Jackie's Journey "Truth Don't Lie!"

Truth is a universal topic.  Today, we hear much about each person having “his own truth”.  There is an ideological warfare confronting us, as we face the issues of knowing truth and speaking truth in our day.  Truth has been confused with lies camouflaged in opinions.

 Lions don’t lie! They clearly speak their intentions with their ears, the posture of their tails, the shape of their mouth, the sounds of their roars. Their very presence is intimidating.  There is no doubt what their next move will be.  Lions clearly reveal their objectives. Truth of his target and goal is not hidden or disguised.  This massive predator is coming after me, if given a chance!

 “ Does a lion roar  in  the thicket when it has no prey?

Does it growl in its den when it has caught nothing?”

Amos, the  prophet who carried the burden on God’s heart

and the plight of God’s people states these words

in the first Chapter, verse 2 …”The Lord roars…Amos 3:4

 Telling  a lie is like pounding a nail in the wall of one’s character.  Telling the truth removes the nail, but leaves the mark.  No man ever puts a stumbling-block in the way of others by telling the truth”. Oswald Chambers  Truth is the foundation upon which anything that stands is built.

 We find unchanging truth as we acquaint ourselves with the mind and heart of God in His Word. For example:  “ If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”! Jn. 1:8 or “The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Or Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Jn. 14:6   In the continuing conflict between good and evil, truth is the weapon that wins the war.

 One of my husband’s favorite verses is John 8:44 which says, “He(Satan) was a murderer from the beginning and not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” In case I was negligent in telling you where lies come from, John 8: 44 very clearly states the truth.

 Do  you exaggerate when talking to others?

Do you lie or tell only part of the truth to escape the consequence of your actions?

Do you misrepresent the Lord with inconsistent or negative attitudes?

Do you give damaging reports of others?

We lie in many culturally “acceptable” ways.

Let’s take a stand against dishonesty and deception on every level this week…

Only truth sets us free.

~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 Under the Hood?"

The deer mouse demonstrates contentment in its ability to make its home almost anywhere, making itself comfortable with whatever is available. We know this firsthand, as one rainy winter, they decided to make their nest under the hood of my car!  Hungry little creatures that they are, they proceeded to eat through my cable lines and brought my transportation to an abrupt “out of commission”!  He must have traveled miles with me over the course of a few months while he ate what was available, while resting in his warm nest! 

 Oh, I forgot to mention…at the same time,

his friends did the same thing under the hood of my husband’s car!

 The alternative to contentment is boredom.  This little mouse and his little family were content because they weren’t under a bush in the rain, but cozy, dry and had plenty of cable lines and food I set out for more domestic animals to eat!  They maximized what was available to them.  They felt welcome because all summer I kept the bird feeders full of food and planters with vegetables ready for all of them. “They no doubt invited the whole community for a feast” my husband would say.  I was content watching the birds, squirrels, rabbits and racoons come to entertain me every morning while I drank my coffee.

 Little did I know they were moving in!   Not just a morning visit, but sly interlopers.  I learned that as content as they were, I was a little dismayed!  Contentment is understanding God has provided everything I need for my PRESENT happiness. Why was I complaining…I brought this on myself!  Contentment is contrary to human nature and must be learned.

 Adam and Eve had the perfect environment and they were not content in it.    They had perfect health, a perfect marriage, a perfect garden, and walked in that garden with God, yet they soon believed the lie that God had not provided everything they needed to be content!  What hope is there for me?

 “Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned,

in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”

Philippians 4:11

 God’s purpose was to teach me to distinguish between my needs and wants and to lean in on Him. Contentment is a decision we make as He uses these interruptions to  remind us to focus and recognize our daily need for Him regardless of our circumstances. Hence, the “cozy car destroyers” are  not my irritation… but my best friends!

~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 "Life's Relentless Shifting!"

