a daily six-hour cancer treatment three months earlier and had quietly gone alone for the last six weeks, not wanting to burden or inconvenience anyone else.  During her follow-up appointment, the doctors found the cancer had returned…aggressively!   Alexandra tearfully shared with her sister, Catherine, the sadness she felt.  Catherine, who was the school’s “Kindness Club” director, immediately joined hearts and hands with her sister, their mother (Christina), and many who heard of the need. Within just a few days came waking through my front door with a huge box-full of “encouragement” to wrap and be delivered by hand to this teacher.

The wrapped gift!

We respond to life according to our character, good or bad.  Our wrong responses indicate our need.  Our correct responses validate our victories.  For me, this was a victory of gigantic proportion.  Three generations clasping hands to compassionately encourage a hurting heart! Princess Charity in our Princess Parable Series was faced with the same choice my granddaughters faced.  Webster’s definition of Compassion is “together + suffering; deep sympathy, pity”.  “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” 1 John 3:17   Compassion is doing whatever is necessary to heal the hurts and meet the need of another.  Christ is the greatest teacher that ever lived and our example. His compassion for us carried Him to the cross!  Living outside our own self-life, being alert to another’s pain and not walking by without lifting a hand is our “Call to Action”.  This time of year, certainly invites acts of kindness!

~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.