From the look of my neighbor’s yards, my front doors, our Malls and craft stores, the holiday season is in full swing!  Fall is one of my favorite times of year and this one is going to be distinctive with a lot of changes and variables.  We live in a world in which the only constant factor is change…

 “Have you ever thought about change and the collapse of time?  From the days of the Lord Jesus Christ until about 1830, man could not travel any faster than a horse.  In 1960 a man went into outer space and traveled at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour.  Look how far we have come in so short a time(and even more so, the changing world to date)!  Sometimes when I read the papers (or open social media), I think we are trying to run the Space Age (or this day and age)with horse-and-buggy moral and spiritual equipment.

 Technology, you see, has no morals, and with no moral compass man will destroy himself ecologically, militarily, spiritually, or in some other way.  Only God can give a person moral restraints and spiritual strength.  While our world is shaking and crumbling, we need to realize one thing will never change… and that is God. He is the same today as He was ten million years ago, and He will be the same ten million years from today.  We are like grasshoppers; we appear and hop around a bit on earth and then we are gone.” Billy Graham

 The truth is…when we are through changing, we are through!  Bernard Baruch said  “During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions.  But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or ability to think”.   SOOO, this holiday season, I choose to embrace change and welcome new adventures…new ways of doing things…but mostly, I choose a new appreciation of my God who never changes…

~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 "I Can Do It Myself!"

Shortly after daybreak, an arctic explorer stood at the base of an eight-thousand-foot mountain.  The temperature was thirty below zero.  He was about 600 miles from the North Pole, when suddenly, a strange feeling overcame him and he considered turning back.  His uneasiness was heightened  by the unusual pattern of tracks in the snow.  He quickly recognized that most of the prints belonged  to arctic wolves!

 As he continued up the mountain, the wolf prints disappeared. However, he still sensed an eerie presence.  Something was watching him. Pulling himself up to the next snowy rise, the man was stunned by a rush of fur that flashed by his face! Wolves??  Polar Bear??

To his amazement it was a Musk Oxen.  The shaggy animals swiftly formed a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder, horns lowered and their young calves tucked inside the wall of protection.

 The ravaging wolves had no recourse but to retreat.  There was power in numbers.  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted another wolf that was now coming right for…him!  Only five feet away stood the huge wolf pack!  The wolves were no match for the combined protection that the musk oxen gave each other.   BUT the wolves were fearless against one man who tried to make it on his own…(condensed Bill Gothard material)

 Do you know anyone who says, “I can do it myself?”  I think there is a little of that independent spirit in all of us.  We forget the danger of trying to make it on our own. Most of us are convinced we have it covered…no help needed in our decision-making process. The savage wolves in life are just waiting to pounce…they come in different forms, but the end result is all the same.  There is self-rejection, rebellion, guilt, bitterness, anger,  purposelessness, habits and addictions, peer dependence, financial bondage….

 Understanding that the only safe place on this complex and confusing planet is to be wrapped inside the circle of the perfect will of God, walking in the light and truth of HIS Word.  This is our only hope. Facing the tomorrows independently of HIM is to invite the inevitable, like the arctic explorer.  None of us can do it alone…

 Which wolves are after your soul?

~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 "Busy Bees!"

Bees…bees…bees!  Buzzing busy bees!  These little creatures have taken over my house…again!  They burrow into a tiny entrance and come in a swarm once a year in the spring.  Tiny, over-active little furry insects with a hum that is continual and high pitched.

 They are efficient and they store, clean, repair, guard, nurse and scout for the Queen Bee!  She, by the way, lays 2,000 to 3,000 eggs a day!  Bees make a moaning sound that travels through the hive when threatened.  All the bees throb as though they were afflicted with fever which signals each bee to quicky adapt…even change role…in an effort to re-establish balance in the hive.

 Bees show us what loyalty is all about by their commitment to common goals and their amazingly accurate system of inter-communication for the benefit of the good for all.  If the bee rebels, the whole colony suffers and collapses.  This intriguing bug is the epitome of unity…the bonding  of individuals in a commitment of sacrificial support and defense. We could learn from the little bee!

 Loyalty is using difficult times to demonstrate our commitment to God and  those He has called us to serve. We are a Christian Colony. How loyal are you?  Do you ever doubt God’s sovereignty during trials or do you draw closer to Him? Are you double-minded or divisive?  Do you speak well of your authorities when in turmoil or do you murmur?  What’s your protective ratio?  Are you tempted to “throw others under the bus” to protect yourself?  The opposite of loyalty is infidelity.    

 God wants us to be reliable messengers for Him with common goals that glorify Him.  He wants us devoted to Him first, His Word, His commands, His people, His plan and His purpose. Like the Honeybee that rebels and the hive suffers and collapses, we have the same result if our loyalty is to the world and not a committed fellowship to God.  Do you know who you are loyal to? 

 We are facing difficult days ahead…are you ready?

~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 "Do You have a Generational Heart?"

Not all, but a few of the Students at Chame Mission School, Panama

 During our time in Panama, we had the privilege of being “Dorm Parents” to twenty- two children and young people.  We were located in Chame at the Mission School. Their parents were interior in tribes and we were entrusted with their care.  We had specifically asked for all the siblings of a family, rather, than having all same age high schoolers, all middle-school, etc.  Consequently, we had groups of siblings (ages 7-17) which helped us see patterns and needs more readily. What a blessing and learning experience those two years were.

 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet

before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.

 And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to the children

and the hearts of the children to their fathers,

 lest I come and smite the land with a curse.” Malachi 4: 5-6

 This was the verse the Lord gave us as we committed these precious ones to Him for the short  time, we had with them.  The ultimate challenge in terms of making our lives truly count for God’s purposes was how to successfully pass on our life-lessons, experiences, victories and failures to others so they would  build on them rather than devalue, reject  or misuse them. 

 How then, in our personal lives, dorm families, etc. would we communicate the inheritance of our hearts for the success of these placed under our protection?

 Training others to carry His heart was our job description from day one.  We did not want to get to the end of our time and say, “I hated all the  fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.  And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Ecc. 2:18-21

 It was this journey of building our lives and values  in  such a way that they formed a secure bridge between our two generations that we found God waiting to bless us all.  Malachi is told by God that when the heart of the father’s and children are separated, they are living under a curse.

 How many people do you know who are living in homes with separated hearts?

Families with divided-loyalties?

We need people to capture God’s vision for families

and embrace the original purposes of

the “passing of the baton” to the next 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 "Decisions...Decisions!"

Once upon a time there were three bear cubs romping in a field. They stumble across a caribou  that the wolves had killed.  They energetically begin to sniff and help themselves to the warm meat, thinking the wolves were gone.  But they were hiding…waiting to attack!  Wolves run in packs and the littlest bear took the worst of the beating. Mama bear hears her cubs howling and instantly comes to the rescue.   The littlest cub, bleeding and yet determined, ignores the call of mom and runs back toward the meat again! Decisions…decisions…

 For the second time, the mama bear exposes herself and the other cubs to danger.  The lead wolf draws mom away so the rest of the pack can attack the two cubs left alone.  The Mama bear, now furious, swings her paws in defense and with some fury pushes her three cubs into the thicket and down into the stream.  The smallest cub is now dripping with blood.  With all the bears in the water…they wait until the wolves no longer pursue them.

 The wounds were a lasting reminder of the consequence of not following the instruction of the one responsible for him (his mom, in this case!) Witchcraft is a devastating sin.  One which we saw in our village in the Darien. God states that rebellion is just like the sin of witchcraft! II Sam. 15:23 Disobedience  against our authority will always define the extent of our rebellion. 

 God places everyone under authority…parents, government, church leaders, employers, etc.  Every human authority is under the authority of God and the Bible. We are either safe under the protection of the one responsible for us or we are in rebellion.  (Ultimately against God)

 It’s a choice  we make consistently during a 24-hour period.  If we get out from  under the protective covering of our authority,  we expose ourselves to the realm and power of Satan’s control.  We choose to follow God’s clear instruction or we choose to follow the one who is out to kill, steal and destroy us. Jn. 8:44  Rebellion comes with a consequence…just as the littlest bear did, as he stood in the stream… bleeding!  Decisions…decisions! 

 What is your decision?

Who are you following ?

How’s your attitude, your words, your countenance, etc?

 We all make choices that affect everyone around us.

Know your authority and listen carefully and quickly obey…

~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 is Failure?"

My youngest daughter, Kim, always told me growing up that her testimony was not interesting because she was not involved in sin, like testimonies she had heard over the years.  She was born in Panama and her first years were spent in the jungles of the Darien on the Colombian border. She was full of energy, animation and oh so, fun to be around to the extreme.  She definitely kept us entertained and laughing as she marched to her own drummer…and  she was sure she needed no help…”she could do it herself!”  Of course,  that meant her way…her timing…her willfulness…not unlike most of us!

 All any of us has to share is our failure and weakness translated into a life message for the benefit of another.  That is my position.  If God can use my weakness to manifest His strength for your benefit, I will praise His name.  Jim Elliot, (husband of Elizabeth Elliot) who was martyred at the hand of the Auca Indians many years ago, once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”  His spirit of devotedness was shared in his prayer:

”Father, let me be weak that I might lose my clutch on everything temporal.

 My life, my reputation, my possessions.  Lord, let me lose the tension of the grasping hand.  Even, Father, would I lose the love of fondling. 

How often I have released a grasp only to retain what I prized by ‘harmless’ longing,

the fondling touch. 

Rather, open my hand  to receive the nail of Calvary as Christ’s was opened…

that I, releasing all, might be released, unleashed from all that binds me now. 

He thought heaven, yea, equality with God,

 not a thing to be clutched at.  So let me release my grasp!”

 True Christianity is an all-out commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ…an unconditional surrender to His Lordship…He is Boss!  When I was 19 years old and attending the University of Arizona, I had an opportunity to pledge a sorority.  After six months of maintaining above average grades, memorizing huge amounts of information and fulfilling the responsibility of a faithful pledge, etc., I faced the ultimate moment of commitment.

 I listened intently as each girl quietly slipped into a private room to pledge her total allegiance to Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority.  Racing through my mind was the moment a few months before that I had dedicated my life to God in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.  When God walked into my life, everything changed for me.  My  total allegiance had already been committed.  I had nothing else to  give.  Allegiance to an organization no longer had any appeal to me.  My purpose in  life had already been defined by my new Lord, Jesus Christ.

 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore, I will gladly boast all the more gladly

about my weakness,

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

~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 Crying Out?"

A CALL TO ALL WOMEN!

If there was ever a time in history

That called for us to fall on our knees…

This is the time!

“Arise and  cry out in the night,  as the  watches of the night begin;

Pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.

Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children.” 

Lamentations 2:19

Does your prayer life show the value of those we love and especially, our children?

Years ago, a godly Nebraska friend, Ginny Steele, gave me an alphabet of character qualities with scripture that I could consistently and systematically pray into my two little princesses,  Christina and Kimberly Joy.  It has now been extended as a prayer into the lives of my seven grandchildren.

 Years ago,  a godly Nebraska friend, Ginny Steele, gave me an alphabet of character qualities with scripture that I could consistently and systematically pray into my two little Princesses.

It has now been extended as a prayer into the lives my seven grandchildren.

 It begins with:

1.     Alert to subtle sin and how to avoid involvement in it.  (Mark14: 36)

2.     Bold to live for Christ and share the gospel.  (Acts 4:29)

3.     Compassionate to the needs and hurts of others.  (Col. 3:12,13; 1 Jn. 3:7)

4.     Dependability even if it involves sacrifice!  (Rom. 14:12; Psa.15:4)

5.     Eagerness and Endurance to accomplish God’s best.  (Gal. 6:9)

6.     Fruit of the Holy Spirit  (Gal. 5: 22,23)

7.     Gentle and Generous (Lu. 6:35-38; Pro. 15: 1; 11 Cor. 9:6; 1 Thess. 2: 7)

8.     Humble enough to realize God and others are responsible for whatever achievements are attained  (1 Pet. 5: 6; Jas. 4: 6) and verbally grateful!

9.     Initiative to respond without being asked.  (Psa. 87: 15,16; Rom. 12:21)

10.  Joyful because of harmony with God and others. (Psa. 97: 11,12; Pro.15: 13)

11.  Kind heart. (Hab. 3:18; 1 Peter 1: 8)

12.  Love for God, His Word and others.  (1 Jn. 4:7,8; 1Cor. 13: 3)

13.  Meekness of spirit.  (1Peter 3: 4; Psa. 62: 5)

14.  Never forsake the Lord.  (Joshua 24: 16)

15.  Obedient to God and other divinely appointed authority.  (Deut. 5:29; Rom. 2: 13; 11 Cor. 10: 5)

16.  Patience to wait on God.  (Jas. 1:2-4; Rom. 5:3,4)

17.  Quality time with God daily and Quiet spirit.  (Psa.46: 10)

1.          Quick to confess sin.    (1 Jn.1: 9; Psa. 46: 10)

18.  Repentant heart leading to knowledge of the truth.  (Job 11: 14,15; 11 Tim. 2:25)

19.  Self-Control…a Separated Life.  (Titus 2: 11,12; Gal.5: 24,25)

20.  Truthful and Thankful with Transparent motives.   (Eph. 4:25)

21.  Unique Ability to live by faith in the Living God.  (Gal.2: 20; Eph. 2:8; 2 Cor. 5:7)

22.  Virtue (Moral Purity) of spirit and life. (1 Thess. 4: 3)

23.  Wisdom to see life from God’s point of view. (Etc. 2: 26; Jas. 1: 5; Pro. 9:10)

24.  Exalt God in everything. (Ex. 15:2; Psa. 99:5; Isa. 25:1)

25.  Yield personal rights to God for victory over Anger. (Matt. 16:24-26; Gal. 5:24; Lu.2: 28; Titus 2: 11,12: Col. 3: 5)

26.  Zero in on God’s Will daily.  (Rom. 12:2; 1 Jn. 2:17; Psa.40:8)

 Will you join me in obediently and faithfully

praying daily for our children and grandchildren?

 Your prayer life for your children demonstrates their value to you!

“Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin;

pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord.

 Lift up your hands to Him for the lives of your children.”

Lamentations 2:19

~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 "Silent Promises?"

We live up a narrow gorge that stretches from the valley floor with its ocean and sandy beach to the top of the hill over-looking the harbor.  My desk sits at a window that has a view to an island 26 miles away.  Currently, I am watching the fog blanketing the coastline, bringing a cool breeze into our torched summer afternoon.  Watching the birds ride the currents is a regular distraction and preoccupation.

 I  was watching a large hawk sweep down across the pool in the backyard.  As he  ascended high up  into the sky above the valley below, he screeched loudly, over and over.  I observed this magnificent creature ride the current up and down…back and forth.  A  short time later, he swooped down into our yard again…only this time…he was silent…

 He had a snake dangling from his talons!

 “God provides for the cattle and

for the young ravens …when they call out!”

 Psalm 147:9

 I paused and realized…  I am that helpless raven that is found “crying out”. Totally dependent on God, placing  my faith continually on His promises and unfailing love!  Whether with no communication with the outside world in the jungles of Panama or here, in the U.S., with way to many ways to communicate.  The most important line of communication to keep open is that with the “King of Kings”!

 There are three common characteristics in the lives of our heroes of faith.  The first is their total dependence on God.  The second is they cried out to God first and then obeyed. And lastly, they courageously walked through the door of fear and doubt to experience the joy of genuine faith.

 Everything in life is a faith issue.

 “Faith is dead to doubts; dumb to discouragement;

blind to impossibilities”.

 We live in a hurricane with endless noise and activity.  Hearing the voice of God speaking to us when we cry out is a cherished and coveted practice, because He whispers in the quietness of our consciousness as His Word is read and His truth dwells richly in us.

 Are you listening for His whisper?   

~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.